IEEE-USA E-BOOKS

Critical Thinking
Skills for Engineers–
BOOK 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS
by Sridhar Ramanathan

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To Sophia, our youngest child, who is a force of nature.

Copyright © 2019 by IEEE-USA and by Sridhar Ramanathan. All rights reserved.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Asking Important Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Active Listening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Expressing Opinions and Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Managing Conflict . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Written Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Running a Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Collaborating on a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

More on Managing Conflict . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

CRITICAL THINKING FOR ENGINEERS–BOOK 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS 1

INTRODUCTION

I
n the first book on Critical Thinking for Engineers, we delved into analytical
skills—the ability to examine something carefully, whether it is a problem,
a set of data, or text. People with well-honed analytical skills create
richer, better solutions to real-world challenges. Let’s continue building upon
analytical skills, but now in the context of a team, department, or larger
organization—where communication skills will play a vital role in your
success as an engineer. Often, you will need to share your thinking and
conclusions with your employers, or with a group of colleagues. You
might also need to engage in critical thinking as a group—where both
oral and written communications will be essential to group effectiveness
in achieving a specific goal. This e-book focuses on the key elements of
communication skills to advance the critical thinking of a group-at-large.
We will cover the following:

1. Asking important questions

2. Active listening

3. Expressing opinions and ideas

4. Managing conflict

5. Written communication

6. Presentation

7. Running a team meeting

8. Collaborating on a project

9. More on managing conflict

CRITICAL THINKING FOR ENGINEERS–BOOK 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS 2

ASKING IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

E
ric Schmidt, CEO of Google, stated in an interview with Time: “We
run the company by questions, not by answers. So, in the strategy
process we've so far formulated 30 questions that we have to
answer.”1 A Harvard Business Review article, “The Surprising Power of
Questions,” asserts that “questioning is a uniquely powerful tool for
unlocking value in organizations: It spurs learning and the exchange of
ideas; it fuels innovation and performance improvement; it builds rapport
and trust among team members. And it can mitigate business risk, by
uncovering unforeseen pitfalls and hazards."2 In my first e-book on
Critical Thinking for Engineers, I discussed how to ask thoughtful ques-
tions, as it relates to an engineering problem needing solving.3 Let’s now
look at three ways to pose questions to fellow engineers and manage-
ment, when discussing an engineering challenge:

• Use a friendly tone to elicit better responses. If you ask a question

with a cynical, judgmental, or an accusatory tone, it immediately sets
up an ineffective team dynamic—defensive, rather than expansive and
productive. Instead, ask questions from a place of genuine curiosity and
exploration. You’ll find people will open up and bring more of their full
creativity to the exercise.

• Ask open ended questions. The broader the line of thinking and discussion,
the more likely your team will devise a breakthrough, and come up with an
elegant solution. Try questions such as the following:

–– What problem are we trying to solve?

–– What new possibilities are we opening up?

–– Why is this important to address? What’s at stake here?

–– What criteria do we use to evaluate solutions?

–– What inputs or data do we need to make a team decision?

• Dig deeper. Follow up with questions to explore further—before you move

on to another solution or topic. Clarify and confirm assumptions that will
1 Source : http://content.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1541446,00.html
2 Link to eBook Critical Thinking for Engineers chapter on “Asking Thoughtful Questions”
3 Source : https://hbr.org/2018/05/the-surprising-power-of-questions

CRITICAL THINKING FOR ENGINEERS–BOOK 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS 3

 affect engineering decisions. Often, this step of checking assumptions will
flag differing strategies and disconnects among team members that can,
if undetected, lead to wasted cycles downstream—due to re-work, missed
deadlines, and incomplete solutions.

Tip: Spend time upfront asking questions. Being conscious of the way
you pose questions and propose answers can affect team dynamics.

CRITICAL THINKING FOR ENGINEERS–BOOK 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS 4

ACTIVE LISTENING

E
ngineers spend a great deal of time in meetings, on conference calls, and
in ad hoc discussions, hearing and giving presentations; and in general,
being in a team setting. Honing your listening skills will prove to be one of
the greatest keys to your effectiveness as an engineer in advancing good ideas,
recommendations and solutions. In such a team context, listening must move
the ball forward, as this Harvard Business Review article encourages, “…the
highest and best form of listening comes in playing the same role for the other
person that a trampoline plays for a child. It gives energy, acceleration, height
and amplification. These are the hallmarks of great listening.”4

Let’s break down the different archetypes that listeners may fall into, and
how that might affect critical thinking and team effectiveness.

