Course Overview

What is Culture? Culture is defined as the values, behaviours, beliefs, likes and dislikes, preferences, habits, and customs of a certain community or group of people passed down for generations. Culture defines a person and what culture does that person belong to completely depends on where a person comes from. Culture is a way of living. A person represents culture.

What is Cultural Awareness? Culture awareness means understanding the diversity of different cultures. It is especially important to know our own culture as well as the culture of people we work with or around.

Culture awareness is also about finding the commonalities that make working together easy and acceptable. Also, learning about differences that shape people behaviour. It enables one to communicate and negotiate with people without offending them.

In this Course by Zoe Talent Solutions, we explore the fact that with the growing business and its globalization, not only do we interact within our country, but we go cross boundaries and work with different people from different countries.

It has become more important for people to understand the way other people deal or behave in a certain situation. Culture awareness and sensitivity play a role of an ice breaker at times. It reduces conflicts and makes decision making effortless.

Course Objectives

By the end of the Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity Training, the participants of this course will be able to:

• Understand different cultures and how it shapes people behaviour
• Know and understand the effective way to communicate with people from different cultures and countries
• Efficiently negotiate with people without upsetting them
• Learn different techniques of approaching people
• Build strong and lasting professional relationships with people from different cultures that enable a higher success rate
• Arrange a business meeting and impress people with excellent work
• Enhance and maintain the brand name in the market through successful working with people from different cultures and countries
• Increase the clientele through exhibiting great interpersonal skills
• Learn intercultural learning concepts (Example Halls Model of Communication, etc.)
• Learn the mechanisms of different cultures and its influence

Training Methodology

Zoe Talent Solutions has designed Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity Training Course for individuals across levels in any organisation. This program is an interactive session as participants from all cultures partake in this training program and share their own office experiences and challenges.

Customized modules can be arranged for company-specific learning requirements basis whether your team is travelling to another location or managing work in the backend with frequent communication. Group discussions, case studies, and role-plays will be used to facilitate a practical learning experience.

Zoe Talent Solutions follows the Do–Review–Learn–Apply Model.

Organisational Benefits

Organisational Benefits of employees who participate in this Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity Training Course will be as below:

• Learning and understanding different cultures inspire creativity and innovation
• Knowledge and insights of local market help the business grow competitive and profitable
• Understanding local culture helps attract and target customers effectively
• A broader understanding of cultural diversity enables the adaptable range of products and services
• Diverse cultural understanding enables various managerial skills which leads to enhanced productivity and better performance
• Professional and personal growth enhances
• Versatility in work can be seen and can ease collaborations
• Different cultures inspire many new ideas promoting employee efficiency and increased revenue
• Manage and curtail communication styles basis who you are interacting with
• Learn and follow the do’s and don’ts of dealing with people from different cultures
• Be mindful and respectable about other people’s values and needs

Personal Benefits

Participants who enrol in this Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity Training Program will benefit in the following ways:

• Learn and comprehend the impact of cultural differences
• Develop competence by learning foundations and tools that help to engage with different cultures
• Explore and discuss various challenges encountered by the multicultural workforce
• Develop communication techniques to be sensitive to different cultures enhancing competence
• Reduce misunderstandings and build healthy and cohesive relationships with cross-cultural teams and clients
• Learn about self and what behaviours and traits might enable vs. hinder seamless collaboration
• Be culturally aware and develop emotional intelligence to work with different cultures
• Learn about other cultures, the do’s and don’ts and make an impeccable impression
• Learn about dominant behavioural traits pertaining to a particular culture and adapt best techniques to communicate effectively
• Gain a perspective about some biases, stereotypes and prejudices about a particular culture while entering into conversations and mitigate the risk of failing
• Know a few words, phrases and styles that might offend your global counterparts due to misinterpretation, comprehension and understanding of language (example: The Emoticons we use can mean different things in different cultures)
• Prepare and train your employees to communicate with clients remotely or travel and meet with people across the globe
•  Manage diverse workforce by learning about laws and limitations of working across geographies and time zones
• Learn and demonstrate professional etiquette while working with a dynamic workforce across the globe
• Manage negotiations and conflicts well by learning about the specific needs of people coming from diverse cultural backgrounds

Who Should Attend?

Any individual interacting with a Multinational organisation that works with people/clients from different cultures, Leaders and Managers, People in global businesses, OD Consultants, Independent consultants, Corporate professionals, Employees travelling abroad for work, individuals travelling to foreign locations for leisure

Course Outline

Below is the course outline and the modules that would be covered during the Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity Training Course:

Module 1: What is Culture Awareness?

• Learning and understanding different cultures, values and behaviours
• Learn about styles of communication basis geography, age group and other demographics
• Managing diverse workgroup from different cultures
• Work and excel with people from different cultures
• Be sensitized to different cultures
• Learn about the barriers like Language etc.
• Learn some tips and insights about a specific country and deal with people efficiently

Module 2: Different Levels of Cultural Awareness

• Understanding different approaching styles
• Awareness of different visible cultural traits (Art, Architecture, Traditions, etc)
• Cultural differences (Beliefs, language, behaviours, etc)
• Analysing cultural difference
• Understand the perception/standpoint of people from different cultures

Module 3: Importance of Culture Awareness and Sensitivity

• Increases culture awareness
• Understand the right and acceptable behaviours
• Enables effective communication
• Decision making becomes easy
• Encourages an atmosphere that helps employee raise their concerns as well as share their ideas with the team

Module 4: Basics of Cross-Cultural Training

• Values
• Morals
• Negotiation Skills
• Ethics
• Business practices and protocol

Module 5: Training for Employees Deployed Onshore

• Relationship building
• Communication (Idioms, phrases, colloquial way of conversing)
• Habits and etiquette
• Regional history
• Social influence
• Current events
• Major past events
• Government policies

Module 6: Practices to Implement at Workplace to Increase Cultural Awareness

• Training for an employee to understand the client culture
• Understanding the aspects of verbal and non-verbal communication
• Celebrating special days, festivals, and national holidays
• Learning different time zones

Module 7: Do’s and Don’ts

• Learn about certain behaviours that strengthen relationships
• Take great care of not offending people with inappropriate and offensive behaviours
• Learn about rules around gifting and festivals

Module 8: Roleplays (* This module is specific to needs mentioned by clients during TNA-Training Need Analysis)

• This is a highly customized module which focuses on curating bespoke roleplays around specific cultures in your organisation/ you work/s with predominantly
• Focuses majorly on Communication styles and preferences, language, working styles, festivals and important events, dining and office etiquette, etc.

Module 9: Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions Theory:

• Deep dive into understanding cultural differences by considering the dimensions mentioned by Geert Hofstede
• This Framework enables the thought process to consider every aspect of cross-cultural communication before you speak to/ work with any cultural background

Module 10: FAQ’s

• Get a sneak-peek into what different people have experienced while working or interacting with people from different cultures
• FAQ’s on how to, what to and other concerning facts around working with a culturally diverse group