1Communication
2Critical & Creative Thinking
6Professionalism
10Information LiteracyShowing up in the conversation as someone worth listening to.
1
Communication
Communication means more than talking or writing. It means showing up in the conversation as someone worth listening to.
Communication shows up everywhere, but most people don't think about it until something goes wrong. A missed appointment because you didn't follow up. An instructor who didn't know you were struggling until it was too late. An advising session that felt generic because you didn't come with real questions. The conversations in this module, with your Success Coach, your instructors, and people in careers you're curious about, call for Milestone-level Communication: showing up as an active participant, not waiting to be told what to do.
Benchmark communication gets you by. Milestone communication gets you what you need.
Below, in plain terms, is the difference between where most students start and where you're headed.
Lesson 1.2 explains Benchmark, Milestone, and Capstone.
The shift from Benchmark to Milestone is the shift from reacting to engaging: from answering when asked to showing up with something to contribute.
Listening at the Milestone level is active. It means giving your full attention, not half-listening while you wait for your turn, noticing what's communicated beyond the words, and asking questions that show you processed what you heard.
A basic question checks a box: "When is the deadline?" A clarifying question shows real engagement: "I want to make sure I understand. Does the prerequisite need to be done before I apply to the program, or just before I start it?"
In an advising appointment, instead of nodding and hoping you understood, ask: "So just to confirm, if I take this course in the spring, I'm still on track to start the program in the fall?"
Professional writing should be clear, organized, and respectful of the reader's time, without being stiff. At the Milestone level, you adjust to the situation: a text to a classmate looks different from an email to an instructor, which looks different from a message to an employer.
Where this breaks down most often for college students is email. A one-line message with no greeting, no context, and no clear ask puts the work on the reader. An email that introduces you, explains your situation, and asks a clear question gets a faster, more useful reply.
"hey when is the test" is Benchmark. The email example below is Milestone.
This is the behavior most students underestimate. You don't need a script. You need to show up as a participant rather than a recipient: you bring your research, your questions, your thinking, and your goals.
A student who says "I don't know what I want to take" is at Benchmark. A student who arrives with a draft schedule, two specific questions about course order, and a sense of their program direction is at Milestone, and gets a completely different kind of appointment.
The same goes for career conversations and any time you talk with someone in a professional role. Come with something. Leave with something.
This module puts you in the situations where the gap between Benchmark and Milestone is easiest to see.
Benchmark: You show up and wait to be told what to take.
Milestone: You bring your Academic Planner, your Career Coach results, and specific questions about course order, prerequisites, or program requirements. You offer your thinking and refine it with your coach.
Benchmark: You avoid the conversation and hope things improve.
Milestone: You send a clear, professional email that names the concern, says what you've tried, and asks a clear question. You make it easy for your instructor to help.
Benchmark: You ask "What do you do?" and listen.
Milestone: You ask questions based on your research: about the day-to-day reality, the career path, what surprised them about the field. You share your own thinking and leave with something concrete.
Benchmark: You wait to be given a role and do your part.
Milestone: You offer your strengths, notice when someone is struggling, ask clarifying questions about the task, and speak up when something isn't working, before it becomes a problem.
Email is one of the most common ways you'll communicate professionally in college. Below is a Milestone-level email for a real situation.
Good afternoon, Professor [Last Name],
My name is [First Name], and I'm in your [Course Name] class, section [number]. I'm writing because I'm concerned about my scores on the last two assignments and want to make sure I'm on track to finish the course well.
I've reviewed your feedback, and I think I'm struggling most with [specific area]. I tried [something specific you did], which helped a little, but I'm still not confident I understand [specific concept].
Would you have time for a short meeting or office hours this week? I want to understand what to do differently before the next assignment.
Thank you for your time.
[First and Last Name]
[Course and section]
What makes it Milestone: it introduces the student, states the situation specifically, names what they've already tried, asks a clear question, and sounds professional without being stiff. It makes it easy for the instructor to say yes.
Before you send any professional email, read it once as the person receiving it. Does it give them enough context to help? Is the ask clear? Would you want to answer it? If not, revise before you send.
Communication is the skill underneath every other skill in this course. You need it to speak up for yourself in advising, to ask for help before it's too late, to present yourself to employers, and to tell your STAR(T) Stories in a way that's clear, specific, and worth listening to.
Every conversation, email, and appointment in this module is practice, so you're doing Communication, not only learning about it.
Skill definition and Milestone indicators are based on the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education's Kentucky Graduate Profile (opens in a new tab).
