Tag: Soft skills development

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Soft skills development

AI tools in academia by the Struggling Scientists

AI is rapidly changing the academic landscape, offering researchers a vast array of tools to enhance productivity, streamline writing, and analyze data more efficiently. However, with so many AI tools available, it can be challenging to know where to start.

Addressing this challenge, FYS – Forum for Young Scientists organized the “AI Tools in Academia” workshop, hosted by The Struggling Scientists (Suzanne van Wouw and Jayron Habibe). This session provided young researchers at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam with insights into the most effective AI tools and hands-on experience to overcome the initial hurdles of using them.

During this interactive three-hour workshop, participants explored how to:
✅ Choose AI tools that can assist them in their research, being data analysis, literature reviews, and more
✅ Ethically and effectively integrate AI into their research and teaching

The workshop was well-received by participants from various schools and faculties of the VU, who left the workshop with practical skills and a clearer understanding of how AI can support their academic careers.

You can read more about the Struggling Scientists at: https://thestrugglingscientists.com/

“Thank you so much. Very informative and timely.”

Anonymous participant

“ New information about trusted AI programs that can really help me improve my research.”

Anonymous participant

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Soft skills development

Debating: you know you are right – but can you prove it?

DaniĂŤl explaining an exercise to the participants

Proving factual claims with evidence is what great science is all about. Yet, we may get difficult questions at conferences and we all have to defend our thesis. It can be a nerve-wrecking experience and scientists can benefit from learning about debating and argumentation skills.

In the 8-hour on-campus workshop on “Debating: you know you are right – but can you prove it?”, DaniĂŤl Schut from BHertz gave us very useful tips about structuring your argumentation on a sentence, paragraph, and article level. He gave us tools for answering (difficult) questions during your PhD defense, or after a conference presentation. There were a lot of interactive exercises in the form of smaller groups, as well as with the whole group, leading to plenty of opportunities to practice. In the afternoon, the debating form was introduced and it was refreshing to experience how discussions can be held by solely focussing on the content instead on the person!

You can read more about DaniĂŤl Schut at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schutdaniel/

“Great opportunity for developing and practicing our skills.”

Anonymous participant

“ I am super greatful for how much I learned and also had fun”

Anonymous participant

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Emotional well-being at work Soft skills development

How to Cope with Burnout by Victor Kraak

Filling yourself with a sense of wellbeing is an important factor that carries you, as junior researchers, through your (post-)doctoral journeys. Only then will you be able to boost your productivity and career development.

Addressing that topic, Forum for Young Scientists organized a 90-minture workshop in which Victor Kraak – PhD psychologist at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam – raised awareness amongst participants about symptoms of burnout, and more importantly, offered participants different ways and means to reduce the risks of developing burnout symptoms.

The workshop led participants through several research findings related to the topic, and multiple exercises where participants share their own take on the issues. It was well-received by the participants who came from different schools/faculties of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

“I liked the interactive mode; instead of just giving a lecture and sending off the participants to do the homework at home, having the audience do a few exercises in the workshop and then reflect on them created a space where the participants could take a few minutes to reflect on themselves without outside pressures.”

Anonymous participant

“The topic was extremely relevant; I also find the timing of the workshop very helpful – at the beginning of the academic year when people are getting busier and busier after summer.”

Anonymous participant

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Soft skills development

Tips and Tricks for Interdisciplinary Research with Dwarsleggers

Researchers, especially those at junior level, are often encouraged to step out of their comfort zone and collaborate with others from different disciplinaries. Being capable of connecting and cooperating with others in an inter- and trans-disciplinary environment therefore becomes an X factor for their academic career development.

Addressing that topic, Forum for Young Scientists organized a Science Communication workshop in which Geertje Tijsma, Marijke Visser and Tessa Roedema – or the so-called the “dwarsleggers” – offered young researchers tips and tricks for interdisciplinary research. During the four-hour interactive workshop, the three inspiring “connectors” helped participants explore one’s thought patterns and feelings, as well as develop valuable tools tor turn conflicts into constructive collaboration based on mutual understanding and respect.

The workshop was well-received by the participants who came from different schools/faculties of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

“The setting was cozy, the trainers were super friendly and nice and helpful, and just everything really!”

Anonymous participant

“Though interdisciplinarity is challenging, it is also full of unique opportunities. And it’s possible changing our own behaviour, both to alleviate the challenges we face and to improve communication.”

Anonymous participant

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Soft skills development

Marketing your Research by Lennart Wesel

As researchers, we are deeply invested in our work, yet presenting our findings in an accessible and engaging way to diverse audiences, both online and offline, can be quite challenging. Striking a balance between avoiding overly technical language and not oversimplifying the significance of our research is essential.

