Virtual cross-cultural competency New Zealand

I have designed a course for people who live in New Zealand, work in or with people from New Zealand, or like to build their cross-cultural competency around New Zealand. It builds cross-cultural competency for New Zealand as a whole, as an originally bicultural country, nowadays shaped by many cultural influences. And yet, it is a culture specific course focusing on New Zealand, and the bicultural aspects make the course so exciting and deep. This course links cross-cultural theory, research and findings to the New Zealand culture and helps you see the country through a different lens.

Many people in New Zealand are born overseas or have a parent who was born overseas. Many have friends and connections overseas due to their OE (overseas experience) and travelling. Even though New Zealand was privileged and at the same time kind of isolated during the pandemic, the worries about family and friends overseas have shown how multicultural and connected to the word the country really is. International trade has never really stopped.

The 2-hour modules are spread over 3 weeks, two courses per week. No matter what culture(s) you call your own, your own cultural lens will be incorporated into the course and make it spicy. The course is highly interactive, and cross-cultural interactions are part of the programme. This practical course allows participants to use real-time activities to test out and extend individual cultural competency.

Learning objectives and benefits:

Discuss basic facts and societal background and history to better understand „the kiwi soul“.
Understand the importance of intercultural communication and how values influence interactions with others.
Recognise your own cultural lens and how you apply it in everyday life to your cross-cultural interactions in New Zealand.
Receive essential practical information to improve your experience of living and working in New Zealand.
Develop strategies to better communicate in a New Zealand context (and potentially around the world).
Develop the knowledge, skills, and self-awareness to work effectively with people in New Zealand – in your private and business life.

Who can attend?

The course is suitable for anyone who lives and works in New Zealand or with people in New Zealand, and who are generally interested in intercultural aspects around New Zealand. It doesn’t matter how long you have lived and / or worked in New Zealand, this course is going deeper than what you can consciously observe in every-day life.

Being aware of the diverse cultures and perspectives of our population can significantly improve your skills at working and living across cultures, whether you manage or work with culturally diverse employees or clients, or as a private person interested in the topic.

Course outline:

Day 1, Module 1. What is culture?

Day 2, Module 2. How do different perceptions of time shape the NZ way of doing things – About the Kiwi frequency and why the clock only says half the truth. Time is one of the voices of the silent language deep within us and the source of many visible behaviours and rituals.

Day 3, Module 3: Group effort and self-determination – How lending a hand and not telling people what to do are two sides of the same coin.

Day 4, Module 4: The power of hierarchical structures and egalitarianism. About a classless society, its influence on values, behaviours and habits, hierarchical thinking in the rest of the world, and how we see and view things in NZ through a bi-cultural lens.

Day 5, Module 5: Typical Kiwi, and Module 6: Communication styles – from first contact through making friends and business life – there is more to it than do’s and don’ts.

Day 6, Module 7: Closing.

Highlights: Course format:

The 12 hours include discussion, peer learning, and practical activities. The programme uses action-learning principles and “training from the back of the room”. There will be prep work between most modules. It is recommended, but not mandative, to look up topics of the class through the search function when reading Silke’s ebook “New Zealand – my adopted home. A cross-cultural trainer’s personal portrayal of New Zealand and Germany and what it’s like to live between two worlds.” Find out more in this link:
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