The Effective Statistician - in association with PSI

A Conversation with Alun Bedding and Emma May **Why You Should Listen ** You want to grow into a leadership role as a statistician You’re looking to improve communication and influence You want to better understand emotional intelligence in practice You aim to build trust and psychological safety within your team You want actionable leadership strategies you can apply immediately **What You Will Learn in This Episode ** Why emotional intelligence is critical for leadership effectiveness How to recognize and manage your own emotional responses The importance of psychological safety and how to create it Why coaching is more effective than giving answers How trust underpins influence and team performance The role of growth mindset in continuous development Practical communication techniques including the power of silence **Episode Highlights ** [00:02:00] A non-linear path into statistics Emma shares how she “fell into” statistics and discovered her passion for people development. [00:04:00] Beyond technical expertise Why communication, emotional intelligence, and leadership skills are essential complements to technical knowledge. [00:06:00] Emotional intelligence and career success How EQ contributes significantly to leadership effectiveness and workplace performance. [00:07:00] Understanding emotions in practice Recognizing and managing emotions both your own and others’. [00:10:00] The role of instinct vs rational thinking How immediate emotional reactions influence behavior and decision-making. [00:12:00] Creating psychological safety in teams Using structured agreements to foster openness and trust. [00:18:00] Speaking up and being brave Why courage is essential for maintaining trust and integrity. [00:22:00] From advising to coaching Shifting from giving solutions to asking the right questions. [00:25:00] Leadership as partnership Working collaboratively rather than solving problems alone. [00:28:00] Trust as the foundation of leadership Why trust is essential for influence and effectiveness. [00:30:00] Developing a growth mindset Learning from feedback and reframing failure as progress. [00:34:00] The value of humility in leadership Why saying “I don’t know” can strengthen credibility. [00:36:00] One key leadership habit curiosity Asking questions and actively listening to understand others. [00:37:00] The power of silence How creating space in conversations leads to deeper insights. About the Guest Emma May Emma May is a statistician and leadership coach with a strong focus on professional development. Her work centers on helping individuals build the human skills such as emotional intelligence, communication, and trust that complement technical expertise and enable long-term career success.

In a captivating discussion, Manuel Cossio, Director Global AI at Cytel, shares his transition from molecular biology to AI in pharma. He reveals how generative AI can automate repetitive tasks, significantly reducing burnout and freeing up valuable human effort. Manuel addresses real-world applications like clinical report generation, while also unpacking the challenges of data protection and model governance. He emphasizes the importance of safe AI use and dives into ideal use cases, offering actionable advice for successful implementation.

Celebrate a vibrant community as gratitude flows for the listeners and guests who share invaluable insights. The spotlight shines on the unsung heroes behind the scenes, ensuring the podcast's smooth delivery. Exciting plans are unveiled for the upcoming year, inviting listeners to join the journey ahead. There’s a strong call to action for feedback and sharing ideas to shape future discussions. A warm farewell wraps up with holiday wishes, encouraging statisticians to unlock their full potential.

A conversation with Kaspar Rufibach Why You Should Listen: ✔ By the end of this episode, you’ll: ✔ Pick up concrete steps to improve your presentation skills over time: feedback, recordings, formal training, and deliberate practice. ✔ See why communication is leadership – and why “you can’t lead if you can’t communicate” really applies to statisticians. ✔ Learn how to start a presentation: from a blank sheet to a clear set of 2–4 key messages your audience will actually remember. ✔ Rethink slide design so your slides support you—instead of becoming an information dump that competes with your voice. ✔ Understand the crucial difference between academic talks (“what I did”) and business presentations (“what we should do now and why”). Get practical ideas to prepare earlier, present shorter, and focus on what your audience truly needs to hear. Episode highlights with timestamps [00:02:00] Why presentations matter more than you thinkKaspar shares why statisticians can’t “hide behind the numbers” if they want real impact. [00:03:00] How Kaspar actually starts a talkFrom a blank sheet of paper to a small set of key messages. [00:07:45] The problem with crowded slidesWhy most slide decks try to do the wrong job—and what Kaspar does instead. [00:14:00] Presentations, reputation, and wasted timeHow the way you present shapes your personal brand with colleagues and leaders. [00:18:00] When leaders don’t care about your methodsThe shift from “here’s what I did” to “here’s what we should do.” [00:20:45] Starting with your conclusionHow leading with recommendations can save you when your time is suddenly cut. [00:23:30] Simple habits to become a better presenterSmall changes Kaspar says you can start using in your next talk. [00:29:00] Dealing with fear and staying authenticWhy there are no “natural born presenters” and what really helps you improve. [00:33:00] Kaspar’s three core principlesThe key ideas he hopes every statistician remembers after this episode. Links: 🔗 The Effective Statistician Academy – I offer free and premium resources to help you become a more effective statistician. 🔗 Medical Data Leaders Community – Join my network of statisticians and data leaders to enhance your influencing skills. 🔗 My New Book: How to Be an Effective Statistician - Volume 1 – It’s packed with insights to help statisticians, data scientists, and quantitative professionals excel as leaders, collaborators, and change-makers in healthcare and medicine. 🔗 PSI (Statistical Community in Healthcare) – Access webinars, training, and networking opportunities. Join the Conversation:Did you find this episode helpful? Share it with your colleagues and let me know your thoughts! Connect with me on LinkedIn and be part of the discussion. Subscribe & Stay Updated:Never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Effective Statistician on your favorite podcast platform and continue growing your influence as a statistician.

