IDEAL Internacional

Instituto de Desarrollo Activa y Liderazgo

The global economy of the 21st century requires leaders to develop skills in working across multiple cultures. The most effective way to achieve this is through an active learning model, where students are engaged in real world situations. Languages: the IDEAL curriculum is carried out in English, French, Spanish and Arabic, depending on location. IDEAL provides three levels of active learning in an international setting.

Teaching the students to communicate across linguistic and cultural differences, developing greater understanding of those with whom they communicate and thereby, how to make adjustments to communicate effectively using real life scenarios to do so.

Teaching the students to go beyond verbal communication by integrating more within various cultural settings in order to adapt and more clearly communicate with non-verbal communication, using true-to-life scenarios to do so.

Teaching students interested in taking leadership in cross-cultural instruction, so that they can develop others to also communicate and integrate cross-culturally, using true-to-life scenarios to do so.

Testimonials

Attending an IdEAL course enabled me to communicate better with people of other cultures by first helping me understand what drove me to behave the way I behave and to do the things I do. I am driven by fears which made me see that others were as well. This changed my perspective in interacting with people of other linguistic and cultural backgrounds as, despite the trappings, I could see that deep down they were no different than me. This freed me up in my communication and appreciation of those with whom I spoke.

I had thought that people’s culture expressed in the language and customs which they used made people who they are. I came to realize that, at the heart-level, people of all backgrounds share the same aspirations and struggles. These simply get expressed differently through different languages, mannerisms, and cultural frameworks. This understanding gave me boldness to speak with people of other linguistic backgrounds and to more freely begin to adapt their ways of behaving and expressing themselves.

In one classroom instruction we learned of two ancient kings who succeeded each other, both reigning 40 years each. Both rose to popularity through taking risks for good reasons and in ways deemed heroic by those they led. Both reigns declined when they took risks that were beyond the limits placed by their cultural heritage and environment. I began to see that to lead people within and without my own culture I had to take into account the appropriate norms and behaviors of the people I expect to lead.