What has struck me more than anything is the calibre of facilitators I have been sharing this week with. The time spent working one to one and in groups with my nine European colleagues has been incredibly useful. Arriving Sunday night and returning tomorrow we have started at 8ish and worked through til 10pm finishing up individual projects and applications of the techniques we have been learning.  Finishing at this time, I have had 20mins to clear my head on the walk back to the hotel tired with the pace, the full on nature of the technique and the sheer variety of learning methodology. 4 days with not one single powerpoint slide, has been deeply influential on us all. Proper skills training, using a variety of proper teaching methods and approaches.

My late evenings have been spent finding restaurants that are open at this time, settling in and ordering something that is going to match the day. Food that can inspire, challenge and be successfully different. Most of these restaurants have been proponents of fusion food a craze that continues in Holland for blending of two or more cuisines. Whether that be Spanish thrown together with Japanese, or last nights malay and french effort its been a mixed bag of tom yum foam, with pimenton prawns or a prawn cracker topped with olive oil snow. The highlight gave me an omelet with chilli sauce in the centre, a sort of thai egg wagon wheel. Luckily this sense fest was accompanied by 7 wines to taste*. It’s fair to say that my evenings have been filled wanting some identity and confidence back in the kitchens of my hosts.

Whilst not wishing to be confused for AA Gill. This local trend sounded a connection. My days have been filled with framing questions, grounding approaches and metaphors this one is too approximate an opportunity to pass over. It strikes me that I have been making a similar mistake in our strategic kitchen. I think I need to get considerably better in defining where I as a consultant starts, and where me as a facilitator ends. Across all the agencies I have worked in we have consistently clouded the two roles. As a consequence failing to do either job with the clarity of purpose required, the independence needed, or having missed out on our input mid session when we have been guiding the group. It’s fusion of competencies.

One requires guidance, framing questions and independence and the suspension of solution provision. The other value judgement, input and subjectivity. Both have huge value but the danger exists in the middle ground facilitating the answers to core questions where we feel we should also be part of the answer. As a consequence influencing and skewing the result. This lack of clarity is a concept that I have seen present in many if not all of the facilitators I have worked with over the years in healthcare, and as much so in myself.

I feel the solution is for more of us to be up-skilled and competent to a much higher level than the marketing communication industry requires us to be. Accompanying this to strive for a set of guiding approaches/set formats that allow us to work across each others accounts when independent facilitation is needed.  I think this should be pretty doable for I/us here at Hive. We have more leadership level people per unit business than anyone else. Our resource model insists on an hour glass in place of a pyramid shape with our senior members making up a healthy wodge of client focused talent. We have the resources to get us all to a beyond industry level of competence, the desire to develop standardised approaches for typical challenges and certainly the humility and track record in learn from other sectors.

The week has been a steep learning curve and provided me not only with a new vocabulary, but a new respect for my European colleagues in their professionalism and discipline. From technical skills, to focus and purity of role I hope to put much of this into practice at Hive. I shall be striving for some fission, and kicking fusion into touch.

*This was a week of training permitting some low level relaxation. It’s possible to drink 7 glasses of wine on your own in a restaurant by following the following guide;  You certainly need a tasting menu, and do start with a beer, and a copy of a good book ideally something featuring food, drink and servant girls. Ignore the wine list and suggest your restaurant match each course. Do bare in mind that these types of gaffs will insist on sending 3 little bites to amuse prior to one of your starters arriving.  Then hang up your taste buds, and travel the increasingly hazy world.

Facilitated by the efficient and straightforward to use Lotuslive Meetings software , 17 of us from across Hive and Ebee pushed towards the bleeding edge of people development. What resulted was a publication centred around our specific development requirements.

Once through name co-creation, and prioritising a list of our desired skills. In hacking pairs we searched, filtered and curated content from across the world on time management, presenting with nerves, selling creative, communications strategy, leadership, giving feedback, negotiation, communicating ideas, adapting behaviour, regulatory environments, dealing with change and also facilitation.

LotusLive was brimming with banter, encouragement, and articles to be scooped into Swarm. We voted for Hack favourite; pizza (thanks Dominos - 2 for 1 Tuesday and all) and washed it down with Stella/Carling/DC.

In two and a half hours we packaged up a diverse group of 72 articles to make anyone of us better all in a readily accessible format. Having never run a hackathon before, the most rewarding aspect for me was the vibe, everyone buzzed with efficiency and the quality focus was really there. Skills development has never been thus! If you fancy having a look through Swarm do stop by. If you want to follow the evenings activity check out  Twitter, the pace of activity was pretty cool to follow. Live it was ace.

A worlds first? Maybe. Regardless looking through the output this morning I think we can be rightly proud.

