Inhalt: The World of Business, Education, Social and Health Services, Communication across cultural boundaries, Author Index, Subject Index, About the Contributers.

As the editors of this volume point out, one certainty in life is that people must interact with others from very different cultural backgrounds--whether or not they are prepared to do so. The modules in this volume encourage productive and effective intercultural interactions in business, educational, social, and health services settings. Each module--a collection of materials for cross-cultural training programs--has a similar structure. They all have a combination of experiential exercises, self-assessment instruments, traditional "text" material describing concepts and the research methods necessary in using a given module, and case studies and/or critical incidents. Among the subjects Improving Intercultural Interactions addresses are gender relations in the workplace, intercultural education at the university level, intercultural communication for health care professionals, multicultural counseling, and nonverbal behavior in intercultural interaction. Improving Intercultural Interactions is a valuable resource for consultants, counselors, personnel officers, and others who offer various kinds of cross-cultural training programs. It is also useful as a supplemental text in graduate and undergraduate courses dealing with culture and behavior. "The present volume . . . aims at supplying not only valuable ideas and ideals but most of all practical guidelines to all those interested in carrying out satisfactory training programs." --Language, Culture, and Curriculum "An excellent practical guide to intercultural sensitivity, in the business world; elementary, secondary, and tertiary level schools; and social service and health delivery agencies. Each chapter provides opportunities for self-assessment, cases, critical incidents, constructs that can develop skills in analyzing intercultural situations, opportunities to practice these skills, and field exercises to test the newly acquired sensitivity. It increases awareness of culture and cultural differences, provides facts that can help adjustment, suggests ways to feel appropriately for interaction with members of other cultures, and opportunities to identify and practice skills that can assist in adjustment to other cultures." --Harry C. Triandis, University of Illinois "Improving Intercultural Interactions represents the next step forward in resource books for trainers, teachers, professors, organizational developers and the like who are in constant need of upgrading the results of their cross-cultural training programs. . . . It presents sequences of training processes from self-assessment and critical incidents through the development of an understanding of cultural concepts and frameworks to exercises targeted to cause the learner to experience and practice an array of behaviors or actions in appropriate cross-cultural problem situations. The fact that each of the books′ modules ends with suggested actions based on specific examples helps lead the learner to a position where he or she can develop personally and culturally relevant strategies for their workplace situation. This book will serve as a resource for persons in culturally diverse work situations, whether it be business, education, health, or a broad array of other public and private organizations." --Sheldon Varney, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Taking an educational model for counselling, this volume presents training modules relevant for a variety of circumstances from the world of business to that of education. Included throughout are practical exercises and self-assessment questions which promote cultural awareness. The volume is a companion to Improving Intercultural Interactions - the third volume in the Multicultural Aspects of Counseling series. It builds upon Volume Three to address a new cluster of topics specific to various types of intercultural experience. These include: ethics; ethnocultural identification; conflict and mediation across cultures; empathy; and cross-cultural communication.

Bringing together current research, theories and methods from leading scholars in the field, this volume is a state-of-the-art study of intercultural communication competence and effectiveness. In the first part, contributors analyze the conceptual decisions made in intercultural communication competence research by examining decisions regarding conceptualization, operationalization, research design and sampling. The second part presents four different theoretical orientations while illustrating how each person's theoretical bias directs the focus of research. Lastly, both quantitative and qualitative research approaches used in studying intercultural communication competence are examined.

Communication styles and patterns differ vastly among people from different cultures. Every culture has a "communication style norm" and when that style mixes with another, stereotypes and misperceptions arise. 52 Activities for Improving Cross-Cultural Communication explores cross-cultural communication issues with an eye toward increasing understanding and effectiveness. 52 Activities for Improving Cross-Cultural Communication is a practical trainer's manual that includes applications from many sectors, such as business, diversity, cross-cultural fields, and from many trainers in the U.S., Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. Exercises are organized according to audience, time required to perform and the risk level for participants, a unique feature created by the authors, and are easily adaptable to the user's particular need and situation. Many of the exercises are written with instructions that address requirements for a specific audience (e.g., gender or generation). There is something for everyone: those who like hands-on, practical activities; those who prefer experiential exercises; and those who learn best through reflection.

Although traditional ESL/EFL textbooks have primarily introduced cultural topics at a knowledge level only, this textbook is designed to create meaningful opportunities for students to reflect on and practice intercultural skills in ways that are relatable in their daily lives and that can lead to a more satisfying US academic experience.

As the world becomes more globalized, student populations in educational settings will continue to grow in diversity. To ensure students develop the cultural competence to adapt to new environments, educational institutions must develop curriculum, policies, and programs to aid in the progression of cultural acceptance and understanding. Multicultural Instructional Design: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications is a vital reference source for the latest research findings on inclusive curriculum development for multicultural learners. It also examines the interaction between culture and learning in academic environments and the efforts to mediate it through various educational venues. Highlighting a range of topics such as intercultural communication, student diversity, and language skills, this multi-volume book is ideally designed for educators, professionals, school administrators, researchers, and practitioners in the field of education.