Effective communication skills: What engineers need most and least want

The students greeted my announcement with a mix of confusion… "Your next assignment in this geotechnical engineering design course is to make a phone call, " I'd said. "No opt outs. And no texting, either. " …and panic. "This task is key to developing your professional communication skills. " It seems making calls isn't this generation's go-to. But, make no mistake, it is important. As a communication lecturer embedded in the Clemson University Glenn Department of Civil Engineering, I teach civil engineering students that communication is as foundational as the structures they design. I stress this in my lectures not only because the importance of professional communication is self-evident, but also because it's a skill companies are desperate to find in their entry-level employees. I heard this firsthand during a summer spent with civil engineering firms in New York and South Carolina. Their message was loud and clear: the art of picking up the phone is fading but crucial. This led to the professional phone call assignment for my senior Geotech engineering students—a necessary step for their final project involving real-world data collection from DP3 Architects. The task was simple: call DP3, gather information, and then reflect on the experience. Of course, I didn't want to overwhelm our architectural partners with calls, so each team nominated one member to dial in. This wasn't just about talking; it was about integrating vital professional skills like time management and collaboration. Most students met the challenge head-on, gleaning more than just data from their conversations. Yet, there was pushback from a student who questioned the assignment's value. "Mr. Pry sent us a memo with the information provided, and so that is what I am uploading. I do not see a purpose for me to reword it just for the sake of this assignment. That would provide no educational value and would be busy work. " This skepticism reminds me that there's more work to do to embed the value of direct communication in the engineering curriculum. Not every student sees its worth immediately, but my goal is steadfast: to ensure our graduates aren't just great engineers but also effective communicators. Clear communication in engineering does more than facilitate smoother project management and collaboration; it has the power to inform and educate the broader public. By distilling complex concepts into understandable language, engineers can play a crucial role in demystifying technology and infrastructure for the community. This transparency builds trust and fosters a well-informed populace that can engage with and support engineering projects with a deeper understanding of their impact and necessity. Such engagement is essential in a world where technology and infrastructure play pivotal roles in everyday life and the challenges to our critical systems are continuously changing. For example, addressing climate change, environmental justice, and decades of infrastructure inequity will require engineering in the 21st Century to be fundamentally different from the past. People will be far less inclined to accept a gift-wrapped "solution" to a problem in which they had no input and meaningful two-way communication will be necessary to forge a new paradigm. Students need to understand that language has structure, just like their calculations and the buildings, bridges, and roadways they design. I help them understand that how they relate to their bosses, peers, clients, and government officials is just as important as the structural integrity of their designs. Just as a flaw in a bridge's design can lead to failure, miscommunication can lead to project setbacks, increased costs, and damaged relationships. Therefore, just as they apply engineering principles to ensure the physical stability of their projects, I encourage them to apply principles of effective communication to build strong, resilient professional relationships. In contrast, my discussions with Professional Engineers (PE) and academics at engineering conferences underscore the enthusiasm for weaving oral and technical communication more deeply into our civil engineering curriculum. The responses I've encountered—ranging from "This is so needed" to "I wish I had this when I was in school" and "Our industry isn't known for its communication skills"—highlight a widespread recognition of the gap and a hunger for improvement. In today's landscape, where TikTok sets the pace and the lines between genuine and artificial content blur, fostering authentic connections has never been more paramount. This backdrop sets the stage for exploring various facets of communication within our field: from integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its implications to overhauling stodgy conference posters, the imperative to shed professional narcissism, and the critical need to engage effectively with an increasingly diverse audience. Through this lens, we'll delve into why mastering visual and verbal communication is beneficial and essential for the future of engineering. The rapid evolution of AI is transforming our world in numerous sectors, including engineering. This shift underscores the importance of professional skills beyond mere technical knowledge, as AI has especially started to automate complex calculations and design tasks that were traditionally the domain of engineers. Here are several ways in which AI is changing the engineering landscape. As