In a global marketplace, companies are increasingly rolling out training courses across international offices with the intention of providing consistent and homogenised messages to all their staff – regardless of location.

There is sometimes little, if any thought, given to whether the materials will be well received by the recipient's international office.

As cross-cultural training specialists, we sometimes come across resistance from delegates who have been obligated to attend a cultural awareness session by their boss, HR or the Learning and Development department.

Resistance may stem from many factors, not least of which may be that the benefits and background to the training course have not been fully communicated.

Gone are the days when learning was a simple classroom transaction between trainer and student.

With the learning revolution in full flow, our classroom can be an airport boarding lounge, train, café, sitting room – and, let’s face it – even the toilet.

Did you know that Indians form the second largest group of immigrants in America, with Mexicans taking the top spot?

Although Indian expats may enter the US with a typically high level of education under their belts and a strong work ethic, they often find cultural differences between the US and India quite a challenge.

As a member of a Learning and Development team, you have probably invested considerable time developing, or purchasing, online training programmes in line with staff training strategies.

Purchasing online or e-learning programmes can be a minefield; there’s often so much to choose from and no two training programmes are the same.

In a rapidly changing training world, learning trend reviews reference terminology which would have been incomprehensible to learning and development professionals not so long ago.

With terms such as E-Learning, Mobile Learning, Online Learning, Gamification and Virtual Learning, peppering our training conversations, the training culture has changed dramatically.

The culture of learning and development within most organisations has changed dramatically.

Although online learning programmes are now recognised by the majority of corporate businesses as a great way to train busy and mobile staff, there has traditionally been more resistance to using stand-alone games.

The training world is evolving at an incredible pace.

Indeed, discussions of blended learning by L&D professionals have quickly moved beyond ‘why do we need it?’ to ‘how do we do it?’

In the face to face training world, establishing measurable objectives is typically considered key to the development of any training course.

However, this process is often overlooked in the development of online courses.

When it comes to cultural sensitivity training, it’s a little misleading to think of Middle Eastern culture as something homogenous. 

Why?  Because the Middle East is a melting pot of ethnicities, languages and religions.  These elements all fuse together to give us a rich cultural tapestry.

Visiting Japan for business or working with Japanese colleagues?

Then put your best foot forward and make a great impression by understanding Japanese business culture!

Do you work with or do business with Indians? Do you sometimes find it confusing?

Well, believe us you're not the first or the last.

Understanding how to market yourself across the globe means big bucks for today’s big businesses.

Learning how to present yourself positively and to place yourself strategically within a target country often means the difference between success and failure.

Do you work with freelancers?

Are they from countries around the world?

Working in global virtual teams can be tough.

It’s common for teams to face all sorts of challenges, whether different time zones or languages.

If you’ve worked in a well-managed, multicultural team, then you’ll know it can be an incredibly rewarding experience.

In fact, high functioning, multicultural teams can be more productive, more creative and – on the whole, more successful than monocultural teams!

'Cultural Training’ course content should include everything necessary to help people new to a country, understand and navigate the local culture.

This understanding gives learners an advantage when working in or with a foreign country by equipping them with shortcuts on how to work effectively.

Intercultural Communication is a mammoth topic.

It has so many facets, angles and sub-topics that doing it any real justice requires lengthy and considered research.

Intercultural training has become of increasing importance in the past 10 years.

Companies and organizations that are working on the international stage are starting to realise that working in or with foreign countries is not like working at home.

As Brexit negotiations commence, HR teams have an invaluable role to play in helping the businesses within which they work to positively navigate the challenges presented by our EU withdrawal.

For most international companies, Brexit makes it necessary to revise long term business strategies – with changes being far greater for companies closely connected to the EU.