Communication Skills

Communication, Teamwork & Presentations

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

Good communication is always 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.

Interview skills: A compilation of interview guidelines based on the combined experiences of the staff at the Career Development Centre in NUI Galway and the Cooperative Education and Careers Division at UL, together with employer and student experience at interview