Essentials

Short on time? These 12 lessons are the ones the rest of the course builds on, and they take about 2.5 hours. Take one stage per sitting. Then, if you can, add the lessons for your situation: Lesson 0.1 suggests a handful for exchange students, people working abroad, newcomers building a new life, frequent travelers, and anyone welcoming newcomers at home.

12 lessons · 5 stages · ~2.5 hours · 3 free to preview

Totally optional. The Essentials is a suggested route through the course, not a separate one. Nothing else goes away: all 39 lessons are still part of the course to read in any order, and every lesson you finish here counts toward your overall progress.

Stage 1 of 5

Get your bearings

How the course works, and the travelers you'll follow.

22 min

0.1 Welcome Aboard: How This Course Works

The three promises, the Culture Journal, and a quick check that points you to the lessons for your situation.

0.2 Meet the Travelers

Meet the cast in their own words, so every later scene makes sense.

14m

Stage 2 of 5

See culture, including your own

The foundations every other module builds on.

38 min

1.1 The Water We Swim InFree

Why culture feels like common sense, and the iceberg picture you'll use all course.

12m

1.3 Generalizations Without Stereotypes

How to use what you know about a culture without putting people in boxes.

12m

1.5 Describe, Interpret, Evaluate

The single most useful habit in the course: slow down a snap judgment in three steps.

14m

Stage 3 of 5

Say what you mean

Where most everyday friction between cultures starts.

35 min

2.1 Direct and Indirect: Two Ways to Be PoliteFree

Two ways of being polite, and why each can feel rude to the other.

11m

2.3 When “Yes” Means “Maybe”

How to hear a soft no, and how to ask so that "no" is safe to say.

11m

2.4 Giving and Receiving Feedback

Why your gentle hint may sound like praise, and how to turn the dial.

13m

Stage 4 of 5

Time and who's in charge

Two differences you'll meet in the first week anywhere.

23 min

4.1 Clock Time and People TimeFree

What "on time" means at work, at dinner and at a party, depending on where you are.

11m

5.2 Bosses, Teachers, and Elders: Hierarchy and Equality

First names or titles, asking or deciding: hierarchy at work, at school and at home.

12m

Stage 5 of 5

Living it

Looking after yourself, and the habits to take with you.

29 min

7.1 Culture Shock: Ups, Downs, and Small Daily Battles

What culture shock and culture fatigue feel like, and a plan for a tough week.

13m

9.3 Your Intercultural Toolkit

The whole course in seven habits, with checklists and your own action plan.

16m

Want to go deeper?

The Essentials covers the essentials. The rest of the course goes further on every topic, in any order, whenever you're ready. Pick what's on your mind:

Say What You Mean? Communication Styles

High- and low-context talk, disagreeing without falling out, and the small talk and jokes that are the last thing to translate.

7 lessons

Everyday Life: Hospitality, Food, Gifts, and Faith

Hosting and visiting, the dinner table, gifts and favors, and the rhythm of the religious year.

5 lessons

The Emotional Journey of Living Abroad

Life in a second language, finding where you belong, and families who adapt at different speeds.

5 lessons

The Hard Parts: Prejudice, Values, and Mistakes

Being treated differently, values that collide, and how to repair a mistake.

4 lessons

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