b. Method of Communication.

To understand the Danish way of doing business, we need to apprehend the communication style.
Even though Danish tend to be unexpressive people in public and rather low-key in general, they
are very direct communicators, preferring openness and honesty which may seem offensive to
foreigners. Even in a business context, Danish people will prefer to leave the small talk for later
and get straight to the heart of the subject.  They do not mean to be rude or arrogant; their
directness is simply their style of communication. Another fundamental characteristic of Danish
communication, especially in business, is the prevalence of consensus. Differences between the
parties are not very distinctive in Denmark. All relationships are valued and as a result, Danish
people prefer to resolve conflicts by comparison and negotiation. You will often find your Danish
counterparts will strive for a win-win solution.

c. Cultural Context of Communication. 

Generally speaking, Business Communication with people from Denmark is generally informal and
marked by humor and goodwill, so try to maintain a modest and low-key approach. It is common
for the Danes to maintain some distance and unpretentiousness is a keyword in social interaction.
You will rarely hear someone promote themselves or their own skills. On the contrary, people tend
to underplay their own role and qualifications.

Business communication in Denmark during meetings are straight forward and Danish are
generally conservative and efficient in their approach. However, Danish business people can
appear somewhat formal at first, but they are soon likely to show the more informal side of
themselves. Most Danes speak to their colleagues with an open heart about their private life. They
talk about their family and what they do in their holidays and spare time.

d. High Context and Low Context Cultures.

In the spectrum of cultural context, Denmark, thanks to its characteristics, can be classified as a
low context culture. This implies that the company that comes from a cultural context must make
perceptible changes that allow it to adapt. In the field of business, it is necessary to understand
the differences about the organization, structure, interactions, among others. In association,
Colombian company must focus on how things get done by following procedures and paying
attention to the goal instead of get things done depending on relationship with people or
mindfulness to group process, besides changing from a hierarchical-centralized structure to a
decentralized where responsibility goes further down. regarding interactions between both
parties, communication has to be direct and seem as an exchange of valuable information, where
the context is less important than words and disagreements are depersonalized. By way of
adaptation, other cultural differences must be taken into account such as temporality, where
things are scheduled to be done at particular times, one thing at a time and learning process,
where it is given by following explicit directions and what is important is that activities are done
efficiently.

 e. Evidence in Everyday life 

Today, Danish society is based on coalition and conformity and people in Denmark are often
referred to as the ‘Nordic Latins’ because of their communicative and friendly nature. It is clear
that their national culture has become so ingrained in the people that it has led to practices and
customs that are typical of Denmark. On a daily basis we can see that the Danish communication
style tends to fluctuate between direct and indirect. They value being polite and courteous. On the
other hand, they can be very direct when it comes to stating opinions and beliefs. Punctuality is
very important in Denmark.  If somebody is going to be delayed, it is crucial his/her call to the
Danish counterpart to let them know. Besides, Danish businesses tend to have flat structures. In
this way, communication should be easier, in this context, social barriers between managers and
their employees are regarded as unnatural and undesirable. People in Denmark tend to pause as
they speak and wait until the other person has finished speaking.  we might find communication is
a bit more informal in social situations but respect their desire to avoid interruptions. We should
not be too aggressive in our negotiation and communication style. Danes will be suspicious of this
approach and you may lose their trust and confidence in our company.

f. Entering High and Low context cultures.

a. Kinesics. 

Danishes are usually keep in their deportment manner which means they would be impolite
and cold with strangers. However, they will open up and feel familiarly if you their friends.
Another gesture is about body movement. Using hands or large arm movements are
depending on their extrovert. For waving and smiling, they address by their signs but they
large movement are not used. They act like this because they do not want to be focus from
other people. Direct eye contact is a symbol to show your interesting in topic while
someone is talking. The last thing, you should not slouch while you present yourself in
public places. It is because you will looked like childlike and shows lack of respect and
laziness

b. Proxemics.

In Denmark, personal space depends on how well you know the person. In general, it is
considered rude to get too close to someone so at least an arm’s length of personal space
should be maintained during conversations. While the two parties are interacting, foreign
people need to take into account that space is compartmentalized and privately owned;
privacy is important, so people are farther apart. Touching during conversations is a sign of
intimacy, so if people are very close with someone, it is normal, otherwise it can be
construed as insincere, invasive or out of place. 

c. Chronemics

Unlike high context culture that conceive time is a process; it belongs to others and to
nature, Danish people see Time is a commodity to be spent or saved. One’s time is one’s
own. Often defined as a monochronic culture, Danish activities are based on the notion of
time which is believed to be concrete, linear (from A to B), and universal and as such, is
expected to be complied with by the other party. Punctuality is highly valued, it important
to be on time, especially in business settings.

All the evidence provided above allows us to conclude that In Denmark, business communication
is as much important as in any other part of the world. In the era of business globalization, where
a company is operating in different parts of the world and the people working are from all around
the globe, it is imperative to know about the Business Communication culture of different
countries. Regardless of the situation and place, communicating without creating barriers can only
be an advantage and bring benefits to any international business relationship.

The purpose of this document is to create a frame of reference that contains relevant information
about Denmark´s culture, the communication aspects that must be taken into account when it
comes to interactions as well as some concepts of how to do business in this country. Also, with
the objective that the Colombian company gain a greater knowledge and understanding of this
specific market and thus, develop the appropriate adaptation strategies that allow it to run the
business successfully.

Cultural Clues & Communication Guidelines for DENMARK i

https://www.circlesofexcellence.com/blog/tag/conversation-guidelines-for-denmark/

Business communication in Denmark

https://businessculture.org/northern-europe/denmark-business-culture/business-
communication/#:~:text=Face%2Dto%2Dface%20communication,a%20keyword%20in%20social
%20interaction.

DANISH CULTURE – KEY CONCEPTS AND VALUES

https://www.communicaid.com/country/denmark/