Having Difficult Conversations

Communication / Doing Research / Management & Leadership / Mentoring

No matter how in tune you are with your colleagues, at some point, you’ll find yourself in conflict and needing to have a difficult conversation. In my leadership roles at VUMC and elsewhere, I’ve had plenty. Here are some strategies for making these conversations less stressful and coming out with a win for all sides.

First, what is a difficult conversation? Of course, it’s anything hard to talk about. Self-esteem of one or both parties is often at risk, and important issues are at stake. Often, when you’re having a difficult conversation, you care deeply about the other person or people. These conversations can center on a host of issues that may involve misunderstandings, assumptions, a clash of values, or a perception of unfair treatment. Some examples in science include:

  • A postdoc skips regular meetings with the group leader. The leader lets it slide, and then the postdoc attempts to publish on their own.
  • Authorship order and inclusion is not established early.
  • Trainee projects and roles aren’t clearly defined, leading to conflict instead of cooperation.
  • Someone in the lab isn’t doing their fair share of work.

When an issue like this arises, you have a few choices for responding. You can remain silent—but silence can take an emotional toll, and the issue can simmer until it explosively erupts. You can respond immediately—but then your response may become confrontational and/or unproductive. Or you can respond later, giving yourself time to think, but there is some risk with waiting too long.

Take a deep breath. Ask yourself these questions:

  • What is the importance of the issue and the relationship?
  • How does it make you and the other person feel?
  • What does this say about me and my identity?
  • What do I really want?
  • What do I want for others?
  • What do I want for this relationship?
  • Is this something I can possibly resolve with the other party, or will we need help?
  • What are the options?

Each difficult conversation is really three separate conversations: 1) What happened? 2) How does it make the people involved feel? 3) What does this say about our identities?

“What happened” is often a matter of perspective. Consider the picture to the right. Just because the person who thinks the number is a six is correct doesn’t mean the person who thinks it’s a nine is wrong. Both have their own perspectives. Assigning blame early is rarely productive.

Many people are reluctant to talk about feelings at work, but avoiding any discussion of how an incident made you feel can cause you to miss some important underpinnings of the conflict. How each party feels has implications for their identities. If someone is concerned about being perceived as a bad person, it’s hard to have a productive conversation.

Curiosity helps immensely in these situations. Try to set aside your preconceptions and learn more about the situation. Some things you might say:

  • Tell me more about…
  • My point of view is different. Can you help me understand…?
  • Help me understand your intent when you said/did…
  • What were you feeling when…?
  • Let’s figure this out together

Listen to learn, not just to respond. Bring empathy and grace for yourself as well as the other party. Acknowledge that impact often does not equal intention (and vice versa).

Here’s an example of this process in action: Imagine you are a radiologist like me. You’re performing an ultrasound on a pregnant person and a medical student is with you. You can’t find the fetal heartbeat, and the mom, knowing something is wrong, starts to cry. The medical student rushes from the room.

You could assume the student is uncaring about their patients. You could even say this to the student. But if you listen to learn, you might instead say, “I noticed you left when the patient started crying. Can you help me understand what was going on?” And you might learn that the student had a miscarriage three weeks ago. The initial assumption no longer makes much sense.

Stay curious and aim for the most respectful interpretation of others’ behavior. Let that curiosity lead you in these interactions and frame these conversations.

I am a certified Leadership and Performance Coach and have mentored and coached over 130 physicians and other individuals. Having a curious and open mindset is essential to coaching. I have published multiple peer-reviewed papers and have given national invited presentations on mentorship and coaching. My mission is to help physicians, scientists, and other individuals achieve personal and professional growth and fulfillment. Please feel free to reach out to me at Lori.deitte@vumc.org if you are interested in learning more.

Some of the information in this post comes from Crucial Conversations by Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, and Emily Gregory, and Difficult Conversations by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen. Check them out for more tips and strategies to make these kinds of conversations go well.

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Fierce Conversations

Book Reviews / Communication / Faculty Life

Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work & in Life, One Conversation at a Time

Although the title may bring to mind some vivid images, author Susan Scott doesn’t suggest that we talk in threatening overconfidence with unrelenting passion, but rather that our conversations be focused on genuine, eager, and truthful investigations into reality. It sounds like a lot, but the book provides many examples from the kitchen to the c-suite where these tactics are worth the effort.

