Say This, Not That to Your Professor: 36 Talking Tips for College Success

For First-Year Experience, College Success, Student Development and any course where learning effective communication skills for college is a priority. In this award-winning book, tenured communication professor takes students "inside the faculty mind," and provides the words professors wish students would say to manage their classroom experience with confidence.

Say This, NOT That to Your Professor gives students inside tips on how to interact so professors will respond in a positive manner. They'll learn to create opportunities and properly stand up for themselves, rather than fumble over excuses. Students will have improved relationships with professors, better grades, and an amazing college experience!

A 14-year classroom veteran, Ellen Bremen is tenured faculty in the Communication Studies department at Highline Community College. Ellen is a professor who stops at nothing to help students strengthen their communication skills: Peanut butter and jelly to illustrate problematic messages, pipe cleaners to teach communication models, and Post-it notes to reduce speaking anxiety. Not surprisingly, Ellen has received national recognition for teaching innovation by the Sloan-Consortium (2011), the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development and the National Council of Instructional Administrators (2003). Ellen blogs weekly as The Chatty Professor (http://ellenbremen.com), she speaks to college audiences through Samara Lectures, and is an insanely active tweeter (@chattyprof). Ellen lives in Seattle with her husband, daughter, and son.

Why is This Professor Willing to Talk?
It's simple: I started to see students, like yourself, unknowingly sabotage their education when a simple conversation could have helped their academic standing so much. Instead, students either dealt with class-related issues in a completely clueless way ("Can I turn in this paper late?" -- Me: "Sure, if I can let 27 other people turn it in late, too.") or, they just wouldn't say anything at all... which was even worse. Then, the problem never resolved, and grades suffered. Believe me, my colleagues all over the country report the same issues.

What's the bigger problem? When students fumble their words, most profs won't sit down later with the student and say, "Hey, this is how the communication should have gone down." I'll admit, even as a Communication prof, I was guilty of this, too! Why? Because a term has only so many weeks. Profs have to be swift problem solvers for students, and then we have to move on to the next issue. Also, many profs don't believe their job is to teach students communication.

I decided it was time to change all that and write the very first book in the college success genre to deal with this relationship that students will deal with every single day!

Students, college is the ideal place for you to practice excellent communication, and professors are among the first people in your life you'll interact with as an adult. And guess what? You don't text with them. You don't Facebook with them (even if you Facebook about them). You need to deal with most issues face-to-face and sometimes via e-mail.

My goal is to give you inside tips on how to interact so your professors will respond in a positive manner. I want you to learn what goes on behind the scenes of your classes so you can create opportunities, rather than fumble over excuses. I want you to confidently and properly stand up for yourself when you're concerned about your classes or grades. The result? Improved relationships with your profs, a stronger learning experience, and most of all, better grades.

USAToday feature: http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/campuslife/6-things-you-should-say-to-your-professor
Ellen's blog: http://ellenbremen.com
Follow her on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/chattyprof