Client comments

What some coordinators have said about Rob Thompson / RTTA:

My students wanted a Scientific Management workshop and a colleague recommended Rob – it was a good choice: All participants agreed it was one of the best workshops they ever attended!

Coordinator of the Integrated Graduate College
SFB Transregio 17, Biozentrum der Universität Würzburg.

We have known Rob for several years now and have worked with him for at least 3 years. We appreciate the reliable and engaging cooperation with Rob. He is a very professional and experienced trainer. His workshops regularly receive very good reviews by participants. Our doctoral candidates and postdocs cherish especially the open structure and the fact that they decide on the topics dealt with in the workshops.

Workshop Coordinator,
Dahlem Research School, Freie Universität Berlin..

Mr. Rob Thompson carries out the “Self and Time Management for PhD Students” workshop with great success and commitment. Mr. Thompson is a creative and flexible coach. He gets excellent feedback from our graduate students.

Workshop Coordinator, Helmholtz Zentrum, Munich.

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    What I really appreciated was, on the one hand, the fact that we worked on individual problems which in the end turned out to be interesting for everyone and, on the other hand, the atmosphere with diverse approaches to work on a specific topics. — PhD. Candidate, University of Würzburg

    Rob's comments and questions promoted new thinking and introduced better ways to cooperate with fellow scholars. — PhD. Candidate, DRS Dahlem Research School, Free University Berlin

    Simple, direct, very nice. — PhD. Candidate, Helmholtz Zentrum, München

    The workshop is an open forum that demands active contributions by all the participants. In its custom-made style, Rob picks up people where they are and offers insightful and stimulating questions along with useful and innovative ways of thinking about problems in communication. — PhD. Candidate, DRS Dahlem Research School, Free University Berlin

    If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six sharpening my axe.' I liked that quote of Abraham Lincoln, and I'm quite sure he would have liked the workshop on Negotiation Skills quite a lot! — PhD Candidate, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Munich

    Rob got me off my lazy butt. — PhD. Candidate, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz

    It is really very interesting workshop with unusual items and will not find with other instructor — PhD. Candidate, Helmholtz Zentrum, München

    What I remember from Rob’s seminar is a PEACH (of course plus an orange) Puzzles. Enjoyable. Ask questions!!! Chocolate. Helpful (very!!!) Thanks a lot! — PhD. Candidate, Helmholtz Zentrum, München

    I was really surprised by the workshop. Because there was no given agenda it was totally individual. This allowed me to get also feedback for my individual problems. — PhD. Candidate, G.R.A.D.E., University of Frankfurt

    The most interactive workshop I've ever been in. I took a lot out of this day. — PhD. Candidate, G.R.A.D.E., University of Frankfurt

    Excellent workshop! Helps to better understand communications problems and gives very useful solutions. I enjoyed the very nice discussion atmosphere and the high flexibility of the trainer to shape the content of the workshop to the wishes and needs of the participants. — PhD. Candidate, Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Munich

    A very interesting and useful training course. The topics vary in large area concerning every aspect in life and work, and Rob always expresses them in an attractive way. — PhD. Candidate, T.U.M. Graduate School, Technische Universität München

    Very useful - highly recommended — PhD. Candidate, ETH, University of Zurich

    Enthusiastic & motivating lecturer — PhD. Candidate, T.U.M. Graduate School, Technische Universität München

    This course helps you to get a completely new perspective — PhD. Candidate, Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Munich

    This workshop offers you guidelines for a variety of difficult situation in the daily work life, offered by an instructor who obviously has a lot of experience and knowledge of human nature. — PhD. Candidate, T.U.M. Graduate School, Technische Universität München

    If you think you are a good supervisor and you know very well how to interact with your subordinates you should definitely attend this course! You will realise that there is a lot of room for further improvement. The course will provide you with a lot of very useful tips and suggestions to circumvent and manage tricky interpersonal situations. — Postdoctoral Researcher, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne

    Your course contributed to improving the communication in our lab, and this actually raised the mood and lead to a better working atmosphere for everyone. The course was time well spent. — Post-doc Team Leader, University of Würzburg

    Very inspiring workshop, giving you a blast of new ideas and reminding you what creativity can do for you. — PhD. Candidate, DRS Dahlem Research School, Free University Berlin

    The most motivating workshop I ever participated in. — PhD. Candidate, University of Würzburg

    Rob's workshops are helpful, mind opening and funny! — PhD Candidate, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Munich

    From all workshops I participated this one was the most useful! — PhD. Candidate, L.M.U. Munich

    Just try it! — PhD. Candidate, G.R.A.D.E., University of Frankfurt

    Finally a program that does not TELL you to be more confident or come with a RECIPE book (neither ever worked anyway), BUT someone who makes you REALIZE confidence and strengths and simply WANT to go after them and enforce them in your everyday behaviour. — PhD. Candidate, Dahlem Research School, Free University Berlin

    Rob Thompson can build upon a large body of experience and comes up with a lot of detailed examples that makes the theoretical background very vivid and plausible. He gets you involved very much, makes you think. A great and helpful workshop I enjoyed very much! — PhD. Candidate, G.R.A.D.E., University of Frankfurt

    I really liked the 'dynamic' of the day. Everyone (even me) felt comfortable to speak. — Postdoc, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne

