Biosketch: I am an English Language and Linguistics specialist, working with engineering students and academics. I design and teach short courses and workshops to resolve writing issues of various kinds. I also work with practising engineers in the workplace on a similar ( but ad hoc) basis, although sometimes they ask me to do the writing for them or to offer editorial advice.
A general interest of mine is how people communicate, especially in workplaces, both commercial and academic. I am interested in both spoken and written communication, although, inevitably, I have been drawn towards writing, because this where the greatest need and demand for my services lie.
My long-held interest in what engineers say and write motivated me to focus on engineering language and documents in my book, entitled ñޘProfessional Communication in Engineeringñޙ (Palgrave Macmillan - ). In the commercial workplace, I have been asked to deal with a variety of language and communication problems, with bid writing a major preoccupation there.
My PhD was based on engineers working at British Aerospace (now BAE Systems), followed by a long stint as in-house researcher at UTC Aerospace Systems, now part of Collins Aerospace. I have also run writing workshops, mainly proposal and executive summary writing, for engineers at BAE Systems and Babcock International Group, Royal Devonport Dockyard.
Working with engineering colleagues on their research submission for the Research Excellence Framework 2014 ().proved a novel experience for me, markedly different from the commercial workplace, but no less demanding or interesting. The academics were scientists, engineers and mathematicians, many of whom were most reluctant writers. Through our joint efforts, however, they made a significant improvement on their previous (woeful) research ranking, winning much needed research funding.
I find my work hugely satisfying, which is why I have just started working on a second edition of my book.
A general interest of mine is how people communicate, especially in workplaces, both commercial and academic. I am interested in both spoken and written communication, although, inevitably, I have been drawn towards writing, because this where the greatest need and demand for my services lie.
My long-held interest in what engineers say and write motivated me to focus on engineering language and documents in my book, entitled ñޘProfessional Communication in Engineeringñޙ (Palgrave Macmillan - ). In the commercial workplace, I have been asked to deal with a variety of language and communication problems, with bid writing a major preoccupation there.
My PhD was based on engineers working at British Aerospace (now BAE Systems), followed by a long stint as in-house researcher at UTC Aerospace Systems, now part of Collins Aerospace. I have also run writing workshops, mainly proposal and executive summary writing, for engineers at BAE Systems and Babcock International Group, Royal Devonport Dockyard.
Working with engineering colleagues on their research submission for the Research Excellence Framework 2014 ().proved a novel experience for me, markedly different from the commercial workplace, but no less demanding or interesting. The academics were scientists, engineers and mathematicians, many of whom were most reluctant writers. Through our joint efforts, however, they made a significant improvement on their previous (woeful) research ranking, winning much needed research funding.
I find my work hugely satisfying, which is why I have just started working on a second edition of my book.
Qualifications
PhD, MA (App Ling), RSA Dip TEFLA, BEd, Fellow of the Higher Education AcademyPhD details: University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, 2002, ñޘEngineering Texts: a study of a community of aerospace engineers, their writing practices and technical proposalsñޙ. Link to universityñޙs e-theses repository:
Teaching career overview:
2008to now: part-time teaching, at the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics, ñ, United Kingdom.
2005 - 2008: Senior Lecturer at the University College of St Mark and St John.
1993 ñޓ 2005: Subject Head/Programme Leader for English Language and Linguistics at the University College of St Mark and St John, ñ, UK
1990 ñޓ 1993 Senior Lecturer, International Education Centre, College of St Mark and St John
1986 - 89 Director - General English Unit, The British Council Singapore
1982 - 86 Lecturer, English Language Department, Singapore Polytechnic
Main workshops and consultancy work since leaving Singapore
| 2014 | Consultant and workshop facilitator for engineer managers, Babcock International.
| 2013 | Writing workshop at the IEEE International Professional Communication conference at the University of Vancouver: ñޘUsing a Reverse-Engineering Approach to Writing in the Workplaceñޙ, July 2013.
| 2012 - 13 | Consultant and writing co-ordinator, working with the engineering research group leader at the ñ to improve on a previous submission. We aimed to raise the quality of academicsñޙ writing for the groupñޙs written submission to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (U.K-wide research assessment exercise). The aim was achieved and research funding awarded.
