Intercultural Communication Skills Workshop Series - Session 1: Navigating Culture

How do our cultures inform how we communicate, how we learn, and how we teach? New international PhD students navigate communication at Harvard on multiple levels: as students, as scholars, and as future teachers. In this interactive workshop series, we will explore how our cultural values influence our communication in a range of academic and classroom situations. You will have the opportunity to learn, practice, and get feedback on cross-cultural communication skills for Harvard classrooms and beyond, with sessions devoted to academic culture; small talk; participating in classes; listening skills; email etiquette; and giving and receiving feedback. This series is designed for new PhD students who did their undergraduate education outside of the US, but is open to any new PhD students interested in developing intercultural competence and practicing communication skills. Students are welcome to register and attend any or all sessions.

Session 1: Navigating Culture 

When communicating in cross-cultural situations, what assumptions are you --and those you are communicating with--making? By building awareness of facets of culture you encounter every day, you can develop strategies to bridge differences.