Engineering Words: Communicating Clearly in the Workplace: Sharon Burton and Bonni Graham Gonzalez: [Book Review]

The book’s title, Engineering Words, is an apt triple play on words. It is about the wordsmithing or engineering of words for more effective communication. The book is also about how to communicate about topics in the field of engineering. Finally, the book is about how engineers use words to communicate.The topics covered in the book are very practical. Early-career engineers will find the chapter on resumes and cover letters useful. We may all know the basics of communicating our experience when creating a resume; to craft one that increases the chances of being noticed or even being promoted takes a higher level of communication skill. Engineers wanting to excel at their first presentation will find useful information in the chapters on designing and delivering presentations. The differences between presenting and effectively communicating an idea can mean the difference between agreement with the ideas and acceptance of the presenter. Engineers transitioning into management will find helpful information about writing for multiple business contexts. Engineers on a product team will find useful ways about how to write good test cases. This book is one that can be kept as a reference as the need arises to write a new type of document, particularly where it is critical that the message lands on the first read. The multiple factors that go into writing various types of content are provided so that the structure as well as the wordsmithing allow for better cognition and ultimately better performance of the information. The book is not designed to offer in-depth guidance because it is not meant to be a how-to book on the mechanics of how-to write. Instead, the focus is on how to ensure that the intended message is written with the interests of the intended audience in mind and on using the principles of communication and cognition to make an argument or state a case in a way that solidly lands in a way that the audience will understand.