In this episode, Dr. Jill Fennell sits down with Georgia Tech alum Foster Finley to challenge the myth that technical communication is objective by examining how engineers make strategic, audience-driven choices in real work. 

Take a look at Foster's book list here.

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Show Notes and Timestamps:

• 01:00 Introduction to topic and guest
• 02:18 Why reading is fundamental for engineers
• 03:33 Why all communication is rhetorical
• 08:13 Importance of audience understanding
• 10:35 Project failure and communication
• 14:04 Audience as codesigner versus audience as recipient of facts
• 17:42 Rhetorically skilled engineers in the workplace
• 22:01 What employers are looking for in technical positions
• 24:24 Risk of engineers making assumptions
• 26:14 How students can handle interpreting data and audience influence
• 28:50 Role of persuasion in an engineer’s job
• 31:26 How can students practice these principles in everyday communication
• 34:03 Advice for students preparing for cross functional roles and internships
• 37:43 Engineering as building and as advocacy
• 40:33 One nontechnical book you would assign engineers to read
• 42:14 Wrap up and importance of rhetorical consideration, reading

A Transcript of this episode is available here. 

Episode edited by Lee Hibbard.