Theme: Communication

Email is a problem that is hiding in plain sight. We all use email every day. Yet, too often, email fails to be the effective communication tool it deserves to be.

In this intensive, practical session, we’ll show you how to produce effective communications. You will leave the session to:

• easily build a logical structure into emails and letters
• write clearer responses that result in fewer escalations
• get your message across, whatever you’re writing
• match your tone and level of language precisely to each reader

and much more!

The workshop includes a pre-course individual writing analysis to help identify areas for improvement.

At work and at home, it’s all too easy to speak and act without thinking – and then regret it afterwards. Acting on instinct can lead us to behave aggressively or passively. Both of these are generally unhelpful for our own reputation and for our relationships with others.

Communicating Assertively will show you how to avoid both extremes and instead to use assertive behaviour to build constructive and respectful working relationships.

This online course will help you understand the assertive mindset and highlight what assertiveness looks and sounds like.

View a short trailer for the online course.

"It all boils down to communication", how many times have we heard that phrase? This interactive online module is packed full of useful tips and practical examples to help you get your point across more clearly, ask the right questions and listen better to what others have to say.

The course introduces you to the key concepts of communication skills through a variety of media, offering those new to this topic a solid grounding in the essentials, as well as a great refresher for more experienced communicators.

If you’re short of time and just need the basics, or you want to explore things in a bit more detail, the versatile structure of this course offers you the flexibility to learn in the way that best fits with your schedule.

View a short trailer for the course.

Great team work and individual working relationships are what we all want, but things don’t always run smoothly. We may find ourselves disagreeing with someone over work or behaviours. We may want to tell them how we feel but don’t quite know how to go about it. Sometimes we decide not to have the conversation at all, which can lead to a small problem escalating in to something bigger, more persistent and harder to resolve.

Having honest and open conversations is not always easy and can sometimes lead to a misunderstanding, bad feelings and resentment. On this workshop, using forum theatre with a scenario acted out, we will explore what can go wrong and how to put right. With your interactions, we will help you develop techniques for a constructive conversation that helps to build long-lasting effective relationships and to build trust within the team.

Feedback Model: Bitesize

PPD bitesize resources are short and high impact; including videos, quick tips guides and interactive bitesize modules. Develop your skills and knowledge quickly, easily, when you need. They complement face to face events and more in-depth online modules.

Feedback Tips: Bitesize

PPD bitesize resources are short and high impact; including videos, quick tips guides and interactive bitesize modules. Develop your skills and knowledge quickly, easily, when you need. They complement face to face events and more in-depth online modules.

Giving effective feedback to your team members is one of the key responsibilities of anyone who supervises or manages others. It improves performance, boosts morale and can help people to do their job to the best of their ability.

This course is full of key tips to help you give feedback that is supportive, constructive and helpful and incorporates instructional film resources to help you apply what you have learned. It also focuses on how to avoid common mistakes when giving feedback to others and how to receive feedback well.

High Performance Influencing Model: Bitesize

PPD bitesize resources are short and high impact; including videos, quick tips guides and interactive bitesize modules. Develop your skills and knowledge quickly, easily, when you need. They complement face to face events and more in-depth online modules.

Leadership Essentials is a key programme suitable for those with responsibilities for the work, behaviour and development of others. The programme aims to help managers refresh and build their skills and experience in this area, as well as clarifying key responsibilities of manager and leader. It focuses on critical areas, such as giving and receiving feedback effectively and handling challenging conversations, using leadership styles and models to support individuals and teams. The programme incorporates tutor input; opportunities for discussion, case studies, reflection and sharing of good practice with others with similar responsibilities. It also includes curated e-learning resources to support managers with their ongoing learning and development.

Participants are required to attend both half day sessions.

A LinkedIn Learning course on Crucial Conversations, curated by PPD.

This is provided by the University of Cambridge subscription to LinkedIn Learning.

Please note that your training record on LinkedIn Learning will not currently be available via your training record within the University Training Booking System (UTBS).

