Letter 17 Communication Skills for Engineers: Speaking and Writing
Dear Nick and Natasha,
I’m glad to keep communicating with you about engineering. So, in this letter, I want to deal with that very issue—communication! There’s a negative stereotype about engineers, namely, that they can’t articulate their ideas in a clear or exciting way. Now, it’s true that many engineers and many people, in general, don’t relish speaking to groups or writing documents. Because engineers need to communicate with each other, the boss, the client, the customer, etc., they should improve their communication skills. Sadly, most engineers simply “pick it up as they go” when it comes to this topic, but have never learned about it deliberately through a course, book, video, seminar, or expert mentor. And so, I’d like to discuss the issue.
Some of the ideas I want to share with you here may be new to you, while others may be self-evident; the trick is to put them into action! I find it personally challenging too. Also, many of the skills here are probably transferable to other fields of endeavor, like education, entertainment, family, politics, religion, sports, etc. Thus, I will give several practical real-life examples from either my own or a colleague’s engineering career to illustrate how these ideas can be applied by engineers at work.
Moreover, maybe there are some questions that I don’t fully address in this letter; even so, I hope it does motivate you to take a strengths-and-weaknesses inventory about your own communication skills and then take concrete steps to improve. Please note that I will use the word “company” to refer to any university, industry, or government for which an engineer might work. There’s an old saying I once heard that says something like, “Reading gives you breadth, writing makes you precise, and speaking keeps you ready.” With that, let’s turn to our theme of communication skills (see Figure 17.1).
Figure 17.1 Communication skills for engineers often involve speaking (top) and writing (bottom).
Speaking Skills
We all know what speaking is, don’t we? It’s the act of opening our mouths and making intelligible sounds called “words” in order to relay information to others. Yet, if we really want to be effective at it, the way we do this and what information we convey, in fact, really depends on the context. Don’t underestimate the potential positive (or negative) impact of good (or bad) speaking skills on your engineering career. So, here are some common types of formal and informal speaking engagements that engineers are often expected to do, general tips and tricks that you can consider, and a few examples.
Types of Speaking
Conference presentations are talks that you may need to give at academic, industry, and government conferences. The goal may be to give an update on the results of your research on a new product or technique that you have been developing for your employer. Or, it may be to promote the benefits of the new commercially available product that your company now offers. These can be short or long, but should be formal in tone.
“Free flow” conversations are probably the most frequent verbal communication that you will have with your boss, client, customer, supplier, team, etc. These informal ordinary chats can occur over a coffee, in the office, on the shop floor, while traveling, or around the meeting table. They should be clear, friendly, purposeful, and respectful, but some silence or bluntness may be needed at times. These can be short or long and may be formal or informal in tone. And sometimes you might find out some very important information that would otherwise remain hidden from you in a formal meeting.
Job interviews that you participate in could be for a new position or promotion inside your own company. Please take these as seriously as the interview(s) that led to your job with your employer in the first place. Or, perhaps you might be secretly contacted by an employment recruiter hired by another company to lure talented engineers away to themselves. These can be short or long, but are usually formal in tone.
Media interviews that you might engage in could be for radio, television, newspaper, magazine, internet blog, internet podcast, etc. The media source that interviews you could be independent, run by the government, or even owned by your own employer in order to provide internal updates to everyone inside your company, to post on your employer’s website, or to give as press releases to the public. These can be short or long and may be formal or informal in tone.
Progress reports are presentations that you might need to give to your boss, client, customer, team, etc., in order to update them on the current status of the product or project you are working on. This could be composed of a brief verbal description, a lengthy discussion, an in-person tour or demonstration, an audiovisual presentation, or some combination of these things over the better part of a day. These may be formal or informal in tone.
Thesis presentations are talks that you have to give to your university supervisory committee to complete a master’s or doctoral degree in engineering. Many companies will financially and morally support you to do this, while still employed with them. They will get a much more highly skilled worker who further advances their goals, while you could get a salary increase and promotion. These can be short or long, but should be formal in tone.
Training seminars are guided instructional events that you may need to facilitate for your boss, client, customer, team, etc. You might be mentoring them on the use of a new computer software package, a piece of machinery, an electronic device, and so on. This can be a short event that lasts, say, an hour, or it may be a long event that lasts, say, a day or two. These are usually formal in tone.
Tips and Tricks for Speaking
First, know your audience. Who will you be speaking to? What do or don’t they already know? What do or don’t they want to hear? What language barriers or cultural customs should you accommodate? etc.
Second, know the format. Will it be formal or informal in tone? What are the time limits? Where is it going to be done? What kind of physical space will you be in? What audiovisual resources will be available? Will there be a time for questions and answers after your talk? Will it be permitted to digitally record what you say or is this talk off-the-record? What is the dress code? etc.