computational tasks become more automated, the value of human skills such as critical thinking, creativity, ethical judgment, and effective communication become more pronounced. Future engineers must seamlessly integrate technical prowess with these professional skills to navigate the challenges and opportunities AI presents. Al has already been adopted heavily in construction management through Building Information Modeling (BIM). BIM is a digital representation of a facility's physical and functional characteristics, providing a shared knowledge resource for information about a facility to support decision-making from early conceptual stages to construction and operational phases. The use of AI in this manner is referred to as the Artificial Intelligence of Things. We introduce this technology in one of our studio design courses, which incorporates professional communication. In the Fall '23 semester, students learned of the rapid adoption of BIM software in the construction management field. Through research projects, students learned of the many benefits this programming provides, including identifying potential design issues, like clashes, where different systems like electrical and plumbing may collide in the structure, which later reduced change orders and saved money during construction. The AI in BIM can also generate multiple design options based on specific criteria the designer or owner wants to highlight, including costs, materials, and energy efficiency. BIM can increase job safety by showing construction workers locations of critical systems (electrical) and potential hazards (such as overhead loads and confined spaces) before they begin work, thereby allowing for more informed planning and execution of tasks with an emphasis on safety precautions and protocols. Integrating AI into BIM processes revolutionizes how architects and engineers approach design, cost-efficiency, material optimization, and sustainability. Furthermore, it enhances job safety by preemptively identifying potential hazards, thus safeguarding the public who will ultimately use the end product. A prime example of these advancements at work is the construction of the Mario Cuomo Sr. Bridge in New York. This project exemplifies how cutting-edge technology can be harnessed to streamline design and construction processes and significantly improve safety and operational efficiency on a grand scale. The 4 billion, 3. 1-mile bridge replaced the Tappan Zee Bridge in August 2017. The twin cable-stayed bridge spans the Tappan Zee section of the Hudson River, connecting South Nyack to Tarrytown. Construction of the Tappen Zee began in 1952 during a shortage of high-quality steel caused by the Korean War and as a result, it was designed to last only 50 years. It originally carried 40, 000 vehicles daily but this had risen to 140, 000 cars a day by the time of its replacement. In a 2017 article, Engineering News-Record highlighted the technological sophistication embedded within the Mario Cuomo Sr. Bridge, aiming to extend its service life. This bridge is a marvel of modern engineering, outfitted with sensors, gauges, monitors, and data analytics instruments. These tools collectively feed real-time data to transportation authorities, enabling proactive structural health monitoring. Jamey Barbars, the project's lead, detailed the strategy behind this setup, stating, "We're measuring movement and monitoring strains or forces where it's most critical—integral to maintaining the bridge's health. " This advanced monitoring system detects high wind conditions, enabling officials to implement timely restrictions, such as closing the bridge to truck traffic to prevent accidents. The construction consortium, comprising Fluor Corporation, American Bridge, Traylor Brothers, and Granite Construction, installed over 450 monitoring devices across the bridge. This dense network of sensors and gauges empowers inspectors to continuously evaluate the bridge's condition, contributing to a projected lifespan of a century. Beyond the marvel of technological innovation, this scenario underscores the vital role of communication in leveraging these advancements. Although computers are unparalleled in processing and analyzing data, the crucial phase is interpreting and disseminating this information across varied audiences. The granular details critical to maintenance teams contrast with the broader financial implications pertinent to infrastructure funding officials. Understanding fiscal efficiency—how taxpayer dollars are judiciously used to ensure safe, cost-effective commuting options—is paramount for the latter. This dichotomy highlights the emerging frontier for engineers: translating complex technical data into comprehensible visuals and narratives for diverse stakeholders. It's about justifying funding to governing boards and articulating the project's value to the community transparently. This skill set indicates an evolving landscape in engineering education that acknowledges the importance of integrating communication prowess with technical expertise. Observing educators who are attuned to this shift and innovating accordingly is heartening. For instance, a statistics lecturer at Kennesaw State University, Holly Deal, pioneered a new Data Science and Analytics course. This course emphasizes the importance of students presenting their statistical findings in a manner that resonates with diverse groups. The shift towards recognizing and adapting to this trend among faculty is encouraging. It