In the beginning... there was tea. For Jan-Jaap In der Maur, at least, because I'm sure I opted for coffee myself. The year is 2011 and I had just begun working as a programme manager at Logeion, the Dutch professional association for communication. And Jan-Jaap was starting Masters in Moderation.
Convinced as he was that being a moderator was a profession, he wanted to make a difference and came to pitch to me: not an agency of “masters of ceremonies”, but a collective of experts in moderating who are at home with meeting design and know all about getting groups of people moving.
He did not need to convince me of the importance of such a collective. The energy from our coffee/tea table radiated throughout the entire association office. But how do you turn an idea and an ambition into a healthy business?
I could not help Jan-Jaap with building a business, but I could help him by providing an (initial) platform. We came up with an afternoon session with a slightly tongue-in-cheek name: Moderator in one day. An ironic title, of course, because good moderators are masters of interaction and put in a lot of flying hours first. And a day... you can't squeeze that into an afternoon. Not even Jan-Jaap.
We seemed to fill a need: the available spots were sold out within two hours! The market - and at least our membership - was apparently ready to start treating the role of moderator as a profession as well. Jan-Jaap (and not much later his companion Hans Etman) got on the wave just in time. Or perhaps they caused it?
Jan Jaap created a programme that has been running for more than 10 years in almost unchanged form several times a year under the Logeion banner. And... which managed to land in the top 3 of best-rated meetings year after year.
Of course, the key to the success of this tradition lies in what was to become the DNA of Masters in Moderation: connecting and engaging with what moves people. To achieve targeted movement from there by asking the right question in a setting that is safe and inviting.
And before you know it... you are already 11 years into a tradition.
It is wonderful to see that a vague plan over a cup of tea/coffee has evolved into a palette of training courses. And to see how you keep offering quality and scoring high ratings.
Congratulations, Jan-Jaap and Hans, on a decade of wonderful workshops!
Folkert Reith
