Importance of Communications for Engineers

Importance of Communications for Engineers

“I contend that we (engineers) are undervalued because of our widespread inability to

explain what we do to the general public (and why it is so important). It is one of the

hardest goals to accomplish, to be able to boil down difficult concepts into a short and

easily understood presentation or elevator pitch.” -Marybeth Miceli

Our Thoughts?💭❓

Jonathan and I feel strongly with Marybeth as many engineers’ works are often undervalued with interacting with the public. Such examples include mining and construction as they are often stigmatised and simplified to just building or mining for ore without understanding the full extent of the industry. Some might also be noticed by the public once disaster happens such as the breakdowns of the East West Line resulting in the criticism of the transport engineers. On the flipside, bioengineering is often praised often due to the publications of breakthroughs and mentions in the media.   

However it is also a challenge as developing the proper communication skills for engineers is proven to be difficult. As engineers, we can't get across our design, ideas or concepts to the general public without getting into the complexities and details of what we do.

Forget about an elevator pitch or presentation, we would be lucky to accomplish in half an hour's time if we even plan on getting into the details of what it is that we are presenting.  It is doubly hard to achieve this for engineers who are in more specialized fields such as Chemical Engineering and Civil Engineering as even if we were to dumb it down to the audience, that would be equally tricky as there may have been information or details that we left out.

BUT! 

We still believe that with proper communication lines and honing engineer’s communication skills, their work will be appreciated!