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How to communicate your research more effectively

Author: guest contributor.

by Angie Voyles Askham, Content Marketing Intern

"Scientists need to excite the public about their work in part because the public is paying for it, and in part because science has very important things to say about some of the biggest problems society faces."

Stephen S. Hall has been reporting and writing about science for decades. For the past ten years, he's also been helping researchers at New York University improve their writing skills through the school's unique  Science Communication Workshops . In our interview below, he explains why the public deserves good science communication and offers some tips for how researchers can make their writing clear and engaging.

How would you descr ibe your role as a science journalist?

I’ve always made a distinction between "science writer" and a writer who happens to be interested in science. That may sound like wordplay, but I think it captures what we aspire to do. Even as specialists, science journalists wear several hats: we explain, we report, we investigate, we step back and provide historical context to scientific developments to help people understand what’s new, why something is controversial, who drove a major innovation. And like any writer, we look for interesting, provocative, and deeply reported ways to tell these stories.

I know you from the science communication workshop that’s offered to NYU graduate students. One of the most important things that I got out of the workshop, at least initially, was training myself out of the stuffy academic voice that I think a lot researchers fall into when writing academic papers. Why do you think scientists fall into this particular trap, and how do you help them get out of it?

Scientists are trained—and rightly so—to describe their work in neutral, objective terms, qualifying all observations and openly acknowledging experimental limitations. Those qualities play very well in scientific papers and talks, but are terrible for effective communication to the general public. In our Science Communication workshops at NYU, we typically see that scientists tend to communicate in dense, formal and cautious language; they tell their audiences too much; they mimic the scientific literature’s affinity for passive voice; and they slip into jargon and what I call “jargonish,” defensive language. Over ten years of conducting workshops, we’ve learned to attack these problems on two fronts: pattern recognition (training people to recognize bad writing/speaking habits and fixing them) and psychological "deprogramming" (it’s okay to leave some details and qualifications out!). And a key ingredient to successful communication is understanding your audience; there is no such thing as the "general public," but rather a bunch of different potential audiences, with different needs and different levels of expertise. We try to educate scientists to recognize the exact audience they're trying to reach—what they need to know and, just as important, what they don't need to know.

What are some other common mistakes that you see researchers making when they’re trying to communicate about their work, either with each other or with the public?

We see the same tendencies over and over again: vocabulary (not simply jargon, but common expressions—such as gene “expression”—that are second-hand within a field, but not clear to non-experts); abstract, complicated explanations rather than using everyday language; sentences that are too long; and “optics” (paragraphs that are too long and appear monolithic to readers). We’ve found that workshops are the perfect setting to play out the process of using everyday language to explain something without sacrificing scientific accuracy.

Why is it important for researchers to be better communicators?

Scientists need to learn to tell their own stories, first and foremost, because society needs their expertise, their perspective, their evidence-based problem solving skills for the future. But the lay public, especially in an era where every fact seems up for grabs, needs to be reminded of what the scientific method is: using critical thinking and rigorous analysis of facts to reach evidence-based conclusions. Scientists need to excite the public about their work in part because the public is paying for it, and in part because science has very important things to say about some of the biggest problems society faces—climate change, medical care, advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, among many other issues. As climate scientist Michael Mann said in a celebrated 2014 New York Times OpEd, scientists can no longer stay on the sidelines in these important public debates.

As a science journalist, part of your job is to hunt for interesting stories to tell. How can scientists make their work more accessible to people like you—or to other people outside of their specific area of research—so that their stories are told more widely?

The key word in your question is “stories.” Think like a writer. What’s the story behind your discovery? What were the ups and downs on the way to the finding? Where does this fit into a larger history of science narrative? Was there a funny incident or episode in the work (humor is a great way to draw and sustain public interest)? Was there a conflict or competition that makes the work even more interesting? Is there a compelling historical or contemporary figure involved that will help you humanize the science? It's been our-longstanding belief that scientists have a great intuitive feel for good storytelling (we incorporate narrative training in our workshops), but just don’t think about it when it comes to describing their own work. The other key thing is to explain why your research matters.

One of the ways that many researchers try to share their work is through Twitter, but I noticed that on the NYU website it says you’re a Twitter conscientious objector. Why is that? What effect do you think Twitter has had on science communication and journalism in general?

I actually think Twitter can be a great tool for science communication, and many of my colleagues use it deftly. I tend to gravitate toward stories that everyone is not talking about, so Twitter doesn’t help much in that regard. The larger reason I’m a Twitter “refusenik,” as my colleague Dan Fagin sometimes calls me, is that I think the technology has been widely abused to disseminate misinformation, intimidate enemies, and subvert democratic norms; I don’t use it primarily for those reasons.

Are there any other tips that you can offer researchers who want to be better communicators and just aren’t sure where to start?

One first step might be to see if your institution offers any communication training and to take advantage of those programs; if not, think about how you might establish a program. We’ve posted a few of the things we’ve learned at NYU on our website ; we’ve also established a publishing platform for science communicators at NYU called the Cooper Square Review , which is a good way for scientists to get experience publishing their own work and reaching a larger public.

Stephen S. Hall  has been reporting and writing about science for nearly 30 years. In addition to numerous cover stories in the New York Times Magazine, where he also served as a Story Editor and Contributing Writer, his work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, and a number of other outlets. He is also the author of six non-fiction books about contemporary science. In addition to teaching the Science Communication Workshops at NYU, he also teaches for NYU's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program (SHERP) and has taught graduate seminars in science writing and explanatory journalism at Columbia University.

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A Guide to Clear and Effective Communication for Research

Clear, concise and direct written communication is essential for compiling and sharing background research effectively. This makes your writing accessible, engaging and informative for the reader. But, how exactly can you achieve this type of written communication? In this article, we’ll share tips and tools to ensure your writing is clear, concise, direct and considers your reader’s perspective.

The need to communicate research summaries and findings is not limited to academia. In the workplace and beyond, being able to share research in an easy-to-access and digestible format is important for teams to collaborate effectively. Ideally, good written communication is clear, direct and concise. Being both clear and direct makes it obvious to the reader what they’re expected to take away, and the next steps they can take. 

For example, an industry research report might point to a need for changes in sales or marketing strategy. A clear and direct report would make this obvious to the reader, instead of assuming they would be able to come to that conclusion simply using the information given. Likewise, concise communication allows you to hold the reader's attention so they can digest the message you’re conveying. If the reader gets lost in lengthy explanations, and unnecessary context, they’re less likely to understand your message or gain value from your information. 

Define Your Message 

The first step to clear and direct writing is knowing what you want to say. Before you write, take some time to think and plan. You can produce a rough outline, mindmap and even a more structured framework for complex pieces of writing. Being able to define the core message or take away gives the end point that you need to build up to. It can be tempting to dive straight into writing once you have all the research. However, this can get messy and cause you to stray from the main point. By taking the time to stop writing and start thinking, you’ll save time and produce higher quality, focused writing. 

