Effective communication skills for engineers

If technical professionals really know how to communicate, they can accompl ish any job more effectively. Effective communication is the key to success ful outcomes. Technical professionals must be trained in the discipline of effective communication, just as they are trained in the discipline of elec trical and electronics engineering. Fortunately, our understanding of the p rocess of human communication has finally achieved a level of structure tha t allows training. This paper presents a step-by-step approach to the disci pline of effective human communication. Over the past 20 years, research has provided insight into the processes of human perception and communication. These insights have led to the develop ment of tools and procedures that significantly increase the effectiveness of that communication. The communication process is divided into seven dist inct steps. When taken in order, these steps give the speaker the ability t o communicate and influence a wide variety of people. Engineers and technic al professionals in the IEEE environment can use the "7-Step Effective Comm unication Process" to increase their communication effectiveness. By doing so, they will stand out as being more capable and more competent at influen cing, leading, and conveying ideas and concepts to their colleagues and to others. The 7-Step Effective Communication Process allows the speaker to understand the structure of the communication that would be most beneficial for the l istener. Once this has been established, the speaker then builds rapport, a nd begins the process of understanding the listener's paradigms. Once the l istener's paradigms are understood, the speaker can then send the desired m essage, and then determine whether the message was received as intended. Th is process is fast and can be done ia the course of casual conversation, in the of an important meeting, or from a platform presentation. It can be pe rformed in a large group or one-on-one. It is easy, quick, efficient, and e ffective.