Examples of intercultural skills
The following is a list of abilities you should work to develop in an intercultural setting:
Strong communication skills
Understanding what others are saying to you and being able to convey information simply and clearly are both aspects of communication. Any workplace requires effective communication, but one where there may be cultural differences requires it even more.
In a culturally diverse environment, communication involves empathy and open-mindedness. You can learn how people from various backgrounds communicate and comprehend when you watch how they behave and listen to them without passing judgment, which is essential to prevent misunderstandings.
You can help yourself as you work to develop your communication skills by having the following abilities and traits:
Independence
Independence enables one to take the initiative without requiring prompts or instructions. Because your team may use different methods than most businesses in your home culture, or because you may receive instructions in a way that is unfamiliar to you, independence is helpful in an intercultural workplace. Being independent can accelerate the acquisition of practical skills in a foreign environment.
You can develop your capacity for independence by developing the following additional abilities and traits:
Problem-solving skills
In the workplace, where there are a variety of cultures, it can be necessary to find a novel way to solve a problem, problem-solving abilities are crucial. These abilities enable you to deal with problems and find solutions to them in a calm manner by weighing all available options.
Here are some other skills and qualities related to problem-solving:
Adaptability
The ability to adapt describes a person’s response to change and ability to devise strategies for overcoming obstacles. Being flexible is essential in an intercultural workplace because this type of environment may involve different expectations, procedures, and ideas than those you may be used to.
Highly adaptable people often exhibit these additional traits:
Sense of curiosity
A person uses their curiosity by looking for solutions and being open to learning new things. People who are curious can succeed in an intercultural workplace because it enables them to approach differences from a learning perspective.
Curious individuals often approach problems with the following in mind:
Foreign languages skills
The ability to speak or read one or more foreign languages is referred to as having foreign language skills. Speaking or reading a second language can help you understand coworkers or clients who are speaking a different language in an intercultural setting.
People who speak another language at work frequently exhibit these additional traits:
Collaboration skills
It’s advantageous when people from different cultural backgrounds can work together. It is a wonderful chance to simplify procedures and expectations while pursuing a common objective. Team members may consequently feel more connected to and understood by one another as a result.
People who work well together across cultures frequently employ the following abilities:
What are intercultural skills?
The term “intercultural skills” refers to the capacity to comprehend and respond to various cultural contexts and viewpoints. They might entail being open to learning foreign languages and exploring new ideas. Employees in intercultural workplaces are often from various cultural backgrounds. Working for such a company might involve learning a foreign language and becoming acquainted with strange office procedures and practices. Your social awareness will grow as a result of having better understanding of your coworkers thanks to your intercultural skills.
How to improve intercultural skills
Adopting a positive outlook and demonstrating a desire to understand others’ cultures are necessary for improving your intercultural competence. This positive attitude might benefit your relationships. You can take the following actions to hone your cross-cultural abilities:
1. Be self-aware
Learning about your own culture and realizing how it affects how you act and communicate is a good first step in developing your intercultural skills. To determine the impact you are having on others, consider how you come across and the attitude you project. Ask yourself if any of your actions or words could be interpreted incorrectly by others. This exercise can assist you in becoming more conscious of your communication style so that you can modify it as necessary.
2. Listen and observe
When people communicate, it can be helpful to pay attention to the message and look for nonverbal cues. If you observe common nonverbal cues without taking into account the verbal message that goes along with them, you risk misinterpreting what they mean.
For example, you might greet someone who then looks away. People typically value eye contact, so you could read it as a refusal to connect, but if they say they’re happy to meet you, you can infer that eye contact isn’t as important to them.
3. Educate yourself
Books, podcasts, and documentaries are just a few examples of resources that can be used to learn more about other cultures. Traveling, if you can afford it, is a fantastic way to learn about other cultures and broaden your horizons. In this way, your experiences during leisure time can influence how you act at work.
4. Get involved in intercultural activities
Intercultural interactions can be a great way to increase cultural awareness. You could plan a lunch where each employee brings a dish from their country of origin, for instance. Food is a great way to start a conversation and provides an opportunity to introduce yourself and get to know others. Another idea is a diversity calendar. To keep track of and observe their holidays, ask your coworkers to record them on the team calendar.
5. Get experience abroad
Learning about various cultures and communication styles can be a benefit of living, working, or volunteering abroad. Studying abroad is a fantastic way to develop intercultural competence that will be useful in your career. These opportunities can help you understand the customs and communication methods of other countries as well as learn or improve your foreign language skills.
6. Improve your cultural awareness
By investigating the historical background of particular traditions, you can learn about the implications of various communication styles. Instead of passing judgment, this step is about demonstrating a desire to comprehend and demonstrate empathy. You can understand how other people might perceive certain assumptions or topics as offensive by increasing your cultural awareness. You can be more sensitive to and appreciative of cultural differences when you are more aware of their existence.
7. Take classes
You can learn to develop your intercultural competencies through classes and training. Intercultural communication courses, for instance, cover the significance of culture in daily life and how it influences communication techniques. Through discussion and inquiry, these engaging classes seek to increase students’ sensitivity to other cultures. The completion of intercultural or relocation training that your employer might sponsor is an additional choice.
Intercultural skills in the workplace
The ability to understand and respect others’ cultures can be a valuable asset in the workplace. The actions listed below can help you develop your intercultural abilities at work:
How to highlight intercultural skills
You can draw attention to your cross-cultural abilities when submitting a job application so that the hiring manager can see your potential:
Intercultural skills for resume
Think about the abilities you possess and those listed in the job description. Don’t be afraid to include a language section where you can list the foreign languages you know or are studying. A section titled “Personal interests” is a good addition where you can discuss your interest in other cultures or previous travel experiences.
You can list the following examples of skills on your resume:
Language skills:
Personal interests:
Intercultural skills for cover letter
You can share your expertise in another country in your cover letter. You can highlight those abilities by outlining the experiences you gained while working abroad for multinational corporations or doing volunteer work for international organizations. Mentioning your international experiences may pique the recruiter’s curiosity because adaptability and exposure to diverse cultures may be advantageous to the company.
Detailing how you developed an appreciation for diversity or became fluent in a language needed for the position will help you demonstrate how your experience makes you the ideal candidate.
Intercultural skills for the job interview
An excellent chance to demonstrate to potential employers why you are the best candidate for the position is during the job interview. If you have any international experience, be sure to mention it, and emphasize your intercultural skills to stand out from the crowd.
Intercultural Competence
FAQ
What are some intercultural skills?
- Strong communication throughout the interview and selection process.
- The ability to speak foreign languages.
- Demonstration of cultural sensitivity in the interview.
- Experience studying overseas.
- Experience working overseas.
What are intercultural communication skills?
People from one culture attempt to understand the information being conveyed to them by other cultures through intercultural communication. For instance, in a hotel, the staff members determine the needs and preferences of the guests and cater to those needs. The customers also inform the hoteliers of their needs.
What is an example of an intercultural experience?
The ability to communicate or share information with members of different social groups and cultures is known as intercultural communication. Language proficiency is not the only requirement for intercultural communication, though it may be a crucial component.
