Coaching
Cultural Bridges Inc. provides a coaching experience that teaches clients new insights about themselves. Often the things that block our path to sustainable progress are our own attitudes, behaviours and biases. Coaching helps manifest new thought pathways that lead to more clarity, comprehension and action necessary to make the desired changes within ourselves. These sessions provide an opportunity to share personal concerns, receive feedback, put your knowledge into practice and evolve into the culturally engaged and effective person you want to become.
We offer short-term and long-term coaching programs to suit the individual needs of our clients. Intercultural coaching focuses on deepening one’s understanding of culture by exploring biases and instinctual behaviour. We help clients shift their perspectives and learn how to understand their own behaviour when interacting with other cultures. Our coaching services provide insightful ways to build crucial intercultural skills.
Coaching offers personalized programming and mentoring based on the specific needs of our individual clients. Cultural Bridges Inc. helps you understand your own cultural perspective and teaches you the skills you need to be successful in a globalized world.
We Offer the Following Types of Intercultural Coaching
Individual Coaching
Ideal for individuals working internationally, relocating or traveling abroad, employed in a culturally diverse organization or someone who is simply looking to develop or expand intercultural skills. Individual coaching provides a truly personal mentoring experience that ensures a successful increase in knowledge and a more effective cultural immersion process.
Group Coaching
Perfect for groups that travel or work abroad, families affected by a corporate relocation, or any groups looking to improve their intercultural skills. We offer customized lessons and discussions based on the needs of the group. Whether tuning in via webinars or in-person, group coaching is designed to meet the goals of your group.
Intercultural coaching services are available for everyone seeking to improve their cultural engagement skills.
Some of our most popular topics include:
- Developing Cultural Intelligence: Working Effectively Across Cultures™
- assessment included
- Managing Unconscious Bias™
- assessment included
- Pre & Post Travel Preparation
- Making a New Home in a New Country
- Improving Intercultural Engagement: Understanding Myself and My Colleagues
Consulting
Consulting is a partnership. We work with companies, organizations, institutions and community clients to address current achievements in diversity and to identify cultural challenges. We formulate a strategic plan to help our clients achieve a more culturally intelligent workforce by proposing tangible solutions and providing follow-ups to check on their progress. Our clients will end their time with us with a clear plan and effective tools that will create sustainable intercultural engagement in all settings.
We take an individualized approach to all of our consultations.
Our services may include the following:
- Assessments
- Focus groups
- Facilitations
- Workshops
- Training – group and/or individual
- Human Resources support
A few reasons why hiring an Intercultural Consultant is beneficial for you and your company, organization, institution and community.
Our Areas of Expertise
Human Resources and Diversity & Inclusion Managers
HR and D&I Managers are keenly aware of the overwhelming burden placed upon their offices to fulfill many expectations. Outsourcing is an effective way to meet the demands of their company, organization, institution and community. Hiring an intercultural professional will ease the burden and prevent disgruntled employees. It will also help prevent issues from becoming liabilities and escalating any further.
Miscommunication
Even if we all speak English as our first language, miscommunication happens. When you add someone speaking English as an additional language the chance of confusion and misinterpretation increases. Productivity goes down, insecurity increases, and trust between employee and employer starts to deteriorate.
Cultural Bridges not only helps our clients streamline their language to communicate clearly and effectively but more importantly provides them the necessary tools to understand how ones culture plays a significant part in communication.
Diversity
Corporations often embrace the idea of having a diverse workforce, but then find that their employees break off into cliques and factions based on ethnicity refusing to work as a team. Intercultural consultants create the space where companies can see how shared values communicated well within the organization can bring people together for sustainable cooperation and collaboration.
Orientation
When someone new joins the team, they need to participate in an orientation. Being a new employee is an intimidating process for people who speak English as a first language and who have lived in Canada their whole lives. Imagine what it is like for newcomers. The failure of establishing an effective orientation can be disastrous.
Cultural Bridges designs orientations that go beyond introducing the employee to the expectations of their new position. Our orientation instils a feeling of security, support and trust that allow the newcomer to have a sense of confidence that will be conveyed in their work.
Stereotypes and Prejudices
We are all human and we all have our own default biases. Having biases is not the problem though. It is the action we take with those biases in mind that can lead to stereotyping and prejudices mentalities. Being prejudice or stereotyping colleagues is debilitating to productivity and gets in the way of daily operations. It creates distrust and hinders the success of a team and their project.
Cultural Bridges consultants deal with prejudice and stereotyping with honest, challenging and critical conversations that their clients move forward and rebuild intercultural trust.
International Employees
There is definitely a competitive advantage of having employees that know the local market and have the ability to work effectively in an international setting. If this is a valued skill for your company, organization, institution or community then hiring a Cultural Bridges consultant would be a top priority. Increasing the cultural intelligence (CQ) of all employees is an essential life skill.
Working Abroad
Sending employees on international work assignments is an investment. Not properly preparing clients for life and work in a different country can result in expensive losses and can increase failure rates for assignments and future collaboration.
There are many adjustments to consider that have a large impact on employees.
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- Not being able to communicate in the local language
- Finding a house that feels like home
- Adjusting to the local climate
- Locating the right schools
- Creating a sense of community
- Overcoming food concerns
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Add cultural differences to every adjustment and you have an employee that’s frustrated, exhausted, resentful and burnt-out.
Cultural Bridges provides support and services for relocation. Our experts help employees and their families have a productive and enjoyable stay that will create positive memories and successful outcomes.
Professional Repatriation
Returning home after working and living abroad is an adjustment onto itself. Employees and their families may be experiencing a great sense of loss and confusion upon their return. Adjusting is difficult regardless of the presumed level of comfort. There may be risks that are not necessarily understood and aided by a therapist. The professional implications could be detrimental.
Cultural Bridges help companies, organizations, institutions and community clients find ways to deal with the dynamics of this type of transition.
Consulting is available in person and on-line.