Socializing and Networking Methods and Practice for Researchers

Higashi-Hiroshima Campus

Date & Time:
1:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Friday, July 8, 2016

Venue:
Meeeting room, Administration Bureau Bldg. 2nd floor

Kasumi Campus

Date & Time:
12:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Saturday, July 9, 2016

Venue:
Medium meeting room, Koujin Conference Hall

Instructors
Koji Sakimura and Paul Stone

Outline:

=====Session 1 (90minutes) =====
（This includes three 10-minute exercises）

Ⅰ. Socializing

1. Getting Started＊

• How to talk to a stranger
• How to raise or offer a topic
• How to express your own interest or concern

2. Introducing yourself（in your capacity as a researcher）＊

• Talking about yourself
• Talking about your research
• Mutual understanding（How to address other people: using their names and/or titles）

3. How to contribute to a conversation raising a particular topic

• General (Weather, Climate, or Seasons，Culture, Society）
• Specialties

4. Responding＊

• How to respond to a topic（feelings of pleasure, sorrow, etc.）
• How to express your interest in a research topic
• How to respond trying to share your emotions and feelings with the other speaker (including non-verbal behaviour, such as posture and gesture, as well as manner, echoing, etc.)
• Summarizing another speaker’s main point

5. Small tips for conversation＊

• Asking for a repetition
• A word or phrase escapes you: How to deal with the problem.
• Interrupting
• Turns of phrase
• Modes or habits of speech peculiar to Japanese speakers
• Varied ways of expression and the power of language

=====Session 2 (90minutes) =====
（This includes three exercises each of ten minutes.）

Ⅱ. Networking-----Sharing feelings and maneuvers for collaborating and cooperating

6. Developing a conversation＊

• Moving from interest and concern on to a collaborative relationship
• Making a proposal
• Agreeing
• Disagreeing and opposing
• Asking questions
• Answering questions
• Summarizing to clarify main points

7. Developing a friendly relationship＊

• Introducing someone to a network of your colleagues and going between two groups of researchers (to expand your network)
•  Joining a conversation

8. Closing a conversation

• How to leave a conversation (Stepping out of a group)
• How to finish a conversation giving a hint about a possible collaboration.
• “Let’s keep in touch!”
• Closing a conversation after making a promise

9. Cultural Considerations

• High context and low context
• Tolerance for ambiguity
• Silence
• Distance

10. Degree of politeness and familiarity＊

• Being polite
• Being friendly

 11. Beyond kingdoms of research   

=====Session 3 (60minutes) =====
（There will be some presentations from the participants, which will be analyzed）

Ⅲ. Feedback and Suggestions for Further Learning