We speak the same language
Featured in the Indoor and Outdoor Team Development training manual
By Michèle Barca & Kate Cobb
Category: Team Building
Credit price: 3 download credits (Single user)
With more and more companies operating internationally, it is increasingly important that team leaders and managers understand the issues raised by managing multinational teams. In this training activity, small groups are given specific roles and ways of behaving that impact on their communication patterns – just as their cultural identity, background and behaviour may do in working life.
After explaining that the purpose of this training activity is to explore the communication issues that can occur when working in a multinational team, you divide the participants into four teams. You give each team a different coloured armband to wear and assign different roles for a group discussion exercise. After the exercise, the participants complete a questionnaire and give feedback in a plenary session. They then analyse their communication patterns with other team members and explore the relationship between these and their own experience of working in multinational teams.
Who is it for: This training activity is intended for use by trainers to help participants explore issues of cultural diversity and consider communication issues when working in multinational teams.
| Resource Type: | Activity |
| Min Group Size: | 10 |
| Max Group Size: | 16 |
| Typical Duration: | 02:05:00 |
| No of Pages: | 19 |
Resources: View standard resources for Fenman training activities
Additional resources: Red, green, yellow and blue armbands.
Purpose: This training activity can be used as part of any team-building or management training event to heighten awareness of cultural differences and the impact these have on working in multinational teams. It can therefore be used as part of a managing diversity or cultural awareness programme. This training activity is suitable for use in the normal training environment and requires little in the way of ‘special equipment’.
Download the training activity, We speak the same language as featured in the Fenman training manual; Indoor and Outdoor Team Development