Communication is integral to the daily demands of graduate work. From sharing your perspectives in class during the coursework years, to publishing your ideas in an academic journal, to simply telling family and friends what your work is about, each stage of graduate school requires that you aptly translate complex concepts and state-of-the-art research to diverse audiences. Whether you are presenting the results of an investigation on a conference panel or teaching about your field in the classroom, developing successful strategies for sharing ideas, and generating productive conversations and debate is part and parcel of effective scholarship.
Communication
In a nutshell, communication is the ability to clearly and persuasively share your ideas in any given context. In addition to the important scholarly milestones above, there are myriad non-traditional ways to share your research and ideas during your time at NYU . For example, you might connect with a broader public as a guest on a podcast, or even record one of your own. Or you might pitch a thought piece to a magazine or news outlet or build a following on social media or blogging platforms like Substack to creatively engage writing practices. You might work in the education department of a local museum, give a TEDx speech, teach in a classroom, or pitch your research at networking events. Think of all these experiences as opportunities to hone your written and verbal communication skills.
The communication foundations that you build through the rigors of writing and speaking about your research and experiences translate to myriad career paths. With this foundation, you can persuasively advocate for and share your ideas, and engage with others' ideas to make an impact in the world for broad, diverse audiences, both within and outside the academy.
Effective communication at the graduate level is multi-pronged. It is essential for junior scholars to master the academic genres of the journal article, the grant proposal, or the job talk. At the same time, pedagogical training is often a keystone of graduate education, especially at the doctoral level. Many scholars work also as artists, activists, public intellectuals or entrepreneurs and choose to share their research with broader communities.
This module provides resources for strengthening your communication skills for academic audiences, for the classroom, and for the broader public. Remember that these categories are not strict divisions, but tools to help you get started.
communication competencies in practice
Dissertation & Publications. GSAS offers comprehensive workshops and consultations to help you turn your ideas into persuasive prose for academic audiences. GSAS Writing Consultants offer one-on-one advising for papers, grant applications, and dissertations. GSAS and the Expository Writing Center (EWP) offer video resources on Targeting a Publication for Your Work and Revising an Accepted Article to help you navigate best practices for publishing work in your field or related fields. EWP's videos on Developing Your Academic Voice and Synthesis and Signposting walk you through the essentials of clear academic writing. And of course, as the most effective writing requires a good dose of focus, space and support, the Bobst Dissertation Writers' Rooms offer dedicated spaces in Bobst Library for writers to work together. Writing groups offered through EWP and the Dissertation Writing Intensives add support, productivity and generative idea exchanges to the often solitary process of writing a dissertation.
Public Speaking. Giving conference presentations, keynote speeches, and job talks are part and parcel of the academic profession. You can regularly practice in small ways. GSAS offers weekly "public speaking hours," forums for PhD students to practice speaking about themselves and their work in front of a small audience. You can also present a paper in your department or at a conference. The We(Search) Showcase, a program dedicated to showcasing GSAS students' scholarly work on intersectionality, anti-racism, and social justice, offers opportunities for students to practice presenting their work in an equitable way. The Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science challenges scientists to "get out of lecture mode and into conversation" through improvisational and trust-building exercises. For additional support, check out these videos from EWP: Public Speaking for Academics and The Academic Elevator Pitch.
Design Course Materials. Teaching in the college classroom is a unique opportunity for PhD students. GSAS offers a two semester certificate program called Preparing Future Faculty that helps PhD students gain the pedagogical expertise to convey their research and the major questions of their field to undergraduate students. EWP's videos on Developing a Teaching Portfolio and Devising a Teaching Statement can then help you look back and evaluate the effectiveness of the teaching materials you've created, as well as the pedagogical methods you have explored.
Engage and Facilitate. There are many ways to learn how to engage students in the classroom, such as the Preparing Future Faculty program. You can also sit in on peers and colleagues as they teach, or have someone record you teaching and provide feedback. Other ways to better classroom engagement include booking a consultation with the Center for Faculty Advancement, or obtaining specialized teachers' training through your department and through professional courses offered at NYU (Preparing Future Faculty) and other institutions (eg: Stanford, Princeton, and Michigan). The Expository Writing Program has resources on improving classroom communication, as well as public speaking and other exercises.
Writing for Diverse Audiences. In addition to writing academic articles, finishing your dissertation, and drafting grant and book proposals, there are a thousand and one ways to share your research with the wider world. You could publish a thought piece, curate a blog, or write for a news outlet. Op-Ed Writing Workshops provide a how-to and a practicum to help students turn their life's work into impactful essays. The Science Communication Workshops at NYU's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute helps scientists translate their expertise in a way that is engaging, critical and trustworthy for a broader public. Media outlets (eg: WIRED, New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic) look for features and op-eds from academics and have published work by graduate students in the past.
Multimedia. You've honed your writing skills and pitched your dissertation. Now get creative with all the ways you can share your expertise with communities in academia and beyond. Podcasting the Humanities (GSAS sponsors tuition) is a great resource to learn how to create digital stories for public audiences. The Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science challenges scientists to "get out of lecture mode and into conversation" through improvisational and trust-building exercises. The Advanced Certificate in Digital Humanities, a three-course sequence (computational literacy, digital publication, data design), equips you with training in applying computing and digital technologies to humanities research and vice-versa. LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social media platforms have alumni and discipline-specific communities that are useful for engaging in conversations on your research area with other scholars and professionals in adjacent fields (educators, curators, artists, analysts, entrepreneurs).