Technical Communication

Chapter 7

Effective Communication•Transfers vital info•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

Communication and Engineering•Must possess technical skills•Strong communication and teaming skills

lacking in entry-level candidates•Golden Rules of Communication for

Engineers:▫Brevity is best▫Using a shorter, simpler word is typically

preferable to a longer, more difficult word.

Minimal Time Decsion-Makers for Communication• Language using suited to audience?

▫ Do you know how to communicate effectively▫ Do you need to expand your communication skills

• What being said clear to readers?▫ Readers draw same conclusions you did▫ Words, phrases, ideas that lead to multiple

interpretations• Do you know your audience?

▫ Unique preferences, hidden expectations▫ Feelings about things being communicated

• Know how your audience perceives things?▫ Do all engineers see things the same way▫ Audience of non-engineers interpretations

Oral Communication Skills

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Formal and Informal Presentations• Formal

▫ Preset time and date Preparation needed

▫ May be made to: Colleagues Expert panels Design Competitions Conclusion projects Conferences Workplace

▫ Presentation software Handouts of slides

▫ Business attire

• Informal▫ Short▫ Preparation time less▫ Impromptu

Business context Technical meeting Meeting involving a

design team

Best Presentation Qualities•Give valuable info not have had otherwise

•Be in a form to be put into immediate use

•Motivate and inspire the audience to want to put the info to immediate use

Techniques Dealing with Nervousness• Breathing to avoid adrenaline overdrive

▫ Practice Square Breathing 7 seconds in, hold 7, 7 out, hold 7

• Visualize successful presentation• Tailor the talk to your strengths

▫ Use humor▫ Use props▫ Use your nervous habit▫ Use trivia

• Have presentation ready at least 1 day before

Preparation for Presentation• Identify purpose and

audience• Organize information• Gather information

needed to present• Create presentation

material with maximal audience impact

• Practice your presentation after it is prepared

Identify Purpose and Audience• Know your audience

▫ How many people?▫ How well do you know audience members?

Small audiences who are known, use names▫ What is the background of listeners▫ What are the expectations

Information, tone, level of formality▫ What does audience know about the topic▫ How long is your allotted time to speak

Organization of Presentation• Have a one-page summary

▫ Presentations longer than 5 minutes▫ Beginning of speech, let’s audience preview what is

coming ahead• Use the power of repetition

▫ “Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them”

• Provide written supplement▫ Helps audience focus on what you are saying▫ Not bogged down with writing presentation down

Organization of the Information• Introduction

▫ Who you are and why you did this• Need

▫ Why your engineering design needed• Solution

▫ You have the design that addresses the need, and here it is. Include major design features

• Bottom Line▫ Benefits and cost

• Conclusion

Gather Information Needed to Present• Information should pertain to 3 - 5 main points

• Use graphics, pictures and photos▫ Communicate a lot of info concisely

• Do not include too much or too little info▫ Approx 1 slide for every minute of speech

Do not exceed 30 seconds on 1 slide

Maximal Audience Impact in Presentation• KIS

▫ Keep It Simple

• Audience will remain with you▫ Accessible language▫ More than one way

the information is provided

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Maximizing Visual Impact• One central idea per slide

• Font size important

• Speaker may add details when needed• Orally identify/locate colors to help listeners• Use high contrast colors• DO NOT USE ALL CAPITALS• Graphs & Charts more effective than Tables

Maximize Visual Impact• The more a • Pointer needs• To• Be • Used• The worse • the slide

• Keep it Simple

Maximize Visual Impact• Try to be as brief as you possibly can in creation

of these PowerPoint slides because you do not want to overload the audience with unuseful information

• Cluttered slides are hard to read and cause the audience to focus their attention somewhere else (Kind of like what most of you are doing right now)

• Two clear understandable slides are better than one cluttered slide

Maximize Auditory Impact•Be an enthusiastic speaker

▫“There are no boring topics, only boring presentations.”

•Master your subject▫Read the audience, not your note cards

•Use pauses to your advantage

Kinematic Methods• Engages audience• Make sure everyone can

see a demonstration▫ Point out major

concepts and ideas• With direct engagement,

assist audience through step-by-step process▫ “Has everyone finished

this step.”

How would you like this in front of you at a ballgame?