During this 4-hour workshop, PhD candidates and Postdocs participated in a series of dynamic exercises that integrated group discussions, writing tasks, and creative thinking activities. They practised delivering self-introductions in a speed-dating format, identified the fundamental values of their research and discussed what platforms are useful for scientists to engage with the public on.

You can find more information about Lennart Wesel on his website: https://expertexpert.nl/

“Communicating with the general public is probably more important (and more easy) than one thinks!”

Anonymous participant

“I liked that the workshop was tailored to what the participants requested.”

Anonymous participant

Categories
Soft skills development

Presenting yourself in your CV and motivation letter by Marieke Hohnen

Apart from research, it is important to think about the next career step after you finish your PhD or postdoc. Your CV and motivation letter allow you to make the first impression on HR manager and get your foot on the door of the company.

In the 3.5-hour on-campus workshop on “Presenting yourself in your CV and motivation letter”, Marieke Hohnen from Hakuna Matata gave tips on how to structure and tailor CVs and motivation letters to a particular job offering to the VU PhD candidates and postdocs. There were a lot of group discussions where the participants could learn from each other´s experience of writing CVs and motivation letters. More importantly, in this workshop, the participants had a unique opportunity to get personalized written feedback from the trainer.

You can read more about Marieke Hohnen at: https://nl.linkedin.com/in/mariekehohnen

“I liked the structure of the workshop and the variation in listening to the trainer and talking with the other attendees.”

Anonymous participant

“I gained some valuable tips for tailoring my CV/motivation letter”

Anonymous participant

Categories
Soft skills development

Time Management with Jeanine de Bruin

One of the significant advantages of being a PhD student or Postdoc is the flexibility to plan your own agendas. However, this may pose challenges for time management, which is essential for reaching your goals. In a workshop tailored specifically for PhD students and Postdocs, we explored strategies to optimize time utilization and minimize stress levels.

The workshop, given by Jeanine de Bruin, began by defining time management and identifying factors influencing our schedules and stress levels. Delving into Steven Covey’s time management quadrant, we gained insights into effective prioritization regarding email management, supervising students, holding meetings, writing and reading articles, and much more. Drawing on Jeanine’s expertise, we collectively devised personalized agendas, integrating practical tips to tailor schedules based on individual preferences and work styles. At the end, we shared our resolutions for the upcoming period that we want to apply in our researcher’s life!

After the workshop, participants shared their newly acquired insights over a drink, enabling supportive thoughts and comments and allowing participants to connect with other researchers.

or more information on Jeanine de Bruin and her contributions, visit Hakuna Matata’s website at https://hakunamatata.nl/

“It gave me insight in one of my biggest pitfalls: having a too big task to oversee. And it gave a practical solution: divide a big task in smaller pieces. Sounds simple, but for me it was one of the most enriching experiences of 2023.”

Anonymous participant

“Interactive. Tips and tricks how to properly time manage and deal with work stress”

Anonymous participant

“Jeanine manages to teach a lot without tiring the audience. Also like the interactive exercises.”

Anonymous participant

Categories
Soft skills development

Supervising Students by Jeanine de Bruin from Hakuna Matata

As a Postdoc or PhD student, one of your tasks may include supervising students. While we all have been students before, taking on the role of supervisor can be new and give you the feeling of being lost. This does not benefit you or the student that you are supervising. Fortunately, the workshop given by Jeanine de Bruin aimed to give us some practical tools to become more comfortable with the role of being a supervisor.

The workshop gave several insights about better communicating with your student. We first learned about the importance of discussing expectations between you and your student – a process that goes both ways. Also, we discussed and practiced the concept of situational leadership, which is crucial for guiding students according to their skills and motivation. Finally, the last part of the workshop was about giving feedback in a deliberate, meaningful way without offending each other.

After the workshop, we were able to share our newly learned practical tips over some nice drinks!

You can find more information about Jeanine de Bruin at Hakuna Matata’s website https://hakunamatata.nl/home/over-hm/46-jeanine/

“Concise information in short time”

Anonymous participant

“It helps researchers in many levels”

Anonymous participant

Categories
Soft skills development

Marketing your research by Lennart Wesel from Hakuna Matata

As researchers we are passionate about what we are doing, but presenting our research with unfamiliar audiences in a clear and engaging manner in online and offline settings can be a very challenging task. How do you avoid sounding too complex, but at the same time not downplaying the value of your research to the lay audience?

In this 3-hour workshop, the PhD candidates and Postdocs performed a number of interactive exercises, which combined group work, writing, and abstract thinking. They did a self-presentation in a speed-dating format, reflected on the core values of their research, practised writing a researcher’s bio for the website, and created a lay story of a scientific paper for LinkedIn.

These exercises helped the researchers to get out of their comfort zone, activate creative thinking, and come up with non-trivial ways of presenting their research.

You can find more information about Lennart Wesel on his website https://expertexpert.nl/

“It was a real workshop. Nice activities. And not too much talking on ‘how it should be done’ but rather let us work and find out.”

