President's Message

Fall Conference
As fall is arriving, it is time for HCMA’s Fall Program to be held at the Cambridge Marriott on October 22, featuring Don Berwick MD. Please plan to join us!

News from the Annual Meeting
On September 11, our Annual Meeting was held at the Cafe Escadrille in Burlington, MA. At the regular business meeting, modifications were made to our bylaws, a complete copy of which is linked to this site. In addition, next year’s officers were elected:

President: Winfield Brown, Lowell General Hospital
President Elect: William Fleming, Caritas Norwood
Treasurer: James Higgins, Applied Management Systems
Secretary: Ken Guilbault, Cooley Dickinson
Immediate Past President: Kimberly Smith, Witt Kiefer
By Laws Chair: Andrea Beloff, MGH
Program Chair: John Christoforo, North Shore Medical Center
Sponsorship Chair: Alan Goldberg, Applied Management Systems
At Large: Richard Berkman, Yankee Alliance
Normand Deschene, Lowell General Hospital
Patricia Hannan, Baystate Medical Center
Pam Nettles, Brigham & Women’s Hospital
Lois Siegelman, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
Michael Turilli, Hallmark Health Systems

The Nominating Committee recommends the following to serve as ex-officio student representatives for a one year term:

Greg Silva, Boston University
Stacie Swanson, Suffolk University
Colleen Mitchell, Simmons College
TBD, Northeastern

Following the business meeting, an enjoyable evening of networking followed over a wonder Wine Tasting conducted by the Escadrille’s Gourmet Manager, Stephane Colinet.

We hope you’ll join us for next year’s Annual Meeting!!

ACHE Fall 2008
Improve Your Work-Life Balance
Employees, especially senior managers, simply do not have the time they want for their families, hobbies or just relaxing. They may experience long work hours or stressful environments. Below are some tips to help you achieve a better work-life balance:

• Work smarter, not harder. Much of the stress and long work hours that staff members experience is due working in inefficient ways. Continue to streamline and improve how you conduct your work.
• Reassess the sacrifices you are currently making. Recognize that you do have choices. For example, many employees, especially those recently entering the job market, have made the conscious decision that they will not sacrifice their personal life for their work. They have accepted jobs that provide them with the working environment and schedule that better suits their life priorities.
• Force yourself to better organize your time and energy outside of work. Apply the same rigor and discipline outside of work as you do at work. Set goals and priorities, plan ahead and develop schedules so that you can maximize the meaning and enjoyment you attain from your personal life.

Source: Bruce L. Katcher, PhD, president, Discovery Surveys Inc. Visit www.discoverysurveys.com for more information.

Keep Your Cool During Q & A’s
Some speakers look forward to the interaction that comes from impromptu audience questions, while others seriously hope that no one will ask them anything during their presentations. The Q&A session is actually a speaker’s best opportunity to excel, because you get to talk about your own area of expertise. Responding to questions might be an opportunity but that doesn’t keep people from feeling nervous. Here are some tips that presenters can use to prepare for success—and fight off fear—when handling questions:

• Analyze your potential audience, spending some time in advance thinking about your listeners. The more you know about your audience, the easier it is to anticipate what they might ask.
• Answer hard questions during your presentation. As you plan your content, come up with key questions or objections that you are expecting, and incorporate those answers into the body of your message.
• Brainstorm and practice. Once your content is set, make two lists: one of friendly questions, and another list of questions that you hope they don’t ask. Take time to practice how you’d handle all of them. (Do you think politicians prepare for the Q&A portion of a press conference? You bet they do, sometimes for days!)

Source: EMS Communications, a firm specializing in training professionals for public speaking. For more information about EMS Communications, visit their Web site at www.presentationtrainers.com.

Kim Smith
HCMA President