Professional Courtesy, LLC

Karen Hickman specializes in Etiquette and Protocol Consulting and is based out of Fort Wayne, IN | TEL: 260-486-7758

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PERSONAL EVALUA…

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PERSONAL EVALUATION

This evaluation is for the purpose of taking a look at and reflecting on your own courtesy and professional skills. Hopefully, this will help you be aware of and improve in those areas that may need some tweaking.

How do you rate your professional courtesy skills?

  1. Poor
  2. Fair
  3. Good
  4. Great

How do you rate your courtesy quotient?

  1. Poor
  2. Fair
  3. Good
  4. Great

Do you consider yourself to be a good listener?

  1. Poor
  2. Fair
  3. Good
  4. Great

Do you consider yourself to be a kind person to your co workers and friends?

  1. Poor
  2. Fair
  3. Good
  4. Great

Are you a critical person?

  1. Poor
  2. Fair
  3. Good
  4. Great

PERSONAL EVALUATION, continued

Do you gossip or participate in spreading gossip?

  1. Poor
  2. Fair
  3. Good
  4. Great

Are you a positive person?

  1. Poor
  2. Fair
  3. Good
  4. Great

Do you shake hands and introduce yourself to your patients?

  1. Poor
  2. Fair
  3. Good
  4. Great

Do you make good eye contact when speaking to co workers and patients?

  1. Poor
  2. Fair
  3. Good
  4. Great

Do you consider yourself to be a good team player?

  1. Poor
  2. Fair
  3. Good
  4. Great

Do you welcome new staff members?

  1. Poor
  2. Fair
  3. Good
  4. Great

Do you have a “not my job” mentality at work?

  1. Poor
  2. Fair
  3. Good
  4. Great

RATE YOUR OFFICE PRACTICE

How do you rate the general feel of your practice?

  1. Poor
  2. Fair
  3. Good
  4. Great

Do you think your patients perceive your office to be courteous?

  1. Poor
  2. Fair
  3. Good
  4. Great

Is your office welcoming to new staff members?

  1. Poor
  2. Fair
  3. Good
  4. Great

What improvements do you feel could be made to improve the courtesy and general tone of your of your practice?

Contemporary Medical Attire

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Healthcare is very competitive today. Distinguishing a large group or institution from all the other groups and hospitals can be a daily challenge. Some of the ways this can be done is by maintaining a professional, yet personal, approach in dealing with patients and the public at large. A visible mark of distinction can be what your employees wear.

What is the appropriate dress for the staff and physicians in offices and hospitals today?

This question is one that causes confusion in many work places, not just the medical arena. Staying current and up with the times in dress is important. The days of everyone being in white and nursing caps seems to be a thing of the past. However, problems can arise if guidelines are not specific. Dress codes left to individual interpretation can leave room for big surprises.

Uniforms of some sort give an air of professionalism and a sense of solidarity. Different departments often adopt a certain color unique to them and easily identifiable. For instance, pediatric situations may want to gear their uniforms to the children so they do not seem threatening. In certain departments, lab coats over street clothes offer protection and look professional. Scrubs are essential in many areas and reduce concern for getting clothes soiled. Shirts or coats with hospital and group logos offer another good choice.

One of the most important reasons for uniforms is to let the public know who you are, that you are at work, not at play, and that you are not some stranger off the street who comes into a patient room in the middle of the night. In short, you should look like what you do and who you are.

If anyone has to question what you do or if you are working, it may be time to evaluate what you are wearing.

 Here are some basic tips for dressing today:

  • Establish well-defined dress codes and enforce them.
  • Be clean and well-groomed. Shorter fingernails are more professional and more hygienic. Avoid acrylic and artificial nails. Save nail art and dramatic nail color for social situations.
  • Hair kept short or up is suitable and more professional. It is also, more hygienic.
  • Keep make-up subtle.
  • Fragrances should be kept to a minimum and if you smoke consider how you smell leaning over a sick patient. Use breath mints and mouthwash. Consider not smoking in your uniform.
  • Well fitting clothes are a benefit to everyone, no matter their size.
  • Clothes should be clean, well maintained and pressed.
  • Panty hose should be worn with skirts, bare legs are unprofessional.
  • Invest in, and use a full length mirror before leaving the house.
  • Pants may not be flattering to all women. If that is the case, consider a uniform with a skirt.
  • Jackets and blazers add an air of authority and professionalism to men and women.
  • Identification badges should be visible at all times (first names only, may be necessary for security reasons) and should be worn on the right shoulder so they are easily seen. Add a verbal introduction, stating your name and position..
  • Save athletic shoes for athletics. Wear clean, polished, professional shoes. No sandals…closed toes and heels are best.
  • Jewelry kept simple and to a minimum presents a more professional image.
  • Gum chewing is not a part of any uniform.

