Most notable responses from attendees

Impressive story that touches, “disrupts” and provokes thought.

Great presentation Ruud, very much enjoyed it. You got the audience quiet and I have spoken to many people who were flabbergasted about some of the topics from cross thinking. It also gives me a lot of energy to look at things differently. Thanks for that! Possibly in time I would like to request a presentation within my organization Wits, as a kind of kick-off of a certain topic. I’ll join you in due course! Greetings, Rick van Asten

Content-wise I was very impressed how inspirational and motivational your speech was. It was engaging and provided a lot of resources for self reflection and other thinking processes. From the communication student perspective, I think your rhetorics were greatly implemented—the pace, tone of voice, pauses, figures of speech etc.
I fully enjoyed the thoughtfulness, and intelligence of the discussion (even if majority of it was happening in my head, but as I said, there was plenty of “food” for thoughts), and the fact that not even once I felt lectured or urged to make certain conclusions, yet I was left with the choice to myself (regardless the persuasive nature of the speech).
Even though I happened to join the workshop by accident (I was not the part of the minor but as a representative of Green Office), I feel like it was exactly what I needed personally, as I find myself – a 21-year-old student, in the exact time of asking myself, “Who am I?” “What is my sense of purpose?” “Do I want to be the best in the world, or the best for the world?” (or “the best in the world in being the best for the world”).
I am wholeheartedly interested in diving deeper into fruits of your work and motivated to continue making an impact (or finding ways how to do it). Thank you for the great time listening to you 🙂

This story invites thought, partly because of the engaging way it explores confirmation bias. It offers a new perspective on the earth as an important stakeholder.

I loved the way of interaction with the group. I found it very inspiring. You gave no room to wander off with your thoughts. As an audience, you didn’t want to either because you were afraid of missing something interesting. The presentation is a reality check about who we are and our place and influence as passers-by in the history of the world.

Sustainable ambitions and opinions on meat eating are personal but a good basis to get someone thinking. Thank you for an inspiring afternoon. It was a welcome addition after a two-day session with only business content. You made us realise that there are several issues important besides organisational challenges and business results.

Very confrontational but brought in a hugely entertaining way. It somewhat puts things into perspective but does not take away from the fact that you are touched to such an extent that you cannot help but think about this seriously.

I was very impressed by the lecture. The ‘right buttons’ were pushed when it comes to personal responsibility and behaviour in our common ‘climate challenge’.

The reading inspires, is poignant and makes you think. It calls for action. I myself am already vegan with the family but it is still a struggle and unfortunately you are still the ‘odd one out’ to some people.

“The lecture touched me, and many others personally as well. Visible incidents in the present are generally resolved promptly. The smoldering ‘fire’ beneath our feet, where the balance of life and death for all living beings is at stake, is only noticed by a few. It’s great that these observant individuals are trying to awaken the ‘unaware’ with impactful nudges and raise the urgency to take action. Thank you for this repressive intervention.”

Very interesting lecture! Very inspiring partly because of the, sometimes witty, approach. Precisely because of this, it entangled me. I’m very curious about all the documentation and the book. Thanks!

De presentatie bracht op krachtige wijze de urgentie van duurzaamheid en klimaatverandering onder de aandacht. Ruud maakte een motiverende oproep om kritisch naar ons eigen gedrag te kijken en concrete stappen te zetten richting verduurzaming.

Voorbeelden zoals de verwoestende bosbranden in Australië maakten duidelijk hoe belangrijk het is dat er nu actie wordt ondernomen. De boodschap dat verandering bij onszelf begint en dat iedereen een rol te spelen heeft, resoneerde sterk. De uitspraak “If it is to be, it is up to me” zal zeker bijblijven.

De presentatie bood inspirerende woorden en moedigde aan om zowel op persoonlijk als professioneel vlak bij te dragen aan een duurzamere toekomst.

Good presentation. However, a lot about the “what and who” but not the “how”. Strategy is about the ‘how’ and more could be said about that with some practical tips to influence within the C-Suite.

Ruud’s lecture touched my soul. He makes you think, stimulating but without prejudice!

On first impressions, the audience seemed to hang back with their arms crossed, absolutely no clue what could be awaiting us. But soon you had us all hanging on your lips spellbound. You presented appalling information about how we are taking the planet to its knees in an audience-friendly, yet confrontational way. My compliments, you really got us thinking.

You had the whole room sitting on the edge of their seats. With a raised eyebrow, without feeling like you’re getting told off, you still made everyone think. Very clever!

Very inspiring and the right concerns were raised in a constructive way. What I take away is to start with small steps towards a sustainable world, to listen to our children as leaders in change, and with regard to digitalisation: embrace it and steer together; it cannot steer itself alone and will otherwise be misdirected by malcontents.

An inspiring lecture that touched the audience, focused on the fire brigade and appealed to the target audience. The many interesting facts and a dose of humour, made the serious subject of sustainability more light-hearted and entertaining.

Healthy combination of urgency and humour. There was no fear shown in naming uncomfortable topics and holding up a mirror. I was disappointed, though, that even you don’t have a decent translation for ‘conformation bias’ in Dutch 😉 Thank you.

Perfect how you managed to connect with the audience on content and future developments. The painful landing of the dilemmas and necessary steps – with humour – was nice to experience. Thank you for your important contribution to our event.

Inspiriment resonated well with the target audience; it was relevant and really thought-provoking. I am convinced that valuable seeds were planted during the half-hour of missionary work! Thank you very much for your inspiring lecture!