Fun weekend

Last Friday, I went up to the cities for a producer meeting that Swine Vet Center (the clinic I work for) and a pharmaceutical company sponsor. It is a weekend for producers to bring their families to a hotel and enjoy area attractions while the decision makers of various swine operation attend an educational meeting. Friday night is always a fun social and food time and then the casino games start while the kids play Wii or Guitar Hero. At the end of the night, tickets are raffled off and prizes given. Saturday most kids and women head to the Mall of America or hang out at the pool.
I was particularly excited for one of the speakers. About 2 weeks before the event, one of the vets had me do a search for a speaker. This was a bit of a challenge because I didn’t want to get just anybody and since anyone can make themselves look good online I was a bit leery about going that route. My last option was posting something on Facebook and luckily I got a response from my cousin who suggested, Cindy (CEO of PCR http://www.participantcenteredresults.com/). She is a consultant that goes in to help companies train employees and get better business results. After doing some research I contacted her as I thought her message and technique about training was right on showing that is better to include participants rather than using 100 powerpoint slides and lecturing (aka boring them) for an hour. I was hesitant about this however because this is exactly how the vets speak/lecture but I thought it would be good for them to see a different way. I think people go into their field with the knowledge of the information but are not necessarily able to teach or equipped to work with people well. Difference of IQ and EQ (emotional intelligence)!
I sent her a powerpoint from one of the vets and she decided that instead of “throwing them under the bus” by showing the best way to make a powerpoint she would approach it differently. Usually her training consists of 1-2 days but she was able to work it in her schedule so we set up a conference call and got the ball rolling. One of the vets was concerned because this was a group of conservative pig farmers but since she works with Pentagon officials, Harvard profs and CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies to name a few she had no qualms about it.

The talk went well and I only noticed two people that ducked out or were kinda rude. One did not have employees so it didn’t really pertain to him and the other….well not sure what his excuse was……..perhaps intimidation or maybe he didn’t want to change his training style. Hard to say but I was impressed with those who did participate and their willingness to try something new! I am sure only a select few will implement the concept but I am certain they will have good results with their employees. The others will continue to lecture and wonder why their employees don’t get it. I came home after her session.

A fun side note is that our grandparents were best of friends and actually had a double wedding back in 1936!! It was great fun to hear more stories about their friendship and the ties our families had together. Brad had to work all weekend so he stayed home with Alayna Friday night and my parents watched her Saturday while he was at work. She helps grandpa feed the pigs. Here is a cute dialogue between her and my dad:
Alayna walking by the pen asks, “Grandpa where is the piggy that was in this pen?”
Grandpa, “Oh, well, he is gone. He had to go to market.”
Alayna walks to the next pen and points to the pig, “And this piggy had roast beef”.
Thought that was cute!

Grandma & Grandpa took Alayna to an Easter egg hunt where she got her face painted, plus did crafts and colored pictures. After nap time at Grandma’s they dyed eggs. She was so excited to show Brad and I all the things she made!