Chapter 14: Communication Skills

Front 1

Effective Communication:

Back 1

Transfers vital information
¨ Provides a basis for judging your knowledge
¨ Conveys your interest and competence
¨ Increases the knowledge of others
¨ Identifies to you the gaps in your information
¨ Allows you to carry out desired changes

Front 2

Engineers must have a diverse set of skills,
including:

Back 2

Technical skills to complete analyses, evaluation,
and design
¨ Strong communication and teaming skills
¨ One of the biggest complaints of employers of
entry-level engineers is lack of communication
and teaming skills

Front 3

Two Golden Rules of Communication for Engineers:

Back 3

1. Brevity is best
2. Using a shorter, simpler word is typically
preferable to a longer, more difficult word.

Front 4

Two types of presentations:

Back 4

1. Formal
2. Informal

Front 5

The best presentations:

Back 5

1. Give valuable information the audience would not
have had otherwise
2. Be in a form that the audience can put into
immediate use
3. Motivate and inspire the audience to want to put
your presented information into immediate use

Front 6

If you are Nervous:

Back 6

1. Learn to control and relax your breathing
2. Take 3 deep breaths before you start
3. Practice square breathing (7 counts inhaling, 7
counts holding, 7 counts exhaling, 7 counts holding,
and repeat if necessary)
4. Visualize yourself successfully presenting your talk
5. Work with your nervousness by tailoring the talk to
your strengths.

Front 7

Other Tips to Combat Nervousness:

Back 7

1. Use humor
2. Use props
3. Use your nervous habit
4. Use trivia

Front 8

Before the Presentation

Back 8

1. Identify your purpose and audience
2. Organize the information
3. Gather the information you need to present
4. Create presentation material with maximal
audience impact
5. Practice your presentation after it is prepared.

Front 9

Identify Your Purpose and Audience

Back 9

1. How many people will you be speaking to?
2. How well do you know your audience?
3. What are the demographics of your audience?
4. What is the audience expecting from you?
5. What does the audience know about your topic?
6. How long is your allotted time to speak?

Front 10

Formal Reports

Back 10

¨ Title Keep brief, clear and appropriate
¨ Summary Written last, but presented early in report
¨ Table of Contents
¨ Nomenclature List and define all symbols used in report
¨ Introduction Should state the motivation for any
experiment
¨ Analysis Should begin with the general, progress to the
specific
¨ Experimental Procedures
¨ Diagrams are very helpful here; try to place any figures
on the same page in which they are referenced
¨ Make figures at least one-third of a page in size
¨ Figures and tables should have clear and complete titles

Front 11

Request for Proposal (RFP) guidelines:

Back 11

¨ What the proposal should cover
¨ What sections it should have
¨ When is should be submitted
¨ To whom it should be sent
¨ How it will be evaluated

Front 12

Follow the ABC format:

Back 12

¨ Abstract Provides summary; include a “hook”
¨ Body Provides details
¨ Conclusion Makes the main benefit of proposal clear