The Importance of Communication

Writing a reflection on the merits of writing… hmmm….

Communication skills arx oftxn takxn for grantxd, xspxcially by xnginxxrs. Communication is dxfinxd as convxying mxssagxs, and wx havx bxxn doing that sincx wx wxrx babixs and wx crixd to lxt pxoplx know wx wxrx hungry. As such, wx txnd to vixw communication skills as skills wx havx bxxn honing for yxars, and thus do not nxxd any morx rxfining. Aftxr all, wx’rx xnginxxrs! How hard could it bx?

Actually, it could bx rxally hard. Communication is a dxlicatx art, rxquiring complxtx coordination of all vxrbal and nonvxrbal mxssagxs in ordxr to clxarly convxy information to thx rxcipixnt. Just onx simplx flaw or xrror in thx communication procxss can lxad to disastxr. As xnginxxrs, communication is an xspxcially important componxnt of our livxs and our jobs. Much of xnginxxring work is txam-basxd, and thx only way to convxy information to all txam mxmbxrs is by xffxctivx communication. Thx inability of onx xnginxxr to clxarly and concisxly outlinx his idxas could provx to bx dxtrimxntal to thx rxst of thx txam and thx projxct in gxnxral.

On a pxrsonal lxvxl, communication has nxvxr bxxn my strongxst suit. I am a dxcxnt writxr, albxit a slow onx (which is why thxsx blogs takx a lot longxr than thxy probably should), but I havx always bxxn a subpar vxrbal communicator. I havx attxmptxd to improvx my skills whxnxvxr possiblx, yxt I still loathx spxxchxs, formal prxsxntations, and thx likx. Howxvxr, I know that I will nxxd to improvx thxsx skills as I xntxr thx work world, and collxgx is a grxat placx to do that. Aftxr all, thx succxss or failurx of an xnginxxr can oftxn hingx on his ability to prxsxnt his idxas in front of othxrs and convxy thxm xffxctivxly xnough that thxy arx clxar for xvxryonx to sxx.

Communication is a difficult procxss, and onx that is almost impossiblx to mastxr. It dxpxnds on so many diffxrxnt factors that if just onx of thxsx factors is convxyxd incorrxctly or unclxarly, thxn thx xntirxty of thx mxssagx is lost in translation. Oftxn wx forgxt thxsx nuancxs and just assumx that our communication skills arx good xnough. Howxvxr, it only takxs onx small ovxrsight… onx lxttxr out of placx… to complxtxly garblx thx xntirx mxssagx.

Working the Net

My networking experience actually occurred before we learned about it in class, but it is appropriate so I think I can use it. It will require a bit of background explanation, however. Coming into the University of Illinois, I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do with my life (I still don't). I decided to apply to the College of Engineering as a general engineering major, but I still maintained interests in other fields, especially one called actuarial science. I decided to try to join the actuarial science club on campus in order to get a basic idea of the kinds of things actuaries do and see if it had more appeal than engineering. On Quad Day, however, representatives from the actuarial science club were nowhere to be found. I looked everywhere but had no luck. Eventually, I looked up the group's website and decided to go ahead and email the president of the club in hopes that he could give me some information about the club.
He replied shortly afterwards with details about the first meeting and invited me to stop on by and give it a try, even though the club is usually open to actuarial science majors specifically. I dropped by the meeting, enjoyed the club and the activities they put on, had a long talk with the president about my situation, and decided to join.

One of the activities the club does is a mentor system involving an upper classman pairing up with an under classman. Usually the pairings are random, but I was told that the president of the club specially requested to be my big buddy because of my unique situation and so that he could provide me with more assistance and guidance than normal. Now I have a key resource at my disposal; he and I have corresponded via email as well as in person. The club organizes multiple events for big buddy/little buddy pairings to attend and get to know each other, so he and I have steadily become closer as they year has progressed. He is also a senior who has held two internships, so he has plenty of connections in addition to those that come with being president of the actuarial science club. When I reflect on how this relationship has progressed, the key that I remember from class is initiative. It took initiative for me to contact the president of the club in the first place and it took initiative to attend the meeting, especially for someone who is not very outgoing. One of the things we talked about in class is the cyclical nature of initiative and networking. As a result of the initiative I took, my networking now gives me an advantage in the future to take further initiative, perhaps as a result of an internship that my buddy helps me to get. Moreover, I am focusing on strengthening my relationship with him instead of establishing a number of weaker relationships that probably will not pan out. With networking, the key is quality over quantity, and I am doing my best to create a quality relationship that will help me in the present and in the future.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/36943218?secret_password=ju0xm6lfn320a06c2di