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Practice, Practice, Practice

•Practicing presentations out loud allows for insight into technique

•Will know how long presentation goes•More familiar you become with a topic•Showing the audience you are familiar

with the topic will make them and you more confident in the subject

Getting Started• First 10 - 30 s critical• Introduce yourself and

topic• Establish level of formality• Establish tone• Interaction with audience

establishes rapport• Monitor audience during

Presentation Hardware• Know how the

equipment works beforehand

• Overheads• Ensure video

projection system is compatible▫ May bring your own

just in case

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How does this work!?

Written Communication Skills

Grammatical Issues• Each paragraph should address a single topic• Avoid cliches• Its and It’s

▫ Its = Denotes possession▫ It’s = It is

• Affect and Effect▫ Affect - Verb

To Influence▫ Effect - Noun

Result

The Audience

•Ask yourself▫“Who is going to read this, anyway?”

•Consider needs and perspectives of audience

•Technical material needs to be clear and concise

Technical Writing• Identifies the main

premise early on• Is clear, objective, and

economical• Follows a specific

format• Takes a problem-

solving approach

• Involves specialized vocabulary

• Incorporates signs, symbols, formulas, graphs, and tables

• Documents completed work

Unique Aspects of Technical Writing• Content

▫ Factual and objective• Methodical Construction

▫ Present most essential info first, followed by supporting statements

• Clarity• Objectivity

▫ Unemotional and unbiased• Importance in Workplace

Formats of Written Communication• Brief notes to a

superior peer• Hand-written

reminders• Informal reports• Memos• Formal reports• Visual presentations

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Formal Reports• Title

▫ Brief, clear, and appropriate introduction• Summary

▫ What was attempted, how accomplished, and what the implications are

• Table of Contents▫ Each heading listed found in report with page

number• Nomenclature

▫ List and define all symbols used in report

Formal Reports• Introduction

▫ State the motivation of experiment and background information

• Analysis▫ Begin with basic, general relationships and proceed

to specific formulas used in interpretation of data▫ All relevant mathematical steps presented

• Experimental Procedure▫ Schematic representation of experiment equipment

or simulation program

Formal Reports• Results

▫ Short, declarative statements of the results which summarize specific data presented in graphs or tables

• Discussion▫ Interpret results, what was expected, what was

unexpected, and what is of technical interest• Conclusions

▫ Concise statements that clearly communicate what results indicate

Formal Reports• References

▫ Author’s last name, then first and middle initial List coauthors with initials first

▫ Title of source quoted▫ Edition of source▫ Volume of source (if applicable)▫ City of publication (from source’s title page)▫ Publisher▫ Date of Publication▫ Pages references

Formal Reports• Example References

▫ Gomez, A.G., W.C. Oakes, and L.L. Leone. “Technical Communication,” Engineering Your Future. Edition 1, Okemos, MI. Great Lakes Press, Inc. pp. 151 - 180

▫ Serge, E., ed., Experimental Nuclear PhysicsI, 1st ed., Vol. 1, New York: Wiley, 1953,pp. 6-10

Formal Reports

•Appendices

▫Lengthy calculations and side issues not related to main theme placed here

▫Is the piece required as part of the investigation for the report? No = Appendix

Communication Checklists• Formal Report

▫ Title Page Title of Paper Course/Project Date Due Section Meeting Time Name

▫ References Initials for first name All necessary info

included References numbered in

text lines like this: [1]

• Checklists make sure you have included everything in the report that is needed

• Customized Checklists can be made for each communication format

Other Types of Communication

Executive Summaries• Assumes managerial perspective instead of

technical one• Presents simple facts and describes key elements

in non-technical language• Contains enough info for clear decisions

▫ Background of situation/problem▫ Cost Factors▫ Conclusions▫ Recommendations

Proposals• Address a specific need and describe the

problem at issue, define a solution, and request funding or other resources to solve a problem

• Request For Proposal (RFP) guidelines▫ What the proposal should cover▫ What sections it should have▫ When it should be submitted▫ To whom it should be sent▫ How evaluated with regard to other proposals

Proposal ABC Format

•A: Abstract▫Purpose▫Reader’s main need▫Main features you offer and related

benefits▫Overview of proposal sections to follow

Proposal ABC Format

•B: Body▫What do you want to solve and why?▫What are the technical details of your

approach?▫Who will do the work, and with what?▫When will it be done, and how long will it

take?▫How much will it cost?

