Academic Skills Advice
Working with Other People
This workshop will...
− Explain why you need to be confident at degree level
− Demonstrate ways to improve your confidence in one-to-one and
group situations
− Provide tips on how to reduce anxiety when meeting with
academic staff
Teaching points:
1. Understanding the importance of confidence
2. Being assertive
3. Dealing with people in one-to-one interactions, meetings/seminars
and other situations
Adapted extensively from Gutmann (1993) and Hayes (2004).
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Academic Skills Advice
1. Understanding the importance of confidence
Your previous educational experience will be very different from your time at
University. There are two major differences:


the methods tutors use to deliver information - lectures, seminars, tutorials,
etc.
how you show your understanding through different assessment methods longer essays and examinations, presentations, laboratory practicals, workbased sessions, etc.
These methods of taking on information and demonstrating learning require you to
develop new skills which are not just about being a good student.
You may have to learn how to…




deal with people in a one-to-one situation
be pro-active in a group whether in a work meeting or in an assessed activity
deliver a presentation
ask questions of tutors and guest speakers
These all require confidence which some people believe you are born with. This is
not true:
confidence is a skill,
(to) be learnt and mastered
(Fox, 2011: 44)
If you want to succeed, you need the confidence to learn the skills to do so. Do not
be afraid of failure: it is how we learn. No one tied their shoelaces, or rode a bike
without tying a knot or falling off. Mistakes are good: it shows you are trying and
you will be better the next time.
2. Being assertive
Whether you are asking a question, putting across your point of view or having to
give someone bad news, how you tell people will affect how they feel and react.
Being assertive is an important aspect of saying what you need to say and
minimising any problems. Like having confidence, assertiveness is a skill that can be
learnt. To follow are a number of elements to acting assertively.
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Academic Skills Advice
Content skills:

be brief and direct to stay on track

be respectful without being judgemental about whether it is your or the
someone else’s fault

use ‘assertive messages’ to acknowledge the other person’s potential
responses and feelings…
− explanations
I cannot change the date of our study group
tomorrow as most of the group have a lab
practical the day after.
− empathy
I cannot change the date of our study group
tomorrow. I’m sorry because I know you will be
disappointed as you wanted to discuss retinal
fluctuations.
 apology for consequences I cannot change the date of our study group
tomorrow. I’m sorry as I know it will mean you
miss presenting at the University conference.
− attempting compromise
I cannot change the date or time of the study
group, but would you like to ask Suzie if she could
change the time of your presentation at the
conference?
− being positive
Suzie told me she had asked you to present at the
conference because of the contributions you made
towards the project. I’m sorry I cannot change the
date of the study group.’