Stemming from the idea that conversations do not make a relationship but rather are a relationship, the author works through communication hurdles–inviting the reader to identify their own biases and preconceived notions when engaging with others and being comfortable in delivering that same feedback. Helpful summary lists, assignments, and strategies are shared throughout the book. These assignments are as much about self-reflection as they are about providing structure to often awkward or challenging conversations that carry weight, particularly to young investigators. Highest yield for me was the “Issue Preparation Form Template” that includes tasks for identifying the issue, describing its significance, what the ideal outcome is, summarizing relevant background information, listing what has been done up to this point, options one is considering, and explaining what help they need to do it. Now summarize this in 60-seconds when talking to your mentor/boss/colleague so that you don’t lose their attention! It sounds like a push, but when asking for help, especially as a young investigator,  this structure reflects preparation, thought, and is more likely to get a favorable response.

The introspective approach the author uses to improve outward conversations is core. For example, replacing “but” with “and” when speaking about conflicts or challenges is an important way to display conflicts that are of equal importance without negating the former (i.e., “I know you want more time to complete the project and the deadline is looming. I’d like to help you and I have no easy choices right now. You seem stressed, and yet I need you to deliver this project on time with minimal involvement on my part”). This small change, in addition to the active listening and deliberate silence strategies identified, enrich interactions and help make this book into a helpful resource that can be called on when one does not feel they are being adequately heard or understood. As the author summarizes: “All conversations are with myself, and sometimes they involve other people.”

Fierce Conversations

More Resources

Not that Kind of Year: Tales of Year 1 as a New PI

The Power of Pause: How to be More Effective in a Demanding, 24/7 World

Radical Candor: Can It Work for Academics?

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Connecting Through Poster Sessions

Communication / Doing Research / Networking & Collaboration / Trainees

Imagine you’re at a poster session. As you walk by the posters, you instantly understand the key points and ‘get’ the research. You find yourself stopping, reading, engaging with the presenter, and you’re inspired to think more broadly about your own work. Posters designed with the audience experience in mind create engaging sessions leading to new connections and collaborations.

Christine Kimpel’s better poster design (image by Helen Bird)

That poster I noticed? The judges noticed it too and it won third place at Vanderbilt Translational Research Forum and a travel grant to Translational Science 2022.

I reached out to Christine Kimpel BSN, RN, MA, PhD(c), whose poster inspired me, and Caroline Taylor, Sr. Graphic Design/Multimedia Specialist for Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, who collaborated on the design of Christine’s poster, to share their insights with Edge for Scholars.

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11 Quick Design Tips to Instantly Improve Your Poster

  1. Write clearly and concisely.
  2. Use bullet points and numbered lists to break up full sentences and paragraphs.
  3. Make each section shorter than a paragraph.
  4. Avoid big words in your title.
  5. Choose a sans serif font.
  6. Use the same font for the titles and body text. Make title font bigger and bolder.
  7. Format titles the same. Format body text the same.
  8. Left align text.
  9. Use 3 colors or less. Choose one of these colors to be the main color.
  10. Add images to break up a text heavy poster.
  11. Ask a colleague in a different field to give feedback.

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Better Poster Design

The Better Poster is designed to maximize insight, encourage conversation, and make it easy to quickly understand the research.

Better Poster Template (image by Mike Morrison)

The main finding, or key takeaway, is written in plain language and placed front and center. It is 12-15 words and easily read from 10 feet away. On the left is an overview of the study and to the right are the findings. A QR code links to more information.

Mike Morrison designed the new poster format and encourages presenters to adapt the template for their own needs, while keeping the poster clean, concise, and easy to read.

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Newbie Strategies for Starting a Poster

  • Start 3-4 months before you need to print the poster.
  • Check the conference guidelines for required poster sections and size.
  • Know the resources at your institution (graphic design, poster printing, etc.) and contact early.
  • Work on the text a little bit and then leave it for a few days to get perspective.
  • The results and discussion sections take the most time and thought.
  • Posters are not read from start to finish. Each element should be understandable in any order.
  • Discuss the best way to show results with your research team.
  • Give your research team 2 weeks to review the poster. A call is helpful to hammer out the details.
  • Be mindful of time and how long it takes to print the poster.

