GAC SERVICES

One-on-one coaching – my undivided attention on your needs

• setting priorities and time management
• designing your research project
• writing well and efficiently
• polishing your presentation delivery
• defending your dissertation
• planning your career strategy
• creating a job portfolio

Ongoing advising to small groups (up to 4 members) –
my coaching combined with peer support and idea exchange 

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​ Workshops for graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and professors (scroll down for details and testimonials)

• Professional Presentations at Conferences and in the Academic World - suitable for all disciplines and university employees
• Writing and Publishing Research Articles - tailored for different disciplines
• Getting to "Done": Time Management and Self-Management 
• Successful Postdoc and Academic Applications - suitable for all disciplines
• Academic Reading, Writing and Study Skills in English - for Master’s and PhD students

Good interaction with the slides while keeping the focus on the audience at the Ludwigsburg University of Education.

Even seasoned professors brush up on their presentation skills in my workshops (DAAD, Berlin).

​WORKSHOPS IN DETAIL

Professional Presentations at Conferences and in the Academic World
​(for Ph.D. students, researchers, and faculty members in all disciplines)
This seminar focuses on how you can best convey the value and significance of your work through oral communication, emphasizing not only typical structures of thought and expressions in English, but also your audience’s expectations. The focus of the seminar is on the formal conference panel presentation and the question-and-answer session. It also includes sections on the presentation structure, attention-getting openers, visual aids and linguistic cues for the audience (signposting language). Finally, we move beyond the conference presentation to discuss and practice networking, small talk, the elevator speech, and introduction speeches.
You will receive ample feedback from the entire group on all aspects of your presentation. We focus especially on whether

• the opening grabbed our attention and correctly oriented us to the topic at hand
• your conclusion summed up the main points adequately, providing us with the desired “take-home messages”
• the body of the presentation contained a narrative thread and transitional elements to help us stay on-track
• the data or evidence presented was clear, balanced, sufficient and essential
• the visual aids supplemented the talk without overwhelming or distracting from it
• your verbal and non-verbal communication conveyed professionalism, confidence, and expertise
• your answers to questions were concise, coherent, and composed

You will also engage in the following exercises:

• holding a two-minute presentation, to get feedback on your verbal and non-verbal communication and to practice writing an abstract
• crafting an attention-getting opening
• developing a powerful conclusion
• practicing answering questions about your research
• delivering a one-minute introduction to your work for networking purposes (the “elevator pitch”)
• small talk

Testimonials
“The contents of the course were optimally adapted to our needs. Ms. Dohe gave example of specific vocabulary and phrases; language exercises were conducted, `language emergency situations´ trained, as well as suggestions for the design of lectures, speeches, and abstracts given. Each participant presented his or her own conference presentation and received individual feedback, also with video recordings. I highly recommend Ms. Dohe's course. It is the ideal refresher in the run-up to international congresses and I am sure that our department will continue to take courses with her.”
Prof. Dr. Annette Becker, MD, Department of Preventive and Rehabilitative Medicine, University of Marburg

“HUGE thanks for the awesome training! I am writing you now to swiftly convey a pre-feedback to describe how much
​I feel delighted and enlightened for joining your workshop just these two days. As it's been said "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care," so you are not only a professional in your field but also a genuine person with a high profile of kindness.”
 
Hussamadin M. Kadhim, M.Sc., Department of Cell Biology at Bielefeld University, 2023

During the question-and-answer session after a presentation, DAAD in Berlin.

Writing and Publishing Research Articles
This seminar is tailored to either the life and natural sciences or to the social sciences and humanities. It covers the specific requirements of writing in English, from structuring the paper according to scholarly standards in different disciplines; revising the introduction and conclusion; writing coherent paragraphs; and incorporating key words and concepts into the text. We also analyze abstracts and titles, and discuss publishing strategies such as journal analysis, writing submission letters to editors and responding to requests for revisions. Finally, we implement the theory of sentence revision by correcting writing samples of the participants.
After successful participation in this course, you will have learned how to

