Workshop "Beyond grammar: How to avoid communication failure"

Peer review feedback sometimes highlights issues like "unclear argumentation," "excessive jargon," or "insufficient evidence" - problems rooted not in technical inaccuracy, but in violations of foundational principles of effective communication. In this session, we will draw on philosopher H.P. Grice’s Cooperative Principle and understand better how four pragmatic maxims - Quantity, Quality, Relation, and Manner - govern reader expectations in scholarly discourse, and what the consequences are for breaking them. And, of course, we will examine ways to avoid this kind of communication failure so you will return to your writing with a framework to enhance the precision, coherence, and impact of your manuscripts, proposals, and presentations.

Speaker: Heather Belgorodtseva is Director of Studies for Teacher Training. She has worked as an English teacher and teacher trainer for over 20 years, in the UK and Russia, in private language schools and in further education settings. She often runs high-stakes courses where giving feedback, including constructive criticism, is an integral part of the process.

Target audience: HSE teachers, researchers, and graduate students
Language: English
Date & Time: November 11, 17:30 - 19:30
Location: 11 Pokrovsky boulevard, К-416