Although everyone listens, speaks and writes every day, few people realize how important these communication skills are. Engineers in particular tend to emphasize technical and mathematical skills more than communication skills, not realizing that they cannot be fully effective in their jobs if they are poor listeners, speakers and writers.

Most of us have been speaking and listening since we were very small, but that does not mean we do it well. Engineers need strong speaking, listening and writing skills to succeed at their jobs. As managers, for example, they will need not only to listen to what their staff tells them, but to come across to their staff as someone who is listening. Similarly, managers must write memos, directives and reports, and they must talk to their staff such that they are well understood.

The following actually occurred. The chief airplane washer at a company hangar hooked a high-pressure hose up to a soapsuds machine and turned it on. Soon after, he received an important call and had to go home. As he was leaving, he yelled to his assistant, who was unfortunately named Don, "Don, turn it off." Over the noise, the assistant thought he heard "Don't turn it off," so he shrugged and left the area soon after. As a result, the hangar was flooded with soapy water, and looked more like a washing machine. See hangar.

This module will introduce you to good speaking, listening and writing techniques, and offer you hints on how to improve your skills. (see universal diagram of communication skills).