Memory Maps: Helping Engineering Students Fashion Words on the Spot in Their Technical Presentations

Michael Alley; Lori B. Miraldi; Joanna K. Garner

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Conference: 2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Seattle, Washington
Publication Date: June 14, 2015
Start Date: June 14, 2015
End Date: June 17, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-692-50180-1
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: Communication as Performance
Tagged Division: Liberal Education/Engineering & Society
Page Count: 11
Page Numbers: 26.1145.1 - 26.1145.11
DOI: 10.18260/p.24482
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/24482
Download Count: 533

Paper Authors

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Michael Alley The Pennsylvania State University

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Michael Alley is an associate professor of engineering communication at Pennsylvania State University. He is the author of The Craft of Scientific Presentations (Springer-Verlag, 2013) and founder of the website Writing Guidelines for Engineering and Science (writing.engr.psu.edu), which receives more than 1 million page downloads each year.

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Lori B. Miraldi The Pennsylvania State University

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Joanna K. Garner Old Dominion University

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Abstract

Memorizing, Reading, or Fashioning on the Spot: An Engineering Student’s Source of Words in a Technical Presentation In traditional speech courses, the words that the speaker says arise from four sources: (1)memorized; (2) read from a script, notecards, or slides; (3) fashioned on the spot with noplanning (impromptu); or (4) fashioned on the spot but with planning and practice [1]. Inengineering and science, how the speaker comes up with words often affects the presentation inseveral ways: how much engagement the speaker has with the audience, how much credibilitythe speaker has with the audience, and the confidence that the speaker has in delivering thecontent. In this paper, we will examine a series of three research questions that address howengineering students, as opposed to experts, come up with their words for technicalpresentations. The first research question is as follows: How do experts come up with their words in atechnical presentation? To address this first question, we will interview several engineers andscientists who are widely considered to be excellent speakers. Examples include the following:Brian Cox, a physicist leading the Large Hadron Collider [2]; Hans Rosling, the world healthstatistician [3]; and Jill Bolte Taylor, the neuroscientist who delivered the most popular talk onTED.com [4]. The second research question is as follows: How do engineering students (novices) comeup with their words in a technical presentation? To address this question, we will interviewengineering undergraduates at a large land-grant university. Tangential to the second research question is the third: What are engineering studentstypically taught as far as the source of words for presentations? To address this question, we willsurvey textbooks used in high school and college speech courses and textbooks used in technicalcommunication courses. In addition, at a large, land-grant university, we will compare theteaching instruction from liberal arts instructors who teach a required speech course with theteaching instruction from engineering faculty who teach presentations in their courses. Results of this investigation are being incorporated into an online instruction moduleconsisting of training films and exercises to help engineering students deliver their presentationsin a fashion similar to what the best speakers in engineering and science do. Funding for thesefilms and exercises arises from a grant from the National Science Foundation [5].References1. Stephen Lucas (2011). The Art of Public Speaking, 11th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.2. Brian Cox (2008, March). CERN’s supercollider. www.ted.com. Monterey, CA: TED Talk sponsored by Autodesk.3. Rosling, Hans (2006, February). Debunking third world myths with the best stats you’ve ever seen. www.ted.com. Monterey, CA: TED Talk.4. Taylor, Jill Bolte (2008). Jill Bolte Taylor’s stroke of insight. www.ted.com. Monterey, CA: TED Talk sponsored by AT&T. 5. _____________, _____________, ___________, and _________, “Type 2: Creating a National Network of Engineering Ambassadors: A Professional Development Program with an Outreach Mission,” National Science Foundation Grant 1323230 (College of Engineering, _____________________, 2013-2016).

Citation
Format

Alley, M., & Miraldi, L. B., & Garner, J. K. (2015, June), Memory Maps: Helping Engineering Students Fashion Words on the Spot in Their Technical Presentations Paper presented at 2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/p.24482

TY - CPAPER
AB - Memorizing, Reading, or Fashioning on the Spot: An Engineering Student’s Source of Words in a Technical Presentation In traditional speech courses, the words that the speaker says arise from four sources: (1)memorized; (2) read from a script, notecards, or slides; (3) fashioned on the spot with noplanning (impromptu); or (4) fashioned on the spot but with planning and practice [1]. Inengineering and science, how the speaker comes up with words often affects the presentation inseveral ways: how much engagement the speaker has with the audience, how much credibilitythe speaker has with the audience, and the confidence that the speaker has in delivering thecontent. In this paper, we will examine a series of three research questions that address howengineering students, as opposed to experts, come up with their words for technicalpresentations. The first research question is as follows: How do experts come up with their words in atechnical presentation? To address this first question, we will interview several engineers andscientists who are widely considered to be excellent speakers. Examples include the following:Brian Cox, a physicist leading the Large Hadron Collider [2]; Hans Rosling, the world healthstatistician [3]; and Jill Bolte Taylor, the neuroscientist who delivered the most popular talk onTED.com [4]. The second research question is as follows: How do engineering students (novices) comeup with their words in a technical presentation? To address this question, we will interviewengineering undergraduates at a large land-grant university. Tangential to the second research question is the third: What are engineering studentstypically taught as far as the source of words for presentations? To address this question, we willsurvey textbooks used in high school and college speech courses and textbooks used in technicalcommunication courses. In addition, at a large, land-grant university, we will compare theteaching instruction from liberal arts instructors who teach a required speech course with theteaching instruction from engineering faculty who teach presentations in their courses. Results of this investigation are being incorporated into an online instruction moduleconsisting of training films and exercises to help engineering students deliver their presentationsin a fashion similar to what the best speakers in engineering and science do. Funding for thesefilms and exercises arises from a grant from the National Science Foundation [5].References1. Stephen Lucas (2011). The Art of Public Speaking, 11th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.2. Brian Cox (2008, March). CERN’s supercollider. www.ted.com. Monterey, CA: TED Talk sponsored by Autodesk.3. Rosling, Hans (2006, February). Debunking third world myths with the best stats you’ve ever seen. www.ted.com. Monterey, CA: TED Talk.4. Taylor, Jill Bolte (2008). Jill Bolte Taylor’s stroke of insight. www.ted.com. Monterey, CA: TED Talk sponsored by AT&amp;T. 5. _____________, _____________, ___________, and _________, “Type 2: Creating a National Network of Engineering Ambassadors: A Professional Development Program with an Outreach Mission,” National Science Foundation Grant 1323230 (College of Engineering, _____________________, 2013-2016).
AU - Michael Alley
AU - Lori B. Miraldi
AU - Joanna K. Garner
CY - Seattle, Washington
DA - 2015/06/14
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Memory Maps: Helping Engineering Students Fashion Words on the Spot in Their Technical Presentations
UR - https://peer.asee.org/24482
DO - 10.18260/p.24482
ER -