Honest feedback is hard. Hard to listen to, and hard to give. So does feedback work best in the structured moments we’ve made for it? Or should we embrace it in all the moments in-between? Drawing on her own experience, Louise Clifton explores. Higher education is an intensely feedback-rich environment. We have a wealth of formal feedback processes in our…
How would you describe 2018? Drawn from meetings, programmes, conferences and the latest sector news, here’s what’s been talked about in the last 12 months. Narrative One overarching narrative is sorely needed. It’s a narrative that connects the value and societal impact of universities with how they are perceived by our communities and the wider public. Over the past year…
To kick off the festive season the Invisible Grail team put their heads together to bring you their top reads for your Christmas stocking. From what the future of organisations will look like to tapping into how you can write like Tolstoy, here are our nine recommended reads. Academic Director Paul Gentle kicks us off. Paul Gentle, Academic…
Louise Clifton examines why bringing humanity to your writing is essential to engage people online, and how you can get people to stick around to read what you’ve written. Carefully nuanced arguments are lost to time-poor readers and a scrolling thumb. Technology has changed our habits. We often talk about generation Z’s diminishing attention span, but few of…
Meetings are an essential part of working life. They often form the framework to our week and are the cornerstones to our days. So how do you balance getting work done with the myriads of meetings filling your diary? Here are five techniques to help make your meetings more productive. Meetings should be a chance to connect with…
We’re often asked about confidence: how to find it and write with it. Here we bring together a selection of techniques – from the thinking to the doing – to help you find your footing when you need it most. accepting your writing is worth it – it makes the process less painful, wastes less time, builds conviction,…
It’s time to tackle ‘value for money’, so what can universities do to combat the commercial narrative? Value for money. It’s important to start with these three words so we can see them for what they are. For English institutions, they are arguably the product of policy changes, marketisation and (real or perceived) stakeholder expectations. These words do…
At the end of Invisible Grail’s first year, Louise Clifton reflects on what we’ve learned about ourselves, how narrative is becoming increasingly important in today’s world, and how, arm in arm with higher education, we are learning to make the intangible tangible. It all started with a cup of tea in the Royal Academy on an (as yet)…
How has the phrase ‘tuition fees’ framed students’ expectations of university life? Louise Clifton examines the implications of these words and considers what can be done to change the conversation. Tuition fees…two words that have ricocheted around the public forum and invaded student halls over the last two decades. This transaction of payment for tuition became a part…