Communicating with diverse clients

Intercultural Works offers an interactive course where participants work their way through barriers that all humans use when faced with difference and difficulty. Participants learn to break through their own barriers — why we exclude, how stereotyping works, acknowledging prejudices learnt early in life and understanding what happens if they are left unexamined.

This course lets participants learn the following skills.

Cultural diversity skills

• To understand the complexity of language for migrants and refugees new to New Zealand.
• To explore multiple identities of people who don’t necessarily exhibit behaviour that is culturally congruent.

Communication skills

• To examine how well we think and speak clearly.
• To examine, evaluate and take responsibility for our own communication, regardless of intention.

Self management skills

• To understand that personal perception is not always shared.
• To understand what promotes inclusion and exclusion of people who are different.
• To understand that no one is prejudice-free and how it can be managed.