My programmes are intensive, experiential, and participatory (digital workshops included). Participants choose their own degree of challenge in a safe, confidential, and highly supportive learning environment.

All my Workshop programmes can be delivered virtually or in person… but…. what works in the training room doesn’t necessarily directly translate to being delivered digitally. Therefore, virtual and in-person workshops on the same topic will differ – in learning outcomes, approach, and the way participants experience the activities. This means that however I deliver your workshop, your participants will be getting the best possible learning experience, adapted to the medium we’re using to deliver it.

I specialise in the way individuals understand themselves and relate to others, so workshop topics fall into two broad themes, for example:

Personal awareness & self-management:

  • Boost your resilience and manage stress
  • Deploying your strengths and values in making decisions
  • Wrangle your workload
  • Navigate change and uncertainty
  • Tools for handling perfectionism and imposter phenomenon
  • Writing for researchers: creative approaches to workflow and productivity

Interpersonal:

  • Assertiveness skills
  • Communicating your expertise and potential
  • Communicating your research to non-specialists
  • Ditch the agenda: make every meeting worthwhile
  • Negotiating skills
  • Preparing and performing your Three Minute Thesis (3MT)
  • Resolving conflict in the research environment
  • Stop networking; start connecting (with other human beings)
  • Train-the-Trainer (Introduction to training skills)

Experiences and expertise in these topics is highly individual, so it is rare that any two participants show up with the same agenda or objectives. Because of this, a cohort model – taking all learners from point A, though point B, to point C – doesn’t serve participants well.

Instead, you’ll take ownership of your learning path. You’ll establish your landscape (what’s my starting point and context?), set your own development goals (what do I want to change?), experiment with activities and tools (how might I make change?), and then plan implementation (how will I start closing the gap?).

You’ll develop a deeper understanding of your behaviour patterns, your strengths, and your learning preferences; this means you’ll make better choices about your personal and professional development.

When you take control of your learning in this way, you’ll grow in confidence: make better choices, work to your strengths, approach problems creatively, and make the most of your personal resources and external support.

Connect with me to start the conversation of how I can provide the programme you need.

Adapted to the online training environment well

Dr. Sarah Robins-Hobden was brilliant and I thought she adapted to the online training environment well. The structure was clear and she communicated what we were doing well.

Researcher
CHASE DTP

Seeing myself and other trainees changing and developing, is incredible

This was not only during a world wide pandemic, but when staff attending have had increased workloads and decreased resources, having to work online, from home, in worldwide and private disruption and widespread change and confusion. Sarah did a fantastic job with tired, challenged, worn out, cynical and emotionally empty staff members, and to lift and produce such wonderful results in seeing myself and other trainees changing and developing, is incredible. We have been the most exhausted and battered cohort ever. I have wondered at times how anyone of us could have been motivated at all to engage or change. Sarah managed it. She lifted, encouraged, believed. We have been incredibly lucky, she made a load of little cocoons into butterflies. Cannot thank her enough. Personally and Professionally.

Staff member
University of Portsmouth

Valuable skills to support my doctoral degree

I believe I gained valuable skills to support my doctoral degree going forward. Thank you for the workshop!

Researcher
University of Sussex

Totally inspiring

Made us feel brilliant and supported on our journey. Conveyed the skills in an easy and friendly manner, making us believe we can achieve anything. Totally inspiring.

Support staff
University of Portsmouth

Injection of positivity

Having the opportunity to discuss stress with students at different stages in their PhDs and from different subject areas, and realising that there were shared stressors was helpful. Also the identification of strengths exercise was a nice injection of positivity.

Researcher
University of Sussex

Learnt some useful de-stress skills

Everything was brilliant, I was able to de-stree during the session with the good rapport developed in the short time and learnt some useful de-stress skills as well.

Researcher
Queen Mary, University of London

More aware of my behavioural patterns

The session made me more aware of my behavioral patterns under stress. Also it gave everyone the opportunity to talk about how they feel in their situation and allowed finding other people that are in the same situation (as cliché as it sounds)

Researcher
SAGEX

Reflect and reframe

This session has really encouraged me to reflect on my career so far, spot the negative assumptions I have about it and reframe them positively.

Researcher
Oxford Brookes University