Various Courses
Over time, I have developed various training courses in line with my books and workshops. All the courses utilise the dynamics of enthusiasm. It is my belief that this is the source of development and positive change. Below you will find the various training courses that I have developed. Feel free to request a brochure, price quotation or a verbal explanation without obligation via the contact form.
Superpromoter Academy
The Superpromoter Academy was founded to spread knowledge about enthusiasm and the Superpromoter concept.
What do you learn?
- Methods and tools to find, characterise and assist your Superpromoters.
- What Social Media can do for you and your Superpromoters
- How to deal with the NPS (Net Promoter Score) and deepening knowledge of this methodology
- How you can implement the Superpromoter principles in your organisation
- The latest insights as described in the Enthusiasm Trilogy
- And much more besides.
The Academy has trained SPCs (Superpromoter Consultants) working at Philips, Microsoft, Dorel, Aegon, ING, SNS, KPN, Rabobank, Sanoma, Bol.com, HP, Ahold and many other companies.
These SPCs form a network of Superpromoter Consultants, who are trained and facilitated and have their own online community. We offer this training programme to clients commissioning research and also to other external parties (such as consultants, interim staff and marketing & communication bureaus).
The network of Superpromoter Consultants forms the basis for the enthusiasm revolution. They help the organisations they work for to implement the concept and to activate the intrinsic enthusiasm in clients and employees.
In-house Academy
Besides following the regular Superpromoter Academy, it is also possible to have the training provided in-house.
Storytelling
People are born storytellers and storytelling and the dynamics of enthusiasm are inextricably linked. Without enthusiasm a story lacks persuasiveness, and without stories enthusiasm cannot spread. The idea for this course came from interviews with enthusiastic customers and employees. These people had so many beautiful stories to tell. Stories to which little attention had been paid within the companies, up until then. Relating a story is different from posting a message on the intranet. Storytelling only gains value when stories have an impact and are passed on. I then went deeper into the technique of storytelling, from Aristotle to Obama. Combined with new insights from neurology and psychology, I used this knowledge to create a new training course. Participants are provided with tools to become a convincing storyteller and to help colleagues with this. The training is offered as an open or in-house course. In-house training has been given to the management of Canon Europe, among others. Ruta Jonuseviciute made a cartoon inspired by the Canon training.
Rational and emotional decision-making
Since 2016 I have been teaching ‘Rational and emotional decision making’ to postgraduates at the Hong Kong Polytechnical University. This two-day course is about the influence of errors in human thinking, such as the negativity bias, short-term fixation, self-overestimation and group thinking. These fallacies are also discussed in “Negativity Mania“. We can anticipate and avoid these pitfalls by understanding the biases of human thinking. As a result, we balance ourselves and the organisation better, we perform more effectively and we prevent mistakes and misconduct.
Collaboration between departments
People are group animals. In prehistoric times we were completely dependent on our tribe to survive. Group thinking is deeply rooted in our brain and even when subjects are randomly divided into groups, group effects occur in no time. Just wearing the same colour of T-shirt is enough to ensure that we favour our own group at the expense of others (Minimal Group Paradigm). Nowadays group thinking at the social level is fuelled by filter bubbles. Because of the abundance of information and the advent of social media, people find mainly information that confirms their own opinion. Filter bubbles and group thinking also play a role within organisations. In a positive sense it creates team spirit, but in a negative sense it can result in silo formation and inadequate cooperation. In this training course, the mechanisms of group thinking are uncovered and instruments are provided to anticipate properly. The result is more team flow and better collaboration.
Effective use of customer measurements (such as NPS)
At Blauw Research, I led the Customer and Employee Research department for many years. We have conducted customer research and set up periodic customer measurements for many different organisations. For large international companies, such as KPMG and Philips, but also for smaller organisations, such as hospitals, law firms or private bankers. When the Net Promoter Score (NPS) was introduced in 2003 we were one of the first agencies to get started. In 2009 I published the book “The Superpromoter“; about enthusiastic customers who infect others with their enthusiasm. The book was released in Dutch (van Duuren), English (Palgrave MacMillan) and German (Gabler). The term Superpromoter has become an internationally recognised concept and I was even able to develop superpromoter training for the online certification of Satmetrix, the creators of the NPS. By now companies around the world are working with other companies using the NPS system, but many organisations are struggling with the implementation. How do you ensure that NPS leads to a more customer-oriented organisation and flow among employees? I give presentations on this subject at Satmetrix conferences and webinars. For companies, I provide tailor-made workshops and training.
Team flow: Ensure positive dynamics in teams
In the last 20 years, founders of positive psychology such as Martin Seligman, Csikszentmihalyi and Fredrickson have made many discoveries about the dynamics of positivity and flow. They have developed scientifically based theories that have been successfully applied within a wide range of disciplines. This includes psychotherapy, pedagogy and professional sports practice. These insights from positive psychology are also increasingly being applied within companies. Flow is the subject of the second part of the “Enthusiasm Trilogy“. Over the years I have been invited to give Flow workshops and training courses at many different companies. For various banks and insurance companies, for a radio channel and even for the police in Hong Kong.
Getting the most from sociale media, using and the dynamics of enthusiasm
Social media has provided employees with a great platform to express their enthusiasm about their work and their company. Using social media internally and externally can be a supercharger of flow. It is also a way to offer customers a platform or to stimulate their enthusiasm. In this workshop, participants are encouraged to search for themes that appeal to them. They are provided with tools to get started by writing blogs, creating vlogs or sharing messages on social media channels. Supporting colleagues in this area is also discussed, because it is not only about technical elements but also about creating a safe and positive environment. Many practical examples are discussed as well as best practices of the specific company and its industry. These workshops have been carried out on behalf of ABN AMRO bank, Nutrition and RVO (Netherlands Enterprise Agency).
Teamday full of inspiration, enjoyment and teambuilding
Flame, Flow, Art & Culinary is a team day everyone can take part in. A day when the participants get to know themselves and each other, find inspiration and build team flow. What’s more, there is delicious cooking, eating and modern art to enjoy. Master chef Sieberen Meerema has joined forces with author and inspirer Rijn Vogelaar to design the day. More information about this day can be found here.
“Since your workshop on Storytelling, enthusiasm has found a place in our hearts. Your generosity to use your storytelling workshop and pass it on to all our employees is a gift. One of our most valued workshops. For me, enthusiasm is the driving force for real success.”
Gerard Pieterse, Director People Development at Canon EMEA
Podcast with Joe Sejean
Engagement expert Joe Sejean interviewed me on the meaning of enthusiasm. We had a deep discussion on the role it plays in customer centricity and employee motivation, but also in life itself.
Inhouse Superpromoter Academy
Video of an Inhouse Superpromoter Academy training
Dynamics of Enthusiasm
Summary and step-by-step plan.