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Steps for Creating a Poster in PowerPoint

Use PowerPoint Designer and SmartArt to convert text to graphics, icons, and charts. (image)

  • Write the text first.
  • Change the PowerPoint slide to the actual size of the poster.
  • Use separate text boxes for each section. Left align text.
  • Copy the text info into the poster. Does it look chaotic?
  • Eliminate unnecessary words and cut the text down until it will easily fit on the slide.
  • Use bullet points to break up paragraphs and create space.
  • Zoom to 100% in PowerPoint. If you can’t read the text, your audience won’t be able to either.
  • Use PowerPoint Designer and SmartArt to convert text to graphics, icons, and charts.
  • Design your poster on a main slide, but have other slides open to work on different elements.
  • Put image credit directly under image, even if you use a free site.

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Resources

Research Poster Best Practices

Better Poster Templates

Create a Better Research Poster

#betterposter

Select a Color Theme

Copyright Free Images (Unsplash is an Edge for Scholars favorite)

Free Icons

Free QR Code Generator

Poster Accessibility for People with Disabilities

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Books

Better Posters: Plan, Design and Present an Academic Poster by Zen Faulkes

Effective Data Visualization: The Right Chart for the Right Data by Stephanie Evergreen

The Wall Street Journal Guide to Information Graphics: The Dos and Don’ts of Presenting Data, Facts, and Figures by Dona Wong

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Thank you to Christine Kimpel and Caroline Taylor for sharing their expert knowledge with Edge for Scholars.

Christine Kimpel is a Registered Nurse, a PhD Candidate at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, and a first year Fellow in the VA Quality Scholars Program. Her clinical experiences with Palliative Care spurred her interest to explore determinants of Advance Care Planning. She earned her BSN (cum laude) and MA degrees from Kent State University. Her dissertation research focuses on identifying Age-Friendly Environment factors of Advance Care Planning among low-income, older adults. She plans to develop this program of research around the use of community-based participatory research approaches to reduce Advance Care Planning and Palliative Care inequities. Christine serves on the board of the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association. Additionally, she is a member of the Iota at-Large chapter of Sigma Theta Tau and the Tennessee Nurses Association. At the VA, she is collaborating on the deployment of a quality metrics dashboard.

Caroline Taylor is a Sr. Graphic Designer / Multimedia Specialist for Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. There, she specializes in creating visual marketing objectives that best benefit the school, as well as faculty and staff. Her research poster designs have been featured by VUSN’s faculty, winning nationally ranked awards.

Christine Kimpel BSN, RN, MA, PhD(c) won third place at Vanderbilt Translational Research Forum.

 

Further Reading from Edge for Scholars

Best Poster Resources for Trainees

The Newbie’s Excellent Infographic Adventure

PowerPoint Hacks for Scientific Poster Design

Making a Better Research Poster

Networking for People Who Hate Networking: A Field Guide for Introverts, the Overwhelmed, and the Underconnected

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Navigating Academic Relationships

Communication / Faculty Life / Mentoring

The bedrock of any good relationship – whether academic or otherwise – is clear communication and aligning expectations. When clear communication is not established, it can lead to isolation, stalemates, and even conflict, but in all instances, it negatively impacts productivity.  When relationships appear strained or are just beginning, we must go back to the basics, which, while not easy, will set up a solid foundation.

Clear Communication

“Clear is kind, unclear is unkind.  Stop, stop avoiding the tough conversations because you think you’re being polite or kind to people – that’s not kind.”  Brené Brown, PhD

This quote helped me to frame all my work in the arena of Navigating Academic Relationships.  Think of all the times you ran into trouble from assuming intent from vague language or misled someone else because you were afraid to be direct, specific, clear in your language – or assumed somehow someone could mindread precisely what you want.  How much time would be saved if we were able to state professionally and clearly what we mean?