    A realy good workshop for open minded people with real interest in solving conflicts and conflict situations. — PhD. Candidate, Dahlem Research School, Free University Berlin

    The workshop has really made a difference. I can now create many more win-win situations. — PhD Candidate, MDC Medical Centre, Berlin

    A really inspiring and nice workshop showing the paths for a better performance. — PhD. Candidate, Helmholtz Zentrum, München

    Your training workshop was wonderful and very useful. — PhD Candidate, PRO-NEST, Marie Curie Initial Training Network, Rotterdam

    Great constructive atmosphere! I see my conflicts more clearly now from a helpful distance! — PhD. Candidate, G.R.A.D.E., University of Frankfurt

    From all workshops I participated this one was the most useful! — PhD Candidate, L.M.U. Munich

    This workshop not only teaches you how to manage time and yourself better but also how to cope with problematic co-workers and helps you in managing conflicts — PhD. Candidate, Helmholtz Zentrum, München

    Rob made us think. I liked the topics he presented, the way they were presented. Rob's workshops are very good and useful, the best workshops I have ever had!!! — PhD Candidate, Otto Stern School, Goethe University, Frankfurt/Main

    The most useful part of the workshop for me was to learn how to voice criticism in a constructive way, stimulate creativity and dealing with power relations. — PhD. Candidate, DRS Dahlem Research School, Free University Berlin

    Excellent!!! — PhD. Candidate, Helmholtz Zentrum, München

    Although not habitually a big fan of soft skill workshops, this one really made a difference for me. In a relaxed, but nonetheless very productive atmosphere I learned not only a lot about how to improve my interactions with others, but also (and probably more importantly) about myself. — PhD. Candidate, T.U.M. Graduate School, Technische Universität München

    Thanks for a great workshop. It has helped me a great deal in communicating better with my colleagues and supervisor — PhD Candidate, Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies

    I really enjoyed this workshop. I am able to identify difficult people and don't feel helpless anymore when I want to elude the power they initially had over me. — PhD. Candidate, University of Würzburg

    It was a wonderful workshop: interesting, entertaining, suggestive, and exciting. It really did broaden my mind. — Postdoc, G.R.A.D.E., University of Frankfurt

    Today, we all came to work with a smile because you somehow managed to re-activate our self-esteem. Thanks for that, it was a real boost for ego and soul. — PhD. Candidate, University of Würzburg

    Fruitful, relaxed, interesting discussion, very well prepared coach - I can highly recommend it to every scientist! — PhD. Candidate, T.U.M. Graduate School, Technische Universität München

    Great atmosphere! — PhD. Candidate, Dahlem Research School, Free University Berlin

    Everybody on the workshop was able to participate in relaxed way, so actual problems could be elaborated in an efficient way. — PhD. Candidate, T.U.M. Graduate School, Technische Universität München

    The instructor may not give you solutions to your problems directly, but he will surely give you tips about how to deal with your problems confidently. — PhD. Candidate, G.R.A.D.E., University of Frankfurt

    The best workshop I ever attended. — PhD Candidate, GRADE, University of Frankfurt

    The highlight of the workshop was not in identifying winners: it was in making winners out of ordinary people. — PhD. Candidate, G.R.A.D.E., University of Frankfurt

    It was an interesting approach to face the relationship with a superior, analysing the human aspects. — PhD. Candidate, G.R.A.D.E., University of Frankfurt

    It is still the same work and still the same boss but it feels better. — PhD. Candidate, University of Würzburg

    Your workshop has been very useful to avoid unnecessary fights and misunderstandings. I can now use my time and energy to push forward my thesis. Thanks very much. — PhD Candidate, GSLS, University of Würzburg

    I immensely enjoyed the problems we had to consider and the REALLY out-of-the-box solutions that we were shown to some of them. I definitely think that I have learned a lot, not only for my scientific career but also for my personal life. I hope I will have the chance to visit another one of Rob's seminars in the future. — PhD. Candidate, T.U.M. Graduate School, Technische Universität München

    The course showed me new perspectives for the communication with supervising persons and co-workers. Rob Thompson was able to act on every given example given from the participants to experience and apply the learning on realistic situations. — PhD. Candidate, T.U.M. Graduate School, Technische Universität München

    The workshop was very motivating and we discussed important subjects that lack in scientists education. — PhD. Candidate, Helmholtz Zentrum, München

    Very nice atmosphere, highly qualified trainer, very helpful for my personal career. — PhD. Candidate, G.R.A.D.E., University of Frankfurt

    Thanks for the great workshop. — PhD. Candidate, University of Würzburg

    The workshop gave me a structured view on communication between people and educated me in a fun way in how I can deal with common difficult situations. — PhD. Candidate, DRS Dahlem Research School, Free University Berlin

    Thank you again for the seminar. I liked the day. And I was already able to make use of some of the things we talked about. — Professor, University of Frankfurt

    The perfect workshop to complement softskill training on PhD level! — PhD Candidate, Max Planck Institute of Neuroscience, Martinsried, Munich

    A mind opening workshop. — PhD Candidate, University of Würzburg

    I appreciated the real world approach of the seminar - instead of having clean, predictable examples to practise on. — PhD. Candidate, G.R.A.D.E., University of Frankfurt