(T2Wk1 Task 3) The importance of communication skills 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, President, Miceli Infrastructure Consulting, USA (2011) In this blog post, we explore Marybeth's opinion and interpretation of why Engineers are often undervalued due to their inability to communicate various engineering concepts for the average joe to understand. This opinion is valid simply because engineering as a whole is very complex, in fact it is so complex and varied that engineers may often find it hard to even explain the functions of their jobs too. In addition, the training and knowledge that engineers undertake requires years of learning which also shapes and creates the mindset and way of thinking that engineers adopt. Thus, it is easy for e...