Our Communication Lab teams are always thinking about new communication skills and scenarios that we can help to demystify and support. Find our latest resources below:
Blog posts
Quick tips on handy skills and first-hand reflections about communication experiences, from Communication Fellows and MIT community members
- Keep Track of your Thesis with a Writing Dashboard, by Nick Belsten, AeroAstro Comm Lab, Spring 2025
Driving is a complex task that requires intense focus on the world around you. Distractions can be disastrous. Even quickly checking your text message can literally be fatal, but screens aren’t inherently bad! Many cars today have replaced physical gauges with digital displays, but most people would agree there is a fundamental difference between your relationship with your dashboard vs with your phone. I argue the reason for this difference is simple: the dashboard tells you exactly the information you need at a glance—no more, no less. You don’t need to spend valuable attention parsing unnecessary stuff.
- Reflections on My PhD Proposal Process: Three Things I’m Glad I Did!, by Michelle S. Zhang, CEE Comm Lab, Spring 2025
Writing my PhD thesis proposal was both an intellectually demanding and transformative experience. I truly felt that I was formally (and finally) starting my dissertation, as opposed to when I was just writing separate papers for different projects. Looking back, there are several things I am glad for having done. Here are my key reflections on the process!
- How to Write Effective Emails, by Harsh Bhundiya, AeroAstro Comm Lab, Spring 2025
Emails dominate our daily communication, whether for scheduling meetings, sharing information, or staying updated. Yet, writing emails can be challenging even for simple tasks, and we are seldom taught how to write effective emails that are clear, concise, and efficient.
- Success at Conferences, by Evan Kramer, AeroAstro Comm Lab, Spring 2025
There’s a conference taking place in a few months in some far-off land. You may or may not be planning to submit an abstract of your latest and greatest work. Either way, as a first-time conference goer, you’re wondering how the experience will go.
New & updated CommKit content
Discipline-specific how-to’s and annotated examples, covering both technical and professional communication.
- Building a Network: Digital and In-Person Strategies for Students, Recent Graduates, and Postdocs, by Trevor Cambron, CEE Comm Lab, Spring 2025
- Physicality of Presenting, by the AeroAstro Comm Lab, Spring 2025
- Slide Design, by the AeroAstro Comm Lab, Winter 2025
- Storytelling in Scientific Presentations: A Case Study, by Trevor Cambron, CEE Comm Lab, Winter 2025
- Doctoral Qualifying Exam Presentation, by the NSE Comm Lab, Winter 2025
- Effective Use of Generative AI for Effective Communication, poster by the AeroAstro Comm Lab, Winter 2025
- Resumes and CVs, by the AeroAstro Comm Lab, Fall 2024
- Technical Demonstrations, by the AeroAstro Comm Lab, Fall 2024
- Faculty Applications: Research Statement, by the AeroAstro Comm Lab, Fall 2024
- Personal Statement, by Mansi Joisher (EECS Comm Lab), Fall 2024
You can also see CommKits in other scientific/engineering disciplines.