Cosmopolitan Communication: Connecting across Diplomats, Business Leaders and Civil Society Actors
Nowadays, as a result of the globalisation process, individuals and organizations constantly need to be engaged in developing their cross-cultural competences in order to operate effectively in a multilateral setting and avoid barriers, misunderstandings and prejudices in negotiation and mediation processes. Moreover, the understanding of cultural differences enhances the interactions within international relations and consequently leads to more constructive outcomes.
The general objective of this e-learning course is to reinforce the knowledge on the processes of communication, to enhance cultural awareness and understand the differences in communication among various cultures. Additionally, it will explore tools and techniques to effectively manage constructive conversations in an intercultural environment.
After this course the participants will be able to:
- Describe and identify the different types of cosmopolitan communication
- Apply tools and techniques for effective cosmopolitan communication
- Identify, explain and react to cultural communication patterns and features
- Identify and overcome communications barriers and thus be able to act confidently in an intercultural setting
The course content will include the following content:
- General Knowledge about Communication
- Concepts of Culture
- Interpersonal Communication
- Bridges and Barriers to Cosmopolitan Communication
The tuition language of the course is English and it extends over a period of four weeks, each week consisting of a module focusing on a different specialized topic. The course will be delivered via UNITAR’s e-learning platform, which allows the participant to establish a self-paced study program supported by various types of multimedia exercises, required and recommended readings, discussion forums, assessment quizzes, and other useful study materials. Finally, there will be a personal evaluation to measure the understanding of the topics within each module.
The course targets mid to senior-level governmental officials as well as staff of intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations. It also targets entry-level and mid-career diplomats and private and public sector specialists. Postgraduate students with relevant experience in multicultural working environment are also encouraged to apply.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Participants applying for this course and the course on Cultural Diplomacy and Multilateralism can benefit from a reduced price (30% discount in the second course) if they take both courses simultaneously. Please note that the discount can only be applied for bank transfer payments.
Participants from Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are eligible to apply for a fellowship. Please consult the Multilateral Diplomacy Programme website for more details.
Registration will be closed as soon as the course is full and your place will be secured once your payment is confirmed.
For more information, please consult the UNITAR Multilateral Diplomacy Programme website or contact mdp-elearning [at] unitar.org (mdp-elearning[at]unitar[dot]org)
Technical Requirements
UNITAR recommends the following as a minimum in hardware and software to take our e-Learning courses. Please consult your Network Administrator or Systems person to ensure that you have the following:
- Platform: Windows 95, 98, 2000, NT, ME, XP or superior; MacOS 9 or MacOS X; Linux
- Hardware: 64 MB of RAM, 1 GB of free disk space
- Software:
- Adobe Acrobat Reader (click here to download for free)
- Adobe Flash Player (click here to download for free)
- Microsoft Office (Windows or Mac) or Open Office (click here to download for free)
- Browser: Internet Explorer 7 or higher (click here to download for free); it works better with Firefox 3.6 or higher (click here to download for free)
- Note that JavaScript, Cookies and Pop-ups must be enabled