The beerground.

A while back our account management were charged with working on a pitch – internal training with a difference. The brief was beer – something the majority of our lads and ladettes (at least after a few jars I’m told) have experience of, if not marketing it, then certainly on the consumption side. In a nutshell the brief was to develop a brand that would achieve differentiation in the crowded beer market. What would it be called, who would they target, where would it be sold and where would they pitch it as far as price? They were split into teams (‘master brewers’) of two and had 15 minutes to share their thinking with us.

The big day.

Pitch day was yesterday and I think I’m right in saying that everyone, not least the panel, had a really enjoyable day, with a few lessons learnt. Sure, there were a few late nights and it came ‘at just so the wrong time’, but as we all know this is part of real life pitching. And as with real life pitching there was an upbeat, post pitch mood and a few beers had.

The panel consisted of myself, my learned colleagues Tim Scorer and Emma Jarvis and two old battle hardened ad lag friends of mine and now friends of Hive, Matthew Howells and Dom Lyon. Now I’ve spent many an enjoyable afternoon in pubs with Matthew and Dom, but never have I judged anything with them, with maybe the exception of the local talent.

In fact it wasn’t overly different, just that the talent took on a different form (ideas, although it is true to say some had ‘legs’ and could probably go the distance), but didn’t cost an arm and a leg (what is it with bloody legs) in buying them drinks all night and didn’t leg it afterwards (struggling with my third leg analogy!).

Over legs and back on form.

So we had 5 teams presenting to us in the upstairs room of The Blue Post Pub. There were thrills, spills (literally – poor Helen managed to soak herself in beer that had been intended as a taste test) and some ideas with a difference.

We, the panel, scored them on presentation (i.e. delivery), product idea and strategic argument – to a set criteria including market context, defining the need state, critical discussion points, strategic recommendations and generally challenging conventional thinking and reaching breakthrough ideas.

Breakthrough ideas versus broken glasses.

Overall the quality was fantastic – a real pleasure to observe.

We had fantastic innovative ideas – such as self-chilling beer – which would no doubt bring yet more peace and utter harmony to our tree-hugging festival going friends.

We had fantastic names such as ‘Bucking Fear’ a real alternative for penniless students and ‘Cavalry – you know when it’s time’, a combination of beer and guarana – the healthy option tackling, drinkers dip and maybe even brewers droop.

Some very clear cut targeting with ‘ETE’ and a female target, in this traditionally male market. The female audience was also embraced with AIG – the Goddess of Health – a sophisticated and conscientious alternative to vino collapso.

Learning.

It’s fair to say that there was learning on both sides of the room.

From the judging point of view it was great to see how much effort had been put in. Pitch theatre, as long as it’s relevant, really does help in dramatising ideas and if there are a myriad of agencies pitching no doubt helps stand-out. Also, the fact that no presentations were delivered via powerpoint did mean there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide – ‘face to camera’ type scenario.

From the pitchers point of view I hope they walked away proud of their efforts and hopefully with a few leanings on how they may have done it differently – it’s only through trial and error than we can up our game.

Many thanks to Matthew and Dom for their excellent feedback to the teams. Well done to Clare and Matt for their winning pitch – ‘Cavalry – you know when it’s time’. They are now the official agency brewers and will be making their beer for real – soon to become our agency beer of choice.

Next time you’re passing feel free to drop in for a jar.

Ideally we would have something for us to share tips on honing and developing the core skills we need everyday.  It would save any doubling up of efforts in tracking down useful tips and articles for our personal development. It’s not unreasonable to presume a load of  agency folk need this too. Not just us bees. Taking on board some feedback I received recently I thought I might ‘work with others’ rather than consigning the task to my solo To do list. Plus it needs to get up to critical mass quickly as it’s people development and it’s likely to be funner/better with us all working on this challenge.

We recently suggested to a client that rather than run a traditional global workshop with local markets to gain input we co-opt the Hackathon approach. A hackathon is an event where programmers meet to do collaborative computer programming and increasingly it’s a term used to describe any open approach to co-create a solution to a defined problem. The spirit of a hackathon is to collaboratively build bottom up, grass roots stuff, without too much authoritarianism. Sound kind of cool? I think so.

So here is the idea.

Core Skills Hackathon is a group of us (and you of course) working together to kick start and curate a online resource that covers a range of core skills we need in our day today. Working together with transparency on our individual development needs (time management, assertiveness, presentation skills, storytelling etc etc) to develop a bank of useful articles etc that help one and all get better at what they do.

