Workshops & Training

Each course can be tailored for delivery to a targeted group (eg Academic or Non-Academic staff) or to a mixed group.

Workshops available include:

• Presentation Skills (general or for Conferences)
• Supervising Research Students
• Research Project Management
• Organising Time for Researchers/Time management
• How to Write an Abstract
• How to Write a Research Paper
• Planning and Writing a PhD Thesis
• Using Creativity to Make Writing Enjoyable
• Manage, Influence, Motivate!
• Confident Speaking at Meetings
• Coaching Skills for Managers
• NLP Skills for Educators - an Introduction
• Advanced Communication Skills
• Creative Thinking and Problem Solving
• PostGrad Studies - survive and thrive!
• Presenting Yourself
• Chairing Meetings - how to achieve your objectives
• Dealing with Change
• Stress Busting for Busy People/Managing Pressure Positively
• Aim to be Assertive
• Improve Your Confidence Skills

Full details are available in our brochure.

Additional specialist workshops include:

• Introduction to molecular biology techniques
• DNA repair - mechanisms of survival and disease
• In situ hybridisation - techniques and applications
• Microsoft Word - introduction, intermediate and advanced
• Microsoft Excel - introduction, intermediate and advanced
• Micorosoft Outlook - manage both email and diary/calendar

Contact me to enquire about available dates for your course!

See brochure for full details

Presentation Skills

Surveys regularly reveal that public speaking is the most feared business activity and is dreaded even more than death! In your future career it is highly likely that you will be required to present your work to colleagues, to conferences, at meetings or in seminars.

This workshop will outline the principles of confident speaking at meetings. We will begin by exploring the basic components of communication including listening skills and the power of body language. We will cover planning for your meeting, structuring the content and preparing to deal with questions.

As a result of this workshop participants will

• Understand the contributions of words voice and body language
• Know four essential questions to answer when planning for a meeting
• Be clear about the verbal and nonverbal strategies to build rapport
• Know how to plan the content of a presentation

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Research Project Management

Planning and completing your research programme is key in your career as a researcher. Achieving a grant award is a major step in the project management journey. For most researchers, delivering upon the plans they have is a challenge in project management for which they are given little or no formal preparation.

This workshop will examine the nature of project management, identifying goals, milestones and assessing risks. We will also consider how to organise time and resources to best achieve the project goals.

During this workshop participants explore three aspects of project management skills:

• Managing yourself – skills in personal effectiveness and organisation
• Managing your project – an introduction to getting results on time and on budget
• Managing other people – both above & below you in the management structure.

Participants will learn:

• New time management strategies
• Tools to increase personal effectiveness
• Understand the project management cycle
• Understand the four major behavioural communication styles
• Have strategies to improve their management communication skills.

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Supervising Research Students

In 3 years time you hope your student will get a PhD.
As a new supervisor are you clear about why are you doing this, what are you expecting them to achieve and exactly how will it happen?

This workshop will explore the planning for and mechanics of motivating and directing a student who is studying for a PhD.

Participants in this workshop will learn the value of planning a PhD project with measurable outcomes, clarifying the requirements of the University and outlining the responsibilities of both the students and their supervisor(s). They will learn strategies for management and have a range of techniques for monitoring the progress of their students.

At the end of this workshop participants will

• Understand the requirements of the University during a 3 year study period
• Be clear on their responsibilities as a PhD supervisor
• Know the responsibilities of a PhD student
• Understand how to influence behaviour and motivation
• Have clear plans for monitoring student progress

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Organising Time for Researchers/Time Management

Everybody has just 24 hours in every day. Why is it that some people seem to achieve much more than others with their allotted time?

During this half day workshop we will identify the major drains on your time or energies and explore different tools to structure your use of time and resources.

We will consider different ways to assess priorities, to deal with timewasters and with deadlines. The course will also allow participants to develop their own work-life balance and to reflect on how they choose to spend their time.

As a result of this workshop participants will have tools to

• Prioritise what they choose to do
• Streamline their use of time
• Define their own work-life balance
• Understand the difference between important and urgent

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Manage, Influence, Motivate!

Highly effective people know and understand themselves, they communicate their ideas clearly and effectively.
To manage yourself or others it is essential to understand the keys to individual motivation, to be able to identify and build upon strengths and to blend these into an effective team.
This workshop will outline the principles of behavioural communication styles.
Behavioural traits influence:

• how we respond to problems or challenges in life
• how closely we work with people
• our response to the pace of action in our lives
• how we respond to procedures or constraints.

In short, they influence how we communicate, how we behave, what motivates us and what makes us turn on our heels and go home!