Third, know yourself. Do you speak clearly or mumble? Do you need to have some drinking water nearby to keep your voice clear? Do you tend to overuse a certain word or phrase? Do you habitually make certain body gestures that are helpful or annoying? Do you ever say inappropriate things, like jokes or criticisms, which make others feel uncomfortable? etc.
Fourth, practice your talk. Is there time to rehearse your talk adequately? Are there any friends or colleagues that can hear your talk and give honest and useful feedback? etc.
Fifth, get some help. Have you ever tried resources to help improve your formal and conversational speaking skills, like a mentor, book, video, seminar, or organization? If not, why not? etc.
Example 1: Effective Speaking
I’d like to demonstrate how giving interviews to the media, if done well, can benefit your company and you. I know an engineer who worked for a company that was developing a new product that could solve a simple, but very widespread, societal problem and could result in massive product sales to the public.
That engineer gave several television interviews to well-known media outlets with the full support of their employer because my colleague was the real expert on the topic within the company. Initially, my colleague had concerns about having a good physical appearance, the challenge of talking to multiple cameras during the interviews, the media possibly misquoting or misrepresenting the product concept, and the potential of competing companies stealing the idea. Fortunately, the interviews went smoothly.
The benefit to my colleague was that these interviews were prized additions to their resumé, which somewhat helped them to secure a university professorship later on, which really was their career goal. And the company benefitted because the interviews greatly increased the number of visits to their website by a factor of 5, and then several other companies saw the interviews and partnered with my colleague’s employer to fabricate the product and bring it to the marketplace.
Example 2: Effective Speaking
Here, I’ll illustrate the power of leveraging the ordinary “free flow” conversation. I once built up a friendly, but professional, rapport by email and telephone with another engineer in charge of product manufacturing for a certain company, and I often bought supplies from them for my biomedical engineering research lab.
Then, that engineer happened to be visiting my area, so we arranged for our first in-person meeting at a coffee shop, which went very well. We followed this up later by arranging to meet at an academic conference, along with another engineering professor I knew from a local university. The 3 of us discussed some potential research projects we could collaborate on that would benefit us all.
The result of these informal exchanges was that the company gave us an official contract and funds for a research project to evaluate one of their new products, we published several peer-reviewed academic journal articles and conference papers based on our analysis of that product, and we obtained “preferred customer” status that gave us a cost discount whenever we purchased that product.
Writing Skills
We all know what writing is, don’t we? It’s the act of putting on paper or inputting in digital format a series of symbols called “words” so we can convey information to others. But, if we truly wish to be effective at this, how we do this and what information we share, in fact, is really influenced by context. Let’s not underestimate the possible benefits (or drawbacks) of strong (or weak) writing skills on someone’s engineering career. So, here are some common types of formal and informal writing tasks that engineers are often expected to do, general tips and tricks that you can incorporate, and a few examples.
Types of Writing
Digital communiques, like emails, social media posts, and cell phone texts, are probably the most common kinds of writing which you will utilize as an engineer in the workforce. These are usually short and can be formal or informal in style.
Grant applications are written proposals to funding agencies run by private entities, government bodies, industry departments, or professional engineering societies to obtain funds or other support for your company, department, or team. These can be short or long, but are always formal in style.
Journal articles are scholarly articles in which you describe your cutting-edge research results. The goal is to have them published in recognized journals. This is the most common way for your new research findings to be communicated to the broader academic or industrial community. These can be short or long, but are always formal in style.
Media releases are nontechnical mini progress reports you might write on the development, performance, availability, and sales of a new product you or your team, department, or company have developed. These can be posted on your employer’s website, social media sites, etc. These are usually short, but may be formal or informal in style.
Memos and letters, in paper format or by email, are used internally within your company, department, or team, and are usually not meant to be shared publicly. They may deal with a social topic, policy issue, or technological problem. These are usually short and can be formal or informal in style.
Patents are scientific and technical documents in which you describe the basic operating principles for a new product that you or your team, department, and company have invented. A patent will prevent other competitors from stealing your idea and making a financial profit at your expense. These can be short or long, but are always formal in style.
Progress reports are documents you write to give to your boss, client, customer, team, etc., in order to provide them with an update on the current status of the product or project you are working on. These can be short or long, but are always formal in style.
Technical manuals, sometimes called product brochures, are documents that provide instructions on how to assemble, operate, maintain, repair, and/or dispose of a product that your company has produced. They may only be for internal use within your company, or they may be included with the product when the customer makes the purchase. They can be short or long, but are always formal in style.
Textbooks are scholarly technical books written by experts for students or other experts on a particular specialty of engineering or a certain emerging technology. If you or your team, department, or company have become recognized experts in this regard, then producing such work can help you shape the field, as well as greatly benefiting your peers in their work. These books are long and formal in style.
