Dear Regional Leadership Teams,

On behalf of Hadia El Miniawi, Chair of the At-Large Capacity Building Working Group-Webinars Sub Team,  please find a call for contributors from Sandra Hofericher, host of the an upcoming At-Large Intercultural Virtual Workshop being scheduled for Monday, 29 November.

Please could you distribute this note to your RALO lists as soon as possible?

**

The At-Large Capacity Building Working Group-Webinars Sub Team announces an:

At-Large Intercultural Virtual Workshop (29 November 2021)

What you need to know when working in an intercultural organisation?

Call for contributors!

Working within ICANN can be challenging, for staff as well as for the numerous volunteers that form this international organisation. Collaboration across the globe and over various time zones, the different perspectives you have whether you participate as an employee or as a volunteer, as well as a lack of understanding for each other’s cultural background and behaviour are potential sources of conflict.

However, a positive aspect is that the ICANN community has all the sources to overcome intercultural misunderstandings. We just have to talk and to listen to each other.

The At-Large Capacity Building Working Group-Webinars Sub Team would like to start a series of interactive workshops, addressing the global At-Large Community and increasing our ability to understand  and appreciate each other’s challenges. During these workshops, we will explore the “secrets” of our different cultures on some dedicated examples such as:

1. Verbal communication (speed, tone, irony, volume)
2. The art of small talk
3. Time sensitivity
4. How to dress
5. Eating manners
6. What is expected from a community leader?
7. How work hierarchies in your country and which effect they have at your performance at ICANN?

… just to name a few

We will start the series with a topic related to communication - something that we possibly will need to re-fresh as we prepare to meet in person again - hopefully soon!

The topic of the first workshop on 29 November (time TBC) is “The Art of Small Talk”.

Questions to be discussed are, inter alia:

• What are do and don’ts in a small talk?
• Which topics you should never touch?
• How important, or less important, is small talk in a region for building trust or just as am matter of politeness?
• How sensitive is a culture with regard to speed, tone, irony, volume?
• How do you approach a person you would like to get to know?

We need you!

Let us know about your regional traditions, rules and behaviours, and try to cover a region not only your specific country. Your presentation should be short while and creative, including for instance, slides, videos, cartoons,  etc.

If you would like to share your experience and provide experience input into the above questions, please sign up by 18 November by sending a note of interest to At-Large Staff.  

Ideally, we would like 1-2 colleagues per region. Input shall not be longer than 10 min in addition to 10 min Q&A. Please be prepared to turn on your camera for the entire meeting.

If this initial workshop is a success, we will continue with this series in 2022 on the other topics and introduce the format to the wider ICANN Community.

Source: Harassment presentation at ICANN Learn

Sandra Hoferichter, Chair of the ICANN Academy WG,
November 2021

Kind regards,

At-Large Staff

ICANN Policy Staff in support of the At-Large Community
Website: atlarge.icann.org 
Facebook: facebook.com/icannatlarge
Twitter: @ICANNAtLarge