Intercultural Communication Institute

SIIC 2009 Description

31 | Creating An Intercultural Training Toolkit: Matching Theory With Method

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. We are not only training about culture, but we are also training across cultures, which calls upon our own intercultural competence, as well as our skills in assessment and facilitation.

Designed for
Trainers, educators, or coaches who seek to align their understanding of intercultural competence models with training methods that address the developmental readiness of the learners, and who would appreciate a safe environment for practicing intercultural training skills. 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.

Objectives
Participants will have the opportunity to explore:

Develop a working understanding of intercultural competence models across both domestic and global contexts
Acquire skills for sequencing training developmentally
Reflect on assessment strategies for intercultural training contexts
Examine the most challenging training issues, and supportive strategies for addressing them
Identify culturally influenced cognitive styles that impact training
Learn, in depth, a set of training methods designed to address specific objectives in specific contexts
Review resources for putting intercultural theory into practice

Learning Activities
These will include:

Lecture and discussions on recent research on intercultural competence
Practice setting up, facilitating, and debriefing activities
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

Faculty: Janet Bennett and Nagesh Rao

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 an associate professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism at the University of New Mexico, where he teaches and conducts research in the areas of intercultural communication and health communication. He has worked on several research projects analyzing the role of culture in health, including family planning and HIV-prevention (Tanzania, Thailand, and the U.S.), physician-patient interactions (Brazil, Argentina, India, and the U.S.), drinking and driving (the U.S.), and fertility tourism (India, Denmark, and Hong Kong). He also has a personal and professional interest in storytelling, entertainment-education, and photography. Nagesh has trained or served as a consultant for Johns Hopkins University Medical School, Kaiser Permanente, and PriceWaterhouseCoopers (England). In 2002, Nagesh was named the University Professor at Ohio University.