Stick to the Story
By Janice D. Bennett, Ph.D.
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THE ALL-BUT-DISSERTATION SURVIVAL GUIDE(tm)
Devoted to practical steps for completing
your doctoral dissertation.
www.ecoach.com
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INDEX
1. Ben's Note
2. Stick to the Story
by Janice D. Bennett, Ph.D.
3. Words of Wisdom
4. Inspirational QuoteSUMMARY
In this issue, Dr. Janice Bennett shares
some guidelines for sticking to the story
in order to finish your dissertation.We round it out with Words of Wisdom and an
inspirational quote.
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Ben's NoteJanuary 15, 2004
Dear ABD Survival Guide Reader,
Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful
holiday season and are refreshed and relaxed-
and ready to get back to work.This is the time of year when many people set
resolutions for this year, I'd like to encourage
you to review and recharge your own personal
dissertation goals. You have 12 months to make
a significant difference in the trajectory of
your educational career. Seize this opportunity
and use it fully.If you could use a bit of assistance in this
process, check out this issue's feature article,
in which Dr. Janice Bennett offers some tips for
sticking to the story as a way of facilitating your
dissertation process.As always, we round it out with Words of Wisdom and
an inspirational quote.Enjoy, and see you in two weeks.
Warmly,
Ben
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Stick to the Story
By: Janice D. Bennett, Ph.D.
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In my experience coaching ABD's, I am consistently impressed
by the way that those dissertation students are able to take
an idea and turn it into a real research project. I'm always
intrigued with the creative thinking that goes into an
original piece of research, and find that the techniques of
coaching are very useful in helping ABD's to really move
forward and complete their dissertations.Although I had tried very hard to "forget" my own
dissertation experience, my memories are nonetheless
activated by coaching ABD students today. My own experience
was one of consistent frustration, tedium and loneliness,
which in total = pain. However, I finished in spite (or
despite) of myself, and came away from the experience
believing that if I could finish a dissertation, then anyone
could. I understood that in order to become "a doctor," I
needed to be tremendously persistent, and tackle each
obstacle as it confronted me.Even with 18 years of distance, I can still call upon my own
knowledge of what it's like to be a dissertation student to
be of help. What I have found most helpful though, and have
made it an important part of my coaching, is to ask students
to describe how they came upon their dissertation topics.
This is an exciting part of the dissertation process
that I believe often gets overlooked. After all, an ABD
wants to look forward, not backwards. However, what I have
found is that when you "stick to the story," you can
streamline your thinking, and subsequently your
writing and typing time, and get to the "finish line" faster."Stick to the Story" refers to writing your dissertation by
keeping in mind the beginning of your research, and how you
can use it for the all-important endpoint of the
dissertation process: your final orals. By that time, you
are probably exhausted, and most likely very sick of
your topic. But in order to get through to your final orals,
you will have to be able to talk about your research well
enough to convince your committee to let you be "a doctor."
That's where your "story" comes in.While this technique can be used during any part of the
writing process, one of the best times is after all of your
data has been collected, "crunched" and analyzed. In my
dissertation, most of my hypotheses were not found to be
statistically significant, however one most definitely was.
So one night I was explaining the results to a girlfriend
(someone who had taken the safe route to professionalism by
going to law school), and by explaining it freely to her, I
got a better grasp of my study as a whole. I also got
excited about my project again, which made the home stretch
a little more bearable.An important component of this technique is to use another
human being as a listener. Start by looking over your
statistical graphs and tables, and remind yourself of what
you set out to investigate in the first place. Then start
telling a "story" that describes the results that you
obtained. Point frequently to your various graphs and
charts, and use words to describe what all of the
numbers and lines mean. Do your best to make a coherent
story with a beginning, middle and end. The end should
consist of your study's conclusions, and what you would
suggest future researchers in the field should pursue, and why.You will see just how powerful an experience this is, just
as I did many years ago. I use this "Stick to the Story"
technique in coaching now so that the client (you, the
student) can have the experience of explaining to an outside
source (me, the coach) the origins of your study, where you
took it and why, and where it ended up. By doing this, you
will get reactions and questions that will help you see and
explain your research in ways that you may not have thought
of before. Most important, it can help you remember just
what got you excited about the research in the first place."Stick to the Story" is thus useful for when you reach your
endpoint your final orals defense. This is where you will
receive your final reward --your doctorate! If you used the
" Stick to the Story" technique, you will be much better
prepared to talk about the beginning, middle and end of your
research, and do so with enthusiasm. You can then piggy back
on your excitement when you start looking for
a job!=======================================
About Janice D. Bennett, Ph.D.
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Janice D. Bennett, Ph.D., is a psychologist and personal
coach living in New York City with her husband and their
three children. Over the past 18 years, Dr. Bennett has
worked as a clinical psychologist, and in 2002 founded
Focused Coaching Services, providing personal coaching
to ABD's and other healthy, motivated people.She can be reached:
By phone: 212.874.1470
By email: Janice@focusedcoachingservices.com======================================
Words of Wisdom from New Ph.D.'s.
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**Whether it is long-distance or down the hall, staying
in touch with other students is essential, I think.=======================================
Inspirational Quote
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Several recent graduates have suggested that
we offer an inspirational quote or two to
further motivate and support you. If you
have any quotes that you find really helpful,
please send them to rachna@mentorcoach.com"The harder I work, the luckier I get."
~~Sam Goldwyn===================
Your Own Coach
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If you are considering whether to get your own coach
to help you reach your academic goals, send any email
to: ben16-76471@autocontactor.com
=============================
BEN DEAN, Publisher, ABDSG
===============================
Ben holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of
Texas at Austin. He is the founder of MentorCoach
(www.MentorCoach.com), a virtual university
training accomplished mental health professionals
to become extraordinary coaches. With
Martin E. P. Seligman, Ph.D., Ben is also the founder of
Authentic Happiness Coaching
(www.AuthenticHappinessCoaching.com), a virtual
university training educators, consultants, trainers,
therapists, parents and other professionals to apply
the principles of Authentic Happiness in their own
lives and in the lives of their clients, students, and
children. Ben lives in suburban Maryland with
his wife and two young children, Walnut, their
hamster, and Rubin, their cocker spaniel.
==================================
RACHNA D. JAIN, Editor, ABDSG
==================================
I'm a dissertation coach and licensed psychologist
based in Maryland, with a doctorate from the
University of Denver. I'm the Editor of the
ABDSG, as well as the Author of "Get It Done!
A Coach's Guide to Dissertation Success"
If you'd like to learn more about me or my book, please
visit my website: www.ExcelWithEaseCoaching.com
If you have questions about this newsletter, you
can direct them to me: rachna@mentorcoach.com
I'm excited to be working with you to meet your academic
goals. You can do it!
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(c) Copyright 2004 Ben J. Dean. All rights reserved.
Rachna Jain, Ph.D.
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