Communicate Effectively
Effective written and verbal communication skills are essential to succeed in a wide variety of careers. It’s important to learn how to identify and practice ways by which you can successfully communicate within your discipline. You also need to recognize important barriers in communicating across disciplines and how to overcome them. Finally, you need to develop the skill of engaging society in your scientific discoveries. You can undertake many activities during your graduate program to learn how to generate visual, written and oral communication products, and disseminate them to diverse audiences.
Tips & Tricks
Writing Skills
Take Advantage of Writing Assistance (Bronco Finish Line)
Bronco Finish Line is Boise State Graduate College’s writing assistance program designed specifically for graduate students. Our goal is to build relationships with students and help them become better writers, no matter the size of the project. Bronco Finish Line will meet any student where they are and build a program to help them find success. Whether you would like to brainstorm an idea for a project, or you have a final draft that needs polishing, our writing coaches can help with any step of the writing process.
Schedule an appointment or submit an email consultation
Participate in a Writing Retreat (GradWrite)
GradWrite is a writing retreat for graduate students put on by the Graduate Student Success Center. There is a presentation on common problems graduate writers face aimed at helping students navigate the writing process. After that, we dedicate the rest of the time for quiet writing. Students can use the time to work on their thesis/dissertation, class projects, term papers, resumes, applications, etc. GradWrite is a resource for students to hold themselves accountable and get their work done, while also allowing students to work across disciplines with their peers, creating a more collaborative process.
Create a Peer Writing Group
Working on writing with your peers is a rewarding experience. Participating in a peer writing group will provide a sense of community, it will allow you to discuss your writing strategies with peers, and it will provide accountability and emotional support. In a writing group you can share writing and create a peer review process to offer and receive feedback, and identify key readings in the field and meet to discuss. Talk to your peers to find out if you can join an already established writing group, or form a new writing group yourself. There are lots of online resources available with tips on how to start an effective peer writing group. To get you started, explore the detailed toolkits for new writing groups from these centers:
Participate in an Online Writing Challenge
Through Boise State’s institutional membership, you can access a 14-Day Writing Challenge through the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD). This is a free opportunity for you to experiment with daily writing, online community, and supportive accountability on NCFDD’s WriteNow platform.