“The book is different because it is based on input from over 75 executives from various companies where engineers and scientists work,” said Norback.  “The executives, of course, might eventually be your boss; or if not your boss, the research shows that your actual boss will have similar views about presentations.”

The books' content has already been used in instruction improving Georgia Tech ISyE students' presentation skills. Slides actually used in courses at Georgia Tech and 11 other universities complete the real-life aspect of the book.  Through a special arrangement, you can download a free copy of this book from the publisher.

You can learn the following skills from Oral Communication Excellence: presenting clear, professional talks, for example, by answering questions effectively and by clearly connecting the points on each slide with the big picture; communicating in meetings and in teams; excelling at phone communication; choosing the right electronic medium to support your oral communication; listening; communicating across cultures; and designing and presenting posters.

You will also learn how to give engaging elevator pitches. 

 Norback is the Director of Workplace and Academic Communication in ISyE. Over the past 13 years, she has developed the ISyE Workforce Communication Program, which is based on executive and faculty input.  Her research on the communication skills required for engineers' success in the workforce and the assessment of those skills has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Engineering Information Foundation, and many ISyE alumni.. Norback is Chair of her division of the American Society for Engineering Education, Vice President for External Relations of INFORM-ED (the Education Forum of INFORMs), and she recently served as Associate Chair for the Capstone Design Conference.  Norback's numerous articles have appeared in INFORMS Transactions on Education, the American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference Proceedings, the International Journal of Engineering Education, and IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication.

For More Information Contact

Barbara Christopher
Industrial and Systems Engine