When AI can be increasingly used to mask one’s true competencies, oral communication becomes the new key skill that students should focus on developing, argues Bruce Hood (University of Bristol). Bristol uses the results from a 2024 National Association of Colleges and Employers survey to explain that oral communication is seen as one of the most sought-after skills by recruiters. To improve oral communication skills, he suggests that universities begin treating these skills as core learning components of programs. Citing solutions like the “Three Minute Thesis” competition, he argues that students should have opportunities to hone their oral communication skills, as well as ways to prove to employers that they have done so.
