Clear Communication Is a Career Skill — Here's How Engineers Build It
The skill nobody teaches
Engineering education focuses on algorithms, data structures, and system design. What it rarely teaches is communication skills for engineers—the ability to clearly convey technical concepts, share progress, and collaborate effectively with teammates.
Yet as engineers advance in their careers, communication becomes increasingly important. Senior engineers spend a significant portion of their time writing updates as an engineer, explaining decisions, and aligning teams. The best code in the world matters little if you can’t explain why it’s the right approach.
Why technical communication skills matter
Communication isn’t just a “soft skill” that’s nice to have. It’s a core engineering competency:
Code gets reviewed. Clear PR descriptions, thoughtful commit messages, and well-written documentation make reviews faster and more effective.
Projects get funded. Technical proposals that clearly explain the problem, solution, and tradeoffs are more likely to get approved.
Teams stay aligned. Engineers who communicate proactively prevent misunderstandings, catch issues early, and build trust with their teammates.
Careers advance. The engineers who get promoted are often those who can articulate their impact, influence decisions, and mentor others. All of these require strong engineering career communication skills.
How engineers improve communication
Communication is a skill, which means it can be developed with practice. Here’s how:
Start with clarity over cleverness
Technical writing should be clear and direct. Avoid jargon when simpler words work. Structure your thoughts before writing. Ask yourself: What does the reader need to know? What can I leave out?
Bad: “We implemented a polymorphic facade pattern to abstract the persistence layer’s interface.” Better: “We created a simple wrapper that lets us switch databases without changing other code.”
Practice writing updates as an engineer
Status updates are a low-stakes way to practice communication. Every time you write an update—for standups, weekly reports, or project summaries—you’re building the skill.
Start with this structure:
- What did you accomplish?
- What’s blocked or at risk?
- What’s next?
Keep updates factual and specific. “Worked on authentication” tells less than “Fixed session timeout bug that affected 5% of users.”
Document decisions, not just outcomes
When you make technical decisions, write down why. What alternatives did you consider? What tradeoffs did you accept? This documentation helps future engineers understand context and makes you a more thoughtful decision-maker.
Read your writing aloud
This simple technique catches awkward phrasing, overly long sentences, and unclear explanations. If something sounds confusing when spoken, it probably reads confusing too.
Seek feedback on your communication
Ask trusted colleagues to review important documents before you send them. Ask specifically: Is this clear? Did anything confuse you? What’s missing?
Common communication mistakes engineers make
Being too technical with non-technical audiences. Match your communication to your audience. Leadership doesn’t need implementation details—they need to understand impact and risk.
Burying the lead. Start with the conclusion, then explain. Don’t make readers wade through background before understanding the point.
Omitting context. What’s obvious to you may not be obvious to others. Include enough background that your message stands alone.
Communicating only when asked. Proactive communication builds trust. Share progress, blockers, and concerns before they become urgent.
Writing once and never editing. Good writing requires revision. Review what you wrote, cut unnecessary words, and clarify confusing sections.
Building a communication habit
The best way to improve technical communication skills is consistent practice. Here’s a simple approach:
Daily: Write brief notes about what you accomplished. This builds the habit of articulating your work.
Weekly: Review your notes and write a summary. Practice synthesizing multiple days into clear themes.
Before important meetings: Prepare key points in writing. What do you want to communicate? What questions might arise?
After making decisions: Document the reasoning. This creates useful artifacts and practices explaining your thinking.
The compound effect of clear communication
Engineers who communicate well:
- Get their ideas adopted more often
- Build stronger relationships across teams
- Spend less time in clarifying conversations
- Advance faster in their careers
- Feel more confident in reviews and interviews
These benefits compound over time. Each piece of clear communication builds your reputation. Each well-explained decision earns trust. Each proactive update demonstrates reliability.
Communication isn’t separate from engineering—it’s part of being an effective engineer. Start practicing today, and watch how it transforms your work and your career.