{"id":357,"date":"2024-04-29T09:34:36","date_gmt":"2024-04-29T07:34:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/?p=357"},"modified":"2026-08-26T11:32:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T09:32:09","slug":"s02-episode-6-building-a-good-relationship-with-your-supervisor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/2024\/04\/29\/s02-episode-6-building-a-good-relationship-with-your-supervisor\/","title":{"rendered":"Building a Good Relationship with Your Supervisor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/files\/2026\/05\/icon-Podcast.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1443\" style=\"width:158px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/files\/2026\/05\/icon-Podcast.png 1080w, https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/files\/2026\/05\/icon-Podcast-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/files\/2026\/05\/icon-Podcast-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/files\/2026\/05\/icon-Podcast-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/files\/2026\/05\/icon-Podcast-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Join Amanda in a conversation with Dr. Marlies Klamt, a PhD coach who provides valuable advice on fostering a healthy and productive relationship with your thesis supervisor. Dr. Klamt shares her experiences, offers strategies for effective communication, and highlights the importance of setting boundaries. This episode is filled with practical tips for PhD students to navigate their academic journey with greater ease and satisfaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Audio <\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/files\/2024\/04\/DRS-Podcast-Marlies.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This interview was conducted in April 2024.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Highlights<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8222;Check your expectations, check reality, and then work on making the relationship a better one by managing up and by having a better communication.&#8220;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8222;But I think that making your doctorate is not only a chance to grow as a scientist, but also as a human being, and it\u2019s very important to learn to set boundaries.&#8220;<\/p>\n<cite>from our interview with Dr. Marlies Klamt<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SUMMARY<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>English:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In this episode, PhD coach Dr. Marlies Klamt discusses the vital relationship between PhD candidates and their supervisors, and how to improve it. As a PhD coach, she focuses on helping students manage their time and communicate better to improve their PhD experience. In her coaching sessions and her podcast \u201cGl\u00fccklich Promovieren\u201d [<em>Happy PhD<\/em>], she promotes a positive perspective on the PhD process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Klamt emphasizes that a good relationship with your supervisor can clarify a thesis and reduce stress, while a poor relationship can greatly complicate matters. She shares her personal experience of having a supportive supervisor, which aided her success. For students facing difficult supervisor relationships, she suggests reflecting on expectations, observing the supervisor\u2019s behavior, and seeking better communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Regarding reconnecting with a supervisor after some time apart, Dr. Klamt encourages finding a reason to reach out for a meeting and preparing what to share. She also promotes seeking additional support through mentoring and workshops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Setting clear boundaries with supervisors is another crucial topic. Dr. Klamt stresses that discussing limits should not be a negative experience, and provides suggestions for effective communication in such cases, such as communicating clearly, listening, and preparing well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If suggestions for improvement of difficult supervisor relationships do not work, Dr. Klamt advises discussing your experiences with other doctoral candidates and considering a change of supervisors. For serious issues like discrimination or power abuse, university resources should be consulted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lastly, Dr. Klamt stresses to trust the process and separate your self-worth from the feedback on your PhD work. She emphasizes that a PhD does not define an individual and encourages recognizing one\u2019s inherent value beyond academic opinions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>[see the full transcript of the episode <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/2026\/08\/26\/full-transcript-english-building-a-good-relationship-with-your-supervisor\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1749\">here<\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>German:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In dieser Folge spricht Promotionscoach Dr. Marlies Klamt \u00fcber die entscheidende Beziehung zwischen Promovierenden und ihren Betreuenden sowie dar\u00fcber, wie sich diese verbessern l\u00e4sst. Als Coach unterst\u00fctzt sie Promovierende dabei, ihr Zeitmanagement und ihre Kommunikation zu optimieren, um die Erfahrung der Promotion positiv zu gestalten. Sowohl in ihren Coachings als auch in ihrem Podcast \u201eGl\u00fccklich Promovieren\u201c vermittelt sie eine positive Sichtweise auf den Promotionsprozess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Klamt betont, dass eine gute Beziehung zur betreuenden Person Klarheit f\u00fcr die Dissertation schaffen und Stress reduzieren kann, w\u00e4hrend ein schlechtes Verh\u00e4ltnis die Situation erheblich erschweren kann. Sie berichtet von ihren eigenen Erfahrungen mit einer unterst\u00fctzenden Betreuung, die ma\u00dfgeblich zu ihrem Erfolg beigetragen hat. Promovierenden, die mit schwierigen Betreuungsverh\u00e4ltnissen zu k\u00e4mpfen haben, r\u00e4t sie, die eigenen Erwartungen zu reflektieren, das Verhalten der betreuenden Person zu beobachten und auf eine bessere Kommunikation hinzuarbeiten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>F\u00fcr den Fall, dass der Kontakt zur betreuenden Person nach l\u00e4ngerer Zeit wiederaufgenommen wird, empfiehlt Dr. Klamt, einen konkreten Anlass f\u00fcr ein Treffen zu finden und sich auf die Inhalte des Gespr\u00e4chs vorzubereiten. Zudem r\u00e4t sie dazu, zus\u00e4tzliche Unterst\u00fctzung durch Mentoring oder Workshops in Anspruch zu nehmen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Auch das Setzen klarer Grenzen gegen\u00fcber der betreuenden Person ist ein wichtiges Thema. Dr. Klamt unterstreicht, dass das Ansprechen von Grenzen keine negative Erfahrung sein muss, und gibt Tipps f\u00fcr eine gelungene Kommunikation in solchen Situationen \u2013 etwa durch klare Aussagen, aktives Zuh\u00f6ren und eine gute Vorbereitung.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sollten Ma\u00dfnahmen zur Verbesserung einer schwierigen Betreuungsbeziehung nicht fruchten, r\u00e4t Dr. Klamt dazu, sich mit anderen Promovierenden auszutauschen und einen Betreuerwechsel in Erw\u00e4gung zu ziehen. Bei schwerwiegenden Problemen wie Diskriminierung oder Machtmissbrauch sollten die entsprechenden universit\u00e4ren Beratungsangebote genutzt werden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Abschlie\u00dfend ermutigt Dr. Klamt dazu, auf den Prozess zu vertrauen und den eigenen Selbstwert nicht mit dem Feedback zur Dissertation zu verkn\u00fcpfen. Sie betont, dass eine Promotion den Menschen nicht definiert, und best\u00e4rkt Promovierende darin, ihren eigenen Wert unabh\u00e4ngig von akademischen Urteilen zu erkennen.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Join Amanda in a conversation with Dr. Marlies Klamt, a PhD coach who provides valuable advice on fostering a healthy and productive relationship with your thesis supervisor. Dr. Klamt shares her experiences, offers strategies for effective communication, and highlights the importance of setting boundaries. This episode is filled with practical tips for PhD students to &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/2024\/04\/29\/s02-episode-6-building-a-good-relationship-with-your-supervisor\/\" class=\"more-link\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">\u201eBuilding a Good Relationship with Your Supervisor\u201c<\/span> weiterlesen<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7050,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[10497],"class_list":["post-357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-allgemein","tag-season2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7050"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=357"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1756,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357\/revisions\/1756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.fu-berlin.de\/drs_podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}