• begin your writing with your data or evidence and results, then moving on to the methods, introduction and discussion
• analyze journals in your field to find the best fit for your paper
• craft an attention-getting yet appropriate abstract and title
• use tenses appropriately for the different sections of your paper
• judiciously apply active and passive voice, as well as the first-person pronoun
• build in transitional elements to aid your reader's comprehension
• revise your sentences using practical and easy-to-understand revision strategies
• implement important English grammatical principles, such as avoiding dangling modifiers and creating parallel structure
• write successful submission and revision letters to editors

Testimonials
​“The course “Writing and Publishing Research Articles” with Carrie Dohe was brilliant as the input went beyond my expectations: Carrie’s selection of topics was very interesting for each of us as we were from different disciplines. Next to the principles of writing and the importance of scheduling daily writing times, we gained deep insights in the whole process of not only writing articles, but also of analysing journals, handing in and reviewing articles. The examples provided by Carrie were very well-chosen to be able to understand the steps to be taken until a research article can finally be published. Our course really benefited from Carrie’s rich experience in this field. By the way, despite being an English teacher for secondary schools in Germany, I still gained new insights in the tricky bits of the English grammar, which keeps me on track again with polishing my English."
Veronika Phung, Ph.D. student in Music Pedagogy, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 2022

“I would like to thank you for the excellent workshop and express my appreciation for the valuable lessons I have learned. Your style of teaching is truly outstanding and I would highly recommend your workshop to my peers.”
Moritz Blum, Semantic Computing Group, Bielefeld University, 2023

Thank you very much for your workshop! It was very hands-on, informative, and exciting. We were engaged the whole time. I could always follow, even though my English is not perfect. The handout and slides were also very helpful. I have gained a lot of valuable information and would highly recommend this workshop.
Darina Schilirò, Catholic University of Applied Science, 2023

Studying effective sentence revision techniques together at the University of Tübingen.

Getting to “Done”: Time- and Self-Management
“Where did the day go?” With multiple tasks to juggle, constant interruptions, much more independence and too little guidance than you had during undergraduate studies, it can be difficult to get the right things done for your graduate degree or postdoc position and in an appropriate amount of time. This workshop offers a mix of long-term planning strategies, quick fixes, and time-tested techniques that are easy to implement into your already busy schedule. It also provides tips on dealing with others, from kids to bosses and everyone in between.
After successful participation in this course, you will have

• tried out several classic techniques for setting priorities, working more efficiently, and finding positive ways to motivate yourself
• practiced long-term planning strategies as well as breaking down your work plan into weekly and daily goals
• discussed a wealth of tips for managing your supervisor, working successfully with colleagues, and juggling personal/family and work demands
• learned techniques for boundary-setting and saying “no”
• analyzed your own time wasters and developed strategies to overcome them
• learned effective and efficient study, reading and writing skills
• created a vision for balancing work and life

Testimonial
“I would highly recommend Dr. Carrie Dohe’s workshop on time management to others. She supplies an abundance of tips and exercises, so that all workshop participants are sure to go home with ideas that fit their own personality and lifestyle. She is a very personable and engaging instructor, who combines research, personal experience, good listening skills and humor to guide her seminar participants to finding individualized solutions to each person's time management problems. In my own case, Carrie helped me discover the reasons for a writer's block and encouraged me to take the steps that were right for me to overcome it. Her democratic style of teaching created an egalitarian atmosphere, such that our mixed group of Ph.D. students, postdoctoral researchers and I as a professor could all relax and communicate openly with each other.”
Dr. Tamara Gigolashvili, Heisenberg Professorship at the Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Cologne

In small groups, participants discuss how to implement proposed techniques into their own lives.

