In the US, we often open our meetings with a round of small talk, and I've noticed the same thing happening in meetings in the UK. Does the same thing happen in Germany?
Unlike in the US and the UK, Germans tend to get right down to business in meetings and spend very little time on introductory small talk. Meetings generally have agendas which are strictly adhered to and are expected to result in decisions and outcomes, not just be a forum for discussion. While people in some countries are more apt to gently ease into the meeting content - and in fact are potentially uncomfortable with jumping right into the subject matter - Germans will waste little time on what they would consider superfluous chit chat. For your meetings in Germany, be prepared to quickly start business and don't attempt to open with idle conversation unrelated to the task at hand.
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