Public Speaking and Technical Writing Skills for Engineering Students, Second Edition

This Second Edition of Public Speaking and Technical Writing Skills for Engineering Students has been significantly updated and revised in response to the needs of instructors who have used it in their classes. The most important changes are the inclusion of a major section on writing style and the use of PowerPoint software. Also new is a chapter on the skills necessary for conversing one-on-one with clients, reporters, lawyers, and prospective employers. The last chapter of this book is a discussion on the ethics of engineering communication. In using this book for instruction, the ethics of communication can be introduced separately, or, as is the case with most instructors, the ideas in the last chapter can be infused throughout the discussions on speaking and writing. When I taught this material I used three class periods for the writing and speaking topics and introduced ethical concerns throughout the course. An alternate method is to introduce ethics immediately following the chapters on speaking and writing. Either way, ABET emphasizes that ethics represents a major part of an engineering education and has made this a requirement for accreditation. Introducing professional ethics with technical communication skills affords a useful and efficient way of covering both topics. An instructor's manual for this book is available. Please contact Lakeshore Press, P. O. Box 92, Woodsville, NH 03785, telephone 603-747-8083.