Intercultural Communication

(Dieses Seminar findet auch auf Deutsch statt)


„How close can you stand to someone when you are speaking to them? In China? In Hungary? In Sweden?
How many different kinds of smiles are there and which emotions do they express in different cultures?


As the globalization process accelerates, the need for cross- cultural understanding is becoming increasingly important. Both socially and professionally, individuals are beginning to understand that successful relationships are based on the ability to communicate, to put one's point across without offending others, to be liked and respected and to give other people the feeling that one likes and respects them. Even minor insensitivity can prove costly. An unconscious contemptuous gesture can block communication - even between people of the same culture. How much more does this affect relationships across different cultures!


These two days will deal with the differences in the ways people express themselves in different cultures and enable us to become aware of the meanings of our own roles and behaviour and those of the people withom we come into contact.
Because the lecturer is also a performer, the workshop will be very lively, with lots of examples, practical exercises, humour and „theatrical“ inputs.


Aim:

  • To raise awareness about how culture affects our communication, with a special emphasis on body language, status behaviour and how people act out their roles in different cultures
  • To become aware of our own cultural norms of behaviour and how they differ from other societies


Contents:

  • Introduction to non-verbal communication, status-behaviour and roles
  • Examining our own culture with regard to the signals we perceive in others and and the signals we express through our non-verbal behaviour.
  • How culture affects our values and our behaviour
  • Exploring behaviour across cultures with empasis on non-verbal behaviour
  • Working through practical examples