The nature of an opportunity is defined
individually as they are determined by every individual’s perspective on their
life and their careers. My passion for public health practice was founded on my
journey in clinical medicine. As my interests range from research appraisal,
knowledge mobilization and community outreach, I found that every opportunity
should be considered for its potential to showcase one’s professional skills. Recently
this year, I co-lead a professional development event titled the Personal and
Professional Pursuit of Excellence 2015 Symposium. At that point, a lot of
individuals asked me why I wavered from my path in public health. The truth was
that I never did.
In early January, I was actively seeking
employment in health promotion, protection and knowledge creation. When a
colleague suggested an opportunity to collaborate, I jumped on it. I was only
aware of one impact at the time. That impact was the enhancement of my
communications, leadership and stakeholder engagement skills. Reflecting on the
planning, implementation and evaluation of this event, I had effectively
developed my project management skills. Walking in to situations with a
scientist’s perspective, I began to refine the lens by which I looked at
community and stakeholder engagement. It had more to do with the appreciation
of patience and an awareness of clear concise objectives. We often outline the
scope of projects, but I began to outline what was no longer within the scope
of projects as well.
This symposium showcased over 13 collaborations
and our objective was to have the conversation about personal and professional
development. My objective to look at the social and economic factors surrounding
the professional’s health; this I observed in myself, our volunteers, our
collaborators and participants as well. The event was about providing a
platform for professionals in transition to engage with subject matter experts.
We wanted to give everyone an opportunity to collaborate and a chance to be
better informed. With 8 workshop facilitators and 3 event sponsors; the event was
an opportunity for all of us to come together and contribute to the discussion
about personal brands in the professional climate.
My application of these project
management competencies allows me to now effectively manage future projects,
especially the 2 global health ventures that I am now a part of.
My 3 lessons learned are as follows;
1) Training is required on all fronts
It doesn’t matter if you’re a
volunteer, a speaker or a sponsor, one requires a clear outline of what they
are expected to deliver on. These individuals will facilitate your event from
start to finish, so it is vital that you instruct them on the agenda and the
nature of the activities with precision detail. Moving forward with regard to
knowledge mobilization events, I produce detailed manuals and documents (such
as a memorandum of understanding) for all associated parties. Securing dates
for rehearsals and training in advance will essentially produce fluid events.
2) Emails are often lost in translation
Forget about emailing your project
stakeholders about every detail, the majority will not respond or respond
competently. Keep communications simple and few in numbers; you must also
remember that these are fellow professionals with work who may not have time to
read through your bulky emails. Also try to hammer out your communications plan
in advance and get to know your stakeholders; not everyone will prefer email.
3) Be Specific
Events require marketing plans and must
be promoted on multiple means. This means that you need all the information in
front of you. Plan out what you require from each involved party, this will
allow you to secure your data in advance. The more specific you are the better.
For example; don’t request a picture from a keynote speaker with a short bio,
request a high resolution picture in formal attire with a 75 to 100 worded bio.
The
moral of this blog post is that opportunities can further so many of your skill
sets without you even planning on it. This opportunity now allows me to cater
to highly effective productions of events. So when opportunities knock on your
imaginary door, consider the outcomes and impacts it can have on your career.
Don’t forget to let your imagination run wild, because I did. This blog was initially created to house a few thoughts by a few creative public health professionals. However, reviewing this year has taught me to dream BIG! So this blog will now house a number of global health professionals with diverse perspectives on health. This is an opportunity and it is most worthy of building anyone's application of global health knowledge and experience. I ask you to share your thoughts and perspectives in order to inform our approach in healthcare and health promotion activities.
Change begins with YOU!