Develop verbal responses for when you are in a conflict situation…
− When you (non-evaluative description) When you are late for study group
meetings…
− I feel (what you feel)
I feel frustrated…
− Because (clarification of effect)
because our time is wasted whilst
we update you on our discussions.’
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Academic Skills Advice
You also have to avoid aggressive behaviour which is not necessarily about shouting,
arguing or being angry. It is about taking rights for yourself that you do not allow to
others. Does this sound familiar?
A friend insists you look at her holiday photographs although she knows you are
rushing to get away.
Friendly advice – ‘You should try….’ ‘You must tell him…’ ‘Why didn’t you….?’
Involving flattery – ‘Could you do me a huge favour? You are so good at…….could
you do this? It will only take a few minutes and I’m no good at it’ perhaps with a
pleading (manipulative) tone.
Sarcasm, prejudice, threat, put downs – ‘typical woman’.
Self-confident people do this but so do people with little confidence as they try to
mask their anxiety by overly-blunt aggressive behaviour.
Activity 1: Your turn
Read the scenarios and responses below and decide if they are aggressive, assertive
or non-assertive, and why. Check with your neighbour to see if you have the same
answers. Beware as some response types may appear more than once in the same
questions.
A. You have submitted a report to senior-management and the Managing
Director visits your office to compliment you on its clarity and scope. You
say…
1.Thank you
2.It didn’t go to plan, I found it very difficult
B. You have booked a day’s leave tomorrow to meet a friend who is over from
New York. Your colleague decides to take the day off to go shopping for her
wedding dress and checks that you will be in. You say…
1.Yes, I’ll be in, I suppose I can see Elaine at the weekend.
2.Yes, I’ll be in.
C. You have watched your manager give a good presentation and afterwards
congratulate him on his success. You say….
1.That was really brilliant: I’d never have the nerve to face so many people.
2.That went really well; I like the way you made the statistics interesting.
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Academic Skills Advice
D. A close colleague is about to have a meeting with another member of staff
who
has been unpleasant to him in the past. You say…
1.You must stand up to her this time, don’t let her get away with being so rude to
you and don’t let yourself be browbeaten.
2.If you want to discuss how you are going to behave when you see her, I’ll be
happy to help.
E. You have made a mistake which will cost your Company around £8,000 to put
right. Your boss is reprimanding you and you:
1.Get angry, saying it would not have happened if you had been properly briefed.
2.Shift from one foot to another, feeling about three years old.
F. You have been set an assessed group activity and are in your first meeting
with
the other students. Two of the students are talking to each other about a
night out whilst others discuss the task. You:
1.Say nothing to the two chatting students but roll your eyes at other students.
2.Ask the chatting students to please stop talking about other matters as you are
finding it difficult to hear the discussion.
G. You are in a 1:2:1 with your social work placement supervisor regarding a
record of the previous meeting you feel does not reflect the content based on
your notes. You are very nervous and say:
1.Our meeting was nothing like this - you got the record wrong and this is what
really happened.
2.We don’t appear to have remembered the meeting in the same way. I suggest we
look at the points that don’t tally and come to a decision we both agree on.
Non – verbal skills:





Speaking louder but not shouting
Using inflection to direct attention to important parts of communication
Being firm
Intermittent eye contact
Not fidgeting including facially
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Academic Skills Advice


Smooth and steady body gestures
Upright body posture
Social interaction skills:



Escalating by increasing the intensity of your communication to get an answer
to your question (before you start escalating, try rephrasing your question
first)
Persisting until you get an appropriate answer or reaction
Managing defensive reactions by reflecting what the other person has said -
Assertion: ‘I am grateful for the first-class apprenticeship you’ve given me but I think
it’s time for me to stand on my own two feet. I think it’s time to end our regular
daily meeting.’
Response: ‘So you don’t think an old hand like me has anything useful to offer any
more. You think I’m past it.’
Reflective response and reassertion: ‘You feel I don’t value your advice because I
think you are out of touch with new developments. That is not the case. I want to
break off the daily meetings because I feel it’s time I took more responsibility for my
own work.’
3. Dealing with people in one-to-one interactions, meetings
and other situations
Sooner or later, you will have to deal with people during your course. The situations
students tend to feel anxious about related to people are meeting their tutor or
work-based supervisor; asking questions in a seminar or meeting; and delivering
presentations to a group.
Being in an office with your tutor or supervisor can make you feel like you are
under a microscope: you are pinned to a chair with nowhere to hide from what you
think will be a ‘telling off’ or at the very least, heavy criticism even if you are the one
who arranged the meeting.
THIS IS NOT WHAT HAPPENS
At University, you have two tutors:

Personal Tutors and Work-based supervisors do a similar job with the
first dealing with any academic (not subject specific) issues you may have
and the latter handling your wellbeing and professional development in the
workplace.
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Academic Skills Advice