A LinkedIn Learning course on Demonstrating Dignity at Work, curated by PPD.

This is provided by the University of Cambridge subscription to LinkedIn Learning.

Please note that your training record on LinkedIn Learning will not currently be available via your training record within the University Training Booking System (UTBS).

A LinkedIn Learning course on Effective and Assertive Communication, curated by PPD.

This is provided by the University of Cambridge subscription to LinkedIn Learning.

Please note that your training record on LinkedIn Learning will not currently be available via your training record within the University Training Booking System (UTBS).

A LinkedIn Learning course on Leadership and Management – Feedback Skills, curated by PPD.

This is provided by the University of Cambridge subscription to LinkedIn Learning.

Please note that your training record on LinkedIn Learning will not currently be available via your training record within the University Training Booking System (UTBS).

For many people having challenging conversations can be difficult and feel uncomfortable; however the ability to be able to talk about sensitive and emotive issues is an integral part of effective line management and can be critical to managing performance, promoting attendance and improving team dynamics.

This course will give you some practical steps to help you handle these conversations better and, where possible, get the right outcome for you, the individual and the University.

Negotiation - An Overview: Bitesize

PPD bitesize resources are short and high impact; including videos, quick tips guides and interactive bitesize modules. Develop your skills and knowledge quickly, easily, when you need. They complement face to face events and more in-depth online modules.

Networking: Bitesize

PPD bitesize resources are short and high impact; including videos, quick tips guides and interactive bitesize modules. Develop your skills and knowledge quickly, easily, when you need. They complement face to face events and more in-depth online modules.

Do you dread speaking in public or giving presentations? Or are you looking to build on your current skills and experience to make your planning and delivery more effective? This course aims to develop your skills, knowledge and confidence in both formal and informal presentation situations e.g. meetings, training sessions and conferences.

This online course provides an opportunity to explore key areas in both preparation and delivery of presentations.

Question Types: Bitesize

PPD bitesize resources are short and high impact; including videos, quick tips guides and interactive bitesize modules. Develop your skills and knowledge quickly, easily, when you need. They complement face to face events and more in-depth online modules..

Questioning Technique: Bitesize

PPD bitesize resources are short and high impact; including videos, quick tips guides and interactive bitesize modules. Develop your skills and knowledge quickly, easily, when you need. They complement face to face events and more in-depth online modules.

When Communication Goes Wrong: Bitesize

PPD bitesize resources are short and high impact; including videos, quick tips guides and interactive bitesize modules. Develop your skills and knowledge quickly, easily, when you need. They complement face to face events and more in-depth online modules.

A curated collection of recommended courses by Researcher Development as part of the University of Cambridge's subscription to LinkedIn Learning.

The collection can be accessed here.

You've got interesting research to share - but is anyone listening?!

Presenting your research is an essential skill for a researcher, be it with your peers, at a major conference, or even to a classroom of schoolchildren. This online toolkit covers a whole range of performance and presentation techniques for you to work through and incorporate into your presentations, in your own time. From crafting a story to handling the dreaded Q&A, there's guaranteed to be something there to help you improve your presentations.

Outcomes

• Understand how to create a compelling presentation
• Know some practical tips for giving an engaging performance
• Understand how to continue improving with each presentation

How to Access the Course

You will need to use the following enrolment key at the link below: PST_21on

Enrol onto the Presentation Skills Toolkit (Moodle)

A CRSid / Raven password is needed to access this online course. If you don't have one, please get in touch at researcher.development@admin.cam.ac.uk.

This is an in-person event.

This training will introduce you to the world of visual communication. We will look at visualising data versus visualising abstract concepts and think about appropriateness! How can you simplify a huge body of research into something that is visually enticing to people outside of your field? In this training you will learn how to create visual metaphors that illustrate your research as well as the basics of frame by frame and stop motion animation so that you may turn these illustrations into short animated gifs.