Write your responses down to reflect on at a later date.

• Where was I born and where did I grow up? What broader culture was my own imbedded in?

• What is my ethnic background? If unknown, ask yourself about the environment/home in which you were raised. What is their ethnic background?

• Which cultural or ethnic group do I most closely identify with? Why?

• What did/do my parents do for work? What socio-economic implications did this have on my development and experiences?

• What do I do for work? How has this choice influenced, or been influenced by my sense of self?

• What do I do with my spare time?

• Does religion/spirituality play a role in my cultural identity? How?

• What values and exterior influences drive my actions? See Layered Ecological Model

• How many languages do I speak?

• Watch films and read books.

• Travel or live abroad.

• Taste different cultures through food and drink.

• Festivals and Events.

• Talk to people.

• Slow your speech tempo. This allows each party the chance to better understand what the other is saying. Strong accents and somewhat limited vocabulary can make conversing more difficult.

• Converse in Person. Human communication goes way beyond verbal and written realms. Talking to a person with a different first language, or even dialect, allows people to read the facial expressions and other signals each gives off. Tone also matters and can help to build understanding as well as flag parts of the conversation that have been misunderstood. Texting and emailing can create many mixed signals and misunderstandings.

• Different cultures have different communication norms and expectations. If possible, take the time to research what these are before having a conversation with someone from a culture other than your own. This can help you avoid making blunders that may insult the other person(s). It may also provide you with a knowledge base that will help you act with empathy if the other person does something unexpected within your own cultural sphere.

• Build Trust Slowly. When getting to know or working with people from different cultures, know that preconceived notions and biases may be at play. Work on building a mutually agreeable relationship slowly. Trust can not be rushed. It takes time to form and experiences to tell each other where you stand with one another.

• Show genuine interest in people and their culture. Lean in. Ask questions, but don't pry. Watch for body signals and tone to gain insight about how the other person is feeling. Use this opportunity to have discussions and build personal understanding through empathy. How do they express themselves personally? How do they see themselves fitting into the larger social fabric? How have their experiences and interpretations of events been similar or different than yours?

• Engage with others from a place of sensitivity. As the old adage goes, "Don't judge a book by its cover." Remember, we all carry a past with us and for some people, their past is more painful than others. Being patient during the initial relationship phase will let people open to you when, and if, they become ready.

Above ideas adapted from (Weigl, 2009; American Psychological Association, 2017; Geerlings, L. and Thompson, C.L., 2018).

• Increased cultural empathy: When people interact with one another in personal and meaningful ways, they have an opportunity to share their experiences and beliefs, then compare and contrast their views. Doing so helps people understand and empathize with different perspectives than their own.
• Reduction of Prejudice: As people experience greater inter-group cultural contact, their levels of prejudice go down. This happens as a result of increasing cross-cultural knowledge and personal human connections.
• Reduced Anxiety about inter-group contacts: People are no longer faced with "others," these become neighbours, friends, members of their community network.

• Do not make assumptions based on your own culture.

• Do not make assumptions based on limited knowledge.

• Do not assume that others know where you are coming from.

• Be willing to be very patient.

• Be willing to be the one respecting them.

• Be willing to deal with the consequences of your actions.

Excerpts Taken from: 6 Ways to Respect Another Culture

• Begin with an open mind.

• Look for common ground.

• Listen closely.

• Keep your emotions in check.

• Seek understanding.

Excerpts taken from: 5 Ways to Respect Others

• Take the time to look back on your initial answers to the questions from this toolkit.

  • Would you change any responses due to personal growth and understanding? Make those revisions.

• Did you set yourself a goal? Have you achieved it?

  • If not, what do you feel you still need to work on?

  • If you did achieve it, what new goal could you work on, remembering that there is no end point to become truly culturally competent.

• What changes have occurred in your attitudes, beliefs and behaviours as a result of your efforts to become more culturally competent?

  • Share your experience and growth with someone else. Expand each other's understanding further.