Intercultural Competance training

Course overview

Culture is one of the pillars of human existence. If our life was a fabric, our culture would be the basic thread with which the fabric is woven. For easy of understanding lets refer to one of the most frequently heard differences we hear, which is about the differences between eastern and western cultures. This is an age old example of how people of different cultures can have different believes, values, behaviors, preferences and a different way of living.

There are many definitions of culture, however the one that best describes culture is an old saying which goes as follows, “you can take a person out of the village but you can’t take the village out of the person.” This statement resonates with every person who has migrated to another city or country and has missed the specific rituals of his/ her land.

With globalization, our interaction with people from different cultures is increasing. Sometimes our work introduces us to clients and customers from different cultures in the neighboring countries and sometime across continents. The climatic conditions, religious believes, historic events, economic growth, language, rituals, work ethics, heritage like art and food are few components of culture.

The importance of building intercultural competence lies in the fact that it is easier to trust people with a familiar background and outlook towards life.  We might not always look and sound like our clients and customers, however we can invest in learning a few important things in their culture to gain their trust. A few things that can be done to earn trust is to learn the foreign language. Food is a universal connector and there is merit in understanding about local food so that the two parties can get comfortable and bond over food. Understanding the said and unsaid norms of clothing can also be a good conversation starter and unveil a lot about the people and their culture.

Learning Objectives

This training on “Intercultural Competence” aims to achieve the following objectives:

• Understand the merits of intercultural competence
• Consequences of intercultural ignorance
• How not to offend people who are different from us
• Building professional relationships with people of different cultures
• Build business by understanding local culture
• Sharpen professional etiquette

Our Unique Training Methodology

• Interactive discussions
• Breakout sessions
• Case studies
• Role modeling
• Quiz
• Experience sharing

Training Medium

The training on “Intercultural Competence” is designed in a way that it can be delivered face to face and virtually.

Pre-course Assessment

All participants are required to undertake an intercultural assessment. This is a fun assessment to gauge our undertsnaing about a few common cultures across the world.

Course Modules

Module 1: Introduction and Ice Breaker

Participants introduce themselves and mention which part of intercultural competence they want to focus on after undertaking the pre training assessment.

Module 2: Working across cultures

• International clients
• International travel

Module 3: Few dimensions of Intercultural Competence  

• Language
• Religion
• Beliefs
• Behaviors
• Traditions
• Etiquette
• Important events in history and recent past
• Current political scenario

Module 4: Common challenges of intercultural ignorance  

• Relationship building
• Breakdown in communication
• Understanding the intentions of others
• Stereotypes
• Prejudice
• Conflicting values
• Alienate or offend customers and colleagues 

Module 5: Building Intercultural Competence

• Do’s and don’ts
• Being non judgmental
• Check assumptions
• Develop empathy
• Attend training
• Understand and review policies and guidelines

Module 6: Team building/ bonding across cultures

• Colloquial language
• Food choices
• Entertainment preferences like music, movies etc
• Current discussion topics – political and social

Module 7: Country specific intercultural training

• Experience sharing from different countries
• Learning from country specific trivia and quiz
• Working styles
• Preferred communication styles

Module 8: Short and Long term international assignments

• Time zone
• Logistics
• Intercultural training
• Language training
• Food knowledge

Post-course Assessment

• At the end of the training every participant will retake the quiz on Intercultural Competence., identify the gaps that still exist and make a three-month action plan to bridge the gaps.
• Identify top 3 cultures with who participants have most interaction and read about them.

Lessons Learned

The Training Bee takes pride in identifying the most critical training requirements of the workplace and curating training programs that are forward looking. The aim of this training on Intercultural Competence is to raise awareness and sensitize professionals about the importance of intercultural topics which impact professional relationships and business outcomes. The training is designed to serve professionals in the global economy with a special section on religion, food, greeting and preferred colors. Our team of competent trainers, research the present and future workplace trends across industries and geographies and deliver information, knowledge and tools to overcome the challenges of tomorrow. This preemptive outlook differentiates our course design, its delivery and keeps our clients asking for more.