Course curriculum

  • 1

    When Strangers Meet: Intercultural Communication in the Global Workplace

    • The importance of "context" in the communication process

    • Bonus knowledge: an introduction to proxemics (physical context)
  • 2

    The Iceberg of Culture Model

    • Cultural context: about surface- and deep culture

    • The tea dilemma: is a common language guarantee of mutual understanding?

  • 3

    Situational Knowledge Tests

    • Who is the nephew?

    • Who's right?
  • 4

    Intercultural Communication in Business: People Management

    • People Management: ethnocentrism, the greatest threat to global organizations

    • Power dynamics and fearful communication in the workplace

    • Conversational Narcissism: communication in individualistic cultures
  • 5

    Intercultural Communication in Business: Sales and Marketing

    • International Sales, China: an example of non-verbal communication done right

    • International Sales, Japan: an example of non-verbal communication done wrong
  • 6

    Final Assessment

    • Test your knowledge
  • 7

    To Conclude On A Funny Note

    • A joke on the importance of language in global marketing (introduction to the course on customer segmentation)
  • 8

    Rate Your Learning Experience

    • Evaluation Survey
  • 9

    Sources

    • Reading list

About this course:

Who will benefit from it, and what they'll learn.

“There is so much we don't understand. And so much unhappiness comes because of that.”

- Alice Walker, The Color Purple -

***

Dear Learner,

Before we discuss the purpose and the intended outcome of this course, please allow me to thank you for choosing Mudita's School and to share the story behind its name:

"Mudita" is a word from Sanskrit that indicates a particular kind of joy, the pleasure that comes from delighting in other people's well-being and prosperity. Mudita Consultancy, a service specializing in intercultural communication for growing businesses, helps bridge the communication gap in the global workplace.

Breakdowns or even complete non-starters in communication between different cultures and nationalities can lead not only to strained relationships and slow developments, but in the worst cases can lead to complete project cessation and irreparable PR damage along the way: Mudita's aim is to provide learners with a better understanding of what "culture" truly means, and to equip them with the tools to implement the best strategies and solutions for their businesses, with the well-being and the prosperity of their people in mind.

***

With regard to your learning path, at the end of this course you will be able to:

  1. identify the different types of context that affect the communication process;
  2. recognize the four zones related to the sense of space (non-verbal behavior);
  3. outline the differences between surface- and deep culture;
  4. summarize the characteristics of high- and low-context cultures;
  5. tell the reason why a common language may not necessarily guarantee mutual understanding between different parties;
  6. discover how body language can provide insight into the social dynamics of a specific group;
  7. assess the meaning of “right” and “wrong” in a situation that involves members of different cultures;
  8. explain the impact of ethnocentrism in the global workplace;
  9. evaluate the influence of power dynamics on the communication process; 
  10. distinguish between good and bad approaches to visual communication for international audiences.

Hope you'll enjoy the course, and thank you once again for choosing Mudita's School! For any queries you might have, do not hesitate to email me at [email protected].

Kind Regards,

Maria

Finally:

Since 2020 has been financially challenging for many of the people who are part of this amazing community, Mudita will opt for a PWYW scheme until the end of year.

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