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Belly Up |
March Issue 03YOUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER BY
CHILDBIRTH INTERNATIONAL |
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Belly Up covers current topics related to pregnancy, birth and parenting, exploring some of the more controversial issues. |
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| Welcome to Belly Up! |
| Cover Story
How sound is ultrasound?
Ultrasound can seem reassuring but what are
the real risks? |
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| Featured Articles
Great web design
Don't know your ISP from your URL? Learn
the lingo and get that website up and running!
Culture Vulture
Learn more about how different cultures
treat the placenta. |
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| Regulars
A CBE asks
Ideas evaluating how effective your classes
are in meeting client expectations.
A Doula asks
How do you turn those initial meetings into
client bookings?
The Bottom Line
What's new in research and news?
CBI News
What's happening at Childbirth
International?
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| Childbirth International provides training programs for doulas & childbirth educators. The leading provider of home based learning across the world, Childbirth International provides you with this free newsletter to keep you up to date and help you develop your skills and knowledge. |
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A Doula asks
"I am a new doula and have
had several meetings with potential clients that never come to
anything. I always put a lot into these meetings and feel very
disappointed when they never
call me back afterwards. I am
wondering if there is something wrong with the way I am
handling these meetings?" - Katie, UK |
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Katie, this is a very common problem reported by new doulas
and can be frustrating, especially when you are enthusiastic and keen to sign up
new clients. Unfortunately, in the early days, it is often our very enthusiasm
that stands in our way and can prevent us from coming across professionally.
The first step is to consider the purpose of these initial meetings. Do you see
them as an opportunity to "sell" your services to your client, or as an
opportunity to find out more about what they are looking for?
The second step is to consider your image and presentation. How are you coming
across? Do you dress in a style appropriate for the client? Do you have a ready
supply of materials such as business cards, booking forms and so on with you?
Are you on time? Do you greet them with a smile and a confident handshake?
Sometimes these simple things can go a long way towards creating a professional
image.
Asking close friends and family for feedback can be helpful. The most important
part of the process is to reflect on your communication skills. Many new doulas
go through a phase of what we call "doula evangelism", where they are so excited
about their new career and are reading and learning so much, that they can seem
somewhat overbearing, wanting to rescue every women and prevent her from having
negative experiences. In addition they are often very keen to list all the
things they can "do" for their clients - massage, aromatherapy, relaxation, and
so on - without considering what it is that their client really wants or needs.
One technique that can be helpful is to try and resist the temptation to give
information before you have asked questions. Asking open questions which avoid
yes or no responses and encourage the client to open up about their needs can be
helpful. Open questions are those that encourage fuller responses - they often
begin with words such as why, when, and how. For example, if the client asks,
"So, what do doulas actually do?", instead of launching into download mode and
listing everything you are able to do, try to take a moment to reflect on what
she is really asking. It might be helpful to ask her what she has heard or read
already, or what she has been told by other people. What did she like about what
she has read? What things concern her? What would she like a doula to do for
her? Having this information will enable you to tailor your response more
precisely towards her needs. |
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How
does Childbirth International training address this?Childbirth International
believes the most important part of being a
birth doula, a postpartum doula, a childbirth
educator or a breastfeeding counselor, is
communication. How well do you listen? How aware
are you of your own body language? How easy is
it for you to separate your own feelings and
choices from those of your client? Do you
struggle when a client makes choices that you
feel are vastly different from the ones you
would make?Because
of the importance of communication skills, and
the enormous value in reflecting on our own
experiences and "birthing beliefs", we place a
lot of emphasis on this in our courses. All students completing a
full certification program will cover
communication skills. You will complete one
paper that uses reflective practice - looking at
an event in your life and examining what you
felt you have learned from the experience. Your
trainer will be there to support and guide you,
helping you to develop communication skills that
will truly make a difference to your clients. For more information on
training with Childbirth International, take a
look at our
website,
or
contact us.
Childbirth International
offers training programs for Birth Doulas,
Postpartum Doulas and
Childbirth Educators. From September 2008 we will
also be launching a Breastfeeding Counseling
course. |
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Click for
UK spelling