If you’re preparing to conduct your first multicultural workshop, chances are you’ve already started thinking about your content and how to customise it for the audience. You’ll review your slides, check your activities, rehearse your explanations and make sure your timing works. That’s exactly what good trainers do.

But over the years, I’ve realised that when the audience comes from different cultures, preparing the content is only half the job. The other half is preparing for the people in the room. That shift in thinking has changed the way I design multicultural workshops.

The objective isn’t to treat participants differently because of where they come from. Nor is it to make assumptions about how people from a particular country will behave. Instead, it’s about recognising that people may approach discussions, learning and communication differently. As facilitators, our responsibility is to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable contributing.

Here are a few lessons that have stayed with me.

1. Research the Cultures in Your Room

Whenever I know I’ll be facilitating a multicultural group, I spend time understanding the cultures represented in the room.

I don’t expect everyone from one country to behave in exactly the same way. And so I don’t want to unintentionally design a workshop that favours one communication style over another.

Imagine asking participants to openly challenge each other’s viewpoints during a discussion. In cultures where debate and direct disagreement are common, this can create lively conversations. In cultures where harmony, hierarchy or saving face are valued more highly, participants may initially hesitate. It doesn’t mean they have fewer ideas. It simply means the activity asks them to communicate in a way that may not feel natural.

Understanding this beforehand allows you to adapt your facilitation instead of assuming the activity has failed.

2. Remember That English May Not Be the Language of Thought

Many international workshops are conducted in English. As trainers, it’s easy to assume that because participants speak English confidently, they also process information in English. That isn’t always the case.

Imagine introducing a complex leadership framework. Some participants may immediately begin responding. Others may pause – not because they are disengaged, but because they are first processing the idea in Dutch, French, Japanese or another language before translating their thoughts into English.

Early in my career, I worried whenever a room became quiet. Today, I see those pauses differently. Silence often indicates reflection rather than confusion. Giving participants a few extra seconds can lead to richer discussions because they’ve had the opportunity to organise their thoughts before speaking.

Sometimes the best facilitation decision is simply to become comfortable with silence.

3. Choose Examples That Bring People Together

Examples are one of the most powerful teaching tools we have. They’re also one of the easiest ways to unintentionally divide a room. Business leaders, political events and current affairs often make compelling case studies. Yet in multicultural workshops, they can carry very different historical, political or emotional meanings for different participants.

I’ve found it more effective to choose examples that encourage objective observation rather than personal opinion. This becomes especially valuable when teaching behavioural topics such as communication or body language. The discussion stays focused on learning instead of drifting towards defending viewpoints.

As trainers, our responsibility isn’t simply to start conversations. It’s to create conversations where everyone feels comfortable participating.

4. Your Body Language Is Part of the Workshop

One lesson multicultural workshops have taught me is that participants are constantly observing the trainer as well. We spend a great deal of time noticing participants’ nonverbal communication. How often do we reflect on our own?

Think about your facilitation style.

• How quickly do you move around the room?
• How much eye contact do you maintain?
• How expressive are your gestures?
• How comfortable are you with silence?

What feels energetic and engaging in one culture may feel overwhelming in another.

That doesn’t mean you need to change who you are. Just become more aware of how your own behaviour influences the learning environment and making thoughtful adjustments when necessary.

In many ways, the trainer’s body language becomes part of the learning experience itself.

5. Great Facilitation Begins Before the Workshop Starts

One observation has stayed with me throughout my years of facilitating multicultural groups.

The workshops that participants remember most aren’t necessarily the ones with the most sophisticated activities. They’re the ones where people felt understood.  It begins with preparing for the people you’ll be working with before the actual day of conduction, not just thinking about the content that you’ll be delivering.

When trainers invest time in understanding their audience, participants don’t simply learn new concepts. They feel that the workshop was designed with them in mind.

And that’s often what transforms a good workshop into an exceptional one.

Where Do Trainers Learn This?

Many trainers begin their journey by mastering facilitation techniques and building confidence in front of different audiences. As their careers grow, however, they discover that effective training is about much more than delivering content well. It requires understanding people, adapting to different learning styles and designing experiences that feel relevant regardless of who is in the room.

At Simply Body Talk Academy, this philosophy is woven into our soft skills trainer certification, train the trainer, and behavioural design programs. We help trainers develop not only the confidence to conduct workshops but also the ability to adapt them thoughtfully for different audiences, cultures and organisational contexts.

Because great trainers don’t deliver the same workshop to every group. They create learning experiences that help every participant reach the same outcome—even if the path there looks a little different.