Cross-Cultural Interpersonal Skills Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends International Project Managers, People Managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-IS-030

Before you join: Participants should have at least two years of professional experience and regular contact with colleagues, customers, suppliers or partners whose communication styles differ from their own.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Professionals working across national, linguistic, organisational and social cultures often face avoidable misunderstandings: a concise message appears abrupt, silence is mistaken for agreement, feedback causes loss of face, or a meeting ends without shared ownership. These incidents can delay decisions, weaken trust and create unnecessary conflict. Effective cross-cultural interpersonal skill is not about memorising national stereotypes; it is the ability to notice differences, test assumptions and agree ways of working that respect both people and business requirements.

This course develops practical communication, listening, relationship-building, conflict-resolution and feedback skills for multicultural professional settings. Participants use Cultural Intelligence (CQ), the Culture Map, the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, SBI feedback and interest-based negotiation methods to interpret behaviour and select appropriate responses. They learn to adapt directness, communication channels, meeting participation, trust-building and escalation approaches while maintaining clarity, accountability and professional standards.

Teaching combines focused instructor briefings with case analysis, facilitated discussions, role-based simulations and structured reflection on participants' current work relationships. Cases reflect the realities of international project teams, public-sector partnerships, bank clients, NGO programmes and multinational reporting lines. Participants build a reusable intercultural communication plan for a live stakeholder relationship, supported by working-agreement, feedback and conflict-preparation templates. The five-day instructor-led course is available in classrooms in 50+ cities or live online. Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. Participants receive a certificate of completion.

The course suits experienced individual contributors, managers and client-facing professionals who already work with colleagues, partners or customers from different cultural backgrounds and need a more disciplined approach to difficult conversations and collaboration.

What you will be able to do

  • Diagnose cultural communication differences using Cultural Intelligence and Culture Map dimensions
  • Adapt message directness, channel choice and clarification techniques for multicultural stakeholders
  • Apply active listening, Ladder of Inference and teach-back methods to test shared meaning
  • Conduct culturally respectful feedback conversations using the SBI feedback model
  • Resolve cross-cultural conflict using Thomas-Kilmann modes, DESC scripts and interest-based negotiation
  • Design meeting charters and working agreements for inclusive cross-border collaboration
  • Prepare culturally informed negotiation strategies using interests, BATNA and face-saving options
  • Produce an intercultural communication plan for a live professional relationship

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Recognise when cultural assumptions may be distorting an interpretation of behaviour
  • Handle directness, silence, disagreement and hierarchy with greater professional confidence
  • Give feedback that is clear while protecting dignity and preserving working relationships
  • Lead meetings where quieter or remote participants can contribute meaningfully
  • Build a practical plan for improving one high-value cross-cultural relationship

For your organisation

  • Reduce avoidable rework caused by unclear cross-border communication and untested assumptions
  • Improve collaboration between headquarters, country offices, outsourced teams and external partners
  • Increase participation and decision quality in multicultural meetings
  • Address interpersonal conflict before it damages delivery, retention or client relationships
  • Create clearer team norms for feedback, escalation, accountability and remote communication

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can distinguish cultural patterns from individual preferences and test interpretations responsibly.

  • Culture as learned patterns, values, norms and behavioural expectations
  • Etic and emic perspectives for interpreting unfamiliar workplace behaviour
  • High-context and low-context communication distinctions without national stereotyping
  • Cultural Intelligence CQ: drive, knowledge, strategy and action capabilities
  • Separate individual preference, professional role and cultural pattern evidence
  • Test cultural hypotheses through curiosity rather than attribution

Participants can identify how identity, bias and attribution affect their workplace judgements.

  • Identity maps distinguish visible, invisible and situational cultural affiliations
  • Implicit Association Test findings interpreted with appropriate caution
  • Fundamental attribution error identified in cross-cultural performance judgements
  • Johari Window used to compare self-perception and colleague feedback
  • Intercultural Development Continuum positions examined without labelling colleagues
  • Pause-Notice-Choose routine interrupts automatic assumptions during tense exchanges

Participants can shape messages for clarity while respecting differing communication preferences.

  • Erin Meyer's Communicating scale contrasts low-context and high-context messages
  • Directness, ambiguity and face needs diagnosed from message content
  • Plain-language message design clarifies requests, deadlines and decision rights
  • Teach-back checks shared meaning before commitments are recorded
  • Paraphrasing separates observed facts from inferred intent
  • Email tone, response timing and channel choice agreed explicitly

Participants can use listening and questioning techniques to surface concerns and improve shared understanding.

  • Active listening sequence: attend, paraphrase, probe and summarise
  • Ladder of Inference tested through evidence-seeking questions
  • Open, closed and clarifying questions matched to conversation purpose
  • Silence, turn-taking and interruption norms handled respectfully
  • Microaffirmations signal respect without making assumptions about identity
  • Listening barriers recorded in a personal communication diagnostic

Participants can establish relationship practices that support trust across cultural and organisational boundaries.

  • Meyer's Trusting scale distinguishes task-based and relationship-based trust
  • Psychological safety behaviours encourage dissent, questions and error reporting
  • Rapport-building rituals selected without forced personal disclosure
  • Reciprocity, status and hierarchy expectations surfaced before collaboration
  • Stakeholder maps identify communication preferences, influence and access
  • Working agreements define availability, escalation and decision etiquette

Participants can address disagreement directly while protecting dignity and preserving working relationships.

