Introduction and icebreaker

The trainer welcomes the participants to the training, and she/he presents the Training Programme, the overall objective and the schedule of activities.

The trainer engages the participants in a quick activity to get to know each other and thus creates a comfortable learning environment.

Proposed activity: Culture shock 

1. The trainer begins by explaining to the group that there are many different cultural greetings (e.g. shaking hands). 
2. He/she asks participants to walk around the room, mingling and shaking hands with everyone they meet. Participants move from person to person with the greeting “Hello, my name is…”, saying their first and last name, making eye contact and shaking hands. 
3. The host shouts “Stand still!” and introduces the next cultural greeting, which is to stick out your tongue (a tradition of some Tibetan tribes).  
4. Again, everyone mingles and greets each other with “Hello, my name is…” accompanied by tongue sticking out.  
5. Two more cultural greetings are introduced (perhaps at the suggestion of the participants), while the trainer encourages the participants to apply more of all the greetings.  
6. Participants are then asked to provide suggestions for a final cultural greeting that they may know or to create their own version