Engineering Communication

Preface
Principles of Engineering Communication
To the Instructor
To the Student
Introduction
Part One: Setting the Stage for Understanding
1. Purpose, Genre, and Audience
Principle 1: Finding Purpose
Principle 2: Improvising Genre
Principle 3: Constructing Audience
2. Strategies for Invention
Principle 4: Developing Credible Argument
Principle 5: Applying Rhetorical Patterns
Part Two: Modes of Control: Organizing Information for Readability
3. Guiding the Reader through the Document
Principle 6: Building Effective Introductions
Principle 7: Framing Knowledge
Principle 8: Imposing Visible Structure
Principle 9: Making Transitions
4. Creating Clarity and Cohesion
Principle 10: Designing Paragraphs
Principle 11: Moving from Known to New
Principle 12: Modifying Matters
Part Three: Elements of Refined Communication
5. Generating Flow
Principle 13: Elevating Verbs
Principle 14: Positioning the Verb
Principle 15: Finding the Real Subject
Principle 16: Capitalizing on the Power Position
6. Engineering Elegance in the Document
Principle 17: Determining Sentence Length
Principle 18: Mastering Sentence Rhythm
Part Four: Applications
7. Applying the Principles to Written Communication
8. Applying the Principles to Visual Communication
9. Applying the Principles to Oral Communication
Conclusion: From Principles to Practice
Appendices
Appendix A: Core Sentence Components: Clauses
Appendix B: Sentence Types
Appendix C: Action Elements: Verbs and Verbals
Appendix D: Optional Sentence Elements: Modifiers
Appendix E: Joiners
Appendix F: Punctuation
Appendix G: A Brief Primer on Ethics for the Engineer NEW
Appendix H: Fallacies
References
Index

Instructor's Manual:
In-class exercises
Writing exercises
PowerPoint slides:
Lecture outline slides
Image bank
Additional Case Studies:
For every chapter:
5-6 case studies with questions
E-Book (ISBN 9780199000555):
Available through CourseSmart.com

Robert Irish is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto. He began the engineering communication program at the University of Toronto in 1995 and served as its first director until 2008. He also runs a series of courses on writing in engineering for professional engineers.

Peter Weiss is a senior lecturer at the University of Toronto and is the current director of the engineering communication program, which he has been involved with since 2000.

Special Features

• Written by experts in engineering communication to address the specific communication requirements of engineering students and professionals.
• Organized into a series of easy-to-follow principles (18 in total) that can be adapted and applied to a variety of communication tasks, ensuring students have the tools they need to develop superior writing and presentation skills.
• Builds transferable practical skills rather than simply templates to copy, empowering students to become effective communicators in any situation.
• Case studies incorporating examples of actual documents prepared by engineering professionals help students understand how to apply successful communication strategies in the workplace.
• A quick-reference grammar guide supports students in writing polished, professional documents by covering the fundamentals of sentence structure, verbs and verbals, modifiers, joiners, punctuation, and fallacies.

• Try This boxes. Practical exercises and activities ask students to apply the principles in the text to everyday communication.
• Ethics in Communication boxes. Focus on issues related to clear and ethical communication such as plagiarism, working with templates, and using persuasion in reports.
• New appendix on ethics for engineers. Offers a primer on the ethical issues and challenges that students may face in the workforce.