Case Study
North Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Background

In 2009 we were invited by Susan Richards, Associate Director, Workforce Development to discuss the possibility of being involved in an innovative and exciting project . Since becoming a Foundation Trust Susan Richards, who leads the Workforce Development, felt there was a need to develop and enhance the leadership skills of the clinical Psychiatrists in the Trust so that they could become more aware of the challenges associated with funding, managing market forces and personal impact and communication, managing projects, organisational change and diversity, management and leadership.

She and her team set up a series of five Leadership Master Classes and Workshops to take place once a month dealing with these different elements. We were invited to submit a proposal for the communication workshop. After a detailed discussion we devised two different very practical courses both with the same ultimate aim to build confidence, presence and excellence in communication.

Susan Richards selected the course she felt was best suited to their needs and budget and the personalities involved.

Our Approach

The major challenge was to balance the group and individual work when working with a larger than usual number of trainees, giving them the confidence of working in a group and also the opportunity for individual 1-2-1 feedback.

The Personal Impact and CommunicationTraining  was to be the last of the five sessions and the Trust booked a splendid venue at Pontlands Park Hotel near Chelmsford. We got to the room early and set up the camera and recording equipment so all was ready when the delegates arrived. The doctors were all very experienced at communicating 1-2-1 but less so when it came to large audiences.

We alternated sessions of group work on the physical, emotional and intellectual aspects of preparation and performance with short individual presentations both in impromptu mode about their lives and careers and later in the day about some specific clinical topic which the doctors had previously prepared and brought with them. Each of these short presentations was followed by “role played” questions. These were replayed and analysed for impact, style, content and effectiveness.

Although one was primarily addressing the doctors individually for these sections, we used each point made as a teaching tool and broadened each of the elements as it related to others in the group, thus keeping all involved all the time.

At the end of the session all the trainees got their own DVD plus a pack of Guidance Notes which covered most of the things which were likely to have been explored including all the exercises we would have done during the course of the day.

The Results

I had not realised how lively, amusing and entertaining the doctors were going to be. They had done four courses together before this one and were all very enthusiastic. They were all laughing and joking when they arrived which was a terrific boost for the day. All the trainees were highly motivated, and interested to get the most out of the experience. The questions were all relevant and wide ranging, frequently prompting stimulating discussions.

Persuading doctors to prepare for speech and not print and to keep to time, proved a bit challenging. Also encouraging them to believe that “less can be more” and that editing and time keeping are important. Another area for discussion was the value and use of Visual Aids; convincing them that an overdependence on text heavy Visual Aids didn’t help them and is, in fact, a barrier to great communication.

The organisers were delighted at the success for the programme, so much so that their next Leadership Programme, which we have just completed, had double the number and we are booked to do a third session later in the year.

Quotes:
 
" I was very much impressed by the way you encouraged all and each of us to believe in ourselves when it comes to presentation. You stood among psychiatrists as if you were one of them, using very convincing psychological approaches. You managed to point to areas of strength we perhaps have not acknowledged in ourselves before you gently pointed to areas for improvement. The whole atmosphere was great. Going home with tapes was very useful. I would definitely recommend your communication training"
Dr.Manal El-Marachy