Cultural Intelligence for Diverse Globalized Urban Environments - for Productive Engagement with People from Different Cultures

The more global our work, the more our interactions will involve people from other cultures. As we, in most urban environments, continue to operate more as a global company, developing our intercultural effectiveness is more important than ever.

Many urban workers/volunteers/leaders are working with colleagues and clients from cultures different from them -- and who share information through their own cultural frameworks. Understanding how to make the most of an Initiation or Elicitation process when intercultural communication skills are required can make a significant difference in ensuring that 'actual' needs and project context are understood. Key tools such as brain-storming, interviews, focus groups, observation, workshops and surveys all depend on common reference points in the communication process. Research in intercultural relations clearly indicates that those common reference points may be missing when communicating with persons shaped by cultures other than one's own.

Language versus communication. Urban professionals may have mastered their professional language and skill-set, but who still have a difficult time communicating. Each of us has an invisible set of rules that we operate by. That set of rules, or 'software of the mind' is shaped by the cultural environments that we have been raised in. Asking questions in some cultures diminishes the individual – it seems like you don't know your job. Other work environments are all about asking questions – you can't do your job without the right information for the right situation. Whether right or wrong, these are default actions of that invisible set of culture-based rules. Making sense of this 'software of the mind' is what this training brings to the table. Communication and knowledge exchange are key processes in our world. This is where developing intercultural competence adds value to any professional – the ability to communicate and function effectively when engaging with persons from cultures different from one's own. Our workshops develop competence in communicating effectively with clients and co-workers from diverse backgrounds. To implement the new urban agenda, its vision we need professional who can shift their world view to that to sitting next to them, for whom they are working for, creating projects for. To imagine and share the vision of cities for all, referring to the equal use and enjoyment of cities and human

settlements, seeking to promote inclusivity and ensure that all inhabitants served, those who implement must be culturally competent. And this could create a path for sustainable development objectives.