What Every Engineer Should Know About Business CommunicationBy John X. Wang

Table of Contents

Analyze Communication Purpose and Audience
How Engineers Learn
How Engineers Are Persuaded
Speak or Write: Select the Right Communication Channel
Consider Your Communication Purpose and Audience
Section 1: Spear Your Way to Engineering Success
Projecting the Image of the Engineering Profession
Overcome Anxiety
Primary Impact: Nonverbal Body Language
Secondary Impact: Control Your Vocal Quality, Volume, and Pace
Optimize Your Presentation Environment
Presentation Aids
Engineering: The Real da Vinci Code
Speaking Visually—Guidelines for Using Presentation Aids
Choosing among Options
Creating Visuals with Impact
Delivering with Visuals
Organize Your Talk
Planning Your Talk
Conducting an Audience Analysis: 39 Questions
Organizing Your Talk in Seven Easy Stages
Getting Attention and Keeping Interest
 “Five Minutes Early”—Time Management for Your Presentation
Delivering Your Introduction
Presenting Your Conclusion
Handling Audience Response
Create the Environment
Handle with C.A.R.E
Deal with Hostile Questions
Deal with Other Types of Questions
Control the Q&A Session
Thinking on Your Feet
Section 2: Write Your Way for Business Impact
Organizing for Emphasis
Make Your Bottom Line the Top Line
Purpose Statement and Blueprints
Open Long Reports with a Summary
Use More Topic Sentences
Develop Headings
Structure Vertical Lists
Write As If Talking to Your Engineering Associates
Use Personal Pronouns
Rely On Everyday Words
Use Short, Spoken Transitions
Keep Sentences Short
Reach Out to Your Engineering Readers by Asking Questions
 “5 Whys”—A Technique for Engineering Problem Solving
 “Lean” Your Expressions
Introduction
Prune Wordy Expressions
Use Strong Verbs
Cut Doublings and Noun Strings
Eliminate Unnecessary Determiners and Modifiers
Change Phrases into Single Words
Change Unnecessary Clauses into Phrases or Single Words
Avoid Overusing “It is” and “There is”
Eight Steps for Lean Writing
Write Actively—Engineering Is about Actions
Active Voice: “Albert Einstein Wrote the Theory of Relativity”
How to Recognize the Passive Voice
How to Write Actively—Use Three Cures
Write Passively for Good Reasons Only
Theory of Completed Staff Work
Section 3: Integrating Your Speaking and Writing Skills
Everyday Engineering Communications—E-Mails,
Phone Calls, and Memos
Effective E-mail Writing: Seven Things to Remember
How to Be Productive on the Phone
 “Memos Solve Problems”
 
Visuals for Engineering Presentation—Engineers Think in Pictures
Optimize Slide Layout
Display Engineering Data Effectively
How to Develop Effective Graphics
Write Winning Grant Proposals
Know Your Audience.
Understand Your Goal and Marketing Strategy
Select the Correct Writing Style
Organize Your Proposal around the Four Ps
A Brief Checklist before Submitting Your Proposal
How to Effectively Prepare Engineering Reports
Writing an Effective Progress Report
Develop Informative Design Reports
Listening—Interactive Communication about Engineering Risk
Listening—A Forgotten Risk Communication Skill
Listening—Harder Than Speaking and Writing
How to Listen to Voices of Customers about Risk
Listen Attentively: Understanding What Drives Perceived Risk
Thirteen Questions about Risk Communication