Researcher Development Programme (RDP) course timetable

When opportunities come along, do you feel confident about working with people to get what you need? This course gives you a practical insight into the application of professional communication to everyday life, learning how to persuade and influence others effectively. Improving your listening and communication skills is advantageous for both your personal and your professional life.

This workshop is led by Richard Mullender, an external trainer who formerly worked for the Metropolitan Police as a hostage negotiator, and then as Lead Trainer at the National Crisis & Hostage Negotiation Unit in Scotland Yard. People trusted their lives to the skills he teaches in this course.

Outcomes:

• Be able to use communication consciously to persuade and influence effectively
• Recognize when others are using persuasive communication techniques
• Feel more confident in presenting yourself well to others and in gaining support

"It's not what you know, it's who you know."

This might be an old cliché, but it's particularly true in research where (reportedly) over 90% of jobs go to a candidate already known to the employer. This half-day session will examine how you can make the most of conferences as an environment to strategically network and build research connections.

Outcomes:

• Know how to make attendance at conferences productive
• Start thinking about personal goals while attending conferences
• Understand practically how to network during and after a conference

The relationship you build with your supervisor/PI is important for your future career development, and you stand to gain from shaping a mutually beneficial rapport. This workshop helps postdocs develop the skill of managing up, the deliberate effort to bring understanding and cooperation to a professional relationship. You will see how to consider your PI’s perspectives and motivations, and how embedding your career goals into your PI’s goals, your team’s goals, and the institution’s goals will positively influence your own progress. Come to this workshop to understand how to actively build strong, meaningful professional relationships.

Outcomes:

• Identify what is important to you in a professional relationship
• Learn real steps toward building mutually beneficial working relationships
• Extend your awareness of your place in building strong relationships with those who oversee you

Feedback:

“[This workshop] increased my awareness of the concept of and the need for managing up - this was something I had been missing. Considering that not everyone has a supervisor that initiates a discussion of how you will manage working styles and communications, it is especially necessary to fill that gap.”

“It was a very useful and novel (for me) session that gave a good overview of the concept of managing up, which I was unfortunately somewhat oblivious to previously.”

“It was helpful to think about how my supervisor works and the importance of communicating expectations.”

Giving presentations is an essential skill for a researcher, be it in your deparment, at a major conference, or in your next job interview! You know your subject but sometimes issues of performance and clarity stop you being your best. Perhaps you can't project your voice, perhaps you are terrified of the Q&A, perhaps you feel your slides let you down, or perhaps you just don't know what to do to get better.

This is a highly interactive workshop that requires you to throw yourself into the activities. Everyone will be involved as we apply some of the material from the online Presentation and Performance toolkit and try it out in a safe and supportive environment.

The workshop is especially designed for those who feel less confident with the performance aspects of giving presentations. If you are comfortable standing up and talking in front of others then we recommend starting with the online materials.

A good poster is worth a thousand words... but a bad poster is just a messy bit of paper.

When it’s time for you to present your research, how are you going to make the most of the opportunity? Aimed at second-year PhD students preparing for conferences, this session considers why we use posters to present our research, what makes a good poster, and some common mistakes. Through critiquing real examples and providing useful tips, this course helps you to present your research in style.

Outcomes:

• Understand the purpose of a research poster
• Know what contributes to making a poster good
• Feel more confident in presenting your work effectively

As a postdoc, you’re in a transitional period of your career, one that can be precarious and uncertain at times or marked by dependency on others. Inevitably, there are moments when you have to engage in difficult conversations, whether with your PI, your peers, or with the people you now oversee. You may need to discuss the advancement of your career, settle a conflict with a colleague, or provide feedback to the students.

This workshop is designed to equip you with the right tools to prepare for and have difficult conversations. We will consider the factors that make particular conversations difficult as well as the “third-generation thinking” and mindful listening that will help you elicit the response you want. This interactive workshop is for all postdocs who want to hone their communication skills, advance their careers, and develop their leadership capacities.

Outcomes:

• To think differently in leading difficult conversations to negotiate and influence.
• Articulate own view point in collaboration with team members.
• Consider different ways to deal with difficult conversations in light of your own behaviour and that of others.

Feedback:

“I liked the way we explicitly broke down the process of preparing for difficult conversations by giving techniques.”

This course will be delivered by the University’s Research Governance and Integrity Officer and will introduce researchers to research integrity and ethics at Cambridge. The course will:

• explore the issue of research misconduct in academia and facilitate discussion of why and how it occurs
• explain the recent research integrity agenda and examine how this effects researchers
• discuss some of the challenges to the integrity of research and ask what individuals, groups and institutions can do to tackle them
• introduce the University’s research ethics system
• use case studies and discussion exercises to examine key issues

Looking back at your experience of education you can probably remember those teachers and lecturers who were excellent. We remember the ones who were good because they have left a lasting impact on us; shaping both our learning in the past and our approach as teachers. Supervising undergraduate students at Cambridge can be one of the most rewarding activities for PhDs and Postdocs and this course is designed to make sure that you can offer your best and hopefully be one of those memorable teachers for someone else.