• The Critic: Listening from a place of “Do I agree with this?” or “Is this
right or wrong?” The Critic listens from a place of judging the value of
what’s being said, whether it’s logical or justified, and perhaps even going
so far as assessing the speaker themselves. While it’s not a good idea to
judge the person, it may be an appropriate mode—when you are there
to make a final decision on behalf of the group. Just be careful that this
mode does not limit rich thinking and discussion.

• The Expert: Do you find yourself saying to yourself within the first 30
seconds, “Yeah, I already know this, and I think…?” You might be making a
premature judgment, and missing out on the rest of what your teammate
has to say, which may not prove to be highly insightful. Since expressing a
snap judgment can shut down teammates from speaking up, it’s better to
hold your comment. Allow the discussion to unfold fully.

• The Challenger: Some team meeting participants may be listening from

a place of preparing a counter argument, or a dismissive comment, to
advance their own agenda—rather than hearing out the person’s point of
view. Doing so will either shut down the speaker, or lead to a potentially
combative debate—neither of which will lead to the group's best outcome.
If posed as a nonthreatening question, however, a challenging assertion—
delivered politely—may move the group’s thinking to greater clarity.

• The Student: Listening from this place means absorbing what’s being said as
useful information. It requires a bit of humility and refraining from judgment,

4 https://hbr.org/2016/07/what-great-listeners-actually-do

CRITICAL THINKING FOR ENGINEERS–BOOK 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS 5

 evaluation and critique. Feel free to formulate questions in your mind, as most
students do when learning.

• The Observer: Oddly, this one is still about listening—but it’s about using
your eyes and ears to note the person’s nonverbal cues. As the Harvard
Business Review article notes, cues such as facial expression, gestures,
body language, etc., are thought to make up more than 80 percent of
communications. Note also how the speaker delivers their comments in
terms of the underlying emotion, tone and confidence. All of these can
affect the team dynamic, and your own inferences on the topic at hand.

Clearly, we all flit between these different archetypes when listening to

someone—whether one on one, or in a group context. The key is being self-
aware enough to catch which mode we are in at any given moment, and
adjust as necessary to best serve our purpose in advancing the engineering
effort. Of course, being so highly self-aware is neither easy nor realistic.
Here are three tips that might help:

1. Breathe—If you notice you are getting frustrated, anxious, or generally

uncomfortable when listening—then just take five slow breaths, counting
to five as you inhale each time. This breath work will help calm any
reactivity, so you can listen better.

2. Talking stick—Sometimes a team dynamic occurs in which too many

people are talking at once, or perhaps one or two people are dominating
the discussion. Suggest a “talking stick”—which can be a whiteboard
eraser, pen, or any object that grants the floor to the holder. This tool
enables everyone to slow down and listen better.

3. Take a break—Sometimes engineering meetings reach a place where

you may notice that some team members are withdrawing a bit from their
active participation, or you sense that engineers are not listening well
enough to what’s being said. At this point, it’s helpful to suggest a brief
recess (stretch break), or even schedule a follow-up meeting to revisit the
topic with a fresh start.

See the “Art of Listening”5 for additional helpful tips on how to encourage
more active listening in group settings.

Tip: Active listening requires being aware of the filters we may have
on (e.g., the critic, the expert, the student, etc.), and using questions
to encourage understanding.
5 https://blog.lifeway.com/womenallaccess/2014/10/21/the-art-of-listening/

CRITICAL THINKING FOR ENGINEERS–BOOK 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS 6

EXPRESSING OPINIONS AND IDEAS

J
anice came out of the meeting fuming. She was in a design review for a
key software module for the next major release of their award-winning
enterprise application. Why the anger? She had some great ideas, but the
engineering team didn’t seem to hear her, and someone else stating the same
idea walked away with all the credit for an amazing contribution. Have you ever
left a meeting kicking yourself for not having stood up more for your opinions or
ideas? We live in world where the competition for your brain’s attention is more
fierce than at any time in history. So, when advancing an opinion or idea in an
engineering meeting context, you have to do more than just rely on good ideas
to speak for themselves—you must do more to be heard. What could Janice
have done differently to ensure her wonderful contribution could register with
her colleagues and managers in that meeting? Here are seven tips:

1. Lean in—Physically lean in at the conference room table, or in the video

conference call, so your face and body are more visible. Body language
accounts for a huge percentage of communication, so when you lean in, it
sets a cue to others that you’re taking the floor.

