This document discusses engineering communication and provides guidance on preparing communications through researching topics, organizing information, and delivering oral and written presentations. It covers selecting topics, researching through technical journals, books, conferences, encyclopedias, reports, patents and more. It also discusses organizing information based on audience and strategies like chronological order. For oral presentations, it recommends including an introduction, body, conclusion and visual aids, and provides tips for reducing speech anxiety and improving presentation style. For writing, it discusses organization, structural aids and becoming a better writer.

1. FOUNDATIONS OF
ENGINEERING

2. CHAPTER # 6
Engineering Communication

3. PREPARATION
TOPIC SELECTION
May be given or you may be able to select it.
If you are selecting your own topic, you may select one which you are familiar
RESEARCH
Technical Journals: generally devoted to a single topic. Review process can take often years,
but the work is high quality. It is the primary means by which new information is introduced
into the engineering community
Books: They are written by authors who are familiar with the field and wish to describe in a
consistent and coherent manner. The great advantage is that the information is in a single
source rather than in multiple articles spread over many years in a plethora of journals. But the
information is few years older.
Conference Proceeding: They are collection of papers are written by authors who speak at a
meeting devoted to a particular topic. Sometimes data taken a few days or weeks prior to
meeting. Information has not been peer reviewed, so is of lesser quality. Some take reviews but
it take times and delays the publication
Encyclopedia articles: are short description of a particular topic. Peer reviewed; so is of high
quality. The information is at least few years old.

4. Government Reports: They are collection of research data taken by government sponsored
researchers. The reports are required by the funding agency and are maintained at the agency.
In some cases the reports are copied so they are widely available. The final report are
written immediately after the projects completed. So the information is very recent. however it
is not peer reviewed.
Generally if the information is important to wide audience then it will be
translated into journal articles where it is peer reviewed.
Patents:
Popular press articles
Course notes
Internet sites

5. Abstracts
Citations or references
Citations indices
Library catalogs
ORGANIZATIONS
Knowing your audience
Strategies
 Chronological Strategy
 Debate Strategy
 General to specific Strategy
 Problem to Solution Strategy
 Motivational Strategy

6. ORAL PRESENTATIONINTRODUCTION
BODY
CONCLUSION
VISUAL AIDS
Word Charts
Tables
Charts & Graphs
Photographs
Schematics
Physical Objects
Options
 Transparencies
 Slides
 Computer Projections
 Blackboards
 Butcher paper
 Handout

7. SPEECH ANXIETY
Well prepared
Memorize the first few lines
Look up at only at your familiar peoples
Allow you to make mistakes, & ignore them
Exercise before presentation
STYLE
Look at the eye of audience
Look at everyone to grab their attention
Speak forcefully & confidently
Use a pointer to direct the audience’s attention
Don’t block the view of visual aid
Avoid distracting habit like jiggling
Be enthusiastic

8. WRITING
Organization
Structural Aids
Becoming a Good Writer

9. HOME ASSIGNMENT
BUILDING BETTER SENTENCES
Punctuations
Word Demons
Equations and Demons
Subject/Verb Agreements
Miscellaneous Issues