If you need a starting point, genei is the ideal tool to use. Genei will produce AI summaries, keyword lists, and document outlines for research articles, web pages and pdfs. This information can act as an outline for your own work. Or, provide a framework for you to begin making notes and organising your thoughts in genei’s notepad. You can plan more effectively using detailed research summarises alongside your own notes. For more genei guidance, check out our use case guides , and articles.  

Know Your Reader

Often, we know what we want to say and feel our writing is clear enough. This doesn’t necessarily mean our writing is accessible, engaging or actionable for the reader. Tailoring your writing to your reader is easier if you have pre-defined the core message or desired result. Then, it’s important to understand the reader. Why are they reading this? What’s in it for them? How much do they know about the given topic? You can make some assumptions about what you think they’re likely to know. While not all of this information will be relevant, this gives a starting point for focusing on the reader, rather than yourself. 

Tips for Clear, Concise and Direct Written Communication

Good written communication is often the result of careful and focused editing. This is why getting that first draft down is so important. Your first draft can be messy, and might even be part of that initial planning process. Now, you have content to reorganise, review and remove as needed. It’s far easier to make meaningful edits that improve the quality of your writing when you have the content down. Trying to write a perfect piece from the start is time consuming and likely to have the opposite effect. Editing your first draft allows you to actively review the structure, clarity and simplicity of your writing. During editing, you can consider the following writing tools and tips: 

Paraphrasing

Sometimes it can be difficult to digest and share the complex ideas of another. It might feel easier to use their complex terms, or stick to the structure of their idea. However, this can lead to your writing lacking clarity. Paraphrasing allows you to reshare another’s work in your own words while preserving the original meaning. This means you can tailor research findings to your audience , and still not stray from the original message. 

Summarising

Concise writing is important for holding the reader’s attention. You can keep written content concise by providing a summarised overview of key findings, main points, and even your own work. This will keep your readers engaged while still communicating the necessary context. For industry research reports, it’s ideal to end with a 3-4 sentence summary of the entire report. This highlights how important summarising can be in business communication, and is an essential skill for clear and concise writing. 

Good written communication follows a logical, easy to follow structure. For certain documents or reports, there may already be an industry standard for their structure. Be sure to follow these recommendations - standards ensure the relevant information has been covered. However, structure also applies to how information is organised within sections and paragraphs. Is it clear how these findings led to your conclusion? Have you included the relevant context before sharing a key insight? A good structure will make your writing impactful, and engaging. Your reader will feel informed as they progress, and be able to relate to the insights or conclusions provided.

A key aspect of good structure within a document, section or paragraph is getting to the point. If you propose your key point in the middle of your writing, you might lose the reader. Sharing the main point early on means the reader knows what to expect next, and are prepared to expand their understanding of the point made. You can be more direct by using short focused sentences or summaries. This ensures your reader is getting the key points and your message has been clarified well.  

Be Concise 

If you want to hold your readers attention, or produce effective summaries, you need to be concise. This can also be important for meeting tight word counts. To make your writing concise, you can use the short form of words and phrases. For example, concept instead of conceptualise, or however rather than ‘on the other hand’. You can also work on sentence length and structure. Short sentences that start with the subject are ideal for concise writing. Finally, actively focusing on one point at a time can improve the conciseness of your writing. For more tips on concise word choices, see this guide . 

Take the Reader's Perspective 

You can pinpoint revisions or edits for your writing by comparing your initial writing goals with the actual written result. This is a great way to ensure that you’re on track with the subject matter. But, this doesn’t guarantee that your writing is ideal for the reader. Research has shown that writers who can take their reader’s perspective are able to communicate their ideas more effectively. This highlights that you need to consider what you’ve written from the reader’s point of view. Even if you considered the reader beforehand, you might not have been consistent with this when writing. 

To do this, it can be easiest to share your work with a colleague or friend. Feedback is an effective way to refine your writing. You can also take a break from the work and come back later to proofread. While proofreading, consider whether the structure is logical for the reader, or the language is accessible. Think about what you would take away from your report if you didn’t have the relevant background knowledge. 

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The Science of Strong Business Writing

• Bill Birchard

Lessons from neurobiology

Brain scans are showing us in new detail exactly what entices readers. Scientists can see a group of midbrain neurons—the “reward circuit”—light up as people respond to everything from a simple metaphor to an unexpected story twist. The big takeaway? Whether you’re crafting an email to a colleague or an important report for the board, you can write in a way that delights readers on a primal level, releasing pleasure chemicals in their brains.

Bill Birchard is an author and writing coach who’s worked with many successful businesspeople. He’s drawn on that experience and his review of the scientific literature to identify eight features of satisfying writing: simplicity, specificity, surprise, stirring language, seductiveness, smart ideas, social content, and storytelling. In this article, he shares tips for using those eight S’s to captivate readers and help your message stick.

Strong writing skills are essential for anyone in business. You need them to effectively communicate with colleagues, employees, and bosses and to sell any ideas, products, or services you’re offering.

• Bill Birchard is a business author and book-writing coach. His Writing for Impact: 8 Secrets from Science That Will Fire Up Your Reader’s Brain will be published by HarperCollins Leadership in April 2023. His previous books include Merchants of Virtue, Stairway to Earth, Nature’s Keepers, Counting What Counts, and others. For more writing tactics, see his website .  

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Advice on Research Communications Skills

Great researchers are great communicators.  This page provides some resources to help you develop your communication skills.

• How to read a paper .  S. Keshav.  Note:  The general principles here are very useful (read a paper in several iterations of increasing depth depending upon your objectives and interest).  However, the amount of time it may take you to read a paper will vary greatly depending on the paper and the area.  Assuming you can understand a paper deeply in just a few hours may be unrealistic for some papers in some areas.  It may take you days or weeks.  Do not get discouraged if it takes you more time than suggested here.
• Go to Princeton colloquia, job talks, area meetings, general exams, pre-FPOs and FPOs.  Think about what speakers in each context are doing well (or not so well) to communicate their content effectively and memorably.
• How to give a great research talk .  Simon Peyton Jones.
• Presenting a technical talk .  Nick Feamster and Alex Gray.

General Advice & Courses

• Read more .  Of anything that is well written.  Doing so improves your vocabulary and exposes you to varied sentence structures.  For instance, subscribe to National Geographic or the Atlantic.  Start immediately.  Improving communication skills is a long-term project and it pays to start immediately.
• Take one of Princeton's writing seminars for graduate students when you have time. 
• Join one of Princeton's dissertation boot camps (which doesn't just have to be for writing your thesis, but could be for writing a paper)
• Take Stanford's free online writing class for the sciences when you have time. 
• Read article on  Mathematical Writing

Internet Articles

• The science of scientific writing . George Gopen and Judith Swan.
• Writer's block is not a struggle with your writing but with your thinking . Write your way out of it. 
• Story-telling 101:  Writing tips for academics . Nick Feamster and Alex Gray.
• Dave Patterson's writing advice .  Dave Patterson.
• How to write a great research paper .  Simon Peyton Jones.
• The curse of knowledge .  Benjamin Pierce.
• How to give a bad talk (circa 1983) .  Dave Patterson.
• Style: Toward clarity and grace .  Joseph Williams.
• How to write a lot:  A practical guide to academic writing .  Paul Silvia.
• The elements of style .  William Strunk and E. B. White.
• Writing for computer science.   Justin Zobel.

