Personal effectiveness: Managing professional relationships & the doctoral roller coaster

Personal effectiveness: Managing professional relationships & handling the doctoral roller coaster

Negotiation in work and study

Ms Karin Blak: Relationship Therapist and Trainer

Everywhere we go we are required to do some sort of negotiation, whether it is getting our point across, making sure something is done to the standard we require, or managing relationships. Good negotiation skills are vital for managing situations with your supervisor, for other collaborative relationships with work and study colleagues, even in your personal life.

This workshop will explore models which will help you prepare and approach negotiation positively and constructively, enabling a considered outcome and the best chance of a win/win result. By the end of the workshop you will:-

• know basic negotiation skills
• have explored relationship dynamics
• have basic conflict management skills
• know how to develop a ‘partnership’ approach
• have great skills applicable to working as part of a team

Experiencing the doctorate – Exploring strategies and emotions

Dr Matthew Callender, Dr Richard Hazenberg

The doctoral experience can be described as an emotional roller-coaster which has extreme highs (presenting at international conferences, getting published, submitting the thesis, becoming an expert in your field) but also some lows (negative feedback from supervisors, feelings of isolation and self-doubt, sacrifice). While being these extremes, the doctoral experience also has many emotional twists and turns (meeting new people and potential future peers, the highs and lows of writing and being creative, conflicting priorities in balancing home and work life).

In this workshop, two recent Northampton graduates (Dr Matthew Callender – Human Geography, Dr Richard Hazenberg – Business) share their PhD experiences in order to identify coping strategies in key moments and events. This interactive workshop offers an opportunity to discuss some of the different emotions they experienced during their research and the strategies they used to successfully complete their journey and take their next steps into the academic community. The workshop is aimed at students at any stage of their PhD or Research Degree and will offer the chance to reflect on your own approach and management to your own experience.

Outcomes:

• Richer understanding of emotional dimensions of doctoral experience
• Strategies to manage emotions within research degree experiences
• Tips and advice concerning positive outcomes and success

This workshop is open to any student currently registered on a research degree programme at the University of Northampton. Further information is available from Simone Apel (simone.apel@northampton.ac.uk; 01604 893418).