International organizations need to communicate with stakeholders with diverse cultural backgrounds. Different cultures have different values, which may have implications for how messages are evaluated across cultures. Different cultural values may lead to different stylistic preferences. Does this mean that organizations need to adjust their …
In this podcast, we discuss the role that communication skills play in determining success for engineers with Anthony Fasano, author of the IEEE-Wiley series book, Engineer Your Own Success: 7 Key Elements to Creating an Extraordinary Engineering Career, and strategies for improving communication skills in various formal and …
For most engineers, teamwork is an important skill that is key to success in industry, but one that is not often taught or even explicitly addressed. Educators like Patricia Sheridan are trying to change that: her work focuses on engineering student design teams, but what she has found is …
By Patricia Sheridan
A three part series on a fundamental principle of effective group communication
Too often I meet with engineers and engineering students whose teams are not functioning well. They will talk to me about the project, they will talk to me about the deliverables, and …
Many engineering schools, both in English speaking and non-English speaking countries, have had to come up with strategies for improving the English language abilities of their students. Schools in predominantly English speaking countries with increasing non-domestic enrolments have begun to see the importance of language …
By Pat Truman
Three years ago…and I still remember four simple words a presenter said to me after his presentation. His efforts had engaged us for 90 minutes. We’d learned a lot. Our enthusiasm was audible. The session had flown by. I shook his hand and …
By Laurence Anthony
How many times have you seen a smoothly delivered presentation with great slides and a clear and logical structure suddenly becoming disappointing or disastrous during the Q&A? Everyone has experienced a presentation Q&A session in which an over- enthusiastic presenter dives in with …
Professional communication often involves producing documentation for slightly different contexts, sometimes over the course of multiple years. Information about the same product, process, or event is often delivered to different audiences and to meet different purposes. Product specifications might need to be developed for an …
Are you in the process of composing a set of slides, a handout, or some other graphical document? You may want to read Melissa Clarkson‘s new contribution to the site, on The Elements of Visual Communication, where she identifies key strategies for graphically communicate (A) hierarchy, (B) grouping and (C) sequence, three relationships that …
Melissa Clarkson
This brief tutorial introduces the foundational elements of visual communication. The emphasis is on techniques to graphically communicate (A) hierarchy, (B) grouping and (C) sequence— three concepts that are critical for designing effective figures, posters, and slides.
Here is an overview of the strategy:
Position, color, …
