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 Workshops and Presentations You and your group will enjoy Dr. Smith's interactive sessions that allow you to practice what you learn. Discussion and skills practice are done in small groups, so no one is "put on the spot." No matter how large or small the meeting, Dr. Smith will ensure that everyone gets to participate, and to have fun! Dr. Smith's presentations cover a variety of subjects, including client and staff communication, career paths, trends and opportunities in veterinary medicine, gender issues, and economics. Dr Smith's Speaking and Training Calendar Custom Training and Workshop Topics (half-day to multi-day workshops) Speaking and Interactive Presentation Topics (1-3 hours each) The Art of Veterinary Practice seminars Consulting work Dr. Smith’s Seminar Schedule
LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION TRAINING FOR VETERINARIANS, HOSPITAL TEAMS, AND STUDENTSWorkshops are customized for your specific needs and your situation. Choose the modules that you want, or ask us to modify or create specific skills practice for you. Each module typically takes 1½ to 2 hours. Let us know where you want emphasis and we will devote more time and/or practice to those areas! A full-day workshop can include up to 4 modules. We can create half-day, full-day and two-day sessions. Each "module" includes:
Pre-Meeting Consultation We also offer a formal in-depth assessment and consultation that includes structured interviews with key members of your group or team to identify specific topics for your training. Our Most Popular Workshop ModulesChoose the modules that you want, or ask us to modify or create specific skills practice for your group. We have modules for both students and hospital teams.MODULES FOR STUDENTSCareer PlanningDr. Smith, as the author of Career Choices for Veterinarians: Beyond Private Practice, has a broad understanding of all the career choices available to veterinarians. This half-day interactive workshop is nothing like the usually-dull lecture about the “list of career paths you can choose” that many schools have presented. Instead, students first explore their assumptions and stereotypes about various career paths. Each then analyzes their life priorities. Finally, they work to coordinate their life priorities with the choices that best fit their needs. Negotiation Skills For Finding The Right First Job Finding a job is not "hoping they’ll take me," nor is it "they’ll be lucky to get me." Instead, job-hunting must focus on making the right match. In this interactive half-day workshop, students will examine and clarify their vision of their future job. Next, they’ll learn about and practice specific negotiation skills, including creating a plan for dealing with nervousness or a fear of confrontation when asking for salary, benefits, or specific working hours. Making Changes In Your First Job Every student graduates with a head-full of great ideas to implement at their first job. Sometimes, the hospital isn’t doing things quite the way you’d like, or you may have some great ideas for making changes, updating equipment or processes, or other items. Dr. Smith will help you avoid having your boss say "I’ve tried that, and it doesn’t work" or "Don’t bother me, I’m too busy," or "I’ve got more experience than you, so do it My Way." In this interactive workshop, each student will create a plan for how to ask their boss to make a change. In pairs or small groups, each student will practice their presentation. Your Job, Your Life Finding the "right job" means more than finding a hospital that practices medicine and surgery they way you like. You also have other life priorities. How can you ensure that you achieve the balance that you desire? In this workshop, geared toward both students and recent graduates, we take a blunt and realistic look at work-life balance, including an analysis of the ideal versus real working worlds. Family time, part-time work, gender issues, friendships at work, and power balances are all discussed. We also offer a one-day "Art of Veterinary Practice for Students," a communication skills program developed with the American Animal Hospital Association that is modeled after the full 4-day "Art" program. MODULES FOR VETERINARIANS AND HOSPITAL TEAMSTransition to Leadership When a team member becomes a team leader, when an associate becomes an owner, or any other time a team member changes their position, everyone has to make adjustments. This module explores the ways that everyone can prepare for the transition to leadership. If you’re the practice owner, you will develop a plan to help your team member learn leadership skills. The person who is selected for leadership will determine the necessary steps to retain good relations with co-workers. And all team members can take steps to reduce conflict and help each other succeed during the time of change. Creating Your Code "How are we ‘going to be’ at work?" Many hospital teams have not openly discussed this question. In this module, participants create their own code of conduct (for both individual and team interactions) as well as a conflict resolution policy. Mediation Skills For Owners, Managers, And Team Leaders Sometimes people can’t or won’t solve their own conflicts. Whether it’s a long-standing "irritation" or an "acute" disagreement, sometimes the supervisor needs to step in to help others solve the problem. This