Table Of ContentAcademic Communication Skills
Conversation Strategies for
International Graduate Students
Li-Shih Huang
University Press of ~merica,@In c.
Lanham Boulder New York Toronto Plymouth, UK
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he
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Introduction vii
Acknowledgements ix
UNIT1 GETTINGST ARTEDA: GUIDET O KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS 1
1.1 Unit introduction
1.2 A little bit of theory: Key terms and concepts
Highllow context
Largelsmall power distance
Individualism and collectivism
Masculinity and femininity
Tolerance for ambiguityluncertainty avoidance
Silence
Proxemics
Time
Affective factors
A final note
1.3 Facing challenges and exploring hidden assumptions
2.1 Unit introduction 9
2.2 Facing challenges and exploring hidden assumptions 10
2.3 Mastering the mechanics of language 11
Telephone conversations 11
Leaving a phone message 13
Entering and maintaining conversations 14
Exiting conversations 17
Making appointments, seeking advice, and expressing gratitude 18
2.4 Application activities 19
Telephoning and meeting with a supervisor 19
Mini-experiment 20
Conversational ball 20
Let's mingle! 2 1
2.5 Strategies for success 22
Leaving a phone message: a few "do's and don'ts" 22
A few pointers on making new acquaintances
Strategies for maintaining conversations
Practicing active listening skills
3.1 Unit introduction
3.2 Facing challenges and exploring hidden assumptions
3.3 Mastering the mechanics of language
Asking for repetition
Seeking clarification or elaboration
Paraphrasing ideas to confirm understanding
Clarifying your comment by putting it in other words
3.4 Application activities
Summarizing and sharing opinions
Questions, questions, and more questions
Panel discussion
3.5 Strategies for success
Introducing oneself to a group
Tips on asking questions
More tips on participating in small group settings
4.1 Unit introduction
4.2 Facing challenges and exploring hidden assumptions
4.3 Mastering the mechanics of language
Expressing an opinion
Agreeing and disagreeing
Participating idleading seminars or meetings
Taking turns speaking
4.4 Application activities
Pyramid discussions
Informal debate - Take 1
Informal debate - Take 2
4.5 Strategies for success
Turn-taking management
Strategies and pointers for productively engaging in seminar
discussions
Test of evidence to consider
5.1 Unit introduction 5 1
5.2 Facing challenges and exploring hidden assumptions 52
5.3 Mastering the mechanics of language 55
The basics of presentation lingo 55
Communication strategies and language for fielding questions 57
5.4 Application activities 59
Panel activity for experts and questioners 59
Self-assessment 60
5.5 Strategies for success 6 1
Tips on successfully handling audience questions 6 1
Basics of effective language use 62
Preparing to answer questions in your proposal or thesis defense 63
UNIT6 TEACHINIGN THE CLASSROOM 65
6.1 Unit introduction
6.2 Facing challenges and exploring hidden assumptions
6.3 Mastering the mechanics of language
Holding office hours
Generating questions at different levels
Handling students' questions
Enhancing the clarity of explanations
Dealing with challenging teaching situations
6.4 Application activities
Course introduction
Micro-teaching exercise
Asking good questions
6.5 Strategies for success
Vocabulary strategies for maintaining fluency
Ten pointers on teaching by discussion
Strategies for bridging the cultural/language gap in teaching
-
UNIT7 STEPPINOGU T CONFERENPCREE SENTATIONS, RESEARCH TALKS,
TEACHING DEMONSTRATIONS, AND INTERVIEWS 87
7.1 Unit introduction
7.2 Facing challenges and exploring hidden assumptions
7.3 Mastering the mechanics of language
Functional language for delivering a teaching demonstration
Communication strategies and language for fielding challenging
questions
7.4 Application activities
Research talks
Mock academic interviews
Learn from those who have walked the path
7.5 Strategies for success
Preparing to answer questions in your academic job interviews
Tips for overcoming speech anxiety
NOTESO N THE UNITS
Unit 1
Unit 2
Unit 3
Unit 4
Unit 5
Unit 6
Unit 7
REFERENCEASN D FURTHERRE ADING
ABOUTT HE AUTHOR
Who are the intended users of the book?
Many international graduate students who speak or are learning English as an additional language voice the
sentiment that speaking is critical for functioning in the target language environment, as well as the most challenging aspect
of using language in everyday life. Many find speaking in English more difficult than writing and find engaging in
impromptu dialogues more difficult than presenting prepared monologues. Even many learners with high Test of English as
a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores feel that they lack academic speaking skills and regard improving their academic oral
communication ability as highly important.
International graduate students have several characteristics that set them apart from other English-as-an-additional-
language learners who wish to improve their spoken English. These graduate students need to participate in academic
conversations at advanced levels; they encounter daily many opportunities to speak English on topics about which they have
sophisticated knowledge; they are required to share their expertise with others (in their roles as Teaching Assistants or
Research Assistants); and they are usually highly motivated to improve their spoken English because they know that
speaking fluency and confidence will impact their future career options. The importance of conversation in academic
settings, the potential for miscommunication caused by cultural differences in conversation preferences, and the lack of
suitable materials that address advanced conversation skills motivated me to write Academic Communication Skills:
Conversation Strategies for International Graduate Students. In both its content and format, this book is intended to assist
international graduate students as they create their own opportunities to expand their linguistic and strategic repertoires in
English conversations.
