The Mentoring and Communication Series is co-sponsored by The Graduate School and the Office of Postdoctoral Services.
Tues Feb 4, 11 am – 12 pm
WHAT: The Mentoring Relationship: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
WHO: Workshop size is limited to 25 participants to facilitate small group discussion. Because space is limited, please do not register unless you are sure you can attend. Zoom meeting details will be shared with confirmed registrants.
Do you ever question your role in your lab? Do you hesitate to address issues with your mentor? Do you wonder how to be successful during this step in your career? In this interactive session, learn how to navigate the mentoring relationship, including how to promote open communication, work more productively with your mentor, and get the most out of your training experience.
Speaker: Melissa Segal, LCSW, is CEO of InterHuman Solutions and an experienced facilitator and manager with strong skills in leadership development, strategic planning, program implementation, and organizational culture. She specializes in restorative practices, conflict work, and getting clients to “yes.” She is also a former Duke business manager who has advised trainees on how to advocate for their needs.
Tues Feb 11, 11 am – 12 pm
WHAT: Effective Communication in Teams
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bCyQiZVoxomQjWu
Have you ever wondered why one colleague always wants an agenda to prepare for a meeting, while another needs to understand the big picture before they can begin to work on the small details of a project? Using a free online assessment to explore your Myers-Briggs personality preferences, we’ll focus on how you can leverage a better understanding of others’ preferences to improve your communication with your research colleagues. This workshop will be highly interactive. We strongly recommend joining the Zoom workshop from a location where you can enable audio and video.
In preparation for the workshop, please complete two steps.
- Take the free 16Personalities assessment
- Report your results by Fri Feb 7 at 5 pm.
Speakers: Hugh Crumley, PhD, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, and Melissa Bostrom, PhD, Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Professional Development. Both are Myers-Briggs certified facilitators.
Thurs Feb 20, 11 am – 12 pm
WHAT: How to Handle Difficult Conversations
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0TFuWZDCqWBJj4a
Difficult conversations are a part of our professional careers, so to be successful in them we must learn, practice and hone the skills necessary for this type of work. As with many aspects of life, the more you practice the more confident you will be in handling difficult conversations. In this workshop participants will learn how to actively bring their concerns to the table with the goal of working toward the best win-win scenario for everyone. Time will be spent practicing how to communicate with others in a respectful and professional manner. We will review how to handle issues such as:
- Requesting meeting times with your advisor/PI
- Requesting professional development for yourself
- Negotiating with a peer or colleague regarding work to be completed on a collaborative project
Participants will leave the workshop with an actionable plan to address a current difficult conversation. The workshop is facilitated by Dr. Shelly Hoover-Plonk, Assistant Director of High Impact Educational Experiences (HIEE) at NC State University. Dr. Hoover-Plonk is willing to set up 1:1 meetings with participants to further discuss upcoming difficult conversations in the weeks following the workshop.
To facilitate small-group discussion, the workshop size is limited to 25 participants. Because space is limited, please do not register unless you are sure you can attend.
Tues Mar 18, 11 am – 12 pm
WHAT: Real Talk on Networking: Building Professional Relationships that Matter—Even for Introverts
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_efeSLF6840ez02O
Most of us have heard that networking is critical for finding job opportunities and navigating career transitions. Yet we often feel uncomfortable with it, perceiving networking as sleazy, pushy, or inauthentic. Join Duke alumna Mayya Shveygert, PhD (Duke Molecular Genetics & Microbiology) for a workshop designed to help grad students and postdocs master the art of genuine networking. Networking has been instrumental for Dr Shveygert’s career growth, first as she transitioned from being a postdoc at UCSF to regulatory affairs at Amgen and then growing her business as a medical writing consultant and meditation teacher for biopharma.
During this information-packed workshop, we will address the following topics:
- Typical fears and misconceptions about networking and how to dispel them
- Why seasoned professionals actually want to help you break into the field
- How to find the people who can aide your career growth
- Why asking for AIR (advice, information, referrals) is your not-so-secret weapon
- Dos and don’ts for connecting with people you don’t know (gasp!) on LinkedIn
- How to build up confidence and ease for networking events
Weds May 21, 10-11 am
WHAT: From Vision to Reality: 4 Steps to Creating & Executing Your Individual Development Plan
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eJ0PNkwxIzI8oTA
For better or for worse, your experiences and the training you receive as postdoctoral researchers and graduate students can greatly shape the rest of your career. However, there are strategies and resources that can increase your chances of getting what you came for. During this program, participants will learn how to develop clear and specific goals and objectives, along with a plan for executing them in an Individual Development Plan (IDP).
You’ll learn:
- An approach to setting meaningful, achievable goals aligned with your long-term vision.
- A structured planning routine to manage your time effectively.
- How to speak with your mentor about your goals and strategies to address any misalignments in expectations and needs.
Speaker: Dara Wilson-Grant is the Associate Director at the UNC-Chapel Hill Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor. With over fifteen years experience providing career management education and counseling, Dara’s mission is to help individuals develop a framework for choosing a meaningful and rewarding career path, plus develop the skills necessary for a lifetime of career success.
