An effort to improve presentation skills of young engineers

The Institute of Mechanical Engineering (IMechE) NED Chapter organized ‘Speak Out For Engineering’ (SOFE) an event to improve communication and presentation skill of young engineers.
SOFE is an annual presentation competition for IMechE young members who get an opportunity to make presentations on any technical topic of their choice in front of a panel of judges assessing the entries and thus provide feedback.
The aim of the competition is to develop presentation/communication skills and being able to deliver a technical presentation to a primarily non-technical audience.
Students can present any technical topic of their choice be it a technical hobby or an interest, a work-related project or even something unique for the competition.
What SOFE is looking for, is enthusiastic people who want to develop their presentation skills.
Adeel Yaqoob and Asad Ali, Chairman IMechE, NED Chapter said: “The basic purpose of organizing events like SOFE is to improve presentation skills of young engineers who are generally technically strong but lacking presentation skills.”
Since they are unable to present themselves in the industry for their lack of ability to sell themselves to industry, IMechE organizes this International Presentation Competition every year.
The students are selected at university level and then sent to district levels before final selection for country level. The best speakers are sent abroad for the international competition. The funding is done by IMechE and the student does not have to pay even a single penny.
“IMechE is basically a UK-based society and has multiple chapters in different countries.
In Pakistan, it has three chapters; one is in DHA Suffa University, the other in NUST and the third in NED University of Engineering & Technology.
IMechE organizes different competitions internationally for the grooming of youth and young engineers.
The judges of the competition Mr. Hasan Ali and Saiyid Najam Rizvi said the major problem that our youth was facing was relating to communication which needs to be improved.
SOFE is a competition arranged every year to overcome communication problems in our students. The contestants are selected from all over the world for the final competition in Spain.
A lawyer by profession, he said he was an expertise in communication skills and thus SOFE judge. ‘It is very necessary for an engineer to develop his communication skills because only an engineer knows properly as to how a product has been developed and what are its pros and cons. Thus, an engineer has to present his work with industry and if he/she will be lacking in the presentation or communication skills they are doomed to face failure. So, events like SOFE should be organized to support our youth for the prosperous future of Pakistan.” (The writer is Co-Chairman IMechE – NED chapter)
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