The Optimizing Communication Workshop has been developed to increase the communication awareness and effectiveness of non-native English-speaking junior scientists for a range of everyday communication challenges typically encountered, e.g. explaining problems and progress with their research project, outlining research priorities and future direction, interacting better and more constructively ìn meetings as well as responding to and giving criticism.

To this end, participants will have their individual communication patterns reviewed and body language analyzed as a starting point to optimize individual communication styles. Next, they will be coached on how to master and implement a comprehensive and broad range of essential communication tools and practical strategies to enable them to better interact with and react to peers and supervisors.

To facilitate the skills development and building process, the workshop is highly practice-oriented. In addition to a range of tried-and-tested interactive exercises, individual case histories of the participants will be addressed and suitable, workable strategies sought together.

> Workshop content

1. Essentials of effective communication
2. Effective listening
3. Discord management
4. Productive interaction in meetings
5. Analysis of the participants’ communication patterns

> By the end of the workshop participants will be able to:

• Identify and correct individual elements of weak communication
• Implement strategies to effectively communicate their results
• Enhance their overall communication effectiveness