Aligning Expectations

It is essential to set clear expectations anytime we begin a new working relationship. Whether these relationships are between supervisor and supervisee, faculty and student/staff/postdoc, or collaborators, these expectations must be mutually set and revisited throughout the working relationship. For graduate students and faculty who work with them, there are new expectations every year as they progress and develop more skills and independence. The academic progression makes it essential to update expectations throughout.  Expectations do not just go one way – from mentor to mentee; supervisor to supervisee – the student or supervisee should be sharing their own expectations and the support they need to meet the expectations others have of them.  The CIMER group has produced an excellent “Aligning Expectations” exercise for faculty and graduate students working together to complete it – I highly recommend it as a template for these discussions.

Resources that can be helpful in these areas:

Stacey Satchell, Senior Academic Life Coach & RC Stabile, Academic Life Coach
The Graduate School @ Vanderbilt University

More Resources

Tools for Making Progress in Academic Life

Overheard at Ground Level: Fresh Brewed Mentoring

Staying Mentally Well in Academia is a Balancing Act

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Optimizing Colors for Projected Presentations

Communication

You worked for hours on your presentation for your society’s annual conference. On the day of your big presentation, while going through the slides on the projection screen, you notice your slides are looking “off.” Something is not right. What could it be?

Your nice pale greens have turned into blinding fluorescent chartreuse, and your yellows have become a muddled brown. The beautiful shades of blue you used to create a complicated bar graph all look like the exact same color. Your thoughtfully crafted slides have become eyesores to look at.

Projectors tend to not display the colors exactly as they appear on your computer screen. This can lead to colors and images that look great on your monitor not looking very good when they’re projected onto a screen.

Monitor Colors

Monitor Colors

Projector Screen Colors

Projector Screen Colors

Solution:

Test, test, test! If possible, test on the screen you will be presenting on. If that is not possible, opt for a color scheme of contrasting colors that are more saturated—the more muted the colors on your monitor, the more likely they will blend together on the projection.

Your institution or department’s standard template may work well for printed material but not translate well to a projector. The colors in your presentation may need to be adjusted to a different shade in order to present better and retain an institutional connection.

Rules to remember:

  • Test colors on the presentation projector or monitor whenever possible
  • Avoid subtle color combinations as they do not show well on a projector
  • Avoid vibrating color combinations, like red and green, as those colors which appear to “vibrate” when viewed on a screen as some in your audience may have red-green color blindness or it can give some people a headache
  • Use high contrast color combinations, which are a safer bet for presentations. Background and text need to have enough contrast for readability

Monitor View

Monitor View

Projection View

Projection View

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5 Steps For Effective Communication In The International Workplace

Communication

How do you communicate across international differences in the workplace? 

We inhabit a global workplace. We can now leave a message for a colleague in Germany, China, Ghana, or New Zealand and perhaps give only a quick thought to what time zone they are in. We want to empower people to contribute their unique skills. How should we best interact with our global team to create a positive environment?

1.    Make sure your INTENTION matches your IMPACT. 

Even a simple head shake or a ‘thumbs up’ can mean the complete opposite to different people. If you give a well-intended thumbs up (everything is great) to a person from Greece you are actually showing an offensive gesture. When we consider more subtle language nuances, communication can become a challenge.

You have a task and each think you are in agreement over the work to be done, but in fact you are talking about very different topics. So what to do? Allow time to communicate. Seek clarity.

If verbal communication is a barrier – even with people speaking the same language – write down what you mean. Have a board for people to write down bullet points. Use nonverbal communication to find common ground. For a high-stakes outcome, initiate a follow-up via email to ensure everyone has their role clear and any problems can be identified.

Here is a quick side note on speaking the same language, yet struggling to be understood. My British pronunciation of the word water “waTER” in parts of the USA remains a source of amusement and mild confusion. I haven’t perfected the American vocabulary, or come close to requesting a glass of “waughder,” but it is a work in progress.

Keep a sense of humour (or is it humor?) around any differences and make communication a safe space – not a feared activity. Your team members may actually feel that their verbal communication is not perfect enough and that can inhibit their presentation confidence as well as speaking up in meetings. Take time to include the opinions of those that will make a difference as well as provide encouragement and opportunities to speak up (and be heard).

Meanwhile, all this talk of beverages brings us to point 2.

