Communication Skills for MatE 198B February 2, 2001

1. Communication Skillsfor MatE 198B February 2, 2001 Dr. W. Richard Chung Dept. of Chemical and Materials Engineering San Jose State University

2. Some Tips for Communication Skills • Writing effective memorandums and e-mails • Communicating by phone • Presenting a technical presentation • Discussing a project with your advisor • Other

3. Writing Effective Memorandums and E-mails • Know who your reader is • Ask yourself why you need to send this document • Present what they want (clear and useful) • Be careful with what you write • Use the subject line to get their attention • Don’t type in all upper or lower case or bf • Keep your document brief and to the point • Proofread your document before sending it out

4. Communicating by Phone • Direct approach (limit social conversation) • Have an aim • Be responsive • Don’t get distracted (don’t answer incoming calls or do something else) • Be honest with the questions and answers • At the end of a call, summarize the things discussed and the actions to be taken • Don’t answer a call while eating • Don’t make a call very early or very late

5. Presenting A Technical Presentation • Develop a clear structure of the slides to be displayed • Present key information at the beginning and end of the session • Apply visual aids and move with proper speeds • Maintain eye contact with audience • At the end of the talk, provide a quick review of the information just presented

6. Discussing A Project with Your Advisor • Do some homework before seeing your advisor • Define the project • Ask clear directions (not too detail) • Take notes • Provide your view and suggestions • Outline the scope of the project and get advisor’s (written) approval • List the people and equipment to be involved • Decide the communication method