3
Jun
2020
Adapting to the “new normal”
Adapting to the “new normal” As lockdown continues, we’re all coming to terms with what the “new normal” might involve in our personal and professional lives. Firstly, everyone at Skillfluence extends their best wishes to you and your family and hope that you all remain in good health. Secondly, we would like to say a... Read More
20
Aug
2019
Proven Process + Good People + Hard Work = Results
If you’ve ever organised a training programme for PhD students around a “non-core” topic like “working with industry”, you know how difficult it can be to get students to attend. You also know how important it is to develop these “transferable” skills in PhDs. We recently had the opportunity to run a pilot designed specifically... Read More
15
Aug
2019
5 Insights from our first “Blended” Programme
If you’ve ever organised a training programme for PhD students around a “non-core” topic like “working with industry”, you know how difficult it can be to get students to attend. You also know how important it is to develop these “transferable” skills in PhDs. We recently had the opportunity to run a pilot designed specifically... Read More
21
Feb
2019
9 Considerations When Applying for a PhD in a CDT
1. Cohorts A big part of joining a CDT is that you will be a member of a cohort. Think about what this will mean for you. What will you gain from this and what might you contribute to the group? Consider how your strengths could enhance your ability to collaborate with others and how... Read More
20
Jul
2018
Business Etiquette
“Civility costs nothing and buys everything.” — Mary Wortley Montagu. Why is Having Professional Business Etiquette Important? Business etiquette is a highly valuable transferable skill in almost every career. It’s how you present yourself to others and showing you are to be taken seriously. Business etiquette helps to build and maintain long-term professional relationships with... Read More
8
Jun
2018
Are You Emotionally Intelligent?
We recently conducted an Emotional Intelligence (E.I.) survey with 90 graduate students to evaluate if there is a gap in this soft skill area and to discuss possible solutions. It’s been almost 30 years since the term ‘emotional intelligence’ first appeared in literature. It’s a desirable attribute in any career, but nevertheless, is lacking in... Read More
21
Mar
2018
20 Tips for Delivering a Successful Technical Presentation
You’ve been asked to give a presentation about your research at an upcoming conference. With only a couple weeks before the conference, a combination of fear and excitement has set in. To help ease your anxiety and help you deliver an awe-inspiring presentation that will be the talk of the conference, we’ve put together a... Read More
21
Mar
2018
Structuring a Winning Presentation
Choosing the right structure for your presentation, sometimes referred to as the “flow”, is critical to effectively achieving your desired result, whatever it may be. Additionally, by having a clear structure in mind, it will help you to more efficiently design and prepare your presentation. The structure provides the framework on which you can build... Read More
21
Mar
2018
Your Guide to Giving Engaging Presentations
There’s nothing worse than giving a presentation where the audience is completely disengaged. Now, your instinct may be to blame it on the audience members. After all, how rude is it for them not to give you their full and total attention? Well, the reality is it’s a shared responsibility. While they should be giving... Read More
16
Mar
2018
Designing & Managing a Complex Research Project – Keys to Success
Designing and managing complex research projects is a challenging task for even the most experienced researcher. As part of our on-going exploration into “soft skills” that deliver big impact for researchers and scientists we’ve discovered some interesting and highly relevant research for anyone involved in a large, complex research project. The research was assembled by... Read More
8
Mar
2018
Stop Wasting Time!
Influencing others may be as simple as asking a colleague to do something or as complex as building multi-party coalitions. Whatever the situation, success depends on the strategies you employ. In this blog, I’ll outline 9 strategies, when each strategy is most effective and least effective. You can find more detail on each strategy in... Read More
8
Mar
2018
9 Effective Influencing Strategies
Influencing others may be as simple as asking a colleague to do something or as complex as building multi-party coalitions. Whatever the situation, success depends on the strategies you employ. In this blog, I’ll outline 9 strategies, when each strategy is most effective and least effective. You can find more detail on each strategy in... Read More
20
Feb
2018
Networking 101
Networking is a critical skill required for developing your career or growing your business. As Sir Arthur Conan Doyle said, “Skill is fine, and genius is splendid, but the right contacts are more valuable than either.” In this blog post we outline a set of tips that will help you immediately become a better, more... Read More
6
Feb
2018
Your Guide to Confidently Resolving any Conflict
Conflict is a part of life. But how many of us have ever been taught how to effectively deal with conflict in a structured, reasoned manner. In this blog, I highlight the five main strategies for conflict resolution. You can also download the a Skillfluence guide for knowing which approach is the most appropriate... Read More
1
Feb
2018
Brainwaves: from the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics
One of the most enjoyable parts of what we do at Skillfluence is getting the opportunity to work with some ridiculously brilliant people who are doing world-changing work. Through our involvement with the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics we’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds in robotics. Last week the BBC... Read More
31
Jan
2018
Talent Pipeline Programme Prepares Next Generation of Aquaculture Leaders
Through a series of tailored development sessions, graduates are learning skills that will amplify their impact on the aquaculture sector. The sessions are part of the new graduate programme announced by the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) and industry partners back in June. In the months since, 10 BSc and MSc graduates have secured 18-month... Read More
25
Jan
2018
Making it Concrete: Lean Canvas for Startups
I’m on the train, heading back to Glasgow after a brilliant day in Aberdeen where I co-delivered the “Making it Concrete” workshop with Heather Asiala, Programme Manager at Strathclyde Entrepreneurial Network. I thought I’d take the time to reflect on the fantastic experience I had with the 5 inspiring women entrepreneurs who I had the... Read More
17
Jan
2018
The Magic of Multidisciplinary Research
Multi-disciplinary research is being actively encouraged and promoted throughout the UK, and the world. This is largely due to the acknowledgement that a multi-disciplinary approach is required to solve many of the challenges we currently face.. At Skilfluence we happen to feel the same way. There are countless examples of how bringing together multiple disciplines... Read More
15
Jan
2018
Follow the Money
Have you ever tried predicting the future? What will our world look like in 10, 20, 50 years? I was recently browsing the EPSRC grant website where you can see all of the funded research projects, organized by theme, organisation, research focus and a number of other criteria. You can dig deeper and see the... Read More
11
Jan
2018
Creativity@Home with Edinburgh Centre for Robotics
Edinburgh Centre for Robotics Working closely with Edinburgh Centre for Robotics Skillfluence designed a 2 day EPSRC creativity@home workshop for their PhD students. The Centre’s main programme is the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Robotics and Autonomous Systems. Its goal is to train innovation-ready robotics researchers to be part of a multi-disciplinary enterprise. Participants... Read More