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Communication Skills

As you explore and develop your research, communication is a key skill to consider. Whether engaging with experts in your field—such as at conferences or during a job talk—or with non-experts—such as in grant applications, media interviews, or social settings—at some point you will have to explain the work you’ve done as a graduate student to various audiences. Our communication pages include tools and exercises to help you as you begin thinking about how you communicate your research to various audiences.

In addition to these pages, the Graduate College has a number of resources to help you as you practice talking about what you do.

Research Live!: Each year, the Graduate College hosts Research Live!, a competition that asks graduate students from all disciplines to celebrate their work and hone their presentation skills by giving a compelling 3-minute research talk. Learn more about the event on our Research Live! pages. You can also watch videos of previous participants on Media Space.

Workshops: Check out our upcoming workshops for opportunities to learn strategies for talking about your work to different audiences (including to non-experts, job search committees, and fellowship boards).

GradLIFE Blog: Visit our GradLIFE blog to learn more about how Illinois students talk about their work. Check out entries like:

Appointments: If you are preparing to present your work and would like tips or feedback, feel free to reach out to gradsuccess@illinois.edu to schedule an appointment with us.