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Written Communication

Being a scientist means more than just doing exceptional research. A good scientist is also a good writer. In fact, you won’t truly be successful as a scientist until you learn to write well. You have to publish papers and apply for grants to fund your work. In fact, your career depends on the ability to write well.

The resources below are designed to help you improve your writing skills. The advice provided here is not only actionable and practical, it’s science-based. The advice is designed to “de-mystify” the writing process. These resources focus on skills you can quickly master, no matter how you view yourself as a writer, and no matter how complex and subtle the science is.

The links below lead to PowerPoint or video files used for our workshops for second year CLIMB students when we focus on written communication skills.

View a PowerPoint or video file:

• 5 Principles for Writing Readable Sentences
• Creating Coherent Paragraphs: Topic Sentences, Echo Words, Transitions
• Aims Pages, Part 1: Rhetorical Patterns
• Aims Pages, Part 2: Specific Aims
• Understanding NIH Review Criteria
• NIH Grants: Analyzing the "Big Structure" of a Funded Proposal
• NIH Grants: Exlporing the "Significance" and "Innovation" Sections
• NiH Grants: Analyzing the "Approach" Section
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• Meeting Abstracts-Best Practices in Writing
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• Books on Scientific Writing
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• Keys to Writing Successful NIH Research and Career Development Grant Applications

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Developing Effective Communication Skills

A practicing oncologist likely uses just about every medium to communicate. They talk on the phone, send e-mail messages, converse one-on-one, participate in meetings, and give verbal and written orders. And they communicate with many audiences—patients and their families, referring physicians, and office staff.

But are you communicating effectively? How do you handle differing or challenging perspectives? Are you hesitant to disagree with others, especially those in authority? Do you find meetings are a waste of time? What impression does your communication style make on the members of your group?

Be an Active Listener

The starting place for effective communication is effective listening. “Active listening is listening with all of one's senses,” says physician communication expert Kenneth H. Cohn, MD, MBA, FACS. “It's listening with one's eyes as well as one's years. Only 8% of communication is related to content—the rest pertains to body language and tone of voice.” A practicing surgeon as well as a consultant, Cohn is the author of Better Communication for Better Care and Collaborate for Success!

Kenneth H. Cohn, MD, MBA, FACS

Cohn suggests creating a setting in which “listening can be accommodating.” For example, don't have a conversation when one person is standing and one person is sitting—make sure your eyes are at the same level. Eliminate physical barriers, such as a desk, between you and the other party. Acknowledge the speaker with your own body language: lean forward slightly and maintain eye contact. Avoid crossing your arms, which conveys a guarded stance and may suggest arrogance, dislike, or disagreement.

When someone is speaking, put a premium on “being present.” Take a deep breath (or drink some water to keep from speaking) and create a mental and emotional connection between you and the speaker. “This is not a time for multitasking, but to devote all the time to that one person,” Cohn advises. “If you are thinking about the next thing you have to do or, worse, the next thing you plan to say, you aren't actively listening.”

Suspending judgment is also part of active listening, according to Cohn. Encourage the speaker to fully express herself or himself—free of interruption, criticism, or direction. Show your interest by inviting the speaker to say more with expressions such as “Can you tell me more about it?” or “I'd like to hear about that.”

Finally, reflect back to the speaker your understanding of what has been said, and invite elaboration and clarification. Responding is an integral part of active listening and is especially important in situations involving conflict.

In active listening, through both words and nonverbal behavior, you convey these messages to the speaker:

• I understand your problem
• I know how you feel about it
• I am interested in what you are saying
• I am not judging you

Communication Is a Process

Effective communication requires paying attention to an entire process, not just the content of the message. When you are the messenger in this process, you should consider potential barriers at several stages that can keep your intended audience from receiving your message.

Be aware of how your own attitudes, emotions, knowledge, and credibility with the receiver might impede or alter whether and how your message is received. Be aware of your own body language when speaking. Consider the attitudes and knowledge of your intended audience as well. Diversity in age, sex, and ethnicity or race adds to the communication challenges, as do different training backgrounds.

Individuals from different cultures may assign very different meanings to facial expressions, use of space, and, especially, gestures. For example, in some Asian cultures women learn that it is disrespectful to look people in the eye and so they tend to have downcast eyes during a conversation. But in the United States, this body language could be misinterpreted as a lack of interest or a lack of attention.

Choose the right medium for the message you want to communicate. E-mail or phone call? Personal visit? Group discussion at a meeting? Notes in the margin or a typed review? Sometimes more than one medium is appropriate, such as when you give the patient written material to reinforce what you have said, or when you follow-up a telephone conversation with an e-mail beginning, “As we discussed.…”

For one-on-one communication, the setting and timing can be critical to communicating effectively. Is a chat in the corridor OK, or should this be a closed-door discussion? In your office or over lunch? Consider the mindset and milieu of the communication receiver. Defer giving complex information on someone's first day back from vacation or if you are aware of situations that may be anxiety-producing for that individual. Similarly, when calling someone on the phone, ask initially if this is a convenient time to talk. Offer to set a specific time to call back later.

Finally, organize content of the message you want to communicate. Make sure the information you are trying to convey is not too complex or lengthy for either the medium you are using or the audience. Use language appropriate for the audience. With patients, avoid medical jargon.

Be Attuned to Body Language—Your Own and Others

Many nonverbal cues such as laughing, gasping, shoulder shrugging, and scowling have meanings that are well understood in our culture. But the meaning of some of these other more subtle behaviors may not be as well known. 1

Hand movements. Our hands are our most expressive body parts, conveying even more than our faces. In a conversation, moving your hand behind your head usually reflects negative thoughts, feelings, and moods. It may be a sign of uncertainty, conflict, disagreement, frustration, anger, or dislike. Leaning back and clasping both hands behind the neck is often a sign of dominance.

Blank face. Though theoretically expressionless, a blank face sends a strong do not disturb message and is a subtle sign to others to keep a distance. Moreover, many faces have naturally down turned lips and creases of frown lines, making an otherwise blank face appear angry or disapproving.

Smiling. Although a smile may show happiness, it is subject to conscious control. In the United States and other societies, for example, we are taught to smile whether or not we actually feel happy, such as in giving a courteous greeting.

Tilting the head back. Lifting the chin and looking down the nose are used throughout the world as nonverbal signs of superiority, arrogance, and disdain.

Parting the lips. Suddenly parting one's lips signals mild surprise, uncertainty, or unvoiced disagreement.

Lip compression. Pressing the lips together into a thin line may signal the onset of anger, dislike, grief, sadness, or uncertainty.

Build a Team Culture

In oncology, as in most medical practices, much of the work is done by teams. Communication within a team calls for clarifying goals, structuring responsibilities, and giving and receiving credible feedback.

