EQUALITY GUIdE - KU Leuven

Chapter 4 ! Scientific communication 213
and feedback and 7) the fact that they had to address a member of the application
commission.
The participants had already worked on their visibility 1) by letting people know what
they were doing and what they wanted to achieve, 2) by making their ambitions
known by applying internally and 3) by being present on preparatory board meetings
of assistants. Other participants had accepted a task or commitment such as writing the
report and taking initiatives in meetings. As a result, they had less difficulty in making
contact and they became more visible for the group. Someone else committed herself
to a working group. Finally, receptions had been used more consciously.
In general, there had been more communication by the female participants: “Participating
more actively during meetings”, “Addressing others”, “Linking website to e-
mail”, “Discussing CV with others”, “Sitting next to someone in a meeting and presenting
oneself” and “asking feedback about what can be improved in the future”.
During the discussion, the lecturer gives additional tips:
! basis = informal contacts;
! being constructive and stressing distinctive features;
! communication training to increase awareness;
! giving compliments, congratulating people, even when they are superiors;
! carefully considering where you want to sit in meetings;
! ‘accidental’ encounters;
! practising outside work, e.g. with friends or partner.
In case of conflicts, remember the following:
! reflect about what the other person wants to hear and what he/she gains by it;
! introduce solutions for the faculty to the dean and explain why you think they are
important for the faculty and which contribution you can make;
! do not blame yourself or someone else when there is a problem, always consider
them as common problems and look for alternatives;
! allow yourself to cool down before initiating a conversation, always think about
what you want to achieve before you start a conversation;
! ask advice when you are uncertain and always keep in mind the interests of the
entire university environment;
! if you are turned down, do not exaggerate with apologies.
During applications, you can do the following:
! talk about your ambitions in a very early stage of the application process in order to
get information you would not get otherwise;
! do not hesitate to apply, even if you know there is a better candidate, something
can always come up;
! never say that your CV is not good;
! remember that of the ten initiatives you undertake, two will fail for sure. If not, you
are not going beyond your comfort zone;
! don’t hesitate to apply for a job;
! when applying, you get feedback which will help you to asses your market value.