Practicing Engineers Talk about the Importance of Talk: A Report on the Role of Oral Communication in the Workplace

In the last decade engineering education and industry have requested assistance from communication educators. Responding to increased attention on the changing expectations for practicing engineers and an attendant need for better communication skills, these teams of engineering and communication ed...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Communication education 2003-01, Vol.52 (1), p.1-16
Main Authors: Darling, Ann L., Dannels, Deanna P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Audience Awareness
Communication In The Professions
Communication Research
Communication Skills
Cooperative Learning
Educational Change
Engineering
Engineering Education
Engineers
Group Dynamics
Higher Education
Interpersonal Communication
Oral Presentations
Organic Chemistry
Outcome Measures
Outcomes of Education
Public Speaking
Speech Communication
Speech Skills
Teaching Methods
Technical Writing
Work environment
Workplace Teams
Writing Across the Curriculum
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Summary:In the last decade engineering education and industry have requested assistance from communication educators. Responding to increased attention on the changing expectations for practicing engineers and an attendant need for better communication skills, these teams of engineering and communication educators have been working to incorporate speaking and writing in engineering education. Despite a great deal of anecdotal evidence that communication is important to working engineers, relatively little data based information is available to help us understand better the specifics of how and why communication is important for these particular professionals. This paper reports the results of practicing engineers' descriptions of the importance of oral communication. These data suggest that engineering practice takes place in an intensely oral culture and while formal presentations are important to practicing engineers, daily work is characterized more by interpersonal and small group experiences. Communication skills such as translation, clarity, negotiation, and listening are vital.
ISSN:0363-4523
1479-5795
DOI:10.1080/03634520302457