GS 899: Communication Skills

Syllabus​

Context of communication: Recognizing our capability and roles as professionals
Scientific Method: Question and answer aspects of technical communication; Scientific Methodology and its relationship to technical communication;
Surveying literature: Categories; reading and organizing scientific literature; search engines and tools.
Listening and Note taking: 5-R method and mindmapping.
Technical writing: Report organization; Journal selection; Introduction, conclusion, and abstract writing.
Speaking & Presentation skills: Organization of presentation slides (number, content, and formatting); Oral presentations; Audience/context dependent practices; Nonverbal aspects: body language, eye-contact, personal appearance, facing large audience.
Elevator pitch: Pitches for technical audience and policy makers
Workplace communication: Sensitivity towards gender and diversity; Email communication and netiquettes.
Ethics in academic communication: Intellectual Property, copyrights and plagiarism; Authorship; Data ethics; Biases and balanced criticism of literature;
Suggested additional topics relevant to disciplines: Data representation, Group discussion and interviews; accessible scientific writing, report writing using LaTeX, Proofreading, etc.

Texts/References

  • Alley, Michael The Craft of Scientific Presentations, Springer (2003).
  • Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams, The Craft of Research, The University of Chicago Press, 3rd edition, (2008).
  • Keshav. S, How to read a paper. ACM SIGCOMM Comp. Commun. Rev., 37:83–84, 2007.
  • Monippally, M. M., Pawar, B.S. Academic Writing: A Guide for Management Students and Researchers, Response Books, (2010).
  • Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL), https://owl.purdue.edu/
  • Strunk Jr., William; E. B. White, The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition, Longman; 4th edition (1999)
  • Truss, Lynne Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation Gotham; (2006).
  • Whitesides, George M. Whitesides Group: Writing
    a Paper, Advanced Materials 16 1375–77 (2004).