This interactive and hands-on workshop will discuss the powerful role of communication skills in developing science identity and self-efficacy1 and lead participants through two important mentoring skills for scientific communication that are included in the Scientific Communication Advances Research Excellence workshop and research program (GM125640). The first skill to be discussed is giving acknowledgment on mentee communication efforts. 'Acknowledgment' simply means noticing, not praising or evaluating. Behavioral economist Dan Ariely has shown the extraordinary impact that simple acts of acknowledgement have on motivation and productivity.2 We will walk through ideas for how and when to express acknowledgement and create some personal actions for doing so. Next, we will discuss the role of giving feedback on mentee writing and speaking, a skill that many mentors are unsure about. Feedback differs from acknowledgement in that it provides direction and is a teaching tool. We'll talk about the best ways to give feedback, based on the work of leading experts such as John Bean,3 and practice using some key feedback strategies. Participants will leave the workshop with a personal set of strategies to build their confidence in mentoring communication skills and guide their mentees through the process of learning how to communicate effectively.