"MYSTERIOUS ALBION": NEGOTIATION BEHAVIOR PATTERN OF THE BRITISH

The article examines the main features that exist in the diplomatic and business culture of the British. First of all, it is restraint and self-control that are manifested as in words and expressed feelings as in non-verbal communication. The British demonstrate respect for an interlocutor and adhere to high standards of politeness. Their practical mindset allows them to be flexible in finding negotiated solutions. They are ready to take risks, they work out various ways to reach agreements, and they can abandon their initial approach if the situation requires it, and find a completely new solution. Foreigners may perceive the self–confidence and self-esteem of the British as arrogance, and they also may perceive the evasiveness, indirect communication style, and desire to observe the proprieties and to demonstrate emphasized friendliness that are distinctive to the British negotiation culture as insincerity and hypocrisy. A high degree of idiomaticity in the modern English language may create additional difficulties in understanding the British people. As in other cultures, the behavior of the British is influenced by the social environment where personality formation goes together with the features and the level of education. It is important to take into account that the culture of individualism which is inherent in the British society encourages freedom of self-expression. Therefore, along with taking into account the "cultural standards" of the behavior of the British, it is necessary to know the personal style of communication of a particular interlocutor.