Culture shapes how we communicate in academic life: how we join a discussion, give and receive feedback, handle disagreement, and work in international research teams. In this interactive online workshop, participants reflect on their own communication style and cultural background, and use partner and small-group discussions to share real intercultural experiences from academia. Two frameworks give these experiences structure: Byram’s Model of Intercultural Communicative Competence and the four dimensions of Cultural Intelligence (CQ Drive, Knowledge, Strategy and Action). The focus is on awareness and curiosity rather than mastery, with participants’ different perspectives serving as the main learning material.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Describe their own communication style (directness, formality, feedback and handling disagreement) and explain how their cultural background may shape it.
- Explain the key ideas of intercultural competence using Deardorff’s definition and Byram’s Model of Intercultural Communicative Competence, including critical cultural awareness.
- Distinguish between the four dimensions of Cultural Intelligence and identify which they do well and which they want to strengthen.
- Analyze an intercultural situation from their academic life, such as a group project, a classroom discussion or an email misunderstanding, to find the cultural factors that shaped the outcome, while telling useful cultural patterns apart from stereotypes.
- Apply CQ strategies, such as testing assumptions with clarifying questions and adjusting tone or formality, to improve communication in future academic and professional work.