The focus of this article is the interaction between doctoral students from different disciplines who meet in a PhD course concerned with the oral presentation of research in both academic and popular contexts. The author investigates how the meetings unfold with special attention to the way knowledge building about science communication is developed through peer response. One predictable result was that the graduate students would develop a more nuanced view of verbal research communication. A more unexpected result was that humour emerged as part of the knowledge-building around feedback on research communication. Another surprising result was the importance of other doctoral students’ experiences as a factor in establishing individual ethos. The results of the analysis are presented under two headings: “challenging communication patterns” and “meaningful meetings”. The article concludes with a discussion of the knowledge building around oral communication that happens through dialogue and collaborative reflection.