Improved intercultural communication
Improved intercultural communication
Cultural awareness may be the determining factor for success in multicultural environments, as well as with global sourcing and in international business. Some of the cultural traits specific to Norway often present challenges when interacting with people from other cultures, even more so than for other western Europeans.
Our extensive professional background makes us unique among Norwegian suppliers of intercultural communication seminars, thereby enabling us to better understand the needs of busy business people.
Our courses explain social norms and unwritten rules, and we place emphasis on disseminating information that is not easily available elsewhere.
We conduct physical or online courses for people who are:
Our teachings are based on the little known fact that the Norwegian business and corporate culture has important elements that are not found in workplaces in most other cultures. The Norwegian way of doing things cannot therefore be applied uncritically to people from other cultures. Even experienced Norwegian business leaders may be unaware of this issue, and it may cause confusion and frustration, both in multicultural workplaces and in the global arena.
The courses present practical scenarios from the workplace where cultural differences typically occur, both for discussion and reflection in the group, before the attendees get specific tips on how to achieve better results. These examples highlight what is considered acceptable behaviour within the target culture, in order to increase the participants’ confidence by understanding what to expect and how to interpret the signals they may get.
We have developed and conducted courses in intercultural communication since 2008, with several thousand people having attended our seminars. The feedback received so far is extremely positive, with many commenting on how this training could have been effective in avoiding past conflicts. Some have even advocated making this type of training mandatory for anyone working with people from other cultures. More on this page: “Feedback“.
Our courses are quality checked by people from the relevant culture(s), they may be uniquely tailored for the customers’ individual needs and conducted in English or Norwegian.
The benefits of increased cultural awareness are a better working environment, less frustration, improved communication and cooperation, more predictable deliveries, and reduced risk of loss of revenues and reputation.
Part of our work is done on a voluntary basis for immigrants in Norway and development aid in Africa. Ellis Culture has done voluntary work in Tanzania, arranging computer courses for underprivileged youths and teachers, as well as construction work in a primary school. We have conducted free seminars for immigrants on behalf of Red Cross and Caritas. We arrange free online events for job-seekers on a regular basis as part of our corporate social responsibility,
Ellis Island was the arrival point for millions of immigrants to the US in the early 20th century, thereby serving as their first introduction to their new country and culture. Ellis Culture in Norway wants to simplify the daily life when people from different cultures meet.
