Tag Archive for: Oral Skills; Scientific Content; Spanish Engineering Students; Technical English; Ted Talks

This paper is characterized by its interdisciplinarity, since it converges in an unusual way for undergraduate engineering students, three aspects of scientific dissemination: the contents of an engineering degree, the transmission of these contents orally in an effective way following the model offered by the TED talks, and the use of oral English as the language of scientific transmission.

The main objective of the communication is to highlight the need for the future Spanish engineers to bring their work closer to the general public through oral presentations that, without losing rigour, are brief and entertaining. The core of the study is made up by the analysis of three TED talks related to different fields of engineering degrees. In conclusion, we have tried not only to verify the need for the Spanish engineer to receive specific training in professional oral communication, but, in addition, the close relationship between the necessary tools (the method, the “how” of the transmission of knowledge) and the contents to be transmitted (the subjects of the degree in engineering, the “what” or “crux” of the matter). One part of the problem, of course, is the mastery of English. But no less important is what is known for effective oral communication, in English, in Spanish or in any language.