Communications

Your Key to Successin Engineering

Key Part of Your Job

Verbally Phone calls Voice mail Meetings Presentations

Engineers spend more than 1/2 their work days communicating!

Key Part of Your Job

In Writing

Engineers spend more than 1/2 their work days communicating!

E-mails Memos Reports Letters Specifications

Design a City Well Meet with City

Council to define need

Work with drafter to develop plans

Phone calls to suppliers

Write specifications Complete Unambiguous

Phone calls, letters to secure funding

Present plans, costs to City Council

Write Request for Bids Conduct bid opening Review change orders Process payment

requests

Key to Getting a JobIn a national survey, 166

employers were asked, “What was the most common reason for not offering a job?”1. Lacked technical qualifications2. Poor communications skills

Employers Want Skills!From a national survey of engineering employers:

97% ranked writing and speaking skills as “Important” or “Most Important”. (56% ranked them “Most Important”!)59% identified the graduates they interviewed as having “Inferior” skills. (Only 3% were identified as “Superior”)

But…From a National Research Council report on Engineering Education:

“Engineers are strong in analytical skills and engineering science, while weak in written and oral communications.”

Key to YOUR Success

No matter how good your design, it will never be built unless you can convince the owners that your ideas solve their problem!

What Can You Do?You have 4-5 years to build skills

Take classes Engl 387 – Technical Writing Spch 100 – Speech Communications Spch 211 – Argumentation and Debate Spch 230 – Acting I Phil 110 – Practical Reasoning

Join Toastmasters Join clubs, volunteer to lead