Testimonials | The Social Guidebook to Norway
What clients say about Julien's lectures
The evening was a complete success as I see it. Your role as a toastmaster was even better than anticipated - and my expectations were high - Thanks!
- Christian Nørgaard Madsen, CEO, Multiconsult
Julien hits the subtle points in our Norwegianness and make them interesting. The atmosphere he manages to create is fantastic and I recommend him strongly as a speaker both for the content and for the atmosphere!
- Anders Mjåset, Founder of MESH and Global Shapers
Julien is a star when it comes to understanding the Norwegian behavior and culture. He translates his own outside-in experiences into humorous pictures, cartoons and presentations, which activates different good and some rather awkward emotional states.. in a very good way! What I find most imperative with Julien’s work is how it facilitates for communication and interaction between humans and cultures, helping foreigners understand how to live and act with the common Norwegian man/woman. In addition, giving us Norwegians a fun and innocent eye-opener! Recommended!
- Silje Marie Rosenlund, Communication Manager, EVRY
The feedback after the session was that Julien's perspective brought a different angle to the diversity question and that it in many ways was a real eye-opener. So well done !
- Liv Marit Baardsen, HR Manager, HESS Norway & UK
Vi syns det var utrolig morsomt – og lærerikt og engasjerende å høre på deg. Vi fikk masse positive tilbakemeldinger, du er virkelig inspirerende å høre på!
- Åste Haukvik, Business Development Directo, SSP The Food Travel Experts
Julien S. Bourrelle held a lecture on cultural awareness which gave us important knowledge of how to deal with a multinational workforce.
- Kathleen Mathisen, Vice-President HR, DOF Subsea
I believe most of us, especially in the south of Europe, have pre-conceived ideas on how the nordic countries are and once we get here it's so much different and harder than we had imagined. If we are aware from the beginning about all the points you mentioned it becomes easier to integrate and embrace this culture. I wish I would have seen your presentation when I moved to Norway. It would have saved me a lot of frustration. It was the first session that we organized that had so many reactions from people who are usually more reserved. I'm very happy. Thank you!
- Natália Costa - Electrical Engineer Apply Sorco (Portugese)
Julien holdt et forrykende foredrag på Talentjakten sin sommeravslutning 2014. Han gav oss et innblikk i den norske kulturen, sett utenfra. Med gode tips til hvordan typisk norsk atferd kan oppfattes, både i forhold til nordmenns hverdagsliv og til internasjonalisering i arbeidslivet, lærte vi litt mer om integreringsprosessen for tilflyttende talenter. Med sin innsikt, faglige bakgrunn, humor og sjarm, kan Julien på det varmeste anbefales.
- Hege Marie Mandt, Partner, Talentjakten
"Takk for hyggelig og interessant foredrag. Jeg har fått mange positive tilbakemeldinger. Jeg kommer til å foreslå at du kommer tilbake på et almannamøte og/eller utvidet lederforum."
- Kjersti Rød Rypdal, Senior HSE Advisor, Wärtsila Oil and Gas Systems
Thank you for making the Julebord such a success! I have only had positive feedback from staff to management.
- Wenche Cecilie Bøe, Lederassistent Region Oslo, Multiconsult
Julien has done a remarkable job figuring out Norwegians and our culture. I would recommend him as a speaker for both locals and foreigners who want a entertaining and relevant perspective on our strange country.
- Even Sandvold Roland, Kommunikasjonsrådgiver og foredragsholder, Founder of Rotor
Julien has really captured the Norwegian culture. If you’re an Norwegian you will probably feel a little embarrassed at some point. But mostly you will become self-conscious of how others, and especially those who comes from other cultures, will perceive you. If you’re not Norwegian, you will probably understand better why Norwegian behave like they do. Great lecture!
- Annicken Staib, HR, Avanade
I have to say that it is really a good presentation, which gives a thorough overview of Norwegian culture, how Norwegian people behave differently, and how we, as foreigners here, can approach Norwegian. He also gave a lot of vivid examples together with very illustrative pictures through the whole presentation. This made the whole presentation more interesting and easily understood. I think it is very useful for not just us foreigners, but also Norwegian themselves.
- Helen Owe, Intern, Avanade
I had the pleasure of hearing Julian talk about the challenges of integrating into the Norwegian society at Talentjakten 2014 in Kristiansand. He is a person who is easy to like and his presentation is smart, sharp and humourous. I was very impressed and highly recommend him to others.
-Arve Kvalsvik, Owner of Evidente
It was so pinpointed and really fun to listen to your talk, great job!
- Torild Langklopp, Manager Stokkøya Sjøsenter AS
The feedback was fantastic!!
- Maya Åsli, Debut Uka Tromsø
After 6 years abroad, I changed my way to interact with people and how to communicate. During the lecture held by Julien it struck me that I recognized every situation he mentioned, but from the foreigner’s point of view, not the Norwegian’s! A Canadian teaching a Norwegian on how to integrate with Norwegians may sound strange, but it was exactly what happened!
- Anja Lanes, INSA Toulouse
A very interesting and amusing course.
- Alessia Colombo, PhD Candidate NTNU (Italy)
The key is to understand the cultural differences, once you understand these differences life gets lot easier. This is exactly what Julien does very uniquely with his presentation, illustrations and charm. Normally, it can take years to understand these behaviours, but Julien explains them in matter of hours. I highly recommend a workshop with Julien not only for foreigners living in Norway but also native Norwegians who are planning to work with foreigners or live outside of Norway.
- Imran Tamboli, System Manager, EVRY
Having lived and worked within many European and multinational cultures, having spent 24 years as a British soldier, I thought settling in Norway would be a breeze. After all I have lived in Germany, Netherlands, Belgium as well as most parts of the UK. How wrong was I! Having lived here 4 years, both within the NATO environment and more recently as a foreigner working in Oil and Gas and trying to integrate fully with our Norwegian hosts, I was still struggling to break the code. A few hours with Julien at a joint event of INN and the British Norwegian Chamber of Commerce has opened my eyes to some of the more subtle differences in this very unique but wonderful culture. Thanks to Julien’s humour and enthusiasm for living in Norway and how to connect with our hosts, I feel re-invigorated to try some new approaches!
Robert James, Simulator Infrastructure Engineer, MHWirth
More information and bookings: info@monda.no