“Physicians in general are at a disadvantage because we haven't been trained in team communication,” says Cohn. He points out that when he was in business school, as much as 30% to 50% of a grade came from team projects. “But how much of my grade in medical school was from team projects? Zero.”

The lack of systematic education about how teams work is the biggest hurdle for physicians in building a team culture, according to Cohn. “We've learned team behaviors from our clinical mentors, who also had no formal team training. The styles we learn most in residency training are ‘command and control’ and the ‘pace setting approach,’ in which the leader doesn't specify what the expectations are, but just expects people to follow his or her example.”

Cohn says that both of those styles limit team cohesion. “Recognizing one's lack of training is the first step [in overcoming the hurdle], then understanding that one can learn these skills. Listening, showing sincere empathy, and being willing to experiment with new leadership styles, such as coaching and developing a shared vision for the future are key.”

Stated goals and team values. An effective team is one in which everyone works toward a common goal. This goal should be clearly articulated. In patient care, of course, the goal is the best patient outcomes. But a team approach is also highly effective in reaching other goals in a physician practice, such as decreasing patient waiting times, recruiting patients for a clinical trial, or developing a community education program. Every member of the team must be committed to the team's goal and objectives.

Effective teams have explicit and appropriate norms, such as when meetings will be held and keeping information confidential. Keep in mind that it takes time for teams to mature and develop a climate of trust and mutual respect. Groups do not progress from forming to performing without going through a storming phase in which team members negotiate assumptions and expectations for behavior. 2

Clear individual expectations. All the team members must be clear about what is expected of them individually and accept their responsibility for achieving the goal. They should also understand the roles of others. Some expectations may relate to their regular job duties; others may be one-time assignments specific to the team goal. Leadership of the team may rotate on the basis of expertise.

Members must have resources available to accomplish their tasks, including time, education and equipment needed to reach the goal. Openly discuss what is required to get the job done and find solutions together as a team.

Empowerment. Everyone on the team should be empowered to work toward the goal in his or her own job, in addition to contributing ideas for the team as a whole. Physicians' instinct and training have geared them to solve problems and give orders—so they often try to have all the answers. But in an effective team, each team member feels ownership in the outcome and has a sense of shared accountability. Cohn notes, “You get a tremendous amount of energy and buy-in when you ask ‘What do you think?’”

Team members must trust each other with important tasks. This requires accepting others for who they are, being creative, and taking prudent risks. Invite team members to indicate areas in which they would like to take initiative. Empower them by giving them the freedom to exercise their own discretion.

Feedback. Providing feedback on performance is a basic tenet of motivation. For some goals, daily or weekly results are wanted, while for others, such as a report of the number of medical records converted to a new system or the average patient waiting times, a monthly report might be appropriate. Decide together as a team what outcomes should be reported and how often.

Positive reinforcement. Team members should encourage one another. Take the lead and set an example by encouraging others when they are down and praising them when they do well. Thank individuals for their contributions, both one on one and with the team as a whole. Celebrate milestones as a way to sustain team communication and cohesion.

Effective E-mail

E-mail has numerous features that make it a wonderful tool for communicating with a team: it is immediate; it is automatically time-stamped; and filing and organizing are easy. (E-mail with patients is a more complex topic and is not addressed herein.)

The e-mail subject line is an especially useful feature that is typically underused. Make it your best friend. Use it like a newspaper headline, to draw the reader in and convey your main point or alert the reader to a deadline. In the examples given below, the person receiving an e-mail headed “HCC” is likely to scroll past it—planning to read it on the weekend. The more helpful subject line alerts the reader to be prepared to discuss the topic at an upcoming meeting:

•      Vague Subject Line: HCC
•      More Helpful Subject Line: HCC Plan to discuss the SHARP trial this Friday—Your comments due December 5 on attached new policies

As with all written communication, the most important aspect to consider is the audience. Consider the knowledge and biases of the person/people you are e-mailing. Where will the reader be when he or she receives your message? How important is your message to the reader?

The purpose of writing is to engage the reader. You want the reader to do something, to know something, or to feel something. Write it in a way that helps the reader. Put the most important information—the purpose of the email—in the first paragraph.

Except among friends who know you well, stay away from sarcasm in e-mail messages. The receiver does not have the benefit of your tone of voice and body language to help interpret your communication. When delivering comments that are even slightly critical, it's better to communicate in person or in a phone call than to do so in an e-mail. Something you wrote with good intentions and an open mind or even with humor can be interpreted as nitpicky, negative, and destructive, and can be forwarded to others.

Because we use e-mail for its speed, it's easy to get in the habit of dashing off a message and hitting the “send” button. We count on the automatic spell-check (and you should have it turned on as your default option) to catch your errors. But spelling typos are the least of the problems in communicating effectively.

Take the time to read through your message. Is it clear? Is it organized? Is it concise? See if there is anything that could be misinterpreted or raises unanswered questions. The very speed with which we dash off e-mail messages makes e-mail the place in which we are most likely to communicate poorly.

Finally, don't forget to supply appropriate contact information, including phone numbers or alternative e-mail addresses, for responses or questions.

Conflict is inevitable in times of rapid change. Effective communication helps one avoid conflict and minimize its adverse consequences when it does occur. The next issue of Strategies for Career Success will cover conflict management.

What Not to Do When Listening:

• Allow distractions
• Use clichéd phrases such as “I know exactly how you feel,” “It's not that bad,” or “You'll feel better tomorrow”
• Get pulled into responding emotionally
• Change the subject or move in a new direction
• Rehearse in your head what you plan to say next
• Give advice

Make Meetings Work for Your Team

A good meeting is one in which team goals are introduced or reinforced and solutions are generated. The first rule—meet in person only if it's the best format to accomplish what you want. You don't need a meeting just to report information. Here are tips for facilitating an effective meeting:

Don't meet just because it's scheduled. If there are no issues to discuss, don't hold the meeting just because it's Tuesday and that's when you always meet.

Use an agenda. Circulate a timed agenda beforehand and append useful background information. Participants should know what to expect. If it's a short meeting or quickly called, put the agenda on a flipchart or board before people arrive.

Structure input. Promote the team culture by making different individuals responsible for specific agenda items. Follow-up on previous task assignments as the first agenda item to hold group members accountable for the team's success.

Limit the meeting time. Use the timed agenda to stay on track. If the discussion goes off on a tangent, bring the group back to the objective of the topic at hand. If it becomes clear that a topic needs more time, delineate the issues and the involved parties and schedule a separate meeting.

Facilitate discussion. Be sure everyone's ideas are heard and that no one dominates the discussion. If two people seem to talk only to each other and not to the group as a whole, invite others to comment. If only two individuals need to pursue a topic, suggest that they continue to work on that topic outside the meeting.

Set ground rules up front. Keep meetings constructive, not a gripe session. Do not issue reprimands, and make it clear that the meeting is to be positive and intended for updates, analysis, problem solving, and decision making. Create an environment in which disagreement and offering alternative perspectives are acceptable. When individuals do offer opposing opinions, facilitate open discussion that focuses on issues and not personalities.

