Don't miss our weekly PhD newsletter | Sign up now Don't miss our weekly PhD newsletter | Sign up now

PhD Discussion Forum

The following thread is brought to you by our sister Web site PostgraduateForum.com. If you wish to reply or post your own thread, you will be redirected to this site.

This Category:   PostgraduateForum.com > PhD Advice / Support


Message

What is the best way to communicate with sups


User: Tudor_Queen - 10 November 2016 18:28

I don't mean generally (e.g., by email or phone), I mean if you want to discuss plans/findings etc. Would you email some sort of synopsis before a meeting so that they can read through it and you're on the same page for the meeting, or would you just bring notes to the meeting and talk through stuff there? Probably quite a dumb question. I just find that my meetings don't always go as well as they could do. What do you do, and does it work?

User: CR1980 - 10 November 2016 18:44

I always tried to send things ahead so they knew what I was working on and how things were going. I think having an agenda (even a few bullets) to keep things on track can really help you to get what you need and means nobody is surprised at things coming up.

User: Tudor_Queen - 11 November 2016 10:15

Cheers CR1980. I will try sending out something ahead of time (bullet points) so that the discussion can take off.

User: timefortea - 11 November 2016 14:35

I always sent things ahead too otherwise you spend half the meeting explaining what you want to actually talk about.

User: Tudor_Queen - 11 November 2016 17:32

Yep, it makes sense. Up to now things to discuss haven't really been very substantive (I think that is the right word), so it hasn't been necessary to send much (only drafts - which we don't discuss but just deal with over email). Now I'm planning more studies I guess I can send over my ideas/rationale and brief outline of design.

User: Hugh - 13 November 2016 10:00

I send plan/agenda before hand too. So that they can look at it before hand. But sometimes they don't, so don't assume in meeting they have read it, ask them if they have. And then give them time in meeting to.

User: Tudor_Queen - 13 November 2016 16:13

Cheers Hugh : )