Developing Intercultural Competence for Lecturers and Researchers

The need for intercultural competence is greater than ever in our globalized world. When people from different countries work together and study abroad, despite our best intentions and efforts, misunderstandings and conflicts occur due to cultural differences.

This workshop will provide you with key aspects of intercultural competence and how to develop it. You will learn how behaviours, values and communication styles in different cultures impact collaboration in university setting and everyday life. You will reflect on your own cultural values, behaviours and needs so that you can identify common pitfalls, understand it better and develop strategies for successful cooperation with your counterparts.

The format is interactive, with hands-on exercises, case studies, partner and group work to optimize learning and for gaining new perspectives.

The following topics will be covered:

• defining intercultural competence
• generalisations and stereotypes in diverse settings
• cultural dimensions and standards
• role of time, hierarchy, high vs low context communication, building trust, feedback
• differentiating between perceptions, behaviours and interpretation
• expressing feedback using the SBI method for difficult situations (Situation-Behaviour-Impact method)

Note: Prior to the workshop you will receive reading material in preparation of the content. The required time is 30 – 40 minutes.

researchers and instructors who want to learn more about intercultural differences and how to deal with it in everyday work-life

Your level of English is just right for this workshop if you can understand this text with ease.