Circulate a meeting summary before the next meeting. Formal minutes are appropriate for some meetings. But in the very least, a brief summary of actions should be prepared. Include decisions reached and assignments made, with deadlines for follow-up at the next meeting.

Kenneth H. Cohn: Better Communication for Better Care: Mastering Physician-Administrator Collaboration. Chicago, IL, Health Administration Press, 2005, www.ache.org/pubs/redesign/productcatalog.cfm?pc=WWW1-2038

Kenneth H. Cohn: Collaborate for Success! Breakthrough Strategies for Engaging Physicians, Nurses, and Hospital Executives. Chicago, IL, Health Administration Press, 2006, www.ache.org/hap.cfm

Suzette Haden Elgin: Genderspeak: Men, Women, and the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense. Hoboken, NJ, Wiley, 1993

Jon R. Katzenbach, Douglas K. Smith: The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High Performance Organization. New York, NY, Harper Business, 1994

Sharon Lippincott: Meetings: Do's, Don'ts, and Donuts. Pittsburgh, PA, Lighthouse Point Press, 1994

Kenneth W. Thomas: Intrinsic Motivation at Work: Building Energy and Commitment. San Francisco, CA, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2000

More Strategies for Career Success!

Deciding About Practice Options—J Oncol Pract 2:187-190, 2006

The Interview: Make it Work for You—J Oncol Pract 2:252-254, 2006

Employment Contracts: What to Look for—J Oncol Pract 2:308-311, 2006

Principles and Tactics of Negotiation—J Oncol Pract 3:102-105, 2007

Professional Advisors: They're Worth It—J Oncol Pract 3:162-166, 2007

Building and Maintaining a Referral Base—J Oncol Pract 3:227-230, 2007

Malpractice Insurance: What You Need to Know—J Oncol Pract 3:274-277, 2007

Joining a Practice As a Shareholder—J Oncol Pract 3:41-44, 2007.

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8 Ways You Can Improve Your Communication Skills

Your guide to establishing better communication habits for success in the workplace.

Mary Sharp Emerson

A leader’s ability to communicate clearly and effectively with employees, within teams, and across the organization is one of the foundations of a successful business.

And in today’s complex and quickly evolving business environment, with hundreds of different communication tools, fully or partially remote teams, and even multicultural teams spanning multiple time zones, effective communication has never been more important — or more challenging.

Thus, the ability to communicate might be a manager’s most critical skill. 

The good news is that these skills can be learned and even mastered. 

These eight tips can help you maximize your communication skills for the success of your organization and your career.

1. Be clear and concise

Communication is primarily about word choice. And when it comes to word choice, less is more.

The key to powerful and persuasive communication — whether written or spoken — is clarity and, when possible, brevity. 

Before engaging in any form of communication, define your goals and your audience. 

Outlining carefully and explicitly what you want to convey and why will help ensure that you include all necessary information. It will also help you eliminate irrelevant details. 

Avoid unnecessary words and overly flowery language, which can distract from your message.

And while repetition may be necessary in some cases, be sure to use it carefully and sparingly. Repeating your message can ensure that your audience receives it, but too much repetition can cause them to tune you out entirely. 

2. Prepare ahead of time

Know what you are going to say and how you are going to say before you begin any type of communication.

However, being prepared means more than just practicing a presentation. 

Preparation also involves thinking about the entirety of the communication, from start to finish. Research the information you may need to support your message. Consider how you will respond to questions and criticisms. Try to anticipate the unexpected.

Before a performance review, for instance, prepare a list of concrete examples of your employee’s behavior to support your evaluation.

Before engaging in a salary or promotion negotiation, know exactly what you want. Be ready to discuss ranges and potential compromises; know what you are willing to accept and what you aren’t. And have on hand specific details to support your case, such as relevant salaries for your position and your location (but be sure that your research is based on publicly available information, not company gossip or anecdotal evidence). 

Before entering into any conversation, brainstorm potential questions, requests for additional information or clarification, and disagreements so you are ready to address them calmly and clearly.

3. Be mindful of nonverbal communication

Our facial expressions, gestures, and body language can, and often do, say more than our words. 

Nonverbal cues can have between 65 and 93 percent more impact than the spoken word. And we are more likely to believe the nonverbal signals over spoken words if the two are in disagreement. 

Leaders must be especially adept at reading nonverbal cues. 

Employees who may be unwilling to voice disagreements or concerns, for instance, may show their discomfort through crossed arms or an unwillingness to make eye contact. If you are aware of others’ body language, you may be able to adjust your communication tactics appropriately.

At the same time, leaders must also be able to control their own nonverbal communications. 

Your nonverbal cues must, at all times, support your message. At best, conflicting verbal and nonverbal communication can cause confusion. At worst, it can undermine your message and your team’s confidence in you, your organization, and even in themselves. 

4. Watch your tone

How you say something can be just as important as what you say. As with other nonverbal cues, your tone can add power and emphasis to your message, or it can undermine it entirely.

Tone can be an especially important factor in workplace disagreements and conflict. A well-chosen word with a positive connotation creates good will and trust. A poorly chosen word with unclear or negative connotations can quickly lead to misunderstanding. 

When speaking, tone includes volume, projection, and intonation as well as word choice. In real time, it can be challenging to control tone to ensure that it matches your intent. But being mindful of your tone will enable you to alter it appropriately if a communication seems to be going in the wrong direction.

Tone can be easier to control when writing. Be sure to read your communication once, even twice, while thinking about tone as well as message. You may even want to read it out loud or ask a trusted colleague to read it over, if doing so does not breach confidentiality. 

And when engaging in a heated dialogue over email or other written medium, don’t be too hasty in your replies. 

If at all possible, write out your response but then wait for a day or two to send it. In many cases, re-reading your message after your emotions have cooled allows you to moderate your tone in a way that is less likely to escalate the conflict.

Browse our Communication programs.

5. Practice active listening

Communication nearly always involves two or more individuals.

Therefore, listening is just as important as speaking when it comes to communicating successfully. But listening can be more challenging than we realize. 

In her blog post Mastering the Basics of Communication , communication expert Marjorie North notes that we only hear about half of what the other person says during any given conversation. 

The goal of active listening is to ensure that you hear not just the words the person is saying, but the entire message. Some tips for active listening include:

• Giving the speaker your full and undivided attention
• Clearing your mind of distractions, judgements, and counter-arguments. 
• Avoiding the temptation to interrupt with your own thoughts.
• Showing open, positive body language to keep your mind focused and to show the speaker that you are really listening
• Rephrase or paraphrase what you’ve heard when making your reply
• Ask open ended questions designed to elicit additional information

6. Build your emotional intelligence

Communication is built upon a foundation of emotional intelligence. Simply put, you cannot communicate effectively with others until you can assess and understand your own feelings. 

“If you’re aware of your own emotions and the behaviors they trigger, you can begin to manage these emotions and behaviors,” says Margaret Andrews in her post, How to Improve Your Emotional Intelligence .