represents a pivotal movement in preparing future engineers to navigate the intricate interplay between technological advancements and effective stakeholder communication. It ensures they are well-equipped to contribute meaningfully to society's infrastructural needs. Transitioning from the optimistic strides in education, we encounter a pervasive challenge that sharply contrasts with our goals of clarity and accessibility: professional narcissism. This phenomenon manifests when academics or industry professionals prioritize showcasing their expertise through complex jargon over making their insights accessible to a broader audience. You can find this unfortunate practice in many locations—academic journals abound, industry-specific journals and magazines, government reports and laws, lawsuits, and yes, even in engineering reports. This practice not only hinders the dissemination of knowledge but also alienates those we aim to inform and engage, underscoring the need for a renewed focus on simplicity and connection in professional communication. The term for this phenomenon isn't my creation. It was Steven Pinker, the esteemed Johnson Professor of Psychology at Harvard, who introduced it, offering a polite euphemism for the inclination to appear intellectual. The real tragedy in this sophisticated approach is that the author is breaking the first rule of writing—connecting to the intended audience, or as we say in the communication field—key or target audience. The first rule of thumb in any writing—including technical writing—is to understand to whom you're talking. Most engineers think they are only going to speak with other engineers. That's not true. Based on my experiences collaborating with civil engineering firms ranging from Clemson, SC to Farmingdale, NY, during that summer sabbatical, I gained firsthand insights into how civil engineers express their ideas and findings. The essence of engineering, after all, is intertwined with the reality of business. Consulting firms constantly pursue the next job and must articulate their proposals clearly and persuasively to diverse audiences. This includes politicians and fellow engineers, often from other disciplines beyond civil engineering, and everyday citizens like the grandmother living next to the proposed site of a new six-lane highway. The ability to communicate across such a broad spectrum is essential, underscoring the industry's foundational need for effective communication. Yes, there are still positions within firms where engineers might find themselves primarily engaged in calculations, quietly working at their desks near drafters. However, even these roles require proficient communication skills. Effective interpersonal communication is indispensable across all fields and organizations, emphasizing that conveying ideas clearly and collaborating with others is just as vital as technical expertise. Imagine the scenario where a lead engineer at your firm proposes an innovative design featuring a retaining wall that, upon closer inspection, lacks mathematical validation. A junior engineer, through meticulous calculation checks, discovers that the design is flawed—the retaining wall would inevitably collapse. The challenge is for the junior engineer to communicate this critical flaw to the lead engineer effectively. The success of such a conversation heavily depends on the manner and clarity with which the junior engineer presents her findings. Should the junior engineer be conflict-averse or struggle with a clear articulation of concerns, the project might erroneously proceed as initially planned, potentially leading to public embarrassment for the firm and incurring substantial repair costs. Similarly, the error goes unaddressed if the lead engineer is not open to acknowledging the oversight. My counsel is centered on the power of effective writing tempered with humility. Writing is fundamentally about structuring your thoughts and ideas in a way that is accessible to others who may not share your background or level of education. Aim to communicate your findings as if explaining them to someone without your technical expertise, such as a 9-year-old, ensuring clarity and understanding regardless of the audience's prior knowledge. I recently came across the exceptional contributions of "Road Guy" Rob Sanders to journalism and civil engineering. Like myself, Rob is driven by a passion for storytelling, focusing on making complex information accessible to the public. His career journey took him from radio to broadcast journalism, where he specialized in covering traffic-related stories that significantly affected the Los Angeles Metropolitan area. His pursuit of greater impact led him to acquire an engineering degree, transitioning into a transportation engineer. His enlightening content is available on YouTube. 