ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests that engineer view technical presentations as projects that can be tackled using the same engineering design principles they have become accustomed to and comfortable with. The engineering design process is often depicted as a flow diagram. They are: Understand the goal, conduct research. generate possible solutions, choose a solution and implement, it and evaluate, and improve if necessary. An engineer might dissect an air conditioning system into a compressor, a blower, an accumulator, an evaporator, and a condenser. Imagine an engineering team charged with developing a new entry in a successful product line. They work very hard for several months on a specific design, only to learn that it cannot meet industry standards for post-consumer disposal. Engineering information may reside in engineers' mind in a variety of ways. It may take the form of a mental image, like a mechanical drawing, or it may exist as an abstract concept such as “pressure” or “density.”
