AIM International
Multi-Cultural Teams
Interpersonal Skills
Host Church
Interpersonal Skills
To identify the signs and symptoms of culture shock and describe some methods of coping with it
To identify and demonstrate Christ-like attitudes in relationships that will create unity and edify both fellow missionaries and nationals
To create a plan for continued personal development, including awareness of self and others, and thus improve the ability to handle stress, manage conflict well, and prevent interpersonal problems
“How you do your job affects how people see Christ and respond to your message of Christ’s love. How you communicate Christ and his love depends upon how people in the other culture perceive you…You communicate all the time, but most of it is without words—nonverbal communication. People read you all the time…We must be vigilant, aware of how and what we are communicating.”
Duane Elmer, Cross-cultural Communications
Here are some suggestions to help you improve your interpersonal skills:
- Know yourself. The Personal Development Plan (PDP) may be helpful here. It includes some tools that will help you assess yourself in diverse areas of your life and character and even ministry effectiveness. Additionally, one of the tools that many teams are now using is called Ministry Styles Analysis, which includes both an individual talkthrough and a team talkthrough. If you are not in a team setting, you may want to ask your regional leadership how to take this assessment.
If you don’t have internet access, here are just a few different self-assessments to download:
Motivation Style Questionnaire
- Familiarise yourself with the signs of culture shock and deal with it appropriately so as not to damage current relationships or prevent you from forming new ones. The following links go into more detail about culture shock.
Recognizing & Overcoming Culture Shock
- Attend an SYIS (Sharpening Your Interpersonal Skills) workshop. Contact your regional office for details.
- Practice good conflict resolution. Click here to read more on this topic.
To Discuss
As you continue to develop more positive interactions with others, consider these questions and be prepared to discuss with your facilitator:
● How are you experiencing culture shock? What symptoms can you identify in your own life (either currently or since your arrival)? What are you doing to deal with culture shock in an appropriate manner?
● In light of relationships being a top priority in African culture, how are you demonstrating that relationships are more important than tasks?
● What might you be doing that could wrongly communicate a sense of superiority (insensitivity to traditions, remaining distant from the people, etc)? Are you maintaining the attitude of a learner? Give an example of this.
Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible…I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.
1 Corinthians 9:19, 22
