Communication Skills

Communication, Teamwork & Presentations

Good communication skills are really important for study, work, and life. During your time at University of Galway, you will need to communicate with lots of people about lots of things. You will be expected to work with other students in teams, and to create and deliver presentations. You will need to contact your lecturers and tutors from time to time. You may be involved in work-based learning, volunteering, or with student societies and clubs - all of which will require communication.

Good communication is a two-way process, involving at least one sender, and at least one receiver, of a message. For communication to take place, the message needs to be both received and understood.

When people talk about ‘communication skills’, they are usually referring to a person’s level of competence in one or more of the following three main categories of human communication:

Oral Communication: Face-to-face meetings and negotiations, telephone or videoconferencing calls (including voicemails), podcasting or broadcasting, interviews, presentations; the art of listening as well as speaking

Written Communication: Essays, journals, reports, e-mails, letters, notes and minutes, texts and other instant messaging, social media, presentation slides; the art of reading as well as writing.

Non Verbal Communication: Body language (facial expressions, eye contact, posture, gestures), tone and pitch of voice, and appearance.

If you'll be interviewing for a role anytime soon, check out these interview skills tips from the Career Development Centre. Registered students also have access to Big Interview - this AI tool records you doing a mock interview and gives feedback.