(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 engineers to communicate concepts and solutions to other engineers but it is often hard for engineers to communicate concepts to the general public.

Therefore, one must ask the question, "How do we boil down difficult concepts that requires years of learning into a short summary that can be easily understood?" 

I think this question is a hard question both to the general public and to engineers themselves. For example, when we think about big global problems like climate change and the dangers of Artificial Intelligence, a person who is not trained as an engineer might propose solutions that are either thought of as so out of this world or such that it might come across as common sense and obvious. However, as engineers, we are taught to consider the specifics and the viability of the proposed solution. We learn that things are not as easy as it seems like we can't fight global warming simply by building a giant fan! It would be like asking the doctor the reason as to why cancer exist, he could teach you about it but it would require multiple concepts and a lot of time.

Another reason why this question is a hard question for engineers is because of the hard truth that engineers themselves might not fully understand each concept thoroughly. It is because of the fact that we cannot fully understand it which is why we may not be able to explain it in an easy to understand way. In conclusion, we have to submit to the fact that engineering concepts are complex which we have to invest a lot of time to understand them.