| 1994 - 2018 | A researcher-in-residence, investigating how people talk and write at work, focusing on business and technical communication. This was an ethnographically-based project, carried out at Atlantic Inertial Systems (used to be BAE Systems in ñ), now part of UTC Aerospace/Collins Aerospace.
| 2008 - 2010 | Proposal writer and ñޘpolisherñޙ for Babcock Marine, ñ (Devonport Royal Dockyard): reviewing collaborative writing efforts; editing/rewriting contributions to proposal documents made by (engineer) members of bid teams. Worked on two large proposals.
| 2006-2008 | Earned £29,000 for my institution, University College ñ St Mark and St John, by running short proposal writing courses for engineers at Babcock Marine in ñ. This activity was ancillary to my main work on the BA (Hons) programme.
| 2004 - 2006 | Knowledge Exchange South West (KESW)-related projects on the topic ñޘAdvanced Writing Skillsñޙ, working with BAE Systems, Devonport Royal Dockyard (DML), and those working for DML affiliates, to improve company documentation, particularly bid writing/engineering proposals. This work attracted KESW funding.
| 2003 - 5 | Short courses, ad hoc lectures, consultancy work and research into how engineers communicate, based at BAE SYSTEMS in ñ. Some of this activity was KESW-related.
| 1997 - 2007 | Collaborative research with colleagues at the ñ, investigating the writing needs of engineering students. Intermittent, informal arrangement.
| 1995 - 6 | Consultancy work with research and training departments at BAE SYSTEMS, ñ, mainly focusing on training needs of BAE SYSTEMS engineers in the area of proposal writing. Ran three 3-day courses on writing executive summaries for engineering proposals, and a 50-hour course on English Language for Engineers. This brought c.£18,000 into the college.
| 1994 | Consultancy visit to Moldova for an institutional-link project involving three institutions (EU-funded pre-JEP), to run workshops for university lecturers and conduct a training needs analysis.
| 1992 | European Union-funded PHARE consultancy at CETT (Centre for English Teacher Training), Jozsef Attila University, Szeged, Hungary. One month.
| 1990 - 3 | English for Business Purposes and English for Special Purposes in-service teacher training courses (two-week courses, one each year over three years) for lecturers at the Fachhochsschule fuer Wirtschaft und Technik, a University of Applied Sciences in (what was still regarded then as) East Berlin. Under the auspices of the British Council. Conducted with another teacher trainer.
Teaching career overview:
2008to now: part-time teaching, at the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics, ñ, United Kingdom.
2005 - 2008: Senior Lecturer at the University College of St Mark and St John.
1993 ñޓ 2005: Subject Head/Programme Leader for English Language and Linguistics at the University College of St Mark and St John, ñ, UK
1990 ñޓ 1993 Senior Lecturer, International Education Centre, College of St Mark and St John
1986 - 89 Director - General English Unit, The British Council Singapore
1982 - 86 Lecturer, English Language Department, Singapore Polytechnic
Main workshops and consultancy work since leaving Singapore
| 2014 | Consultant and workshop facilitator for engineer managers, Babcock International.
| 2013 | Writing workshop at the IEEE International Professional Communication conference at the University of Vancouver: ñޘUsing a Reverse-Engineering Approach to Writing in the Workplaceñޙ, July 2013.
| 2012 - 13 | Consultant and writing co-ordinator, working with the engineering research group leader at the ñ to improve on a previous submission. We aimed to raise the quality of academicsñޙ writing for the groupñޙs written submission to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (U.K-wide research assessment exercise). The aim was achieved and research funding awarded.
| 1994 - 2018 | A researcher-in-residence, investigating how people talk and write at work, focusing on business and technical communication. This was an ethnographically-based project, carried out at Atlantic Inertial Systems (used to be BAE Systems in ñ), now part of UTC Aerospace/Collins Aerospace.
| 2008 - 2010 | Proposal writer and ñޘpolisherñޙ for Babcock Marine, ñ (Devonport Royal Dockyard): reviewing collaborative writing efforts; editing/rewriting contributions to proposal documents made by (engineer) members of bid teams. Worked on two large proposals.
| 2006-2008 | Earned £29,000 for my institution, University College ñ St Mark and St John, by running short proposal writing courses for engineers at Babcock Marine in ñ. This activity was ancillary to my main work on the BA (Hons) programme.
