Crossing Cultures with Competence

Trainer of Trainers Program

This unique training-of-trainers program is designed for those who are already working with people from other cultures and who want new ideas, new materials and a new level of understanding about how to offer a top-notch cultural orientation.  This course will enable you to:

  • learn the strategies and techniques you need to offer in-depth and culture-specific cross-cultural orientations
  • add cultural skills to your knowledge base
  • supplement your existing cross cultural training program
  • ease employees’ transition to a new country

Who should attend?

If you are…
  • A trainer who wants to add cross cultural skills to your toolbox
  • A human resources manager aiming to ease employee’ transitions to a new country and wanting to control quality and cost by keeping the training in-house
  • A mental health service provider wanting a new way to promote inter- cultural understanding
  • A life or professional coach looking for additional services to offer your clients
  • An interculturalist who could use a ready-to-go kit to deliver cultural orientations

  • An educator who works with international students and scholars and their families

    …then you’ll find Crossing Cultures with Competence the ideal program. You will learn how to train others to:
 
  • Understand the roots of the cultural differences in their host country, so they can work more productively
  • Recognize when they are experiencing culture shock and develop a plan to ease their own transition to a new country
  • Learn about their host country’s history, government, economics, demographics and educational and social issues, so they can communicate knowledgeably with host nationals
  • Look at their own cultural history and values so they can see how these affect their interactions with others
  • And much more
"This was the best investment I have made in a very long time. Anne is an excellent, open, knowledgeable and professional trainer who put together and delivered the best professional course I have ever done. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a wealth of knowledge and insights."
Derval Chambers PetitLife Coach and Trainer, Dublin
"Crossing Cultures with Competence is a fantastic course! The program was engaging, exciting, and opened up a world of new possibilities for me in my current work and future career. The training techniques and curriculum materials that you walk away with are excellent; it would take any trainer hundreds of hours to develop and test these kinds of materials, and after the course you have them right in your hands and ready to be deployed in your own trainings. The course is great experience and a great value."
Emily HenehanTravel Program Specialist, Girl Scouts of the USA
"After the first day of training, I called my boss and told her this was better than we ever could have hoped for."
Sean SuttonCultural Competency Coordinator, Bromberg & Associates
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Crossing Cultures with Competence Online

We are pleased to announce that since May 2020 we have been offering the Crossing Cultures with Competence workshop in an online format. We are confident that, using technology and some new approaches, we can deliver the same professional level of training as our in-person workshops. By asking participants to do some self-reflection work before each session, we can use our online time together efficiently. There will even be some advantages, as our whole team of master trainers will participate – three for the price of one! Plus we’ll be able to welcome participants from all over the world, who won’t have to pay for travel.

Please read the details below, then Contact Us if you are interested or have questions. We will set up a time for a brief chat, to ensure that it’s a good match between the workshop and you. Registration deadline: One week prior to start of workshop.

"I participated in the Crossing Cultures with Competence online program and I think it is one of the best decisions I have made since starting a professional journey as an intercultural trainer. The content was relevant and delivered in a dynamic and professional manner. The discussions were productive and the material was comprehensive and appropriate. I am grateful for the knowledge shared and the fruitful interactions with trainers and classmates."
Micaela Flores-Araoz MiCulture
"Crossing Cultures with Competence was an inspiring, informative and comprehensive course. I was lucky to be able to participate in The Interchange Institute first online/zoom workshop. It was very well presented, excellent content, conducted in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. Anne and her team were knowledgeable, enthusiastic and motivational. I loved the interaction with the trainers plus the other students, from whom I also learned a lot. The course has given me a lot of information, ideas, materials and confidence to move forward with my business incorporating cultural training. Most of all I am appreciative of the connections and friendships formed during the course with the trainers and students, they are an amazing resource."
Dee WalkerRelo Global
"I thoroughly enjoyed the online train-the-trainer course "Crossing Cultures with Competence." The trainers were very knowledgeable and experienced both in the intercultural field and in delivering the workshop. Their presentations were interesting, interactive, relevant, and easy to follow. We received comprehensive materials such as forms, slides, and interactive games with instructions both for self-study and to use in our intercultural trainings. I am confident that my trainees will greatly benefit from all the excellent information and training materials from this course. I am looking forward to the level 2 train-the-trainer course and recommend the Interchange Institute's training classes to anyone looking to build or expand their competence in the intercultural field."
Susanne Jasper A Pond Apart
"I joined the first online version of the crossing cultures with competence training and this has been an accelerator in my professional journey as an intercultural trainer. I was really impressed by the quality and detail of the content shared and transmitted....Although it was an online format, I felt that the group really bonded and I’m looking forward to the professional collaborations that will arise from being a part of the Interchange Institute network."
Camille DeniauFounder of Mindful Moves
"A big thank you to everyone at The Interchange Institute for organizing and conducting an excellent training program! As an anthropologist and long term expat, I have been interested in intercultural training and Crossing Cultures with Competence for some time. I jumped at the chance to attend online, and I was not disappointed! The sessions were well organized and effective, materials useful and well laid out and the interaction between the different trainers and students worked really well. The class was probably as interactive as one can get online, making full use of the technology available. Students were involved in discussions and problem solving, which I loved. The hands on materials included in the course are exactly what I was looking for, providing me with practical, easy to use tools as I move forward, planning my own workshops training international staff at a multinational company."
Tone Delin IndrelidFocal Point, Global Outpost Services, Outpost Stavanger
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Registration Procedure