2.    Share a meal.

We have an International Potluck this week. Sharing a meal is a time-honored fun and friendly way to engage. Our group celebrated the Chinese Moon Festival this autumn. Pinterest-worthy, home-made red bean paste moon cake was enjoyed at work. Show an interest in the reason for a particular dish and you may be surprised at what you learn and the positive impact this has to build new commonality.

Food is just one way to learn more about a particular culture. Take note of holidays and take an interest, but do not call your team member out on it all the time. If you create a welcome space, your team member will be willing to share more. Do not put the burden on your team member to know the full history about a particular aspect of their culture. Be mindful of how you ask questions. If all they know is that their family eats this each year – you learned something new about your team member. You showed a genuine interest and if you really want to learn more – you can look it up too!

As well as celebrating who we are, what practical steps can we use to make sure we understand each other and can get the job done effectively?

3.    Email etiquette.

Your email intended for one user can become a company wide “send all” with the wrong keystroke. Email is a great source of communication when used well, particularly when your teams are in different time zones. However, the recipient only reads the words and does not get any of the nonverbal nuances that provide more context to the message.

This is a tongue-in-cheek (for amusement) comparison between two styles of email.

First, we have the brief and direct.

Chuck,

Great job.

Best,

Tyler

Next, here is a polite and more wordy example.

Dear Fiona,

I hope you are doing well. I wanted to congratulate you on doing a wonderful job earlier today.

You are a great asset to the team and it is a pleasure to work with you.

Best wishes,

Chris

Any guesses on which style matches which country(ies)? I will let you decide.

As you are aware, different people let alone different cultures have varied ways of communicating via email. It is good business practice to be aware of the context (including culture) of who you are communicating with and make a conscious decision on how handle communications. If you are wanting to mirror your communicator’s language style – go ahead, err on the side of more formal and more respectful via email. Brief messages can be construed as lacking consideration and can be very abrupt in many parts of the world. Lengthy email can be seen as not getting to the point fast enough and filled with padding. How to win?

If you acknowledge these differences, and see the communication through the lens of the sender – you will have greater success in listening well and being understood. Also think of the time zone you are communicating with. Always want to have an international meeting at 3pm EST? Well, do not reasonably expect your Swedish colleagues to always be available. Think through and invite feedback on your plans.

4.    To aid understanding use standard language, not slang.

If you use slang, this can be a challenge to those from different regions (even within the same country). Pop = soda = soft drink = … The list goes on for names of a fizzy drink across the USA. This is not a request to ‘dumb down’ but a call to find common ground. Decide what your goal is. Is it to communicate? To walk alongside to a common goal? It takes skill to explain a complex idea in a language understood by the intended audience. Let your skills shine!

Take the time to watch for visual clues of lack of understanding and then take a step back if necessary. Double check you are being understood. Double check you are listening well.

5.    Encourage feedback.

If you want to know how the communication is going – ask. If you want to know how your colleague is dealing with the conversation and environment – ask! You may not get direct feedback at first, or it may be a word tsunami. Take time to listen, do not interrupt, offer to meet in a small group or one-on-one and give your undivided attention, block time off in your calendar. If you prioritize creating an atmosphere of trust and shared vision towards a common goal, you will positively impact your team goals. You will empower your team members to contribute their unique knowledge with greater independence and success.

Join the conversation

  • How do you communicate with your international colleagues?
  • What is your most amusing miscommunication due to cultural differences?
  • Share your thoughts below and let’s learn from each other.

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Your Message in the Media

Communication

You’ve been contacted to talk about your recent publication or to discuss research by another team. Here’s how to prepare.

Working with print, broadcast, and online media reporters requires powerful control of your message – meaning you must plan a clear and focused communication strategy. Don’t trust subject matter knowledge to see you through an interview without preparation.

Plan a SOCO: Single Overriding Communications Objective.

The public health community of the 1970s gets credit for developing the SOCO framework to assure a simple, clear message that is accessible to the public. For instance, in this contemporary example:

Lives will be saved if children and adults who have not been vaccinated get the measles vaccine now to prevent spread. Contact [your county health department] for information about free vaccine times and locations. #VaccinesWork

The goal, target audience, rationale, and actionable information are succinct and pointed. Closer to a tweet than a paragraph. For scientific findings to have traction in the media, researchers typically need to restructure how we conceptualize and present research.

