Social enterprise WEDO GLOBAL was invited by HKUST’s Dean of Students Office to conduct the “Harmony in Diversity: Communication Training Workshop” for frontline staff of different departments. The university has stakeholders from different cultural backgrounds, and when frontline staff communicate with them, effective communication might be challenging. This training workshop was designed to help staff learn about different cultures through interactive games and case studies, focusing on understanding the formation of biases and stereotypes and how this knowledge can facilitate cross-cultural communication, contributing to a more harmonious and respectful university community.
Case Sharing | Integrating into daily work
The training started by introducing WEDO Cultural Ambassadors in an interactive way, allowing participants to understand the experiences and challenges of ethnic minorities living in Hong Kong. The experience sharing of Cultural Ambassadors led to a discussion and reflection among the participants. Further leading to being aware of the formation of biases and stereotypes and reflecting on the possible thoughts and behaviors aroused by such negative impressions in order to improve cross-cultural communication in daily work.
"Do not only make wild guesses, try to have a deeper understanding."
Interactive Cultural Games | Building Empathy
The interactive games evoked the curiosity and initiative of participants, hence, enhancing their cultural knowledge in daily life. In addition to learning cross-cultural communication skills, Cultural Ambassadors and participants also had a group discussion on real-life case studies. Through simulation, sharing, and brainstorming solutions, we helped train participants’ multi-perspective thinking and build empathy.
"Cultural sharing, case studies, allowed me to think from another angle on what can be coordinated at work."
Overall, the "Harmony in Diversity: Communication Training Workshop" provided a fun and engaging way for participants to enhance cultural knowledge, improve their cultural sensitivity, and strengthen their mindset, skills and ability to communicate with stakeholders from different cultural backgrounds, ultimately contributing to a more harmonious and inclusive campus.
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