As a Dutchie with a passion for communication and miscommunication I started a blog called Dialogue with the Dutch on intercultural communication in June 2018. Communication always had my interest. I studied the subject for my MA in Utrecht in 2005 and for my MSc in Aberdeen in 2016, for over 10 years now I have been a passionate lecturer at several institutions. My specialisation focuses on cultural awareness. Part of my passion also lays in the Dutch culture. I have been a Dutch culture and language coach for the Refugee Council, teaching newbie Dutchies about the Dutch language and customs. Besides my local experience, I have worked, lived and travelled to over 50 counties in the past 20 years myself giving me plenty first hand experience of intercultural miscommunication.
In November 2020 it was time for the next step, Dialogue with the Dutch became a company registered with the Dutch camber of Commerce. That made me a fully licensed intercultural communication consultant. The topics that I specialise in can be found in the menu Training and consultancy.
Because the name Dialogue with the Dutch doesn’t fully cover the scope of the business, in April 2021 Culture Labs was added. As of this date the blogs, interviews and personal stories are part of Dialogue with the Dutch and can be found in the menu under Dutch stories. The training and consultancy, theoretical articles and book reviews are part of Culture labs. Culture Labs focusses on social cohesion through cultural intelligence (cultural intelligence is the ability to make sense of unfamiliar contexts and then blend in). Within Culture Labs the consulting expertise becomes more defined into three main subjects:
- Organisational effectiveness – Does your organisation have the right people, structure and processes in place to achieve the goals of your culturally diverse team?
- Culture transformation – Does your corporate or team culture positively influence your employees’ engagement?
- Employee experience – Does your company attract, engage and develop high skilled and high performing culturally diverse employees?
Dialogue with the Dutch offers
- Training and consultancy for both individuals and companies.
- Personal stories of expats, diplomats, and refugees of their personal encounters with “The Dutch”.
- Blogs on cultural experience and observations.
- Theoretical articles to help understand how miscommunication arises in intercultural settings.
- Reviews on books and magazines related to the subject of intercultural communication.
- Tests to get to know your own role in intercultural settings.
- Facts and figures on the Netherlands, to get to know the country.
You can use the contact form, or social media Facebook or Instagram to contact me.
Dialogue with the Dutch 