Bites-Academy · Why the world looks different
Intercultural competence. In 30 minutes.
The Academy’s Bites sessions are short, interactive learning sessions for teams, companies, universities and institutions. Each session explores a specific intercultural question and turns it into practical options for action.
Intercultural competence. In 30 minutes.
The Academy’s Bites sessions are short, interactive learning sessions for teams, companies, universities and institutions. Each session explores a specific intercultural question and turns it into practical options for action.
The Bites-Academy series
Culture Bites
How do people interpret eye contact, hierarchy or hospitality? Culture Bites explore cultural meanings that often remain unspoken in conversation. Each 30-minute session focuses on one topic.
Conflict Bites
How can you raise a disagreement? What helps when people see the same situation differently? Conflict Bites focus on tensions and ways to address them. Each 30-minute session focuses on one topic.
Global Trust Bites
How does trust develop between international partners? Across six interactive sessions, we explore communication, shared values and ethical questions, as well as legal and organisational foundations. Each 30-minute session focuses on one topic.
Culture Bites
The format at a glance
Easy to plan, interactive and tailored to your organisation.
- Duration
- 30 minutes per topic
- Format
- Interactive expert input with reflection and practical application
- Languages
- German or English
- Scheduling
- Flexible dates by arrangement
- Setting
- Exclusive in-house session
- Choice
- One topic or a learning series
The programme
A short session. A new perspective.
Each Bites series: six topics. Six fresh perspectives.
When culturally shaped expectations remain invisible, misunderstandings can arise in meetings, client conversations or international project work. Bites sessions make these differences tangible without reducing cultures to simple rules.
Book a single session or combine several into a learning series. Suitable for team days, staff development, university teaching and international projects.
Culture Bites
Eye Contact Across Cultures
Pitfall or success factor?
A direct gaze may communicate confidence and interest in one setting, yet feel intrusive or confrontational in another. Role, status and context influence how eye contact is received.
Your takeaway: Read the situation more accurately and use eye contact with greater awareness.
Colour Across Cultures
What red, blue and other colours really signal
Colour shapes emotions and expectations, but its associations are not universal. In branding, presentations and international marketing, a simple choice may send an unintended message.
Your takeaway: Evaluate colour choices across cultures and use them more deliberately.
Hierarchy Across Cultures
Respect, roles and rules
Who speaks first? Who decides? How is disagreement expressed? Different ideas of authority shape leadership, meetings and decisions.
Your takeaway: Recognise expectations around status and adapt collaboration accordingly.
Giving and Receiving
Generosity and reciprocity across cultures
Invitations, gifts and hospitality may express appreciation, trust or a longer-term obligation. Their meaning often lies in expectations that are never stated directly.
Your takeaway: Respond with confidence and avoid misunderstandings around reciprocity.
Small Talk Across Cultures
When conversation is more than chit-chat
Small talk may be a friendly warm-up, an essential stage of trust-building or a formal ritual. The right pace, familiarity and topic depend on context.
Your takeaway: Start conversations more confidently and respect personal boundaries.
Time Across Cultures
Why punctuality does not mean the same everywhere
A deadline may be a fixed commitment, a working target or one priority among several. Different approaches can make flexibility and reliability look opposed.
Your takeaway: Make expectations explicit and coordinate schedules and workflows more effectively.
Conflict Bites
When tensions rise: what is an intercultural conflict?
When do cultural differences play a part in a disagreement? We explore how different expectations collide and why people’s backgrounds alone do not explain a conflict.
Culture, person or situation? The K-P-S model as a guide to conflict
The K-P-S model considers three possible influences: cultural background, the individual and the specific situation. Using examples, we examine which explanations are useful and where hasty assumptions can arise.
Speaking plainly and politely: how communication can trigger or prevent conflict
What one person sees as openness may feel hurtful to another. We explore direct and indirect messages and ways to make criticism clear without causing unnecessary offence.
Shark, fox or owl? Conflict styles in an intercultural context
Applying pressure, giving in, avoiding the issue or seeking a solution together: people respond to conflict in different ways. We reflect on our own approach and consider which response may help in a given situation.
From misunderstanding to power struggle: recognising and managing conflict early
An unresolved question can lead to accusations, opposing camps and a struggle for influence. We examine warning signs and ways to interrupt escalation before positions harden.
Handling difficult conversations with techniques from negotiation practice
How do you lead a conversation when the stakes are high and tensions are rising? We practise negotiation techniques for listening carefully, exploring interests and agreeing on next steps.
Global Trust Bites
When everything seems agreed, but events take a different turn
Contracts and agreements are in place, yet people act differently from what you expected. We examine how formal rules and unspoken expectations interact, and which questions should be clarified before a partnership begins.
Data are never “just data”. They test the relationship.
Who receives which information, and how may it be used? The handling of data reveals expectations about transparency, control and confidentiality. We discuss how partners can make those expectations explicit and agree on shared rules.
Your partner is part of your reputation
A partner’s behaviour can reflect on your own organisation. We examine the questions about business practices, responsibility and shared values that should be asked when choosing a partner and throughout the relationship.
Trust under pressure: when decisions must be made in real time
Time pressure reveals whether information is shared and responsibilities are clear. We explore decisions in which interests diverge and discuss how people can make their actions understandable to others, even under pressure.
Your brand abroad: suddenly, it is no longer yours alone
Local partners shape how a brand presents itself and is perceived. Ideas about messaging, design and responsibility may differ. We clarify where flexibility is useful and where shared boundaries need to be agreed.
Turning good chemistry into reliable collaboration
Personal rapport makes it easier to get started. An ongoing partnership also needs clear responsibilities, regular coordination and ways to handle deviations from agreements. We discuss how partners can organise their collaboration and review agreements together.
Audiences
Who are the Bites sessions for?
International teams and project leaders
For kick-offs, virtual collaboration, team development, and reflection on specific team situations.
Who we work with →Executives and young professionals
For leadership, negotiations, client meetings, and collaboration in international teams.
Who we work with →Companies and institutions
For onboarding, talent development, team days, and targeted organisational development.
Who we work with →Universities and higher education
For teaching, international students, administration, career services, and international offices.
Who we work with →Flexible booking
Which Bites sessions fit your current situation?
Choose one topic or combine several sessions into a concise learning series. Together, we can identify the right focus, audience and date for your organisation.