{"id":548,"date":"2020-10-16T14:47:08","date_gmt":"2020-10-16T14:47:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mitcommlab.mit.edu\/eecs\/?p=548"},"modified":"2020-10-16T14:52:17","modified_gmt":"2020-10-16T14:52:17","slug":"how-to-communicate-in-grad-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mitcommlab.mit.edu\/eecs\/2020\/10\/16\/how-to-communicate-in-grad-school\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Communicate in Grad School"},"content":{"rendered":"

Communication is one of the most often listed skills in job postings across all fields. In grad school, communication is as important to everyday life as it is to career development. For a PhD student, the benefits of effective communication skills can be seen everywhere from interpersonal relationships to research progress. While these skills are not often evaluated on their own, many measures of grad school success depend upon good communication – from congenial advisor relationships to paper acceptance.<\/span><\/p>\n

To explore what good communication in grad school looks like, the EECS Communication Lab recently hosted our third annual panel discussion titled \u201cHow to Communicate in Grad School: What They Don\u2019t Teach You.\u201d At this event, four senior EECS grad students shared about their experiences with formal and informal communication. In this post, we summarize some of the recurring themes that came up in discussion to offer advice for making your communication more effective.<\/span><\/p>\n

Know your audience<\/b>\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

For any communication task, the first step is to analyze your audience. This holds true for both formal communication (like writing a paper or preparing a talk) and informal communication (like drafting an email to your advisor or collaborators). To communicate effectively, you need to know who you are communicating <\/span>to <\/span><\/i>or <\/span>with<\/span><\/i>. Think about what they already know, what they may need to be reminded of, and what the main takeaways are that you want to convey.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thinking about your audience should come into all stages of communication. While writing a draft or having a conversation, revisit your thoughts about <\/span>who<\/span><\/i> you are communicating with and <\/span>why<\/span><\/i>. Identifying your audience plays an important role both in the details of communication such as designing a slide to convey your most important point and in high-level preparation such as planning for what your audience already knows. Communicating effectively about anything from interpersonal conflict to research requires careful consideration of the other party.<\/span><\/p>\n

Treat communication like a skill that can be developed<\/b><\/h3>\n

Being an effective communicator is not something you are born with; it is something you develop over time. Even the best communicators can always find ways to improve. In the same way you would practice a sport or a musical instrument, you should apply the same discipline to practicing communication. Seek out as many opportunities for practice as possible, and get feedback from a variety of people. The more you communicate, the more comfortable you become, and the more your skills improve.<\/span><\/p>\n

When preparing for a talk, record yourself. Then, watch the video, paying attention to areas where you can improve. As a starting place, you can look for the following things:<\/span><\/p>\n