My name is Juditha Melssen and since 1993 I am an independent trainer,
personal coach and consultant.
I've studied organization sociology and I'm educated abroad as theatre
director. Central to both studies are the influence of (non verbal)
behaviour and interactions between people. The combination of both perspectives produces
a surprisingly new and direct approach that reaches swiftly to the core of
the matter.
It teaches you to see through the behaviour of others, naming it and
recognising the influence of your own behaviour in your working situation.
The Other side of behaviour
The Other side of behaviour
It's curious to see that in a world where 80% of the processes of
communication are conducted non verbally, almost
all attention is on the other 20%.
Behaviour is determined by ways of thinking, convictions and rules
(culture), by emotions and circumstances.
All information comes to us through our senses, is
interpreted and takes on a life of its own.
By professionalising your knowledge about behaviour you are better capable of
coding and decoding these messages and you learn to apply these relational
capabilities in a tactical and strategical way.
Direct approach
Direct approach
As rhe result of my personality and my theatre background I've developed a direct
approach that gives noticeable results fast. The effects of behaviour change are
immediately visible. In lab work there's room for
exploring and practising new behaviour.
Authenticity
Authenticity
Your credibility strongly depends on how much you believe in what you do.
This genuineness demands that your are conscious of what you
show, when and to whom. But also that you ask yourself
who you are professionally (inside).
With exercises I let you experiment with 'who you present'
(outside) and I let you experience how that is perceived by
the other side and what its reactions are.
Sparring partner
Sparring partner
As a manager you can feel the need for someone to discuss matters with. I act
as a sparring partner outside your organisation, with whom you can analyse
matters and determine strategies. A listening ear, but also a keen advisor
who can point out blind spots and opportunities.
Professional presentation
Professional presentation
Presentation is more and more becoming an important management skill,
after all: with your personal presentation you represent your position and
your organisation.
How do you present your abilities, your achievements and your plans for the
future? What role do you adopt? What do you want your audience to do
with your message and how are they motivated to co-operate in an inspired
and active way?
You must understand that your persuasiveness is in a considerable part determined by
your non verbal behaviour.
Don't tick off but SPARK!
Don't tick off but SPARK!
To SPARK is to put others into motion, to motivate and to inspire.
To SPARK is to work with knowledge about behaviour and relational capabilities.
To SPARK is to work with action and spirit and not only with conversation models and ticking off tasks.
As manager you conduct (appraisal) interviews on a
daily basis in which your non verbal behaviour is part of the equation to
decide whether or not to cooperate, therefore it's imperative to SPARK!
Concrete advice
Concrete advice
In addition to training and coaching, I also provide consultancy in matters
discussed on this site. For example career- or culture
changes, or new circumstances in the company.
Clinics
Clinics or workshops
A clinic is a short training which concentrates on one subject.
When you notice that things go wrong on the basis of a specific capability
or if plans go awry in certain situations, a clinic can be organised that
would treat the issue intensively - to get it in the system and to hone the
required skills.
Courses
Courses
I design and give and conduct courses on various subjects
A pick of the crop:
Personal effectiveness and influence
Don't tick off, SPARK!
Physical influence and management skills
Career development(discover latent talents)
Team cooperation and management skills
Professional presentation and authenticity
Custom solutions are also possible.
Individual plans
Individual plans
In a made to measure individual plan we focus on the way you perform and
the factors that influence that. Consequently we work to remove obstacles
and exploit opportunities.
Some of the methods I use are confrontation, reflection and realisation
Call or mail me for an introductory appointment
Career
Career
Careers are less predictable and follow a more random path than before.
Therefore it pays to remain 'alert' to recognize and grasp opportunities.
How clearly do you see your own talents? Have a look at your career
options and discover which possibilities present themselves
spontaneously.
Maybe it's time for a completely new direction?
Gender issues
Gender issues
Diversity in organizations: Never before the call for female talent in executive positions has been
this big, but several causes and different parties delay the upward
mobility.
