Lessons from the Edge - Surgery Hosting

So I’ve been in hospital this week so I wanted to say something about hospital staff as hosts – I hadn’t really appreciated before how important they are as hosts and I’ve learned a lot of dos and don’ts from observing them  and thinking, as I lie still, healing.

The first thing that I really got is how much difference a host makes when you are in an unfamiliar and unpredictable environment – the reception staff that put me in the system were administrators not hosts and it made me very uneasy as they were just asking me questions an telling me where to go and what to do.

However, once I got to the operating the theatre I was greeted by nursing staff who were definitely amazing hosts. Their job is very specific – to keep people safe and also to keep them as comfortable as possible – I love this job spec – to me this is the essence of hosting!

The first thing that I noticed is how they interacted with each other – they were very positive with lots of laughter – this made a huge difference to my comfort level – just seeing how comfortable they were and how they seemed at home in such an intimidating space made me instantly relax.

The next thing I noticed was how direct they were with me – asking me direct feeling questions and if I was comfortable straight of the bat as well as very quickly giving me a “space” – they showed me to a bed, and said “This will be your recovery space”. This one act of giving me a space of my own had a huge effect – all of a sudden the place seemed less scary and more hopeful.

When I went into the operating theatre there were some really hard core nurses in there with specialist training – one thing I noticed (I was conscious for my whole surgery) was that these two seemed even better hosts than the ward staff.

They were asking me very, very often how I was feeling and if I was okay, and once I was settled they made a few jokes to lighten the mood. They encouraged me to talk throughout the entire procedure, which I did.

Then something amazing happened. I was having surgery where they burn your heart. They can’t give much pain relief as it stuffs up the operation so its very painful. As the surgeon started burning and the pain set in, one of the nurses touched my brow and started gently patting it and just talking to me quietly, saying “Are you okay, your doing well, be brave…” etc, in a quiet, low voice; and wow, what a difference it made – it kept me so calm and helped me keep still for the surgeons.

This went on for 5 hours – she never let up the whole time – just encouraging during the tough bits and making jokes in the less stressful bits.

What was really brought home to me was the infinite power of touch. That light hand, gently resting on my forehead. Who would think that such a little action could make such a big difference.

Ill never forget this experience as long as I live and it’s a massive reminder for me that being a host is a skill that can always be improved, and that the lessons in how to make THE difference for another person in need are all around us if we open ourselves up and drink it in!

#2 Awesome Way To Make Your Party Memorable If You Don’t Have a Strict Budget

This one seems simple but there is more to it than meets the eye!

Document the night visually and share these with everyone.

So what does this mean?

Take photos and share them with everyone who came.

So: Two parts:

1: Take photos.

There are some great ways to do this, choose the one that you like best:

A: Pay a pro photographer to do this – pay between $400 and $2000 depending on your budget and how many people will be there. How do you choose a photographer? The best way in my experience is to browse your friends’ who have been married recently’s Facebook albums – if you like their wedding photos, ask them who took them!

B: Get some of your friends who are amateur photographers to help. This can work quite well, but notice that I say friend!S!. Get more than one. This way you will have a range of shots and styles and if someone flakes out you wont be left with no photos at all.

C: Get everyone to take photos and get them emailed or Facebooked. This strategy gets better every year – new smart phones have better cameras than many digital cameras that are just s few years old. To do this, make up some posters that tell people where to email or post the photos and get the DJ or MC to let people know at the start of the party and after the speeches as well. This way works really well for capturing the behind the scenes mischief that often makes the party more memorable than the “big deal” stuff!

2: Share them.

This is the bit that usually gets done less well. Sharing images is a separate task and should be treated with as much care and effort as getting the photos in the first place.

You need to put the photos up somewhere. Good options are:

Facebook: Pop them up in an album on your personal page. Most importantly tag everyone in and then it will appear in their feed so they can tag and comment – this will then make it appear in other people’s feeds so more people will know about the event and the photos.

Flickr: Post your photos in a Flickr album and then you can email everyone and they can go on there and check them out. Works well if you have a lot of friends who aren’t on Facebook!

Email out: If you want you can attach them all in an email and send them out to everyone.

Post out: Don’t dismiss this one – its very personal and quite cost effective. You can get lots of photos printed quite cheaply now at local places like Harvey Norman, Office Works, or your local equivalent digital stationer.

