Yes! I'm so happy somebody has encountered the workplace coffee mug.

Not just does it invade my vision, but it smells too.

I have been trying for weeks to find the right time to bin it. But, he always seems to be one step ahead. He had gone out of the office and left it, so I seized the opportunity. But as I picked it up, somebody else said, oh could you fill up my mug as well? So instead of getting rid of that ugly mug, I ended up with two :-( :-(

The person who sits next to me at work hasn't washed his coffee mug in over a year.

He says it adds to flavour.

But, it has flakes of dry coffee hanging from it and he always leaves it so I can see it. Mean person :-(

It's quite a tricky question really. The main piece of advice I can give is:

Start with a puzzle or a question and set out what you're going to say.

As a good rule of thumb, the words used contribute around 7% to the impact of your message, your voice and tone around 38% and the slides you are giving around 55%.

Make sure you have an enthusiasm for what you are saying and perhaps ask what would make the audience agree with you.

Not sure if any of this helps?

Hi guys, these links are so helpful! Great idea making a website to hold them all in one place.

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There is a really good thread regarding what to expect for all the different types of supervisors, http://bitesizebio.com/2010/07/19/picking-an-advisor-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/
it describes all the different types of advisor, from young to fully seasoned. It's quite a good read actually

Oh that doesn't sound great. It sounds like just now he associates seeing you with questions, questions and more questions. Maybe if you just go to his office to have a chat about other things which you think might be of interest to him, he may start to respond better when you need help?

This is a really useful link! I always forget where I found links. The blogs were all really good reads. They give a nice insight into PhD life :-) Now, I hope I don't lose this thread:$

I wouldn't worry. At the start of my PhD, my supervisor spent very little time going over anything. I kept hearing about other people going out for beers and such with their supervisors, and i did get quite envious. But the more you get into it, the more they start to pay attention. Although, if after a year you're still finding it hard I would take a hard think as to what you want to do.

P.s that sounds awesome about your australian supervisor!!