|
Intercultural exchange studies can be life-changing enriching experience, inviting students to grow and expand their boundaries. However, in the current COVID context, international students may find themselves strongly limited when trying to build new friendships and feel at home in their new environment. This training has been specifically designed to help students develop intercultural communication competences, as well as getting a chance to bond with their peers. It draws on years of experience on how to engage with body, mind and heart, to deliver a highly interactive format where students learn essential communication tools that can serve them throughout their life, while having fun and getting to know each other better. A balance of theoretical input, meaningful conversations and playful exercises, the workshop creates a safe space for students to learn new concepts and tools, get to know themselves and each other better, gain a greater appreciation for cultural diversity and make new friends. |
Who is it for
Bachelor, Master and PhD students from international study programmes.
Duration of the training
The training takes place on two consecutive days, usually Friday afternoon (13-17h) and Saturday (9-17h).
Other logistical details
Group size should be between 10 and 20 participants.
The training is held over a secure ZOOM platform.
The training is run in English
By the end of the course, participants should be able to:
- Define culture intercultural communication and identify the benefits of intercultural competences
- Understand basic concepts and mechanics of culture such as cultural standards, stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination.
- Understand communication models and how these affect intercultural relations
- Identify barriers to intercultural communication
- Identify mechanics of othering in real-life situations
- Discern between judgement and observation
- Understand the role of emotions in intercultural communication problems
- Implement strategies to improve their intercultural communication skills
Topics that will be covered include:
- An interactive exploration of what culture is and foundational definitions
- The cultural iceberg
- Cultural Standards
- Culture shock
- Definitions of stereotype, and prejudice, discrimination
- The mechanics of othering
- Situations of intercultural misunderstandings
- Discussion of what communication is and theoretical models
- Verbal and non-verbal communication
- Discerning between judgement and observation
- Active listening exercises
- The role of emotions and the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system in hindering communication
- Mindfulness exercises
- Non-violent communication exercises
- An overview of intercultural communication competences
The training combines different formats to keep the process instructive, interactive and fun:
• Power point presentations (available for students to download)
• Videos
• Take-away handouts and resource links
• Ice-breakers and games
• Interactive plenum discussions
• Guided meditation
• Group activities (in break-out rooms)
"The Workshop was a timely one; coming at a very important time for me as I had just arrived a new city and was struggling to cope with adjusting to the culture and people. It also helped me deal with my fears especially on discrimination and generalization. I found the contents really helpful and loved the way the workshop was structured."
English 
German