Submitted by Steven Lorenzo Baileys, Community Development Coordinator

Have you ever had trouble communicating with someone from a different culture? Perhaps you struggled to understand someone’s speech or interpret their behaviour. Whether in a university or a workplace, it is common to face barriers or challenges to effective cross-cultural communication. To relate and work more effectively in a range of culturally diverse situations, we need to develop our capacity for Cultural intelligence (CQ).

To help improve our CQ, the Community Partnership Network (CPN) and ICA partnered with UVic’s Co-operative Education Program and Career Services to host a workshop: “Leading with Cultural Intelligence (CQ).”

Facilitators Dr. Karima Ramji and Dr. Norah McRae from UVic’s Co-operative Education Program worked with participants using participatory exercises to explore the four dimensions of the Cultural Intelligence model:

• CQ Drive (what is our level of interest and confidence in multicultural interactions?)
• CQ Knowledge (how much do we understand different cultures?)
• CQ Strategy (how do we plan for multicultural interactions?)
• CQ Action (how effectively do we relate or work with people from different cultures?)

The workshop encouraged participants to use the CQ model to analyze, understand, and effectively engage with newcomers in a variety of cultural contexts. To conclude the workshop, participants shared personal and powerful examples of their own unsuccessful cross-cultural interactions. Small groups then worked together to analyze and improve the outcome of each personal cross-cultural story. One participant commented on the value of the session: “The workshop was informative and provided new approaches to cross-cultural situations that will be helpful in my personal and professional life.” With awareness, knowledge, and practice, we all can become better cultural navigators!

Learn more about Cultural Intelligence: https://culturalq.com/what-is-cq/

Find more information about the Community Partnership Network: www.icavictoria.org/community/cpn/

Top photo: Steven Baileys with facilitators Dr. Norah McRae and Dr. Karima Ramji from UVic. Left photo: Participants at the Workshop on Cultural Intelligence