Offer your business card with both hands (or your right hand alone if both aren’t free), and give it to the most senior person in the room before anyone else, in theory you should know who that is before you walk in. When you receive a card back, take it with both hands too, glance at it, and say something about it before putting it away, not straight into a pocket.
Let a Thai colleague set the pace of the meeting rather than pushing straight to business, small talk about family, hobbies, or education upfront is normal, and business lunches especially tend to wait until the other side raises the topic.
- Criticism runs through hierarchy, not directly — a hard conversation is more appropriately raised by someone senior, and a flat “no” is often avoided in favor of a softer, indirect refusal.
- Confirm meetings the day before and show up on time — punctuality reads as basic respect for the other person’s schedule here, more than a scheduling formality.