Anonymous participant

“Very practical and useful expertises that get you results, not just vague fundamental concepts with no way to apply them to your own situation.”

Anonymous participant

“What we work on during the workshop we can reuse in real life.”

Anonymous participant

Categories
Soft skills development

Talk like TED: confidence in public speaking by Jan Scheele

During the “Talk like TED” workshop, PhDs and PostDocs had the chance to experience what is like to give a TEDx talk from an expert, Jan Scheele. Jan has organised multiple TED events, and he has given countless presentations and talks in a variety of environments and occasions. He shared tips and tricks on how to gain confidence during presentations, and how to avoid the fear of public speaking.

The 3-hour workshop was a great opportunity for participants to ask questions and have personal feedback about their communication and presentation skills. It has also allowed participants to share their obstacles and to develop together techniques on how to overcome their fear.

You can learn and read more about Jan, and his “Talk like TED” workshops at http://www.talkliketed.nl/

“I found the speaker was well prepared and the topic was in a good way and in deep discussed”

Anonymous participant

“Nice speaker, small group, chances for colleagues to practice their own presentations”

Anonymous participant

“Enjoyed the tips given for confidence and clear message”

Anonymous participant

Categories
Soft skills development

Transferable skills by Thierry Delatte from bHertz

In this 3-hour interactive workshop, PhD candidates and Postdocs did a series of practical exercises to re-discover which transferable skills they already possess. It is hard to believe, but there are around 52 transferable skills, such as relationship building, idea development, assertiveness, ability to write clearly, to delegate, to say ‘no’, and many others!

The workshop gave a great opportunity to reflect on the participants’ capabilities and competences. It also allowed participants to identify their strongest transferable skills that they may showcase during their job interviews in the future. The workshop ended with a nice lunch to share experiences.

You can read more about Thierry Delatte at https://delattecoaching.nl/

“Thierry Delatte did an excellent job in including everyone, creating a safe space for exchange and discussion, and giving great first-hand advice for specific challenges”

Anonymous participant

“Great interaction and the workshop leader was kind”

Anonymous participant

“It showed me in a simple and intuitive way how to talk about my skills”

Anonymous participant

Categories
Soft skills development

Scientific storytelling for grant writing by Marieke Hohnen

Writing grant proposals is challenging. Your readers are not specialists in your topic, you have to show why your research is interesting, and you have limited space. This requires specific writing skills. 

In this 2.5-hour workshop, Marieke Hohnen from Hakuna Matata taught participants how to engage readers by writing memorable introductions and avoiding common pitfalls. Together with the group, Marieke talked about the aspects of grant writing that they need to keep in mind, such as avoiding technical concepts or being direct and concise when expressing ideas. After this, PhDs and Postdocs from different disciplines worked in pairs sharing what motivates them about their respective research topics. Finally, Marieke gave individual feedback to each person. In the last section of the workshop, participants worked on integrating these comments into their documents to develop stronger proposals.

You can read more about Marieke Hohnen at: https://mariekehohnen.com/en/

“I liked that it was personalized (we got to practice right away / feedback) and overall information and tips were very clear and useful!”

Anonymous participant

“Exchange with other peers from different areas of research. Tips to improve the story for a grant application. I now see myself closer to be able to do so :)”

Anonymous participant

“It was very clear that Marieke has experience on grant application, and her practical approach made it much more useful compared to theoretical approaches”

Anonymous participant

Categories
Soft skills development

Science Communication: how to effectively blog? by Marieke Hohnen

As PhD students and postdocs, we have to be able to present our research to different audiences. While we are used to talking about our projects to peers in conferences, sometimes we are faced with the challenge of discussing our findings with the general audience. Many questions appear in this process: How technical should we be? How in-depth should we go? The goal of this workshop was to learn the basics to write an effective blog post. During the 3-hour session, Marieke Hohnen from Hakuna Matata, presented the advantages of scientific outreach. Researchers from various disciplines learned about the multiple options on the web to write about their project. 

After the introduction, Marieke introduced the benefits of blogging. Relevant aspects, such as the audience (who are you writing for?) and the content of the post (what are you going to write about?), were discussed through group activities. Participants were asked to write the first lines of their post and provide feedback to each other. Finally, Marieke gave tips for starting (or continuing) their writing journey.

You can read more about Marieke Hohnen at: https://mariekehohnen.com/en/

“Very structured, nice balance between instruction and exercises in break-out rooms”

Anonymous participant

“I liked that we needed to actively participate and that we started to actually write short paragraph”

Anonymous participant

“Marieke has a lot of knowledge and she was able to keep my attention!” (translated from Dutch: “Marieke heeft erg veel kennis en ze kon goed mijn aandacht vasthouden!”)

Anonymous participant

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