| 2004 - 2006 | Knowledge Exchange South West (KESW)-related projects on the topic ñޘAdvanced Writing Skillsñޙ, working with BAE Systems, Devonport Royal Dockyard (DML), and those working for DML affiliates, to improve company documentation, particularly bid writing/engineering proposals. This work attracted KESW funding.
| 2003 - 5 | Short courses, ad hoc lectures, consultancy work and research into how engineers communicate, based at BAE SYSTEMS in ñ. Some of this activity was KESW-related.
| 1997 - 2007 | Collaborative research with colleagues at the ñ, investigating the writing needs of engineering students. Intermittent, informal arrangement.
| 1995 - 6 | Consultancy work with research and training departments at BAE SYSTEMS, ñ, mainly focusing on training needs of BAE SYSTEMS engineers in the area of proposal writing. Ran three 3-day courses on writing executive summaries for engineering proposals, and a 50-hour course on English Language for Engineers. This brought c.£18,000 into the college.
| 1994 | Consultancy visit to Moldova for an institutional-link project involving three institutions (EU-funded pre-JEP), to run workshops for university lecturers and conduct a training needs analysis.
| 1992 | European Union-funded PHARE consultancy at CETT (Centre for English Teacher Training), Jozsef Attila University, Szeged, Hungary. One month.
| 1990 - 3 | English for Business Purposes and English for Special Purposes in-service teacher training courses (two-week courses, one each year over three years) for lecturers at the Fachhochsschule fuer Wirtschaft und Technik, a University of Applied Sciences in (what was still regarded then as) East Berlin. Under the auspices of the British Council. Conducted with another teacher trainer.
Professional membership
IEEE and IEEE Professional Communication Society; BAAL (British Association of Applied Linguistics)
Publications
Conference Papers
Publications/IEEE Conference Proceedings
ñޘCustomer-Focused Documents:- Engineersñޙ Use of Visuals to Support Product Descriptionsñޙ, in Proceedings of the IEEE International Professional Communication Conference, University of Central Florida, U.S.A., 8 ñޓ 10 October 2012.
ñޘA Centennial Review of Style and Contents in the PROCEEDINGS of the IEEEñޙ, Proceedings of the IEEE, May 13th 2012 (- pdf version is best)
ñޘAfter the Montreal Protocol: the impact of ñޜcradle-to-graveñޝ issues on proposal writingñޙ, in Proceedings of the IEEE International Professional Communication Conference, University of Cincinnati, U.S.A., 17 ñޓ 19 October 2011.
ñޘ ñޜMore than monkey see, monkey doñޝ: aspects of language use in engineering and manufacturing process web pagesñޙ, in Proceedings of the IEEE International Professional Communication Conference, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands, 7 ñޓ 9 July 2010.
ñޘThe Information Structure of Engineering Proposals: suggesting a taxonomy of information components for competitive proposals and a potential metric for information contentñޙ, in Proceedings of the IEEE International Professional Communication Conference, Concordia University, Montreal, 13ñޓ16 July 2008.
ñޘProposal Writing and Persuasionñޙ, Communicator: The Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators Journal, Winter 2007
Sales, H.E. (2006) Professional Communication in Engineering. Basingstoke, U.K.: Palgrave Macmillan.
Staying afloat: three perspectives on classroom language learning, The Teacher Trainer, Vol 15 No 3, 2001 (written in collaboration with Michael Hall)
ñޘMoody modals: (mis)interpretations of shalland willin engineering specificationsñޙ, in Heffer, C. and H. Sauntson (eds) (2001)
Four Days of CALLTEC (Computer Assisted Language Learning Teacher Education Course) in Singapore, MUSELI News, December 1989.
Quantity Surveying Reports, ELR Journal - Genre Analysis and E.S.P., Vol. 1, 1987, English Language Research, University of Birmingham.
