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.
Very cool using those x's. I could still read everything fine. (unless you're typing drunk at 3:38pm, then in that case, you're crazy). I liked the point about communication being an art that requires both verbal and non verbal actions. Communicating is like a symphony of complex instruments that all add to one final goal.
ReplyDelete