This book can be used either in a classroom or for self-study. It will harness target users' strong motivation to
improve by facilitating the development of strategies for understanding, evaluating, and revising conversational strategies in
various speaking situations. Rather than providing topics for discussion, I provide confidence-building tools and strategies
that speakers can try when participating in a range of predictable academic interactions. This book draws on my years of
experience teaching and developing pedagogical materials to help graduate students improve their academic communication
skills. Users of this book are guided to examine common conversational challenges in academic environments, including
culturally shaped assumptions that frequently cause miscommunication, and to explore strategies for increased effectiveness
and confidence in cross-cultural academic conversations.
Structure of the book
The book is structured to fill the needs of advanced speakers who are becoming increasingly involved in their
academic communities. International graduate students participate in academic dialogues in various settings, sometimes as
participants and other times as leaders. This book consists of seven units: (1) Getting Started: A Guide to Key Terms and
Concepts, (2) Engaging in Interpersonal Communication, (3) Participating in Small Group Settings I, (4) Participating in
Small Group Settings 11, (5) Giving Departmental Presentations, (6) Teaching in the Classroom, and (7) Stepping Out:
Conference Presentations, Research Talks, Teaching Demonstrations, and Interviews.
The first unit provides an overview of key concepts. The iterative form and content of Units 2 through 7 are designed
to help learners meet identified challenges with specific strategies as they participate in or lead increasingly larger and more
complex conversational groups. These units include components on diagnosing speaking challenges, exploring and
revisiting hidden assumptions, mastering the mechanics of speech, successfully completing applications, and developing
strategies for achieving success in academic conversations. Each unit includes an introduction that summarizes the content
that it will help learners master. The diagnostic section in each unit is designed to help learners reflect on and examine their
own assumptions about and choices in day-to-day speaking encounters. Finally, the book is also supported by the "Notes on
...
vlll Introduction
the Unit" section, which consists of some additional learning and teaching suggestions for instructors who are using this
book for classroom teaching, as well as for students who are using this book in self-study situations. The "References and
Further Reading" section provides learning and teaching resources for exploring various aspects of academic conversation
skills.
A brief note to learners
As stated above, this book has been designed to help those of you who are international graduate students learning
English as an additional language to become more confident in your conversational English for academic purposes by
enhancing your ability to recognize that the speaking situation, task, and partner(s) inform one's speaking choices in
particular speaking situations. In addition, I intend to help you to become conscious of any assumptions that you and your
speaking partner(s) from other countries may not share, and to expand your repertoire of communicative strategies to
improve your spoken English. If you are using this book for self-study, I encourage you to discuss the questions contained
in each unit with your peers and to apply the mechanics and strategies you have learned in your daily encounters in various
academic settings.
Improving one's academic oral communication skills requires more than a one-time effort. You will find it very
beneficial to revisit the content in each unit as you continue to refine and develop your academic conversation skills though
your continued application of and reflection on different aspects of your communication in the settings covered in the book
until what you learn becomes an integrated part of your linguistic and strategic repertoires.
I hope that you enjoy working with this book and that this book will become a valuable companion during your
graduate studies and beyond in your development of academic conversational skills.
A brief note to instructors
As described at the beginning, this book is for international graduate students who are learning English as an
additional language for academic purposes. The first six units of this book have been designed as an introductory course in
academic speaking skills and are best suited to the initial years of graduate education, although the content has also been
used very successfully in later years of graduate study. With students in the upper years, I encourage instructors to use the
material selectively to suit their students' learning needs. Unit 7 deals with more advanced topics, such as conference
presentations, interviews, research talks, and teaching demonstrations because, nowadays, it has become the norm for
graduate students to engage in these activities and events at earlier stages in their graduate programs.
The materials contained in this book have been refined, tested, and then re-implemented in real, highly successful
academic communication skills courses and workshops for over five years. I hope you and your students find this book
helpful and that, after working with the book, your students will be excited and proud of being able to engage in academic
dialogues, to express the rich ideas that they have to offer, and to feel a sense of belonging through their improved
participation in an academic community.
Li-Shih Huang
Victoria, British Columbia
February 20 10
Grateful acknowledgement is given to the following publishers, journals, and authors for permission to reprint or adapt
previously published materials.
Waveland Press, Inc. for "Exercise 1: Practicing vocabulary strategies" by Smith, J., Meyers, C. M., & Burkhalter, A. M.
from Communicate: Strategies for international teaching assistants, pp. 149-150, copyright O 1992 (reissued 2007), with
permission from Waveland Press, Inc.
Sage Publications for the article reprinted from "Fine-tuning the craft of teaching by discussion" by L.-S. Huang, from
Business Communication Quarterly, Vol. 68(4), pp. 492-500, copyright O 2005, with permission from Sage Publications.
Taylor and Francis Ltd. for the article reprinted from "Practicing speaking for academic purposes using Aristotle's Topics"
by L.-S. Huang, from Communication Teacher, Vol. 21, pp. 62-67, copyright O 2007 National Communication Association,
with permission from Taylor and Francis Ltd. (http://www.tandf.co.uk/journalosn) behalf of The National Communication
Association.
TESOL, Inc. for the article reprinted from "ESL for academic purposes: Pathway to participating in academic discussion
through informal debate" by L.-S. Huang, from TESOL Journal, Vol. 11(4), pp. 30-31, copyright O 2002, with permission
from Copyright.
I am indebted to those who have helped, directly or indirectly, with the publication of this book.