Individuals in administrative positions or positions that do not require a uniform, including physicians, should use care to look professional and well-groomed. It is just as important as those requiring a uniform.

It has been said, that the way we are dressed can influence the way we work and how we are perceived. When the public looks at you and views your work environment, what do they see?

 

 

 

The Etiquette of Dealing With the Press

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Did you know that there is etiquette involved when dealing with the press? I learned some of that etiquette while I was attending The Protocol School of Washington in Washington, D.C., but have learned much more over the years.

Since my initial training in 1999 as an etiquette and protocol consultant, I have had the opportunity to deal with the media as an interviewee, as a contributor and now, as a weekly columnist for the Ft. Wayne News Sentinel. One of the people I have had the pleasure of meeting and be interviewed by is Cindy Larson, Feature writer and Restaurant Critic for the Ft. Wayne News Sentinel.

Cindy graciously allowed me to turn the tables on her and responded to my questions for this blog piece. I think you will find her responses interesting and enlightening.

I thank you Cindy, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to contribute to my blog.

Below is a link to a recent article Cindy wrote that stirred up some controversy…

http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120224/LIVING/302249994/1008

You can reach Cindy via email clarson@news-sentinel.com

and follow her on Twitter @clarson007

Q.1. What is the greatest misconception people have about journalists? What are the ethical guidelines good journalists follow?

A.1. The greatest misconception is that we are all biased and that we are all left-wing radicals. Everybody blames the media, especially when they hear something they don’t like. Sometimes I think it’s a case of “shooting the messenger.”

Our professional association, the Society of Professional Journalists, has a code of ethics based on the premise that “Journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.” When a journalist interjects his or her opinion into a piece, it should be labeled as a “column” or should be on the opinion or editorial page. Journalists should test the accuracy of the information they get and not distort the facts. Using anonymous sources is strongly discouraged. Accepting gifts is forbidden in most newsrooms. Journalists should avoid imposing their values on others.

Q. 2. What are the guidelines for you, as far as, accepting gifts from people you interview, etc.?

A. 2. In our newsroom we are not allowed to accept gifts from sources. In the Features department we get lots of sample CDs, gifts, gadgets, gizmos, books, etc. Everybody’s hoping we’ll write about their music, movie, book, product, whatever. If we think the CD, or book, or spice sample, or whatever, would be of interest to our readers we may write about it. But we are not allowed to keep any of these samples. About twice a year we gather them all together and hold a newsroom-wide auction, donating the profits to charity.

Q. 3. Where do you look for story ideas today; blogs, web sites, press releases, etc.?

A. 3. In Features we cover many cultural events in the community, so we rely on news releases to get started. We also get tips from the public; sometimes those make the best human-interest stories. Blogs are a good source for story ideas, but the new arena is social media. Facebook and Twitter are great places to come up with tips.

Q. 4. As a feature writer, what story angles do you look for?

A. 4. I always ask myself, what is the most interesting part of this story? If I were talking to a friend, how would I start telling him or her about this story? Usually that helps me write my lead. Of course we always try to put a human face on any story. If you’re writing about a health issue, for instance, try to find somebody in the community who is dealing with the health issue you are writing about.

5. What stories do you think have the greatest appeal for the public?

A.5. You’re not going to like the answer, but probably crime stories. I’m not sure the word “appeal” is appropriate, but I do know crime/accident/fire stories get big hits on our website. People complain about news always being “bad,” but let’s face it, often news is “bad” by its very nature. If it rains it’s not news. If a tornado destroys property, it’s news. News-Sentinel readers also love sports stories. Oddly, people read marriages, divorces and births a lot — at least they get a lot of “clicks” online. Guess people want to read about their friends, neighbors and acquaintances. People love great human interest stories.

Q. 6. Print media seems to be shrinking by the minute; do you think it will disappear totally?

A. 6. That’s hard to answer. Don’t know what technology will bring in the future. Most of the people I know still enjoy reading a book or a newspaper vs. reading something online, or on a laptop, tablet or phone. I’m not sure that can be said of youths! I’m sure print will continue to be replaced by electronic media, but perhaps not totally abolished.

Although you didn’t ask, I’d like to explain a few things to those who don’t deal with the media. I don’t want to sound harsh, but here goes: Our job is not to make a person or organization “look good.” Nor do we try to make anybody “look bad.” We write stories based on what we learn about an individual or organization. In other words, we’re not here to do P.R.

Please don’t talk to us for a half hour and then tell us we can’t use your name. We rarely use anonymous sources. Also, we don’t let people who we’ve written about “proofread” or OK our stories. You have to put your trust in the reporter.