Event details – 13.3.2012 6.30pm – 9.00pm

We sort

• Hive boardroom/tables/sofas/fire escape
• More pizza/beer/soda than is healthy
• Broadband/WiFi a plenty
• Loose facilitation

You sort

• 2.5 hours of your time
• Laptop
• Enthusiasm and openness
• List of skills gaps/development desires
• Bringing along anything that has made you better – articles, crib sheets, models etc

Hackathon structure

1. Welcome and introductions
2. Name development
3. Consolidate the skills list
4. Team/task allocation
5. Curate content – find, sort, sift and select
6. Publish and build magazine

If you are interested then get in touch, ideally you should have enough experience in the healthcare communications world to understand what skills you/we need and to be able to assess good stuff when you see it.

Using video games within healthcare isn’t a new idea. Since the early 1980s, video games have been used in patient care to encourage adherence, and work alongside treatments to improve treatment outcomes.

How do video games change behaviour?
The repetitive nature of video game play is thought to be a key mechanism that promotes learning. Using games as a form of pain or stress relief relies more on the immersion and distraction they can offer.

One of the earliest examples of this is in paediatric oncology and the associated side effects of chemotherapy – nausea, vomiting, anxiety and pain. During the study, oncology patients were given a video game to play while they received their chemotherapy. The patients who played the game showed a significant reduction in nausea compared with control patients. The therapeutic effects of the game were attributed to the distraction that it provided, by focusing attention away from side effects.

Snow World
Building on this distractive method of pain management, a team of researchers and game designers developed a virtual reality game for burn patients called Snow World. Players are immersed in a virtual reality world where they fly through icy landscapes shooting snowballs at snowmen and penguins. The game was designed to minimize body motion and distract from pain during wound care.  The cool imagery and immersive game play were shown to be a viable alternative to strong drugs. Patients who played the game reported a significant reduction in pain, and fMRI scans showed a reduction in neurological pain signals.  Doctors even noted a wider range of movement from patients in physiotherapy sessions.

Packy and Marlon
Video games have not only been used in pain management; gaming has also been shown to be a powerful motivator and behavioural change tool. One well-known example is Packy and Marlon, which was originally made for the Super Nintendo game console system, and modified for children with diabetes. The two main characters, Packy and Marlon, are diabetic elephants who thwart camp invaders while protecting and finding missing supplies (insulin and healthy food). To stay in good shape during four simulated days, players must keep their character’s diabetes under control by measuring and monitoring blood glucose, taking insulin, selecting a balanced diet in three meals and three snacks a day, and handling diabetic emergencies.

A study over 6 months showed that ‘gaming’ patients demonstrated greater self-management, increased communication with parents about diabetes and better adherence to insulin therapy. Most impressively, the ‘gaming’ group had a 77% decrease in diabetes-related emergencies and urgent care clinical visits compared with controls.

Bronciasaurus
A similar example is Bronciasaurus, a video game for young children with asthma. The game is set in a world which is covered in dust because the fan that usually keeps the dust at bay has broken. Players help the in-game characters keep their asthma at bay by avoiding triggers such as dust and smoke while they go on their quest to repair the fan. There are some question-and-answer inserts in the game that need to be answered correctly in order to proceed. A series of studies on the game found that patients’ asthma-related self-concepts, social support, knowledge, self-care behaviors, and self-efficacy improved significantly after playing the game compared with the control group.

The potential for video games in health care is continuing to expand beyond behavioural change and pain management. Most recently virtual reality has demonstrated its use as a unique form of physiotherapy in stroke victims, laying the foundation for gaming to not only be an important adjunct to therapy but to even be part of treatment itself.

These are fascinating sessions that we all get loads from. Delving into Findwine.co.uk’s price/style simplification concept, built on insights gained during the time Mike spent in the retail wine trade. Their plans to grow and expand into new areas through strategic partnerships, and international ventures proved a great opportunity for us to discuss, brands, ideas, and growth.

We were joined by more of the agency, when Mike stayed on for an evening helping us choose the wine for Hive over the next 12 months. We covering 3 styles of sparkling, white and red. The naive intention was to have a civilised evening, but what resulted was about 18 glasses of wine each and 10 of us seeing the night off in Hix for Oyster Ale galore. Our blurred choices for 2011 are;

• For mid day effervescence - NV Giacoma Montresor Rose Royal Spumante Brut Pinot noir (Rich toasty aromas of bread, mingle with flower blossom, ripe apples and luscious cherries. Elegant and balanced palate, with some complexity. Jas; “tastes like Sherbet dip dabs”)
• For more celebratory events that require Krug like refined bubbles - Zuccardi Alma 4 Chardonnay (Golden, rich well rounded & yeasty with citrus & biscuity notes & a lovely creamy finish. Jas; “tastes like custard”)
• For white with attitude – 2009, Some Young Punks Monsters Attacked Riesling  (An absolutely sublime Clare Riesling, crisp and limey with a dollop of residule sugar for easy drinking. Anna; “tastes like something I used to drink in the park – in a good way”)
• For late night red – 2008 Cervoles from Costers Del Segre in Spain (a velvety, rich delight, filling the mouth with berries and summer fruits. Morgaine; ” I don’t really like alcohol”)

A lovely evening and huge thanks to Mike for opening up his mind for the entrepreneurs in the flesh session and for opening up the bottles and guiding us so amusingly for the remainder of the evening.

