Gain confidence 

Whether together with others from the same company (or team) or in one-to-one coaching sessions, my clients become aware of their ‘blind spots’ when it comes to speaking and writing correctly and effectively in English. I give them the tools they need to make specific and measurable improvements. There are also plenty of opportunities for supervised practice. The goal is to make everyone feel more confident in using English.

Build relationships

Whether to communicate with colleagues from other countries within a company or with clients or stakeholders on the outside, gaining a better command of English will help in building and maintaining valuable relationships in a business context. While AI can help with writing emails, being able to converse easily in English is crucial for negotiating differences, solving problems and pitching ideas, products and services.

Learn to avoid pitfalls 

People who use English as a second language often have no idea of the mistakes they commonly make. Those range from subtle but significant grammatical errors to structural flaws in their pronunciation. Such pitfalls for non-native speakers often form an obstacle to clear and efficient communication in both speech and writing. Sometimes they can even lead to embarrassing misunderstandings.

With over 25 years of experience in helping mainly Dutch speakers communicate more effectively in English, I am intimately familiar with the range of pitfalls they typically face in terms of both grammar and pronunciation.

Sharpen your intercultural skills

Some of my Business English workshops are for Dutch speakers who need to communicate effectively in English with people from other cultures – or vice versa. In addition to refreshing and enhancing their knowledge of English, I also introduce them to models of intercultural communication and help them apply those to specific situations they face in their work.

I am very comfortable working with people from other cultures. Many of my workshops in the Netherlands include a mix of participants from both Western and Eastern Europe, Asia, North America, Latin America and Africa. I have also given workshops for more homogenous groups in Albania, Germany, North Macedonia, Spain, Turkey and South Sudan, Ukraine.

My own experience of living as an expat in the Netherlands for the past 40 years has opened my eyes to a broad range of cultural differences and but also similarities. I use that experience in developing training programs to help people from all over the world improve their communication skills in international and/or intercultural contexts. Here, too, clear and effective communication in standard English is always the goal.