Scot DPN knowledge exchange & networking event
Last Friday I attended the first ever Scot DPN (Scottish Developmental Psychology Network for Graduates) networking event. What a fun day! If I'm completely honest, I wasn’t too sure what to expect and mostly went along to support the CADP students who had organised the event. Needless to say, it surpassed my expectations by far! Here, I will share some of my favourite bits of the day.
I loved the candour of our speakers. I was impressed that they shared their experiences of academic endeavours that hadn't quite gone to plan. From Madeleine's 'sharks' in knowledge exchange to Simona's point about growth through rejection, to me it validated the struggles I'm sure many of us grapple with as PhD students and early career researchers.
The notion of 'growth through rejection' particularly resonated with me. I think it can be easy as a PhD student to shy away from rejection. It makes sense to protect our shaky self-esteem *cough imposter syndrome cough*. So we compensate by perfecting that millionth draft before we send it to our supervisors, or spend hours practicing a 10 minute presentation, trying to make it flawless. The problem with this way of doing things, however, is that we put too much pressure on ourselves to get it 'right'. When we get eventually summon the courage to show someone else our work, and get critique from others, it can feel like crushing rejection - we worked so hard on something, only to be told it wasn't good enough. See where I'm going with this? The concept of growth through rejection is freeing because it flips our perceived rejection and lets us grasp the opportunity in the experience. Instead of feeling put down, annoyed or sorry for ourselves, we might feel re-energised, thoughtful and determined. This is how we grow.
My favourite activity of the day was the collaborative writing exercise. Fellow CADP student, Liesbeth and I decided to write a piece about the things we have learned from working with our participants. We both work with people who are currently, or have recently experienced psychosis and felt it was important to share some of the understanding we've gained from the brilliant people we've met. We want this to reach as wide an audience as possible to help challenge attitudes about psychosis ...so watch this space! For me, it's a wonderful opportunity to work with Liesbeth as she is someone who inspires me with the exciting projects she does! Like this choir. Incidentally, if you feel passionately about people who experience psychosis having their psychological and social care needs met, then consider signing the ISPS Liverpool Declaration.
From our own research group, Helen and Stella were one Hella'va double act (pun intended). Their take on networking for those who hate networking got us hungry for hobnobbing and cake eating (practical tip from the duo - hang out at the cake table for interesting people with delicious priorities). On a slightly more serious level, something I took from the talk was that even though meeting people at conferences can feel really important and anxiety provoking, it's not the most important aspect of networking. Building long-term working relationships with people you like is more fulfilling both academically and personally. It was fun to hear from Lisette and Edgardo about their research exchange visits and their enthusiasm for building relationships with people who inspire them.
One of the best things about the day for me was getting to meet and spend time with students from other universities and I really hope we can keep the network going with future events and collaborations. Doing a PhD is lonely and sometimes dull, but getting to hang out with, and chat to other students is NEVER dull!
Thank-you so much to Anke, Somia, Emma, Sarah J, Sarah B and Roxy for putting together a well thought out and energising event. You worked hard and it paid off! Also thank-you to all the speakers for sharing your wisdom in splendid candour - you rocked it!