If all this sounds good to you, or if you have questions, please: 

Contact us to arrange for a conversation (ideally by telephone or Zoom, but email can work too). Let us know about your intercultural background and how you hope to use the training materials.  

Once we both agree that this is a good match for you, please go to our registration page to complete your enrollment including payment. 

The cost of the program is $1395 or $1295 if you register 6 weeks prior to the course starting. Included in this is a $250 non-refundable registration fee. NOTE: Please contact us to confirm registration deadlines. 

For in-person trainings, discounts are available for two people from the same organization attending the training together. Additional discounts are offered if only one training kit is provided to the organization. Contact us for additional information. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Most frequent questions and answers

Yes.

We have given serious thought to this, and don’t want to sacrifice your learning experience in any way. Yes, the virtual training will be different but:

  • (a) Because our whole team of master trainers will participate, you will have lots of time for individual questions and planning and will benefit from having a range of expertise to guide you.
  • (b) We will keep our online course small, to maintain those connections.
  • (c) If you choose, you may attend a future in-person workshop, space permitting, for just the cost of your meals and materials, up to one year after the resumption of our in-person workshops.

We ask participants to plan on spending time prior to each workshop doing pre-work, to use our online time together efficiently. The total number of hours is about the same for both online and in-person training.

Virtual participants will receive the same materials as the in-person workshop participants. They will receive them electronically and will be responsible for printing them prior to the virtual workshop.

info@interchangeinstitute.org

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© 2021 The Interchange Institute

Michelle Hagenberg, M. Ed.​

Senior Advisor

hagenberg@interchangeinstitute.org

Michelle has worked professionally as a trainer, facilitator and coach for over 25 years, both in the US and in Germany. Michelle has taught Business English and Intercultural Communication for over 15 years in Germany and worked as a College Instructor and a Facilitator for the US Navy in the Chicago area. Since 2008 she has been working as an Intercultural Trainer, preparing families for their assignments in the United States of America, both in person and online. She thinks the Crossing Cultures with Competence training program is one of the best in its field and it very happy to have the chance work more intensely with Dr. Anne P. Copeland and the rest of this training team.

Michelle grew up in South Bend, Indiana, received her Bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in 1992 and her Masters from Kent State University in 1996 and now has been living in the Cologne area for the last twenty years. Originally coming to Germany in 2000 on a two-year German relocation assignment for a major pharmaceutical company, she decided to stay even longer, but spends as much time as she can in Michigan and Florida. She knows what it feels like to struggle as an accompanying spouse in a new land and having to learn and survive using a new language. Her fun, relaxed skills-based approach brings results in the classroom and the meeting room. Michelle earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction.

Terri McGinnis, M.S.

Senior Trainer​

mcginnis@interchangeinstitute.org

Terri is an independent cross-cultural trainer specializing in helping families moving overseas, assisting those coming from overseas to live and work in the U.S., and providing group business briefings on China, Brazil and USA. Terri has worked with large automotive companies, automotive suppliers, oil companies, national office supply and furniture companies, the construction industry, electronic companies, IT companies, chemical companies, not to mention many other national and international companies.

