PhD course: Prepared for Conferences

A four-week course for PhD scholars (especially Humanities, Social Sciences, Theology, Law) who wish to improve their performance at inter/national conferences: group workshops, individual consultation and individual study (two weeks before the first workshop the participants receive two guides to help them prepare for the course)

Please note that the course focuses on linguistic and rhetorical aspects of communicating research in English. Scholars of natural sciences may find the first session less relevant to their disciplinary practice.

Programme

Workshop 1: (Re)writing Conference Abstracts and Proposals

As an academic communicator, you need linguistic precision and flexibility to summarize the wealth of your research in a short text. The guide you receive two weeks before the course introduces you to various rhetorical strategies and language tips that will help you to draft your conference abstract, adjust conference paper/script for spoken delivery and edit your slides. During the group workshop you discuss selected tasks from the guide and work with your assigned peer on the review of each other’s drafts.

Workshop 2: Presenting in English

As an academic speaker, you need not only to stand up, but also to stand out. With the help of the guide sent to you before the course, you prepare a conference presentation (max. 5 minutes). You practise memorable delivery, receive constructive feedback from your audience and comment on your peers’ performance. Your presentation is recorded so that you can review your performance during the individual consultation with the tutor. To create a more intimate atmosphere, the participants are divided into two groups: you attend either the morning or the afternoon workshop. When you are not in the workshop, you have time to revise your conference materials.

Individual Consultation on Presentations Recorded
You schedule a 15-minute consultation (Model B: 30-minute consultation) with your tutor to discuss your delivery in detail. You review the recording from workshop 2 to reflect on your current and future presentation techniques. This feedback will help you to revise your presentation for workshop 3 (and 4).

Workshop 3: Conference Presentations Revisited

To test your improvements, you deliver a revised version of your presentation (max. 10 minutes). You receive constructive feedback from your audience and comment on your peers’ performance. Again, you are divided into two groups: you attend either the morning or the afternoon workshop.

Preparation

Please reserve time for individual study 2 weeks before the course starts, as you are asked to work with the 2 guides. You will perform the assigned readings and tasks, which will help you prepare your conference abstract, slides and presentation. You should have a draft of your conference abstract ready for workshop 1, slides and notes/script/conference paper and presentation ready for workshop 2.

Schedule

The course runs for four weeks. The group workshops last from 9:15 to 15:00 (6 x 45 minutes). In workshop 2 you attend either the morning or the afternoon workshop. For workshop 3 you book an individual consultation with the tutor to fit your schedule. 

Course instructors:

Academic Language Consultant Elżbieta Wójcik-Leese (Ph.D. in Cognitive Linguistics; M.A. in American Literature); Fulbright scholar; former co-editor of the international peer-reviewed journal Przekładaniec: A Journal of Translation Studies and contributing editor at Poetry Wales (thirty years of editing experience); public communicator, programme curator, workshop facilitator, academic writer, literary translator, anthologist, guest editor and poet; accredited coach in writing process and creativity. Email: ewl@hum.ku.dk

Academic Language Consultant Sophie Swerts Knudsen (MA in Translation Studies and Applied Linguistics in English, Dutch and Italian); lecturer in ECTS-accredited courses for MA and BA students on Presentation Techniques and Communication Skills (twenty years of experience at CBS, KU and in private teaching); developer of KU workshops on ‘Speaking in Public’ and ‘How to Retain Student Attention’; member of the TOEPAS rating team (Test of Oral English Proficiency for Academic Staff); regular presenter at academic conferences; award-winning author. Email: swerts@hum.ku.dk

The course is organized by The Centre for Internationalisation and Parallel Language Use (CIP) at the University of Copenhagen. Read more about CIP and academic language courses at cip.ku.dk

Course dates

  • Tuesday 18 February 2025: Workshop 1: (Re)Writing Conference Abstracts.
  • Monday 3 March 2025: Workshop 2: Presenting in English.
  • Monday 10 March 2025: Individual Consultation on Presentations Recorded.
  • Tuesday 18 March 2025: Workshop 3: Conference Presentations Revisited.

Electronic guides for individual study sent on: 28 January 2025

Registration: Please register via this registration form no later than 14 January 2025.

Language: English

ECTS: 2.5

Max. numbers of participants: 20

Further information: For more information about the PhD course, please contact the PhD Administration (phd@hrsc.ku.dk) or the course organisers.