Albums: Once again, don’t dismiss these – they are absolutely amazing in terms of human impact and they get more cost effective and easy to make all the time. I recommend Snapfish. Basically you arrange your snaps into an album online and then helpful computer robots post back as many personalised photo albums as you need. These make an amazing keepsake for your guests!

Then you need to let people know where the photos are. I recommend doing this by SMS, email and social media – when people hear the same message from multiple sources they pay more attention. So send out a text letting people know, then email everyone – include web links if the photos are up in Facebook or Flickr. Finally, let people know by whatever social media most of them use – Facebook, MySpace, Linked In for an Office Event, or maybe Google Plus for the tech heads.

I cant stress enough, use multiple ways of letting people know – you only get one shot at this so use all the different ways so that no one misses out!

So that’s my thoughts on really locking in a great memory for your friends and loved ones. A picture is worth a thousand words!

  

Now. I promised a third tip on both cost effective and also just plain awesome ways to make your party awesome & memorable. Here they are:

#3 Way to make your party awesome on a budget

Do a pub-crawl. Seriously. So many zero budget awesome parties I’ve be to or been a part of are done this way. There are amazing venues with massive sound systems, great entertainers, happy staff and plenty of space to make for an amazing night on a tight budget. Just be organized – consult with your friends so you are going places they want to go, and call the venues before hand to negotiate some favourable treatment – free entry and cheap or free drinks may be on the cards of you ask nicely. If you need help, get some from us locally, or from similar people who, like us, dont charge for this service,  in other regions!

#3 Way To Make Your Party Memorable If You Don’t Have a Strict Budget

Organise a surprise that no one knows about. So many parties come to mind. Have a special surprise for all the guests that will stay in their minds for ever that they just don’t expect. I’ve seen weddings where the Groomsmen have a choreographed dance to surprise the Bride & Groom (these have become legendary!), 21sts where the Dad sings a song for the daughter, work shows where the CEO comes out during the dancing dressed as Elvis and rocks the stage. These are the parties people remember – surprise everyone – they buzz will last a lifetime!

How Do I Make My Party Cheap but still AWESOME #2

Alright, so here is my cheap & effective tip #2 – this is a well kept hospitality secret. Here it is:

Have your party on Sunday.

It’s that simple.

 Now, maybe you’re thinking a few things, so let me address some potential concerns:

      ·         How much will I actually save?

·         Why is it cheaper?

·         Why don’t people let me know to have my party on a Sunday?

·         Will people come if it on a Sunday?

·         How is it actually better than having it on a Saturday or Friday?

Let’s have a look at these questions!

How much will I actually save?

Up to 50% - it’s amazing the price difference at venues ion a Sunday if you shop around! Most venues will waive the room hire on a Sunday of you ask. Also a lot of venues will also give you an additional drink discount oin a Sunday because it’s not prime time. You will also get peripheral services such as DJs cheaper if you ask on a Sunday as once again it’s not prime time. All of this put together saves a lot of money when it’s all tallied up!

Why is it cheaper?

Because it’s off peak – there isn’t any demand for the space so they will give it to you much cheaper to win your business at a time when they would normally have nothing happening at their venue.

Why don’t people let me know to have my party on a Sunday?

Most function managers are just keen to book out all of their Saturdays because that’s the main thing they are judged on – having their function spaces booked every single Saturday – so they will try to sell you onto a free Saturday night, not a Sunday.

Will people come if I have my party on a Sunday?

This is an important consideration. In my experience, yes, definitely, but there are some finer points to consider here pro & con:

Con: Some people will leave early on a Sunday – make the event from 6-11pm then most people will stay til at least 10 (this can be a pro, especially if it’s a wedding and you have been partying all day long).

Pro: If your party is in a busy time of year (birthday peak between Early September and November, Wedding Peak December to March, Work function peak in late November, MORE people may come because there are less clashes. The larger your guest list the more this is the case.

How is it actually better than having it on a Saturday or Friday?

Well, the main reason that I have found these parties are actually better is because they are often better attended but also because they can be done from 6-11 and then you can have an after party afterwards for your closest party buddies. It allows you to keep your relatives happy early, they head off around 10, then you can crank up the dance floor with closer family & friends, and then go out for a late night session with your die hard mates – a 3 in 1 party extravaganza.

Sunday Session. Seriously. Go there.