2. Speak up—Often the people who are heard are the ones whose voices
are clear, strong and confident. It doesn’t mean you have to yell. It
means, speak louder than you normally do; clearly articulate your points,
with emphasis on certain important words; and make eye contact, as you
deliver your message.

3. Power up—Practice making short, declarative statements. Avoid weaker

openings, such as: “I was just thinking,” or “maybe we should,” or “perhaps
another solution is…” Instead, assert powerful statements, such as: “I
strongly recommend we,” or “I believe we must,” or “I think a better solution
is.” Start with the key point, then add in justification and explanation—only
as necessary. Summarize your key point before you stand down.

4. Avoid caveats—One of the sure ways to lose your audience, or to

undermine your power and credibility is to put too many disclaimers on
your strong assertion (see point 2 above). For example, avoid saying: “I
think…but,” or “Having said that, we should also consider,” or “I’m also
concerned that.” All of these phrases water down your central point.

5. Pose a question—One way to be heard is to disrupt a discussion

flow—by raising your hand, and posing a tough question that’s still very

CRITICAL THINKING FOR ENGINEERS–BOOK 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS 7

 relevant to the topic-at-hand. People tend instinctively to want to respond
to a question, so it gives you a window to be heard. Then, answer your
own question with the point you wish to make. For example, you might
ask: “Can we do better?” Pause, then state: “I propose that we…”

6. Neutralize interruptions—One way that engineers lose in the battle for

advancing ideas is to allow colleagues, or others, to interrupt you as you’re
making your point. It’s best to be forceful here, without being disrespectful,
or coming across as arrogant. You can hold up your hand and simply
say: “Let me finish my thought, and I promise to circle back to you in a
moment.” Then, make your point succinctly. Remember to avoid caveats,
digressing into a lot of detail, or bringing up unnecessary justifications.

7. Follow up—After the meeting, be sure to follow up with your manager

or team leader to ensure your point is heard. You can do so in an
email, team project management wiki page, or other tool where project
conversations are taking place. Documenting your idea is a great way
to memorialize your point, so others can’t take credit. I know it sounds
rather political, but engineers who advocate and promote their ideas, are
the ones who tend to have the biggest impact in an organization.

Tip: Being heard requires proactive effort to lean in, speak up,
focus your message, and take the additional steps outlined above to
improve your impact.

CRITICAL THINKING FOR ENGINEERS–BOOK 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS 8

MANAGING CONFLICT

B
y now in your career, you’ve probably already had a conflict or two with
a colleague or manager. Conflict is a reality in any organization. Paul
Breaux, IEEE author of Managing Conflict in Engineering Organizations
states: “Every aspect of an engineering organization—from low-level task
accomplishment or project management, to upper-level planning and
establishment of organizational goals and objectives—involves some degree
of conflict.”6 The key, however, is to apply a bit of critical thinking to see how
to turn conflict into greater contribution. For example, what is the conflict
really about? Is it a personality clash, disagreement about a problem or
solution, differing values, schedule issues? The first step is to reflect on the
conflict itself, and tease out for yourself what is driving the conflict. Jayna
Fey in The Digital Project Manager rightly notes: “Every conflict is a break-
down in communication.”7 So let’s use some communication techniques to
help manage conflicts better. Here are seven steps to managing conflict:

1. Take it offline, and meet face-to-face—If your conflict is happening in

an email thread, text chat, Slack page, etc.—then stop now, and request
a face-to-face meeting (video is fine, if you’re remote). Written notes
tend to inflame conflict, because they come across harsher than intended.

2. Check in on feelings—Before and during your conversation with the

person with whom you’re in conflict, notice your feelings as well as
theirs—anger, fear, resentment, jealously, and even betrayal are common
feelings that arise in conflicts. It’s ok, and even advisable to name these
feelings. Give yourself permission to feel that way.

3. Avoid taking it personally—Unless the conflict has devolved to outright

name calling, most of the time the differences have less to do with you
personally, and more to do with disagreements on ideas, assumptions,
values and approaches.

