One of my goals for 2023 is to do more recreational reading – both on topics related to civil engineering and unrelated topics as well. I recently finished Harvard Business Review (HBR) Guide to Better Business Writing, by Bryan A. Garner. Admittedly, this was not a book I chose to read, but rather it was required reading of an MBA Course I took, called Effective Business Writing. However, the book was very captivating and I found myself wanting to continue to read a few more pages. Looking back, it was a book I would have chosen to read, had I actually known about it outside of class.
Right off the bat, I liked the book because there were many affordable, used copies available – I got mine for about $7 on eBay. The 210-page book is divided into 4 sections which are further divided into chapters covering different topics, such as Business Letters, Emails, Conciseness, Effective Summaries, etc. In total, there are 21 chapters but it was a pretty quick read. We were assigned weekly readings for the class that was to be completed according to the course syllabus, but I immediately found the book easy to read, and captivating, and even found myself laughing at some of the practical examples provided. It reads much more like a novel than a textbook or writing handbook. One of the reasons for this is the way the book is structured with great examples “Say this…” “Instead of this…”
More importantly, I found many helpful tips which helped me identify mistakes and ultimately improve my own writing – in my career as an engineer, as a contributor to CEA and just in my own everyday communication with others. I usually sell back most of my textbooks at the end of the semester, but this one I am definitely keeping this one and will refer back to it as a resource. I have even loaned it out to two different friends since finishing the course. I would highly recommend this book for your personal library as a resource you can reference again and again. In the meantime, I have distilled down my top 3 tips or takeaways from the book and related them back to how they can be applied in our careers as civil engineers.
Do Not Write in Anger
I think this is especially important today with instant communication constantly at our fingertips through a quick text or email on our phones. It can be easy to reply back in anger and haste. If you receive correspondence that is unexpected or upsets you, instead of replying back right away while your emotions are running high, it may be better to re-read and let some time pass, at least a half hour, before writing out a well-thought-out and respectful response. A good benchmark to use might be to ask yourself the question, “Would I be okay with how my reputation was affected if this reply or correspondence was broadcasted on the local news?” It may also be a good habit to force yourself to sit in front of the computer to draft a response to an email – the element of haste may be reduced versus replying quickly on your phone. Regardless of your emotions and the message you received, it is always best to use respectful language and act professionally – whether communicating with a colleague, a contractor, a casual acquaintance, and even family and friends.
Be Plain Spoken and Waste No Words
This is an essential communication skill in both engineering and in business. I notice a lot of times in emails, engineering reports, and other documents, civil engineers are prone to over-explaining and using verbose and unnecessary additional words to describe a simple concept or make a basic request. This can be insulting to your reader’s intelligence and consume more time than necessary. I notice this mistake a lot in email messages, both in messages that I wrote and several I received. A good method to avoid this pitfall is to avoid the passive voice. For example:
Say “John Doe was the author of the book.” Versus “The best-selling, award-winning novel was authored by John Doe.”
OR
Say, “Due to decreased consumer demand, ABC Company will be reducing production next month.” Instead of “The shifting consumer market, reductions in interests and purchasing, and a looming economic downturn, has resulted in ABC Company making the difficult decision to scale-back production starting next month which coincides with the beginning of Quarter 2.”
By being plain-spoken, concise, and quickly getting to the point of your communication, your reader can quickly understand your request and act on your communication.
Effectively Summarize and Separate Observations from Conclusions
This concept is important in all types of communication. However, I found it especially crucial for engineering reports. A civil engineer must separate his or her observations, which should be factual, from his or her conclusions. This must be done in casual correspondence such as emails or text messages and also in engineering reports and investigations. An error in summarizing or blurred lines of observations versus an engineer’s opinion can make him or her liable for something unintended. For example, suppose a civil engineer has been contracted to conduct building damage assessments following a hurricane and makes the following statement in the Observations section of an engineering report
“The roof was torn off and the windows of the house were missing due to the hurricane and flooding.”
The civil engineer has unintendedly made a conclusion in the observations section of the report. The engineer stated the cause of the damage as being the hurricane and flooding, whereas the hurricane and flooding may not actually be the cause of damage. For example, the building may have been under construction prior to the storm and still in the framing stage of construction without a roof yet. Or the building may have been abandoned for several years and the windows may have been broken due to vandalism or theft. It is important to keep observations factual in the engineering report and only write directly what you see, independent from your own conclusions. A better way to write these observations might be
“During the post-storm damage assessment, it was observed that the roof of the building was missing as well as 5 of the 7 second-floor windows.”
The later example provides a sequential description of events (“During the post-storm damage assessment..”) and keeps the observations strictly factual but still detailed (5 of the 7 second-floor windows).
Ultimately, the HBR Guide to Better Business Writing was surprisingly a great read which provided me with some great techniques to make my communication skills more effective. I highly recommend adding this book to your personal library too and practicing these techniques in your civil engineering career and beyond!
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Author: Matt Fanghella, PE, CFM
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