One of the key methods of building intercultural competence is to build cultural self-awareness. Building cultural self-awareness is beneficial as it can help to improve our ability to bridge cultural or value differences which in turn helps us to communicate and lead better.
Building cultural self-awareness includes being able to describe ourselves in cultural terms. When we are comfortable speaking about ourselves in cultural terms to others, we can say we have achieved an intercultural development goal. Describing ourselves in cultural terms takes practice, and it can be challenging at first if it is something we are not used to doing. Practice and patience help us to become more confident and this confidence helps us to interact more appropriately and effectively with others.
We may begin this process by identifying how diverse we might be. For example, what are our core values, our gender and sexual orientation, our generation and stage in life, our socioeconomic status (education, occupation, and income), and our social, economic, and political privileges? We can articulate and share our understanding of our personal diversity with others who are different from us to gain confidence, and simultaneously be inspired and encouraged by how they describe themselves.
The Intercultural Sharing Circle (copyright, Sights on Success Consulting) is a culturally safe space for developing self-awareness about and self-confidence in our cultural identities. You can join the Intercultural Sharing Circle by registering through this link: https://sightsonsuccessconsulting.com/services/peer-mentoring-group/#register
