The official language being used in Singapore is Mandarin Chinese, however most of its citizens are able to speak English. Some locals would also speak Malay and Tamil, but the business sector would normally use Mandarin Chinese or English interchangeably.  Although you might be confident enough to know that most  of the residents are able to speak English, you might as well get some Mandarin lessons to get familiar with commonly used Mandarin words. You may check out lessons in Edu Mandarin or EDX to learn basic Mandarin.

Language Skills
One of the first things you are to practice before going to Singapore is their local greetings. You might be wondering that since the population in the country is divided into Chinese-speaking, Malay-speaking, and English-speaking people, then how are you supposed to greet the locals? If you want to take it to a different level, try the Chinese greetings that say ‘ni hao’ for ‘hi’ or ‘ni hao ma’ in exchange for ‘how are you.’ Although 70% of the population in Singapore speaks Chinese, another popular language they use is ‘Sing-lish’ a mixture of Chinese, Malay, Hokkien, and English. You may be able to identify such language when you hear the suffix ‘lah’ at the end of a phrase. For example, instead of saying a plain ‘okay,’ Singaporeans tend to say ‘ok lah,’ or when someone wishes to say ‘it’s not good,’ locals would rather say ‘not good lah.’ Our advice is that you try not to dive into using Sing-lish right away, lest you might end up offending a local. Instead, try to use English if that’s what you are comfortable with.

Body Language
The most common body language in Singapore is handshaking when greeting someone. It may be used in a corporate setting or even in casual introductions. However, this is the only time that you can freely get physical contact with a local. Singaporeans are not too affectionate in public and are not accustomed to constant physical touches most especially from strangers. You should also note that one should never touch a local’s head, whether the person is an adult or a child, because the locals treat their head as sacred.

Although Singaporeans are not tactile, they value sincerity through eye contact. This appears to them as a sign of confidence and interest to the other person. When talking to someone, make sure that you listen attentively by looking the person straight in his / her eye while speaking, and occasionally nodding as an appropriate response to what is being told. This sends the message to your counterpart that you are indeed engaged in a conversation with them.

One common gesture you have to avoid in this country is pointing using the index finger. When you need to point something or someone it is taken as rude to use your finger, instead, your whole hand. Some locals may also use their head and nod slightly to point in a direction. Most Asian cultures, Singapore included, value silence as a very important non-verbal gesture. When talking to someone, pausing in silence before delivering an important decision or message is taken as politeness, respectfulness, and sincerity.

Topics for Discussion
Singaporeans are fond of traveling. One conversation topic you may try to bring up to your local counterpart are up to date travel destinations you’ve visited recently. The limited tourist destinations of this country causes its locals to really find interest in visiting international travel spots, which they will surely enjoy getting tips about.

Since the country is known to have one of the most advanced economies amongst asian countries, locals take pride in conversations that talk about Singapore’s economic advances. You may start by complimenting the dozens of notable infrastructures in the country that serve as manifestations of a really robust economy, not to mention the multinational companies that sit inside their tall buildings and towering structures.

Most, if not all locals in Singapore are conscious about their career success and growth in their professions, this makes them a good counterpart for talking about business successes. Locals are welcome to conversations that may tackle your career goals, future plans about work, and your objectives in working in Singapore. Locals can be very accommodating in suggesting how you can best get along in a workplace with Singaporeans.

Although one can say that Singaporeans are warm in conversing with their counterparts, you should note that they can be very personal too in throwing questions to another person. Their questions may vary from non-personal to too personal topics like your age, profession, job, and even salary. Don’t get offended when a local asks about these since it is an acceptable topic for conversation in their country. However, it is best to avoid topics that may lead to politics, religion, legalities in the country that may involve how critical they can be about country punishments such as spitting, smoking in public, chewing gum, and jaywalking.