Luz azul training, consultancy & coaching
for bridging cultural differences at home and abroad

Welcome at the website of Luz azul trainingen, advies & coaching, your partner for group training courses, consultancy and personal coaching. Luz azul is specialised in intercultural communication and competences.

Company profile
Luz azul trainingen, advies & coaching is the company of Yvonne van der Pol. I have a Master of Arts in Social Sciences (Leiden University – The Netherlands, 1994) and a Ph.D. in Human Development and Communication. My intercultural experience is based on living and studying in the United States and Costa Rica and working with organisations in and travelling through many European, (Latin) American and African countries. I started to work in the nineties for international NGO’s specialized in development cooperation. Since 2002 I have changed my profession towards Human Development (Ph.D., 2003).
Now I work as a freelance communication trainer, consultant and personal coach for my own company both in the Netherlands and abroad (see portfolio). I am a member of NVO2 (Dutch Association of HRD-professionals) and work with their Code of Conduct. I am also a member of SIETAR (Society for Intercultural Training and Research). I am licensed in the Intercultural Readiness Check© and CRKBO-registered. (the dutch Central Register for Professional Education).

My passion is to contribute to the improvement of communication skills between people with different (cultural) backgrounds. In the group training courses I work with different methods to reach that goal. The training courses are always based on scientifically proved knowledge and methods and are creative and inspiring at the same time. The course members are challenged to learn in an active way and implement the new information and skills into their own working environment. Both in my consultancy work and individual coaching ‘bridging cultures’ is my main objective.

Products
Training courses
Luz azul trainingen, advies & coaching offers group training courses focused on intercultural communication and competences both in the Netherlands and abroad. The focus is on cultural diversity on the one hand and international effectiveness on the other hand. In this English summary I enlight only the international training courses.
The training courses are meant for governmental organisations, international businesses and international NGO's. All training courses of Luz azul trainingen, advies & coaching are tailor-made. The goals and content of the courses are precisely focused on your special needs.

Overview

“Communicating with all four winds”
A training course of one day about intercultural communication. In our globalizing world borders have faded. All professionals communicate from time to time with people with different (cultural) backgrounds both in and outside their own country. It’s proven highly profitable to invest in training courses about intercultural communication in order to prevent intercultural miscommunication and to enhance international (business) contacts. This course includes becoming conscious about cultural differences, enhances the knowledge about culture and improves intercultural communication skills.
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“Intercultural Competences”
This course goes one step further than the above mentioned: it deals with personal intercultural competences. The main instrument for this course is the Intercultural Readiness Check©. The IRC is a valid and reliable intercultural self-assessment tool measuring four intercultural competences that make a difference. These competences are: intercultural sensitivity, intercultural communication, building commitment and managing uncertainty. In the course the trainee receives his personal IRC profile and develops his competencies further by working with an actor.
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“Masterclass Intercultural Competences”
The Masterclass is a personal and effective one day training course for experienced international operating professionals. The main goal of the Masterclass is to sharpen the saw. This means reflecting upon your intercultural qualities and strengths and increasing your capacity to handle the intercultural challenges around you. We work with the Intercultural Readiness Check© and a bicultural actor.
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“Acculturation”
The acculturation training course is meant for employees (and their families) who are going to work abroad for a longer time. The course is tailormade. Awareness of the mental processes of living and working abroad (culture shock), cultural knowledge and intercultural competences form the key ingredients. ‘Dealing with the Dutch’ is a specific form of this course.
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“Effective e-mailing”
E-mailing is an efficient way of international communication, which unfortunately can also generate significant misunderstandings. In this workshop you learn how to deal with the intercultural challenges of e-mail communication, like cultural differences, language, terminology, communication styles and power distance. As a result you’ll be more conscious of the pro’s and con’s of e-mail communication, make better choices in the way you communicate internationally (e-mail, skype, telephone, face-to-face) and you have improved your ability to connect to people worldwide.
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“Personal effectiveness in an international context”
As an international professional you are your own instrument! Working from your strength, by knowing your qualities and not falling into your pitfalls is the main aim. But in international environment you might experience certain challenges that create irritations, huge time investments and energy losses. How can you manage yourself better in this context? That’s what this training is all about.
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Consultancy
Luz azul trainingen, advies & coaching also offers consultancy. Luz azul can help you with diversity issues in your organisation and can advise you about how to reach people with a different cultural background.
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Personal coaching
As a follow-up of a trainingcourse you can decide to receive personal coaching in the field of intercultural competencies or to offer personal coaching to your employees. In a series of coaching sessions (face-to-face or by skype/e-mail) you further develop your strengths and your development areas and you become more aware of your potential pitfalls and will have improved avoiding them.

• Coaching for expats. Working abroad creates additional challenges to people. In that case coaching can provide clear insight in the personal and professional processes one is involved in and give tools to get more grip on the situation. Coaching by skype and e-mail belong to the possibilities. I have experienced that this works excellent with international expats who are located in remote places and work during tough circumstances.
• Coaching for managers. Many managers struggle with the question: “How to deal best with the diversity in my team?” During the coaching sessions we work together to improve your personal intercultural management skills and competences.
• Coaching for members of minority groups within a company/organisation. Members of minority groups often deal with the issue of keeping their own identity while working in a diverse context. This type of coaching helps you to find your personal answers to this question among others.

Contact
Luz azul trainingen, advies & coaching
Mrs. drs. Yvonne van der Pol
De la Reystraat 44
3851 BH Ermelo

(00-31) (0)341 267054
(00-31) (0)6 13328232

skype: yvonne.van.der.pol
info@luzazutrainingen.nl
www.luzazultrainingen.nl