Martin Heyer

About me

My passion is to accompany people in their personal development and to support organisations in finding their ‘why’ and making it effective. For almost 20 years, I have been working as a trainer and facilitator in the political sector, the public sector but also for private companies. Error culture, dealing with crises and cooperative communication are my favourite topics. I also work as a trainer in the area of dealing with conspiracy theories and fundamentalism – topics that have gained huge importance in recent years. I love working with people from different backgrounds and finding the common ground that brings them together. I use a variety of methods, depending on the situation, but am convinced that, regardless of the methods, it is the attitude that makes facilitation successful.

My skills

Training and further education, facilitation, coaching, gestalt-based personality development, facilitation, orientation and strategy processes, profile building, dealing with mistakes and crises as well as dealing with fundamentalism and conspiracy theories. I have been a local politician for many years and issues of sustainability, equal opportunities and participation are of great importance to me.

Why you should work with me

In my view, counselling and support for change processes need humility above all. The challenges facing a person or organisation cannot be tackled by approaching them with ready-made solutions and preconceived opinions. The first step is always to enter into dialogue with all stakeholders in order to understand the inherent logic of an organisation.

Starting from an agreement on common rules for the process, the next step is to encourage people to show up with all their interests and needs. It is crucial that those involved express themselves as openly as possible and can contribute all their values and interests if the jointly developed solutions are to be practicable and sustainable.

Another important point, in my view, is how to deal with resistance. There are always good reasons for resistance and a process that does not take these into account will have great difficulties in practical implementation. To deal with such resistance, it is important to use smart decision-making procedures beyond simple majority voting. Any inclusive and sustainable process should also leave room for evaluation and follow-up.

Good decision-making is always characterised by an attitude of trial and error and require the opportunity for modification and, if necessary, revision. Perhaps the most important point for inclusive processes, however, is relationship work; above all, good facilitators should work to cultivate a positive and appreciative attitude towards all participants.

My work experiences

As a coach and trainer, I have worked for almost two decades in a wide variety of contexts on a broad range of topics in the fields of communication, personal and team development and leadership. I have accompanied many change and team-building processes in green and green-related organisations and have also served as chair of a green district association for five years. As an organisational developer in business enterprises and administrations, I have dealt with topics such as restructuring, family-friendliness, health management, and agility. Previously, I developed and managed different projects dealing with public discourse, ethical evaluation and public outreach as a research assistant and science manager. I also participated in founding a trainer network for green organisations in Germany.

My education & training

• Master of law
• EPQ Certificate for advanced training
• Person Centered Coach (GwG)
• Various courses on systemic counseling and self-management pools
• Undergoing a 4-year training as Gestalt therapist

My references

Some of my earlier clients

• Green Party North Rhine Westphalia and other federal states
• Heinrich Boell Foundation and Green Campus
• University of Applied Science Westphalia
• Federal branch of BUND Germany
• Meyle AG Hamburg
• LTS Lohmann
• Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• City of Cologne
• KfH Foundation
• Federal Association for Self Help Germany