The 3 Pillars of Cultural Awareness

In today’s multicultural environment, it is important that organizations build a more diverse workforce that operates with greater cultural competence. This helps employees to understand, communicate with, and effectively interact with people across different cultures, and helps them feel a better sense of belonging.

In this month’s Coffee with Carolynn webinar, Carolynn was joined by Fatima Terry, Human Capital Development Manager at U.Group, to explore how organizations can promote cultural awareness in the workplace and help their employees overcome cultural differences.

During their time, Carolynn and Fatima discussed 3 pillars of cultural awareness that consist of:

• Know your audience - how to communicate with someone with the cultural perspective of the other person, not from your own perspective
• Do your homework – seek resources and training to learn about the different cultural practice
• Take the listeners seat – gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of cultural differences or similarities

The greatest company culture successes come when these three pillars are embodied into the entire employee experience. The more engrained and positive our habits are in these pillars, the higher our potential to help others connect to us and feel like they belong.

Missed the webinar? Catch up on the recording!

About the speakers

Carolynn Morris 

Carolynn Morris is a Keynote Speaker, Communication Consultant, Workshop Guru, Life Coach, and Travel Connoisseur. She studied communications at Utah State University and received her Master’s of Strategic Communication at Westminster. She is passionate about authentic connection and believes that all relationships, whether professional or personal, are created, maintained, or destroyed by communication. 

Fatima Terry 

Fatima Terry is a Human Capital Development Manager at U.Group, a consulting firm specializing in technology and human-centered design. Fatima has built her career on specializing in workforce strategies and organizational development to improve organizational health and competitive performance. As a first-generation immigrant from Peru and the first female in her family to hold an advanced degree, she is a strong advocate for inclusion and equity across underrepresented groups and particularly in equality for women in the workplace. Fatima brings a decade of success in working with different types of organizations and leadership styles, especially in the federal sector.