Interrupting Judgement: The DAE Strategy=

Once we are grounded in our own cultural identities, realizing that what we may view as “normal” may in fact be rooted deeply in our communities and the formative practices that have shaped us, we have a more solid base from which to explore difference without judgment. Martin and Pirbhai-Illich ( 2016) write that cultural self-knowledge also develops in the context of relational exploration of difference, in ways that consider the socio-cultural environments and contextual factors that form these differences.

One of the challenges to exploring difference without judgment is the nearly automatic tendency to interpret events and interactions through our own lenses, searching for explanations before exploring alternative possibilities. A practical tool for interrupting this pattern, is the Describe-Analyze-Explain framework (Bennett et al., 1977, as cited in Berardo and Deardorff, 2012). The DAE strategy is a structured approach to intercultural encounters that helps individuals move away from immediate evaluative reactions toward more thoughtful engagement with cultural differences.

The Describe-Analyze-Explain (DAE) framework is a three step process for interpreting an event or interaction. In the describe step, the task is to develop a clear, objective description of what is happening. The description cannot have any interpretive content, and the aim is to create a description that all can agree upon. The analyze step involves generating multiple possible explanations for what is taking place. Analysis in this model involves creating multiple answers to the question of why the event is taking place. Finally, the evaluate step of the process involves exploring personal thoughts and feelings arising from the analysis, and identifying how both self and others might respond to the situation. In this stage, multiple unique explanations are possible.

Let’s work through an example of how these three steps might unfold:

Describe

In the describe phase, the focus is on describing observable behaviours, events or situations, without interpreting them or judging what they might mean. This can be more challenging than it first seems. The goal is to create an objective account of what you see, hear, and notice.

Imagine that you were meeting a new colleague from Brazil for the first time. Most of your work experience is the Canadian context. At the meeting, your colleague greeted you warmly with a hug, and spent the first few minutes asking questions about your family and discussing other personal topics before moving on with the meeting.

Rather than saying “The Brazilian colleague seemed too informal and asked too many personal questions,” (which includes judgement and evaluation) a description would be: “During our first business meeting, the Brazilian colleague greeted me with a hug, asked several questions about my family, and spent approximately fifteen minutes discussing personal topics before addressing the business agenda.”

Analyze

During the analysis phase, the task is to explore potential cultural explanations for the behaviors observed. This phase involves both critical and creative thinking as you work to generate multiple explanations. This might involve considering how different cultural frameworks, values, histories, and contexts might influence the situation. Multiple interpretations are encouraged.

For example, a possible explanation for the situation described in the first step in the process might be: “The Brazilian colleague’s approach might reflect the cultural importance placed on relationship-building before conducting business. In many Latin American contexts, establishing personal connections creates trust that forms the foundation for professional relationships. The physical greeting and personal conversation could be considered standard professional courtesy in Brazilian business culture.”

In this step, you will try to provide at least 2-3 possible explanations to expand your thinking.

Evaluate

After you have worked through the first two steps, you might observe that your initial judgement has been shifted and that you are considering the situation with new perspectives. Now that you have reached this place, you are ready to move on to the evaluation stage. This is where you use your exploration and cultural analysis to evaluate how to understand the situation and how you will move forward.

We might evaluate our previous example by stating something like:  “From my Canadian cultural perspective, where business meetings often begin promptly with minimal personal conversation, I initially felt impatient with what seemed like a delay in addressing our agenda. In the Canadian context, particularly in certain industries and urban centers, efficiency and time management are often prioritized. However, recognizing that building relationships is a fundamental business practice in Brazilian culture helps me appreciate this approach as professionally appropriate in its context and adaptable within Canada’s increasingly global business environment.”

How does the DAE Support Intercultural Development

Let’s consider how the DAE exercise might help individuals in their progression to the next stages of the intercultural development continuum (Bennett, 1986; IDI, LLC, 2017).

1. Moving beyond Polarization: For a learner at the polarization stage, this exercise might be helpful in beginning to recognize that the strategies they use to evaluate others’ behaviour are culturally conditioned rather than universal.
2. Supporting Minimization to Acceptance: The analysis phase helps learners recognize that observable behaviors carry different meanings across cultures, challenging the assumption that “deep down, we’re all the same.”
3. Facilitating Adaptation and Integration: Regular practice with DAE helps develop the cognitive flexibility and perspective-shifting abilities necessary for the more advanced stages of intercultural development.

How Can You Use the DAE 

The DAE exercise is most useful when practiced frequently. You could do this exercise by:

• Taking time to work through the steps after you have had a challenging intercultural encounter that you are struggling to understand.
• Using the framework when working through case studies that have an international or intercultural component.
• Including the exercise as a part of regular reflective journalling.

Chapter References

Bennett, J. M., Bennett, M. J., & Stillings, K. (1977). Description, interpretation, and evaluation: Facilitators’ guidelines.

Bennett, M. J. (1986). A developmental approach to training for intercultural sensitivity. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 10(2), 179–196. https://doi.org/10.1016/0147-1767(86)90005-2

IDI, LLC. (2017). The Intercultural Development Continuum. https://idiinventory.com/products/the-intercultural-development-continuum-idc/

Martin, F., & Pirbhai-Illich, F. (2016). Towards decolonising teacher education: Criticality, relationality and intercultural understanding. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 37(4), 355–372. https://doi.org/10.1080/07256868.2016.1190697

Attribution Statement: Content in this chapter is adapted from Page, C. (2021). Foundations of Intercultural Teaching. Kwantlen Polytechnic University. (Bennett et al., 1977), licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

AI Statement: The example explored in this chapter was adapted from content generated by Claude. (2025, May 21). Bennett’s developmental model of intercultural sensitivity: The DAE strategy [AI-generated textbook chapter]. Anthropic