Ready-to-go workshops
These are all ready-made workshops that can be delivered online via Zoom or Teams or in person.
DOCTORAL ILLUMINATION
Set goals that you want to achieve as part of a practice of reflective learning.
1 day | Virtual or in-person
Learning outcomes
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Explain the drivers of motivation in truly committing to goals.
- Apply appropriate strategies to reframe reaction to missing a goal.
- Approach goal setting from different perspectives, depending on personal preferences.
- Set short, medium and long term goals for themselves that they are truly motivated to achieve.
- Describe the process of reflective learning during a PhD, and its relevance to goal setting.
- Create a reflective learning process for their PhD that matches their personal preferences.
A FIELD GUIDE TO NON-ACADEMIC JOB HUNTING
Get prepared for non-academic interviews before the pressure is really on.
2 hours | Virtual
Learning outcomes
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Interrogate job advertisements to pull out key skills and qualities employers are looking for.
- Make a good stab at identifying which skills are essential and which are desirable, where this is not explicit.
- Match their own level of skill to that being sought in advertisements.
- Identify experiences that fulfil the requirements for transferable skills within and outside of doctoral research.
- Use knowledge of competency-based interviewing to prepare for interviews to create coherent stories to illustrate experience.
MAKING THE MOST OF ACADEMIC CONFERENCES
Good preparation, strategic networking, follow up
1 day | in-person
Learning outcomes
By the end of these workshops, participants will be able to:
- Attend conferences with a clear picture of what you want to get out of attending.
- Use enhanced networking skills to connect with other researchers, as an attendee or presenter.
- Create well-structured presentations and posters, using storytelling techniques, and deliver them with clarity.
- Be an active, respectful, ethical, conference participant.
- Reflect on the conference experience in a structured way and follow up appropriately.
- Take a long-term view of your conference participation for future career development and collaborative opportunities.
TIME MANAGEMENT
The challenges, finding a way that works for you, sustaining systems and adapting.
1/2 day | virtual or in-person
Learning outcomes
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Identify where their greatest personal challenges lie in managing time.
- Time block in a way that works for them personally, using supporting strategies that help to maintain their strategic time planning.
- Address procrastination with a range of different tactics to maintain momentum and minimise self-induced frustration.
- Recognise the impact of neurodiversity time management and the maintenance of time management methods.
- Recognise the importance of self-care in maintaining wellbeing to ensure the sustainability of the time management techniques they are using.
CAREER PLANNING
… and making good decisions. How to take the fear out of taking the next steps post-PhD.
3 hours | virtual
Learning outcomes
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Use knowledge of personal values, gravity issues and career anchors to inform their career thinking.
- Identify potential compromises they may or may not be willing to make.
- Use future scenarios to increase the range of options for their future career.
- Use creative techniques to expand thinking further, and practical strategies for narrowing and researching potential futures.
- Value the roles of the conscious and unconscious in career decision making.
STORYTELLING FOR RESEARCH
Use storytelling techniques to talk about research in a compelling way to any audience.
1 day | in person or virtual
Learning outcomes
By the end of these workshops, participants will be able to:
- Incorporate the key elements of storytelling into presentations and public engagement activities
- Use a relevant narrative arc to relate the story they really want to tell
- Use a storyboarding technique to design presentations to build in flexibility
- Explain how structure can improve audience engagement and use appropriate verbal and visual signposts throughout
- Use visuals that reinforce, rather than distract, from their message.
- NB this workshop can be tailored either for academic presentations or public engagement activities.
PhD PLAN B-Z
Managing risk and change in doctoral research from practical and emotional perspectives
1 day | virtual or in-person
Learning outcomes
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Describe their PhD project in terms of its ultimate goal(s).
- Embrace the process of change in a proactive manner by appropriate planning for risks.
- Recognise the value of creating a ‘failure-friendly’ mindset.
- Create a range of potential options, based on considered analysis.
- Apply an understanding of ‘sunk-cost bias’ in determining when to move on.
- Apply an understanding of the psychology of managing change as their PhD evolves.
PURPOSEFUL THINKING
Thinking techniques that allow you to break mental deadlocks and make progress again.
1 day | virtual or in-person
Learning outcomes
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Identify situations that can benefit from purposeful thinking.
- Explain the differences between critical and directed thinking, and oppositional and parallel thinking.
- Apply parallel thinking techniques in supervisions and in individual thinking through the use of Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats®.
- Use Edward de Bono’s Lateral Thinking® and creativity tools to unblock thinking and move forwards.