The University of Porto is the largest university in Portugal and one of the most prestigious teaching and research institutions in the country.
It was the last class of the year for Intercultural Communication students at the University of Porto, Portugal. The teacher, Dr Vasco Ribeiro, had invited me to come and talk about the importance of Inter-Cultural Intelligence in the real world — not just as an academic subject.
We started off by playing a card game which simulates cultural stresses. By intention, the game is designed to show that things are not always as straightforward as they seem. At first, Dr. Vasco and the students were confused about how the game was relevant. But then it all started to make real sense as the game progressed and students shared how they felt during the game. We were then able to apply some of the ICI concepts to real life intercultural situations.
This was the first year that Intercultural Communication was taught at the University of Porto (Students: 27,690; of which 18,017 are undergraduate and 9,673 postgraduate). I was able to present both the Three Colors of Worldview and the 12 Dimensions of Culture; and I have been invited back to share more at the beginning of the new academic year.
Neil Mason KnowledgeWorkx ICI Certified Facilitator
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