Taking Control: Managing Your Supervisor Tristram Hooley Senior Programme Manager

What is Vitae? Realising the potential of researchers What we do Policy Practice Resources/Courses Evidence www.vitae.ac.uk

Examples The Balanced Researcher What do PhDs do? Website: Postgraduate Researchers Website: Careers

Session outline: Who can help? The supervisor’s role Problems and why they occur The student’s role Plan for managing your supervisions Assertiveness Techniques for student-supervisor interactions Summary

Who else? Who can help? Second supervisor Postgraduate tutor Other academics Research staff Technicians Librarians Trainers Career advisors Who else?

SupervisorMan

But… they are only human Perhaps it might help if they had a bigger brain or a smaller ego or extra arms or a mini me

Now you have the technology Draw your perfect supervisor. (5 minutes – silence) Feel free to add genetic modifications or to cyborgise them. Don’t worry about any discomfort to the supervisors – make sure that they suit your needs. Once you’ve finished share it with your neighbour(s). 5 mins

Your supervisor and you Your supervisor should usually: ensure that you understand what is expected meet you regularly for a formal supervision give guidance about literature, training, research techniques and academic conventions provide constructive feedback on written work advise on courses, both specialist and concerning transferable skills advise you on where to present your work

Your supervisor and your project Your supervisor should usually: ensure that you understand what is expected ensure that you are aware of how your research fits into any research groups or projects of which you are part help you to co-ordinate the supervisory team responsible for your project give feedback on your overall progress help you to submit on time read and comment upon the whole of the final thesis.

What can go wrong? In groups/pairs, discuss and list some of the problems that can occur in the student-supervisor relationship

Why do things go wrong? In groups/pairs discuss and list some of the reasons why these may problems may occur. How does your supervisor spend his/her time?

Follow advice The researcher should typically: undertake research training as agreed produce written work as agreed comply with reporting procedures arrange for informal sharing of information and practice decide when to submit the thesis and ensure that it is submitted on time ensure that the thesis complies with regulations.

Be proactive The researcher should typically take responsibility for finding out what is expected take the initiative in raising problems or difficulties help the supervisory team to ensure consistency discuss with the supervisory team how to make guidance more effective agree and organise a mutually convenient schedule of meetings

Managing the Process Agree a plan of supervisions Prepare for Submit work for supervisor to read Attend supervision Summarise what you agreed Send summary to supervisor Six monthly review of progress Annual meeting with your thesis committee

Managing Supervisions Produce a written report or piece of written work for each supervision. Prepare for each supervision, construct an agenda for each meeting and send it to your supervisor. Take notes during your supervision. Summarise decisions made at the end of the supervision. Send your summary to your supervisor and bring it to the next supervision.

Assertiveness Non-assertiveness: Getting pushed around by others. Assertiveness: Standing up for yourself and getting your way some of the time. Aggressiveness: Upsetting people in order to get your way this time.

3 Step Method Step 1 Show you listen and understand Step 2 Say what you think and feel Step 3 Say what you want to happen

3 Step Method Step 1 Show you listen and understand I understand that you are very busy and that you have limited time. Step 2 Say what you think and feel However, I am feeling very anxious about whether I am going in the right direction with this section, and without your feedback I feel unable to progress further. Step 3 Say what you want to happen I need you to read this outline in the next week and tell me if there are any major omissions, and whether the structure make sense.

The Broken Record Useful in conflict situations, when refusing unreasonable requests, when expressing feelings and opinions, especially when the other person isn’t listening. Speak as if you were a broken record Calmly but persistently make your point Avoid argumentative bait or irrelevant logic Stick to your point until you are heard

Fogging Useful in deflecting criticism and/or anger in others and promoting calm communication. Acknowledge the person’s feelings Agree with the person (without commitment) The person will find it harder to continue with the anger or criticism.

Fogging Acknowledge the person’s feelings I appreciate that this draft was not easy to read, and that this took you more time than you could afford to spend on it. It is frustrating to have to struggle to understand a messy first draft. Agree with the person (without commitment) Yes, it would have been better if I had paid more attention to the language. You know from my previous drafts that I can write better than this, but on this occasion I was struggling with the analysis of this data and that ate up time I would have otherwise have spent on redrafting. I appreciate that you took the time to look beyond the errors in the language. The person will find it harder to continue with the anger or criticism.

Role play practice Student Scenario: you’ve been working on a particularly challenging bit of coding for the last few weeks. You have got quite stuck and think that you need a bit of input in order to make any further progress but your supervisor seems to be avoiding you. You have emailed reminders and got no response. You resolve to go to see your supervisor to try and make an appointment to discuss this later on in the week. Supervisor’s Response: I’m very busy. I’m just off to a conference, I’ll see you when I get back I’m trying to get a paper written before I leave Why don’t you leave the coding and do a bit of literature searching You really need to be more independent - work it out.

Role play practice In groups of three, take turns in taking on the role of the supervisor, student and observer. Student role: practise using the 3 step method and broken record to ask your supervisor for what you need. Supervisor role: try to make it difficult for the student by focusing on how busy you are and how difficult it will be to fulfil the request Observer role: watch the interaction of the student and supervisor so you can provide feedback on what you think worked well.

If things go wrong Talk to your supervisor – bring the problem into the open Try and analyse the situation and work out what is going wrong Gather advice from those around you Constructive complaining Know your rights

Take home messages Your supervisor is only human, but usually has your best interest at heart. You need to be proactive to make the most out of your supervisor Remember your supervisor is only one source of help and support If you have problems – deal with them quickly.