The Engineer Communicator
Khadija Elatri
November 2016
Learning Objectives
Goal: To Use Written and Oral Communications Skills to further
academic and professional success
• To acquaint students with the different academic
communications requirements
• For students to obtain knowledge and skills in the academic
communications areas
• For students to become more effective communicators
• To prepare students for the communications requirements in
the workplace
“As an engineer, my job is
just to develop the best
technical solution. So why
do I need communications
skills? “
“This is a common view
from engineers. What are
your thoughts?
Engineers as Communicators:
The Perception
• The fact is, many engineering students and
practicing engineers prioritize technical skills
over communication skills
• That is a mistake and they will find out
communication skills are every bit as essential
as technical skills if engineers want to be fully
effective in their jobs and have successful
careers
Engineers as Communicators:
The Reality
• The reality is that in the engineering fields that
effective communication skills are crucial to
success in the workplace.
• In a recent survey conducted by ASME
(American Society of Mechanical Engineers) of
both society members and nonmembers in
engineering related positions, respondents said:
– “Communication skills — such as business
writing, technical writing, public speaking,
and presentation preparation — are crucial
for success as engineers work in and among
more varied groups.
Views on the Importance of
Communication
• “COMMUNICATION – the human • "Developing excellent
connection – is the key to personal COMMUNICATION skills is absolutely
and career success.” Paul J. Meyer, essential to effective leadership. The
Businessman and Motivational leader must be able to share knowledge
Speaker
and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency
and enthusiasm to others. If a leader
can't get a message across clearly and
• “Good COMMUNICATION does not
mean that you have to speak in motivate others to act on it, then having
perfectly formed sentences and a message doesn't even matter." Gilbert
paragraphs. It isn't about slickness. Amelio, President and CEO of National
Simple and clear go a long way.” John Semiconductor Corp.
Kotter, Harvard Professor and
“Leading Change” Expert
Reports
• Format may be dictated by Professor
– It that is the case, be sure to follow the professor’s
format
• Title Page
• Summary
• Introduction/Background
• Discussion/Actions
• Conclusions
• Recommendations
• Appendices/Data
Reports (2)
• Title page
– The subject of the report, i.e.
“EE-100 Lab Report 11 – AC Measurements”.
– Student Name(s)
– Date of Report
– Class name
Communications 101
• Student communication requirements have
applications in the workplace
• And the three typical activities required
include:
School Workplace
Reports Project Reports, Proposals
Presentations Design Reviews, Customer
Briefings, Status Updates
Papers Peer Reviewed Papers
Reports (3)
• Summary/Abstract
– No more than one page
– Includes a brief introduction, actions taken,
results, and conclusions
– Usually written last
• Introduction/Background
– Two or three paragraphs describing the
background of the report content, i.e., a
discussion of the experiment and the expected
results
Reports (4)
• Discussion/Actions
– A discussion on the activities associated with the
experiment or the design solution, i.e., selection
of test equipment, components, wiring
requirements, measurements/test points, and any
anomalies noted
– It should be of sufficient detail that someone else
could replicate the results
Reports (5)
• Conclusions
– Was the lab or project completed successfully?
– Did you solve the problem?
– Were the results achieved as expected?
– Given any anomaly, what was the cause?
• Recommendations
– Based on the results, are there any recommended
changes, additions, or other suggestions for
projects?
