Communicating Professionally: Scott Varga

1. When did you graduate, and what did you study at UFV?

I graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts, double extended minors in human geography and visual arts.

2. What is your current role, and what are the main forms of communication required of you?

I am currently a graduate student at the University of Alberta in the department of Human Ecology, and a Research Assistant in the City-Region Studies Centre. Since graduate school is largely intended to train future researchers, formal and informal writing are the main forms of communication I use on a daily basis. Effective oral communication is also important as my work and school activities require me to discuss ideas, concepts, theories and convictions. To better illustrate and offer a progressive level of defense to my ideas in the form of written and oral communication, I integrate visual communication elements into my work as well. Effective visual elements make it possible to succinctly describe and defend oneʼs work to a broad range of audiences. In particular, well-illustrated documents and presentations are more accessible to the general public and thus better received.

 

3. Which CMNS courses (or course materials) stand out for you as applicable to your current studies/position?

CMNS 375: Understanding Design for Print Publications  and CMNS 125: Introduction to Workplace Communication, as these classes allowed me to creatively integrated visual forms of communication into documents and taught me the value of presenting information in a clear, concise and logical way that is easy for an audience to follow.

4. Can you describe one highlight from your experience taking CMNS courses at UFV?

I found the Communications practicum course, CMNS 412, extremely useful. Working on a practicum project with the District of Mission  allowed me to put into practice the communication skills – written, oral, and visual – I had learned through interactions with a variety of stakeholders. My role required that I present ideas in a clear and logical manner and respectfully defend my position when it was challenged by people from the community.

5. With the wisdom of hindsight and experience, what communication-related advice would you offer current UFV students as they prepare for graduation and/or employment?

Strong writing is essential. The quality of the written form is being degraded and its authority is often underestimated. When you put something in writing, you become the owner of it. Consider the composition of an idea or concept as similar to the start of an invention or patent. You are marking your territory.

Your writing reveals a lot about your conceptual grasp of information and knowledge. The clarity of these two pieces is essential to success. In the work place, people often have nothing but a written document from which to form an opinion of your work, and by extension of you. Similarly, if you develop strong written communication skills, your oral communication skills will benefit from your ability to create logical, well-organized arguments in preparation for speaking opportunities and presentations.

Be aware that effective communication through writing is often about the absence of writing as a result of good editing. In other words, the finished product is not the first draft! We have all read pieces where we felt sentences, if not entire pages, could have been cut. Good editing also enhances another aspect of written communication by enabling the writer to revise and improve the logic behind their position.

Finally, I have learned from experience that strong visual communication abilities impress almost everyone. This is where you can really add value to a project, a team, or an application. If you strive to push the boundaries on visual communication you will almost certainly set yourself apart from the rest.

6. Is there an aspect of communication you would like to see added or covered in greater depth at UFV?

I would like to see greater emphasis on argument and rhetoric added in the CMNS curriculum – not in the sense of pure philosophical reasoning, but rather as a means to encourage CMNS grads to better understand ʻwhyʼ and be able to persuasively explain ʻwhyʼ.

I also believe the topic of visual communication needs to be investigated at a deeper level. CMNS 375 does a good job as an introduction, but in all honesty it should be a 100 level course – not because of its subject matter, but because students should gain those skills in their first year so they can be applied to all of their subsequent documents and presentations.