| Multidisciplinary
teams are the vehicle through which much of modern engineering is
accomplished. Engineering graduates are expected to function effectively
on multidisciplinary teams. [EC 2000] Communication, listening and
speaking, is the core of the abilities required to function on teams.
Therefore, faculty members are seeking ways to help students improve
their communication skills. This document is intended to provide
faculty members with material and activities with which they might
work with their students. The document has three parts.
How might communication occur?
In the first part, information on how effective communication occurs
is presented. The first part of the document addresses the following
questions:
- What is interpersonal communication?
- What is intrateam communication?
- Why learn more about interpersonal and intrateam communication?
- How might I understand effective communication? The sender-message-channel-receiver
(SMCR) model is presented as a way to help understand mechanisms
underlying effective communication.
How might interpersonal/intrateam communication
be improved?
After laying a foundation for better understanding of how effective
communication occurs and of where possibilities for communication
breakdowns might occur, then attention shifts to the skills required
to perform effective communication. So the second part of the document
addresses the following questions:
- How might I improve my ability to listen?
- Why and how might I balance inquiry and advocacy?
- How might I offer constructive feedback and constructive criticism?
How might different groups use this document?
Finally, suggestions for how individual students, student teams, and
faculty members might apply the material in this document are offered.
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