Workshop: Impact & Research Communication Skills
This interactive workshop is designed to develop the necessary skills for effectively communicating the significance and value of specialist research to those outside the discipline. Participants learn how to make a powerful case for their project in grant applications, job applications or publishing proposals, and develop their ability to engage wider audiences for blogs, presentations, public engagement, outreach and dealing with the media. Practical exercises encourage a focus on the purpose, impact, outcomes, benefits and applications of participants’ research. Josie has given this workshop in over 30 universities in the UK, USA, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Norway and Sweden.
Reviews for this workshop
University of Oxford
‘Essential’ ‘Brilliant’ ‘Very inspiring’ ‘Clear take-away strategies’
‘I learned critical transferable skills which will be vital as I move into the professional world - a real boost as I finish writing up my thesis!’
‘The best and most useful thing that I’ve done all year – great practical tips and lots of opportunity for questions and discussion’
‘Josie was an excellent presenter and the workshop was very intelligently organised. It was, by far, the best workshop in Oxford I've ever been to. She had an excellent knowledge of academia in the UK as well as the USA, and her approach was fresh - an outsider's perspective, but very aware of the pressures on early-career researchers.’
Cardiff University
'The level of insight and expertise … depth, patience, willingness to engage with all questions, respect for people’s concerns and intellectual anxieties, and ability to distil and disseminate the information and knowledge was world class. The state-of-the-art. I was skeptical to begin with (that’s my nature) but this really did blow me away. An absolute privilege.'
University of Birmingham
‘Inspiring and far-reaching. Perfect workshop and tutor!’
University of Kent
‘This workshop has been a path-finder and a confidence-builder. I am more excited about my research, clearer about its potential, and more informed on how to move ahead.’
‘Makes one more aware of the meaning of our research outside academe. Josie talks about things that our supervisors don’t. I liked the practical information, tips, concrete answers to problems. Josie is an excellent communicator, kind, open to ideas.’
University of Glasgow
‘I never knew my project was so exciting!’
‘Sharpened my focus. Very energetic from start to finish’
University of Reading
‘Excellent – should be compulsory’
‘Invaluable – should definitely become a permanent feature on Graduate School training sessions’
University of Bristol
‘Excellent. Very relevant for thinking about upgrades and, in due course, the viva, as it focuses the mind on the bigger questions of the relevance of your research and its contribution to the field’
‘This is a workshop which allows you to define for yourself more clearly what it is you are researching and why, and say why it matters! Josie is an exquisite communicator and people-handler. Thank you so much.’
‘Very good – Josie’s insider / outsider perspective is very welcome.’
University of Cambridge
‘Very helpful – forced us to focus on non-specialist audiences and the benefits of our research.’
Birkbeck, University of London
‘High-voltage! A dynamic, practical and challenging session. Well directed and pitched.’
‘fascinating and inspiring’
‘How to get the vim and the sex back into your thinking’
University of East Anglia
‘an intellectual work-out for you, your thesis and your future’
University of Sussex
‘Impressive. Practical, solution-driven workshop’
‘You can't miss this one!’
‘Inspirational’
King's College London
‘An essential programme for all humanities researchers. Lots of tools and transferable skills - renewed my energy with plenty of ideas and confidence that I am now more prepared beyond my PhD.’
‘Very engaging and stimulating. Helps you understand your options to spread your research within and outside academia, and provides the skills to do so.’
‘Dynamic style, involved everyone. Great and well-pitched.’
University of Bergen
‘Of all the courses I have taken at PhD level, this has been the most valuable!’
‘This course touches the weak point of many researchers in the humanities: selling our projects and thinking about impact. Really engaging, structured, clear and to the point. Excellent!’
‘Will make you think about interacting with the public and policy makers in a new way.’
‘It's been a great experience and learning process to have Josie as tutor.’
University of Bonn
‘This is the place to think outside the box. I had the Eureka moment!’
‘helps you to discover and formulate the benefits of your PhD project - you will leave absolutely reconfirmed about the value and worth of your work.’
Max Planck Institute, Freiburg
‘Key skills to help you in future careers. Excellent, clear transfer of knowledge and well illustrated with concrete examples.’
‘I really enjoyed it. Great balance between theoretical input, exercises and collaborative work’
Lund University, Sweden
‘The best and most inspiring thing I’ve taken part in since I became a doctoral student’
‘The workshop was so concrete – we were made to practice so many things, we’ve already started to implement them.’
‘Josie has such enthusiasm, which is really contagious’
Uppsala University, Sweden
‘Excellent in providing practical tools for engagement with different types of audiences’
‘Helps you to look up and aim higher, with better confidence’
University of Ghent, Belgium
'I had no idea how much I needed this training! Great to be taught by someone so passionate. What an enthusiast!' 'awesome!'
'This workshop does a great job as an energizer. With the help of the questions we addressed, I can challenge myself again every year to think about impact. I really liked Josie's energy and enthusiasm. Very vivid and inspiring. Would I recommend this workshop? Yes, yes and yes.'
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
'This workshop will make you fall in love with your research again.'
'Love the style of delivery: elegant and interesting, really engaging. Thank you!'
'an eye-opener'
'Perfectly suited my training needs. I feel more confident about my skills after the workshop.'
Vrije Universiteit Brussels
'Amazing. Being able to practice in pairs is such a genius idea - helped me think much more deeply.'
‘So much more useful than I expected. A useful roadmap, to broaden my research
perspectives’
‘I had very good ideas during this workshop. Makes you open your mind to new possibilities’
‘Great tutor and teaching style – broadens your mind’
‘A must, not only for beginners. Encourages one to think out of the box’
‘I am more mindful of my research as it exists outside of ‘Planet PhD’ ’
'Perfect.' 'You must take part as soon as possible.'
University of Georgia, USA
‘This workshop really opened my eyes – I wish I’d been able to take it a decade ago!’
‘Delightful, intellectual, informal – speaks directly to our needs and concerns’
‘Wonderful – the workshop not only tells you, not simply shows you, but walks you through the steps necessary to frame and communicate the importance and value of your research. Best benefit is in seeing how much further there is to go...’
‘I loved it – lively and to the point’
‘terrific – very engaging but also erudite enough to command our respect. I’ll do the exercises again and again.’
‘Just what I hoped for - specific, practical advice that will be of tremendous use in writing effective funding and publication proposals’
‘Josie is a superb translator of academic languages and concerns to the broader public sphere. I appreciated the care she took to keep up energy levels and verve.
Don’t hesitate to commit a full (precious) day to this workshop.’
