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Communications
Learning Objectives
1. Be able to explain why good communication
skills are important in engineering.
2. Be able to prepare materials suitable for
use in an engineering presentation reporting
the status or results of a project or study.
3. Be able to prepare and give an elevator
pitch about an idea, topic, or yourself .
4. Be able to prepare an executive summary
for a project
5. Be able to prepare a technical report for a
project
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Importance of Communication
Top Ten Qualities/Skills Employers Want
1. Communication skills
2. Honesty/Integrity
3. Interpersonal skills (relate well to others)
4. Strong work ethic
5. Teamwork skills (work well with others)
6. Analytical skills
7. Motivation/Initiative
8. Flexibility/Adaptability
9. Computer skills
10. Detail orientated
source:Job Outlook 2005(Bethlehem, PA: National Association
of Colleges and Employers
3
Importance of Communication
Breakdown of activities in
communicating
One study suggests engineers spend 20% of their time in actual
engineering, with 80% of their time communicating with
coworkers, clients, vendors, designers, and managers
Of the 80% of engineers work effort spent in
communicating:
25% is in writing
Listening Skills
Maintain eye contact with the instructor.
Focus on content, not delivery.
Avoid emotional involvement.
Avoid distractions.
Treat listening as a challenging mental task.
Stay active by asking mental questions.
Use the gap between the rate of speech and
your rate of thought.
Invisible Gorilla
50% of audience did not see the
gorilla
We think that we
see, notice, and
10
Presentations
For many students, the act of giving an oral
presentation is a more daunting task than submitting
written documents.
Preparing for the presentation
Who is the audience?
What is the purpose?
Why are you giving the talk?
How long should the talk be?
Visual Aids
Keep each slide simple, one concept per slide
No more than 6 lines per slide. (In spite of this slide)
No more than one slide per minute
Present data in simple graphs rather than lists or
tables
Use pictures, diagrams, videos
Use bullet points with important phrases to convey
ideas
Large Text size (at least 18 points, preferably >24
points)
Use high contrasting colors. Avoid light colors such
as yellow
Keep background styles simple to minimize
distractions
How to Improve?
Activity
In your text, pages 102-103. Critique the two ICA 4-1
and 4-2 student presentations.
How would you improve these PowerPoint
presentations?
Non-verbal Communications
Unfortunately the saying Dont judge a book by its
cover is not always followed
Clothes, cleanliness, posture, facial expressions, can
cause some members of the audience to form
opinions about your talk before you get started.
60% of all human communication is non-verbal
body language; 30% of communication is your tone,
so that means 90% of what your are saying, aint
coming out of your mouth- Alex Hitch Hitchens
Non-Verbal CommunicationsRecommendations
Dress appropriately for the event
Maintain eye contact
Use a variety of facial expressions- SMILE at the
audience
Show good posture, shoulders back, stand up straight
Use hand gestures (but dont over do or become too
animated)
Speaker proximity- standing at a podium seems
formal, while moving to audience seems more informal
Be animated. Avoid speaking in a monotone.
Written Communications
20% of Engineering activity is
Gather the data collected and organize into Tables and Figures
Report Guideline
Use lists:Whenever you can, help your reader by
Summary /Conclusions
No new data or insights should be introduced in
conclusions
Once you have introduced the problem, detail it and explain the
importance of your solution. Include as many specifics as possible.
Proofing
Email Etiquette as a
Professional
emoticons
Dont request read and delivery receipts.
Email Etiquette as a
Professional
39
Presentation Activity
Prepare a 48 x 36 poster using PowerPoint
Topics: One of the Engineering Majors at
Texas A&M given in the video presentations
Create individually, but critique as a team,
then submit individually
Submit the posters to the discussion forum in
eCampus by 8:00 am Monday the 19th
Comment on at least 3 posters before class on
Thursday the 22nd. These should be from at
least 3 different departments.