Ep 358: Communication Secrets From a Journalist Turned Engineer

·28 min·2 clips

Paige breaks down her three-step method for engineers: tell a story, communicate with curiosity, and use a 20-second TV script formula.

The episode opens with host Larry Guthrie introducing the topic of clear communication in engineering, recorded live at the SWE WE25 conference in New Orleans. Guest Paige Feigert joins to discuss her unique career path from biomedical engineering student to TV news producer and back to engineering. Paige explains she minored in journalism during undergrad at Wichita State University, initially viewing it as a side interest. After graduation, a lack of local biomedical opportunities led her to take a customer service job, which ended with her being fired while having a four-month-old baby. She then fell back on her journalism experience, landing a part-time producer role at a CBS affiliate and working up to producing the 5 p.m. newscast full-time. Paige describes eventually leaving news due to its 24/7 demands and returning to school for a master's in mechanical engineering, facing imposter syndrome when she bombed a pre-test on her first day. She overcame this by recalling her rapid growth in journalism and excelling in her studies. Paige compares the teamwork, societal impact, and problem-solving aspects of news production and engineering, noting deadlines are a key difference—daily in news versus years-long in R&D. She discusses teaching biomedical engineering at Wichita State as a merger of technical and communication skills. Paige outlines three communication techniques for engineers: telling a story with context, communicating with curiosity like an interview, and using a 20-second TV voiceover script structure for quick updates. She emphasizes knowing your audience and avoiding jargon. The conversation touches on shortened attention spans and the importance of concise communication. Paige advises engineers to improve by reading journal articles and writing more technical content, sharing how she blocked time weekly for this. Host Larry Guthrie plugs SWE's communication courses and concludes the episode.

As heard by us

A newsroom veteran's deadline habits make a plainspoken case for clearer engineering communication.

The episode frames clear, concise communication as a practical engineering skill, with Larry Guthrie and Paige Feigert using newsroom pressure as a useful comparison point.

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Why you'd press play

You get a practical take on clear, concise communication from a guest who knows deadlines, live problems, and engineering pressure.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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