Meeting diversity in the midst of adversity: An intercultural communication training framework for refugee-assistance crisis management

The overall goals of our model intercultural-communication training program are (1) to enhance communicative and behavioral competency in dealing with refugee-assistance crises and (2) to facilitate the management of such crises by harnessing the power of diverse cultural perspectives. In the multicultural and multi organizational working environment that characterizes refugee assistance, competency in transnational networking and intercultural communication involves attaining specific transaction skills (Fowler, 2006: 403). Mastery of these skills enables program graduates to select and apply appropriate intercultural-communication guidelines in essential strategic information exchanges (see, for instance, Schroeder et al., 2001: 387-388). The second major objective of the training program concerns promoting appreciation for and utilization of the synergistic potential of intercultural communication among transnational staff, community, and team members who engage with one another from diverse perspectives (Matveev and Milter, 2004: 105). In this connection, communication is advanced by welcoming feedback from laypersons and communities “regardless of its validity or the eloquence with which it is phrased” (Sarkissian, 2009: 172, 207).