This comes from the series at SPPH:

Going Public with Impact
by Jennifer Gardy
http://spph.ubc.ca/seminar-series/going-public-with-impact-seminars/

I found an interesting tip from Jennifer was to write out your script first – concentrating on your key message – and then go back and start making slides.  But there are many more tips in the attached pdf that focus on:

1. Delivering a clear, concise message

2. Creating memorable visuals

3. A confident and authentic delivery

The most important take home message was – of course – Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse!

GPWI_Giving Great Talks

Earlier this month I attended a workshop at UBC titled:

Break the Isolation: Strategies for Improving Your Academic Writing through Peer Support

The workshop was coordinated by Jacqui Brinkman and Graduate Pathways to Success (GPS).  She noted that GPS is going to focus more attention on writing for graduate students due to strong feedback suggesting that students are interested in improving this skill.  In other words, I got the impression that she is hoping to strengthen the resources available for graduate students to work on their writing.

Regarding this workshop, I will share the links and slides that we went over.  The facilitators were from the UBC Writing Centre, and they presented best practices on forming writing groups.  I didn’t need any convincing about the advantages of using a writing group (or other writing management strategies), but the facilitators did go over these topics briefly.  We were left to network with the other participants by the end in hopes of forming a potential writing group.  A few key points that I took away were:

Consider interdisciplinary groups.  The obvious advantage is to learn to receive and give feedback to students from other disciplines.  On the other hand, sometimes it is very useful to have peers in your area looking at your writing, especially if they are on a similar career track.

Writing goals. The facilitators cautioned about tying your goals to upcoming deadlines.  Instead, they reported that the most productive groups make goals around the kind of writing they would like to improve upon.  This adds to sustainability of the group too.

Set some ground rules. Make some decisions about how often to meet, communication, how to exchange drafts, who will provide feedback, etc. and then commit to it.

Work and Play. In that order – plan some time at the end of the meeting to relax when the work is done.

Workshop slides: Graduate Writing Groups Feb 3 2015_Final

Workshop handout: Questions for Writing Groups

Here are some additional related links for resources and reading that were provided at the end of the workshop… Continue reading →

Last year I asked my Facebook colleagues for suggestions of resources on: a) how to write a thesis effectively, and b) how to balance parenthood and academia. Here are the suggestions I received:

Parenthood & Academia

• “Parenting in Grad School” blog
• Elrena Evans, Mama PhD

Academic Writing

• Paul Silvia, How to Write a Lot
• Robert Boice, Professors as Writers

Please add further suggestions in the comments!

Some of us are engaged in research that aims to help patients, providers, and decision makers make good decisions in maternity care. With patients, this means helping them make choices that are informed by best clinical evidence, personal values, and in the context of available resources. In a recent blog by Healthy Debate, “Decision aids: why hasn’t this proven, patient-centred practice caught on?”, the authors discuss the role of decision aids in helping patients make more informed decisions about their care. My thesis explores decision-making for vaginal birth after caesarean, so the questions posed in the article are of great relevance and interest to me.

Decision aids have been developed in maternity care for a range of preference-sensitive decisions, from choice of epidural, to prenatal genetic screening, to external cephalic version for breech presentation. While these tools have been shown to increase knowledge and help patients gain clarity about what matters to them, they have not been widely implemented. The article provides a good overview of why there has been limited uptake of decision aids.