Reports (6)
• Appendices/Data
– May be included as required to provide complete
information on the experiment or project
– Supports and validates your conclusions
– May include such items as:
• Equipment used, including model and serial numbers
• Drawings and diagrams
• All data taken in chart form
Communication Exercise
Presentations
• A presentation might involve doing an oral
report on your written report, reporting on
the status of a project or design, or even
involve persuading an audience to align to
your viewpoint
• Making an effective presentation involves two
important communications skills:
– Public speaking
– Being able to visually present information
Presentations
Public Speaking
• Surveys show that most
people fear death less than
speaking in front of other
people
• Fear of public speaking even
has a name, glossophobia
and that about 75% of people
suffer from it
Presentations
Public Speaking (2)
▪ Focus on single, well-defined topic
−Speak about what you know
▪ Know your audience
−Tailor your presentation to the main audience
▪ Always start by introducing yourself and the
topic
▪ Body language / slow down
▪ Use “tone of voice” to emphasize the point
being made
▪ To avoid “ums” pause between thoughts
Presentations
Public Speaking (3)
• Have thoughts in order before talking
– Plan, Plan, Plan and Practice
• Focus on the audience
– Don’t read the slides
▪ Don’t try to memorize the slides, you want to be natural
▪ If you do not know the answer – say so
▪ Don’t try to impress audience with technical terms
• Repeat when necessary
• When done with a point, stop talking
• Time management – know your time limit
– Typically 1 slide per minute
Presentations
The Content
• Title slide
• The Problem/Objective
• History
• Analysis
• Causes
• Review
• Results
• Conclusions/Recommendations
Presentations
Content (2)
• The presentation is a bulleted list to lead the discussion, not a
copy of the report
• You as the speaker will fill in the blanks for the audience
• Build a Story
• Keep it Relevant
• Use facts not opinions
• Limit mathematical equations on the slide
• Limit content – simplicity wins
– 8 to 10 words per line
– 6 to 8 lines per slide
Presentations
Content (3)
• Font size should be at least size 18
• Use color sparingly (particular colors may have specific
meanings to the audience)
• Data charts may be included (restricted to the font size noted)
• Use real examples for illustration
• Pictures are worth 1000 words
• If you are using embedded videos or online links, test them
• Limit animation for technical conference presentations
Circuit Example
Instrument Examples
Presentations
Content (4)
• Handouts
– Almost always appropriate
– Handing out at the beginning allows audience to
take notes on the material
• The downside on handing them out at the beginning
may cause problems with the “look ahead” syndrome
– Ensure that you have enough for entire audience
– Audience exercises should not be handed out until
you are ready to conduct that portion of the
presentation
Student Papers
• Similarity to reports, but intent is publication
• And there are many publications looking for papers from
students and practitioners
– Commercial, Engineering, Scholarly
• Most publications are looking for either scholarly papers
(research oriented) or technology papers (state of the art,
practical)
• Many professors will assist the author(s) for inclusion on the
author list
• Capstone Projects, Thesis, and Dissertations make good
resources for papers
– A project report can be converted to a paper
Student Papers (2)
• Papers closely follow reports in structure
• Note that the paper format may be dictated
by a national standard or by the organization
that is sponsoring the conference or journal
• References are required and are listed at the
end of the paper
• Papers are most often peer reviewed by at
least one person
Student Papers (3)
Paper Writing Tips
• Your paper needs to convince the audience of three
key points: that the problem is interesting, that it is
hard, and that you solved it
• Stay on point and keep it brief
• Use the active voice whenever possible
• Provide the facts and let the audience make the
judgment
• Avoid the use of “will”
• Use figures and examples whenever possible
• Never use the “first person”
• When describing an action that occurred in the past,
use past tense
Student Papers (4)
• Technical papers are a great way to develop your
technical competence and communication skills and they
also contribute to your professional résumé
• IEEE offers many options for getting papers published:
– https://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/auth
ors/paper.html
• And there are also IEEE Student Paper Competitions:
– https://www.ieee.org/membership_services/membership/stud
ents/awards/awards_regional.html
Other Tactics to Improve Your
Communications Skills
• Take a technical writing class
• Take a public speaking class
• Take a creative writing class
• Read (a variety of books and newspapers)
• Volunteer for IEEE-HKN or IEEE (Many
positions require writing skills)
Suggested Readings
• Cross, A. (2000). Talking Business – Strategies
for Successful Presentations, Prentice-Hall,
Canada.
• Floyd, R.E. (2006). “...but Johnny Can’t Write!”,
IEEE Professional Communications Society
Newsletter, September 2006.
• Riordan, D. G. (2005). Technical Report Writing
Today – 9th Edition, Houghton Mifflin, Boston.
Summary
• Effective communications skills are required if you are going to
succeed academically and also to prepare you for the
requirements of the engineering workplace
• The three academic communications requirements are:
Reports, Presentations and Papers
• Always start with the templates or formats required by the
professor
• Plan, Practice and Refine when it comes to all of your
communications
• Continue to explore options to develop and improve your
communications skills
Questions
