Avoiding these conversations often leaves you feeling frustrated, misunderstood, and distracted from the work you care about most. And here’s the truth: these challenges won’t disappear after your PhD. In academia or beyond, the ability to stand up for yourself and preserve strong, professional relationships is a true career superpower.

This course will show you how to build that superpower—step by step—using proven methods and models grounded in decades of research and tested in real academic environments.

About this course

You’ll learn how to:

• Speak up with confidence, even in high-stakes situations
• Balance research goals with relationship dynamics
• Navigate power differences and challenging behaviours
• Say no and set boundaries—firmly and respectfully

Why it works:

• Proven roadmap – a 6-step method developed through work with 5,000+ PhDs
• Hands-on learning – apply every step to your own real-life situations
• Immediate results – tools you can use the very same day
• Tailored to you – designed specifically for PhDs, in academia and beyond

What we’ll cover:
Through our 6-step roadmap, you’ll learn to:

• Understand your mindset and communication style—and use them to your advantage
• Prepare strategically for high-stakes conversations, balancing objectives and relationships
• Address power dynamics with confidence
• Handle “difficult people” and situations like micro-aggressions or inappropriate comments
• Identify your next steps with clarity and a constructive attitude

This isn’t about “winning” conflicts. It’s about becoming the kind of professional who can communicate effectively, navigate disagreements, and protect your work without damaging trust or reputation.

If you want your academic career—and the one after—to be defined by confidence, clarity, and constructive communication, this course is your starting point.

How We Work

• Learning by Doing: Apply each principle directly to your own situations, not just theoretical examples.
• Science-Rooted, Practice-Proven: Grounded in academic research, refined through training 5,000+ PhDs and 12,000+ international professionals.
• Immediate Impact: Every session equips you with tools you can put into action right away.
• Interactive & Reflective: Group discussions, tailored assignments, and feedback loops keep you engaged and accountable.

Format

This interactive course combines short theoretical models with discussions, experience sharing, exercises, and peer-to-peer feedback. By the end of the course, you’ll have gained self-awareness and knowledge in order to enhance your effective communication skills in high-stakes situations with powerdynamics, increase your ability to set boundaries firmly and respectfully, and negotiate 1:1 with more confidence.

Workload

Onsite: The onsite version of this course is a 8-hours course starting at 9 AM until 5 PM. During the onsite course there will be lunch available. 

Online:  The online version of this course is a course with 3 sessions starting at 10 AM until 12 PM. Preparation work  and self study is required. Estimated total workload is 8-hours.

Blended: The blended version of this course is a course with 2 sessions starting at 10 AM until 12 PM and 1 onsite session starting at 10:00 AM until 13:00 PM. Preparation work  and self study is required. Estimated total workload is 8-hours.

About the Instructors

Alexandra Sips (MSc) – Senior trainer (TU Delft, Leiden University, ASML, and more), specialised in helping high-achieving professionals master human skills alongside scientific expertise. Educated at Leiden University and Harvard University, with over 13,000 international participants trained.

Dr. Fieke Harinck – Former Assistant Professor in Organizational Psychology at Leiden University and Leiden Medical Centre. Brings 30+ years of experience in negotiation and conflict management, and author of a Cambridge University Press book (2020).