Connecting across cultures can be enriching and educational, yet also challenging. Markets, world-views, customs and traditions often become barriers that prevent people from developing cross-cultural relationships. Tayo provides a framework for understanding our internal and external strategies as well as several strategies that allow us to overcome barriers to connecting across cultures. According to Tayo, the type of people that know how to effectively connect across cultures do three things. They educate. They don't perpetuate. Instead, they communicate and in this talk, Tayo dives into just how we all can learn how to do that. In the education piece, he shares actionable strategies on how to dissect your internal culture as well as the environment around you. In this section you'll also learn different ways to recognize your biases and how to work through them. In the don't perpetuate portion, you'll understand how perpetuating stereotypes goes beyond just saying racist jokes, microagressions but also in the information we spread and history we teach. In the communicate portion, Tayo shares different ways to open dialogue, build trust and find common ground with people that have different values and belief systems from us. By the end of this talk, you will learn to: Become more self-aware of your own communication style Communicate clearly, and Act appropriately with people that come from different environments you do

1. HOW TO CONNECT
EFFECTIVELY
ACROSS CULTURES
BY TAYO ROCKSON

2. WHAT IS CULTURAL
COMPETENCY?

6. HOW?

8. Dr. JDr. James Naismith

10. A COMMON GOAL

12. THEY…
Educate
Don’t Perpetuate
Instead Communicate

13. EDUCATE

16. WHAT SHOULD YOU EDUCATE YOURSELF ON?
Yourself
&
Your Environment

18. WHAT SHOULD YOU EDUCATE YOURSELF ON?
Yourself
&
Your Environment

19. TO BEGIN THE JOURNEY OF SELF AWARENESS
Ask yourself these q’s”
● What have your experiences been?
● What have you learned about yourself from your biases / stereotypes?
● How much have you strayed outside of your comfort zone?

20. WHAT HAVE YOUR EXPERIENCES BEEN?
Ask yourself these q’s
● Who are your three best friends?
● Where are the last three places you’ve lived in?
● Who are the last people you’ve been in relationships with?

21. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM YOUR BIASES?
● Story — based on religion, education or philosophy that has been
passed on from your sphere of influence.
● Fear — based on a bad experience you or someone in your sphere of
influence experienced.
● Security — a way for you to feel safe and better about yourself.
● Avoidance — a way to dodge difficult situations with groups you
don’t understand or groups that make you feel uncomfortable.

22. HOW MUCH HAVE YOU STRAYED OUTSIDE
OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE?

23. WHAT ARE YOUR VALUES?

25. TO EDUCATE YOURSELF ON YOUR ENVIRONMENT
● Learn how to collect and gather
information.
● Become an active listener.
● Be an active part of your community.

29. DON’T PERPETUATE

31. HOW TO STOP PERPETUATION
● Understand identity, privilege & power dynamics.
● Know the consequences of ignorance.
● Fight disinformation.

32. UNDERSTAND THESE CONCEPTS
● Identity
● Privilege
● Power Dynamics

33. WE ALL HAVE MULTIPLE IDENTITIES

34. ● Privilege: A special right, advantage,
or immunity granted or available only
to a particular person or group of
people.

35. ● Power Dynamics: are the way different
people or different groups of people
interact with each other and where
one of these sides is more powerful
than the other one.

36. WHERE DID IT START?

37. HOW OFTEN?

38. CONSEQUENCES?

39. Perpetuating stereotypes
contributes to systemic
discrimination and inequalities

40. IN GROUPS VS OUT GROUPS
● Northern Ireland: Catholics vs. Protestants
● Rwanda: Hutus vs. Tutsis
● Yugoslavia: the Bosnians vs. Serbs
● Politics: Republicans vs. Democrats
● Football: Patriots vs. Everyone Else
● Gender: Males vs. Females
● Social Class: Middle vs. Working vs. Upper

43. ● Pay attention to the domain and url.
● Read the About Us section.
● Who are the people behind the site?
● Look up the quotes in your articles and validate them.
● Use sites like snopes.com, FactCheck.org, PolitiFact,
mediabiasfactcheck.com
FIGHT DISINFORMATION

44. DON’T PERPETUATE
● Create spaces of belonging.
● Avoid contributing to false stories and break out of echo
chambers.
● Avoid fueling conversations intended to hurt others.

45. INSTEAD, COMMUNICATE

46. WHAT TO FOCUS ON
● Say no to silence.
● Find mutual purpose and shared meaning.
● Open dialogue.
● Understanding the intent-impact gap.

47. USE YOUR VOICE
“I speak not for myself but for those without a voice... those who have
fought for their rights... their right to live in peace, their right to be treated
with dignity, their right to equality of opportunity, their right to be
educated.” ~Malala Yousafzai

48. FINDING MUTUAL PURPOSE
● What do I really want the outcome of this conversation to
be?
● How do I want to comport myself as I have this
conversation?
● What do I want from the other party in this conversation?
● What do I want from the relationship moving forward?

49. FINDING MUTUAL PURPOSE
● What do I really want the outcome of this conversation to
be?
● How do I want to comport myself as I have this
conversation?
● What do I want from the other party in this conversation?
● What do I want from the relationship moving forward?
How will I behave if I really want these results?

51. THE ARCHITECTURE OF COMMUNICATION (AOC) MODEL
● Design
● Research
● Adjust
● Consistently communicate

52. THE ARCHITECTURE OF COMMUNICATION (AOC) MODEL
● Design
● Research,
● Adjust
● Consistently Communicate

53. ● The single biggest problem in
communication is the illusion that it
has taken place.
● ~ George Bernard Shaw

55. Podcast: As Told By
Nomads
@tayorockson
Website: www.tayorockson.com
Email: tayorockson@uydmanagement.com