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""23 things I didn't learn in college / grad school":
#21:
Communicate well
.
#21:
Communicate well
.
In my opinion, this is the single-most underrated (and hence underdeveloped) component in all our education systems, especially for STEM students, across the spectrum -- from kindergarten through PhD degree programs.
Every medium -- face-to-face conversations, prose / documents, presentation / powerpoint, code, email, etc. -- offers plenty of opportunity to polish our (technical) communication skills.
Each comes with its unique benefits and challenges.
Each comes with its unique benefits and challenges.
Communication can be designed to inform, illuminate, inspire, educate, entertain, move, convince, or persuade.
The style, the language, and the organization should fit the specific goals of the communication.
In all scientific/technical situations, clarity is paramount.
The style, the language, and the organization should fit the specific goals of the communication.
In all scientific/technical situations, clarity is paramount.
Good technical communication displays:
units that are succinct and focused;
organization that enhances flow and clarity; and
language that is simple and direct to maintain a light touch and a tight narrative.
units that are succinct and focused;
organization that enhances flow and clarity; and
language that is simple and direct to maintain a light touch and a tight narrative.
Two things one can do to improve communication:
Read articles, documents, and code written by the best scientists and engineers; watch -- and observe -- presentations and lectures by the best speakers and teachers.
Practice your writing and speaking.
Do a lot of both.
Read articles, documents, and code written by the best scientists and engineers; watch -- and observe -- presentations and lectures by the best speakers and teachers.
Practice your writing and speaking.
Do a lot of both.
Wigner's famous essay "The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences" is really a tribute to the role that mathematics plays for the natural sciences -- as a vehicle of communication that's at once precise, rich, and succinct.
Can your writing match (Newton's) F = G m_1 m_2 / r^2 ?
This one is such a pet topic of mine, so please allow me some indulgence with a few extra tweets...
It isn't entirely true that I didn't learn this in college / grad school.
It isn't entirely true that I didn't learn this in college / grad school.
In college, we had a class on "Technical English", a class I enjoyed as much as any CS or Math class. We wrote and critiqued cooking recipes, shampooing instructions, and generally learned to focus on clarity and precision over flowery language.
Two of my favorite resources:
"On Writing Well" by William Zinsser.
"Style: Toward Clarity and Grace" by Joseph M. Williams.
"On Writing Well" by William Zinsser.
"Style: Toward Clarity and Grace" by Joseph M. Williams.