This blended workshop incorporates personal reflection on teaching practice, discussion of real teaching scenarios, a chance to ask questions of an experienced supervisor and access to practical information about organising and carrying out your supervisions.

This training is required by many colleges before you can carry out supervisions and is always a popular course.

While there might be a simple ‘cure’ for procrastination – just get started on the things you’re putting off – for many of us, this simple ‘cure’ is not necessarily easy.

Why this course might make a difference
The overall purpose of this intensive, practical workshop is to help you manage your procrastination.

Outcomes:
With this aim in mind, specific outcomes of the course include:

Raising our awareness of:

• What procrastination actually is
• Our reasons for procrastinating and our habits when we do so
• Our rationalizations when procrastinating
• Two key steps to overcoming our procrastination
• Practical strategies and tips

Feedback from 2016-17:
“It helped me realize some deep reasons that cause me to procrastinate.“

“It made me think of all the ways in which I procrastinate and gave me several tools and ideas to help me improve my focus.”

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize both your own and others' emotions and feelings. As a result, emotional intelligence is vital to enhancing our own personal effectiveness and our ability to work with others.

This pilot course will introduce you to emotional intelligence and help you to recognize and work with your own and others' emotions.

Increasingly, successful researchers are expected to be leaders. Yet with a vast academic and popular literature on Leadership and a huge industry of leadership development programmes, where does a researcher start?

Why this course might make a difference
The overall purpose of this intensive and practical one-day workshop is to introduce PhD students both to the concept of leadership and to practical ways to lead, by exploring four foundational ‘elements of leadership’.

Outcomes:
With this in mind, the specific outcomes for this introductory course include:

• Knowing the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s four elements of leadership, and developing an awareness of two theoretical models of leadership, thereby developing a starting ‘toolkit’ for leadership
• In the process of developing this knowledge, having the opportunity to apply this knowledge to lead a small team
• As a result, developing your confidence in your ability to lead should the opportunity arise

Feedback from 2016-17:

“The course gave a good overview of the key elements of leadership. It allowed each participant to put into practice what was learned and receive constructive feedback.”

“I feel much more competent in my ability to lead, now that I know theories behind the skill and know frameworks which I can implement. Practicing by leading a group of people I did not know was very useful.”

Giving presentations is an essential skill for a researcher, be it in your deparment, at a major conference, or in your next job interview! You know your subject but sometimes issues of performance and clarity stop you being your best. Perhaps you can't project your voice, perhaps you are terrified of the Q&A, perhaps you feel your slides let you down, or perhaps you just don't know what to do to get better.

This is a highly interactive workshop that requires you to throw yourself into the activities. Everyone will be involved as we apply some of the material from the online Presentation and Performance toolkit and try it out in a safe and supportive environment.

The workshop is especially designed for those who feel less confident with the performance aspects of giving presentations. If you are comfortable standing up and talking in front of others then we recommend starting with the online materials.

Your research is going well, you feel you are making progress, but looming on the horizon is the write up...

Aimed at those in their first year of study (PhD / Masters / Rotation students), this workshop is designed to get you thinking and working effectively on writing up your research. How do you start? What is expected? How do you make it work for you? These and many other important questions, hints and tips will be addressed in this half-day session that will help you start to learn and apply the habits of a productive writer.

This course replaces "Writing Your First Year Report" and is designed to be more inclusive of the various programmes of study in Cambridge

Outcomes:

• Understand the standard forms and functions of academic reports
• Start planning the structure of your report
• Experience the benefits of editing and providing feedback on writing

If one of the few criteria for the Cambridge PhD is ‘clearly written’, yet as Bourdieu said ‘academic writing is … no one’s mother tongue’, how do we solve this puzzle and write clearly? The overall aim of this intensive, interactive and practical two-day course is to help you get better at writing academically – whether on your dissertation or a journal article – in other words, writing more clearly. With this aim in mind, Day 1 focusses on Writing; Day 2 on Editing.

Day 1 will explore two fundamental principles of writing English clearly: ‘old before new’ and ‘simplicity first, complexity last’, and will look at these principles at ‘different levels’ of writing from the level of the sentence through to the level of the paragraph and larger work. In the process the course will look at the ‘rhetorical templates’ of introductions, conclusions abstracts and articles.

Day 2 will explore these two principles through the process of editing, and will cover common qualities of academic writing, including using the passive voice, nominalisations and ‘hedging’ appropriately.

To make Writing Retreat even more effective, please bring samples of your own writing that you can work on during the retreat. Writing sample should be a work in progress and not a polished final draft.

Please note, if your booking is successful and you gain a confirmed place you will be expected to attend the whole two days. If you fail to attend or do not stay for the duration of the course you will be charged for your place on this course.