Join epidemiologist Deepa Jahagirdar from Cytel as she unpacks the world of external control arms (ECAs). Learn when ECAs are appropriate and how they bridge methods from policy research to clinical trials. Deepa shares insights on selecting real-world data sources and the significance of target trial emulation in enhancing causal credibility. The conversation also covers handling confounding using expert knowledge and directed acyclic graphs, along with practical advice for improving study robustness. It's a must-listen for statisticians navigating real-world data!

Frank Konietschke, a Professor of statistics with expertise in non-parametric methods, dismantles the myth that non-parametric means just Wilcoxon tests. He explores a broad toolkit for analyzing skewed data, outliers, and small samples. Learn how ranks can quantify the relative treatment effect without relying on means, and discover effective ways to present results using confidence intervals and visuals. Frank also shares valuable software tools for implementing rank-based models, ensuring you don't miss the innovative strategies available for robust statistical analysis.

In this engaging discussion, Kaspar Rufibach, an experienced biostatistician and authority on adaptive clinical trials, shares his insights. He explains the challenges of communicating results from adaptive studies and emphasizes the importance of using clear, defensible language. Listeners learn about the difference between conditional and unconditional bias, the implications for point estimates, and the significance of median-unbiased estimation. Kaspar also addresses the complexities surrounding secondary endpoints and the necessity of pre-specifying adjustments to ensure trust and reproducibility.

In this discussion, Kaspar Rufibach, an experienced biostatistician and adaptive clinical trial expert, delves into the practicalities of adaptive designs and the ICH E20 guideline. He explains why these designs save time and the types of meaningful adaptations available for drug development. Kaspar also addresses the operational barriers preventing wider use of adaptive trials and emphasizes the importance of understanding their implications on endpoints and inference. Lastly, he outlines the key points of the new ICH E20 guideline that statisticians should note.

A conversation with Alexander Schacht and Alun Bedding Why You Should Listen: ✔ Hear my personal reflections on 456 episodes and the evolution of this podcast. ✔ Learn a simple, values-based view of leadership that applies no matter your level. ✔ Discover how to influence people—not departments—and build trust. ✔ See why contextual teaching beats generic “Stats 101” courses. ✔ Walk away with three immediate actions: decide to lead, listen deeply, and invest in your presentation skills. Episode Highlights: 00:00 – Why Alun is interviewing me for Episode 456 01:57 – What counts as an “episode” and why this milestone matters 03:03 – From estimands to blurred lines across stats/data science 06:10 – My view of leadership: helping others accomplish something 08:08 – Values, purpose, and the “win–win” principle 10:09 – Goal-driven meetings and tying them to vision and values 12:44 – Why you can’t influence a department—you influence people 15:47 – Trust = character × competence × care (as others perceive it) 17:16 – Being known: why personal and departmental branding matters 19:00 – How targeted training builds credibility and influence 23:00 – Presentation skills as a multiplier for all other communication 28:34 – Listening: the most underrated leadership skill 33:00 – My three practical actions to apply this week 35:30 – Closing thoughts and invitation to connect Resources and Links: Stephen R. Covey — The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Michael Hyatt — leadership and values-driven success John Blakey — trust model (ability, integrity, benevolence) Oscar Trimboli — How to Listen Toastmasters — practice for public speaking How to Be an Artist (book on learning and creativity) 🔗 The Effective Statistician Academy – I offer free and premium resources to help you become a more effective statistician. 🔗 Medical Data Leaders Community – Join my network of statisticians and data leaders to enhance your influencing skills. 🔗 My New Book: How to Be an Effective Statistician - Volume 1 – It’s packed with insights to help statisticians, data scientists, and quantitative professionals excel as leaders, collaborators, and change-makers in healthcare and medicine. 🔗 PSI (Statistical Community in Healthcare) – Access webinars, training, and networking opportunities. Join the Conversation:Did you find this episode helpful? Share it with your colleagues and let me know your thoughts! Connect with me on LinkedIn and be part of the discussion. Subscribe & Stay Updated:Never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Effective Statistician on your favorite podcast platform and continue growing your influence as a statistician.

Anja Schiel, a vice chair at UNETA 21 and expert at the Norwegian Medicines Agency, delves into the complexities of single-arm studies in drug approval. She discusses the critical need for robust comparisons in evidence evaluation and the limitations of single-arm designs. Anja also highlights the importance of concurrent controls and shares practical strategies for choosing effective comparators. With insights into adaptive trial designs, she sheds light on statistical communication between regulators and HTA bodies, emphasizing the need for clear evidence strategies.