We will explore the basic components of communication including listening skills and the power of body language. These principles will support teambuilding and facilitate skills for developing and motivating staff appropriately.
As a result of this workshop participants will

• Understand the major behavioural communication styles
• Be clear on the use of body language to support verbal communication
• Be able to use effective listening techniques
• Increase their ability to communicate effectively
• Understand the dynamics of building a team
• Be able to appropriately motivate and to reward others

Optional extra (costs to be agreed before delivery): Participants in this workshop may be able to complete an online Behavioural Style Analysis assessment. This generates a detailed, personal report providing insight into their general style of behaviour, their communication style, their preferred work environment and indicates keys to motivation.
This report provides invaluable knowledge for self-development, professional development and is a key tool for anyone with managerial responsibility.

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PostGrad studies - survive and thrive!

In 3 years time you hope to get a PhD.

• Why are you doing this?
• What are you expected to achieve?
• Exactly how will it happen?

This workshop will explore the motivation for and mechanics of studying for a PhD.

Participants in this workshop will learn the value of taking responsibility for the process of gaining a PhD degree. They will explore different learning styles and models of adult learning. They will also be clear about the requirements of the university and the responsibilities of both students and their supervisor(s).

As a result of this workshop participants will -

• Understand the requirements of the University during their 3 year study
• Know the responsibilities of a PhD student
• Be clear on what they can expect from their PhD supervisor(s)
• Understand the components of the adult learning cycle
• Be familiar with different learning styles
• Have a clear timetable to meet their commitments to the organisation

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Please do contact me on 0208 123 0099 or by email to discuss delivery of courses to meet your particular training needs or to complement your existing programmes for supporting postdoctoral research scientists and PhD students.

Dealing with change

Change happens whether we like it or not.

The real question is whether we let ourselves become a "victim of change" which happening around us or whether we proactively manage the situations we encounter.

This workshop will explore how our attitudes shape our responses to the changes we experience for better or for worse. It will provide you with tools to deal with change constructively and to find a personal course of action for managing yourself and the environment around you.

The aim of this course is to equip people to anticipate and to deal with change in a constructive manner, consequently reducing stress and increasing the positive outcomes from the experience of change.

At the end of this session participants will

• understand the important elements of change
• have strategies to recognise, prepare for and respond to change positively
• recognise patterns of change and growth in their own lives
• have a personal plan for dealing with change in their life

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Please do contact me on 0208 123 0099 or by email to discuss delivery of courses to meet your particular training needs or to complement your existing programmes for Academic or Non-Academic staff.

Presenting Yourself

As you progress through your final year at University it is highly likely that you will be required to give account of yourself at interviews and to present your work to colleagues at interviews, in seminars or even during your final viva voce examination.

During this workshop we will begin by exploring the basic components of communication including the effective use of your voice and the power of body language. We will cover planning for your meeting, structuring the content and preparing to deal with questions. Many people experience stress or anxiety as they prepare for their interview or presentation so we will be covering strategies to reduce anxiety.

As a result of this workshop participants will

• Have strategies to build good rapport and communicate with confidence
• Understand role of words, voice and body language in communication
• Know four essential questions to answer when planning for a meeting
• Have structures to plan the content of a presentation
• Be clear about strategies to hold the attention of your audience
• Be prepared for dealing with questions
• Have strategies to deal with stress or anxiety

See brochure for full details of all courses.

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Course participants have said:

Dear Margaret,
It was an absolute pleasure to meet you last Wednesday - I'm not sure I have come down from the high yet!
I came to the workshop with a deep fear of public speaking but left wanting to conquer that fear and perhaps even enjoy the experience in the future.
Your calm demeanour and sound advice will, I hope, stay with me and inspire me, not only when called upon to give a presentation but also in day to day life.
I really didn't expect to have so much fun and to come away having thoroughly enjoyed the day!
Thank you so much.
Sally

Hi Margaret
I won't bore you with more details but thanks once again - there is no doubt in my mind that attending your course gave me the determination to address the problems fuelling my stress. I know that they will not all be 'instant cures', but any improvement will be welcome. I felt so much better afterwards, and my husband noticed the positive effect instantly. Ooops, I'm off again!
We both agreed that a day spent with you would benefit ALL staff, and that if this kind of training were given as much weight as the compulsory induction day, then a lot of stress, absence and unhappiness could be avoided. We believe that prevention would benefit both individuals and ultimately, therefore, the University. I would imagine there is a very tangible cost in sickness absence and reduced effectiveness of staff due to stress, which would offset the cost of training.
Best wishes,
Natasha

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