Session III a: July 25-29, 2010

32. Transformative Training: Design, Development, and Delivery Janet Bennett and Nagesh Rao The climate and context for intercultural training has changed dramatically in the last decade. No longer can we enter training rooms confident that our participants will share our worldview, our cultural norms, or even our own language. Intercultural training has become infinitely complex—and intriguing. Core to training such globally diverse audiences is our capacity to assess their developmental readiness, and to select methods to intentionally increase intercultural competence. In this workshop, you will have the opportunity to develop a working understanding of intercultural competence models across both domestic and global contexts, identify culturally influenced styles that impact training, develop a toolkit of developmentally appropriate activities, and resolve vexing training challenges you have faced.

Designed for Objectives Learning Activities Janet Bennett Nagesh Rao The community of educators and trainers who are seeking a model on which to build effective intercultural interventions and a set of tools to fit the variety of contexts in which we work, both domestic and global. For those who are looking for a follow-up to the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Qualifying Seminar, this seminar will examine strategies based on developmental perspectives. Participants are asked to bring an intercultural training method that they find particularly useful to share with the class as well as a training challenge they would like the group to address. Participants will have the opportunity to: Examine approaches to audience analysis in the intercultural context Explore various applications of the developmental perspective in both domestic and international contexts Acquire skills for sequencing training based on the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity Identify stage-appropriate intercultural competencies and activities Reflect on assessment strategies for intercultural training contexts Discuss the most challenging training issues and supportive strategies for addressing them Learn a set of training methods designed to address specific objectives in specific cultural contexts Review resources for putting intercultural theory into practice Lecture and discussions on recent research on intercultural competence Discussion of the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity and its application to training design and trainer development Case studies and activities to assess the efficacy of training methods Creation and application of a training method to address a specific issue or challenge Participation in structured experiences that capture the salient themes of various stages of development Small group opportunities for exchanging tried-and-true “best practices” Lecture and dialogue on the impact of culture for the design and implementation of intercultural learning experiences Creation of an intercultural toolkit of materials for your work   Dr. Janet Bennett is the executive director and co-founder of the Intercultural Communication Institute (ICI) and the ICI director of the Master of Arts in Intercultural Relations program. For 12 years, Janet was the chair of the Liberal Arts Division at Marylhurst College, where she developed innovative academic programs for adult degree students. As a trainer and consultant, Janet designs and conducts intercultural and diversity training for colleges and universities, corporations, social service agencies, healthcare organizations, and international aid agencies. She teaches in the Training and Development Program at Portland State University and has published numerous articles on the subjects of intercultural training and adjustment processes. Most recently she co-edited the 3rd edition of the Handbook of Intercultural Training.   Dr. Nagesh Rao is a teacher, storyteller, dancer, listener, statistician, poet, and a proud father of two daughters. His many marginal experiences—first as a Kannadiga in a Tamil State; as an accountant in an artist’s soul; then, for 20-odd years, an East Indian in Mississippi, Michigan, Ohio, and New Mexico; and now a nonresident Indian back in India—give him a wealth of stories and theories to share about the many Indias, about discovery of self and others, and about how to be an effective change agent. Nagesh also happens to be a professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, the premier business school in India.