Professional Development Seminar: Dining Etiquette

By: Kelsie Ferstl (MHA '20)

 "It is Not What You Eat But HOW You Eat It"

In Iowa’s MHA program we focus on preparing students to become the future leaders of the healthcare industry. Before entering the program I would have never included dining etiquette among the curriculum I expected to engage with during my time here, but now it makes perfect sense. Learning to become a leader is all about telling a story – your story. This does not happen just in the board room or at the quarterly budget meeting. It happens every single day when you decide how you are going to show up. Today, with the help of Professor Ian Montgomery, we answered this question: How will you tell your story over a meal? How will you convince the people sitting around the table that you are comfortable, in control, and that they can count on you? 

Planning for a professional meal takes preparation. You begin to write your story long before sitting down at the table. Putting in the work ahead of time allows you to show up confident, and eliminates any stress that may deter you from presenting yourself exactly as planned. We learned the basic flow of a meal is left to right and outside in, and the proper way communicate with the wait staff using both verbal and non-verbal cues. We discussed those awkward moments that everyone has encountered (i.e. going in for the handshake and they went for the hug) and ways to avoid them. We learned how to be gracious guests and attentive hosts. We kept our elbows off the table and placed our utensils at 4’oclock, face down, when we finished our meal. But most importantly, we learned about gestalt.  While forgetting to enter your seat on the left side or to pass the bread basket right are not detrimental mistakes, when it becomes a pattern of behavior it can override the story of who you are as a person. On the contrary, you can demonstrate you are confident, gracious, professional, and prepared with each small instance of proper dining etiquette. Through sharing a meal, you can show them that they can count on you. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Adriana Kotchkoski (MHA '24): Nihon Keiei Consulting Group

Image
Konnichiwa from Japan!   As I sit down to write this blog post, I am filled with a sense of gratitude and accomplishment as I reflect on my time as an intern at Nihon Keiei Consulting Group in Osaka, Japan. This summer has been nothing short of remarkable, offering me a unique blend of professional development and cultural immersion that I will cherish forever.   During my time at Nihon Keiei, I had the opportunity to engage in in-depth research and analysis, creating comprehensive market profiles for the healthcare sectors in the Philippines and India. These profiles laid the foundation for strategic expansion plans, and it was an honor to present my findings and recommendations to a senior consultant during insightful one-on-one meetings. These interactions were not only professionally enriching but also allowed me to witness firsthand how strategic decisions shape the course of an organization's growth.   One of the most rewarding experiences during my internship was t...
Read more

Devante Davis (MHA '24): UCHealth - Southern Region

Image
Hello my name is Devante Davis I am going into my 2 nd year as an MHA student at the University of Iowa!    I am currently interning at UCHEALTH southern region in Colorado Springs, and UCHEALTH mission statement is to Improve lives through providing quality care. My preceptor is Andrew Ritchie the Chief Operation Officer of the UCHEALTH southern region. He great a developing talent while unlocking hiding potential within his interns, and fellow! My favorite project was evaluating what the rest of the world is doing to recover from this global nursing shortage. Summarizing the data and be a part of creating a valuable plan to implement into the UCHEALTH southern region. A few other fun events I attended were the pikes peak annual racing event, viper’s baseball game, the incline!  
Read more

Naudya Chhuon, UIHC Accounting and Financial Services (MHA '25)

Image
This summer, I had the opportunity to be a part of the Finance and Accounting Services team (FAS) at the University of Iowa. My internship allowed me to better understand what it is like to work in finance and accounting, especially within the healthcare industry. From managing a vaccination clinic project to tackling financial models, I got to contribute to some and be a part of some fun projects. One of the highlights of my internship was being the go-to person for all things related to the HPV vaccination clinic with the Population Health team. This project provides Shoes for patients under 13 years old who obtain their 2 nd  dose of the HPV vaccine. I found myself at the center of communication between four different teams, which meant I got to lead meetings, and make sure we were all on the same page. Our big event is coming up in the second week of August, and I am proud of how smoothly everything has been running so far.  Another big part of my summer was getting my han...
Read more