Essential PhD Toolkit

Necessary Skills

Problem solving: Being able to solve problems creatively and make timely decisions are essential skills for the progression of your career whether you remain in academia or if you go into industry.

Influencing Skills: A PhD. requires a lot of formal and informal collaboration. There will be problems to overcome and you need to be able to negotiate and persuade well. You need to be able to motivate people at all levels to be able to succeed.

Confidence: You need to believe that you can go out and get things done but that’s not the same as thinking that you’re above other people. This workshop will teach you how to gain the quiet confidence you need to maintain your motivation in the face of any unexpected setbacks and problems.

As well as the subjects above, this flexible workshop will cover:

1. The different types of difficult people and how to deal with them
2. Assertiveness without confrontation
3. Goal setting and prioritisation
4. Leadership skills and the essentials of conflict management
5. Presenting to people outside academia
6. Decision making and ways of stimulating creativity

The workshop draws on the personal experience of all participants as well as that of the trainer, thereby ensuring that the training is specific for and relevant to the participants’ individual needs. The workshop will be a structured discussion forum to facilitate ideas and develop strategies.

The workshop will be VERY interactive. Expect to be asked lots of questions, expect to be challenged, expect to participate!