The Keynote Session, highlighted by a humorous speech on the different communication styles exercised by men and women, kicked off the second day of the RDH Under One Roof conference in Las Vegas on Thursday, July 30.
The keynote speaker, Bruce Christopher, evoked laughter by pointing out numerous examples of how communication between the sexes fail. Christopher, a clinical psychologist who lectures nationally on psychology in the workplace, spoke on the topic, "Why are women so strange and men so weird?"
The audience laughed heartily at some of the absurdities regarding communication patterns between the opposing genders. But Christopher also offered more serious suggestions on how male and female colleagues can communicate more effectively. For example, men should elaborate on terse, "bottom line first" responses by offering more details, and women should respect the biologically different way of how men compartmentalize their thoughts, instead of the "global" view favored by women.
The RDH Under One Roof conference was attended by approximately 1,000 dental hygienists on July 29-31. The conference's Keynote Session started off with the award presentation for the recipients of the Sunstar/RDH Award of Distinction. Bill Sever, vice president and chief marketing officer for Sunstar Americas, led the presentation of the awards to the nine recipients. Sever expressed gratitude on behalf of the dental profession for "your dedication in helping those in need."
The nine 2009 recipients are:
• Nancy Ferguson Brown, RDH, Morganton, North Carolina
• Rhonda Ford, RDH, BS, Jackson, Tennessee
• Kimberly Grant, RDH, CCEMPT, Ash Grove, Missouri
• Mary Kellerman, RDH, Billerica, Massachusetts
• Mary Kelly, RDH, BS, Des Moines, Iowa
• Sandy Kemper, RDH, Seattle, Washington
• Kate Mills, RDH, Bainbridge Island, Washington
• Elaine Siebers, RDH, BS, Oxnard, California
A complete profile of each recipient will appear in the September issue of RDH magazine.
Craig Dickson, the publisher of RDH magazine, also spoke on how the 11th RDH Under One Roof has grown since the first one in 2001 (in some of the early conferences, two were staged each year). He said the 2009 conference was attended by the most first-time visitors.
He also thanked the some of the sponsors who contribute to the conference with funding, speakers, and various other ways. In particular, Brasseler hosted the UOR Welcome Session; the ADHA hosted a morning coffee before the Keynote Session; Sunstar Americas hosted the Networking Session; Discus Dental hosted the Farewell Reception; and Colgate and Orascoptic hosted the two group lunches during the conference.
The 2010 RDH Under One Roof will be hosted in Orlando, Fla., on August 5-7, 2010.
