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Refine your cultural competence with our online course Switching perspectives: Intercultural Communication and (Digital) Cross-Cultural Collaboration

Working across cultures can be a challenging task. This course equips you with intercultural skills and communication mastery (digital & in-person) to thrive in any cross-cultural setting.

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Why cultural competence and intercultural communication are crucial in today’s workplace

In today's globalized world, the ability to work effectively across cultures is essential for success. Businesses of all sizes operate in a multicultural environment, and employees need to be able to communicate and collaborate with people from different backgrounds. With training these two skills, international teams can fully exploit their potential and achieve great things together:

1. Cultural competence – meaning the ability to understand and interact effectively with people from different cultures.

2. Intercultural communication – the process of communicating with people from different cultures.

There are many benefits to having cultural competence and intercultural communication skills in the workplace. These benefits include:

  • Increased collaboration: When employees can understand and appreciate each other's cultural differences, they are better able to work together as a team.
  • Improved customer service: Employees who are culturally competent are better able to understand and meet the needs of customers from different cultures.
  • Increased innovation: When employees from different cultures can share ideas and perspectives, it can lead to increased innovation.
  • Reduced conflict: Cultural competence and intercultural communication skills can help to reduce conflict in the workplace.
  • Increased employee engagement: Employees who feel valued and respected for their cultural differences are more likely to be engaged in their work.

A way to improve one's intercultural communication is to interact with people from different countries or cultures, e.g., by traveling. Or, more systematically, you could go ahead and book a training on cultural competence. Ready to take your intercultural skills to the next level? Enroll now and build your cross-cultural awareness!

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Who can benefit from our training for cultural competence?

In this course, you will develop intercultural skills and a strong understanding of effective communication – both in-person and through digital channels – that will help you flourish in cross-cultural situations in your own professional context. This cross-cultural training is perfect for you if you are …

  • working or striving to work in an international or multinational company, NGO, start-up, or in international higher education
  • planning a professional stay abroad
  • interested in the interdependence of communication and culture
  • looking for insights and strategies to achieve better collaborative results in international professional contexts
  • eager to expand your business or your partnerships around the globe

What you will learn in this cultural awareness training

In our training on cultural competence, you will develop an understanding of communication and culture, and how cultural values influence behavior and expectations in the world around us. Using case studies and personal experience, you will reflect on the potential effects of culture in the workplace and beyond.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

  • identify and understand cultural differences
  • adapt your communication style to different cultural contexts
  • build trust and rapport with people from different cultures
  • resolve cross-cultural conflicts
  • lead and manage teams in a multicultural environment
For more information, please see the syllabus of our cultural awareness training.

Learn more about the cultural awareness course in this video by instructor Amanda Wichert.

By watching the video you can find out if your English skills are sufficient to follow the course.

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Switching Perspectives: Intercultural Communication and (Digital) Cross-Cultural Collaboration at a glance

The next training for cultural competence will take place during Summer Term 2024, starting May 15. Here is an overview of what you can expect of our offer:

Course format

100% online course with live sessions as well as asynchronous work in between

Course duration

May 15 - June 26, 2024 (7 weeks)

Live sessions

  • Wednesday, May 15, 2024, 2.30 – 4.00 p.m. Berlin Time (CEST)
  • Wednesday, June 5, 2024, 2.30 – 4.00 p.m. Berlin Time (CEST)
  • Wednesday, June 26, 2024, 2.30 – 4.00 p.m. Berlin Time (CEST)

Registration deadline

April 17, 2024

Workload

4 hours/ week

Language of instruction

English

Prerequisites

  • English language abilities in speaking and writing, at least Level B2
  • The willingness and ability to participate and actively contribute to the three interactive live sessions of this course
  • An openness to encounter, explore, and reflect on potential effects of culture on situations in the workplace and beyond

Technical requirements

A stable internet connection as well as a quiet work environment

Course fees

650 Euros + 75 Euros for registration

Receive a discount of 75 Euros on your registration for a second course!

Qualification

Certificate of attendance from Freie Universität Berlin

Additional Badge

By attending two more courses in one of the areas

  • Communication Skills
  • International Project Management

you will receive the badge Certified Expert with an additional certificate, stating all courses that you have completed. You will get a discount of 150 Euros by booking your third FUB-ContinuEd course. Find out more.

We also have a course planned during Fall Term 2024, course dates are coming soon.

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Course reviews

Cristina Saura, Spain

"I was looking for insights and tactics that would help me to work in the best possible way in such diverse teams, and I certainly got them. The course mixes studies and scientific background on the subject with the analysis of real situations and case studies - to better understand, for example, conflicts based on different expectations or assumptions, as well as the concepts of culture and cultural dimensions. This training gives you a new vision of intercultural relations and helps you to take a practical approach to improve them and to achieve more effective and respectful communication."

Vincent Machado, France

"The course has been a great opportunity to learn about communication among different cultures. I enjoyed the diversity of the topics addressed in the sessions, mixing theories and practical exercises. Besides, the way the online sessions took place was in itself a way of practicing intercultural communication because the focus was put on exchanging with other international participants. This course has given me some useful tools: I feel more comfortable when collaborating with culturally different individuals, a great asset as I intend to evolve within an international workplace."


Meet your instructor

Amanda Wichert           

Amanda Wichert works as trainer, consultant, and coach. She has 15+ years of experience in education, and has taught at companies, universities, and college programs in the US and in Germany. She also teaches the course Diversity Management in International Context at FUB-ContinuEd.


How to register

You want to participate in the course Switching Perspectives: Intercultural Communication and (Digital) Cross-Cultural Collaboration? Then follow the link below and read more about our fees and registration policies before heading on to registration itself.

Please note: The registration deadline is 4 weeks prior to the start of each course (see specific deadline above).

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Contact

If you have further questions, please get in touch!

Maria Heckmann
Program Manager
info@continued.fu-berlin.de