Postgraduate Researchers in BBSRC DTP Training

How clearly can you express insights gained from your data analysis? Research results are only truly valuable if they can be clearly expressed to other people. If you work with data and want to know how to communicate insights effectively to colleagues, funders, employers, external stakeholders, or members of the public, join this hands-on and practical online workshop. You'll learn tried-and-tested techniques for creating effective data communications for reports, slide decks, posters, websites or social media. The session is fully interactive, and includes discussions, exercises and Q&A. 

At the end of the workshop you'll have the confidence to translate your expertise and data analysis into communications that grab attention and drive change. 

This course is suitable for BBSRC DTP PGRs in all years and will be held on Monday, 5 February 2024 from 9.30am – 12.30pm. Further details and booking information can be found on the training catalogue.

This lively and practical communication-skills course is designed to help researchers establish and maintain effective working relationships – a cornerstone of success in academic environments. It has a particular focus on face-to-face communication between researchers and their PIs or supervisors. 

The course will equip you 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 your own and others’ communication styles, as well as a set of straightforward techniques for: 

• reading others’ behaviour 
• recognising the interpersonal dynamics in a team or hierarchy 
• developing confidence and clarity 
• communicating assertively under pressure 
• refining your styles of communication. 

Many of the skills you acquire or develop on VOX courses will be eminently transferable to other professional contexts, standing you in good stead now and in your future career. 

This course is recommended for BBSRC DTP PGRs in their first year and will be held on Tuesday, 6 February 2024 from 9 – 5pm. Further details and booking information can be found on the training catalogue.

Even if you’ve done it before, giving a presentation can be daunting. As well as the challenge of managing nerves, there’s the need to make an immediate connection with the audience, hold their interest and convey your message with clarity and impact. Faced with varied audiences, ranging from your peers to those from different sectors or roles, you can come away feeling you haven’t done justice to your content. 

This stimulating and involving session, run by VOX Coaching, will help you gain confidence and speak compellingly in front of any audience. It will equip you with practical techniques for engaging, informing and influencing. You’ll explore your presentation style in a supportive atmosphere and discover ways of enhancing it. The course will stand you in good stead now and with crucial employability skills for your future career. 

This course is recommended for BBSRC DTP PGRs in their second year and will be held on Wednesday, 7 February 2024 from 9 – 5pm. Further details and booking information can be found on the training catalogue.

Important meetings – whether in person or on screen; encounters with high-powered individuals, interviews, networking at conferences – they all put your communication skills to the test. What you say matters, of course, but so does how you say it. If your communication style isn’t up to scratch, your message may be lost. This lively and involving course will provide you with practical approaches to making communication memorable. We’ll look at how you can engage others, hold attention and speak so they want to listen.

The course will enable you to: 

• assess the ways you communicate in formal or informal situations, whether in person or on screen;
• recognise the importance of working with your individual style;
• understand how to read others’ behaviour, body language and tone of voice;
• develop strategies for communicating with impact;
• Pperform confidently - engaging and influencing others;

This course is recommended for BBSRC DTP PGRs in their third year and will be held on Thursday, 8 February 2024 from 9am – 5pm. Further details and booking information can be found on the training catalogue.

This highly practical communication-skills course will help you develop a clear, authoritative interview style that suits your personality and allows your ideas to shine through. It will also bring out the personal leadership qualities that employers and assessment panels are often looking for. 

You’ll learn how to manage nerves and remain confident under interview pressures, whether on screen or in person. 

The course will help you achieve greater vocal and physical presence, so that what you say carries more weight and makes a stronger impression. By the end of this session you’ll be better able to:  

• present yourself, your work and your ideas in a compelling way;
• handle interview questions;
• maintain your composure;
• engage the panel and win their trust;

This course is recommended for BBSRC DTP PGRs in their fourth year and will be held on Friday, 9 February 2024 from 9am – 5pm. Further details and booking information can be found on the training catalogue.

In addition to the sessions outlined above, we will soon announce further development opportunities for: 

• open research;
• sustainability in your research;
• empowering yourself as a postgraduate researcher through lenses of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. 

If you have a particular interest in these topics, and would like to inform these wider agenda, get in touch.