Objectives

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

Outline

The world of Cultural diversity

Understanding cultural differences

Guidelines for effective cross-cultural communication

Who Should Attend

Officers, Executives and Managers who work in multi-national and multi-cultural environments with needs to communicate with their colleagues and their business partners.

Methodology

Presentations with experiential learning, case study, role play, discussions and practice sessions.

Benefits of Attending

· People learn about themselves:

Through intercultural training, people are exposed to facts and information about their own cultures, preconceptions, mentalities and worldviews that they may otherwise not have contemplated. Intercultural training helps people learn more about themselves through learning about others, and help think out of their box.

· Encourage confidence:

Intercultural training promotes self-confidence in individuals and teams through empowering them with a sense of control over previously difficult challenges in the workplace.

· Break-down barriers:

All of us have certain barriers such as preconceptions, prejudices and stereotypes that obstruct our understanding of other people. Intercultural training demystifies other cultures through presenting them under an objective light. Through learning about other cultures, barriers are slowly chipped away thus allowing for more open relationships and dialogue.

· Build trust:

When people's barriers are lowered, mutual understanding ensues, which results in greater trust. Once trust is established altruistic tendencies naturally manifest allowing for greater co-operation and a more productive workplace.

· Motivate:

One of the outcomes of intercultural training is that people begin to see their roles within the workplace more clearly. Through self-analysis people begin to recognize areas in which they need to improve and become motivated to develop and progress.

· Open horizons:

Intercultural training addresses problems in the workplace at a very different angle to traditional methods. Its innovative, alternative and motivating way of analyzing and resolving problems helps people to adopt a similarly creative strategy when approaching challenges in their work or personal lives.

· Develop interpersonal skills:

Through intercultural training participants develop great 'people skills' that can be applied in all walks of life. By learning about the influence of culture, i.e. the hidden factors upon people's behaviors, those who undertake intercultural training begin to deal with people with a sensitivity and understanding that may have previously been lacking.

· Develop 'listening skills':

Listening is an integral element of effective and productive communication. Intercultural training helps people to understand how to listen, what to listen for and how to interpret what they hear within a much broader framework of understanding. By becoming good listeners, people naturally become good communicators.

· People use common ground:

In the workplace people have a tendency to focus on differences. When intercultural communication problems arise the natural inclination is to withdraw to opposing sides and to highlight the negative aspects of the other. Intercultural training assists in developing a sense of mutual understanding between people by highlighting common ground. Once spaces of mutual understanding are established, people begin to use them to overcome culturally challenging situations.

· Career development:

Intercultural training enhances people's skills and gives people a competitive edge over others especially when working in international companies with a large multi-cultural staff base.