By convention, we build our case from the rationale: starting with background and supporting details followed by methods, results, and conclusions. In contrast, lay audiences respond to the opposite structure. Tell me why I should care (bottom line), what the implications are, and then supporting facts that help me decide whether to trust your information.

Before you go to the studio or pick up the phone for an interview, prepare to write your SOCO.

  • What is your objective for doing the interview? Provide meaning and context.
  • Who is your most desired audience?
  • If you could write the headline or first few sentences of the article, what would it be?
  • What three (or fewer) facts would you like the public to remember from your interview?
  • What is the take home message or implication?

Though it is fair game and wise to ask in advance what the focus and format of the media segment or written piece will be, and to inquire about audience characteristics, your focus is NOT: “What is the reporter’s or writer’s objective for doing the interview?” While you aim to meet his or her need for information, your objective needs to be YOUR reason for wanting to share information. You want to prepare your SOCO so you can stay on message and deliver the information that has highest value for you and for demonstrating how your science matters.

As a candidate and President, Barack Obama has uncanny ability to stick to a SOCO:

This pattern of looping back and narrowing the focus of conversation to a simple message does not come naturally to most researchers. We prefer and indeed thrive on granularity of detail. To counteract this tendency to cover too much detail or esoteric background, the best advice is to rehearse your SOCO with a colleague, mentor, or member of your institution’s media relations office.

Role play, at minimum, responses to questions like:

  • What’s exciting about this discovery?
  • What will it mean for people with [some condition]?
  • Will this be problematic for [some plausible group/reason]?
  • What do you think about [study with contrasting finding]?

After rehearsing write down your final SOCO and keep it with you:

  • Meaning and Context: Not more than 3 sentences
  • Three Key Facts: Bullets – be brief
  • Target Audience: Who does this media outlet reach?
  • Communication Objective: Single statement that is easy to say

Don’t skimp on practicing this last item. If your objective is not easy to say, keep revising until you can deliver it smoothly and it sounds fluid and natural. This step makes for a more confident interview and assures you won’t stumble or misstate your main message.

Final pointers:

Always ask what the focus or slant of the article is. Don’t assume the interview is actually about your work. At times your work or expertise is used as entrée to get comment on other science or topics in academics or healthcare. Asking for details in advance helps avoid being taken off guard.

Remember, nothing is off the record, ever. This includes broader discussion in email responses to reporters.

If you find yourself rambling on the phone or in person, stop and say something like “Let me start that again and be more focused.”

If an interview is being videotaped it is fair play to stop and to make a gesture (some use timeout sign) that indicates you are stopping to restate more clearly. Take a moment to regroup and start fresh – wording does not have to match your prior attempt. More than one take is not rare. Using a gesture helps assure that digital editing is not used to retrieve segments you prefer are not used.

Ask in advance if you will be able to see a final draft of written materials. Even if the answer is “no” the reporter will be more aware that you are sensitive to accuracy of the framing of your answers. It is rare to be able to see video footage in advance and common not to see the article, while some will provide outtakes of your quotes as an alternative.

Stay tuned for future posts and we’ll cover how to plan for and increase media coverage of an upcoming publication via your SOCO and use of social media.

RESOURCES

AAAS Communications Toolkit

Escape from the Ivory Tower, by Nancy Baron, 2010

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Not that Kind of Page: Tales of Building a Better Lab Website

Communication

In this day and age, every company has a website. You are running a small business and you should too. There are even murmurs that searches for your name will peak right before study section, as study section members look up the people whose grants they will be reviewing. Here are my thoughts on what makes a successful website. As always these days n=me, and the hundreds of lab websites I have explored to track down collaborators, reagents, and potential hires.

Invest in your own website: I have said it before, but it bears repeating. Invest in your own website. Institutional websites are clunky, infrequently updated, and limited in scope. The price of nice cohesion across the department, school, and institution also keeps these websites very limited in content in the majority of cases. Spend some time and some money to put together a website that is yours to make, update, and modify as you want. Institutions will, of course, have rules as to what of theirs (logos, colors, fonts, etc.) you can and cannot use, as well as what you can and cannot claim (i.e., you need to note this not an official Big Research School website). Some of them will not let you link from your faculty profile into the personal website because it is external, but do not let that discourage you. Link it to your Twitter account, stick it in LinkedIn, put it in your email signature, whatever. Make sure it is out there and accessible. Should you be so lucky as to have a flexible and easy-to-use institution provided website, you might consider keeping your own website anyway for the reasons I have listed above.