4. Identify the root causes of the conflict—With your colleague, home in

on what exactly the conflict is about. Do you have different assumptions,
conclusions, beliefs, priorities, timelines, etc.? Knowing why you disagree
helps tee up possible solutions.

5. Focus on common goals—If you zoom out far enough from the immediate
conflict at hand, you’ll find that you and the other person have many common
6 https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/5235206
7 https://thedigitalprojectmanager.com/12-conflict-resolution-techniques-workplace/

CRITICAL THINKING FOR ENGINEERS–BOOK 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS 9

 goals. For example, you probably share the same broader organization’s
goals—to build something great, a desire to win in the market, and to
advance your careers. This important step helps provide context and
perspective for the area of conflict.

6. Collaborate on solutions—Now that you understand better why there’s

a conflict, you can strive for a superior solution—whether it’s convincing
the other of your viewpoint; or generating an even better outcome
through joint brainstorming. However, you may conclude you have to
escalate the situation to your management—to “break the tie,” or make
the call on what’s right for the organization. Colleagues will view you in
high regard, if you go to your management with a proposal, or at least a
few options you’ve both discussed.

7. Let it go and move forward—Christian Knutson, author of Resolving

Conflict in Your Engineer Career, said it best: “It’s your job as a leader,
regardless at what level, to move a conflict toward a positive outcome.
Conflict can destroy relationships, and reduce the overall effectiveness of
a team or organization in achieving goals and objectives. So, before your
next conflict, consider how you will resolve the situation to preserve rela-
tionships, and move all parties towards their desired objectives.”8

Tip: Practice these seven steps the next time you run into conflict
with a colleague or a manager. Strive to turn conflict into greater
contribution for your organization.

8 https://www.engineering.com/JobArticles/ArticleID/10575/Resolving-Conflict-In-Your-Engineering-Career.aspx

CRITICAL THINKING FOR ENGINEERS–BOOK 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS 10

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

W
hether you’re writing technical documentation, commenting on the
software code you wrote, or jotting a quick email to your team,
the art of writing is critical to your success as an engineer. The
stakes are high. One famous written miscommunication resulted in the
1999 NASA Mars Climate Orbiter’s burning up in the Martian atmosphere,
because scientists did not convert units from Imperial to metric. Engineers
had assumed the onboard software had calculated pounds of force, as
opposed to the metric unit of Newtons.9 So, writing clearly and accurately
really matters. Let’s look at some best practices in engineering writing. All
of these practices apply, whether you’re writing an email or a full-blown
technical manual.

• Have a clear purpose—Are you writing to inform, persuade, describe,

justify, defend, inspire, collaborate, characterize, document, educate,
etc.? Knowing why you’re writing will help you adjust your style and
content length to achieve the specific purpose.

• Know your reader—Your writing style, length and word use should
all vary, depending on your audience. For example, writing for senior
management should be concrete, specific and short. Writing for an
end-user to follow specific installation steps might be much longer,
and should be in plain English. Writing for a fellow engineer in the
design phase might be more descriptive, technical, and full of specs
and acronyms you both already know.

• Start with your point—In this era of 280-character tweets, text

messages, and short emails, we’ve trained each other to have little
patience to read long-form content. Do what journalists do, with the
“inverted pyramid”10 approach. Start with a short headline. Cover the
basic who, what, where, when, why and how questions. Then, go into
further details, such as justifications, for your point of view.

• Simplify the complex—Mark Twain once wrote, “I didn't have time to

write a short letter, so I wrote a long one, instead.”11 It takes effort to
write concisely, clearly, and in the most impactful way possible. Take extra
time, especially when your written note is important to your contribution.

9 https://www.wired.com/2010/11/1110mars-climate-observer-report/
10 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_pyramid_(journalism)
11 https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/21422-i-didn-t-have-time-to-write-a-short-letter-so

CRITICAL THINKING FOR ENGINEERS–BOOK 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS 11

• Define terms—The Mars Orbiter example is pretty extreme, but
shows the importance of defining terms, especially the units, when
discussing engineering topics. Don’t risk the reader misinterpreting
or incorrectly inferring something from what you wrote. And if you’re
going to use jargon or acronyms, be sure to spell them out at the
first occurrence.

• Use visuals—We live in an age where people far prefer viewing a short
video segment, or glancing at an image, instead of having to read a
lengthy article. Therefore, use graphics, charts, flow diagram, images,
and other visual elements to augment your technical writing—and even
help to reduce the word count.