1 What captivates me most about Road Guy's approach is his commitment to stripping away professional narcissism in communication. He demonstrates that expertise doesn't have to be cloaked in jargon to be valuable—clear and straightforward language can make sophisticated concepts widely understandable. Adding to this, Rob's work exemplifies the transformative power of interdisciplinary knowledge, showing how merging journalistic clarity with engineering insight can lead to public empowerment and more informed community engagement. Diving deeper into our chat about making engineering communication better, let's talk about something that's been bugging me: how conference posters are put together. Let's be real, the world of scientific communication has its fair share of boring and overly complicated displays. But it doesn't have to be that way. In fact, it shouldn't be. The primary flaw lies in the approach to conference posters, often cluttered with exhaustive paragraphs and detailed results charts more suited to a paper than a visual display. These elements make posters challenging to digest, especially from a distance, defeating their purpose. The essence of a conference poster is akin to that of a billboard: it's meant to captivate and engage passersby, drawing them into a dialogue about your research. Posters should prioritize clarity, visual appeal, and relatability to achieve this. For instance, if your research revolves around how sensors can preemptively identify structural issues in bridges, your poster should vividly illustrate these sensors in action within the bridge's framework. This visual strategy not only makes your work more accessible but also demonstrates its impact more effectively to your audience. Moreover, embracing modern technology can significantly enhance poster engagement. Including a QR code that links to a white paper or detailed results allows interested viewers to explore your research in depth at their leisure. This approach caters to your audience's varied levels of interest and expertise, facilitating deeper discussions with those intrigued by your summary visuals and eager to learn more. This strategy transforms the poster from an informational artifact into an interactive experience, encouraging meaningful conversations and connections. By shifting our approach to conference posters, we can foster a more engaging and insightful exchange of ideas, making scientific communication informative inviting and impactful. Building on the insights gained from "Road Guy" Rob Sanders's approach to making complex information accessible, we encounter a broader challenge that is critical to our collective mission: communicating effectively to a less educated populace. This task is not just about simplifying language but bridging knowledge gaps and fostering understanding across diverse educational backgrounds. In this context, clear, engaging, and relatable communication becomes even more paramount. As we delve into this challenge, we must explore strategies that respect the audience's intelligence while making technical or specialized information approachable and actionable. This journey toward inclusivity in communication underscores our responsibility as professionals to ensure that knowledge serves everyone, not just those with specific educational advantages. Southern states top the list for the greatest cutbacks to higher education, highest costs for lower-income students, highest costs for community college, lowest percentage of people with college degrees, and not surprisingly, biggest declines in in-state university enrollment…… For all the talk of the importance of jobs in the poorest Southern states, these cutbacks ensure a future of poverty for the next generation of Southerners. This is just one example of our society's growing ignorance, which means the gap of understanding widens the more you write with professional narcissism. To bridge the gap between complex engineering concepts and a lay audience, engineering education needs to incorporate communication as a core component of its curriculum. This doesn't mean simply offering a token course on technical writing or presentation skills but integrating communication training throughout the engineering program. Students should be taught how to explain complex technical ideas in simple terms, using analogies, visuals, and stories that resonate with non-experts. This approach not only prepares them to be better communicators but also deepens their understanding of their field. Embracing failure as an intrinsic part of the engineering process is essential. The fear of failure is not just a personal hurdle but a systemic issue that stifles innovation and learning. In an educational context, this means shifting the focus from achieving the correct results to understanding the process, including where it can go wrong. Encouraging a culture that values trial and error and learning from mistakes can foster a more robust engineering mindset. This shift requires changing how we assess students, moving towards a model that values critical thinking and problem-solving over rote memorization and perfect scores. Academics are pivotal in steering away from the prevailing "get my A" culture among students. By championing this change, educators can help cultivate engineers who are not only technically proficient but also resilient and adaptable thinkers, ready to tackle the complex challenges of the future. It's also time to reflect on how we present our scientific discoveries. Stop writing as if your paper will never grace another pair of eyes. Write to enlighten your readers, making your scientific findings resonate more profoundly. It's high time we shed the cloak of professional narcissism. Despite its prevalence in our field, it has no place in effective communication. Educate your students on the essence of their research posters: they're not just posters but billboards. Design them as such. A captivating headline should never exceed eight words—just enough to grasp the essence as someone strolls by. Incorporate artwork that doesn't just decorate but narrates your research journey. Weave a narrative around your work. What sparked your inquiry? What lessons emerged? And