Dentaltown November 2012 - (Page 24)

professional courtesy column » Get Out of the Office THURSDAY 2:30-3:30 3:30-6:30 6:30-8:30 FRIDAY 8:00-8:30 8:30-9:30 9:30-10:00 10:00-10:30 by Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD, Editorial Director, Dentaltown Magazine Have you ever taken your entire office on a retreat? I have many times and it can be a powerful experience. The concept is fairly simple: choose a place where you can get away, preferably overnight, and spend a day doing a number of exercises geared toward team building and training. Everybody has a roommate and I would assign the rooms so different departments mix with each other. The entire event is completed within 24 hours and the short schedule avoids impinging on their weekend. This is a sample schedule from one of our retreats: Travel to hotel and check-in Free Time Dinner 10:30-11:00 11:00-12:00 12:00-1:00 1:00-1:30 1:30-1:45 1:45-2:30 2:30-2:40 Breakfast Dentrix Update: This was a time when we were about to install a major update to Dentrix so this time was dedicated to discussing the new features and how we would utilize them in the practice. Numbers to Watch Candy Confessions: A great way to combine a snack with an ice breaker. Pass around a bowl of candy and ask each person to pick three items. Once everyone has selected items go around the room and ask them to share something based on the items they selected. For example, if you selected Reese’s, then you tell the group what you would do with $1,000, if you selected Peppermint Pattie, then you would tell the group something about you that they don’t already know, and so on. Plane Conversations: We did this activity one year when I needed bios for our Web site and nobody likes to write about themselves. I split the group into pairs and asked them to spend 15 minutes simulating a conversation you would have with a stranger on an airplane. Then they had 15 minutes to write a short paragraph about the person they “met.” The result was a short bio of information that you would be comfortable sharing with strangers or, in our case, on the Web. Scheduling Game: I wanted to review some of our “rules” for scheduling. Every practice has its own set of rules regarding how many new patients or when the doctor would like long procedures scheduled, emergencies, etc. For this exercise I photocopied a couple of blank schedules and I also picked a couple days that could have gone better and cut out the appointments so they were like puzzle pieces. The team was divided into two groups and they were asked to assemble the appointments into what they considered the most ideal day. Lunch Team Trivia/Prizes: Each year I have a quiz about our practice, the people on our team, etc… Best score picks first from our door prizes. Break Group Game: Every year we find a good group game to play. One example is Wits & Wagers: a trivia game that requires you to bet on which answer you think is most likely to be correct. Wrap up and leave: Closing comments and next steps for any decisions made during the meeting. If you have a team building exercise you would like to share or just a word of feedback, please feel free to reach me by e-mail: tom@dentaltown.com. You are also invited to post comments online in the electronic version of this article and other articles in this issue at: www.towniecentral.com/Dentaltown/Magazine.aspx ■ 24 NOVEMBER 2012 » dentaltown.com http://www.towniecentral.com/Dentaltown/Magazine.aspx http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown November 2012

Dentaltown.com Highlights
Continuing Education Update
Howard Speaks: The Fluoride Wars Continue
Professional Courtesy: Get Out of the Office
Second Opinion: Investing in New Technology
What Are You Guys Cementing Zirconia Crowns With?
Issue with Crown Seats! Help Please!
New Products
Product Profile: The Dental Sleep Network
Dentrix G5
Corporate Profile: Officite
Excellent Communication Benefits: A Full-mouth Rehabilitation Case
Product Profile: TruDenta
The Art, Science and Numbers of Clear Aligner Therapy
Dentaltown.com Research: Endodontics
Cementation Simplified
You Should Know: OperaPager
Matching One Anterior Crown
Desired Smiles in Today’s Economy
Why We See Problems with Teeth Whitening: The Science of Whitening, Part 1
In This Issue: Garbage In, Garbage Out
Perio Reports
Ad Index
Profile in Oral Health: Paleolithic Teeth
Dentally Incorrect

Dentaltown November 2012