Teaching Engineers Good Communications

Going Beyond Good Grammar: The UW-Madison College of Engineering’s Technical Communication Program

By Madeline Fisher

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When April Mills took her first job out of college in August 2001, her competence in engineering came as little surprise. Mills, after all, holds a degree in engineering mechanics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

But shortly after joining the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (IMF) in Bremerton, Wash., Mills began to shine in a somewhat unexpected area: communications. First, she orchestrated and wrote a major update of a process manual. Next, she facilitated sessions in which everyone from top-level managers to mechanics hashed out solutions to engineering problems. From there, she transitioned into management, where today she spends her time organizing groups, running meetings and training employees.

Then Mills surprised her colleagues again. “As much as I’d like to think I’m unique,” she says, “I told them, ‘The reality is, there are others like me — engineering graduates who are comfortable with their communication skills or who at least appreciate those skills enough to develop them.’” She even knew where such people could be found.

Her co-workers were intrigued. “They appreciate people who can communicate,” she says. “But I don’t think they realized they could recruit someplace and select for communication skills as an extra factor.”

That’s when Mills described where she had gained her expertise: the UW-Madison Technical Communication (TC) Program.

A Host of Communications Topics

Housed within the College of Engineering, the TC program teaches a host of communications topics, ranging from technical writing and editing to Web design and teamwork. It has also offered a “minor” in communication — the 24-credit Technical Communication Certificate (TCC) — since 1989. The notion that engineers need strong communication skills is nothing new, as the program’s longevity implies. Still, these skills have received renewed attention of late, says TC program director Laura Grossenbacher. Several students and alumni have recently recounted how their communication proficiency has boosted their engineering careers. Moreover, ABET, the accreditation board for educational programs in engineering and technology, believes communication should be a greater priority of engineering education. And many members of the college’s industrial advisory boards (IABs) agree.

Dave Miller, a former member of Mechanical Engineering’s IAB and vice president and general manager of Quebecor World in Mount Morris, Ill., puts it this way: “You can be trained very well in the technical sciences, but all that value hinges on your ability to sell your ideas to people. So if you don’t develop your communication skills, you may end up underutilizing your technical skills and knowledge.”

TCC alumnus Tom Bartlett has experienced this firsthand: He believes his communication credentials, rather than his engineering degree, opened doors at Boeing. Bartlett, who graduated in December with an engineering physics degree, applied last summer for several engineering internships at Boeing in Seattle. But when the phone finally rang, the company wanted Bartlett not as an engineer, but as a technical writer.

Applying Good Writing Skills

Once in the internship, Bartlett saw that good writing skills applied far beyond the technical-writing realm. Most Boeing engineers did their own writing, in fact, while technical writers acted more as editors. Plus, the engineering team that was most interesting to Bartlett was heavily involved in writing and editing. Boeing’s maintenance engineering group ensures that every aircraft part is designed for easy upkeep and repair. A critical part of its mission is to write clear instructions for mechanics to follow when servicing planes and fixing problems.

To Barlett, maintenance engineering seemed a perfect mix of technical writing and aeronautical engineering. At summer’s end, he interviewed for and was offered a permanent position with the team.

“I really think it was my TC certificate that sold the maintenance engineering group on me,” says Bartlett. “I would not be where I am right now without the certificate. I don’t mean to sound clichéd, but it’s true.”

As Bartlett and Mills’ experiences attest, industry obviously values engineers who can compose clear sentences and make compelling presentations. The TC curriculum isn’t just about these fundamentals, however; it also strives to instill an ability to read and think critically, to work effectively with others and to appreciate ethical issues. These skills are absolutely vital to industry and the future of engineering, says John Nelson, former CEO of Affiliated Engineers in Madison and College of Engineering IAB member.

“The United States needs a place to stand,” says Nelson, in the face of Asia’s burgeoning engineering expertise. “So, let’s take advantage of where we can stand and that’s in training leaders. And to be a leader you need to have a broad perspective.”

A Class on Ethical and Social Issues

That’s why a recent development in the TC program has Nelson applauding. Although the program routinely covers ethical and social issues in its communication courses, it’s also experimenting with a class devoted to these topics. It all started with engineering physics major Kyle Oliver. Enthused by a history of science course, Oliver wanted to continue reading classic works in science and engineering, but his course load left little time for this outside of class. So, with three or four reading ideas in hand, Oliver approached Grossenbacher in the fall of 2004.

“I basically asked, ‘Hey, can I get a credit for reading these books and talking with you about them?’” Oliver says. He simply thought it would be fun. But Grossenbacher, he says, immediately saw an opportunity to immerse engineering students in a very different kind of learning. From there, the pair quickly put together a reading list, recruited five other students and launched the “Social and Ethical Impacts of Technology” in spring 2005.

The group eventually read and discussed authors and works ranging from philosopher Immanuel Kant to science fiction writer Douglas Adams to “The Origin of Species” by Charles Darwin.They also managed to plow through all 800 pages of Richard Rhodes’ “The Making of the Atomic Bomb.”

Often for the first time, the readings allowed the students to place the tools of engineering into a broader historical and social context and to contemplate the ethical ambiguities surrounding many scientific discoveries, says Oliver. For him, the readings also provided a much-needed break. “I think some students hold up better than I do under the onslaught of problem sets,” he says, “but having the course as a sustaining force was really important for me.”

Connecting with Both Sides of the Brain

Bartlett says the same of the entire TC program. “Before I enrolled in the certificate program, some semesters I was taking just engineering, just science. I felt like I was becoming disconnected from the other half of my brain,” he says. “The TC program definitely provides an outlet for people like me.”

As for Mills, she returned to UW-Madison last October to recruit new graduates on behalf of her employer. Although none of those interviewed by the shipyard held a TC certificate, Mills says her organization will likely try again in the future. In the meantime, she hopes more UW-Madison engineering students recognize the worth of the TC program.

“There’s a lot more value in it than people think,” she says. “Strong communication skills put you in front of people, whether through the quality of your writing, or your ability to stand in front of a group, or to speak up at a meeting. Whatever it is, you don’t blend in as well. Which is a good thing.”

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