• Use active voice—Which sentences reads better: 1) “One can be assured

that performance is maximized by setting the right cache size”; or 2)
“Maximize performance by setting the right cache size?” Strunk and White,
authors of The Elements of Style, note that voice is usually more “direct and
vigorous than the passive.”12 Try replacing past tense words (“maximized”)
with present tense verbs (“maximize”) in a sentence. When you do that,
you’ll find the sentence is often shorter and more powerful.

Tip: Write as if you were speaking to your reader face-to-face,

and want to maintain their interest. Use the seven best practices
described above to adjust your writing style, to maximize the
desired impact on your reader.

12 https://faculty.washington.edu/heagerty/Courses/b572/public/StrunkWhite.pdf

CRITICAL THINKING FOR ENGINEERS–BOOK 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS 12

PRESENTATION

H
arry Roman, author of IEEE-USA E-Book, Public Speaking for
Engineers, said it best when he wrote: “Public speaking is the key to
all other leadership skills—indispensable to those who aspire to the
senior management positions in their companies.”13 I recommend you review
Roman’s E-Book for a deeper treatment on the art of presenting. I also
recommend reading, Five Stars: Communication Secrets to Get from Good
to Great, by Carmine Gallo.14 In this chapter, I will cover seven best practices
in delivering presentations that have the impact you will want:

1. Plan your impact—Before you start work on your PowerPoint

presentation, ask yourself: What exactly do I want to impart to my
audience? Am I striving to persuade, convince, or move them to
action—or to my point of view? Am I simply sharing information to
educate and inform? Do I want to inspire, entertain and uplift my
audience? Once you’re clear on your purpose, think about how you
will know if you have succeeded. Think of measurable signs—like
a show of hands of approval on a decision; or immediate feedback
afterward, that your talk made a difference to them. As you talk,
look for outward signs like laughing, smiling, leaning in; or maybe a
frown, concern, or even anger.

2. Set the context—Why is it that when George Bush declared we were

going to Mars, it fell flat,15 and it never materialized; whereas John F.
Kennedy’s moon declaration moved the nation to achieve one of its finest
moments, on July 1969?16 Context. JFK made clear the context for going
to the moon was about the race with Russia for prestige and power. Bush
failed to connect the Mars challenge to a broader national sentiment.
Context provides your audience with the “why you should care” behind
your presentation. For engineers, context might be reminding the audience
of how important the project is, in the broader organization’s goals.

3. "Sign post" your talk—There’s an old saying: “Tell them what you’re
going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them.”
True enough, and definitely advice worth heeding. The underlying need
for your audience is a talk that’s easy to follow. Keep it to three key
points that you “sign post” so your audience can follow along.

13 https://ieeeusa.org/shop/careers/public-speaking-for-engineers/
14 https://www.amazon.com/Five-Stars-Communication-Secrets-Great/dp/1250155134
15 https://www.nasa.gov/missions/solarsystem/bush_vision.html
16 https://history.nasa.gov/moondec.html

CRITICAL THINKING FOR ENGINEERS–BOOK 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS 13

 For example, as you give your talk, you would literally enumerate the
three points by saying something like: “My first point is…” and ending with
“My third and final point is…” Then, summarize your three points.

4. Make it visual—We all know a picture is worth a thousand words. But

did you know research tells us much more of the brain lights up with
visual information, rather than auditory?17 Take a page from Steve Jobs’
legendary speeches—by using a picture, image, graph, or icon to convey
a point—rather than bullet points and prose. See Carmine Gallo’s Forbes
article on 11 Presentation Lessons You Can Still Learn from Steve Jobs.18

5. Tell a story—Engineers and product managers often employ “user stories” to

provide richer color on a certain software/hardware feature that’s important to
get right. In my previous e-book on, Analytical Thinking, I cite an example of
engineers solving an issue of mobile phone battery life. One example of a user
story is describing an office professional who is on the go throughout the day,
doesn’t have time to charge his/her phone, and gets frustrated that it’s out
of power by late afternoon. Atlassian offers a good tutorial on the topic in the
article User Stories.19 The more you can paint a vivid story or picture of what
you are covering in your talk, the more your audience will track along with
you.

