Avoiding missed opportunities

Yesterday as I was in the library frantically trying to finish my term paper before the midnight deadline, I came across a frightening discovery. After turning in my paper at 11:58pm, I realized the importance of developing good communication skills. Here at MIT, most students stress developing technical skills over developing communication skills like writing and oral presentations. Like many of these students, before writing this paper I also felt that it was more important to focus on technical skills (like efficiency in a laboratory setting, extensive knowledge of theorems and formulas, and field experience). However, after I turned in my paper and began to walk home, I started to realize that good communication skills meant more than simply being able to write elegant essays, or delivering exciting speeches. During that walk I began to understand that being a good communicator meant going the extra mile to help other people understand an unfamiliar topic. Additionally, I realized that many scientists and engineers who don't posses good communication skills often miss out on opportunities, and end up doing a disservice to themselves. While it is true that the overall aim in science and engineering is to solve problems, effective communication is needed to help bring these discoveries from the world of science and engineering to the broader public. Just like the story of a researcher who was able to get funding for her lab simply by explaining a scientific phenomena to the head of a major corporate company on the elevator, often times good communication skills open up the door to different opportunities.

As a result of this revelation last night, I now see why so many people in the general public are unaware of many of the "discoveries" that take place in science and engineering. Rather than being uninterested in these discoveries, the fact is that too often, many of these discoveries aren't effectively communicated to the general public. As a result, I have a new appreciation for the presentation and public speaking workshops that we provide for our students here at LTI. While it is important that these students get trained technically in school, I am glad that our students are apart of a program like LTI that helps them become better communicators. Just like the researcher who was able to get a grant for her lab simply by having a conversation on the elevator, it is my hope that through these communication workshops, our students will be able to take advantage of all of the opportunities that life will present them with.

Your Public Relations Chair,

Walter Anazonwu