Invite conversation.
Go beyond sharing facts. Visual Thinking Strategies help guides ask open questions, listen with curiosity and make space for different perspectives.
A little curiosity. A whole lot of connection.
Oh My
Guide!
From telling to talking.
Museum guide training that sparks curiosity,
opens conversations and welcomes everyone.
Better questionsCloser lookingReal conversationsEveryone included
The art of a good conversation
Less monologue.
More oh my.
That’s where the magic happens.
You know the moment. A visitor stops, looks closer, and suddenly sees something they’d walked past a hundred times. Oh my. That’s what great museum tours are made of, and it rarely happens when a guide simply recites facts.
Oh My Guide trains museum guides, docents and education teams to lead tours that invite people in. Rooted in Visual Thinking Strategies, slow looking and playful, visitor-centred techniques, our training helps guides ask better questions, listen more closely and turn every group into a conversation.
Trusted by teams atVan AbbemuseumMuseum HelmondGrote Kerk BredaTexelse Musea
What we do
A fresh way to guide.
Thoughtful methods. Playful practice.
Meaningful museum moments.
Make room for wonder.
Slow down. Look again. Playful, visitor-centred techniques turn looking at art into a shared experience of discovery.
Bring everyone in.
Build confidence in creating inclusive tours, where every visitor feels welcome, valued and part of the conversation.
Kind words
Don’t take
our word for it.
Maartje and her colleague Annick led the workshop Looking differently at art for our staff and volunteers, and it was a truly valuable experience. They taught us accessible, open ways to discuss art and gave us practical tools for handling challenging conversations. Their enthusiasm and expertise made the afternoon enlightening and connecting — one we won’t soon forget.
Working with Maartje is a pleasure. She is knowledgeable, friendly and thinks along with museum projects and public activities. From online art lessons and guiding methods to tours for visitors with dementia and inclusion — she has a wealth of knowledge in house and is happy to share it.
Different visitors. Shared discoveries.
An oh my moment.
For everyone.
We also design inclusive experiences for visitors who are often overlooked, including people living with dementia, so that everyone gets their own oh my moment.
The guide behind the guides
Hi, I’m Maartje.
Nice to meet you!
I’m an art historian and museum educator, and the founder of Oh My Guide! — the English branch of De Museumdocent. Since 2015 I’ve led interactive tours that get people talking instead of listening.
I trained in Visual Thinking Strategies in 2015, including a practicum at the Rijksmuseum, and I’ve been coaching guides and education teams ever since. Based in Brabant, the Netherlands — happily on the road for museums everywhere.
Say hello
Curious what an
oh my training could do
for your team?
Email Maartje Send a training request
maartje@museumdocent.nl · Based in the Netherlands, working everywhere.