Transferable skills
Taking Charge – Communication is Key
Taking Charge is designed for PhD candidates with at least one year of experience. This interactive training helps you strengthen your collaboration and communication skills with supervisors and other research partners. You will explore how workplace behavior influences your research progress and gain clarity about what lies within your sphere of influence and control. In this course, you exchange experiences with fellow PhDs and get to know yourself better, so you can approach collaborations with greater clarity and confidence.
- Target group
- PhD candidate
- Method
-
Training course
- Teacher
- Downsideup
- Study load
- 4 hours
- Start dates 2025
- 17 September, 2 December
- Language
- English
Why this course?
You have probably experienced how complex it can be to manage expectations and communication during your PhD trajectory. Taking Charge provides you with tools to take more ownership of your professional interactions and collaborations. In the course, you will explore how workplace behavior affects the quality and effectiveness of your work. You will gain practical tools and insights, as well as best practices from fellow PhD candidates from different disciplines and stages of the PhD journey. By the end of the session, you will have a clearer understanding of your personal influence on the relationships that are central to your academic success.
What will you learn?
- Identify your personal strengths and pitfalls as a researcher and understand how they affect your collaborations.
- Give both positive and critical feedback using a three-step communication model.
- Address important but often unspoken issues within your research team to improve collaboration, communication, and mutual understanding.
Setup
This is an interactive workshop with short plenary introductions, small group discussions, and individual exercises. You will engage in practical activities and reflection rather than just listening to a lecture.
Study load
The course consists of one 4-hour session in Leiden. No preparation is required. During the session, you will develop a personal action plan to follow up on what you have learned.
Afterwards, you are warmly invited to join for a drink or lunch—an informal opportunity to connect with other PhD candidates.