RWTH workshop contents
Course Outline for the 2-day Workshop on Intercultural Communication at
RWTH Aachen University
Day 1
Start of session: 9:00h
I. Introduction
- Aims and approach
- Working definition of "culture"
- Asking key questions
- Diagnostic task: Identifying your typical problems and questions in
cross-cultural communication
Break: 10:30h - 10:45h
II. Groundwork
- Low Context vs. High Context Communication Styles: A culture
non-specific framework (cultural awareness)
- The "Cultural Onion": "Mapping" cross-cultural conflict interfaces
(structural tool)
- The 4-step Cultural "Paradigm Shift" Model (diagnostic skills
training)
- Key example: Low vs. High Context Models of Problem-Solving
- "Confrontative" vs. Harmony-driven problem-solving: How do
cultures view "problem" and "risk"?
- The different "cultural logic" of problem-solving: Basic
assumptions and expectations of who does what, when,
where, and how?
- What role does "Face" and harmony play in problem-solving
communication?
- What can you expect from your professor/supervisor?
- What does your professor/supervisor expect from you?
Lunch break: 12:30h - 13:30h
III. Case Studies: "Mapping" Conflict Interface
- Case study 1: Conflicts in teamwork, leadership style
- Different cultural expectations of leadership and supervision
- Different cultural meanings of deadlines
- How to deal with "rubber time"
- Emailing: reading between the lines
Break: 15:30h - 15:45h
- Case study 2: Corrective vs. preventive actions
- Different cultural meanings of contracts and "trust"
- Balancing Fact + Face Solutions
IV. Wrap-up and outlook
- The role of language: Using language to create "face"
End of Day 1: 17:30h
Day 2
Start of session: 9:00h
I. In plenary feedback round
- Warmer activity: The Key Learning Points of Day 1?
- Loose ends and applications
Break: 10:30h - 10:45h
II. "International English": the Hidden Conflicts in Cross-cultural
Dialogue
- "High context" vs. "Low Context" communication styles
- Characteristics of Low Context "German-English"
- Giving and receiving instructions: the hidden conflicts
- When "yes" means "no": How to extract the real meaning
- Practice: How to use English to create "Face"
Lunch break: 12:30h - 13:30h
III. "English-English": Its Potential as a Mediation Tool
- Practice: Assessing and responding to tricky emails
Break: 15:30h - 15:45h
IV. Activity: Role-playing simulation for inter-group communication between
mono-cultural teams
End of workshop: 18:00h
Notice: This agenda is intended for general orientation purposes. Due to the
interactive and situational nature of the seminar process, individual topics
are not always precisely segregated from one another and may not adhere
strictly to the scheduled sequence. Maximum learning effect and the needs of
the participants are the guiding factors.