Leaders with a high level of emotional intelligence will naturally find it easier to engage in active listening, maintain appropriate tone, and use positive body language, for example.  

Understanding and managing your own emotions is only part of emotional intelligence. The other part — equally important for effective communication — is empathy for others.

Empathizing with an employee can, for example, make a difficult conversation easier. 

You may still have to deliver bad news, but (actively) listening to their perspective and showing that you understand their feelings can go a long way toward smoothing hurt feelings or avoiding misunderstandings.

7. Develop a workplace communication strategy

Today’s workplace is a constant flow of information across a wide variety of formats. Every single communication must be understood in the context of that larger flow of information.

Even the most effective communicator may find it difficult to get their message across without a workplace communication strategy.

A communication strategy is the framework within which your business conveys and receives information. It can — and should — outline how and what you communicate to customers and clients, stakeholders, and managers and employees. 

Starting most broadly, your strategy should incorporate who gets what message and when. This ensures that everyone receives the correct information at the right time. 

It can be as detailed as how you communicate, including defining the type of tools you use for which information. For example, you may define when it’s appropriate to use a group chat for the entire team or organization or when a meeting should have been summarized in an email instead. 

Creating basic guidelines like this can streamline the flow of information. It will help ensure that everyone gets the details they need and that important knowledge isn’t overwhelmed by extraneous minutia. 

8. Create a positive organizational culture

The corporate culture in which you are communicating also plays a vital role in effective communication. 

In a positive work environment — one founded on transparency, trust, empathy, and open dialogue — communication in general will be easier and more effective. 

Employees will be more receptive to hearing their manager’s message if they trust that manager. And managers will find it easier to create buy-in and even offer constructive criticism if they encourage their employees to speak up, offer suggestions, and even offer constructive criticisms of their own. 

“The most dangerous organization is a silent one,” says Lorne Rubis in a blog post, Six Tips for Building a Better Workplace Culture . Communication, in both directions, can only be effective in a culture that is built on trust and a foundation of psychological safety.

Authoritative managers who refuse to share information, aren’t open to suggestions, and refuse to admit mistakes and accept criticism are likely to find their suggestions and criticisms met with defensiveness or even ignored altogether. 

Without that foundation of trust and transparency, even the smallest communication can be misconstrued and lead to misunderstandings and unnecessary conflict.

Communicating with co-workers and employees is always going to present challenges. There will always be misunderstandings and miscommunications that must be resolved and unfortunately, corporate messages aren’t always what we want to hear, especially during difficult times.

But building and mastering effective communication skills will make your job easier as a leader, even during difficult conversations. Taking the time to build these skills will certainly be time well-spent. 

Want to build your skills? Find the program that’s right for you.

Browse all Professional & Executive Development programs.

About the Author

Digital Content Producer

Emerson is a Digital Content Producer at Harvard DCE. She is a graduate of Brandeis University and Yale University and started her career as an international affairs analyst. She is an avid triathlete and has completed three Ironman triathlons, as well as the Boston Marathon.

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Revealing the Treasures of McGill’s Writing Centre: A Discussion with Dr. Yvonne Hung

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Embark on a journey to uncover the lesser-known treasures of the McGill Writing Centre and Graphos as Dr. Yvonne Hung, the director and coordinator of Graphos, sheds light on the enriching experiences awaiting students. Most students, unbeknownst to them, are yet to explore the multifaceted nature of this academic tool.

Unlocking the Writing Centre's Secrets

Q:  What is some general information about the writing centre and graphos that most students who have not accessed the service before may not know? What are some of the main features of the services? How can students best access the services?

YH: Most people don’t know that the McGill Writing Centre is an academic department that also has a strong service mandate! We offer a nice set of undergraduate classes that are on academic writing, creative writing, digital communication, and science communication, as well as a slate of graduate courses on academic writing and communication. On the service side, we have a robust tutorial service whereby students can access up to 7 hours of individualized consults on their writing, and a comprehensive set of graduate writing workshops , writing sessions, and specialized support for thesis and fellowship writing through Graphos. To access our courses, students would register in Minerva. For our non-credit offerings, e.g., writing tutorials, workshops, and other support, students can register by following the links on our website .

Mastering the Art of Writing Applications

Q:  What are some common Do's or Don'ts for students either writing an essay or writing personal statements/research proposals for grad school applications? Are there any general tips you have for students writing applications for grad school?

YH: One common pitfall I’ve noticed is that students take the “personal” part of the “personal statement” too literally. Writing a personal statement can be tricky because you have share specific aspects about your background and experience but in service of telling a story about how going to that specific graduate program is a key part of continuing your academic trajectory and advancing your research and professional goals. One tip I would offer is to build in time to write, time to receive feedback (from trusted advisors or others in your network), and time to polish so that there are no little slipups. You don’t want to accidentally list another university’s name or the wrong professor! Ideally, you will also work backwards from the deadline to ensure you have given adequate time for referees to write good letters and for you to assemble supporting documents in line with the application requirements.

Q: Are there services that at the centre they can best utilize for this?

YH: The Tutorial Service would be an excellent way to get another set of eyes on your application. Other people can spot missteps in logic or structure or grammar far more easily than we can (especially if we’re tired or in a rush). Don’t forget, 7 hours per term! In addition, I urge all students to consider taking a writing or oral communication course during their studies so that they can benefit from structured teaching, regular feedback, and a supportive environment to continue honing their skills and craft.

Overcoming Writer's Block and Finding Your Muse

​​​​​​​Q:  Is there any general advice you would give to students who are experiencing writers block or just don't know where to start with an assignment?

YH: Set a timer for 20 minutes and start writing. You’ll be astonished at how giving yourself a fixed start and finish time can help to jolt oneself to get ideas onto the page. If you feel unsure of where to start, you can book an appointment with a writing tutor who can help you at any stage of the project. And if you’re a graduate student, you can sign up for one of our regular writing retreats, which are led by an experienced facilitator who will guide you to set reasonable writing goals, offer nature or stretch breaks, and be a source of good cheer as you lean into the difficult and rewarding work of communicating ideas in a clear and precise manner.

If you are interested in utilizing this service, there are multiple upcoming resources including:

- presentation tutoring pilot for May-June: https://www.mcgill.ca/mwc/tutorial-service/presentation-tutoring-person-s24

- Their work with First Peoples’ House whereby our dedicated writing tutor has been working with the first ever indigenous valedictorian.

- Their writing support for applicants to the prestigious Vanier and Banting awards in the summer. https://www.mcgill.ca/graphos/groups/fwg More details to come!

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10 Good Communication Skills In The Workplace (Guide 2024)

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Introduction

Effective communication skills are essential in the modern workplace, regardless of your job level or industry. The ability to communicate information clearly, concisely and with impact can make the difference between success and failure.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore 10 key communication skills that can help you excel in your career. We’ll also discuss why communication skills are so important, the different types of communication, and how to highlight your communication abilities on your CV and in job interviews.