And last … the best compliment I’ve gotten as a reporter is when somebody says I was fair in my reporting.

Compassion in Healthcare…Stepping Outside the Box

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Compassion in Healthcare…Stepping Outside the Box
Upon recently learning that one of my longtime Canadian friends had lost his mother, after a lengthy illness, he shared this lovely story with me…

“Let me take some time to tell a cute story about her and the nursing home. It just happens to be the same facility that my grandmother died in 1979. Mum used to say she talked to her mother today and I always said “who is to say she didn’t”. Anyway, you may recall my mother was the Head Nurse of the Emergency Department at our hospital here in our town. She was a strong woman who bordered on bossy, a good trait considering the job.

Within the first 3-4 weeks of being in the nursing facility, she heard a call over the loud-speaker that there would be a nurses meeting in the board room at 1 o’clock. Sure enough, when the nurses and the Director went to the room, there was my mum sitting there. Now this is where the story, as related to me by the Head Nurse who had trained under my mother, gets interesting. Everyone knew my mum’s background. Our town was a small town (10,000) back in the day and everyone knew everyone. Rather than confront my mother and ask why she was there or tell her to leave, they simply gave her a legal piece of paper and a pen and continued on with the meeting. Upon conclusion, the Director adjourned the meeting and my mum stood up, rapped the table with her hand and said she thought these meetings were a good idea and walked out.

As a nurse and a care giver I know you can relate to this story better than most. I told this during my mother’s funeral and must admit I got a little emotional doing so. I did write a note to the Director thanking her and her team for the compassion.”

As a former nurse and etiquette expert, who does a lot of training in the medical arena, this story points up the importance of being able to step outside of the box and adapt the rules to fit the situation in any arena, but especially in health care. The last word from my friend says it all…”compassion”. It is so key in being a care giver, regardless of your position on the team. That young Nursing Director may not realize the impact that  her small gesture of respect toward her former teacher meant to the patient’s family, but it was powerful. Obviously, my friend’s mother was a wonderful teacher and care giver…that will live on in the nurses she trained and will become part of her legacy. RIP Anne.

 

*This story is shared with the permission of my friend.

Cross Border Friendship

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Thank you, to my dear friend and colleague, Suzanne Nourse, from The Protocol School of Ottawa for doing this lovely piece on our friendship…a gift that has enriched my life!

Friendship

You know the feeling – you’re feeling a little down, the phone rings, and you hear the caring voice of a dear friend. Smiles all around.

That’s the relationship between Professional Courtesy and The Protocol School of Ottawa. Well, that’s how it started; Professional Courtesy and The Protocol School of Ottawa. Now it’s a valued friendship between Karen and Suzanne.

Over the years we’ve consulted each other over etiquette issues, traded notes, collaborated on seminar material, proofed each other’s work, and listened. It’s the listening that took a mutual professional respect to the rare and enviable place of true friendship.

Like most friendships, we’ve laughed, cried, and surprised each other during conversations. We’ve had lunch together and prepared dinner together. We e-mail, Skype, phone, send surprise packages, and exchange book and movie lists. We know each other’s families. We know each other’s strengths.  We know each other’s weaknesses.

We have great fun compiling lists of differences since Karen is American and I’m Canadian. I can hear Karen smiling at my oot and aboot accent. I suppress a giggle at her roof and mauve pronunciations. She probably thought I couldn’t spell during our first few email exchanges. I put a u in a lot of words (honour/honor, neighbour/neighbor). Here’s a sampling of our fun differences list:

Karen                                                                                        Suzanne                      

°F                                                                                                            °C

sofa                                                                             chesterfield/couch

zee                                                                              zed

“What are you talking about?”                                    milk in bags

miles                                                                            kilometers

dollar                                                                           loonie

President                                                                     Prime Minister

movie stars                                                                 royalty

center                                                                          centre

check                                                                          cheque

4 downs (football)                                                       3 downs

zip code                                                                       postal code

We always look forward to our next communication, whatever form it may take.

We value and respect each other’s opinions.

We cherish our cross-border friendship.

We hope to meet one day.

Company Profile

Founded in 1999, the mission of Professional Courtesy and Karen Hickman is to present programs of the finest quality with the highest degree of professionalism.

The purpose of the seminars and programs is to enable professionals, executives, and individuals to conduct business in diverse cultural arenas with ease.
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Contact Us

Professional Courtesy, LLC
Etiquette/Protocol Consultants
P.O. Box 15353
Fort Wayne IN 46885-5353

Telephone: 260-486-7758
Facsimile: 260-486-7758
Via Email