« Return to PCDI Postdoc Retreat 2010 - Put your career in perpective

Workshop session 2

Wednesday 21 April 17.30 - 19.30

Workshop ‘Present yourself, (s)he's got style!’ FULLY BOOKED

Scientists tend to present their work in a rather pale, grey and boring manner, making the thoughts of the audience drift off to better places. In this workshop you will learn a simple tool called style to enhance the impact of your presentation. Using this tool from theatre you will learn how to give your presentations an extra quality and make it stand out among the grey majority. Style is not only helpful in giving presentations; it is also the key to quality and authenticity in other communicational settings such as job interviews and networking conversations.

Workshop leader: Gijs Meeuwsen

After finishing his PhD in Physics, Gijs Meeusen turned his career towards composition and theatre. He gave numerous courses on how to use  theatre and story telling in scientific communication to scientists from all over the world. His workshops are part and parcel of academic training programs on every other Dutch university and universities in London, Brussels and Zürich.

Workshop ‘Present yourself’

For an important networking conversation, a short presentation or even with a job interview it is important to leave a good impression within the first few minutes with your discussion partner. To be able to do that you need to communicate briefly and with enthusiasm what you are doing and what your goals are. In the same time it is important to make a connection to your discussion partner/listener/the person you are talking to.

In this workshop we will practice with the so called ‘Elevator Pitch’ a 2 minute presentation where you will put these elements into practice. The participant will get proper leads after a short introduction and a short questionnaire to prepare oneself, and in addition we will practice illustrative examples. Hereafter everyone will give a short presentation in pairs and will get feedback from its partner. In the last 30 minutes some of the participants will get the chance to give his/her presentation to the whole group.

Workshop leader: Brigitte Hertz

Brigitte Hertz studied social psychology at the University of Amsterdam, where she also started her scientific career (depart environmental science). She combined doing research with coordinating educational programs and training students, and worked as a presenter at a local radio station. After fifteen years she made training her profession and started her own company. She combines a large diversity of stimulating forms and an informal approximation with a structured and purposive approach. Special trainings for academics include: Presenting research, Negotiating skills, PhD Success, Time Planning, Supervising a PhD. She also wrote a book on presenting research, (in Dutch) called “Presenteren van Onderzoek”, ISBN 90 8506 140 7 and more recently “Klaar in vier jaar, projectmanagement voor promovendi “. She is doing a PhD in Scientific Presentations. For more information (in Dutch) see www.bhertz.nl.

Workshop ‘Applying for a job is fun!’

Always wanted to know how to be invited for a job interview? And what to do when you are invited? During this evening Jan Paul Favier and Rene Kemps, experienced recruiters from CLS Services, will tell you all about the ins and outs of presenting yourself during the interview. They give many examples of the Do’s and Don’ts and how to prepare yourself for the interview.

Workshop leaders: Jan Paul Javier and Rene Kemps

Jan Paul Favier (1967) studied Molecular Science at the agricultural university of Wageningen. After his PhD., carried out at the VLAG research centre in Wageningen, he became a subsidy advisor specialised in technological, innovative and employment-finding grants. He then worked at the interface of human resources and account management for a large outsourcing company for five years, first as account manager, then as resource manager. During his tenure with this company, he built the R&D unit with his partner René Kemps and became an expert in the field of Chemistry and Life Sciences.