Task 3: The Importance of Communications Skills for Engineers

“I contend that we (engineers) are undervalued because of our widespread inability to explain what we do to the general public (and why it is so important). It is one of the hardest goals to accomplish, to be able to boil down difficult concepts into a short and easily understood presentation or elevator pitch.”

Marybeth Miceli, President, Miceli Infrastructure Consulting, USA (2011)

What the quote means is that we as engineers often can’t define, in concise yet complete terms, what engineering entails and the significance of engineering in society. Given the complex challenges and the scope of knowledge involved in our line of work, it is incredibly difficult to condense the entirety of engineering down to a singular concept, one that is easily understood by the general public.