The Importance of Communication Skills for Engineers

“Employers identify communication as one of the basic competencies every graduate should have, asserting that the ability to communicate is valuable for obtaining employment and maintaining successful job performance”
By Sherwyn Morreale, Michael Osborn & Judy Pearson
Professors of Communication (2000)

From the quote above, there are 3 key points that the professors raised regarding communication skills; It is a basic competency, it is valuable for obtaining employment, and valuable for maintaining successful job performance.

Communication skills being viewed as a basic competency effectively mean that it is a requirement for an employee to successfully, and effectively, perform their roles.

It is also a skill that is valuable for obtaining employment. This means that effective communication is a prized skill in the workforce that value-adds to any organisation, and is a skill actively looked for in candidates by hiring managers.

Finally, it is also essential in maintaining successful job performance. This means that a person with such skillsets are able to consistently work towards a favourable outcome for their organisation, with any team that he or she works with.

One interesting thing to note from this quote is how effective communication is considered a basic expectation, yet it is a skill that is actively sought for in individuals. This could only mean one of two things; Either highly effective communicators in the workforce are in short supply, or it is an industry-wide belief that whoever can secure more effective communicators would give them an edge in the industry.

Both interpretations point towards the same conclusion; Engineers who can effectively communicate are highly desired. The key takeaway from this quote is mastery of communication skills is critical in meeting my professional goals as an Engineer.