Principles of Effective Communication for Engineers

My Communication Tips

One of the biggest challenges young engineers face is knowing when they have enough information to make a decision and take a 'calculated risk.' In my experience, the issue isn’t a lack of information, but rather an overwhelming overload of data and analysis that makes it difficult to move forward. They get stuck because they haven't been taught communication techniques.

The topic of communication came up again this week when I spoke to a colleague who was overwhelmed by all the emails and meetings he was caught up in, and worried about the stress and missing his deadlines. I thought I’d share the tips I gave him with my subscribers.

Here are the rules I follow:

1. Keep communication direct, preferably over coffee or in a stand-up meeting. Direct conversations are more effective for solving engineering problems. This approach fosters "creative destruction"—the process by which innovation happens.

2. Cancel all meetings except those that directly involve clients or are required by the project. If a meeting is truly important, someone will come and tell you what you need to know. Meetings often just delay action.

3. After every meeting, write a summary and send it to the relevant people. If the information is important and you're in a hierarchy, copy your manager. Use clear, direct language and bullet points for easy reading. If English isn’t your first language, write the summary in your native language first, so you understand it, then translate it.

4. Avoid long email chains. No one can follow them, and they often lead to confusion or conflict. These conversations are better handled on Teams, WhatsApp, or by sitting next to the engineer doing the work.

5. Before doing any calculations, start writing the report. The report will tell you what calculations you need, saving time and effort.

6. Use spellcheck and AI tools to catch obvious mistakes. If you don’t check your language, you’re showing a lack of respect for the reader.

7. Write regularly for the public. If you can explain your ideas to a lay audience, you’ll communicate more effectively with your team.

8. Communicate directly. Ambiguity leads to project overruns and poor decisions.

9. Read a lot of history. Historians are excellent communicators, and their skills can teach you a lot about conveying ideas clearly.

10. Sketch: When designing always draw a figure, because a picture is worth a thousand words.

11. Write a summary in the language of the country you’re working in. I’ve worked in environments where French, Sotho, German, and Afrikaans were spoken. Each time, I made an effort to use some of the local language, which helped me build strong friendships. English may be the global business language, but speaking someone’s mother tongue allows you to speak to their hearts.

12. Remove Redundancy: With every document revision, remove unnecessary text to keep it concise.

13. Conclusion on the first page: For report writing, place your conclusion after the introduction. This will make it easier to go through the document years later.

14. Use the SMART Requirements Format: Present your recommendations using the SMART criteria. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. 'Shall' indicates an obligation, 'Should' denotes a recommendation, and 'May' refers to an optional requirement.

These are the tips that have helped me improve my communication, and I hope they help anyone reading this. If you have any others, let me know