MORE THAN WORDS: REFRAMING INCLUSION THROUGH INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE

CIPR International
Jul 3
4 min read

3 July 2025

CIPR International recently hosted a webinar titled: 'Breaking Barriers: The Power of Intercultural Dialogue in Shaping Inclusive Narratives.' In our latest blog, CIPR International Chair, Taazima Kala, shares a summary of the webinar and some of the key themes.

Screenshot of webinar showing webinar speakers.

The global communications landscape is not just shifting; it is being fundamentally redefined. Migration, mobility, and multiculturalism are increasingly vital norms, and intercultural dialogue is thus no longer a “nice to have” in communications. It is a critical lever for inclusivity, authenticity, and even commercial value.

This message came through powerfully in CIPR International’s recent webinar, Breaking Barriers: The Power of Intercultural Dialogue in Shaping Inclusive Narratives. Bringing together three practitioners from three continents: Mahalakshmi Srinivasan (CEO APAC, Indicia Worldwide) in Singapore, Marie-Noëlle Elissac-Foy, Founder and Director of The Talent Factory in Mauritius, and Avril Lee Hon FCIPR: Chair of the CIPR's Diversity and Inclusion Network in the UK. Phenomenally led by Anjali Patil, EDI Champion, CIPR International, the session explored the evolving role of cultural fluency in communications and what it takes to build more human, more inclusive narratives in business and society.

Global Isn’t One Size Fits All

One of the most powerful re-framings came from Avril: “Global doesn’t mean one way to do things - it means many kinds of local.” This recognition shifts the paradigm of how we as communicators approach international narratives. The days of rolling out a singular, western-centric communications campaign across diverse markets are (or should be) well behind us.

Cultural fluency – understanding, adapting to, and embracing cultural nuance – is becoming the new currency in building trust. As Avril shared, whether it’s HIV communication in conservative regions or reproductive health in faith-influenced markets, relevance is rooted in understanding local sensitivities. It is not about translation; it is about transformation.

From Risk to Value Creation

In Mauritius, Marie-Noëlle highlighted a critical mindset shift:

We need to stop seeing multiculturalism as a risk to be managed and start seeing it as an opportunity for value creation

For Mauritian communicators, this isn’t theoretical. Campaigns that fail to speak to every community simply fail. In a society where a single day might involve speaking Creole, doing business in French, praying in Hindi, and celebrating Chinese New Year, segmentation without inclusivity is not only ineffective; it is irrelevant.

This idea – turning inclusion from obligation to opportunity – is echoed in emerging trends globally. Marie-Noëlle emphasized the potential of multiculturalism as a business driver, urging PR professionals to lead their organisations in navigating new layers of diversity, especially in rapidly evolving labour markets and increasingly complex community dynamics.

Leadership, Listening & Discomfort

Mahalakshmi brought a strategic business lens to the conversation: diverse teams make better decisions. Period.

Yet awareness alone isn’t enough. “You don’t know what you don’t know,” she reminded us, adding that change often begins in discomfort. Psychological safety, the permission to speak freely and be heard, is unevenly distributed across cultures. Building inclusive internal communications means actively inviting and accommodating voices that may not match dominant linguistic, cultural, or social norms.

At her own organisation, this meant leveraging AI to gather anonymous feedback from employees in their own languages—then transparently acting on the results. The outcome? Mahalakshmi notes stronger retention, higher internal engagement, and ultimately, better business performance.

ERGs as Business Assets

A truly innovative idea came from Avril: re-framing employee resource groups (ERGs) not just as affinity spaces, but as business assets. Some companies are now using ERGs to stress-test campaign messaging for cultural relevance. This grounds diversity in the business development process itself – not just HR.

It’s a model worth replicating.

Why? It comes down to cultural intelligence and the simple but profound truth: the awareness that not everyone experiences the world – or your campaign – the way you do.

This isn’t about being politically correct. It’s about being professionally credible. Whether it’s mitigating reputational risk, building global brand trust, or simply creating campaigns that land well, cultural intelligence is now as essential as media strategy or stakeholder mapping.

But it doesn’t start in the boardroom. As Marie-Noëlle reminded us, “Change starts with you.” It starts with listening more than speaking, embracing discomfort, and reaching beyond our echo chambers.

The most human reminder to reaffirm this and which anchored the entire discussion, was in a singular idea: love. “We do PR because we love building relationships,” Marie-Noëlle said. “We must return to a place of love—of genuinely meeting and learning about the other person.”

In a polarised world, building bridges across cultures isn’t just a communication strategy. It’s a leadership imperative. And, ultimately, it is a deeply human act.

Now that’s something we can surely all get behind us professional communicators.