Successful Academic and Postdoctoral Applications for the International Academy​
This seminar shows you how to best convey the content and value of your research and teaching in a host of formats particular to the academic job application process. These include the dissertation abstract, the CV/resume and cover letter, grant and postdoc applications, teaching and research statements, interviews, job talks and teaching demonstrations. Our practice will focus on the CV/resume, cover letter and interview;
however, you also draft a career profile; a five-year plan for publications, teaching, and research; and a plan for creating a competitive record. The myriad exercises are designed to challenge you to move beyond your heretofore identity as a graduate student or postdoc researcher and to present yourself as a faculty member and independent scholar.
After successful participation in this course, you will have

• thoroughly studied how to tailor your own cover letter and CV/resume for academic and postdoc positions
• drafted a five-year plan and career profile
• prepared for job interviews by formulating answers to typical interview questions and practicing in front of a “search committee”
• practiced the STAR method for answering behavioral-based questions
• studied other application materials that are often required, including research and teaching statements
• gained information about where to find job announcements
• learned networking techniques at conferences that can greatly increase your chances of landing a job

Testimonials 
​"I attended the workshop 'Successful Academic and Postdoctoral Applications for the International Academy' offered by the GRADE program at Goethe University in Frankfurt. The course covered all aspects of the academic career, from crafting cover letters to successful grant proposals. Carrie was very generous by providing all the course materials and personalized feedback on CVs and cover letters. I believe this learning experience was truly valuable."
  ̶  Dr. Maira Cardoso, Postdoctoral Researcher in Zoology, Ecology and Conservation, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, 2023

"Dr. Carrie Dohe's course was very helpful. We received great and comprehensive tips for a successful application in an academic career.  Dr. Carrie Dohe is a very nice and motivating person and it was fun to listen to her. All questions were answered and the workshop was very interactive. I now feel much more confident in dealing with job applications and interviews. Thank you very much for the informative workshop and I really would recommend it to anyone."
Anonymous by request, PhD student, Neurooncology, Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Oct. 2024.

“I have benefited greatly from Ms. Dohe's workshop on the ‘Academic Career Search’. Her engaging and informed instruction created a productive working atmosphere during the seminar, and her extensive handouts continue to be a tremendous help well beyond that. Shortly after the workshop, the knowledge I gained already helped me in a successful application. I would certainly attend a workshop with Ms.
Dohe again.”
Steffen Schaub, doctoral candidate in English Language and Literature, University of Marburg

​“Dear Dr. Dohe, 
Greetings. I write to specially thank you for your workshop on `successful academic and postdoctoral applications´ at our University (Mainz) many months ago. That workshop has been very helpful to me. Applying the insights and methods learnt from it, I applied and got two very competitive travel grants successfully. Moreover, I worked on application documents for funding to an external funding agency for a conference we are organizing with my doctoral supervisor, and it was successfully approved. I literally followed most of your advice in that application. My supervisor was surprised that we got the funding because he said he had applied for other conferences 3 times earlier to the same agency but none had been approved. In short, that was one of the most beneficial workshops I have ever attended here. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.”
From a PhD student from Nigeria studying at the University of Mainz

“Hello Carrie,
So, I got the postdoc job in NY, starting on June 1! Thank you very much for your workshop and assistance. Apparently, my impression was too good on the interview, so the professor called his former student (who is in my current institute) to ask about me:)”
From a PhD candidate at Humboldt University​

Discussing job portfolios in Tübingen.

Academic Reading, Writing and Study Skills​
This course focuses on how you can maximize your understanding of scholarly texts by utilizing certain reading strategies: scanning, skimming, reading to identify the main points, reading to identify a writer’s point of view of opinion, distinguishing between fact and opinion, reading and critical thinking , etc. We discuss titles, abstracts, the structure of research articles, introductions and conclusions, and paragraphing, as well as discourse markers, linkers, transitions and vocabulary. You also learn strategies to improve your note-taking, deal with new vocabulary, and  improve your research skills through incorporating writing into your reading. Finally, we discuss strategies for improving listening comprehension skills.
After successful participation in this course, you will have

• practiced different kinds of reading strategies and when to use them
• identified linking words, connectors, and transitions and their importance
• learned the typical order of reading a research article or an empirical study
• identified the elements of an abstract, introduction and conclusion
• discussed listening and note-taking strategies to improve lecture and discussion comprehension
• practiced strategies for dealing with new vocabulary
• tried out techniques to incorporate writing into your reading to make your research more efficient

Testimonial:
This student is enjoying Dr. Dohe’s book!