Topic 4: Effective Communication with Faculty

 

Synopsis:

This workshop is for you if you would like to understand the cultural norms of interacting with faculty at US universities, such as forms of address, level of formality, and appropriate topics for conversation. You will also be able to recognize the best method of communication with your professors (e.g. email, face-to-face meetings, discussion forums, etc.) based on the situation. You will have opportunities to practice making requests, refusals or disagreeing with faculty, as well as writing effective emails to faculty using appropriate language and structure.

 

Interaction with faculty is an integral part of the college experience; however, international students often face challenges in establishing effective communication with their professors due to different sociocultural standards in the US and their home countries. They run the risk of appearing impolite, impatient or demanding which can cause irreparable damage to their relations with faculty. This session will provide you with tools and strategies to select the best method and appropriate language for communication with your professors. In particular, we will focus on difficult situations such as making requests, refusals and disagreeing with faculty as well as writing effective emails to professors.

 

Instructor:

Leyla Lambert

 

Sign-up:

• Session 1: March 2 (Wednesday), 5:00-6:20 pm

• Session 2: March 4 (Friday), 4:00-5:20 pm

 

Materials: