The School of Graduate Studies offers free workshops for Memorial University graduate students. These non-credit workshops are offered to registered students in graduate diploma, masters, or doctoral programs and designed to help improve speaking and writing skills for a variety of contexts.

Winter 2024 writing and speaking skills workshops will be held once a week from 1 pm to 2 pm on the dates below. All workshops will be offered online in Newfoundland Standard Time (NST) via Brightspace.

Writing and Speaking Skills Workshops:

Writing for Clarity and Conciseness

Writing clearly and concisely is one of the most important skills in academic writing. In this session, we will review aspects of unclear and wordy writing and practice methods to improve it.

Date and Time: Wednesday, February 28, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Mode: Online
Registration Deadline: February, 27
REGISTER

Citing Sources and Paraphrasing 

Reviewing literature is the foundation of most academic writing. We will examine the function and form of literature reviews and discuss proper methods for capturing the work of other researchers.

Date and Time: Wednesday, March 6, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Mode: Online
Registration Deadline: March 5
REGISTER

Speaking in Formal Settings

Interviews and meetings require precise language. This session will review aspects of effective formal speech and discuss strategies to improve your speaking skills in formal environments.

Date and Time: Wednesday, March 13, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Mode: Online
Registration Deadline: March 12
REGISTER

Manuscript Writing and the Academic Publishing Process

Manuscripts are the end goal of most academic research. Here, we will review the function and form of different types of manuscripts, discuss the different parts of a manuscript, with a focus on abstracts, and describe the academic publishing process.

Date and Time: Wednesday, March 20, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Mode: Online
Registration Deadline: March 19
REGISTER

The Writing Process 

Starting to write can be challenging, and everyone’s writing process is unique. In this session, we will review and discuss different methods for creating written products.

Date and Time: Wednesday, March 27, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Mode: Online
Registration Deadline: March 26
REGISTER

Speaking in Informal Settings

Casual conversations are an important part of an academic career. Here, we will provide an opportunity to improve your informal speaking skills in both professional and personal contexts.

Date and Time: Wednesday, April 3, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Mode: Online
Registration Deadline: April 2
REGISTER

Thesis/Dissertation and Grant Proposal Writing

Effective research and grant proposal writing can have a profound effect on an academic career. Proposal writing combines all the aspects of effective academic writing. In this session, we will review the form and function of strong research proposals and discuss strategies for writing proposals.

Date and Time: Wednesday, April 10, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Mode: Online
Registration Deadline: April 9
REGISTER

Preparing and Delivering Academic Presentations

Research presentations provide a unique opportunity to share your work with a wide audience. In this session, we will discuss the structure and language of effective oral presentations.

Date and Time: Wednesday, April 17, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Mode: Online
Registration Deadline: April 16
REGISTER

Online Individual Appointment for English Language Skills

If you are interested in improving both your spoken and written English proficiency or if you have any inquiries regarding English language skills, please contact Melissa Halford at mhalford@mun.ca to arrange an individual online English language appointment.

 

If you have any questions about these workshops or other English language training supports for graduate students, please contact Xin Wang at xw8080@mun.ca.