SEMINAR: COMMUNICATING IN A MULTICULTURAL ENVIRONMENT:
The essence of the seminar:
Seminar Basics:
This seminar is designed for anyone who works in a multicultural environment and needs to communicate with foreign colleagues, expatriates.
Through this seminar, participants will become aware that our cultural differences lead us to communicate in different ways, that the interpretation of the same word can be different according to the culture of each person.
Uncontrolled communication can generate situations of conflict, anger between team members due to misinterpretations, leading to misunderstandings.
Objectives of the seminar:
- Raise awareness of cultural interactions with foreign colleagues/clients for managers/managers.
- Be more effective in a multicultural environment.
- Improve relationships among international staff.
- Turn cultural diversity into a strength.
Seminar Duration:
- 1 day / 8 hours.
Seminar format:
- Remote or face-to-face.
Seminar content:
Definitions and concepts of culture
- Definition of culture.
- Culture: a set of rules.
Definitions and concepts of intercultural communication
- What is communication?
Different types of communication:
- Verbal communication.
- Non-verbal communication.
What is intercultural communication?
- How to have a good intercultural communication with our foreign colleagues/clients?
- The meaning of words.
Communicating in a multicultural context:
Potential misunderstandings in intercultural communication with our foreign colleagues:
- Implicit communication Vs explicit communication.
- Direct communication vs. indirect communication.
- Affective communication vs. neutral communication.
- Formal vs. informal communication.
Understanding the different cultures present in the organization in order to better communicate with them:
How to communicate according to the cultural dimensions of the countries?
Distance from power:
- Defining the cultural dimension.
Type of communication:
- Verbal communication.
- Non-verbal communication.
- Non-verbal communication.
- Top-down and bottom-up communication.
- Neutral communication Vs emotional communication.
- Direct communication Vs indirect communication.
- Formal communication Vs informal communication.
Individualism Vs Collectivism:
- Definition of the cultural dimension.
Type of communication:
- Verbal communication.
- Non-verbal communication.
- Non-verbal communication.
- First person singular Vs first person plural.
- Limited communication Vs intense communication.
- Direct” or detailed communication.
Masculinity Vs Femininity:
- Definition of cultural dimension.
Type of communication:
- Verbal communication.
- Non-verbal communication.
- Agressive” versus “polite” communication.
- Topics of communication developed.
- The most used words.
Avoidance of uncertainty:
- Definition of the cultural dimension.
Type of communication:
- Verbal communication.
- Non-verbal communication.
- Non-verbal communication.
- Important themes to develop in interviews/communications.
- Communication arguments that project into the future vs. communication arguments of the present/moment.
Long term vs. short term orientation:
- Definition of the cultural dimension.
Type of communication:
- Verbal communication.
- Non-verbal communication.
- Non-verbal communication.
- Communication oriented towards the future, the present and the past.
- Planning arguments versus coping arguments.
Complacency and moderation:
- Defining the cultural dimension.
Type of communication:
- Verbal communication.
- Non-verbal communication.
- Non-verbal communication.
- Pleasure arguments vs. control arguments.
- Optimistic communication Vs pessimistic communication.
- Emotional communication Vs neutral communication.
Understanding each other better in order to communicate better together:
The different cultural dimensions that define people: Cultural differences between colleagues.
Universalist cultures vs. particularist cultures:
- Defining the cultural dimension.
- Professional versus social arguments.
Emotional cultures versus intellectual cultures:
- Defining the cultural dimension.
- Emotional versus intellectual
Specific cultures Vs diffuse cultures:
- Definition of the cultural dimension.
- Exclusively professional communication Vs communication where private life/work life are mixed.
Acquired social status or attributed social status:
- Definition of cultural dimension.
- Formal vs. informal communication.
Time management:
- Definition of the cultural dimension.
- Precise communication Vs fuzzy communication.
CHALLENGES OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION:
Criticism:
- Destructive vs. constructive criticism.
- How to accept negative feedback.
Learning to say NO:
- How to communicate my concerns, doubts, misunderstandings, disagreements?
- How to communicate/receive an objective?