  • Thomas-Kilmann modes matched to cultural and situational conflict demands
  • Interest-based negotiation separates positions, interests and options
  • Face-saving responses preserve dignity while addressing performance concerns
  • DESC script structures assertive requests and boundary setting
  • Conflict temperature assessed using observable signals and impact
  • Repair conversations acknowledge harm, clarify intent and agree next steps

Participants can deliver clear, culturally responsive feedback and request useful feedback from others.

  • SBI feedback frames situation, behaviour and observable impact
  • Feedforward requests translate cultural friction into future-focused actions
  • Power distance considered when selecting feedback channel and audience
  • Radical Candor matrix distinguishes care, challenge and manipulation
  • Performance conversations balance clarity, respect and accountability
  • Written feedback reviewed for idiom, tone and unintended implications

Participants can structure meetings and remote collaboration to improve participation, clarity and follow-through.

  • Meeting charters specify purpose, roles, agenda and decision rules
  • RACI matrix clarifies cross-border responsibilities and approval rights
  • Round-robin, chat and anonymous polling balance participation
  • Time-zone rotation distributes inconvenience across remote team members
  • Decision logs record rationale, owner, deadline and dissent
  • Virtual etiquette addresses cameras, response times and language pace

Participants can prepare and conduct negotiations that account for differing priorities, authority and relationship expectations.

  • Preparation canvas identifies interests, BATNA, constraints and cultural variables
  • Anchoring, concessions and silence managed during cross-cultural negotiations
  • Contract language distinguishes relationship commitments from legal obligations
  • Third-party mediation options assessed before escalation
  • Influence strategies adapt evidence, coalition building and seniority
  • Post-negotiation reviews capture assumptions, outcomes and relationship effects

Participants can create an evidence-based plan for improving a current cross-cultural working relationship.

  • Critical incident analysis converts misunderstandings into behavioural learning
  • Intercultural communication plan targets a live stakeholder relationship
  • SMART commitments specify behaviour, context, frequency and evidence
  • Implementation intentions link cultural triggers to chosen responses
  • Peer accountability check-ins sustain practice after the course
  • Personal metrics track clarity, participation, conflict and trust signals

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Cultural Intelligence self-assessment and reflection guide
  2. Cross-cultural stakeholder communication plan
  3. Multicultural team working-agreement template
  4. SBI feedback conversation planner
  5. Cross-cultural conflict preparation checklist
  6. Inclusive meeting charter and decision-log template

Who should attend

  • International Project Managers — coordinate contributors with different communication and decision-making norms
  • People Managers — lead culturally diverse teams through feedback, conflict and performance conversations
  • Client Relationship Managers — build trust and clarify expectations with international customers
  • Programme and Partnership Managers — maintain productive relationships with donors, governments and delivery partners
  • Human Resources Business Partners — advise managers on inclusion, communication and workplace conflict
  • Technical Specialists — explain complex work clearly to multicultural colleagues and stakeholders

Skills and tools covered

Cross-cultural communicationActive listeningInclusive meeting facilitationConflict resolutionConstructive feedbackStakeholder relationship management

Tools and standards

Cultural Intelligence (CQ) framework, Erin Meyer Culture Map, Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, SBI Feedback Model

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce each framework, followed by case work, facilitated group analysis, paired communication practice and realistic simulations. Participants examine ambiguous messages, meeting incidents, feedback exchanges, conflict scenarios and negotiations drawn from multicultural work settings. Structured observation guides connect behaviour to CQ, Culture Map, SBI, Thomas-Kilmann and interest-based negotiation concepts. Individual reflection and application planning help participants translate learning into specific changes for current stakeholder relationships and team routines.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have at least two years of professional experience and regular contact with colleagues, customers, suppliers or partners whose communication styles differ from their own. They should be prepared to discuss workplace situations respectfully and reflect on their own assumptions and habits. No prior study of intercultural theory, psychology or negotiation is required. Fluency in English sufficient for discussion, case work and written planning is expected. The course does not require participants to disclose personal identity information or describe sensitive incidents.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should have at least two years of professional experience and some exposure to colleagues, clients or partners with different communication styles. No prior training in intercultural management, psychology or negotiation is required.

Bring examples of current communication challenges, such as a difficult stakeholder relationship, recurring meeting problem or upcoming feedback conversation. Do not bring confidential documents or disclose information that should remain private.

It is designed for managers, project leaders, relationship managers, HR professionals, technical specialists and partnership staff who work across cultures. It is especially useful where teams operate across countries, languages, reporting lines or organisational cultures.

General communication courses usually focus on individual style, presentation or management communication. This course examines how cultural assumptions affect trust, directness, participation, feedback, conflict and negotiation, then provides methods for adapting without stereotyping.

You will leave with an intercultural communication plan for a live stakeholder relationship and reusable templates for meetings, feedback and conflict preparation. The final module sets behavioural commitments and practical measures for tracking progress.

Each day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours, for approximately 32.5 contact hours overall. The course is organised into ten modules, with time for instructor input, case analysis, simulations, discussion, reflection and application planning.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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