A well-read and traveled individual, Terri has lived in and navigated different cultures successfully. Ms. McGinnis lived with her family as an expatriate in Beijing, China. In China, she conducted cross-cultural training programs, studied Mandarin, worked for the International School of Beijing providing classes to their staff, and provided Pilates training to individuals in the expatriate community of Beijing.

In addition to her overseas experience in China, Ms. McGinnis also lived with her family as an expatriate in Brazil for three years where she studied Portuguese. In addition to her language studies, she worked for Fiske School teaching English as a second language to Brazilian nationals. While in Brazil, the International School of Curitiba engaged her services for curriculum and staff development.

Prior to her international assignments, Ms. McGinnis was a high school teacher teaching vocational business skills. She also has eight years of experience in the automotive industry working in various HR positions.

Ms. McGinnis graduated with a Master of Science degree in Instructional Technology and a Bachelor of Science degree in Education.

Her experiences in Brazil and China have taught her to appreciate the world’s diversity and to cross cultures successfully. Her hobbies are reading, sea kayaking, paddle boarding and travel. She has two daughters attending university. She actively volunteers for her a local national club swim team.

Tasha Arnold, M.S.

Senior Trainer​

arnold@interchangeinstitute.org

Tasha is an independent cross-cultural trainer and learning specialist with expertise in helping students, educators, senior leadership, and families transition to and from new cultural contexts. Through tailored transition and intercultural engagement programs, her goal is to help improve student achievement and educator fulfilment.

Tasha has experience working with a variety of both state and private education establishments operating in the elementary, secondary and higher education sectors. She is a certified teacher and high school principal and an approved NEASC Evaluator who visits and evaluates schools globally. Tasha has directed several research studies on educators’ experiences and perceived needs with regards to transition at their international school in order to improve the transition experience for educators, students and families in these cultural contexts. Her future work will focus on the psychological impact transition has on teacher retention.

Tasha is originally from Wisconsin, USA, where she worked as Head of Science in a local state middle school before taking up a specialist role with Chicago Public Schools as an educational consultant; there, she analyzed data on student achievement and collaborated with teachers and senior leadership to develop best practice that met the needs of a diverse and socioeconomic challenged student population. In 2011, Tasha then relocated to the UK where she has worked as a learning specialist and head of year at an international school. In the UK, Tasha has led and managed the achievement, progress and pastoral provision for neurodiverse high school students.

Tasha holds a Bachelors of Arts and Sciences Degree in both Education and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, with minors in Theology and Hispanic Literature. She has a Master’s of Science Degree in Educational Administration. She is in the final stages of completing her Doctoral degree, which has a psychological and sociological focus on teacher transition in international schools.

Tasha lives in London, UK with her husband and provides transition advice, workshops, and training on cultural competency in the USA, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Anne P. Copeland, Ph.D.

Founder and Executive Director of The Interchange Institute​

copeland@interchangeinstitute.org

Dr. Copeland is a clinical psychologist with expertise in family and cultural transition. She provides cross-cultural training for individuals and families moving to and from the United States. She also trains others to deliver tailored, individualized cross-cultural orientation programs through the Crossing Cultures with Competence program, through which almost 500 interculturalists have been trained across the globe.

Dr. Copeland has written several books on families and transition (Studying Families, Sage 1991, Separating Together 1997, and In Their Own Voice 2011), and has authored over 90 research articles, chapters, and professional presentations.

Prior to founding The Interchange Institute in 1997, Dr. Copeland was Associate Professor of Psychology at Boston University, where she conducted research and research supervision in psychological aspects of family process assessment, ethnicity, cultural influences, immigration, development, developmental disabilities and affective development. During her tenure at the University, she relocated with her family to work in London in 1988, where she was the academic advisor for Boston University’s British Programmes.

Dr. Copeland has directed many research studies on expatriate families’ experience, including multinational in-depth analyses of the social, familial, and personal aspects of moving to a new country. Recent work focuses on the personal and family side of international short-term assignments, on the role of one’s home – its design and layout – on one’s expatriate experience, on the challenges of moving to a country that is perceived as very similar, the experiences of high school exchange host families, and the ways in which having experienced being different as a child has an impact on the expatriate experience.

Dr. Copeland lives with her husband in Boston, MA, and Barters Island, ME.