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Chapters

This textbook is organized into 15 chapters covering 275 concepts in technical communication.

Chapter Overview

  1. Communication Foundations - Core communication theory, the sender-receiver model, communication types, barriers, and why communication is a career multiplier for engineers.
  2. Principles of Clarity - The Feynman Technique, plain language, cognitive load management, and how to eliminate jargon and ambiguity.
  3. Structuring Your Message - Minto's Pyramid Principle, MECE framework, logical structure, and organizing arguments effectively.
  4. Brevity and Conciseness - Smart Brevity, 3-Minute Thesis, the Dilution Effect, evidence quality, and editing for impact.
  5. Understanding Your Audience - Audience analysis and segmentation, message adaptation, cultural sensitivity, and accessibility.
  6. Data Visualization - Tufte's 4S Model, data-ink ratio, chart selection, and avoiding misleading graphics.
  7. Designing Presentations - Slide design principles, visual hierarchy, deck structure, and presentation templates.
  8. Delivering Presentations - Public speaking, stage presence, audience engagement, Q&A, and 3MT delivery techniques.
  9. Storytelling and Narrative - Klein's storytelling model, narrative structure, story arcs, metaphors, and data storytelling.
  10. Persuasion and Influence - Duhigg's Supercommunicators, ethos-pathos-logos, trust building, and stakeholder buy-in.
  11. Technical Writing - Proposals, reports, documentation standards, email communication, and style guides.
  12. AI and Communication - Large language models, AI writing assistants, prompt engineering, and AI workflow integration.
  13. Feedback and Improvement - Constructive feedback, peer review, self-assessment, deliberate practice, and continuous improvement.
  14. Professional Communication - Career communication, leadership, team and remote communication, and conflict resolution.
  15. Capstone Projects - Integrative projects combining multiple frameworks and skills.

How to Use This Textbook

Chapters are ordered to respect concept dependencies — each chapter builds on ideas from earlier chapters. For the best learning experience, work through the chapters in order. However, if you already have a strong foundation in communication, you can jump to specific chapters that address your immediate needs. The Learning Graph can help you identify which prerequisites you may need.

Note: Each chapter includes a list of concepts covered. Make sure to complete prerequisites before moving to advanced chapters.