Food for Thought

How to successfully structure your lunch-and-learns so veterinary teams can get the most out of their time with you.

Whether it’s in my daily work as director of education and coaching operations at Veterinary Growth Partners (VGP), as a consultant or speaker, my goal is to create fun, empowering learning environments that make leaders feel less alone, more equipped to thrive in their roles, and create beautiful moments of growth and awareness.

The ability to support practices on their journey and watch as they successfully implement positive change and achieve their goals is what motivates me every day. I started working at VGP almost nine years ago and have had the incredible opportunity to work with hundreds of practices through one-on-one coaching and speaking engagements across the country. It is amazing to continuously see practices transform whether that be through their finances, services, culture, or even a personal transformation. Supporting veterinary teams in bringing their vision to life is one of the most meaningful parts of what I do.

What teams need from learning programs

It’s critical to create learning programs that help teams build skills they can immediately use. Thinking back to my time as a technician, I remember our team meetings where we would talk about a new process, and all we would do is read the steps on a piece of paper and then go about our day and completely forget about it.

Teams need hands-on training where they can perform the skills, do practice runs and even role-play scenarios or customer conversations.

I worked with a practice that would do drills for emergencies, just like fire drills in school. The team would know a drill was coming that month but wouldn’t know what the emergency was or when it would happen. Suddenly, a frantic “owner” with a hit-by-a-car (stuffed) animal comes rushing through the door. This gave the team in every position an opportunity to practice how they would handle an emergency real-time. It would put that written protocol and theoretical training to the test as they worked together to communicate with the owner, assess the patient, and treat its condition. Once the emergency drill was over, the team had an opportunity to reflect on what went well, what needed work and then make a plan to continue training as needed.

Without practical education opportunities, teams aren’t given a full chance to succeed. It would be like a soccer player learning to play just by reading and talking about soccer and maybe playing a little bit here and there. They could definitely pick up a thing or two and play decently, but you need training time on the field if you really want to be great.

Keys to developing fun, interactive, learner-centric content

The first step is to know your audience. Is the session designed for just the doctors, the decision makers, or the entire practice? Knowing who is in the room will allow you to tailor your message to what’s most relevant and relatable to them.

People are drawn to humor and storytelling, so think about any anecdotes, personal or from other practices, that you can work into the training to make it more memorable. Leave space for conversation and find ways for them to share their own experience, which can help them start connecting the dots on their own.

Finally, brainstorm ways your audience can get actively involved with your content instead of just listening to it. Could they role-play common client objections? Play a game? Explore ideas that can get them to practice or work with the content which will not only increase engagement but will help the information stick.

Try your best to avoid talking at the group. I understand they’ll be eating, but you want the audience to stay engaged with your presentation in some way. Prepare them for some kind of upcoming discussion so it’s not crickets when you ask for their input.

Along those lines, avoid reading directly from slides or notes. Any visuals should be your guide, not a script. Ensure you really know the material you’re planning to discuss and use any visuals to highlight key points. Remember, if your audience is reading, they’re not listening.

And lastly, though it’s important to make the best use of the quality time you have with the practice, be careful not to overload them with information. Focus on just two to three main takeaways that are most important and relevant to the audience.

One last tip – expect the unexpected. Plan for all contingencies like your computer not working, having to present during a dental, going blank on the product stats, or the practice forgetting you were coming altogether. Veterinary teams are great at adapting to new circumstances and staying flexible with the realities of practice life, and I think those are great qualities to have as a sales rep as well.

Approach each meeting well prepared with not just your material, but with your backup plan, a positive attitude and the confidence to know you’re ready for whatever happens next.

Rachel Teichberg, CVPM, CVBL, CCFP is the director of education and coaching operations at Veterinary Growth Partners. She serves on the senior leadership team overseeing strategy, growth, and operations for both coaching and member education programs. As a consultant and speaker, Teichberg develops and delivers interactive leadership training programs that help veterinary teams improve their communication, enhance culture, and increase productivity.

Eye on them

Don’t read through your presentation. Deliver it. Ensure you know the material you’re planning to discuss and use any visuals to highlight key points. Remember, if your audience is reading, they’re not listening.

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