Germans' directness sometimes can be seen as offensive, especially in the South, but the key is not to take it personally, a native of Germany says.
"I'm not telling you to change who you are. Just to be aware that, if they seem rude, they do not mean to offend you," Christian Höferle told 14 people attending "Understanding the German Way," a workshop sponsored by the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce and Höferle Consulting.
The Wednesday session, "Land and People/Values and Attitudes," was the first of six that will cover topics ranging from business to schools. Among other things, Mr. Höferle, a Bavarian native, discussed how most Germans really are private about religion.
"It is important to know that Germans are not as religious as people here," he told the group of small business owners, educators and insurance agents.
John Whittemore, who spent three years in Germany during the 1960s, said he attended the workshop out of curiosity.
He said a friend and neighbor who moved from Germany fits a lot of the characteristics Mr. Höferle shared with the participants.
FAST FACTS* Bavaria, Wacker Chemical's home state, has twice the population of Tennessee's 6.3 million.* Lower Saxony, Volkswagen's home state, has a population of 8 million with a land mass that's 44 percent the size of Tennessee.* Of the 120,000 people living in Wolfsburg, about 50,000 work for Volkswagen.* Of the 18,000 living in Burghausen, almost 10,000 work for Wacker.Source: Höferle ConsultingWHAT'S NEXT* April 7: Session 2 - Business World* April 21: Session 3 - Private vs. Public* May 5: Session 4 - Communication* May 19: Session 5 - School Systems* June 2: Session 6 - Housing and Real Estate/Consumer Habits
"He's very outspoken, very direct, very organized. He doesn't like to deviate from established procedure," said the retired fiction writer.
"I think (the workshop) will make us more aware ... that there are legitimate differences and should not be considered as offensive affronts," Mr. Whittemore said. "And that it's possible that we need to be patient until we learn more about our German friends."
Ruth Wilson, who works for Hönigsberg & Düvel Corp., a German information technology consulting services company opening in Chattanooga, said that, despite the differences, there are many similarities between Germans and Americans.
"Some of the things he talked about, because of my background in IT nationally, I don't find as much difference between German and American necessarily as I do even within America, North to South for instance," she said.
"I think Southerners generally have a reputation from being more laid back and hospitable," said Ms. Wilson, a Chattanooga native.
For the company and people she works with, she said, "it's really about the business, not the culture."