Needless to say we could recommend Mike and Findwines enough if you fancy brilliant, delicious and interesting wines, delivered with simplicity.

One of the most important areas that we help our clients with is training – their reps, their HCPs, their patients. Agencies have been creating training booklets since the beginning of time, but we have a few extra tricks up our sleeves that we think makes the whole learning process a little bit more interesting.

Whilst researching new ways of keeping people engaged with training programmes, I was lucky enough to discover this short video of a presentation by the immensely charismatic Seth Priebatsch about the game layer, and more specifically about 4 of the 7 gaming dynamics.

Anyone got any thoughts on what the other 3 might be?

It’s finding me panicking loads, trying to figure out whether we should cover a case study or revisit some old ground with a real life business. Alongside this – I am trying to get hold of an entrepreneur to come and present their business for discussion live by the troops.

As I was sifting through a pile of interesting (but academic) notes on previous sessions and I came across this – a Powerpoint written by a Mark Sniukas a consultant I really like. It’s strategy simplified (well almost) and well worth a quick glance. Kicks off with Costas Markides, Professor London Business School and his frank views on the state of modern strategic discipline.

Visit Presentation

We reviewed all aspects of the trip, planning,  disaster management and eventual rescue. It’s a great way to review the elements of leadership, how plans must remain flexible, and team culture, alongside a solid direction really helps when you get yourself trapped in ice. Shackleton proved a great example of entrepreneurship, self-promotion and of obsessive dedication.

I found the ad Shackleton use in the The Times to recruit for this expedition – showing also the value of a sense of humour when asking people to take part in difficult adventures. I love the honesty of ‘safe return doubtful’.

]]> http://hivehealth.com/2010/05/recruitment-advertising/feed/ 0 http://hivehealth.com/2010/04/blood-sweat-and-beers/ http://hivehealth.com/2010/04/blood-sweat-and-beers/#comments Wed, 21 Apr 2010 08:58:32 +0000 Debbie Cramer http://hivehealth.com/?p=1706 Following a training trip to Jerusalem – the West End’s current must see play, Michael and I (2 x Hive writers) found a barman in the West End willing to serve a last minute pint, albeit with attitude. They sit down and begin discussing Rooster, the main character in the play Jerusalem.

D: That ending. Were the giants really coming?

M: No.

D: I think they were.

M: It was the old bill. 200 of them coming to chuck him out.

D: Then why did the trees shuffle so much?

M: Maybe they were morris dancing.

D: It was the footfall of the ancients.

M. Gutsy scriptwriting. Ambiguous.
D: Raw.

M. All nature and roots. Rooster was the only one with roots, even though he was getting moved. He was immoveable.

D: He needed the giants to save him. He was human.  Couldn’t express himself. Couldn’t love his kid properly.

M: Limping around, cough getting worse…

D. Couldn’t jump Stonehenge.

M: Council says no.

D: He was losing hope in the end, bleeding away. As hopeless and human as the rest.

M: But bleeding like the lamb of God.

D: Rare blood.

M: Expensive. I wonder what type?

D:  Wood nymph.

M. (Examining his veins) Do you think my blood could be worth 600 quid a pint?

D: We should get down to the donor place.

M: Yeah, one lunchtime.

D: That needle is very, very large.

M: Square up to it dude. Be the Rooster.

D: Giving life to others!

M: Giving drugs to others.

D: They don’t give you drugs in the blood donor caravan, just tea and a biscuit.

M: No-one was coming to save him. He couldn’t walk away.

D: He would be toppled, break off at the roots. He couldn’t save himself.

M: But he saved the goldfish. And he would rise again like the lamb.

D: Restore the clean and green, like the poem.

M: Burn down the new builds. Call his mates over, drink more.

D: Ah, how beautiful to be English.

M: You’re South African.

D: People were attracted to him but they were scared of him.

M: Because he could tell the future.

D:  Then you admit, the magic was real.

M: Ambiguous.

D: Magic, terror, drugs.

M. Realism. Ugly. A modern plague.

D: Do you think they use the same goldfish every night?