Your relationship with your supervisor is important. Both the quality of your post-graduate school experience and the success of your thesis project depend a lot on how well you work with your supervisor. As cliché as it may sound, communication is the key to any good relationship—including the one with your supervisor.
Dora Farkins recently wrote an article about how to effectively communicate with a thesis or dissertation advisor based on her experiences as a graduate student and working with graduate students. Here are some of the most important tips:
Be Assertive
Farkins emphasizes the importance of finding a health balance between passive or aggressive communication. A passive communicator seeks to please other people, but doesn’t give his or her own needs enough attention. An aggressive communicator is focused on her or his own needs, while neglecting others’ needs. An assertive communicator balances the two approaches: she or he is attentive to others’ needs, while simultaneously protecting his or her own.
Be Positive
Begin every conversation with your advisor on a positive note and keep the general tone positive throughout. Farkins notes the importance of beginning every communication with good news about your research, thanking your advisor for her or his time, or some other positive news about your day. Academic supervisors are busy people, it would be helpful to create a positive, productive relationship so that your supervisor enjoys working with you and even (possibly) looks forward to your meetings together!
Be Prepared
Come to meetings with a clear agenda. Farkins is clear that she does not mean this abstractly; preparing a list of things to discuss before your meeting is very helpful. Clarity is key for getting the help you need with your thesis. If you can clearly and concisely express what you need help with, this will greatly improve your chances of getting the help you need.
read the full article here: http://finishyourthesis.com/thesis-supervisor/
Get More Help With Thesis Editing
If you aren't getting the support you need from your supervisor, don't be afraid to hire a qualified editor. Your thesis will be held to a very high standard, both with regards to content and structure. Sometimes organising the structure or formatting your thesis can feel like an entirely separate—and equally daunting—project to actually writing your thesis. Make sure that you spend time focusing on your content, and get professional help with the structure and formatting. Finally, if your supervisor is very busy, let our PhD-educated coaches advise you on your thesis. We offer professional thesis coaching/consultation services from our experts. Please contact us to learn more.
