The inspiration for today’s ezine came from a fellow physician at a combined medical staff and Board retreat  that I facilitated who asked me, “Whom do you turn to for mentoring assistance?”

Sam Horn  is a treasured mentor whom I met in 2005, when I attended the Maui Writers Retreat.  She taught the Non-Fiction Writing course, where I began writing my second book Collaborate for Success . She excels in teaching people how to communicate effectively.

Here is a summary from her blog posts on how to present with FLAIR, which stands for: 

•  Fun: fun is a sign of confidence. Not only do you command more favorable attention when you’re enjoying yourself, it shows you’re comfortable in your own skin and are comfortable wielding authority;
• Linking: Compare what you do to something with which people are familiar. The quickest way to help decision-makers connect with what you do is to compare it to something they already know and understand;
• Alliteration: Repeatability is crucial to memorability, and words like “Dirt Devil” are easier to remember than “vacuum cleaner,” for most people; 
• Inflection: Do what TV broadcasters are taught to do their first day on the job. End your sentences with downward inflection to project authority;
• Rhythm and Rhyme: When you put things in a beat; you make them easy to repeat. 

Concluding thoughts 

I remember when a strong part of my clinical clerkship grade stemmed from how well attending physicians felt that I presented patients to them.  I hope that reading Sam Horn’s material helps you to be more confident and successful in your ongoing journeys.  For those of you who are planning to attend the 2011 SEAK Conference on Non-Clinical Careers , please introduce yourselves to me. I will be teaching at the Consulting Course  September 22 and mentoring at the main conference September 23.

Kenneth H. Cohn, MD, MBA, FACS

© 2011, all rights reserved

Disclosure:

I have not received any compensation for writing this content. I have no material connection to the brands, topics and/or products that are mentioned herein.