Communication Skills in an Intercultural Environment

Training course focusing on facilitating communication with colleagues and customers from different cultures

The maritime business is, by its very nature, a truly global business. This means that every day people from different cultures and different countries are interacting with each other. In such circumstances, having a good understanding of how cultures vary across the globe and how cultural preferences can impact how we communicate and manage our relationships is a valuable skill.
Being more aware of what is considered “normal” in another culture, misunderstandings and costly miscommunication can be minimised.
Some simple examples of how and where cultural differences can cause confusion and inefficiency can be found in the different approaches towards deadlines, time keeping and speaking styles. This course, led by Gerry Higgins, who spent his long career with DNV living and working in 9 different countries from Africa to Asia, serves as an introduction to some of these cultural differences.

The course focuses on:

• An introduction to intercultural awareness and communication
• Key insights into what makes culture different
• How cultural programming affects behavior and communication
• Useful tools to prepare you for intercultural contacts
• Diagnosing intercultural problems using simple case studies