Interaction (8–10 minutes): After your presentation, you talk to another student. In your conversation, you should: ■■ explain why you decided to take part in an exchange programme ■■ discuss the importance of cultural awareness in everyday and business life (see article below) ■■ evaluate the advantages of spending some time abroad for your future career Making sense of other cultures Cultural awareness is the basis of successful communication. It involves the ability to reflect on our own cultural values, beliefs and perceptions. Why do we do things in a certain way? How do we see the world? Cultural awareness is essential when we have to interact with people from other cultures. People see, interpret and evaluate things in different ways. What is considered appropriate behaviour in one culture is frequently inappropriate in another. Misunderstandings arise when I use my meanings to make sense of your reality. An Italian is likely to perceive US Americans as people who always work, talk about business over lunch and drink their coffee running along the street instead of enjoying it in a bar. Does this mean that Italians are lazy and Americans hyperactive? No, it means that the meaning people give to certain activities, like having lunch or dinner, varies in different cultures. In Italy, where relationships are highly valued, lunch, dinner or even coffee breaks have a social connotation: people get together to talk and get to know each other better. In the USA, where time is money, lunches can be part of closing a deal where people sign a contract over coffee. Misinterpretations occur primarily when we lack awareness of our own behavioural rules and project them onto others. We tend to make assumptions instead of finding out what a particular behaviour means to the person involved e.g. that looking straight into your face is regarded as disrespectful in Japan whereas in America avoiding eye-contact is associated with dishonesty. Becoming aware of our own cultural dynamics is a difficult task because culture is something we are not conscious of. Our experiences, values and cultural background lead us to see and do things in a certain way. Sometimes we would have to step outside our cultural boundaries in order to realise the impact our culture has on our behaviour. It helps to get feedback from foreign colleagues on their perceptions of our behaviour to get more clarity on our own cultural traits. Self-assessment talk about migration, diversity and inclusion say how you feel about past events in your life write a blog comment make deductions about the past describe strong feelings talk about cultural awareness write a leaflet write a questionnnaire / do a survey 77 Language skills Extras Explore 5 Global mobility Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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