Why Communication Skills Are Important in the Workplace

Communication is one of the most sought-after skills by employers today. Strong communication abilities allow you to:

• Convey information, instructions and ideas effectively
• Build positive relationships with colleagues, managers and clients
• Collaborate productively on projects and solve problems efficiently
• Negotiate, persuade and influence others
• Provide excellent customer service
• Advance your career through effective self-promotion

When communication breaks down in the workplace, it can lead to misunderstandings, reduced productivity, low morale and even conflict. That’s why honing your communication skills is so crucial, no matter what your role or industry.

The 4 Types of Communication Skills

Effective communication is multi-faceted, involving a range of verbal, nonverbal, written and visual skills. The four main types of communication skills are:

Mastering each of these four communication skill types is essential for thriving in the modern workplace.

10 Good Communication Skills Examples for 2024

Here are 10 key communication skills that can help you excel in your career:

Developing these 10 communication skills takes time and practice, but the payoff can be significant for your career success. Regularly assess your communication strengths and weaknesses, and seek out opportunities to improve.

Which Jobs Require Strong Communication Skills?

Communication skills are crucial in virtually every job and industry. Some roles where excellent communication abilities are particularly important include:

• Customer service and sales positions
• Management and leadership roles
• Consultancy and advisory roles
• Public relations and marketing roles
• Teaching, training and coaching roles
• Creative roles like writing, journalism and public speaking

Even for highly technical or specialized jobs, the ability to communicate complex information in a clear and engaging way is invaluable. Strong communication skills can help you excel in your current role and open doors to new career opportunities.

Emphasizing Communication Skills on Your CV and in Interviews

When applying for jobs, it’s important to highlight your communication skills throughout your CV and in job interviews. Here are some tips:

On Your CV:

• Include communication-focused achievements and responsibilities in your work history
• Showcase written communication skills through well-structured, error-free writing
• List relevant communication-related skills and training (e.g. public speaking, negotiation, active listening)
• Provide examples of how you’ve used communication skills to benefit your employer

In Interviews:

• Prepare examples of times you’ve demonstrated strong communication abilities
• Use confident, clear and friendly body language and tone of voice
• Listen carefully to questions and respond concisely and directly
• Ask thoughtful questions that show your engagement and communication skills
• Emphasize your ability to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders

By emphasizing your communication prowess, you can demonstrate to employers that you have the essential skills to succeed in the role and contribute to the organization.

Effective communication skills are vital for career success in the modern workplace. By mastering the 10 communication skills outlined in this guide – including emotional intelligence, clarity, friendliness, confidence, empathy and more – you can set yourself up for professional advancement.

Remember that communication is a multi-faceted skill that can always be improved through regular practice and self-reflection. Consider taking a career test or psychometric test to better understand your communication strengths and development areas.

With commitment and the right strategies, you can become an exceptional communicator and unlock new opportunities for growth and success in your career.

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Why writing by hand beats typing for thinking and learning

Jonathan Lambert

If you're like many digitally savvy Americans, it has likely been a while since you've spent much time writing by hand.

The laborious process of tracing out our thoughts, letter by letter, on the page is becoming a relic of the past in our screen-dominated world, where text messages and thumb-typed grocery lists have replaced handwritten letters and sticky notes. Electronic keyboards offer obvious efficiency benefits that have undoubtedly boosted our productivity — imagine having to write all your emails longhand.

To keep up, many schools are introducing computers as early as preschool, meaning some kids may learn the basics of typing before writing by hand.

But giving up this slower, more tactile way of expressing ourselves may come at a significant cost, according to a growing body of research that's uncovering the surprising cognitive benefits of taking pen to paper, or even stylus to iPad — for both children and adults.

Is this some kind of joke? A school facing shortages starts teaching standup comedy

In kids, studies show that tracing out ABCs, as opposed to typing them, leads to better and longer-lasting recognition and understanding of letters. Writing by hand also improves memory and recall of words, laying down the foundations of literacy and learning. In adults, taking notes by hand during a lecture, instead of typing, can lead to better conceptual understanding of material.

"There's actually some very important things going on during the embodied experience of writing by hand," says Ramesh Balasubramaniam , a neuroscientist at the University of California, Merced. "It has important cognitive benefits."

While those benefits have long been recognized by some (for instance, many authors, including Jennifer Egan and Neil Gaiman , draft their stories by hand to stoke creativity), scientists have only recently started investigating why writing by hand has these effects.

A slew of recent brain imaging research suggests handwriting's power stems from the relative complexity of the process and how it forces different brain systems to work together to reproduce the shapes of letters in our heads onto the page.

Your brain on handwriting

Both handwriting and typing involve moving our hands and fingers to create words on a page. But handwriting, it turns out, requires a lot more fine-tuned coordination between the motor and visual systems. This seems to more deeply engage the brain in ways that support learning.

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"Handwriting is probably among the most complex motor skills that the brain is capable of," says Marieke Longcamp , a cognitive neuroscientist at Aix-Marseille Université.

Gripping a pen nimbly enough to write is a complicated task, as it requires your brain to continuously monitor the pressure that each finger exerts on the pen. Then, your motor system has to delicately modify that pressure to re-create each letter of the words in your head on the page.

"Your fingers have to each do something different to produce a recognizable letter," says Sophia Vinci-Booher , an educational neuroscientist at Vanderbilt University. Adding to the complexity, your visual system must continuously process that letter as it's formed. With each stroke, your brain compares the unfolding script with mental models of the letters and words, making adjustments to fingers in real time to create the letters' shapes, says Vinci-Booher.

That's not true for typing.

To type "tap" your fingers don't have to trace out the form of the letters — they just make three relatively simple and uniform movements. In comparison, it takes a lot more brainpower, as well as cross-talk between brain areas, to write than type.

Recent brain imaging studies bolster this idea. A study published in January found that when students write by hand, brain areas involved in motor and visual information processing " sync up " with areas crucial to memory formation, firing at frequencies associated with learning.

"We don't see that [synchronized activity] in typewriting at all," says Audrey van der Meer , a psychologist and study co-author at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. She suggests that writing by hand is a neurobiologically richer process and that this richness may confer some cognitive benefits.

Other experts agree. "There seems to be something fundamental about engaging your body to produce these shapes," says Robert Wiley , a cognitive psychologist at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. "It lets you make associations between your body and what you're seeing and hearing," he says, which might give the mind more footholds for accessing a given concept or idea.

Those extra footholds are especially important for learning in kids, but they may give adults a leg up too. Wiley and others worry that ditching handwriting for typing could have serious consequences for how we all learn and think.

What might be lost as handwriting wanes

The clearest consequence of screens and keyboards replacing pen and paper might be on kids' ability to learn the building blocks of literacy — letters.

"Letter recognition in early childhood is actually one of the best predictors of later reading and math attainment," says Vinci-Booher. Her work suggests the process of learning to write letters by hand is crucial for learning to read them.

"When kids write letters, they're just messy," she says. As kids practice writing "A," each iteration is different, and that variability helps solidify their conceptual understanding of the letter.