6. Engage your audience—Memorable and impactful presentations usually

have an element of audience involvement. One way to engage your
audience is by using polling tools such as Kahoot, or Poll Everywhere
to intersperse your talk with a few poll questions that can enliven and
entertain, as well as inform. The way it works is that you embed a poll
question in your PowerPoint presentation, and your audience uses their
mobile phone to respond. Live results displayed on your laptop give you
and your audience instant input on the topic. It’s fun, and sometimes
even surprising, how much difference such a learning tool can make.

7. Close powerfully—As we described above, end by “telling them what you

told them.” Emphasize the top three points of your talk. But extend it even
further by closing with an upbeat call for audience action. For example,
Steve Jobs said in closing a 1996 interview: “That’s been one of my
mantras—focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have
to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in
the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”20 Of course,

17 https://www.pnas.org/content/95/5/2703
18 https://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2012/10/04/11-presentation-lessons-you-can-still-learn-from-
steve-jobs/#53ccaa5adde3
19 https://www.atlassian.com/agile/project-management/user-stories
20 https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/915331-that-s-been-one-of-my-mantras-focus-and-simplicity

CRITICAL THINKING FOR ENGINEERS–BOOK 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS 14

 we can’t all be like Steve Jobs, but we can all end a talk with a call to action
that ties back to the broader purpose of the engineering team’s endeavor.

Tip: Presentations must move people in some way, so plan ahead on

the specific impact you want to make, decide how you can engage and
move your audience, and end your talk with a clear call to action.

CRITICAL THINKING FOR ENGINEERS–BOOK 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS 15

RUNNING A MEETING

D
o you find most meetings to be a bore, possibly onerous, unfocused,
and sometimes a downright waste of time? Unfortunately, it is more
often the case than not. Here are ten tips to help you run high
performance meetings:

1. Start and end on time—Honor the time slot you set for the meeting. By
doing so, you set the tone for how participants should learn to respect each
other’s time; while holding to account folks who show up late, or leave early.
Some organizations have chronically late arrivers, and impose a “fine” of $1
per minute late—then, use the collected fines to fund something fun for the
whole staff.

2. Publish an agenda in advance—Send out an agenda in advance,

requiring attendees to do homework. There’s nothing worse than having
to reschedule a meeting because a team member did not have a critical
element ready for it. Also, clarify the meeting's purpose—is it to share
information, make a decision, identify project risks, report on progress,
educate team members, or collaborate on a specific topic?

3. Listen—Some engineering managers or project leaders love to hear

themselves talk. However, it’s far more effective to use meetings to get
attendees to talk about their contribution to the project at hand. Ask
questions. Put people on the spot. Try to listen 90% of the time, and limit
your talking to 10%. Encourage discussion—not reporting on data you or
others can simply get offline.

4. Be upbeat—I’ve seen engineering managers use meetings to humiliate

team members for underperforming. This method may appear to work
in the short term, but it only leads to turnover in the longer run. Keep
the meeting upbeat and focused on team productivity, not on any one
individual’s performance problems. Your staff members don’t need to
like you per se, but they will definitely respond to your encouragement
and recognition.

5. Hold people to account—Review action items from the previous meeting.

This strategy builds accountability. Praise those who met their commitments,
yet avoid publicly embarrassing those who don’t. The latter will find the
discomfort of having to report their shortfall a sufficient motivator to improve
next time.

CRITICAL THINKING FOR ENGINEERS–BOOK 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS 16

6. Use your collaboration system—One of the most effective approaches
is to use a tool like Go-to-Meeting or Zoom to share your screen, as
you examine a specific task/activity within your project management
system—such as Wrike, Confluence, Jira, Slack, etc. Team members will
learn that they must have their line item updated and ready for review
each week in a public forum.

7. Invite important stakeholders—If you are in the software development

phase, consider inviting someone from QA/test, tech support, product
management, or even marketing on occasion. Diversifying who attends
your meetings helps your broader organization understand better who the
engineering players are, how things get done, and what the dependencies
are on other teams.

8. Maintain control—It’s easy to go down a rat hole, if one attendee

decides to go on and on about a particular concern or objection, yet
doesn't offer a solution. It’s best to thank the attendee for speaking up.
Acknowledge the issue, and establish a smaller group to go offline and
come back to your team with a specific recommendation. Make them
solve the problem, rather than you.

