WJEC Vocational Award Engineering Level 1/2

Chapter 2 Communicating Design Ideas Communicating with Engineers Communicating with Engineers should be straightforward. As an Engineer yourself you are not restricted in the language that you use or the method in which you want to convey your thoughts and ideas. You would be free to use the technical language specific to the engineering subject area, knowing that the other party involved in the conversation (another Engineer) would fully understand your meaning. Another advantage to communicating with Engineers would be the ability to use technical language without the need for further explanations. This would limit any errors in communication and any mistakes that may occur in the production of engineered solutions or products. Communicating with other Engineers would also be a lot faster and could reduce the amount of correspondence going back and forth between everyone involved. However, there are accepted procedures that are commonly used by Engineers to communicate ideas and solutions effectively, which will be explored later in this chapter. You have already learnt some communication techniques … what are they? Communicating with non-Engineers Communicating accurately with non-Engineers can be a more difficult and time-consuming process. It is unlikely that non-Engineers would have been trained in the use of technical equipment and standardised engineering techniques, and therefore would not understand a lot of the vocabulary and technical terminology used. Developing a series of techniques that allow non-Engineers to understand an Engineer’s solutions and thought processes is therefore vital in ensuring the success of projects. As students of engineering you must develop effective communication skills to ensure clarity of communication to eradicate potential costly mistakes, promote positive relationships with the customers/clients and, in turn, create successful engineering solutions. Ways of communicating There are many ways of communicating your thoughts and design solutions to both Engineers and non-Engineers. You can break down the areas and skills you could develop into four simple categories: 1. verbal communication 2. written communication 3. pictorial/visual communication 4. 3D shapes and models. Verbal communication By talking/conversing, you can describe your solution using only words. This is sometimes the simplest form of communication and is quick, easy and does not need any specialist equipment (other than possibly a phone). However, verbal communication is prone to mistakes. How many times have you misunderstood or have been misunderstood when having a conversation? 35