IF YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL IN SECURING THE PLACE YOU WILL BE NOTIFIED BY EMAIL DURING THE WEEK COMMENCING 28th MAY 2018.

If one of the few criteria for the Cambridge PhD is ‘clearly written’, yet as Bourdieu said ‘academic writing is … no one’s mother tongue’, how do we solve this puzzle and write clearly? The overall aim of this intensive, interactive and practical two-day course is to help you get better at writing academically – whether on your dissertation or a journal article – in other words, writing more clearly. With this aim in mind, Day 1 focusses on Writing; Day 2 on Editing.

Day 1 will explore two fundamental principles of writing English clearly: ‘old before new’ and ‘simplicity first, complexity last’, and will look at these principles at ‘different levels’ of writing from the level of the sentence through to the level of the paragraph and larger work. In the process the course will look at the ‘rhetorical templates’ of introductions, conclusions abstracts and articles.

Day 2 will explore these two principles through the process of editing, and will cover common qualities of academic writing, including using the passive voice, nominalisations and ‘hedging’ appropriately.

To make Writing Retreat even more effective, please bring samples of your own writing that you can work on during the retreat. Writing sample should be a work in progress and not a polished final draft.

Please note, if your booking is successful and you gain a confirmed place you will be expected to attend the whole two days. If you fail to attend or do not stay for the duration of the course you will be charged for your place on this course.

IF YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL IN SECURING THE PLACE YOU WILL BE NOTIFIED BY EMAIL DURING THE WEEK COMMENCING 28th MAY 2018.

Ever wonder why you seem to ‘click’ with one person and not another? Ever wonder why you might find some things easier to do than others? The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) might shed some light on these questions.

Why this course might make a difference
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator presents a framework to help you understand yourself and others, by exploring differences and preferences in four areas of your personality. As a result of this exploration you may work more effectively and be more understanding in your relationships with others.

Led by a qualified MBTI practitioner, the workshop comprises working through the MBTI questionnaire and self-assessment exercises, so that participants can:

• Understand the concept and theories behind the MBTI types and process to obtain a personal profile
• Explore the differences and preferences within personalities in research-related scenarios

Feedback from 2016-17:

“I had known about the Myers-Briggs, but I hadn't understood the different dimensions fully, or their interactions at a deeper level. Between explanations and activities, the course really helped me to understand the Myers-Briggs perspective, and to be aware of personal and professional differences between my friends and colleagues.”

“The contents of this training and the design of the teaching were very attractive and interesting. I think this training is very useful and helpful, and will recommend it to my friends and other students in my department in the future.”

Do you know how to write a successful research grant application? This course is designed for postdocs with little or no experience of getting their research funded. It will explore the current research environment and impact agenda and help you understand how research is funded. You will also experience the process of reviewing applications and gain valuable and timely knowledge about how to get research funded.

Outcomes:

• Learn tips and strategies to help you to get your current & future projects funded
• Understand how proposals are assessed by funders
• Gain experience of reviewing funding applications
• Gain information about translational research funding and support available to post-docs

Feedback:

“Both the online resources presented, and the focused training sessions were well structured and passed through the importance of well-structured proposal, and often overlooked issues such as impact.”

“[I liked] seeing a grant from another discipline, to realise that a well-written grant (even if not perfect) can be understood also by people external to the field.”

Your research is going well, you feel you are making progress, but looming on the horizon is the write up...

Aimed at those in their first year of study (PhD / Masters / Rotation students), this workshop is designed to get you thinking and working effectively on writing up your research. How do you start? What is expected? How do you make it work for you? These and many other important questions, hints and tips will be addressed in this half-day session that will help you start to learn and apply the habits of a productive writer.

This course replaces "Writing Your First Year Report" and is designed to be more inclusive of the various programmes of study in Cambridge

Outcomes:

• Understand the standard forms and functions of academic reports
• Start planning the structure of your report
• Experience the benefits of editing and providing feedback on writing

A good poster’s worth 1000 words… but a bad poster’s just a bit of messy paper. When it’s time for you to present your scientific poster how are you going to make the most of the opportunity? We’ll think about why we use posters to present our research, what makes the difference between a good and bad poster and some useful tips to help you present your data in style. This is an introductory course to help you start preparing for your first poster sessions...

Your research is going well, you feel you are making progress, but looming on the horizon is the write up...

Aimed at those in their first year of study (PhD / Masters / Rotation students), this workshop is designed to get you thinking and working effectively on writing up your research. How do you start? What is expected? How do you make it work for you? These and many other important questions, hints and tips will be addressed in this half-day session that will help you start to learn and apply the habits of a productive writer.

This course replaces "Writing Your First Year Report" and is designed to be more inclusive of the various programmes of study in Cambridge

Outcomes:

• Understand the standard forms and functions of academic reports
• Start planning the structure of your report
• Experience the benefits of editing and providing feedback on writing