Clearly define your role: Your website should provide basic information about you, like where you are appointed, what programs you are affiliated with, and where people can find you. Some people provide their training history, others do not. I have also visited a couple faculty websites recently where the principal investigator (PI) is not obvious. This happens more frequently with labs that have come up with clever names rather than sticking to the PI’s last name. Clever names are great, but can make it hard to determine whether this is one lab or many, how many PIs there are, and who you should be emailing. Either way, stick your picture somewhere and designate yourself as the PI. Most of the time, people looking at your website want to see what you look like so they can find you at a meeting or conference. Make it easy for them. Use a headshot in semi-professional attire that is fairly up to date.

Keep it professional: This should go without saying, but I will say it anyway. Keep the content professional. Grant reviewers, collaborators, and potential trainees will all be looking at the website, so strike the balance between good science and good environment.

Make the science accessible: The people looking at your website much of the time will be trainees and lay people. Use this opportunity to polish up your scientific communication skills and describe the big ideas you think about in your research program. The experts, like potential colleagues and study section reviewers, will simply click through to your research articles.

Keep it updated with lab news: There is nothing more depressing than a lab web page that has not been updated in years. Put it on your calendar, make a recurring reminder, and keep the website updated with papers, grants, outreach, and professional updates to trainees and staff. I include a list of papers accepted, grants funded, lab outings, and conferences attended. The point is to keep a record of the large and small victories of the lab, especially when it comes to your trainees and staff.

Include your trainees and staff: Include a photo of your research team and individual members. This is particularly important for the members who might not end up on papers quickly, like summer students or staff. For example, it is difficult to evaluate a CV of postdoc applicant when there is no trace of them on your website, especially if their papers are not yet in press. Let your trainees write up a description of their research project and, if they have one, a link to their own professional website. Include an alumni section as well. You should be keeping track of your trainee outcomes on the NIH training tables, so updating your website with what your past trainees are doing should be easy.

Advertise open positions: This is the perfect space to advertise open positions. I also stick in instructions how to apply to our graduate program and the mechanisms by which summer, medical, and high school students can participate in our research.

Make resources, manuscripts, software, and data sets readily available: There should be links to Google Scholar, ORCID, NCBI Bibliography, your institutional website, NIH Reporter, etc. The link to your NCBI bibliography will include links the PubMed Central open access articles. Link your pre-prints and other works in progress. If your manuscripts are associated with large data sets, provide a link to downloading the data or instructions on how to access it. Should you have reagents that are frequently requested, make yourself a webpage with details on how to request said reagents, what the material transfer agreement covers, etc. I also include links to resources we use frequently and resources for patients, should they come across our website.

Acknowledge your funding sources: While the NIH loves a shout-out for supporting your research program, your institution and private foundations rely on your success and advertisement of their support for continued donations. Acknowledge them.

I hope these ideas have inspired you to create your own website, outside of your institution, that provides you the flexibility to include these elements and possibly more. In this age of connectivity, do not let your institution’s static website limit your, or your trainees, online presence. Stay tuned for more tales!

Did I miss an important point? Do you have questions or concerns about the post? Or perhaps an anecdote to contribute! Feel free to send some electrons my way in the comments, via Twitter @PipetteProtag, or through traditional electronic mail pipette.protagonist@gmail.com

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How To Survive The Interview You Didn’t Know Was Coming

Communication / Doing Research

Daily news reporting is a tough and thankless task. A reporter can write a well thought out, hard-hitting story on a Thursday and, when they wake up Friday morning, the page is blank again and the editor is asking “What have you done for me lately?”

Because TV stations and newspapers are in need of new and relevant content every day, a lot of what we do in the VUMC Department of News and Communications consists of finding sources and stories very quickly. Our researchers are frequently asked to comment on health-related topics even if they are not directly involved.