Proposal ABC Format

•C: Conclusion▫Emphasize a main benefit or feature of

your proposal▫Restate your interest in doing the work▫Indicate what should happen next

Memos

•Convenient, relatively informal way to communicate the existence of a problem, propose some course of action, describe a procedure, or report the result of a test

•Must be carefully prepared, thoughtfully written, and thoroughly proofread for errors

Memos

•Introduction▫Summarizes memos purpose

•Conclusion▫Restates the main points and contains

recommendations

Title Format for Memo• To: name, job title

departmentorganization

• From: name, job titledepartmentorganization

• Subject: (or “Re:”) issue addressed in memo• Date: date• Dist: (Distribution) list of others receiving memo (if applicable)• Encl: (Enclosure) list of other items included (if applicable)• Ref: (Reference) list of related documents (if applicable)

Email

•Use proper grammar▫Appropriate sentence structure,

subject/verb agreement, spelling, flow•Carefully proofread, edit, and spellcheck•Think about response before sending

▫Wait as long as possible before sending a response, even if you only have an hour

Email Cautions

•Never use when face-to-face dialog is needed

•Do not use when formal documentation is required▫Does not carry status of formal report

•Not as private as you think

Progress Reports• Attractive and easy to understand• Introduction

▫ Scope of work being done, purpose of the work, and any major changes that have been required

• Project Description▫ Completed phases, time taken to complete, and

phases to be completed• Summary

▫ Summarize main points of action and reiterate where you are along the road to completion

Problem Statements

•Explicitly states problem to be investigated and outlines course of action to be taken

•Correctly defining problem is vital▫Work with data you have already collected▫Consult contacts who have knowledge of

the problem▫Investigate the problem first-hand

Cover Letters•Sent along with resumes and transcripts

to potential employers•Introduces you to the company in a

conversational manner•Opportunity to communicate what you

have to offer to them•May open doors if written properly or

slam them shut if written poorly

Specifics in a Cover Letter• Date, your address and phone number, and the

name and address of the person to whom you are writing

• 1st paragraph▫ Introduction of yourself, reason you are writing the

letter, source of your information about the employer, and position for which you would like to apply

• 2nd paragraph▫ Brief resume description, hitting highlights

Specifics in a Cover Letter

•3rd paragraph▫“Current” information which may not yet

be appropriately included in your resume Courses taking, research involved in,

activities about to engage in•4th paragraph

▫Summary paragraph thanking reader “in advance” for consideration

Resumes•Sells you and your qualifications•Two main types

▫Skills Resume No significant work experience Highlights skills and talents to benefit the

potential employer▫Experience Resume

Highlights prior work experience relevant to job being applied for

Resumes• Many formats for resume, must include essential

information▫ Name▫ Address▫ Phone Number▫ Educational Background▫ Previous Employment▫ Extracurricular Activities

• Highlight key elements in BOLD• Have many people critique your resume and evaluate

all comments, tailoring to fit you

Resume Checklist•Information

▫Objective clearly stated▫Objective supported by education,

experience, activities, and honors▫Experience, education, and/ or skills

segment are effective▫Al activities, honors, and other data are

appropriate for the employment and the reader

Resume Checklist

•Organization▫Name and key headings stand out▫Information within each heading is ordered

from most to least important▫Experience segment is arranged to

highlight your strengths and career objective

Resume Checklist

•Style▫Language is simple, direct, and precise▫Noun phrases are consistently used to

describe experience, skills, and activities▫Parallel structure is used effectively▫Have no errors in grammar, punctuation, or

spelling (no typos whatsoever)

Thank-You Letters• Thank the individuals who interviewed you for

the position applied for

• Do not wait more than 48 hours to send

• Businesslike and concise

• May put you ahead of the competition

Thank-You Letter Contents• 1st paragraph

▫ Thank the interviewers for their time and reiterate your interest in working for their company

• 2nd paragraph▫ Briefly restate your qualifications▫ Address any positive qualities failed to mentioned

during interview

Thank-You Letter Contents• 3rd paragraph

▫ Close with a final thank-you▫ Express interest in hearing back from the

interviewer▫ May give specific timeframe to when you will follow

up with a phone call▫ Provide interviewer with phone numbers where you

can be reached and e-mail address• Additional Advice

▫ Personalize each Thank-You Letter▫ May open other doors or future opportunities