Written by Rong Kong
Whether you want it or not, as graduate students, we need to speak in public from time to time: either answering questions in class or presenting our research in front of others. It goes without saying that your speaking skill is the first impression that your employer gets in your job interview. In this article, I will first explain the significance of public speaking skills, and then go over what we should do to improve such skills.
Why public speaking skills matter for a graduate student? The simple answer is that it is an academic requirement if you want to succeed in your graduate program. In most cases, especially in schools of humanities and social science, we need to circulate our understandings of weekly readings in seminars. For those who major in science and math, you would also need to discuss your calculations with your team members. More importantly, as a graduate student, you are most likely expected to defend your research orally in front of the professors in your field. Except for someone with a language disability, almost every Ph.D. student needs to take the qualification examination (there is also a prelim in some departments), in which you present your knowledge of your field before your dissertation committee. The qualification/prelim examination determines whether or not you are able to continue your study. In other words, public speaking skills are equally important, if not more, with writing, reading, and research skills for a graduate student. At first glance, this might intimidate someone who does not like to speak publicly.
In fact, I was struggling with talking about my ideas in the classes in the first quarter of my program. The graduate education system here is different from what I have received in China in my undergraduate studies when it was the professor who gave lectures and the students took notes in classes. However, being a graduate student in the Department of History, I was asked to discuss my understandings of weekly readings as well as to raise questions regarding the readings. Sometimes, students, in place of professors, were also required to lead the seminars. In the first few weeks, I did not know what and when I was supposed to talk in the classes. What made me more nervous was that I was the only one, among my cohorts, who did not speak English before coming to the US. They are either native English speakers or speak English as their official languages in their home countries, such as Singapore and India. As a result, I kept being silent except when professors named me to discuss at the beginning of the Fall quarter. I share my story here to let you know that you are not alone if you face similar difficulties in speaking in public when you arrive in the US. Identifying our weaknesses in public speaking is the first step for us to move forward and finally find a way to overcome it.
Realizing the performance for in-class discussion is part of my grade of a course, I started thinking about ways to improve my English speaking skills. First of all, I learned from the way my classmates entered into a conversation in class. To be more specific, how did they summarize the readings? What questions did they raise? How did they push against or agree with each other’s viewpoints? I wrote down the common vocabularies and sentences they used in answering questions and incorporated such formats in my answers. After a while of speaking, you will find the appropriate ways for you to answer questions. At that time, you do not need to imitate your cohorts’ words-by-words. For instance, one of my friends likes to use “to be honest with you” to begin every conversation. I do not like to use this short phrase in my sentences.
Secondly, I took chances to talk with my cohorts after classes either during our lunchtime or during our walk back home together. Although we usually chatted casual issues, my knowledge about American culture was enriched through those conversations. The more I talk with them, the more confident I am to speak English. So I think getting yourself embedded in an English speaking environment is a good way to start. In fact, there are a number of great platforms for international students to have English conversations on our campus. For example, there are two fascinating events organized by the International Center: The International Coffee Hour (More details about this program are listed here:https://ic.uci.edu/programs/coffeehour.php ) and English Conversation Program (information is accessible through https://ic.uci.edu/programs/ecp.php). Both events provide not only a place for you to practice English but also an opportunity to make friends from different departments and cultures. In my opinion, they also support international students to adjust to the new environment in the States by covering topics regarding the graduate programs.
Thirdly, as graduate students, we are not only expected to speak daily issues but also required to talk about our academic studies. In order to improve academic English, I took two special courses- AC ENG 23A and 23C-provided by the School of Humanities. The instructors examine your pronunciation and correct them. Another merit for these courses is that you get a chance to have one-to-one conversations with a native tutor who will help you in speaking and listening. I highly recommend these courses if you want to strengthen your academic English skills.
As an old saying goes, “practice makes perfect.” The more we talk in English, the better our speaking skills will be. After participating in the programs above mentioned, I am now confident in talking in front of others. Therefore, if you have similar concerns when you arrive at the campus, please keep in mind that UCI offers a series of supportive projects for you.