Working Across Cultures

New

Working Across Cultures: A Practical Introduction to Intercultural Communication

Have you considered how culture may be influencing your professional relationships and interactions? Do you know which factors to consider when dealing with other nationalities? Are you using to your advantage what you may have already noticed or experienced? The workplace today is truly international in composition and intercultural competency is an invaluable and positive addition to your skill set.

This half day session is an introduction to the field of intercultural communication with an emphasis on practical application and developing self-awareness. It is a fun, engaging, relevant topic that will enable you to work more confidently and effectively with any nationality. You will become familiar with key variations across national cultures, so that you can recognise if/when and why cross-cultural misunderstandings are occurring, as well how to be more flexible in your approach.

You can expect a mixture of trainer-led content, as well as interactive exercises in pairs and small groups

GSLS PhDs and Postdocs

You must complete a pre-course questionnaire at least 72 hours before the event which will be provided in your booking confirmation.

Number of sessions: 1

Participants will leave with:

Concepts and models to unravel the complexity of intercultural interactions

Practical tips and insights to recognise, avoid and resolve cross-cultural misunderstandings

Greater self-awareness and flexibility of behaviour

The confidence and skills to build better relationships with international colleagues

Increased knowledge of several national cultures

The tools and tolerance to work more effectively in a multicultural environment, improving productivity and reducing day-to-day stress

The course will cover:

What exactly we mean by culture, including how it impacts our day-to-day interactions

Key variation points to watch out for, such as degrees of formality or expressiveness, attitudes to change, hierarchy or styles of disagreeing

Building awareness of one’s own cultural communications style, preferences and values, including how these may be perceived by other nationalities or a particular corporate/organisational culture

The practical implications of culture on email/telephone communication, relationship building, managing others, giving feedback, meetings and creating a positive impression

Short focus on non verbal communication (e.g. eye contact, greetings, space) and use of the English language

Reference to several national cultures

Analysis and discussion of intercultural dialogues (as well as participants’ own experiences)