When Michael Jackson died, cardiologist Dr. Keith Churchwell was on CNN International within minutes to discuss Mr. Jackson’s reported cardiac arrest and what that could mean for a person of his age.

When a nationwide fungal meningitis outbreak was first discovered, and then tied to a dirty drug compounding pharmacy by a Vanderbilt physician, Dr. April Pettit was on the phone being interviewed by both the New York Times and the Tennessean in a very short timeframe.

Researchers and physicians can communicate effectively with their audience, even on short notice, if they are able to follow a few simple tips when being interviewed by the media.

Remember, reporters are looking for short, concise, easy-to-understand quotes and a 30-minute conversation may only produce one or two 10- to-15 second clips that will be used in the story.

  • Speak to your audience like you would speak to your patients, or your next-door neighbor at the mailbox. Keep it simple and easy to follow.
  • Put the information in context for the audience – What did your study find? Why is this important? How many people are affected? Where do we go from here?
  • Maintain good eye contact with the reporter while answering questions (don’t look directly into the camera unless it is a live interview and you are asked to do so)
  • Don’t give numbered lists such as “three reasons this is important” because the quote typically will not be long enough to include all three.
  • Don’t say “as I said before” because each quote needs to stand on its own.
  • Do not bring a cheat sheet to the interview with answers you have memorized.
  • Don’t guess. If you don’t know the answer, or if the question doesn’t relate to what you do or know about, then go back to your main message or tell them you will get back to them with the answer.
  • There is no such thing as “off the record.” Anything you say can be quoted whether or not the reporter uses the magical phrase “off the record.”

With these tips in mind, the first question is almost always to say and spell your name and give your title. The last question is usually an opportunity to say something you wanted to say that wasn’t asked or an opportunity to reiterate your main point.

The reporters are working hard to generate content every day, so the easier you can make it for them and their audience to understand, the better it will be for all involved.

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Introverts Can Network, Too!

Communication / Doing Research / Faculty Life / Networking & Collaboration

Do you consider yourself an introvert?  Do you get anxious thinking about how to meet new colleagues? Are you looking for better ways to network without becoming overwhelmed?  

I personally consider myself an introvert, and I have to remind myself that networking is essential to one’s professional career.  Networking is how ideas are spread, collaborative teams are formed, and lifelong relationships are started.  I’m reminded of a quote by Shirley MacLaine (American actress): “The more I traveled, the more I realized that fear makes strangers of people who should be friends.”

Given the importance of networking and lack of practical tips, one of my extraverted colleagues and I developed a presentation on this topic.  We consistently find the audience interested in our tips for introverts (and the extraverts who interact with them!), so I’d like to share some of them with you…

Whenever meeting a new person, always make sure you say: (a) your name, (b) where you’re from, and (c) what you do [in less than 15 seconds].  Let the other person do the same, and if the first 30 seconds are going well, I suggest the following ideas & considerations for introverts:

  • Start with small talk because you have at least 1 common topic with anyone around you (i.e., your colocation indicates you have at least 1 mutual interest).  At a national meeting, consider asking something like, “What’s been your favorite part so far?”  If you’re at a breakout session or even a local seminar, try “Can I ask what interested you in this talk?”
  • Convince yourself it’s OK to exit a conversation.  This can be especially challenging when an introvert meets a very talkative extravert because most introverts believe they are being rude by interrupting someone else.  Here’s a secret: extremely extraverted persons are not offended when you move on!  Practice phrases like, “It was great chatting with you, and I hope we keep in touch.  I’d like to keep meeting a few people to maximize my time at the meeting.”  That extraverted person can easily find someone else with whom to network, and the introverted person gets the break she/he needs.
  • Create a balance between: (a) time with others and (b) time with self.  For example, when you attend a national meeting, go to the social events, but save up a few bucks and plan to spend one night in your hotel room and order room service.  And if you need a very quick break in the middle of an event, you could always try faking a phone call and stepping away!
  • If you’re with a trusted colleague, consider the “buddy system.”  Not only can you divide-and-conquer to increase potential contacts, but you can pre-arrange a rescue signal in case you need a little help.

For a greater understanding of introverts, check out Susan Cain’s TEDTalk “The power of introverts” or her related book Quiet.

What ideas have others found successful?  

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