Communication
October 10, 2019
Use an Elevator Speech to Communicate Your Work Effectively
Have you heard of an “elevator speech”? It’s a brief summary of who you are, what you do, and your career or project goals—with an emphasis on brief. Imagine running into the CEO of the dream company you’d like to work for, while waiting in line for coffee or taking an elevator: you will need…
January 10, 2019
Investing in Career Exploration
Happy New Year, and welcome to the start of winter quarter! We hope you set aside time during the break to relax, to have fun, and to acknowledge the milestones you’ve achieved in grad school thus far, no matter how big or small. We know that the first week of the quarter can feel overwhelming….
December 18, 2018
Lauren Fine: Talking politics with family (and not losing your cool)
“Listen, and listen more than you talk,” says Lauren Fine, a doctoral student studying political communication at the interpersonal level. It’s good advice, generally, but it’s especially prudent if you’re struggling to discuss politics with family or friends at holiday gatherings. If you’re engaged in political discussion with close others in close spaces, “try to…
April 12, 2018
Communicating Your Work to a Wide Audience
There are many transferable skills you can develop in graduate school that will prepare you for many types of careers. These may include the ability to synthesize complex information (studying, reading, and engaging in class discussions), manage a large project (a capstone, thesis, or dissertation), prioritize tasks (balancing your studies, work, and personal life), meet…
March 2, 2018
Strategies for Communicating with Faculty
For the past three years, Core Programs has hosted a communication skills workshop with the goal of sharing effective strategies international graduate students can use when communicating with faculty. Below are a just a few of these communication best practices. These tips are useful not only for international graduate students but also all graduate students…
February 22, 2018
Postdocs, you are more skilled than you know!
Postdocs often reach out asking for advice regarding what to look for in a future career. You may have wondered yourself: Should I stay in academia or consider moving to an industry setting? I enjoy talking about science, should I get a job in policy, outreach, or K-12 education? It is important during these times of uncertainty…
November 9, 2017
Engaging in Effective Conversations When the Stakes Are High
When you have important issues to discuss with faculty or colleagues, do you choose email? Text? Phone? Or do you schedule an in-person meeting? It depends, right? How safe do you feel? How much detail needs to be conveyed and confirmed? Is it a small clarification or a bigger conceptual issue? Is there likely to…
January 10, 2017
The grad student’s social media starter pack
Is it really worthwhile for grad students aspiring to academics or industry to have a social media presence? What should my social media presence look like? — Social media un-savvy Hi there, Thanks for reaching out! Ultimately, I think the only answer to this is: it depends. It depends on your schedule, your priorities, your skills,…