This course draws on research, knowledge, and best practices from communication studies, intercultural theory, organizational behavior, and global leadership research. We will cover the following topics:

1. Communication in the global workplace: We’ll introduce the role of communication in professional success and explore how intercultural competence and communication breakdowns affect collaboration across global teams.
2. Identity and communication: We’ll examine how personal, cultural, and social identities influence workplace communication and inclusion, with a focus on intersectionality and global perspectives on diversity.
3. Cultural patterns: We’ll explore deep-level cultural values and norms that shape workplace behavior, introducing frameworks like Hofstede’s dimensions and the iceberg model to understand culture in the workplace.
4. Communication styles: We’ll analyze the ways language, interaction styles, and disclosure norms vary across cultures and offer tools for navigating verbal communication and building rapport in professional settings.
5. Perception and bias: We’ll unpack how cultural filters, stereotypes, and unconscious bias influence interpretation and decision-making, and provide strategies for ethical, inclusive communication.
6. Discrimination and prejudice in the workplace: We’ll investigate how discrimination, privilege, and microaggressions show up in workplace communication and introduce practical tools for allyship and equity.
7. Intercultural conflict: We’ll learn tools for understanding and managing conflict across cultures, including conflict styles, facework, and power dynamics in professional settings.
8. Feedback and listening: We’ll examine how feedback and listening styles differ across cultures and identities, and present strategies for giving and receiving feedback with emotional and cultural intelligence.
9. Teamwork: We’ll focus on the dynamics of intercultural teams, exploring how identity, communication, trust, and technology impact cohesion, participation, and collaboration.
10. Problem solving and leadership: We’ll explore how cultural values influence problem-solving and leadership, offering flexible strategies for decision-making and delegation in international teams.