9. Look at system issues—I’ve seen engineering managers and project

leaders browbeat folks, expecting to get better results from them.
Bullying never works. Instead, look deeper into the issue to explore what
might be frustrating you and the team. Is there a miscommunication or
misunderstanding? Is there a training/competency issue? Process gap?
Missing tool? Lack of motivation and discipline? Compensation issue?
Diagnose before you pound the table for better results.

10. Publish notes—Engineering leaders almost never take notes and send out
action items immediately after a meeting. What a missed opportunity to
ensure good execution and follow through on commitments. Take notes.
Publish them right away, then briefly review them at the next meeting. Be
sure to document who owns what action item, and when it’s due.

Tip: Make every meeting count by planning ahead, facilitating it

rigorously, and following up with clear meeting notes and action
items. Reference the 10 tips above for best practices.

CRITICAL THINKING FOR ENGINEERS–BOOK 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS 17

COLLABORATING ON A PROJECT

W
hy is collaboration so important? A 2017 study from the Institute
for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) and Rob Cross, Professor of Global
Business at Babson College, showed that high-performance
organizations were more than five times more likely than lower-performers
to reward individual, team and leader collaboration.21 So it behooves
aspiring engineers to focus on their collaboration skills. Let’s look at a
few key characteristics of great engineering collaborations.

Clarity of purpose

The i4cp study mentioned above polled more than 1,100 companies. Two-thirds
of these organizations included collaboration as a stated organizational value,
and “found that the difference between productive and unproductive collaboration
can be summed up in one word: purpose.” Take the necessary time with your
teammates and group leader to clarify, and clearly define, the purpose of your
specific collaboration.

Shared team values

Slack, a leader in collaboration soft-

ware, published a survey of 7,000
knowledge workers in 17 countries.22 In
it, they noted that top values may vary
by age, as the chart indicates. Be
aware of such differences, and affirm
your team’s core values, as you lead
collaborations. Values such as trust,
clear responsibility, and open communi-
cation are among the most common
values of high-performing teams.

Conflict management

Critically thinking engineers do often find themselves in conflict with each

other, and with other departments—QA/test, support, product management,
and management, in general. I covered conflict management in Chapter 4

21 https://www.i4cp.com/productivity-blog/top-employers-are-5-5x-more-likely-to-reward-collaboration
22 https://slackhq.com/good-collaboration-bad-collaboration-a-new-report-by-slack

CRITICAL THINKING FOR ENGINEERS–BOOK 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS 18

of this e-book, but let’s focus here on the aspect of “risk management.” The
Harvard Business Review calls it the “Collaboration Blindspot.”23 Be aware of
unintended consequences of collaboration, such as engineers' concerns that
their unique contributions, and associated credit, are going to get watered
down by a larger team; fear that others will start to encroach on their terri-
tory; or a reputation hit, if the team collaboration doesn’t perform as well
as the individual. For all of these issues, first find out what’s at risk here
for you, your teammates, and the project as a whole. Then, speak with the
project leader or management team about how they can help put the right
recognition, rewards, and other incentives in place, to offset these real risks.
These positive steps will also help build trust among team members.

Open communications

In its blog series, Atlassian (the leader in software development collaboration

tools), suggests to “err on the side of over-communication…share informa-
tion about what you’re working on, and how it might affect others, positively
or negatively, before anyone has to ask you for it.”24 Such sharing can be
done formally on internal collaboration websites for the project (e.g. Slack,
Confluence, Wrike, etc.), in the hallway, or even at the water cooler. Both
approaches will deepen teamwork, trust, and the sense that you are all in
on it together for the win.

Tip: High performing engineering teams have excellent collaborators

who ensure clarity of purpose, shared team values, healthy conflict,
and open communications.

23 https://hbr.org/2019/03/the-collaboration-blind-spot
24 https://www.atlassian.com/blog/teamwork/teamwork-skills-accelerate-career

CRITICAL THINKING FOR ENGINEERS–BOOK 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS 19

MORE ON MANAGING CONFLICT

I
’m sure you’ve seen your share of heated conflict in the workplace.
Here are some typical hot spots: engineering and QA, executive and
line management, program/release management and engineering, tech
support and development, and manufacturing and operations. Conflict
is healthy, but how you handle conflict can be the difference between
success and failure in achieving your objectives. Let’s take a look at three
specific lessons Abraham Lincoln teaches us, as Doris Kearns reports in
Team of Rivals.25

Never use writing for emotionally charged issues

Kearns writes about the time Lincoln was very angry with General
Meade for not pursuing the Confederates, after beating the Confederates
at Gettysburg. She reports that “Lincoln held back, as he often did when
he was upset or angry, waiting for his emotions to settle. In the end,
he placed the letter in an envelope inscribed: To General Meade, never
sent or signed.” Lincoln believed expressing anger in writing is never
productive. He did convey his sentiments through his team—but in
verbal form, not written. Lincoln got his point across, changed Meade’s
behavior, and ultimately modeled for his staff how to handle conflicts.
We can learn from his actions, by avoiding firing off an angry email; and
instead, cooling off first, then speaking with the person live.

