Communicating with your supervisor
Communication with your supervisor(s) is a very important part of every PhD or Masters degree. Higher Degree Research students should always remember that they are not expected to solve all their research problems on their own. Your supervisor is the person who is also responsible for your progress and who will ultimately approve the final thesis, so regular communication with them is crucial.
Each and every supervisor has their own style of dealing with the students who write their PhD and Master theses. It is important to remember that everyone is different so both student and supervisor will have to compromise in order to create with mutually acceptable communication arrangements. Students have to be aware of their supervisor’s expectations, and explicitly discuss and arrange the means and frequency of communication from the very start.
Firstly, please remember that good communication skills can be learned. It is important to stay positive and try to understand both the supervisor’s personality and communication style to create productive discussions. If the student is dissatisfied with the results of supervisory meetings, it is important to focus on what can be done to improve the situation and openly discuss it with the supervisor.
Secondly, vary the ways of communication with your supervisor. Please note that informal, spontaneous communication plays an important role in building relationships and establishing trust, and helps the student and the supervisor to get to know each other better. However, regular, short, face-to-face meetings are required to monitor the student’s progress. Please remember that the more your supervisor is prepared for such formal or semi-formal meetings, the better, so please provide the supervisor with the outline and required materials prior to the actual discussion.
Thirdly, try to discuss all the important issues face to face with your supervisor, as electronic means of communication are often inadequate. It is important to note that a complex set of verbal and nonverbal cues are given during the discussion that are crucial both to establishing a strong working relationship with the supervisor and to progressing in your research activities.
Please note there are some books available to students that focus on establishing and maintaining strong communication with supervisors:
- “How to get a PhD: a handbook for students and their supervisors” by Estelle M. Phillips and Derek S. Pugh; Maidenhead, England; New York: Open University Press, 2005.
- “Mastering Your PhD: Survival and Success in the Doctoral Years and Beyond” by Patricia Gosling and Bart Noordam; Springer, 2006.
Both books are in the Monash University Library collection.