The intercultural awareness course

As previous stated I attended a course that was aimed to give me some preparation for my expat experience. The course was held by a company called Human Entrance a company whose whole business idea is to facilitate international relocation. I must admit that I felt somewhat suspicious at first since my previous experiences on courses dealing with cultural aspects has been based on catchphrases and humbug one word that will do justice to the speakers are buffoons. However even though this course also had its shared moments of catchphrases it turned out be quite refreshing. The speakers articulated good and felt reassuring, on the contrary to my previous experiences.

It was quite a while ago I attended a non-technical course and perhaps that's why this course felt bracing, I found myself immediately thinking in different terms. This could be something to think further upon, elements of social studies in the otherwise technology-laden course portfolio could be important to get a wider perspective and useful rethinking, cause all in all it´s all about people. However with the note of caution that one avoid the catchphrases, buffoons and fuzz and that one focus on innovation and rethinking, ofcourse the speakers are also always important.

Anyway below is an extract from the course:

• Perceptions from both french and swedish perspective.
• Social codes and norms
• How we communicate (non-verbally)
• Do's and don'ts in French business culture