Pre-Function Area

Ballroom East

As veterinary professionals we are dedicated to promoting optimum health for our patients. Most practitioners don’t promote that same care for their hospital’s organizational health, either because they don’t understand its’ impact, or because they don’t know where to start. 

A healthy workplace culture is the single biggest factor in creating a successful veterinary hospital. Cohesiveness is the act or state of sticking together tightly, in unity and togetherness. It is the outcome of creating a healthy workplace culture, where trust is cultivated, and employees are fully engaged in work that is meaningful to them. Actively managing culture requires that all team members have a clear understanding of what they want their culture to represent and work together to model healthy emotional behavior.

The goal of this highly interactive workshop is to equip hospital teams with tools that catalyze positive changes, creating “sticky” workplaces, where they feel safe, heard, respected, and work collaboratively to achieve co-created outcomes.  

Small group activities and individual worksheets will help reinforce key concepts and attendees will learn how to utilize the workshop activities within their own practices to help build healthy cultures.

Pre-Function Area

Ballroom East

Learning Objectives:

1. What are the building blocks of workplace culture?

2. Attendees will explore the critical roles of cognitive and emotional culture and how both types of culture influence the workplace.

3. What motivates you to do what you do? What motivates your teams to do what they do? Through instruction and self-reflection, participants will begin to define their core beliefs and learn how to lead their teams through this self-reflective activity.

4. Participants will define their personal values, learning how core beliefs inform but values support their actions. 

5. What are three primary ways that culture manifests in the workplace?

6. Participants will learn to identify healthy, neglected, and toxic workplace cultures, as well as the consequences of each.

7. How do leaders’ actions contribute to poorly behaved employees and what are strategies to change leadership behaviors ? 

8. Attendees will learn how to perform culture audits and create shared organizational values.

North Deck Overlooking Bay

Ballroom East

Communication is neither good nor bad; it is helpful or not helpful in achieving a desired outcome during an interaction. This workshop will focus on teaching the attendees tools and specific techniques to help them modify their communication approach to create conversations with positive results. By gaining an understanding of individual strengths and identifying areas for improvement, the participant will learn how to tailor their communication style to interact with others most effectively. 

This highly interactive workshop is enhanced through paired learning activities, roundtable discussions and individual worksheets. Attendees will learn actionable tips that can be implemented in a ‘use it today’ manner. 

Pre-Function Area

Ballroom East 

Learning Objectives:

1. What are personality preferences and how do they influence how a person interacts and responds?

2. How does perspective shape every communication?

3. What is the role of listening in creating cohesive communication?

4. How do you build trust within the practice?

5. Communication skills that build partnership with clients and each other will be discussed and practiced. These include communication tools, empathy and listening skills.

6. What is the role of the veterinary team in creating relational interactions and what are the secrets to this?

7. How does stress impact how you communicate with teammates and what is a tool to help lessen everyday stressors?