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Jitske Kramer is a corporate anthropologist who travels all over the world to learn from traditional healers, leaders, surprising innovators, and random passers-by. She is the bestselling author of Tricky Times, Deep Democracy, Jam Cultures, The Corporate Tribe, and Work has left the building.
Jitske Kramer is a well-known, inspiring female speaker. She gives keynotes addresses and keynotes lasting between 15 – 90 minutes. In Dutch or in English. Jitske works based on a set of fundamental stories, and yet each keynote is unique. Her stories are unscripted and constantly evolving. New stories are added after each trip. When you hear Jitske speak a second time or a third time, you hear new things. After an intake session over the phone, Jitske tailors what she says to the audience, the organization and the context. Her philosophy shines through in her books.
Click here to check out the options for Jitske Kramer to come speak at your event.
Would you prefer an online keynote? No problem! Jitske loves giving keynotes to a live audience. As an experienced speaker, she can offer the audience an inspiring experience online, too. The client handles the technical platform, and Jitske can deliver her online keynotes from her home studio. Or from another studio or location. If necessary, it can be recorded in advance, so that people can watch it at their convenience. Depending on the technical options, she will consult with the client to determine which form of interaction with the audience is best. She also has experience with all kinds of hybrid events.
A master class is 3 to 8 hours. Any keynote can be extended to a half-day or whole-day master class. Together, we can choose the most effective approach and work method. During a master class there is more time for questions and how to translate the topics to your organization. During the intake session, we will determine the content to focus on and the desired approach. This will often be a program in which components of Jitske’s keynote are alternated with group questions and working in sub-groups. It might also include an exercise to feel and experience what the group has learned. Furthermore, we can also use various forms of conversation, as described in the books Building Tribes, Deep Democracy and Jam Cultures, such as: the check-in, Lekgotla campfire conversation (African community consultation), oracle conversations, standing conversation, ta’arof conversation, or a silent conversation. We can do so with ten people or hundreds at a time; for larger groups, we will bring a team of facilitators.
Organization and change from an anthropological perspective
Based on the books The Corporate Tribe and Building Tribes, Jitske Kramer takes you on a fascinating journey. She talks about how people shape cultures and how cultures shape people. Full of beautiful stories and anthropological lessons about people, culture, change and leadership. About the interplay of Power & Love and the importance of good interaction and decision-making.
With efficient bullet point meetings and human campfire conversations. Anthropological insights to create and maintain strong and healthy organizations. Challenge yourself to consider how your secret tribal delights about cooperation and leadership fit in today’s modern open organizations.
Do not expect a standard keynote, but a unique experience that will get people moving. On diversity and inclusion
A touching musical keynote combining solid content with spoken word. Jitske discusses the value and necessity of inclusion and diversity for teams and organizations. About power, ranking and taking risks to get into the flow together. About how people set and push boundaries. About meaningful encounters, courage and leadership. About the Jam Circle.
A keynote that crosses borders. Jitske discusses heavy themes in a light-hearted manner. She makes you think. About how much diversity you can handle. And want to handle. And what this requires of leaders. You will leave a different person than you were when you arrived. Jamming together, with strong boundaries and loving attention.
‘Join the Jam. How much diversity can you handle?’
A performance with music, stories, spoken word, compact theory and visual graphics. In Jam Cultures, everyone dares to make their own voice heard, and to listen to those of others, in order to create a better whole together, in constant harmonization. Inclusion in a jam session, where you come together with courage and connection. At the core, inclusion is about who is allowed to participate in what, who is allowed to contribute input on which topics and who is allowed a say in decision-making. And who are not. And with that, inclusion is about people, boundaries, leadership, power, privileges, conflicts, differences and similarities. It is about working together with differences. You could also call it agile leadership. Hard and soft at the same time.
Good conversations, better conflicts and the best decisions
In 2009, Jitske Kramer learned about Deep Democracy, became an instructor and worked with the Human Dimensions team to put the Lewis method of Deep Democracy on the map in the Netherlands.
Imagine that at the start of a strategic process, we didn’t say ‘I hope we can quickly reach an agreement.’ But instead: ‘how amazing it is to be here together with so many people, with so many different views, opinions and networks. With such diversity. Let’s use our collective wisdom, backgrounds and knowledge to the best of our abilities.’ What great things we might achieve together… But how to do this? How do we ensure that it is not always the same few people who talk during a management meeting?
How do we ensure that all points of view are fully covered? That the larger whole is more important than individual egos? A keynote speech on the ‘wisdom of the minority’, with a special method that originated in post-apartheid South Africa. About sabotage, autocratic decisions, kings and sharks. Often painfully relatable and insightful. Based on the bestseller Deep Democracy.
Go on a journey with Jitske and learn to see things through the eyes of an anthropologist. Change, mergers and conflicts will never be the same.
In this keynote, through Jitske’s unique travel experiences, you will learn how people around the world encounter similar issues: how to handle change, leadership, conflict, goodbyes, mergers. The different unique cultural answers to these universal questions are food for thought. This is an extraordinary keynote which will challenge your own world view and your ideas about what is normal and abnormal. What is strange becomes familiar. And what is familiar becomes strange.
Route
We will determine the exact route of the journey during the intake session. The journey might include stories from and about the Sinai Desert, the voodoo of Togo, curious rituals in India, marabouts in Gambia, taxi drivers in Malaysia, fountains in Friesland, ta’arof in Iran, wedding drama in Las Vegas, silent meetings among the Quakers…. Jitske uses these travel stories to establish links with your own daily practice. Various themes can be covered here, such as: handling change, conflicts, mergers, rituals, leadership, goodbyes, and inclusion.
Jitske sees the corona virus as a global culture shock. Her keynotes are about dealing with sudden changes, hybrid work methods and remote leadership.
For this time of major changes, Jitske puts together special keynotes about the impact of the corona virus measures on society, organizations and teams. And what this requires in terms of leadership and cooperation. For an anthropologist, these are fascinating times. Jitske closely follows the developments in society and in organizations that result from this corona virus culture shock. We can learn so much from the world around us right now.
The corona virus calls for getting a grip in uncertain times. How can we keep connecting remotely?
The corona virus measures are constantly changing. In her keynotes, she plays into the current dynamics and questions. Questions like: is this a crisis or a transformation? How to lead remotely? How to collaborate on a project if you can’t get together? How to maintain connections and pride? How to ensure no one is overcome with loneliness or overwhelmed by the workload? How to train new people? How to discuss difficult topics and maintain a good atmosphere when working remotely? In short: how are you adapting your organizational culture to this new context? But also: how do we know what is true? Why are conspiracies getting so much media coverage now? How are we dealing with different perspectives?
Dolf Jansen… Typhoon… and others.
In keynotes, chairing events and master classes, Jitske often collaborates with other speakers and performers. Like Typhoon, Wende Snijders, and Dolf Jansen. Interested? Contact us to discuss the options.
Jitske Kramer and Dolf Jansen challenge one another to look at power, differences and similarities from a different perspective. How inclusive is the Netherlands? What is expected of leaders? How do we ensure fewer conflicts and more understanding? With anthropological lessons from Jitske’s new book: Jam Cultures. And the state of our country in Dolf’s eyes. This does come with the risk of both speakers attacking one another, with words, arguments and emotions of course. If you didn’t have unconscious prejudices, you definitely will after this pointed jam session in words.
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