How to Communicate with Your Dissertation Chair
“Be sincere, be brief, be seated.” This is the advice that Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his son on how to make a public speech. I believe this is generally good advice for how we should communicate. Can you imagine if everyone was sincere, to the point, and composed when communicating?
Several of my clients recently asked me a variation of the following question: What is the best way for me to communicate with my dissertation chair? Keeping Roosevelt’s advice in mind, I would also like for you to consider the following six tips for communicating effectively with your dissertation chair:
- Establish a communication plan right away. At a minimum, a communication plan should relay communication preferences, and what I call “out of office” hours. Here are some questions you might consider asking your chair:
- What is your typical turnaround time for responding to emails?
- How should I reach you if something urgent comes up?
- What is your typical turnaround time for reviewing drafts and providing feedback?
- When are your “out of office” hours?
- How frequently do you recommend that we meet?
- Ask your chair if there are periods of time when they do not review drafts. Mark these dates on your calendar and incorporate them into your writing deadlines.
- Establish a regular meeting schedule. I recommend meeting with your chair at least once a month. Setting a regular meeting schedule is important for two reasons. First, it communicates to your chair that you are serious about staying on track with your writing and meeting your goals. Second, it will help you hold yourself accountable to your writing deadlines.
- Ask your chair to schedule a collaborative review session the first time they conduct a review of your work. Meeting with your chair the first time they provide feedback on a draft will help you understand how your chair provides feedback and give you the opportunity to ask questions if you do not understand their comments or edits.
- Be professional. You are a scholar and should conduct yourself accordingly. This means being reasonable with your requests (e.g., do not ask for same-day feedback on a draft) and going straight to the source when you have a problem.
- Learn how to receive constructive feedback. Part of being an advanced learner means being able to receive constructive feedback. Period. Do not act defensively if you do not agree with the feedback provided by your chair. In these cases, I recommend waiting 24 hours before expressing your disagreement. You might feel differently after this cool off period.