The skills dimension is all about putting intercultural insights into action - it’s not enough just to know about cultural differences; you need the ability to use that knowledge in real-life interactions. This dimension encompasses a range of active capabilities: observing others and their contexts with curiosity, evaluating what you see without immediate judgment, shifting perspectives to understand viewpoints beyond your own, reflecting on your experiences to extract lessons, and processing new cultural information so it informs your future behaviour.

The resources below help you develop three core intercultural skills, each vital for translating awareness into effective, respectful action.

One essential way to build intercultural competence is through value-free observation, i.e. noticing differences without jumping to judgments or biases. All too often, we label unfamiliar customs or places as 'exotic', 'strange', or 'weird', which unintentionally creates a hierarchy: we treat our own culture as the default 'normal' and see others as deviations to be evaluated.

For instance, picture a European tourist who visits a remote Indonesian island and marvels at how clean it is. Although the comment may seem complimentary, it also suggests that the tourist’s own standards are superior. By reacting this way, they position themselves as the judge, measuring a different culture against their personal expectations instead of simply observing it on its own terms.

Value-free observation means setting aside those comparisons – whether positive or negative – and approaching other cultures with genuine curiosity and respect. When we practice it, we open ourselves to seeing cultural practices as they truly are, rather than through the lens of our own assumptions.

Source: Adapted from Ticket, Module 1, a resource created by the TICKET Consortium as part of the TICKET Training Programme and licensed under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

One effective way to practice value-free observation—and prevent miscommunication—is the widely used D.I.E. model for suspending judgment in cross-cultural interactions.

So how does it work? The D.I.E. model has three steps that are based on the perceptual process. Each step has a key question that needs to be answered in order to progress to the next step.

• Step 1: Description is something you do by using your five senses: see, smell, touch, taste, and hear. With this first step, the goal is to describe it through observable facts.

The key question for description is: What do I see?

• Step 2: Interpretation is what you do when you make an assumption about the observation. Here, the goal is to focus on the various interpretations or explanations as to what might be going on in the situation. Now you are moving from objective descriptions to subjective interpretations, although an interpretation is neutral and should not have a positive or negative label.

The key question here is: What do I think (about what I see)?

• Step 3: Evaluation is what you do when you give an opinion, deciding whether or not the interpretation is good (positive) or bad (negative), acceptable (good) or unacceptable (bad).

The key question here is: What do I feel (about what I think I see)?

Now over to you: Pick a photo or short video from the news or social media and explore it following the D.I.E. model. First, describe five things you can observe. Then, come up with at least two possible interpretations. Finally, make up your mind and state both positive and negative evaluations for each of your interpretations.

1. Description: Objectively note at least five things that you see or hear, without adding meaning.
2. Interpretation: Offer at least two possible explanations for what you observed.
3. Evaluation: Reflect on your own reactions and judgments – both positive and negative – for each interpretation.

After completing the exercise, reflect:

• How easy or difficult was it to separate description from interpretation and evaluation?
• How easy or difficult was it to come up with more than one interpretation?
• Can you recognize how your cultural background might influence your reactions and judgements?

Source: Adapted from Janet Bennett et al.: Description, interpretation, evaluation: Facilitators’ guidelines, 1977.

Copyright: This resource was created by the Una.Futura Consortium and is licensed under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Active listening is as a powerful approach when one or both communicators perceive that their co-creation of meaning is unproductive. In these situations, we might experience confusion or irritation, be uncertain whether we have been understood, feel that our expectations are not being met or have been breached, or face outright misunderstanding.

Active listening encompasses a mindset characterised by full engagement and immersion in what the other person is saying, coupled with genuine respect. Its focus isn't on proving who is right or wrong but on listening to both the spoken and unspoken aspects of the conversation. The primary goal of active listening is to understand not only what the speaker is saying explicitly but also to discern underlying unspoken expectations, feelings, intentions, and needs. In essence, it revolves around making the other person feel heard, involving the use of all our senses.

Watch the first three minutes of Simon Sinek's YouTube video and note down the central elements of active listening and what you can expect to achieve by applying it.

Active listening is also a communication technique that can be learned. It involves temporarily putting aside our own opinions, expectations, prejudices, and desires. It is only then that we have the ability to truly focus on the communication partner. It is an art which requires practice but brings the greatest gain in information, understanding and results, since it stimulates the thinking process of the communicators because one of the communicators is fully intent on understanding what the other means.

A statement or question from the listener can assist the speaker in elaborating on their thoughts further. It provides them with the opportunity to explain in greater detail what they've already conveyed or to contribute additional information. In intercultural situations, this frequently paves the way towards the co-creation of meaning. In other instances, it can also indicate that both parties comprehend each other's viewpoints, enabling them to gain valuable insights into each other's thoughts and objectives.

In order to initiate active listening, a response can be prompted, for example, for example, by saying:

• I am not sure whether I understand this correctly….
• Could you tell me more about…?
• From my perspective you sound as if….
• You seem to be…? Is that right?
• I would like to summarise what you have said in my own words if I may…?
• So then your idea would be...?
• Could it be that you have the feeling that...?
• I can imagine that it must be annoying that...?
• It almost seems as if you want to say... Is that right?
• You must have had the impression that ...?
• If I have understood you correctly...

Active listening can be implemented at any stage of the communication process and it can trigger a change in perspective and lead to ideas for change. Also, during the communication process we may realise that we simply do not share any common ground. At this point we should stop and implement active listening. This can open up communication and connect the speakers. After a while, we might then ask ourselves: At what point should we stop active listening? The answer here is usually that we stop active listening at the moment where we feel that the speaker has said everything, and that we have a fairly complete picture of the situation. Once this has been reached, the next step could be to attempt to resolve the misunderstanding or confusion. We might also describe the situation from our perspective and decide together what to do next. Real listening does not happen effortlessly and will always require a certain amount of self-discipline and commitment on the part of the listener.

Copyright: This resource is licensed under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license as part of the EduBox course “Intercultural Communication – Online Modules” (Version 2.0. Hamburg Open Online University HOOU) on the Glocal Campus Jena.

How can you best approach the challenge of cross-cultural communication? Professor Andy Molinsky suggests that while we should learn about the norms of a new cultural context, we should not purely mimic them – this can conflict with our own values. Instead:

• Step 1: Watch Molinsky explain what he means with adapting your behaviour while remaining authentic.

Video | Reaching across cultures without losing yourself

Video source: HBR: Reaching across cultures without losing yourself, 2013. Accessed on 20.5.2025

• Step 2: Read this summary of Molinsky’s key ideas and learn more about what six dimensions to analyse cultures he puts forward.

Summary | Global Dexterity, Molinsky

Source: Admired Leadership: Book summary Global Dexterity, 2023. Accessed on 20.5.2025

• Step 3: Reflect:
  • What do you find useful for preparing your time abroad?
  • Which one of Molinsky’s six cultural dimensions do you find most challenging? How might you ‘hybridize’ your approach in that area?
  • Note one way you might creatively improvise your behaviour in a new context.

Copyright: This resource was created by the Una.Futura Consortium and is licensed under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.