Research suggests kids learn to recognize letters better when seeing variable handwritten examples, compared with uniform typed examples.

This helps develop areas of the brain used during reading in older children and adults, Vinci-Booher found.

"This could be one of the ways that early experiences actually translate to long-term life outcomes," she says. "These visually demanding, fine motor actions bake in neural communication patterns that are really important for learning later on."

Ditching handwriting instruction could mean that those skills don't get developed as well, which could impair kids' ability to learn down the road.

"If young children are not receiving any handwriting training, which is very good brain stimulation, then their brains simply won't reach their full potential," says van der Meer. "It's scary to think of the potential consequences."

Many states are trying to avoid these risks by mandating cursive instruction. This year, California started requiring elementary school students to learn cursive , and similar bills are moving through state legislatures in several states, including Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina and Wisconsin. (So far, evidence suggests that it's the writing by hand that matters, not whether it's print or cursive.)

Slowing down and processing information

For adults, one of the main benefits of writing by hand is that it simply forces us to slow down.

During a meeting or lecture, it's possible to type what you're hearing verbatim. But often, "you're not actually processing that information — you're just typing in the blind," says van der Meer. "If you take notes by hand, you can't write everything down," she says.

The relative slowness of the medium forces you to process the information, writing key words or phrases and using drawing or arrows to work through ideas, she says. "You make the information your own," she says, which helps it stick in the brain.

Such connections and integration are still possible when typing, but they need to be made more intentionally. And sometimes, efficiency wins out. "When you're writing a long essay, it's obviously much more practical to use a keyboard," says van der Meer.

Still, given our long history of using our hands to mark meaning in the world, some scientists worry about the more diffuse consequences of offloading our thinking to computers.

"We're foisting a lot of our knowledge, extending our cognition, to other devices, so it's only natural that we've started using these other agents to do our writing for us," says Balasubramaniam.

It's possible that this might free up our minds to do other kinds of hard thinking, he says. Or we might be sacrificing a fundamental process that's crucial for the kinds of immersive cognitive experiences that enable us to learn and think at our full potential.

Balasubramaniam stresses, however, that we don't have to ditch digital tools to harness the power of handwriting. So far, research suggests that scribbling with a stylus on a screen activates the same brain pathways as etching ink on paper. It's the movement that counts, he says, not its final form.

Jonathan Lambert is a Washington, D.C.-based freelance journalist who covers science, health and policy.

• handwriting

In an increasingly digital world, it’s more important than ever for students to develop their handwriting skills

By Amra Pajalic

• X (formerly Twitter)

These days, students are often required to bring a device to school to access equitable education. But as they're increasingly using more and more technology, their handwriting is being affected. Some of you might wonder why this is an issue.

When we look at the assessment tools we use, such as end of semester tests or high school exams to allocate an ATAR for university entrance, students must undertake these in handwritten settings to authenticate their knowledge and learning.

These exams run for two to three hours and require students to produce written tasks under timed conditions. If examiners cannot read and assess a handwritten piece, this can affect scores, so handwriting legibility and stamina are crucial to ensure a student's success.

Messy and illegible handwriting has contributed to a surge in VCE students seeking special arrangements in exams, such as typing.

Another issue I've noticed cropping up due to an over-reliance on technology is the effect on grammar and punctuation, with students using online abbreviations within their responses and not knowing how to punctuate sentences correctly, thus affecting clarity of expression.

I also believe there are higher incidences of spelling mistakes because of an over-reliance on spellchecking software .

These days, in my year 9 English classes, students take notes and usually do all their homework on their computers, rarely needing to engage in handwriting. And it makes sense, because it's so convenient and easy.

But in doing so, students are missing out on many benefits of handwriting.

The benefits of handwriting

Studies have shown that handwriting supports better retention and recall of information.

A 2021 study investigating the cognitive effort of handwriting and typing found that "handwriting led to better recall than typing, particularly with the longest lists of words".

Research studies have also found that the process of handwriting, rather than typing, enhances memory and improves spelling skills.

Students who struggle with handwriting produce shorter pieces and a lower quality of content because they have less opportunity to think creatively. When students build up their handwriting fluency, it frees up their working memory and they can then instead spend more time thinking about how to plan and compose their texts.

This is something I've seen firsthand with students I teach. Students who struggle with handwriting experience a crisis of self-confidence and spend more time procrastinating than writing.

However, when they have the chance to practise a style of writing repeatedly, they develop muscle memory and can produce higher quality texts and manage their time more effectively.

These motor and cognitive benefits can lead to greater academic success.

While we might think that difficulty with handwriting and expression might not lead to long-term consequences beyond final exams and high school, we can't deny that people still use handwriting in various everyday tasks, such as filling out forms or making handwritten lists, which can be challenging if someone lacks handwriting skills.

Then there is the real possibility that it can affect professional communication. In fields where handwritten documentation, correspondence or notes are required, such as healthcare or legal professions, poor handwriting can lead to errors or misinterpretations.

Even in industries such as retail or hospitality, there is the need to handwrite signs; label stock or inventory; or produce menus. Spelling mistakes and punctuation errors can lead to low consumer confidence.

How to build children's confidence with handwriting

So how do we balance out the use of technology to support students' handwriting practice?

Parents can support their children by creating opportunities for practice at home. Start by providing handwriting tools — notebooks, pencils and erasers — and consider seeking help if your child is struggling significantly, whether from a teacher, occupational therapist or professionals who specialise in handwriting development.

As a parent, I praised my daughter's efforts in writing stories, or when she penned sweet notes to me and her father when she was angling for us to buy her something, or her forays into journaling and daily organisers.

Teachers can create different learning experiences through collaboration, games or note-making to develop students' handwriting and stamina.

As an English teacher, I used the method of the Writer's Notebook , a tried-and-true method that educators have successfully used for decades.

Teachers integrate these Writer Notebooks into the curriculum at least once a week, using them to teach and practice sentence construction and long-form pieces. These notebooks are used to demonstrate the practice of skills and the development of writing a piece.

My students' first activity of the year is always a letter to the teacher.

First, I write them a letter telling them about myself, my cultural background, the origin or story of my name, my passions and my goals, and they then write a letter to me modelling the same structure.

These letters serve a two-fold purpose. They allow me to develop a rapport with students by getting to know them on a personal level, and they help me identify their writing strengths and areas of development so I can include a goal-setting report in my reply.

As a teacher, I've had the experience of using Writer Notebooks for five years now and can unequivocally testify to their efficacy. I love sharing these at parent-teacher interviews and being able to show the progression from the beginning of the year to the end.

And most importantly, I love seeing the confidence that students themselves display in being able to write under timed conditions and having the writing stamina for exam conditions. Amra Pajalic is a teacher of 11 years. She is an award-winning author of Sabiha's Dilemma, Alma's Loyalty and Jesse's Triumph, the first three books in her own-voices young adult Sassy Saints Series.

Writing memoir can help young people with their self-expression and self-worth

BTN: Write or type, that is the question!

Cursive handwriting