How to communicate effectively with staff and students from different backgrounds

This 90-minute workshop is offered online a number of times each year. Check this page for dates or contact the Language Centre to arrange a session.

Register your interest by filling out this registration form. If you would like this workshop to be provided at an alternative date and time; or as a training session for your unit / department / school, please email sally.orren@ucc.ie or infolang@ucc.ie to request.

Course Overview

With a diverse multicultural and multilingual staff and student body here at UCC, it is important that we each strive to become skilled communicators, aware of how we use English as a working language in our university and equipped to adapt where necessary.

This workshop will provide you with an enhanced understanding of how we can better communicate in linguistically diverse organisations and teams. It will also provide you with real-world examples and opportunities to put this knowledge into practice, focusing on spoken communication.

The session aims to provide participants with practical skills and a heightened awareness of effective spoken language use in linguistically and culturally diverse work and learning environments. The interactive format ensures engagement and application of concepts in real-world scenarios.

Participant Feedback

• An excellent workshop to help us achieve greater clarity, even when talking to first-language English speakers from different regions
• Time well spent for anyone whose work involves communication with non-native English speakers.
• This workshop really made me reflect on some of the language that English speakers regularly use that can be confusing for non-native speakers as many phrases don't translate.
• Definitely worth doing, very useful to see how even simple turns of phrase or unnecessary padding in a sentence can undermine the communication.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the workshop, you will be able to:

• identify features of spoken language use, whether English is your first or an additional language, reflecting on spoken communication challenges faced in the workplace
• understand and reflect on the linguistic challenges facing both staff and students in an international workplace and learning environment, identifying features of spoken language that affect clarity
• explore how to adapt your spoken language use in everyday situations from formal to informal registers
• discover a variety of techniques to ensure clear understanding with staff and students and strategies to prevent and repair communication breakdowns
• discuss strategies to ensure adaptability and flexibility towards diverse listeners.

Registration and Further Information

UCC staff can sign up for this 90-minute online workshop via ESS and we can also run sessions for individual UCC units or staff groups.

For further information or to book a session, sign up via this registration form or contact sally.orren@ucc.ie or infolang@ucc.ie