The cross-cultural training programs have a common goal, to assist in the acculturation of their clientele; however, the mediums and their individual focuses differ between the training programs. Many programs use a combination of different mediums to effectively train their clients while others focus on a specific medium. Some programs even use mixed modes in order to provide both a classroom setting and online training modules. In addition some programs instead of focusing on the acculturation will focus on the practicalities of the different cultures in order to provide information necessary for survival in society.

Important aspects common to all training programs include pre-training assessments of language and culture, relocation counseling and face to face instruction. Worldwork, Vital International, and VIP all use modes such a role-playing, simulations, group discussions, and games in order to provide their clientele with several different methods which individuals can learn. In comparison, Cg Associates concentrates on seminars and Window of the World uses a mixed mode of online modules and face to face interactions. Some programs focus on the practicality instead of the actual acculturation. This can be found especially in the University setting where the focus is on financial necessities and information pertinent to survival such as health care, employment, and transportation. Universities instead of providing seminars, or actual training sessions provide a guideline booklet to assist in international students arrivals to the new country. Worldwork and Cg Associates differed drastically in their instruction method between active workshops for Worldwork and passive lectures for Cg Associates. Likely, the optimal solution is to reinforce passive lectures with some sort of hands-on demonstration of knowledge.

Cross-cultural training programs also differ in their evaluation of their clientele. Olive Garden sends employees to train in Tuscany and upon completion trainees are required to demonstrate their training by preparing a meal. This is similar to the Executive Training Program in Japan where trainees must demonstrate their knowledge of Japanese language and culture by working in Japan. The Institute for Medical Education uses testing to determine if their clients have acculturated. Multi Lingua uses language tests to evaluate where students need help, then they offer on-the-spot assistance with phrase translation. One of the assignments predicted increased use of the internet for training and instruction.