1. Situations in Verbal Communication
There are various situations in verbal communication for scientists and engineers.
Meetings
Remark:
It is common to designate some of attendees as a note taker who is in charge of writing minutes.
Presentation of a Project Proposal or a Progress Report to Executives or a Supervisor
Brainstorming
Seminars
Presentation at Conferences or Workshops
Demo at an Event such as an Exhibition
Job Interviews
Making an Appointment with a Client over Phone
etc.
2. Guidelines and Tips for Verbal Communication
Many of guidelines and tips on technical writing are applicable to
verbal communication for exchanging technical information as well.
For example:
Speak short sentences.
Organize a talk logically.
Keep in your mind who are anticipated target people.
Talk a bottomline first and then explanation.
(but that is not the case if you talk a joke)
etc.
In addition to those,
there are guidelines and tips specific to verbal communication.
For example:
Make eye contacts with persons that you are talking or listening to.
Have a pause when you are in transition between topics.
Use gestures to complement your talk effectively.
Do not talk too fast.
Have a tempo of your talk appropriate for listeners.
A slower tempo than ordinary conversation is usually better for technical communication.
Do not interrupt a person who is speaking.
etc.
3. Job Interviews
The following are tips useful for those who seek jobs in English-speaking countries,
although some of the tips are also informative in case of job applications to foreign-affiliated firms in Japan.
4. Exercises
Assume that you have a job interview with the Hi-Tech company
that you chose for Assignment 2.
Have practice of verbal communication in the situation.
Listen the
TedTalk
"How a driverless sees the road - Chris Urmson"
posted at YouTube
and then come up with at least one question for each of the following types.
Yes-No Question
5W1H Question
Question Asking the Speaker's Opinion
-
Have practice of answering the common questions in the job interview with your group members.
Look at
slides
for my talk on autonomous robots and vehicles.
Then, answer the following questions.
- Which field is NOT directly related to robotics?
(A) Computer Science
(B) Mechanical Engineering
(C) Cognitive Science
(D) Civil Engineering
(E) Electrical Enginnering
- Which is NOT a major component of a robot?
(A) Sensor
(B) Heater
(C) Manipulator
(D) Controller
(E) Actuator
- Which is a popular service robot for housework?
(A) Roomba
(B) Cha-Cha-Cha
(C) Samba
(D) Waltz
(E) Twist
- Which is the first biped humanoid developed by Honda?
(A) Aibo
(B) Evolta
(C) Atlas
(D) Asimo
(E) Rabi
- Which feature does NOT the autonomy of a robot provide?
(A) Self-Control
(B) Awareness of an External Environment
(C) High Energy Efficiency
(D) Collaboration
(E) Adaptive Behavior
- What is the name of a radiosurgery robot?
(A) Radiosurgeon
(B) CRISPR
(C) Cyberknife
(D) Da Vinci
(E) IPF
- What is the name of a robotic surgical system that can be teleoperated?
(A) EVIS EXERA
(B) CRISPR
(C) Cyberknife
(D) Da Vinci
(E) PCI
- Where did the term "drone" for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) come from?
(A) Karel Čapek's Play "R.U.R."
(B) Czechoslovak Flim "The Millennial Bee"
(C) The Secret Life of Bees
(D) Queen Bee of the Royal Navy
(E) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle "Argus" of Germany during World War II
- What is NOT a major advantage of self-driving cars?
(A) No Blind Spots around a Car
(B) Better Fuel Efficiency Than Human Drivers
(C) Not Distracted While Driving
(D) Faster Reaction Time Than Human Drivers
(E) Not Get Tired While Driving
Assume that you want to make an appointment with a manager of
Human Resources Department of the Hi-Tech company that you chose for
Assignment 2.
Have practice of a phone call for making the appointment with your group members.