{"id":2469,"date":"2019-02-04T13:00:33","date_gmt":"2019-02-04T13:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fearfree.com\/2019\/02\/take-a-fear-free-approach-to-sharing-the-fear-free-approach-with-colleagues\/"},"modified":"2024-09-04T20:05:17","modified_gmt":"2024-09-04T20:05:17","slug":"take-a-fear-free-approach-to-sharing-the-fear-free-approach-with-colleagues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fearfree.com\/2019\/02\/take-a-fear-free-approach-to-sharing-the-fear-free-approach-with-colleagues\/","title":{"rendered":"Take a Fear Free Approach to Sharing the Fear Free Approach with Colleagues"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
By Linda Lombardi<\/strong>
\n<\/strong><\/em>Introducing Fear Free techniques to colleagues who aren\u2019t familiar with them or who may be resistant to change can be daunting, but Fear Free principles apply to people as well as pets. Here\u2019s how they can help.<\/p>\n

Tabitha Kucera, a veterinary technician, has learned a lot from her experiences teaching Fear Free to other veterinary professionals, and maybe the biggest lesson is the importance of using the same principles on people as you do on animals.<\/p>\n

\u201cPositive reinforcement encourages initiative and creativity, it forgives mistakes, it creates enthusiastic learners and accelerates learning,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s the same for people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Build a Constructive Culture<\/strong><\/p>\n

The benefits should seem obvious once you\u2019ve worked with animals that way. But applying these methods doesn\u2019t always come naturally, she says. She recalls a class she attended at the Karen Pryor Academy. Most of the students were trainers, along with Kucera and two other vet techs. At one point, each person did an exercise in front of the class and then fellow students were asked to talk about what they thought had been done well.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the techs it was harder than for the dog trainers, and that was an epiphany for us,\u201d she said. \u201cWe talked about it later\u2014it\u2019s that we\u2019re not used to getting constructive feedback.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not only was it more difficult to give positive comments, it was also frustrating at first to get them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were like, why don\u2019t you tell me what I did wrong? Just tell me what I did wrong so I can fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n

But if you\u2019ve studied behavior, you know all the reasons why \u201cJust tell them when they\u2019re wrong\u201d is a bad way to train. One is that just saying \u201cno\u201d to the wrong behavior doesn\u2019t tell the learner what the right behavior is. If you want staff to use less stressful techniques, saying \u201cDon\u2019t do this,\u201d while well-meaning, doesn\u2019t communicate the desired alternative.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re used to scruffing, I can\u2019t just tell you not to scruff, which is what I see a lot of,\u201d she says. “I hear a lot of \u2018less is more,\u2019 but what does that mean? You need to define the behavior you want.\u201d<\/p>\n

Say No to No<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maybe even more important is the effect of all those \u201cnos\u201d on the recipient.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith positive reinforcement, the biggest difference is we focus on the good,\u201d she says. \u201cThe way some other training techniques work\u2014and the way people often work with each other\u2014is we focus on the negative: I\u2019m going to tell you what you did wrong and completely ignore all the good stuff you did. That creates an environment where people are afraid to make mistakes and afraid to ask questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being told that you\u2019re wrong is essentially a form of punishment, and learners who are afraid to make mistakes because of repeated punishment soon shut down and are afraid to try anything. That makes it impossible to learn something new. And imagine the frustration of doing the same thing for years and then being told it\u2019s wrong. We wouldn\u2019t do that to an animal, but we often don\u2019t realize we\u2019re doing exactly that to our fellow humans.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t punish them when this is how they were taught,\u201d she says. \u201cI say, \u2018You\u2019re not wrong in what you\u2019re doing, but fortunately medicine progresses, and we\u2019ve learned a lot of great new ways to handle animals that make it easier for us and for them.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Be careful, too, of how interactions can convey the message \u201cYou\u2019re wrong\u201d without saying exactly that out loud. \u201cYou can\u2019t run over and say, \u2018Let me take over,\u2019 because then you just insulted that person,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen I see things that are concerning, I\u2019d just say, \u2018Hey, you guys need some help?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Show, Don\u2019t Tell<\/strong><\/p>\n

Simply using the techniques and letting people see what happens can be the best way to start. \u201cFirst thing first, wherever I am, I use these skills, and people notice,\u201d Kucera says. \u201cSoon they\u2019re coming to me and asking if they can learn this.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to remember that trying something new can be anxiety-provoking, especially if you\u2019re invested in and comfortable with techniques you\u2019ve been using for years. Make it clear that it\u2019s okay to try and fail. \u201cI also don\u2019t say \u2018It\u2019s do this or die,\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cTry it one time, and if it doesn\u2019t work, we\u2019ll do it the way that you\u2019re comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another thing that we know for our animals but often forget for our fellow humans is that different reinforcers work for different individuals. When she\u2019s trying to persuade people of the benefits of Fear Free, Kucera says, everyone cares about decreasing fear and stress in the animals, but other motivators can differ by role. For a practice owner, she\u2019ll talk about the business advantages, while for a tech who restrains animals, she\u2019ll say, \u201cYou\u2019re in your 30s; you need to go home and not be in pain every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Set Realistic Goals<\/strong><\/p>\n

When Kucera talks to people who are excited by her presentations, she often has to talk them down a bit. \u201cI say, \u2018I love your enthusiasm, but I don\u2019t want you to go back to your shelter or hospital and say we have to do all this right now<\/em>,\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cBecause I did that in the past, and it shuts people down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Remember that new skills need practice. \u201cI set realistic expectations for people: I don\u2019t expect you to do this perfectly tomorrow,\u201d she says. And start slow, just like you would with a pet. \u201cPick one or two things for your practice or shelter and start there, because from there it\u2019s going to spread like wildfire but not if you don\u2019t set your staff up for success.\u201d<\/p>\n

This article was reviewed\/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and\/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Introducing Fear Free techniques to colleagues who aren\u2019t familiar with them or who may be resistant to change can be daunting, but Fear Free principles apply to people as well as pets. Here\u2019s how they can help.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2470,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[142,134,136,143,137,138],"content-type":[47],"duration":[53],"membership-type":[],"profession":[39,38,40,37,36,46],"species":[31,34],"topic":[20],"class_list":["post-2469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-considerate-approach","tag-fear-free","tag-stress","tag-touch-gradient","tag-veterinarian","tag-veterinary","content-type-blog","duration-5-minutes-or-less","profession-practice-manager","profession-shelter-staff","profession-support-staff","profession-technician-nurse","profession-veterinarian","profession-volunteer","species-canine","species-feline","topic-practice-management"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTake a Fear Free Approach to Sharing the Fear Free Approach with Colleagues - Fear Free<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fearfree.com\/2019\/02\/take-a-fear-free-approach-to-sharing-the-fear-free-approach-with-colleagues\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Take a Fear Free Approach to Sharing the Fear Free Approach with Colleagues - Fear Free\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Introducing Fear Free techniques to colleagues who aren\u2019t familiar with them or who may be resistant to change can be daunting, but Fear Free principles apply to people as well as pets. 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