Cultural awareness - trainer

1. Cultural awareness

Introduction

Being culturally aware implies an ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in intercultural situations based on one’s intercultural knowledge, skills and attitudes. In other words, it includes knowledge of others, knowledge of self, skills to interpret and relate to otherness and diversity, skills to discover and/or to interact, value others’ values, beliefs and behaviors and last but not least to relativize one’s self. 

Let learner start with self-assessment of their cultural awareness and cultural understanding in general to have an overview of their possible challenges.

1.1. Communication with non-native colleagues

Second languages are both learned and acquired –  through rule-based instructions in schools and/or practice and exposures in real communicative contexts. This is a demanding process that certainly requires a lot of effort and leads to emotional reactions or identity changes with individuals/second language speakers. During this long lasting learning process, immanent support and help from native speakers are undoubtedly of great value. 

Self-assessment: 

Carry out self-assessment to target learners about communication with non-native colleagues.

Aims of communication with non-native colleagues are to:

• understand that operating with second languages implies slower processing pace
  
• be able to understand, accept and adjust to alternative ways of using a language
  
• be open to variations in pronunciation, vocabulary and syntax with second language speakers
  
• learn how to correct errors and miscues
  
• negotiate for meaning 
  

Activity:

Where do most of the non-native speakers in the workplace come from? 

Discuss some of the characteristics of their mother tongues. What kind of challenges do they meet due to their linguistic background?

Talking around the world map: Start with non-native learners and let them present their own languages. Discuss with the learner possible challenges in talking, listening, reading or writing. Try to identify as many world languages as possible on the map.

Activity:

Ask the native speakers to analyze some recorded short stories/interviews told/ conducted by the non-native speakers. Learners should pay attention to pronunciation and vocabulary and discuss what kind of misunderstandings are possible and why.

Activity: 

Ask the non-native learners to ask native speakers about the meaning of some chosen, specific professional words and expressions. Explanations of such words and expressions can be done in several ways; by showing concrete examples, by synonyms, by drawings, by explanations in simple words etc. Help native speakers conduct the explanations. 

Activity: 

Ask two different non-native speakers to discuss a picture representing a situation from their working environment. The rest of the learners should function as an audience that is supposed to analyze the conversation and then attempt to register certain errors. Discuss whether they interfere with an overall comprehension and how they eventually could be omitted /corrected. In how many ways in general can we correct others? 

Afterwards, the native speakers should discuss the same picture, while the non-native speakers would react as if they did not understand. How can we express the same content in different ways and negotiate for a meaning?

1.2. Multicultural nonverbal language

Nonverbal communication describes the way people send and receive information to each other beyond words. Types of nonverbal communication vary considerably based on culture and country of origin. For individuals working in international environments, understanding how to communicate with colleagues from across the world effectively and respectably is a key competency for their professional success. 

Self-assessment: Carry out self-assessment to target learners about non-verbal language.  

Aims of multicultural non-verbal language competences:

• to learn to accent the meaning of verbal messages 
  
• to regulate interactions with others (such as using nonverbal cues to indicate when people should and should not speak)
  
• to substitute for verbal messages (such as nodding instead of saying “yes”)
  
• to realize that there are different forms of human behavior based on culture
  
• to come to a certain agreement on a universal way of showing respect in communication (either in greetings or other behavior codes)
  
• to relativize one’s own cultural codes
  

Model text (video/picture): Choose some pictures or sequences showing human interaction at a work place similar to yours and use this as a model of how to use body language. Pay attention to different movements, eye contact and greetings. Let learners answer these questions:

a) What kind of meeting/gathering/situation is it? 

b) Who are the participants?

c) Can we say with certainty that it is from a culture we know well and why? What are the cues?

d) What can you say about the body language / eye contact?

e) Which elements of a non-verbal language tell you something about the situation – at home or work?

f)  Identify the facial expressions.

g) Is there anything in the participants’ body language that helps you identify them as women or men?

h) What would you do differently in a similar situation and why?

Ask learners to compare their own awareness of non-verbal language(s) with fellow-workers.

Activity:

Get learners to compare two different world cultures and ask them to describe the differences in ways of greeting or using eye contact. Can you identify the reasons for doing it in a particular way? Are there differences among various genders, generations or social groups?

Activity: 

Ask learners to interview each other and then write down a short list of certain non-verbal signs that they know of and that differ markedly from the culture they live and work in:

• those expressing positive attitudes
  
• those expressing hostility
  
• those expressing success or failure
  
• yes or no
  
• politeness or disrespect 
  

1.3. Tolerance to diversity and multiculturalism

Tolerance to diversity and multiculturalism is necessary for understanding and building our international communication skills that empower us as active citizens, workers and agents of public good in an even more just and democratic world than the one we live and work in today. 

Self-assessment: Carry out self-assessment to target learners about competences in tolerance to diversity and multiculturalism.  

Aims of tolerance to diversity and multiculturalism competences:

• to provide vital insight into the relative nature of “normal standards”
  
• to raise awareness of a common human destiny
  
• to minimize anxiety or fear for the unknown
  
• to learn to build and enrich the public good 
  
• to enhance democracy and justice
  
• to understand the importance of having “a voice”   
  

Activity: 

Let learners study the pictures of different family modes (hetero- and homosexual), sub-cultural representations (people with a lot of tattoos / body art), various clothing styles, age groups, religions and/or races. Help them remember whether they know some of these representations from their real life and then analyze the historical development of their wider acceptance in the society. 

1. Why are they more accepted nowadays than in the past?
2. What do they all have in common?
3. Who decides what is going to be accepted or not?
4. What does it mean to be different?
5. Do you have any prejudices about any social groups/representations?
6. What can make you change your opinion.
7. Are you different from someone else?

Activity: 

Get learners to consider how different cultures see “others” and discuss the reasons for that. What do, for instance, Europeans think is typical for Asians and vice versa? Where do our generalizations come from? 

Activity: 

Choose some visual representations of various interpersonal communications from different parts of the world and make learners try to find out and identify the context :

• what is missing?
• whose voices are not heard?
  
• who is absent?
  
• how does it differ from your own surrounding?