Training Intercultural Trainers

Training trainers refers to preparing individuals to facilitate others’ intercultural awareness and competency development, as well as preparing individuals to design programs, courses, and workshops that lead to such development. A long-held fundamental assumption in the intercultural field is that understanding and appreciating cultural differences, let alone knowing how to be a bridge between differences, does not come naturally. As a result, there has been significant emphasis on how individuals can be more proficient in developing intercultural competence and how best to prepare instructors to lead such educational endeavors. This entry provides a brief history of intercultural training and summarizes six foundations of training for trainers: (1) audience analysis, (2) learning outcomes, (3) sequencing, (4) experiential learning, (5) debriefing, and (6) the art of facilitation.