Other conference papers/Lectures and workshops
ñޘThe information structure of engineering proposalsñޙ, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 29th September 2009
ñޘWhat makes a proposal persuasive?ñޙ, Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators (ISTC) Conference, Nottingham, 2008
ñޘTexts that matter at work ñޓ ethnographically-derived text categories in commercial organisationsñޙ. AILA - 15th World Congress of Applied Linguistics in Essen, 24 - 29 August 2008
ñޘStodgy Writing in the Workplaceñޙ, British Association of Applied Linguistics Conference Proceedings, University of Edinburgh, September 2007
ñޘObjectivity versus persuasion in technical writingñޙ, the British Association of Applied Linguistics conference at University College Cork, 7 - 9 September, 2006
ñޘText Analysis - choosing the right pathñޙ, post-graduate conference, Birmingham University, September 2001
ñޘA dark horse document: the logbookñޙ, post-graduate conference, Birmingham University, September 2000
ñޘData collecting ñޓ using email to conduct in-company surveysñޙ, post-graduate conference, Birmingham University, September 1999
ñޘMoody Modals and why they get engineers downñޙ, post-graduate conference, Birmingham University, September 1998
ñޘL1 and L2 Academic Writing - Common Problemsñޙ, Regional English Language Centre Conference, Singapore, 1997
ñޘStraw Men Flying Kites - A team building approach to text construction and written compositionñޙ, British Association of Applied Linguistics conference, Birmingham, 1997.
ñޘCustomer-Focused Documents:- Engineersñޙ Use of Visuals to Support Product Descriptionsñޙ, in Proceedings of the IEEE International Professional Communication Conference, University of Central Florida, U.S.A., 8 ñޓ 10 October 2012.
ñޘA Centennial Review of Style and Contents in the PROCEEDINGS of the IEEEñޙ, Proceedings of the IEEE, May 13th 2012 (- pdf version is best)
ñޘAfter the Montreal Protocol: the impact of ñޜcradle-to-graveñޝ issues on proposal writingñޙ, in Proceedings of the IEEE International Professional Communication Conference, University of Cincinnati, U.S.A., 17 ñޓ 19 October 2011.
ñޘ ñޜMore than monkey see, monkey doñޝ: aspects of language use in engineering and manufacturing process web pagesñޙ, in Proceedings of the IEEE International Professional Communication Conference, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands, 7 ñޓ 9 July 2010.
ñޘThe Information Structure of Engineering Proposals: suggesting a taxonomy of information components for competitive proposals and a potential metric for information contentñޙ, in Proceedings of the IEEE International Professional Communication Conference, Concordia University, Montreal, 13ñޓ16 July 2008.
ñޘProposal Writing and Persuasionñޙ, Communicator: The Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators Journal, Winter 2007
Sales, H.E. (2006) Professional Communication in Engineering. Basingstoke, U.K.: Palgrave Macmillan.
Staying afloat: three perspectives on classroom language learning, The Teacher Trainer, Vol 15 No 3, 2001 (written in collaboration with Michael Hall)
ñޘMoody modals: (mis)interpretations of shalland willin engineering specificationsñޙ, in Heffer, C. and H. Sauntson (eds) (2001)
Four Days of CALLTEC (Computer Assisted Language Learning Teacher Education Course) in Singapore, MUSELI News, December 1989.
Quantity Surveying Reports, ELR Journal - Genre Analysis and E.S.P., Vol. 1, 1987, English Language Research, University of Birmingham.
Other conference papers/Lectures and workshops
ñޘThe information structure of engineering proposalsñޙ, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 29th September 2009
ñޘWhat makes a proposal persuasive?ñޙ, Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators (ISTC) Conference, Nottingham, 2008
ñޘTexts that matter at work ñޓ ethnographically-derived text categories in commercial organisationsñޙ. AILA - 15th World Congress of Applied Linguistics in Essen, 24 - 29 August 2008
ñޘStodgy Writing in the Workplaceñޙ, British Association of Applied Linguistics Conference Proceedings, University of Edinburgh, September 2007
ñޘObjectivity versus persuasion in technical writingñޙ, the British Association of Applied Linguistics conference at University College Cork, 7 - 9 September, 2006
ñޘText Analysis - choosing the right pathñޙ, post-graduate conference, Birmingham University, September 2001
ñޘA dark horse document: the logbookñޙ, post-graduate conference, Birmingham University, September 2000
ñޘData collecting ñޓ using email to conduct in-company surveysñޙ, post-graduate conference, Birmingham University, September 1999
ñޘMoody Modals and why they get engineers downñޙ, post-graduate conference, Birmingham University, September 1998
ñޘL1 and L2 Academic Writing - Common Problemsñޙ, Regional English Language Centre Conference, Singapore, 1997
ñޘStraw Men Flying Kites - A team building approach to text construction and written compositionñޙ, British Association of Applied Linguistics conference, Birmingham, 1997.