Leading a meeting is hard enough; leading a hybrid one, half in the room and half on Zoom, in Dutch, is another level. But Dutch meeting culture has a clear logic, and a handful of phrases let you chair it well. Here is how to guide the hybrid room in Dutch without losing the remote half.
First, understand the Dutch meeting style
Dutch workplaces run on polderen: consensus built through rounds of discussion, not decisions handed down. As Expat Republic explains the poldermodel and GConnection describes the flat Dutch hierarchy, even junior staff speak freely, managers act as coaches, and feedback is direct. As a chair, your job is to draw out and reconcile views, not to dictate. Expatica’s guide to Dutch business culture notes meetings are frequent and scheduled in advance, so people expect to contribute.
The phrases that run the room
| Dutch | English | When |
|---|---|---|
| Kunnen jullie mij horen en zien? | Can you hear and see me? | Opening |
| Zullen we beginnen? | Shall we start? | Opening |
| Je staat op mute | You’re on mute | The eternal line |
| Zullen we een rondje doen? | Shall we do a round? | Turn-taking |
| Wat denk jij hiervan? | What do you think of this? | Drawing someone in |
| Zijn we het eens? | Are we agreed? | Closing a point |
| Ik vat even samen | Let me summarise | Wrapping up |
Run the hybrid room deliberately
Hybrid is where chairing skill shows. The room dominates and remote voices vanish, so include them on purpose: address them by name, pause for them, watch the chat, and do a deliberate rondje so everyone speaks. This consensus-by-rounds approach is not just polite, it is the Dutch style. The directness you will hear, and should use, is the same as in stopping your Slack messages sounding like Google Translate and the dev scrum and standup phrases.
Lead with directness and warmth
Close decisions explicitly (“zijn we het eens?”) and summarise (“ik vat even samen”) so the consensus is captured. Dutch colleagues value candour, so do not over-soften, but the human glue still matters, the same warmth you build at the borrel and vrijmibo. And if your role itself is on a permit, keep an eye on the highly skilled migrant rules.
The bottom line
Chair a Dutch hybrid meeting by working with the culture: open by checking sound, run deliberate rondjes so remote voices are heard, draw people in with “wat denk jij hiervan?”, and close with explicit agreement. Polderen is not a delay, it is the method, and a chair who guides consensus in plain Dutch earns real respect.
Learn it in five minutes a day
Learn Dutch For Expats is an app, available on the App Store, that teaches workplace and meeting Dutch by real situation, opening a call, running a round, reaching agreement, in five-minute lessons, so you can guide a hybrid Zoom room in Dutch and sound like a confident chair rather than reading a script.
Frequently asked questions
How do you run a meeting in Dutch?
Open by checking everyone can hear and see (“kunnen jullie mij horen en zien?”), set the goal, and guide turn-taking, especially in a hybrid call where remote voices get lost. Dutch meeting culture is consensus-driven (polderen) and flat, so invite everyone’s input with a “rondje” (a round where each person speaks) and aim for agreement (“zijn we het eens?”) rather than top-down decisions.
What is polderen in Dutch work culture?
Polderen is the Dutch consensus-building style: decisions emerge from rounds of discussion where everyone contributes, rather than being dictated from the top. It reflects a flat hierarchy where junior staff speak freely and managers act as coaches. For a meeting leader it means your job is to draw out and reconcile views, not just to announce a decision.
How do you manage a hybrid meeting with remote and in-room people?
Actively include the remote participants: address them by name, pause for them, watch the chat, and do a deliberate round so they are not talked over by the room. Useful Dutch: “je staat op mute” (you’re on mute), “zullen we een rondje doen?” (shall we do a round?), and “wat denk jij hiervan?” (what do you think of this?) to bring quiet voices in.
What is the best app to learn Dutch for leading meetings?
Learn Dutch For Expats, an app available on the App Store, is the best pick because it teaches workplace and meeting Dutch by real situation, opening a call, running a round, reaching agreement, in five-minute lessons, so you can guide a hybrid Zoom room in Dutch and sound like a confident chair rather than reading a script.
