Is this course right for me?

Target Audience: Research Staff & their Supervisors

Communication is a fundamental aspect of a researcher’s job and the skills involved are among the most important you have. This lively and practical communication-skills course is designed to help researchers and their supervisors establish and maintain effective working relationships – a cornerstone of success in academic environments. The focus will not be on what you say so much as how you say it. The session will help you find a communication style that is authentic, engaging and persuasive. It will enable you to develop greater ‘presence’ and personal authority, to assert yourself constructively and to do yourself justice in a range of professional contexts.

The course will equip you participants to work better as part of a team or academic community, and to deal confidently and constructively with the sensitive situations that sometimes crop up. You’ll gain valuable insights into their own and others’ communication styles, as well as a set of straightforward techniques for:

• Communicating confidently in research contexts
• Understanding hierarchical and power relations
• Developing confidence and clarity
• Refining your styles of communication
• Communicating assertively under pressure
• Asserting yourself constructively and influencing others
• Managing conflict and handling difficult situations  

Prerequisites