Course Tutors are available face-to-face or by email to help with any
problems or questions regarding their subject area.
It is normal to feel nervous before you speak to any of these people as they are in a
position of authority, whether you’ve arranged the meeting or not. I like to
remember that your tutors are paid by your fees and their job is to ensure you are a
successful student, so this means that they should answer your questions, decipher
feedback, explain a difficult point, or help in any other way. Your work supervisors
have been selected for their expertise and ability to assist new students, so you are
part of their job too.
As a group, what do you think you could do before you go to
a meeting with your tutor or supervisor to help you get the most out of it?
Straight forward isn’t it? No? One major factor is missing from the list above: how to
ask questions assertively. Whilst we have also covered this extensively, it is useful to
look at an example of how a student might ask a question for a booked 1:2:1
tutorial session:
Dr. Smith, if you’re not too busy…course you’re busy but thanks for seeing me.
I‘m…umm..having a bit of…am in a pickle about….aahh.. the social regula… social
work regulations since…aaahh…..hang on, I’ll just check the date….since 1990 was
it? Yes. Would it be ok if you could sort of help me out with it? Please?’
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Academic Skills Advice
Even though the tutors are there to help, this would test the patience of the most
tolerant of tutors. Asking in the following way makes it clear to you both what you
want to discuss making it easier for the tutor to answer:
Dr. Smith, I am having difficulty understanding your point about social work
regulations since 1990. Could you go through that with me please?
What tutors like is:

Students clearly engaging with feedback from previous assignments and using
this to build upon skills

