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"Doula to Accompany and Comfort the Dying" and
"Successful Public Speaking"
February 4, 2004 |
Two beneficial presentations were delivered at this membership
meeting that was hosted by William Wang at the New York Downtown
Hospital.
DOULA PROGRAM
 Harriet
Feiner, CSW, is a Director at The Shira Ruskay Center. Three
years ago she began DOULA, a program designed to provide support
and stabilization to individuals who have little or no family
support during their time of dying. The center now has forty
trained volunteers who've served in five different hospitals,
two nursing homes as well as in patients' homes. Harriet
emphasized that the goal of the program is to serve patients
near the end of life. Volunteers are trained through eight, one
and a half hour sessions and meet with trainers approximately
every eight weeks thereafter. "The quality of the relationships
that the DOULAs build with patients is extraordinary." Harriet
told a story of a man who was suffering from AIDS as well as ALS
and the DOULA discovered that the two women who were caring for
him were his sisters who had previously lost their parents to
AIDS. She recommended that if any of us were interested in
bringing DOULA volunteers into our settings, it was crucial to
have a point person to champion the program.
There is a wonderful article about the DOULA program beginning
on page one of the New York Times from Sunday, January 25, 2004.
DOULA is the Greek work for servant.
PUBLIC SPEAKING & PRESENTATION SKILLS
Eugene Ritchie had sat in on the presentation by Harriet Feiner
(see above) and made a startling statement: "The business that
you (Directors of Volunteers) are in is really about love."
Eugene's presentation covered the following areas:
- Fear Factor; we practiced a quick tension releasing
exercise.
- Presentation Types and Structure; we discussed the
importance of knowing our audience, zeroing in on the
purpose of the presentation, preparing openings and
closings, refining our major points, and giving supporting
ideas and evidence.
- Creativity, Employing Good and Effective Visuals.
- Using Humor.
- Pacing, Dress.
- Motivating Others to Action.
One of the most useful aspects of Eugene's presentation was
enhancing our current methods. After eliciting examples/ideas
from the DVS's in the room, he improved them by using the
methods he taught earlier in the presentation. The shared ideas
became more effective, motivating, and easier to absorb the
information. |
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MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Upcoming Conference
Building Volunteer Communities
How to Make the Generation Gap Work for You
Friday, November 7, 2008,
New York City
Location
United Hospital Fund
Empire State Building
350 Fifth Avenue, 23rd Floor
New York, NY 10118-2300
Registration
On-line: www.uhfnyc.org
By fax: (212) 494-0818 Attn: Norma Gindes
By mail:
United Hospital Fund Attn: Norma Gindes Empire State Building
350 Fifth Avenue, 23rd Floor
New York, NY 10118-2300
Fee: $65 per person ($60 per person for five or more attendees from the
same institution, registering together) including breakfast, coffee break,
lunch, and conference materials.
Payment deadline:
October 24
Space is limited - please register early.
No-shows will be billed.
Cancellations received after
October 29 will be subject to a $15 service charge.
For more information: (212) 494-0724 |
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