engineering communication engineering communication covers a variety of written and oral

communication this includes memos letters and even agenda in business meetings some
communications are digitized like those posted and uploaded by professionals such as powerpoint
presentation cad drawing and many more ncom also includes advertising and promotional materials
including speeches delivered formally or casually but how does engineering communication impact the
lives of people one of the student outcomes of abet is reflected in the 2014-2015 criteria for accrediting
engineering programs it states that a student should be able to communicate effectively this means that
it is imperative that an engineer or architect or any other professional to be able to communicate or
convey his or her message clearly whether in the form of an instruction a warning or a recommendation
the impact of erroneous communication can be enormous as it can put the lives of people at risk so
what are the characteristics of engineering communication number one necessity for specific audience
we have to understand that technical communication is audience driven because it responds the specific
need for information it means that the communication should be tailored to specific audience one
example is the instruction that is kept inside the box of a newly bought electric fan this communication
is designed to teach the layperson how to put together the different parts of the electric fan and
eventually use the device the language used is simple direct to the point and not peppered with
technical terms remember it is impossible to write the communication if you don't know your audience
number two is integration of visual elements visual elements refers to everything from illustrations such
as diagrams or charts to headings and subheadings when describing a processor or the parts of a new
system it is expected that images or pictures of the device are parts or integrated in the communication
careful integration of ideas and their presentation is essential to effective engineering communication
the third characteristics of ncom is ease of selective access this is one way of giving the reader easy
access to specific sections of a written document and this can be achieved through headings
subheadings and or table of contents the next characteristic is timeliness technician manuals should be
always up to date you cannot use one manual for all versions or make for example a manual for spark
chevrolet 2000 model cannot be used for 2021 model as there are more features and improvements
integrated in the system of the latter so you have to update next is structure in high school or in another
college course you might have been taught that a paragraph must have a topic sentence one or more
supporting sentences and a concluding sentence you might also have been told never to begin a
sentence with and or but in contemporary and calm these rules often don't apply if you can express the
idea of a paragraph in one sentence you should do so also in the interest brevity and ease of access you
may well replace topic sentences with headings or subheadings and most engineering and technical
writers accept the practice of beginning some sentences with end or but furthermore although all good
writers vary sentence length and structure to avoid monotony of style most engineering writing tends to
use relatively short sentences how is ethics relevant to engineering communication then let's take a look
at abet's criteria for accrediting engineering programs which also includes a required student outcome
of an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility this means that ethics is highly considered
in the conduct of business and development of technology in fact many professional associations bless
their own codes of ethical conduct it is important to note that asce's fundamental principles requires
that engineers uphold and advance the integrity honor and dignity of the engineering profession by
being honest and impartial and servicing with fidelity the public their employers and clients whereas the
institute of electrical and electronic engineers or ieee approved a code of ethics that includes the