Communicate effectively, including the ability to
demonstrate effective oral communication skills (which could include the use of languages such as American Sign language for those who do not communicate orally);
demonstrate effective writing skills;
demonstrate effective nonverbal communication skills (which could include appropriate use of performance, design, or representations such as maps, tables, and graphs);
listen actively and critically;
present work effectively to a range of audiences; and
effectively communicate original and creative ideas.
Draw from your academic courses, job-related experiences, and even your extracurricular activities to demonstrate this competency. In addition, describe the major project you completed either individually or with your team in your capstone course, focusing on communication activities and deliverables.
Demonstrate how you as a “technical consultant” are learning how to communicate with a client, decision maker, or other user of the information you provide. Answer the following:
What was the problem/situation that you (or your team investigated)? Describe the assignment context including the client, problem statement, limitations, prerequisites, etc.
What sources of information did you use to complete your research or investigate the problem?
How did you communicate your findings to your user? Describe the different project deliverables (including their contexts). For example, did you provide or contribute to oral briefings? To whom were they directed? What was your contribution? What was the outcome (evaluation from the instructor, team leader, or the client)?
Do you have deliverables that support your contribution to the project? For example, did you prepare slides or graphics? How did you contribute to the final report? Include these samples in your reflection (attach them).
Have have you incorporated specific Chemical Engineering conventions in your written and oral presentations? Any examples?
What communication challenges did you face and how did you address them? Consider how you adjusted your delivery of the information to address the specific needs of the audience. For example, did you explain background material, define terms, or demonstrate how something works so that your client would better understand the new information or appreciate the solutions you were recommending?
What have you learned as a “technical consultant” about how to communicate with different users: clients, decision makers, colleagues, technical experts, or multiple audiences?
It has been said that “today’s communication has changed. It is instant, constant, global, permanent." Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?
How has your understanding of technical communication changed over the course of the semester in your tech comm class?
Mid semester: Given the writing assignments you have prepared thus far, how has your understanding of the rhetorical context shaped your message: what you say, to whom you say it, how you say it? How does your message change as rhetorical contexts change? What examples demonstrate how messages differ depending on the rhetorical contexts?
Late semester: How has your understanding of rhetorical contexts changed throughout the course? What have you learned from writing to different audiences/contexts? Provide examples from the course (or other experiences) that demonstrate how your message was prepared to meet the specific constraints of each rhetorical context. Which assignments or messages would you have done differently (or would you change now) based on your more informed understanding of rhetorical context?
Attach any documents, blog posts (insert as gadget), evaluation sheets, photos, slideshows, or other artifacts as needed to support your reflection.