Introduction: Travis Garriott

Hey! I'm Travis Garriott, and I'm an Electrical Engineering major at Clemson University. After college, the career I would like to have would involve robotics or electronic systems in general, maybe even something pertaining to programming these systems. Besides having an interest in electronics, I'm interested in real-time 3D graphics rendering, especially anything that can be applied to a video game engine, so I tend to keep a close eye on things such as open-source 3D graphics rendering libraries, SIGGRAPH, and several independent game development blogs. I also enjoy hiking, camping, and kayaking (though not white-water kayaking), and I have a great interest in biology, especially genetics, as shown by the fact that I transferred to an electrical engineering major from a genetics major.

Technical jobs in general require an effective way to communicate ideas between people who specialize in different fields. For instance, it is often necessary for electrical engineers to collaborate with materials scientists in order to manufacture a product with specific properties. This requires a way to communicate complex ideas in a concise yet clear way. Effective communications skills are the key to resolving this situation.

There are several modern established lines of communication that professionals can utilize. For example, email has enabled the ability to have anything from simple correspondences to complex discussions happen instantaneously. In order to communicate technical material, scientific journals can be used, which are peer reviewed for accuracy and clarity. These lines of communication, and many others like cell phones and instant messaging, offer many ways to spread resources required by technicians for collaboration on important ideas.

Effective communication is characterized by a balance between clarity and brevity. It is useful to be both succinct so that something can be communicated quickly, but it's also important to get an understanding across to those who aren't as proficient in your specialty. Being able to communicate complex ideas in a clear way and to do so in a brief span of time are great skills to have in engineering, as well as other technical fields.

In engineering, communicating technically complex information to those that fund or direct it, such as project managers and leaders or research advisors, is a necessity. Therefore, an engineer must remember to balance clarity and brevity. Clarity can be achieved through the exchange of scientific papers, and brevity can be made possible through the use of cell phone calls. Both clarity and brevity, however, can be achieved through email discussions. Which one to use depends on the context and whether it is more useful to be clear or be brief. In this way, an engineer can learn to communicate effectively with his or her peers.