Don’t take issues personally

Lincoln selected cabinet members who were formidable rivals of his, such
as Salmon Chase (Treasury Secretary), Edwin Stanton (Secretary of War),
William Seward (Secretary of State), and Edward Bates (Attorney General).
Most of them excoriated Lincoln prior to his election, because they felt he
was not the best choice for the country. Conflict continued and tempers
flared within his cabinet—even up to his re-election. In speaking with one
of his opponents, Lincoln stated, “You have more of that feeling of personal
resentment than I. A man has not time to spend half his life in quarrels.
If any man ceases to attack me, I never remember the past against him.”
Similarly, we must focus on the issues at hand—and not get distracted by
taking things personally.

25 https://www.amazon.com/Team-Rivals-Political-Abraham-Lincoln/dp/0743270754

CRITICAL THINKING FOR ENGINEERS–BOOK 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS 20

Allow for the possibility that you are wrong

In a letter to General Ulysses S. Grant, President Lincoln admits to being

wrong on a strategic military route during the Civil War to capture Vicksburg,
Mississippi. This victory was important. President Lincoln wrote, "I now
wish to make the personal acknowledgment that you were right, and I was
wrong." Lincoln was exceedingly humble, yet tenacious, in finding the best
solution—even if it meant admitting he was wrong. You’ll score big points
with your peers and managers, if you’re the first to admit it when you’re
wrong. It will create an environment where others will come forward sooner
as well.

There is far more to managing conflict than what I’ve covered in the two
sections of this e-book, but I am confident you’ll find the three best practices
above will make a big difference in your effectiveness as an engineer.

Tip: Avoid email when tempers flare. Don’t take things personally.
Allow for the possibility that you may be wrong.

CRITICAL THINKING FOR ENGINEERS–BOOK 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS 21

CONCLUSION

I
n this second e-book of the IEEE-USA E-Book series on Critical Thinking for
Engineers, I've built upon analytical skills by focusing on communications—
which play a vital role in engineers working successfully as part of a team,
department, or larger organization. You have explored how asking important
questions, listening actively, and expressing ideas in a team setting requires as
much discipline and training, as does the engineering craft itself. You've studied
how working as part of a team demands making an extra effort to manage
conflict, and express ideas powerfully in both written and oral form. Practicing
these tips will help boost your contribution, and position you well for further
advancement in your career. The next e-book in this series on Critical Thinking
Skills for Engineers will take a look at creativity—and how engineers might
further hone the art of thinking laterally to achieve unexpected outcomes.

CRITICAL THINKING FOR ENGINEERS–BOOK 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS 22

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

S
ridhar Ramanathan has thirty years of experience in technology
companies, from startups to blue chip firms. As Managing Director
and Co-founder of Aventi Group, a product marketing agency, he
has been instrumental in leading many tech firms through high-growth
phases. Prior to Aventi Group, Ramanathan was the marketing executive for
Hewlett-Packard’s Managed Services Business, where he was responsible for
marketing worldwide, and managing the portfolio of HP Services’ 1.1 billion
dollar unit. He also held profit & loss responsibility for electronic messaging,
outsourcing and e-service business units.

Ramanathan holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, and a

BS in Engineering Physics, from U.C.-Berkeley. He is active in nonprofit
work—from Boy Scouts, to St. Michael church ministries, to serving as
Vice Chair Emeritus of the Board of Child Advocates of Silicon Valley—an
organization that provides stability and hope to abused and neglected
children. Ramanathan lives in Livermore, California, with his wife, Gina,
and their four teenage children.

CRITICAL THINKING FOR ENGINEERS–BOOK 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS 23

2001 L Street, NW, Suite 700 • Washington, D.C. 20036-4928
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