Today, I spoke with Arjan Verdooren, an intercultural communication consultant and lecturer. He is also the co-author, together with Dr Edwin Hoffman, of the book ‘Diversity Competence - Cultures Don’t Meet, People Do’, which is a deep dive into improving our individual and collective intercultural competence. Arjan has authored various other publications on intercultural communication, intercultural competence, cultural diversity, and multiculturalism. We touched on many topics, such as the origins of ‘studying’ culture; cultural relativism, universalism, and pluralism; meaning behind ‘cultures don’t meet, people do’; the TOPOI model; building rapport and how to reduce intercultural miscommunication.
Additional episodes that explore the importance of dialogue and communication are:
------
Full show notes:
My guest today is Arjan Verdooren, who has a background in communication studies and works as a consultant and lecturer in the field of intercultural communication and competence. He is associated with the Royal Tropical Institute, a knowledge centre in Amsterdam and until recently lectured at the Master in Communication program at the University of Gothenburg. He is the co-author, together with Dr Edwin Hoffman, of the book ‘Diversity Competence - Cultures Don’t Meet, People Do’, which is a deep dive into improving our individual and collective intercultural competence. Arjan has authored various other publications on intercultural communication, intercultural competence, cultural diversity, and multiculturalism.
Throughout the fifteen years he has spent in the field, he has consulted with various organisations ranging from state departments to multinationals and NGO’s on harnessing more effective international and intercultural cooperation. He is a frequent speaker on these topics and is someone who connects theory with practitioners facing intercultural situations every day in the field.
Some of the topics we covered are:
30. Adam Cooper - Mediation, Diplomacy and Digital Conflict
29. The Story Behind ‘The Voices Of War‘
28. Sahar Fetrat - On the plight of women and girls in Afghanistan
27. Dr Ghassan Jawad Kadhim - Still ‘The Last Optimist In Baghdad‘?
26. LTCOL Dave Grossman - On killing, combat, sleep, ’blind spots’ and everything else in between
25. Dr Mike Martin & Dr Christopher Ankersen - Afghanistan Update and Future
24. Hizbullah Khan - On the current situation and the future of Afghanistan
23. Ehsaan - The Life of a Coalition Interpreter in Afghanistan
22. Hizbullah Khan - Situation in Afghanistan as seen by a local analyst and journalist
21. Dr Kay Danes - On Interpreters and Locally Employed Staff stuck in Kabul
20. Dr Mike Martin - Update on unfolding situation in Afghanistan
19. David Livingstone Smith - On Dehumanisation
18. Shannon E French - On ’The Code of the Warrior’ and Ethics of War
17. Will Yates and Joe McCleary - On Trial for War Crimes: A Soldier’s Experience
16. Andrew Quilty - Perspectives of a Photo- and Investigative- Journalist
15. John Blaxland - Reflexions on Australian military operations and lessons learnt
14. Džemil Hodžić - Finding Light in the Dark
13. Hasan Aygun - The Pragmatic Diplomat
12. Roger Noble - A Major General’s Perspective
11. Harry Moffitt - A Humble Warrior
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Modern West
Just Dumb Enough Podcast
Voices of Misery Podcast
House of Whimsical Terror
Stuff You Should Know
Timcast IRL