Let’s talk about listening. This topic is so important that I’m going to break it down over four weeks to provide examples of how you can listen better throughout the stages of the research funding process. Bottom line, by becoming a skilled listener, you will write proposals that are more responsive. When you listen and can mirror back what was communicated, you will stand out as really getting what a funder wants.

It comes down to this: When you are speaking or otherwise putting information out there, you are not learning anything new. In formal academic settings, there’s a reliance on one-way delivery of information, for example, the lecture or seminar. In informal settings, like a lab group coffee hour, there’s conversation and more listening happening. Great ideas grow out of these conversations. These interactions often become the most cherished when PIs look back on their careers.

So how do you improve your interactions with funders? The way you can steer these interactions from one-way information delivery to conversation is through practicing better listening.

This may sound obvious, but the first thing to do when we want to listen is to stop talking. This includes talking to ourselves in our head about what we want to say next or ‘replying’ silently to something another person is saying. This is harder than it sounds so don’t feel bad if you struggle here! It just takes practice.

Next, we can practice active listening by repeating back what our conversation partner has said. For example, ‘from what I hear you saying, it sounds like the most important things for us to accomplish here is X. Is that right?’

We can also ask follow-on questions to understand the why behind someone’s aims. Are they interested in the research topic because they want answers to a specific question or are they more interested in the method development aspect? Knowing this should inform the way you write a proposal.

Finally, beyond getting the information you need to write the strongest proposal possible, listening makes people feel valued. Listening well enables you to build relationships that are more than transactional — relationships built on a common aim of moving knowledge forward and the excitement of building ideas together.

To provide concrete examples of how you can improve your listening skills, over the following three weeks I’ll cover these key interactions:

• How to listen effectively in your personal interactions with funders

• How to ‘listen’ when you read announcements or other materials published by funders

• How to listen to potential collaborators, including those within the government

This week, try to listen better in just one conversation!

Ready to really grow you career?

Are you tired of hunting down opportunities? How about if the tables were turned and the opportunities starting coming to you? I’m offering a new program to uplevel your career big time!

NSF CAREER: The Home Stretch

If you are working towards a CAREER submission this year, you don’t have a lot of time so I’ve kept the final installment of the Countdown to CAREER training series brief. Check it out.

Workshop for New Faculty & Researchers

For the Society of Research Administrators International (SRAI) PI Intensive for New Faculty and Researchers: Building the Tools for Your Career in Research

This day-and-a-half workshop will take place in Chicago on October 24-25th .

We will dive into topics such as

✔️ Understanding the responsibilities of a principal investigator

✔️ Developing competitive grant applications

✔️ Negotiating effectively with your institution

✔️ Employing project management approaches in research

I am co-leading this event. Please see this page for more information and to register. Note that this is an SRAI (not a Wise Investigator) event.

It would be wonderful to meet some newsletter subscribers in person in Chicago. Please send me an email ([email protected]) if you have any questions. 👋 

When you are ready, here’s how we can help

Need to get your research funded, this year? Check out our 10-week program to get you there.

Want a done-for-you website that highlights your research impact? Let us do that for you. (We even write all the content for you!)

Ready to book a call to discuss our training, websites, or to have Dr. Barzyk provide training at your institution? Let’s chat!