Quick Take
- Narration: Dennis Kleinman reads cleanly and professionally through nearly twenty-nine hours of country-by-country content. Serviceable rather than distinctive, appropriate for reference material.
- Themes: Cross-cultural business protocol, the gap between assumption and practice across sixty-plus countries, cultural fluency as professional competency
- Mood: Dense and encyclopedic, most useful in targeted doses rather than cover to cover
- Verdict: The definitive audio reference for international business etiquette, essential for professionals operating across borders, less suited to linear listening.
I first encountered Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands years ago in the library of a French publishing house where I was doing a short placement. It sat on the shelf between a French-English business dictionary and a dog-eared copy of Hofstede’s Cultures and Organizations, which is probably the best indicator of the company it keeps. The second edition, now available in nearly twenty-nine hours of audio, is the most comprehensive version of what was already the standard reference in its category.
Terri Morrison assembled over sixty country profiles for this edition, each covering the cognitive styles, negotiation strategies, values, social customs, and specific business protocols that professionals encounter when working across borders. The audiobook version adds something the print edition cannot quite replicate: the pacing of Kleinman’s narration imposes a kind of deliberate attention that skimming a reference book discourages. When you listen to the China profile and then immediately to the India profile, the contrasts become more vivid than they might on the page.
Our Take on Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands
The value proposition here is straightforward. Morrison’s research is exhaustive and her framework for organizing cultural information is well-designed: each country entry covers geographic context, history, government, language, religion, class structure, business practices, and specific protocol for meetings, greetings, negotiations, and hospitality. The depth varies by country, the major economies get more thorough treatment, but even the shorter entries contain genuinely useful specifics.
What distinguishes this book from more superficial cross-cultural guides is Morrison’s insistence on the why behind the what. Understanding that a German executive’s directness in negotiation is a feature of a culture that privileges precision over relationship-building, not rudeness, is more useful than simply knowing that Germans can seem blunt. That framing, context behind behavior, runs throughout the book and elevates it above the checklist approach that weakens most etiquette guides.
Why Listen to Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands
The audiobook comes with a PDF companion, which matters for a reference work of this scope. The audio works well for deep dives into specific countries you are preparing to work in; it is less effective as linear listening through all sixty-plus profiles in sequence. Most listeners will use it the way reviewers describe, selecting the relevant chapter before a trip, a meeting, or a partnership negotiation, rather than treating it as a narrative to follow from beginning to end.
Kleinman’s narration is appropriately neutral. This is not a book that benefits from performative delivery; it needs clarity and pacing, and Kleinman provides both. The audio engineering is noted as professionally done, which at nearly twenty-nine hours matters considerably, fatiguing production choices would make sustained listening difficult, and there are none here.
What to Watch For in Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands
Cultural information ages. The second edition updates earlier material, but the pace of change in some countries, particularly in the Gulf region, East Asia, and Eastern Europe, means that specific social customs may have shifted since publication. Morrison is generally careful to distinguish between deep cultural values, which change slowly, and surface practices, which change faster. Readers should weight the former more heavily and verify the latter through current sources before high-stakes interactions.
One reviewer noted, with appropriate amusement, that the book reveals as much about American assumptions as it does about other cultures, seeing where the U.S. sits in the global picture of business practices is itself instructive. That reflexive dimension is not Morrison’s explicit focus, but it surfaces throughout and is worth attending to.
Who Should Listen to Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands
Essential for business professionals working internationally, diplomats, international students, and anyone preparing for sustained cross-cultural engagement. Also valuable, as at least one reviewer notes, for travelers who want to engage more respectfully with the places they visit. Casual listeners looking for a linear narrative experience will find the encyclopedic structure unrewarding, this is a reference work and functions best as one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the audiobook version of Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands practical as a reference, or does the format make it hard to use?
The audio format works best for targeted listening to specific country profiles before travel or business interactions. The accompanying PDF download helps for the reference function. It is less practical than the print edition for quick lookups but more useful for deep preparation on a specific country.
How current is the cultural information in the second edition?
The second edition updates and expands the original, but cultural practices, particularly in rapidly developing economies, change faster than publication cycles allow. Morrison’s coverage of deep cultural values ages better than her treatment of surface customs and business practices, which should be verified through current sources.
Does the book cover countries beyond the major Western and Asian economies?
Yes. Morrison includes over sixty profiles, with coverage extending to the Gulf states, Latin America, Africa, and Eastern Europe. Depth varies, major economies receive more thorough treatment, but the breadth is genuinely comprehensive.
Is Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands useful for non-business contexts, such as tourism or academic research?
Several reviewers found it valuable for travel beyond business settings. The cultural frameworks it provides, understanding cognitive styles, social hierarchies, and hospitality norms, transfer well to any cross-cultural engagement, not just professional ones.
