Because the changing demographics of the U.S. work force are making cultural diversity the rule rather than the exception, the skills necessary for people to work in a multicultural environment are becoming a natural employment requirement. Those skills are integral to the tool that is called cross-cultural/intercultural/multicultural communication. The central principle of cross-cultural communication theory is that everything one does and everything one perceives is filtered through one's cultural knowledge. Misunderstandings, hurt feelings, and general ill will usually result when one culture's knowledge is used as the base for interacting with staff, employees, clients, or customers from other, different cultures. Cross-cultural communication provides a way to know what to expect and how to interact when one lives or works with people from other cultures. Cross-cultural communication is essential in the workplace because the new job seekers will come from many cultures and the future will be a job seekers' market. Potential employees will want to work where they feel the most comfortable and the most valued. Cross-cultural training requires a strong long-term commitment on the part of employers, whether they employ in-house trainers or consultants. (CML)