Thesis dissertations are scholarly documents in which you describe in detail the background, methodology, and results of a major research project to complete your master’s or doctoral degree in engineering. Many firms will financially and morally support you to get these degrees, while still working for them. They get a much more highly skilled worker, while you probably get a salary increase and promotion. These dissertations are usually long and are always formal in style.
Tips and Tricks for Writing
First, know your audience. Who will you be writing to? What information do or don’t they already have? What kind of material do or don’t they want to read? What language obstacles or cultural niceties should you consider? etc.
Second, know the format. Should you be formal or informal in tone? Is this meant to be a private or public communication? Is there a certain structure or template that must be followed? Are there word or page limits? Is there a deadline that needs to be met or can your communication be sent anytime? Are you permitted to keep copies for your company’s or your own records? etc.
Third, know yourself. Do you write clearly and concisely or do you tend to get sidetracked? Do you often overuse certain words or phrases? Do you ever write inappropriate things, like jokes or criticisms, that make others feel uncomfortable? Are your spelling and grammar good? etc.
Fourth, practice your writing. Do you have time to write and rewrite several drafts? Do you have friends or colleagues that can read your material and give honest and useful comments? etc.
Fifth, get some help. Have you ever used any resources to help improve your formal and informal writing skills, like a mentor, book, video, seminar, or organization? If not, why not? etc.
Example 1: Effective Writing
I’d like to highlight the fact that an engineer—despite the negative stereotype that engineers can’t communicate effectively—can indeed use their writing skills to produce textbooks that educate and influence generations of engineers and engineering students in university, industry, and government. After all, who else is going to write educational tools for engineers?
Dr. Russell Charles (R.C.) Hibbeler received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, a master’s degree in nuclear engineering, and a doctoral degree in theoretical/applied mechanics. He’s worked in industry and also as a university professor. With all this experience, he’s written a series of university-level textbooks that have been used by many people, including myself, over the decades and that have been reprinted many times. Just a few of the titles include Structural Analysis, Mechanics of Materials, and Engineering Mechanics: Statics and Dynamics.
Similarly, Mr. Tyler G. Hicks completed his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He’s worked in industry, taught at a number of engineering schools, and traveled widely to give lectures around the world. He’s also brought his skill, experience, and knowledge to become the prolific author or editor of over 100 books in engineering and in related areas. Among the many works he’s written or edited is a series of handbooks with titles like Civil Engineering Formulas, Handbook of Chemical Engineering Calculations, Handbook of Civil Engineering Calculations, Handbook of Energy Engineering Calculations, Handbook of Mechanical Engineering Calculations, and Standard Handbook of Consulting Engineering Practice.
Example 2: Effective Writing
I want to describe the typical process of writing and publishing an academic journal article in the field of engineering. For my team and me, our first step, of course, is to complete a mechanical/biomedical engineering research project. Then, we find a suitable journal whose publishing scope coincides with our research topic and then write our article to meet the journal’s formatting requirements, which typically includes these items in this order: title page, abstract, introduction, methodology, results, discussion, conclusions, references, figures, and tables. Next, we circulate the first draft of our article to everyone on our team to incorporate any final corrections, after which one of us acts as the corresponding author who uploads our article to the journal website.
Then, the journal arranges to have our article reviewed by anonymous expert peer-reviewers in the field who provide feedback on our article and either invite us to revise it or reject it. Now, if we are invited to revise it, we make all appropriate changes to it, provide a point-by-point rebuttal letter to the reviewers, and resubmit it to the same journal for potential acceptance; but, if our original or revised article is rejected outright, we then submit it to another journal. This iterative process continues until, hopefully, the article is officially accepted for publication in a journal, after which we receive from the journal a final “proof” copy of our article to double-check for typos.
Note that, after we initially submit our article to a journal, it may take from several months to a year or so for it to appear online or in-print in its final published form. Thankfully, I’ve been reasonably successful in publishing many research articles, some of which have been quite popular and made a useful contribution to my field of mechanical/biomedical engineering.
So, What’s the “Take Home” Message of This Letter?
The key thing I wanted to bring to your attention is the importance of speaking and writing skills for an engineer. It’s something I need to be reminded of too. If we can learn how to effectively communicate, it really can help us achieve our professional goals. Sometimes effective communication is the only difference between you and your greatest competitor, whether that’s to get a particular job, be promoted to a new position, attract a new customer, or be awarded that grant to fund your project. Although a lot of what I’ve discussed may be obvious to you on a theoretical level, the challenge is to put it into action in a concrete way. And so, allow me to encourage all of us to avail ourselves of the many good resources out there to improve our communication skills as engineers, not just for our own sake, but also for the betterment of society at large.
Seize the day,
R.Z.