Beefing up communication skills of upper-level animal science students

Animal scientists face an increasing need to communicate with the lay public because of the public's interest in the origin and production of animal-sourced foods. Consumers' increased interest infers a critical need for effective communication skills among animal science graduates. Effective communication skills are mandatory if students are to explain scientific information and mitigate misinformation about livestock production. The purpose of our study was to investigate the communication styles and communication effectiveness of upper-level animal science students enrolled in a beef cattle production and management course at Texas A&M University across five semesters (N = 241; spring 2018 = 61, summer 2018 = 15, Fall 2018 = 54, spring 2019 = 55, and fall 2019 = 56). Male animal science students (n = 25; 32.9%) preferred assertive and direct communication (a driver communication style) and female students (n = 32; 19.4%) preferred collaborative and accommodating communication (an amiable communication style). Students were moderately experienced with beef cattle production (M = 3.09, SD = 1.07) before enrolling in the course; however, former beef cattle experiences did not influence their preferred communication style [F(10, 230) = 0.36, P = 0.96]. Researchers also observed students' communication skills during an end-of-semester beef cattle production and management project presentation and identified strengths and weaknesses. Students demonstrated strong, in-depth animal industry knowledge, an ability to connect beef production techniques to management success, and critical thinking skills when answering questions. Oral communication skills warranting improvement included integrating visual aids and/or visual slides to support findings, using improved stage presence and confidence, and sharing responsibilities when presenting as a team. Finally, completion of a supplemental communication training module, intended to develop oral communication skills, significantly improved [F(1, 55) = 4.16, P = 0.046] students' beef cattle production and management project presentation scores. As students become aware of their communication preferences and tendencies, they become equipped to adjust their communication practices and techniques when needed. Through this study, we gained insight into students' communication tendencies and skills, which can be used to provide curricular recommendations and enhance students' workforce readiness. We identified the communication styles and communication effectiveness of upper-level, collegiate animal science students and, as a result, provided curricular and instructional recommendations that could improve students' workforce development opportunities and communication preparation in the animal science industries. Animal scientists are increasingly expected to communicate with the lay public, especially as they investigate solutions to improve the quality and efficiency of livestock for food production. This social expectation establishes a critical need for effective communication skills. In the present study, we investigated the communication styles and communication effectiveness of upper-level animal science students at Texas A&M University. We observed students' communication skills during an end-of-semester beef cattle production and management project presentation and identified several strengths and weaknesses. "Strengths" included in-depth animal industry knowledge, an ability to connect beef production techniques to management success, and critical thinking skills when answering questions. "Weaknesses" were the need to incorporate visual aids and/or visual slides to support findings, improve stage presence and confidence, and share responsibilities when presenting as a team. Male animal science students tended to be assertive and direct when communicating (characteristics of a driver communication style) and female students tended to be more collaborative and accommodating (characteristics of an amiable communication style). Furthermore, students' former beef cattle experiences did not influence their preferred communication style. In short, through these findings, we gained novel insight into animal science students' communication tendencies and skills, which can be used to provide curricular recommendations and improve students' workforce readiness.