module teaches a specific approach to help others talk in a "neutral" setting. Coaching Skills For Owners, Managers, And Team Leaders You want to change a behavior that has a negative effect at work. Whether it’s a chronically late team member or someone with a "bad attitude," you can learn specific techniques to help the team member take responsibility for discovering their own solution to solving the problem. This module includes specific skills practice in coaching a team member. How To Talk About Money To Clients (For The Entire Team). Becoming more comfortable talking about money requires that you first examine your own feelings about money with an interactive exercise exploring "what is a lot of money?". Next, we help everyone "feel in their gut" the real cost of the work that you do at your hospital (through another interactive exercise!). Finally, you practice reacting to a client’s reaction about the cost of services. Power, Relationships, and Work Power can be increased by many factors, including job title, education, verbal ability, and access to information (often through friendships or family relationships). Whether it’s you or another team member, whether it’s best friends or family, the entire team is affected when two or more people share a closer bond than do the rest. How can you minimize the potential problems of friendships and family at work? This seminar focuses on how power affects relationships and how relationships affect power in the workplace. Working in small groups, you will explore sources of power and realize the power that each person has, no matter what their position. The "unspoken rules" will be spoken about (e.g., "don’t say anything bad about the owner’s spouse!"), and ways to minimize conflict will be explored. Convincing Others to Make a Change (or to agree to your great idea) Whether you’re the boss, or not, you can’t always do what you want. Often you must get others to agree with you in order to get their full participation. In this workshop we talk about different ways people are motivated, discover your own and others’ "motivators," and go through a step-by-step plan for creating your presentation about your idea. Each attendee practices their presentation with a partner. Team Facilitation Skills for Owners, Managers, and Team Leaders Getting a group together to talk can sometimes lead to chaos. This module focuses on specific techniques and frameworks that are used for specific processes. Attendees will form "hospital teams" that must accomplish specific goals using a process that you will learn. These processes can apply to many of the situations that arise in practice. Some of those we’ll explore include 1. From a choice of several items, choose one that all agree on (e.g., "what computer software should we buy?") 2. Create a priority list of items to be worked on. The team must agree on the order of priority when given several important action items. 3. Brainstorm. This oft-used word is seldom implemented correctly; we’ll show you how and let you practice. Implementing Successful Team Meetings A "staff meeting," when done correctly, is a time for your team to actually communicate. This module helps you define the important factors that must come together for team meetings to really work. Attendees with form "hospital teams" that plan and hold their own meetings, including assigning roles, determining their conduct, creating an agenda, and ensuring all items are concluded with an action plan. Improving Communication and Conflict Resolution You’re having trouble getting along with a co-worker. How can you initiate a difficult conversation? What can you do to prepare yourself and improve your chances of solving the issues? Speaking and Interactive Presentation Topics (1-3 hours each)Dr. Smith can create a presentation for your veterinary association or your veterinary teaching hospital that is tailored for your needs and time frame. Presentations include interactive learning, group participation, and skills practice. Dr. Smith is available for speaking and presentations on all aspects of veterinary business. All speaking engagements include preparing handouts/materials on the topic. Choose from one of the following topics, or contact us to discuss your needs:
American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Seminar Series The Art of Veterinary Practice: Speaker, Seminar Coordinator, and Moderator. This 4-day seminar is designed to help veterinarians understand the connections between client satisfaction, quality service, and the practice bottom line. It is a highly interactive workshop that includes skills practice, animated discussion, and presentations on a variety of subjects from problem-solving to dealing with angry clients. The seminars include communication and finance, teaching young veterinarians about the relationships between achieving personal goals, and providing for practice financial success.
Life as an Associate Veterinarian The Client's Perspective Developing Distinctive Communication Strategies Creating a Plan for Your Career Personal Financial Management Become Successful by Making Your Practice Successful Financial Success Through Understanding Your Clients Consulting Work Dr. Smith works with individuals, companies and associations on a wide variety of projects involving the veterinary profession. See our specific web pages for more information.
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