Navigating Difference

Community Building, Cultural Competency, and Social Justice

The Navigating Difference curriculum draws from several theoretical frameworks: organizational development, intercultural communication, and social justice with a special focus on understanding poverty in America. The curriculum is carefully designed and sequenced to open both minds and hearts, and to prompt behavior change.

What do recent participants say about the Navigating Difference?

“It was an amazing experience. One of the best training classes I have attended.”

“Thank you for opening doors that I have only been looking through.”

Workshop One

Module One: Cultural Self Awareness

Teaching Objectives:

  1. Participants will learn how to recognize and manage cognitive bias “in the moment”
  1. Participants will explore both personal and organizational culture and practice remaining curious when culture plays out during difficult conversations and uncomfortable situations

Summary of Concepts and Activities:

  • Definitions,Theoretical Approaches, and the Identity Wheel
  • Poverty 101 – Shattering Myths about People living in Poverty
  • Generalizations, Stereotypes, and Mindfulness
  • Value Orientation and the Cultural Iceberg

Suggested Reading(s):

“What are the essential cultural value patterns?” in Understanding Intercultural Communication, Second Edition, by S. Ting-Toomey and L.C.Chung, 2012, Oxford University Press

“See Poverty, Be the Difference” by Donna M. Beegle, Communication Across Barriers, Inc. PO Box 23071, Tigard, OR 97281-3071,

Credits:

  • Identity Wheel exercise adapted from Gardenswartz, L. and A. Rowe, 2002. Diverse teams at work: Capitalizing on the power of diversity. Alexandrea, VA: Society for Human Resource Management.
  • Theoretical Approaches to Diversity Work developed by M. Huskey, Washington State University
  • Poverty 101: Donna Beegle, Communication Across Barriers,Inc
  • Stereotypes versus Generalizations exercise adapted from LeBaron, M., 2003. Bridging cultural conflicts: A new approach for a changing world. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  • Value Orientation exercise adapted from Ting-Toomey, S., and L.C.Chung, 2005. Understanding intercultural communication. Los Angeles: Roxbury.

What do recent participants say about the Navigating Difference?

“Navigating Difference gives you some great ideas about how to build stronger teams more ready to benefit from diversity of all team members.”

“I will take what I have learned and pass it on to friends that would not have encountered this training.”

Module Two: Cultural Understanding

Teaching Objectives:

  1. Participants will understand the developmental nature of cultural competency and learn to make sense of and how to honor our individual and group reactions to differences
  1. Participants will learn to describe and honor issues and concerns which arise when values, beliefs, assumptions, and practices differ from those of the dominant culture
  1. Participants will begin to recognize the ways that personal and organizational cultures has impact and affects participation in our programs and services

Summary of Concepts and Exercises:

  • Poverty 101 – Shattering Myths about People living in Poverty (continued)
  • Developmental Models of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS)
  • DMIS Reflection Questions

Suggested Reading(s):

“Becoming Inter-culturally Competent” by Milton Bennett

Credits:

  • Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity exercise adapted from M.R. Hammer and M.J. Bennett, 1998, Intercultural development inventory manual. Portland, Oregon: Intercultural Communication Institute.

What do recent participants say about the Navigating Difference?

“The material was synthesized from a wide variety of sources resulting in a rich learning experience. The material was mature and relevant.”

“Navigating Difference is designed to both educate you and to transform you. In taking the class, you learn about yourself and others in ways that enhance your humanity.”

Workshop Two

Module Three: Culture-Specific Knowledge

Teaching Objectives

  1. Participants will learn and practice specific strategies for gathering information about cultures, communities or new target audiences
  1. Participants will learn how to identify appropriate cultural guides and practice building productive relationships with them

Summary of Concepts and Activities:

  • Sources of Culture-Specific Knowledge
  • Community mapping
  • Working Effectively with Cultural Guides

Credits:

  • Community Mapping exercise adapted from Gonzalez, V., J. Gonzalez, V. Freeman, and B. Howard-Pitney, 1991. Health promotion in diverse cultural communities. Stanford, California: Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention.

What do recent participants say about the Navigating Difference?

“It was important to step away from work and make the time commitment to fully engage this program.”

“It’s easy to assume that you know all about diversity, but this training makes you think more deeply and open your eyes to the world around you, even if you are skeptical about whether it is worth it. It is worth it.”

Module Four: Cultural Interactions

Teaching Objectives:

  1. Participants will recognize factors impacting successful intercultural communication and practice managing them
  1. Participants will practice using concepts of intercultural verbal and nonverbal communication with special emphasis on communicating with people living in poverty
  1. Participants will practice managing intercultural conflicts mindfully

Summary of Concepts and Activities:

  • Intercultural Case Studies
  • Poverty 101 – Oral versus Print Cultures
  • Cross-cultural communication styles
  • Nonverbal communication across cultures
  • The Reception (simulation)
  • Stumbling blocks to intercultural communications
  • Nacirema (simulation)
  • Eye of the Beholder Exercise
  • Intercultural Conflict Styles

Suggested Reading(s):

Stumbling Blocks to Intercultural Communication Exercise adapted from Barna, L. M., 1997, editors L.A. Samovar and R. E. Porter. Belmont: Wadsworth. Pp. 370-378

Credits:

  • Mindful Intercultural Non Verbal Communication exercise adapted from Ting-Toomey, S., and L.C.Chung, 2005. Understanding intercultural communication. Los Angeles: Roxbury
  • Intercultural Conflict styles exercise adapted from Hammer, M.R., 2002. The intercultural conflict style (ICS) inventory, self-published.
  • Poverty 101: Donna M. Beegle,

Workshop Three

Module Four: Cultural Interactions (Continued)

Module Five: Cultural Sensitivity

Teaching Objectives:

  1. Participants will begin a deeper exploration of the concept of unearned advantage (sometimes referred to as “privilege”)
  1. Participants will recognize and develop new strategies for putting privilege to work in their daily lives

Summary of Concepts and Exercises:

  • White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh
  • Identity Wheel Exercise: Unearned advantage
  • Becoming an Intercultural Ally and a Poverty Coach

Suggested Reading:

Johnson, A.G., 2006. “Privilege, Power, and Difference”. New York: McGraw-Hill

What do recent participants say about the Navigating Difference?

“I loved the training and that you inspired me to continue using my privileges to make a difference in my community and with my friends.”

Workshop Four

Personal Leadership

Teaching Objectives:

  1. Participants will integrate lesson from their study of intercultural communication and articulate strategies for applying those lessons in their daily lives
  1. Participants will practice using Personal Leadership, a flexible and repeatable process for problem-solving and communication challenges
  1. Participants will write a personal/professional vision statement about how they see themselves at their highest and best when navigating difficult situations
  1. Participants will practice the Critical Moment Dialogue, the central tool in the Personal Leadership toolbox

Summary of Concepts and Exercises:

  • Leadership from the inside out
  • Using difference as a creative resource
  • Crafting a personal vision statement
  • The Critical Moment Dialogue

Suggested Reading:

Schaetti, B.F., S.J. Ramsey, and G.C. Watanabe, 2008. “Personal Leadership: Making a World of Difference: A Methodology of Two Principles and Six Practices”

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