1 / 16

Writing Professionally as an Engineer Scott Coffel Director, Hanson CTC

Writing Professionally as an Engineer Scott Coffel Director, Hanson CTC. Famous Last Words of Engineers. “I’m an engineer—not a writer.” “I don’t have to explain my data—it explains itself.” “Don’t worry—only engineers will read this.”. Writing is Not a “Soft Skill”.

Télécharger la présentation

Writing Professionally as an Engineer Scott Coffel Director, Hanson CTC

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Writing Professionallyas an EngineerScott CoffelDirector, Hanson CTC

  2. Famous Last Words of Engineers • “I’m an engineer—not a writer.” • “I don’t have to explain my data—it explains itself.” • “Don’t worry—only engineers will read this.”

  3. Writing is Not a “Soft Skill” Why does the College have its own Writing Center? • Professional engineers tell us that at least 7O% of their work involves writing and public speaking. • Successful careers in engineering revolve around communicating to multiple audiences: clients, the general public, and fellow professionals.

  4. Benefits ofReader-Based Documents • Allow readers to focus on information they may need to act upon or evaluate. • Explain to readers how to use or act upon the information you provide. • Allow readers to comprehend your message quickly.

  5. Organizing Reader-Based Documents • State your purpose first. • Always emphasize a request for action. • Provide information in order of importance for a particular reader. • Use a transactional closing—establish the next step in the communication.

  6. E-mail for Engineers: Best Practices Prepare • Compose all important queries or responses offline. • Make sure you write to (and correctly address) your intended reader. • Never write in anger—or with too much of any emotion. Strive for a neutral tone.

  7. E-mail for Engineers: Best Practices (2) Organize for Clarity • Use a short but clear subject line. • Don’t waste your reader’s time; in as few words as possible, state the purpose of your e-mail. • Identify yourself and/or the group you represent. • Always close with contact information.

  8. E-mail for Engineers: Best Practices (3) Use Visual Cues • Concise sentences. • Short paragraphs. • Use headings to differentiate key topics.

  9. E-mail for Engineers: Best Practices (4) Review • Never provide confidential or inappropriate information (don’t complain, criticize, or evaluate others). • Second guess every attempt at humor. • Spell check, yes…but also proof reed. (hah)

  10. E-mail for Engineers: Best Practices (5) Avoid Disaster • Once sent, e-mails become part of a permanent record. • Obtain permission before forwarding messages. • Read your message out loud (or at least whisper it) before clicking Send.

  11. E-mail for Engineers: Best Practices (6) Summing Up: E-mail is quick, convenient, direct but… • Writing and editing may suffer from ease of creation. • You do not always control distribution. • You cannot ensure privacy. • Readers may find the medium of e-mail too casual.

  12. The Reader-Based Memo Memos (or activity reports) are verbal snapshots of your individual or team’s work-in-progress. Well-written memos— • Express your competence, initiative, and responsibility. • Specify the status of each key task. • Serve as reality checks: they focus your attention on what remains to be done.

  13. Signs of Excellence To: From: Date: Subject: • Work completed: • Problems encountered: • Problems solved: • Work needing completion: • Assistance (if any) needed: • Timeline compliance: (“We expect to finish all scheduled tasks by…..”) • If time allows, bring a draft of your memo to the Hanson Center; our peer consultants will help you achieve clarity, coherence, and a professional tone.

  14. The Basics • Technical writers achieve clarity by eliminating ambiguous words or phrases. • Ambiguity (defined as “doubtfulness or uncertainty as regards interpretation”) can often lead to serious misinterpretations… • and undermine your credibility. • Whoever writes English is involved in a struggle that never lets up, even for a sentence. — George Orwell

  15. Questions? Visit the Hanson CTC • Hours: 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday7:00 – 9:30 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Sunday • Location: 2224 SC (in the Student Commons area) • Scheduling: Appointment sign-up sheet posted on window outside door of 2224 SC

  16. Thank you! What is written without effort is read without pleasure.

More Related