About the workshop

‘Imposter Syndrome’ affects us all – and is particularly common in academia and research, where expectations of achievement are high.

If you have ever doubted your ability, or thought "I just got lucky this time", “I worry that others will discover how little I know” or “I only got that opportunity because people were being kind to me”, this is an indication that you have experienced imposter syndrome.

The imposter ‘voice’ is one of many that come from our ‘inner critic’. It presents itself as a feeling of inadequacy that persists even in the face of evidence that the opposite is true. It is frequently experienced, often by high-performing people, as a feeling of self-doubt and intellectual fraudulence.

The good news is that it is completely normal, and sometimes even useful! The bad news is that it may result in you missing out on opportunities or creating the wrong impression with others.

In this workshop we will look at where the imposter syndrome comes from and think more widely about how to tame your inner critic – where else does it show up or limit your confidence or proactivity?

Learning outcomes

During the session you will:

• understand what imposter syndrome is, where it comes from and when it occurs
• reflect more widely on where and how your inner critic might limit your progress
• try out some approaches for dealing with the inner critic and imposter syndrome

Book a place

If you book a place you are required to attend the whole of the session. If you are unable to commit to this, please cancel your place in plenty of time and let another student attend. Please arrive promptly to the session and remember to sign the attendance sheet.

Speaker profiles

Tracey Stead (Tracey Stead Development)

Who should attend

Doctoral students