I can make a positive contribution to the improvement of this situation,
both on management level as in individual presentation and behaviour.
Impats/Expats
Impats/Expats
Working in a different culture than your own is not without hurdles.
Differences in hierarchy, formal- versus informal behaviour and
commitment, can lead to misunderstandings. Even subtle differences in
non verbal behaviour can have large consequences in a management
position.
In an individual plan or in a group I can discover which aspects of your
behaviour can be tuned and be made more effective. I can also provide
solutions for companies and institutions.
Programme- and course design
Programme- and course design
I design made to measure programmes for education, upward mobility or career
change and I assist in their realisation.
Some examples from my practice:
Programme: Discover your latent talents and energy.
Mentoring programme for upward mobility of female (scientific)talent.
Career programmes for scientists
Lectures
Lectures
I am a visiting lecturer at SIOO, the Nederlandse School voor
Openbaar Bestuur NSOB and de Baak.
Political power play
Political power play
Power is a complicated and poorly understood phenomenon. Political power play
is a force to be reckoned with. Everywhere, inside and outside your
organisation, there are people who want or don't want things, if you don't pay
attention to them your plans may suffer.
How can you position yourself within such a political force field.
Which processes play a part when someone becomes the leader, or what happens
if group members don't take initiative. Which processes can be influenced and
which processes are beyond your control.
How can you see through the behaviour of others and label it so you can
influence it whith integrity and also achieve your goals.
External PhD. candidates
External PhD. candidates
A PhD. is a special cont(r)act between supervisor and student. More than
the usual working relationship, it calls for a personal involvement and
both parties have interests in good results.
This special relationship comes with questions and discussion issues
about the social intercourse and about what is fitting in an academic
environment.
Since 1994, I lead courses for scientists and I'm a consultant for (external)
PhD. candidates and foreign PhD.s in The Netherlands. Their questions
concern communication, the division between work and spare time, the
backing by the home front, cultural aspects, the acquisition of income and
the career after the PhD.
An interesting article by Floor Basten can be found under publications.
Networking
Networking
It's possible to network for attaining goals in your work, or as means of
acquisition for the financing of projects, but also to find a new position.
There is an increasing number of technical means to assist you. Nevertheless
many people avoid networking, because they don't know its power,
underestimate its value or because they're scared of it.
What are the do's and don'ts of networking, who is important to you? How
do you approach people and what can you ask of them?
Serendipity is the unsought find. The word you encounter in the dictionary,
while looking up something else. Opening up for those kind of insights and
lateral thinking enable you to view problems differently and to develop new
creativity.
By means of a serendipity game we explore new ways of looking at
problems, yourself and your future. Click serendipity for more information.
List of clients
List clients
CIZ: Centrum Indicatiestelling Zorg
Cytec Industries B.V.
DMV International
Detailresult Services B.V.
EFMI Buisiness School B.V.
Fontys Hogeschool
Gemeente Utrecht
ING wholesale banking
Jones Lang LaSalle
KNMG
KPN
Nederlandse School voor Openbaar Bestuur
Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen
School voor Politie Leiderschap
Stichting Opmaat
TU Delft
Trimbos instituut
TriviumLindenhof
Universitair Medisch Centrum Utrecht
Universiteit Twente
Universiteit Utrecht
Universiteit van Amsterdam
Vanderlande Industries
Veiligheidsregio Hagelanden, Brandweerkorps Westland
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Publications
Publications
Click publications for a list of publications
Publications
The links below point to a number of (Dutch) publications by me or about
my work.
Het artikel: De andere kant van gedrag. Gedragskennis en de inzet van
theaterprincipes bij cultuurverandering. Verschenen in het
boek Veranderen van organisatiecultuur Veelvoudigheid in denken en doen,
Mediawerf, ISBN-13: 9789075458459
My name is Juditha Melssen and since 1993 I am an independent trainer,
personal coach and consultant.