Author: Jamie Williams // Editor: Cherene de Bruyn

A big part of all PGR journeys is communication, whether that be meetings with supervisors, office banter or discussions in the lab. Not to mention posters, presentations, or the dreaded viva. Added to this, of course, is all of the written communication – emails, your thesis chapters, articles, and literature reviews. A large chunk of time is necessarily spent in getting our thoughts, ideas, and progress across to others.

For some, this appears to be a doddle (a British term meaning a task that requires little effort or comes naturally) – that friend who seems to effortlessly enunciate their thoughts and happily projects their voices across the room to make sure they’re heard, delivering their points in an orderly, well-thought-out fashion, and able to explain their plans and progress quickly and succinctly. The rest of us, however, struggle a little more with it and have to psych ourselves up for each presentation, after practising and rehearsing what we’ll say. It’s a skill that takes time and preparation, but it can be built up and developed over time. Confidence certainly helps; a large part of this comes from familiarity with your project and the relevant literature. Over time, as we gain experience and build our skills, we become comfortable engaging in conversations with peers in our field. Our confidence allows us to engage more deeply with complex topics while contributing to nuanced discussions, like the academics we are. In addition to engaging with our supervisors, professors, technicians, and lab mates, it’s essential for our work—and our sanity—to connect with the broader public. This includes people who might not be familiar with our specific research topics, and those who don’t spend their days in the lab or trawling through endless literature. Developing strong communication skills is a key part of the PhD journey. It’s not just about interacting with fellow researchers; being able to convey complex ideas clearly and effectively to a non-expert audience is a valuable skill.

1. The Challenge of Explaining Your Work to the Public

Have you ever been asked by a friend in the pub what you do all day as a PGR? Or found yourself passionately trying to convey why your work excites you, what drives your interest and what exactly you hope to learn? Many of our close friends and family don’t share the same academic background as we do, and maybe aren’t as interested in spending their time going through the minutia of reasons why you had to repeat X experiment 12 times, or why it took you 4 weeks to get your data.

Even if they lack our enthusiasm, it can still be hugely rewarding to talk about your project to non-specialists, whether they be your partner, a family member, or even a researcher from a different field. Of course, many PGRs love to talk about their work – after all, it’s something we have decided to dedicate several years of our lives towards. Personally, I find discussing my project with others a bit of a stressbuster. It helps to remind me of the “big picture” and my reasons for pursuing my own project. Throughout my PGR journey, I have realised the benefits of articulating my work in a way that is accessible to those outside of my supervisory team and lab group.

Being able to convey complex ideas clearly to a broader audience, displaying your enthusiasm, while also sparking interest in others, is a valuable transferable skill. Here are some tips and suggestions to help you build these skills and enhance your ability to communicate your research with impact.

Why It’s Important to Practice

• Boost your confidence: The more you talk about your research, the more comfortable you’ll become. You’ll develop particular words and phrases that easily get your point across and allow others to follow the flow of your work.
• See the big picture: Sometimes it can be helpful to step back to see the “big picture”. Speaking to others can remind us of the overall aim and potential impact of our research – which can provide a welcome motivation boost!
• Learn your blind spots: Explaining key concepts to others is a great way to both test and reinforce our own understanding. In addition, any questions asked may help to highlight any gaps within our subject knowledge.
• Improving connections: Many of our friends and family members are unfamiliar with the specifics of our PGR life. Through engaging explanations, we can shed light on the unique world that is a PhD.
• Networking: Communicating outside of our supervisory circle can help us to build professional contacts. Having a wide social network may help when it comes to job searching, funding opportunities or getting a different perspective on your project.
• Contributing to public knowledge: By writing articles, public speaking opportunities and publishing blog posts, we can educate, interest, and inspire others. If the thought of disseminating your work to a wider audience sounds appealing, you can submit to sites such as The Conversation.
• Prepare for grant proposals: We may have to write grant proposals, asking for money from funding bodies and societies.
• Job applications – Summarising your experiences to an interviewer and making it clear why they should hire you.
• It’s Therapeutic: PhDs are hard work. Sometimes it helps to be able to have a good old work rant after a long day!

3. Opportunities to Practice

• Phone a friend: Try explaining the core ideas of your research project to a family member or friend. A comfortable and relaxed environment is a great place to open up about your work.
• Public talks: There are many opportunities for public engagement, allowing you to have open conversations about your research with a range of audiences. Some examples include Pint of Science or Soapbox Science.
• PGR groups: Many universities have vibrant PGR communities, running a range of helpful workshops, group meetings, and collaborations.
• Poster presentations: Poster sessions, especially those with a diverse audience are great opportunities to practice – you even have your poster as a visual aid! In addition to this, as a PGR, you are likely to attend and present at conferences, so spending some time planning what you’ll say is definitely a good idea.
• Write for Research Hive! (or any other publication) This could be summarising a research paper in blog format, or writing an accessible article about an aspect of your work. Additionally, many universities have student newsletters and journals that you can contribute to.  

As the proverb goes “There are four things in life that you can never take back: the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life and the neglected opportunity”. So, the next time you see an opportunity to tell someone about your work, whether that be through a conversation, a presentation or a written article, give it a whirl, it might just do you some good. Who knows, you might just enjoy it!

About The Author
Jamie is a 2^nd year PGR at Liverpool John Moores University, working on the design of functionalised nanoparticles to deliver an RNA-based treatment for psoriasis.