Workshop: Mindful Communication in Transcultural Contexts

Mindful Communication in Transcultural Contexts

In the international academic landscape, a compassionate stance is a key professional competency for fostering inclusion. This four-hour interactive workshop invites staff and faculty members to explore how compassion can transform transcultural interactions and academic teaching.

The training combines psychological insights with practical university contexts. Participants will move beyond common myths to distinguish compassion from empathy, focusing on maintaining professional resilience while building authentic connections in diverse environments. The goal is to empower participants with linguistic and behavioral tools to navigate critical moments with curiosity and confidence, actively contributing to a respectful campus culture.

Language: English
Platform: Online via Zoom

The workshop is offered by the FECT (Foster European Competences and Talents) programme and can be credited towards the certificate programme “iKomPass – Intercultural Competence for Employees of the University of Jena.

Content

• Foundations: Differentiating between empathy and compassion and addressing the “four key myths” surrounding a compassionate attitude in professional settings.
• Professional resilience: Exploring how compassion as a tool can help counter emotional exhaustion and  strengthen team dynamics.
  Role-based analysis: Reflecting on the specific challenges faced by lecturers and university staff when working with international audiences.
• Transcultural tools: Exploring how concepts such as cultural humility and third-quality communication can help building bridges between differing values and perspectives.
• Practical transfer: Practising empathetic listening and reflecting on power-aware communication through case studies drawn from everyday university contexts.

Intercultural Trainer

Dr. Phuong Glaser is an experienced coach, facilitator, and certified expert in Applied Compassion (Stanford University) with a strong background in linguistics and academic career development.

Her work is uniquely interdisciplinary, combining evidence-based psychology and neurobiology with mindfulness-based, trauma-informed practices to support researchers and faculty in transition. Specializing in transcultural communication and compassionate leadership, she empowers individuals and teams to navigate the complexities of international academia with resilience and a deep sense of belonging.

Registration

Please write a short e-mail to ikompass@uni-jena.de to register for the online workshop.

Registration deadline is the 6th of November.