Cross-Cultural Competency Training: Working in Istanbul

Business Challenge

Global organisations expanding into Turkish markets needed to prepare international employees for cultural nuances, business etiquette, and safety protocols to ensure successful market entry and local team integration.

Learning Solution

15-minute modular course covering business culture, communication styles, safety awareness, and practical navigation tips

Interactive cultural scenarios with decision-based learning paths

Multimedia content including audio pronunciation guides, and visual cultural cues

Progressive disclosure design to prevent cognitive overload

Target Impact

Designed to reduce cultural adjustment time by 40% and improve cross-cultural collaboration effectiveness for international assignees and business travelers.

My Process

I followed the Successive Approximation Model (SAM) to develop this course, allowing for an iterative and agile approach. The process began with in-depth research on travel safety guidelines and cultural norms in Istanbul, followed by rapid prototyping to quickly visualize the course structure. After gathering essential content, I moved on to storyboarding and scripting, ensuring a logical flow that incorporated interactive elements to maintain engagement.

I then designed and developed the course in Intellum Evolve, integrating multimedia and interactivity within the constraints of the free trial version. Multiple rounds of testing were conducted across different devices to refine usability and engagement. Finally, after incorporating necessary refinements and exporting the course from Intellum Evolve, I uploaded it to my Google Cloud Storage bucket and generated a public link for easy access and sharing.

Mood Board

Interactive Prototype

To maximize learner engagement, I incorporated a variety of interactive elements throughout the course. Scenario-based learning provides realistic situations, including a branching scenario where learners navigate a real-world business interaction. Despite the limitations of the free trial version of Intellum Evolve, I leveraged available interactive components such as MCQs, text reveals, flip cards, drag-and-drop exercises, and matching activities to encourage active learning.

To further enhance engagement and retention, I integrated multimedia elements, including high-quality visuals and AI-generated audio narration using ElevenLabs. While audio is not used throughout the course, it plays a key role in the introduction to create an immersive start and in a component focused on learning basic Turkish phrases. Additionally, I applied microlearning principles by structuring the course into bite-sized sections, making it easier for learners to absorb and retain key information.