crucially, how does it contribute to our world? Ultimately, these aspects are what truly matter. I urge you to collaborate with your colleagues, department, and university to integrate a meaningful communication curriculum within your departments. You could follow in our footsteps and apply for an NSF grant to Revolutionize Engineering Departments (RED). The Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) recognized communication's important role in engineering education and acknowledged this component as a stand-out feature of our program. The accrediting agency is now touting our program as a shining example of what other institutions could adopt. While this is nice accolade for our program's innovation, it likely doesn't go far enough to motivate change-resistant institutions and individuals. To really accelerate communication instruction within engineering, ABET could clearly identify requirements like specific courses within the program or a model like ours, where the communication instructor is embedded in the program and team teaches within multiple courses. ABET could also elevate the significance of communication in engineering education by revising the vague language in criteria #3 from "an ability to effectively communicate with a range of audiences" to define effective communication more specifically and identify the range of audiences to include nontechnical audiences. Until ABET makes communication a stronger requirement, faculty can cultivate their students' confidence in both writing and public speaking. These competencies are indispensable to their future careers, and by fostering these skills, you're not just teaching; you're making a profound impact on the engineering landscape. Let's commit to this change for the sake of our students and the future of engineering. For practicing engineers, professional development opportunities should include workshops and seminars focused on effective communication, particularly on topics like public speaking, writing for a general audience, and interpersonal communication skills. These skills are often overlooked in the technical field but are crucial for advocacy, teaching, and leadership. Again, technological advancements provide unprecedented opportunities to make engineering more accessible to a broader audience. From augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) that can visualize complex engineering concepts in an immersive way to social media platforms that allow engineers to share their work with the public, technology can bridge the communication gap. Engineers should be encouraged to engage with these technologies as tools for design and analysis and as mediums for storytelling and education. Consider partnering with a professional like myself to elevate your team's public speaking and writing capabilities. By committing to regular training sessions, we can hone your team members' oral and written communication skills. Together, let's prioritize clear and effective communication as an essential skill set, on par with technical expertise, to drive your firm's success. Make annual evaluations to assess communication skills as part of your team's overall work. This will encourage your team members to work seriously on developing these skills. Professional engineers have a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world application by engaging more closely with local universities and college engineering programs. By sharing their experiences and examples directly from the field, such as proposals, designs, lab reports, and client or community presentations, they can offer invaluable insights into the practical aspects of communication in engineering. This collaboration enriches the academic curriculum and provides students with a clearer understanding of effective communication in a professional setting, equipping future engineers with the skills necessary to succeed in the industry. Like ABET can influence the academic engineering world, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has the power to greatly influence how communication permeates the professional world. From regional to national conferences, webinars and weekly newsletters, ASCE reaches the far corners of the civil engineering world. A monthly communication column can reinforce the need for and best practices for effective communication. The ASCE Convention should feature more than one or two communication-related breakout sessions. To show true dedication to this vital skill, the conference organizers should include a plenary session and communication-specific track. These sessions can feature panel discussions on ethical dilemmas and communication. Back to showing humility, it would be refreshing and enlightening for engineers and firms to share some of their communication bloopers. This can be a light-hearted approach to the why communication is needed and how we all goof in our language from time-to-time. Let's hammer this home: it's high time the engineering and the broader scientific community radically overhaul their approach to communication. Enough with the dense, inaccessible papers and posters that might as well be wallpaper. Enough with academic talks that meander around the point until the audience is lost in a fog of jargon. And it's definitely time to stop dismissing clear communication as a nice-to-have rather than a must-have. We need to demand better—because our work matters, and it's on us to ensure everyone understands why. The author declares no conflict of interest.