Evidence of having taken notice of feedback on previous assignments and
correcting errors.
Improving marks is a great confidence booster, so make sure you read, understand
and apply any feedback given to you. It is fine to ask a tutor about feedback if it is
unclear or you do not understand a point being made, but if you do ask a tutor for
help and you have not read your feedback, do not be surprised by a terse response!
Seminars and meetings should be run and facilitated by either your tutor or
supervisor at your placement who will give everyone the opportunity to ask
questions and express opinions. People are worried they will be asked to participate
and this can be even more difficult if you have very confident students who are
constantly offering their opinions without being asked! Alternatively, you may want
to get involved but aren’t sure how to do it in the heat of a discussion.
 Do your homework but don’t think you have to become an expert; formulate
some ideas; and transform them into questions. Doing this shows your
tutor/supervisor you are engaging with the subject at hand/agenda items and
you will be able to make a worthwhile contribution.
 The longer you wait to get involved in a discussion, the more your stress will
build, so get it over with quickly. You will then be able to relax and listen to
other contributors, as well as feeling good about offering an opinion or
answer. If you sit opposite your tutor/supervisor you are most likely to catch
their eye and being asked to speak. You can always try the old tradition of
putting your hand up or keep repeating ‘Can I ask…?’ until you get a chance
to speak. If someone interrupts, either don’t stop talking or ask ‘Can I just
finish please?’
Adapted from Levin (2007: 83-85)
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Academic Skills Advice
Activity 2: Watch the film clip
Watch the film clip and with a neighbour jot down in the space below what you
noticed about what the students said and did during the discussion.
Another source of anxiety is delivering presentations, whether in a group or alone.
Academic Skills deliver workshops about designing and delivering presentations: to
find out more, visit our website.
Finally, you may have concerns about working with people whilst on placement.
Whilst you can still contact your tutors about any concerns, you will be allocated a
supervisor at your placement employer who is responsible for dealing with any
issues.
The University Counselling Service can help you with strategies and support to help
with all manner of issues around anxiety from home sickness to sleep problems and
you can contact them on:
www.bradford.ac.uk/counselling
For examples of students’ essays and other assignments, visit the excellent website
https://wrasse.plymouth.ac.uk
To provide feedback or comments on any aspect of Academic Skills, please visit our
website (www.brad.ac.uk/academic-skills), click ‘About us’; ‘Feedback’; ‘feedback
board’ where you will find plenty of space to tell us what you think. Alternatively, we
now have a ‘Comments, complaints and compliments’ box in Chesham B0.23; just fill
in a paper slip and post in the box.
References
Fox, A. (2011) How to Pass a Degree with Confidence. Brentwood:
Chipmunkapublishing.
Greasley, P. (2011) Doing Essays and Assignments. London: Sage Publications Ltd.
Gutmann, J. (1993) The Assertiveness Workbook. London: Sheldon Press.
Hayes, J. (2004) Interpersonal Skills at Work. 2nd ed. Hove: Routledge.
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Academic Skills Advice
Levin, P. (2007) Conquer Study Stress! Maidenhead: OUP.
Rebecca. (2014) How to discuss a topic in a group. engVid [online] Available at:
http://www.engvid.com/how-to-discuss-a-topic-in-a-group/ [Accessed 10.7.2014]
University of Bradford (2013) Personal Tutors. University of Bradford Student
Handbook. [online] Available at: http://www.bradford.ac.uk/newstudents/media/newstudents/docs/Student-Handbook-2013-2014-121068.pdf
[Accessed 8.7.2014]
van der Velde, J. (2014) On the naughty chair. [online] Netherlands. Available at:
http://www.leneke.nl/?page_id=8 [Accessed 15.7.2014]
Answers
Activity 1: Your turn
A. You have submitted a report to senior-management and the Managing
Director visits your office to compliment you on its clarity and scope. You
say…
1.Thank you Assertive
2.It didn’t go to plan, I found it very difficult Non-assertive (self-put down)
response.
B. You have booked a day’s leave tomorrow to meet a friend who is over from
New York. Your colleague decides to take the day off to go shopping for her
wedding dress and checks that you will be in. You say
1.Yes, I’ll be in, I suppose I can see Elaine at the weekend. Non-assertive and
manipulative
2.Yes, I’ll be in. Non-assertive
C. You have watched your manager give a good presentation and afterwards
congratulate him on his success, saying:
1.That was really brilliant: I’d never have the nerve to face so many people. Nonassertive
2.That went really well; I like the way you made the statistics interesting. Assertive
D. A close colleague is about to have a meeting with another member of staff
who has been unpleasant to him in the past. You say…
1.You must stand up to her this time, don’t let her get away with being so rude to
you and don’t let yourself be browbeaten. Aggressive
2.If you want to discuss how you are going to behave when you see her, I’ll be
happy to help. Assertive
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Academic Skills Advice
E. You have made a mistake which will cost your Company around £8,000 to
put right. Your boss is reprimanding you and you:
1.Get angry, saying it would not have happened if you had been properly briefed.
Aggressive
2.Shift from one foot to another, feeling about three years old. Non- assertive
F. You have been set an assessed group activity and are in your first meeting
with the other students. Two of the students are talking to each other about a
night out whilst others discuss the task. You:
1.Say nothing to the two chatting students but roll your eyes at other students.
Non- assertive
2.Ask the chatting students to please stop talking about other matters as you are
finding it difficult to hear the discussion. Assertive
G. You are in a 1:2:1 with your social work placement supervisor regarding a
record of the previous meeting you feel does not reflect the content based
on your notes. You are very nervous and say:
1.Our meeting was nothing like this - you got the record wrong and this is what
really happened. Aggressive
2We don’t appear to have remembered the meeting in the same way. I suggest we
look at the points that don’t tally and come to a decision we both agree on.
Assertive
Before you go to see a tutor/supervisor, you should…
 Write out on paper/notebook-style device a list of your questions or
points. Having a focus to your discussion will help calm your nerves as you
will be in control of its content.
 Make sure your questions are precise and clear so your tutor/supervisor
understands them and can give you the answer you need.
 Take pen/paper, as a back-up for an electronic device, to make notes
 At the end of the session, go through the answers you have received to
make sure you have what you need
Activity 2: Film clip
Students had prepared notes so know what they wanted to say
Students were respectful, dealt with interruptions politely (let me finish), agreed and
then gave contradictory point of view (yes, but), looked at everyone in the group
when speaking, arrived at a consensus/conclusion (answer to the question whether
classroom or online teaching was best).
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