ADVANCED CORE COURSE
The Relational Roots of Intercultural Communication
Dr. Milton Bennett
How they were lost — and how to get them back
OVERVIEW
Originally, the important part of “intercultural communication” (IC) was communication. In The Silent Language, the first popular treatment of the topic, Edward T. Hall defined culture as a kind of collective communication, stating that the key to cross-cultural effectiveness was learning how to operate in alternative communication systems.
Over the years, the emphasis in IC has shifted to culture — particularly to the comparison of cultures in terms of values, beliefs, and behaviors. This course returns to the relational roots of the field to construct an updated and expanded set of “observational categories” that compare communication systems. These categories can be easily incorporated into intercultural training and education to guide a more coherent development of IC competence.
Intercultural practitioners (trainers, facilitators, consultants, coaches) and scholars of intercultural communication are impeded by paradigmatic confusion in the field; we generally want outcomes that improve communication, but we often use training and research tools that are based in comparative anthropology or cross-cultural psychology.
Following the principle of “coherent theory generates powerful practice,” the course provides a practical way to improve coherence and effectiveness by coordinating both methods and outcomes within a communication paradigm.
(Re)visit the fundamental what, why and how (practice) of understanding, developing, and using constructed observational categories to “engage with others” (relationally) in order to more effectively recognize and communicate across cultural differences.
In this course, you will learn how to help yourself—and those you work with—so that you/they can better:
- Learn an updated and expanded version of the original intercultural communication approach to observing cultural differences.
- Appreciate the importance of using communication-based theory and practice to coherently facilitate developing communication competencies such as empathy and mutual adaptation.
- Consider how to “inoculate” for various forms of ethnocentrism and allegations of stereotyping that typically accompany discussion of cultural differences.
- Share illustrative experiences of applying communication-based strategies to domestic and global training and education contexts.
Upon successful completion of the program, you will receive a Certificate of Participation listing 12 contact learning hours.
This course format is one that uses conceptual inputs, discussion, demonstrations of different techniques, and peer sharing.
This course is for you if are a in charge of or are a consultant/trainer/multiplier/educator who helps those:
- An intermediate-level practitioner (trainer, facilitator, consultant, coach) who designs and delivers intercultural training/learning in either domestic multicultural or global intercultural contexts.
- Academic/scholar working in intercultural communication and related fields who wishes to explore an updated communication-based alternative to various cultural comparison schemes often used for research and curriculum design in education, social service, and business contexts.
COURSE TYPE
Advanced Core: Intercultural Communication
DURATION/DATES
2 days/10-11 July 2025
TARGET LEVEL(S)
Mid-level (5-12 years)
Advanced (13-19 years)
Senior (20+ years)
TUITION FEE
€1050
includes certificate from the University and the Institute
Milton Bennett, PhD
Thanks to Dr. Milton Bennett’s four decades of seminal contributions —including the groundbreaking Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS)— the study and practice of intercultural development holds, today, a core position within the greater Differences field.
A consummate teacher and eloquent communicator who is frequently requested to comment on current affairs, Milton has held a tenured position at Portland State University (US), executive development positions with Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business (US) as well as several corporate universities, and currently maintains adjunct appointments in Europe.
In addition to his ongoing research, consulting, and training, he has recently introduced the Intercultural Viability IndicatorTM, an instrument designed to assess and support organizational-level intercultural competence.
“A great scholar in the field. Being able to discuss issues directly was really eye-opening.”
“Participating in Milton Bennett’s session was an intense and intellectually stimulating experience. It was incredibly enriching and expanded my understanding of different topics.”
“It has been an honour to learn from Dr. Bennett.”