Management of Engineers and Technology Person-to-Person Communication Communicating to an Audience

Principle 4: Communicating Effectively  Effective communication is a cornerstone of management  Not just delivery – listening and understanding  A manager is like a “hub” in a communication network Communication within the group Communication with the outside world

Person-to-Person Communication  Face-to-face  Telephone Live Voice mail  Written Instant messaging Letters/memos Notes

Bad Communication  Mistakes  Misunderstandings  Mistrust  People are Offended Uninformed or misinformed Confused Frustrated

Good Communication  Informs  Facilitates  Motivates  Persuades  People are Aware Confident Productive

Communication Theory Encode Decode Channel Do you need guidance?

When to put it in writing  Technical Specifications Drawings Legalese  Formal Avoid misunderstanding For the record “If it’s not in writing, it didn’t happen”  Whenever editing is an advantage

When to be face-to-face  Performance assessment Follow up in writing  Rewards/punishment  Whenever the richness of face-to-face communication is an advantage

Beyond the Written or Spoken Word  “Between the lines” content Tone Emotion Gestures Body language  Match – reinforces content  Mismatch – puts content into doubt

Good Practices  Be the initiator  Be a good listener (feedback)  Include redundancy  Appropriate emotional content  Be simple, direct, clear, interesting  Be human (anecdotes, humor)

Themes  Engineers are not famous for their business communication skills  Communication is a cornerstone of good management  Communication skills can be learned, practiced, and improved

Communicating to an Audience  Purpose (business communication) Pass on information Persuade the audience to believe something Motivate the audience to do something Entertain the audience?

Types of Communication  Static Written word Drawings/graphics  Dynamic Oral presentation Multimedia

Oral Presentation Skills  Have a goal  Know your audience  Know your time limit  Know availability of equipment

Three Most Important Things  Preparation

Preparation  Keep goal and audience in mind  Outline the presentation  Know your material  Practice in mirror or to audience  Critique and modify  Find something to get excited about

Presentation Organization  Intro-Body-Summary  Body Problem or goal statement Background, related material Method used Results Conclusions and recommendations  Ask for questions

 Shock value/far out  Suspense, privileged information  Humor  Audience participation  Props  Demonstration Getting Attention

Visual Aids  Overheads Common, easy, interactive Some fumbling  Computer Projection Effective graphics/sound/video, interactive Uncommon equipment, compatibility, dim Problems are going away

Visual Aids  Video Tape Very descriptive, small screen Poor sound, equipment delays, non- interactive  35mm Slides Professional Hard to prepare, equipment problems, dark room, non-interactive

Visual Aids  Black/White Board Interactive, history remains, color Time consuming, messy, disorganized, talk into it  Flip charts Good ordering, color/graphic, interactive Small, can get messy

Props  Three-dimensional visual aids Pass around Touch/feel Add interest  Problems Distracting Get dropped/lost

Rules for Overheads/PPT  Simple - 6 bullet items or less  Good color combinations  Readable - ‘at your feet’ rule  Consistent style  Professional preparation if appropriate  Number or order them

Working with Visual Aids  Be sure of equipment availability  Cover or shut off when not in use  Visible to everyone in room  Use pointer only when necessary  Touch-turn-talk  Have a backup

Handling Questions  Ask, raise hand, limit number  Identify questioner  Repeat or rephrase question  Keep answer to the point  Ask if answer is adequate  Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know”

Personal Habits  Don’t use podium, minimize pointer  Keep focus on speaker  Look good but don’t distract  Effective hand gestures, no fidgeting  Speak to audience, project (microphones)  Eye contact

Working Within Time Limits  Difficult to do  Count number of visuals  Watch the clock  Have a ‘helper’ in the audience  Practice to determine time

On Presentation Day  Look good  Visit room, check equipment  Be introduced (or introduce yourself)  Review your presentation  Remind yourself of presentation skills  Be confident!

Things to Remember  Intro/body/summary  Touch-turn-talk  Eye contact  Body language  Vocal projection  Question handling

Summary  Oral presentations are very important in business  You are competing for a very busy communication channel, and with internal thoughts  The audience is the customer, so be audience-oriented