FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL AND WATER ENGINEERING

COURSE NAME: Engineering Communication Skills (Part 1)
COURSE CODE: TCW 1103
Lecture: Technical Engineering Communication Skills defined
and illustrated
Lecturer: Luzane T.L. 87% Very Good Proceed to the next presentation
PowerPoint slides second assignment
Done By:Isheanopa Tabarira N02014262G
Pardon Gwizangwe N02021974B
Nyadembera Tafadzwa .P N02018957M
Ruramai .T Anderson N02016013R
Farai .M Mudzimuirema N02018444N
 Objectives

The discussion will:

• Define Technical Engineering Communication
• List Technical Engineering Communication
skills and Define
• Explain the key Engineering Tools
 Technical Engineering Communication

• Communication – the exchange of messages between

the Transmitter (TX) and the Receiver (RX) to establish
a common position.
• It can be Verbal (written and spoken words) or Non-Verbal
(no written nor spoken words).
• Technical Engineering Communication is any form of
communication that involves instructive rules for
enabling a function to take place. It follows an enabling
process of six (6) steps: message, encoding, medium,
decoding, interpretation and feedback (By Society of
Technical Communication )
• Technical Communication – Is the exchange of
information that helps people to interact with
technology and solve complex solutions
• It includes Technical Writing which is the presentation
of information that helps the reader solve particular
problems by designing ,writing ,editing proposals,
manuals and many other professional Documents
• Technical Communication reaches a global audience
since our global community shares social , financial,
productive interests and its also electronically linked
• Its main features are: reader centred , accessible and
efficient , often produced by teams ,delivered in paper
and digital versions (blueprints and 3D plan)
 Purpose of Technical Eng Communication
Skills

• To Inform
• Informing comes with Anticipating and answering your co-
workers’ questions
• To Instruct
• As Engineers we must be able to lead others and enable them
to do certain tasks
• To Persuade
• We must be able to Motivate our co- workers since we work
in teams or groups
Goals of Technical Engineering
Communication Skills
 Importance of Engineering Communication

 Communication is important because :

• If you don’t produce information properly it will not get to
destination as planned and may sometimes lead to conflicts
• If you don’t get it from a reliable source you can get wrong
information

 Effective communication in Engineering is critical to ensure

that all co-workers are on the same page.

 As Engineers we usually work as a team so we need

engaging ,entrepreneurial and project management
thinking ,contextually-positioned technical communication and
teamwork instruction and practice in order to perform well in
advanced discipline-specific engineering environments
 Importance of Engineering Communication

Communication brings out the best of you in all these areas as an Engineer
 Importance of Engineering Communication

• Leadership
– Engineering Communications Skills makes you a great Leader
– Upon a survey conducted , 50% of Engineering Projects that fail are due to ineffective
people's management and the inability of the leader to communicate effectively with
co-workers
• Group Discussions
• Engineers work in groups so communication skills help
you to communicate , share ideas ,explain your
thoughts , settle queries easily in the group
• Good communication also can attract the attention on
people
• Explaining Presentations
• The Engineering business world is full of Presentations
and good communication helps you explain them with
confidence
• No matter how good you had created it due to poor
presentation you risk important contracts and
connections with other potential clients
 Keys to Clear Communication

• Communication skills are the abilities you use when giving

or receiving different kinds of information
• It helps us to understand the differences in how to
communicate face to face interaction ,phone conversations
and digital communications like emails and social media
• There are different types of communication skills you can
learn and practice to help you become a good Engineer with
effective communication skills

Both written and verbal communication skills are essential in Engineering Areas
Examples of Communication Skills
– Effective Speech
– Listening
– Consistent Communication
– Patience
– Following Up (Giving and receiving Feedback)
– Friendliness
– Confidence
– Empathy
– Respect
– Understanding Non-Verbal Cues
– Responsiveness
 Technical Engineering Communication skills Defined

• Active Listening
• Good Eng Communication is all about listening attentively to others
• Some people have a bad habit of speaking randomly,
fidgeting ,looking at thousand things and interrupting others when
trying to speak and clear a point
• This indicates you aren’t interested and the communication line
shuts down automatically
• Active listening includes 100% attention to the person speaking
• Emotional Intelligence
• This is the ability to understand the person at the other end ,the
capacity of a person to manage, interpret and respond to any given
situation by understanding and looking at the emotions of other
since we Engineers works as a team
 Technical Engineering Communication skills Defined (cntd)

• Body Language
• Positive body language matters because our body is very expressive and says a
thousand words without opening the mouth
• Your eyes ,facial expression and how you are attending every small details matters
and when you are with others make sure you maintain eye contact and look at
them while smiling
• Respect
• Respect yourself and others if you want to conduct a fruitful and lasting
relationship with others
• You respect others by listening to them attentively and communicating with
them in an appropriate manner making sure you sound genuine and
sincere in your efforts
• Proper Speech ,Articulation and Tone of your voice
• Poor speaking is a reflection of lack of confidence be clear and concise
• Pay attention to your own articulation and tone so that others can interpret
it properly and people may understand you not to mumble and fumble
your way through
• Be friendly and helpful so that the recipient of your words also continues in
the same spirit
 Technical Engineering Communication skills Defined (cntd)

• Patience
• During your communications give others time to
communicate and stay focused to what they re trying to say
and stay open to advice and assistance
• Communication lines tend to break down where impatience
get in the way of a conversation
• Leadership
• Great leaders practise consistent communication because
strong communication skills are essential for Engineering
Management roles
• Coordinating activities with engineers, managers and others
which can occur at construction or manufacturing sites or in
offices need good technical engineering communication skills
 Technical Engineering Communication Tools

• Web Conferencing /Virtual Meetings (Zoom & Google Meet)

• Not every info is best on email /chat sometimes engineers need to
discuss critical issues together and brainstorm new ideas live even if
they are at different places hence Virtual Meetings like Zoom
• File Sharing Platforms (Google Drive & Drop Box)
• Documents can be attached on Emails and Sent t to Recipients but some
files are too large for this delivery method like C.A.D files Blueprints,3D
Rendering and Technical Drawing digital Files hence we use these platforms
• Email and Chat
• Distributed Engineering teams use email to share documentations and
information
• Chat also allows teams to stay in constant contact and have real time
conversation to resolve issues and make decisions
 Conclusion
• We defined Technical Engineering
Communication and stated its importance , tools
and concluded that communication skills are an
important aspect in an Engineer’s day to day life
• An Engineer without good communication skills is
like a computer without an Operating System
• Along with Knowledge and good technical
engineering communication is the path that leads
to success
 References

• https://u.osu.edu/engineermag/current-issue/the importance
of communication skills for the modern engineer
• https://degree.astate.edu/articles/engineering/importance-of-
communication-for-engineers
• https://onlinemasters.ohio.edu/blog/engineering-
communication
• https://engineeringmanagementinstitute.org/communication-
engineers-important
• https://www.mastersincommunications.com/features/guide-
to-technical-communication
 End of Slide
• “Communication is a skill that you can learn as a Civil
Engineer .Its like riding a bicycle or typing .If you are willing to
work at it you can rapidly improve the quality of every part of
your life ” –Brian Tracy