what we do : cross-cultural competence : country-specific
‘Adapting to life and work in the UK’
Commonwealth Fellowships Programme, a VSO programme, funded and organised by ACU
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A two-day think-shop© looking at the differences participants might face living and working in the UK, focussing on issues from communicating with people in the UK to etiquette in the British workplace. Techniques such as cultural mapping and simulation were used to stimulate learning. Participants on this course came from ten countries including India, Zambia, Kenya and the Philippines.
- "thinkingpeople always provide exciting and varied training courses for our partners who are drawn from across the globe. Not only are the activities relevant, they are fun, which makes the learning even more effective.”
Liz Twyford, Volunteering Development Team Manager
‘You and your Chinese Students: building cross-cultural understanding’
Oxford Brookes University
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This one-day think-shop© aimed to build better working relationships between University staff and their Chinese students. Through small group activities and discussion delegates learnt more about China as a country, and the cultural and educational contexts that their Chinese students come from. In light of this knowledge, delegates were encouraged to get in the shoes of Chinese students enabling them to have a greater understanding of the transition many Chinese students have to make when coming to the UK to live and study. The day also offered delegates the opportunity to learn some basic Mandarin and get to grips with chopsticks over a Chinese lunch!
The workshop was co-facilitated by a thinkingpeople partner and our Chinese associate.
- "thinkingpeople took care in working with us to create the training event that we actually wanted and needed. They brought their expertise and experience to the session and it proved to be interesting, meaningful and useful."
Liz Robertson, Head of the International Student Advisory Service, Oxford Brookes University
‘Working with Russia’
Mosaic Fashions Ltd
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This one day think-shopİ increased staff’s understanding of how to engage effectively with colleagues from Russia. The delegates explored the values and beliefs that underpin Russian culture and then considered how they might differ from their own. A number of cross-cultural issues were looked at including:
- General business etiquette eg. gift-giving, dining etiquette, use of business cards;
- How to present information to audiences with different expectations;
- How to conduct yourself in meetings & negotiate effectively.
This workshop was run in collaboration with our Russian associate.
- “Really interesting to find out about Russian culture and how this effects how they work. Some really helpful tips about how to develop relationships further and how best to tackle this. Been a great insight into how British culture effects how we behave and the impact this has.”
Workshop Participant, Mosaic Fashions
