Why do engineers need to be good communicators?
- Engineers create solutions to complex problems. If these ideas are not understood, they will not get implemented.
- In order to peer review an engineer’s work, it must be explained in clear and succinct terms.
- Customers judge an engineer’s work by what they read or hear. If not clearly communicated, the customer’s impression will not be what is expected.
I’m sure there are many other reasons, but these should be reason enough to focus on communication. Surprisingly, however, many engineers don’t think presentations, written reports, or other methods of presenting ideas are important or they just don’t know how to present their work in a well organized, persuasive manner.
If you want or need to improve your communication skills, try the following:
- Acknowledge it is important and make it a priority.
- Practice on your own and dry run with someone you feel comfortable with.
- Ask for help from effective communicators who know how to get their point across.
- Read everything you can find on communications. Some relevent book titles on my iPad, include:
- Influencer, by Joseph Grenny and Kerry Paterson
- HBR’s Ten Must Reads on Communication – Harvard Business Review
- Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High,
by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzle\
So, the next time you need to present or explain your work, try putting an extra effort on the presentation itself. Make it interesting and persuasive, practice, and see if people notice the difference!