Engaging VMOs

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Engaging VMOs

• Susan Noom
• Mary Mitchelhill

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Objectives

• At the end of this session you will have shared
  ideas and developed an understanding of how to
• establish relationships with VMOs
• attract VMO Participation
• best use VMOs availability and role within your
  organisation
• engage and sustain VMO involvement

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The Relationship

• As in any relationship building exercise there
  are crucial steps that need to be followed
• finding the desirable targets,
• developing interest
• maintaining the interest long enough to move into
  the
• commitment factor then onto the hard work of
• maintaining the relationship.

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Desirable Targets

• Good bed partners, positive attitude, lots of
  energy that will help bring it home
• Accommodate, especially for the necessary evils
  for some things to work and have a future,
  certain key people need to be involved
• Reliable workers, doers not procrastinators

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Developing Interest

• Promote the concept to the selected key
  stakeholders, dont try and sell the whole
  package first up
• Start with the positive drivers and influential
  players and move on to others later
• A particular individual may be your hardest
  conquest but could have the greatest influence
  once on board

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Developing interestcont.

• However, restrict time wasting on intractable
  people, get some runs on the board

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Developing interestscont.

• Modes of communication
• Corridor conversations, element of surprise, keep
  it short and sweet
• Their committee meetings, take the idea to them
  and present it yourself. They wont have time to
  come to you
• Emails ????? Easily deleted
• Mail, hardcopy ????? Are they read?

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Exercise 5 minutes

• Discuss modes of communication you have used when
  working with VMOs?
• Which of these was most effective?

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Maintaining the interest

• Run with the idea when its hot. Dont put it out
  there then wait for months before you move on it
• Do some ground work and follow up on the corridor
  conversations. It shows you listened to what they
  had to say even if you are now presenting
  evidence to dispute it
• Dont start a committee until youre ready to do
  the work

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Maintaining the interest..cont

• Give the desired participants, including the
  evils, the choice- be on the committee or be a
  liaison consultant for the group.
• Not participating is not to be offered as an
  option

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Maintaining the interest..cont

• Pat feathers dont ruffle themnot yet

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Commitment factor

• We NEED them and what they can offer
• Be prepared to do the leg work, feed it back, via
  the corridor, their meetings, grand rounds, even
  via your own committee meetings (the one theyre
  members of)
• Set short, concise, realistic time frames

13
Commitment factor cont.

• Common rules for committee meetings
• Meeting time is set around their availability
• They may need feeding
• Have an agenda with a timeline attached and
  person responsible
• Ensure everyone gets their agenda early
• Have a ruthless chairperson who wont allow you
  to gabble on
• Set outcomes, dont defer anything to the next
  meeting

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Commitment factor ..cont.

• Misconceptions
• Give them a job and they have to be involved
• Everyone is busy, we all have the same available
  time
• If someone is prepared to do all the work then we
  should let them

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Maintaining the relationship

• Promote the outcomes via breakfast trolley during
  grand rounds etc
• Book a time slot at their monthly/bi-monthly
  meetings but keep it short
• Keep them up to date with any changes in person,
  as well as via email or internal mail
• They are happy to be reminded, so .

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Maintaining the relationship ..cont

• Nag, Nag, Nag, Nag, Nag, after all, this is a
  valued relationship and they always appreciate a
  gentle reminder

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Exercise 10 minutes

• Spend a couple of minutes listing ideas and
  solutions you have heard today.
• At your table, share the ideas about how you can
  develop and maintain VMO involvement?
• What would most suit your type and size of
  organisation?

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In Summary

• VMOs are integral team members
• Attracting, establishing and maintaining
  relationships are key to effective team
  participation
• Find the right communication mode and dont waste
  time or opportunities
• Get them involved and keep up reminders