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Business Management for Scientists and Engineers

Posted on by Bob
Historically, Applied Technology Institute has delivered scientists and engineers technical courses to help them keep current in their fields.  As stated in our mission statement, we have offered courses in satellite communications, space, defense, radar, sonar and acoustics, signal processing, and systems engineering.  Although we plan to continue doing exactly that, we are also going […]

Historically, Applied Technology Institute has delivered scientists and engineers technical courses to help them keep current in their fields.  As stated in our mission statement, we have offered courses in satellite communications, space, defense, radar, sonar and acoustics, signal processing, and systems engineering.  Although we plan to continue doing exactly that, we are also going to be offering some new courses that will be unlike what we have offered before. 

“Business Management for Scientists and Engineers” will be taught by Dr. Alan Tribble, author of the book with the same title.  This two-day course is intended to accelerate professional growth by helping individuals with a technical background develop an appreciation for, and understanding of, the types of business knowledge used by senior leadership. 

A recent inquiry to ATI suggested that a general business management class such as ours would be of limited usefulness because it would concentrate more on general business practices rather than business practices the workplace where the inquirer worked.  He was more interested in the ways that his own company conducted internal business management, and he argued that he could better spend his time taking an internal course concentrating on business practices at his own company. 

We discussed his concern, and he soon came to realize he was thinking about it all wrong.

General business management class like ATI’s and the internal business management classes are not meant to be mutually exclusive.  In fact, the best way for a Scientist or Engineer to learn about business management is to first learn about general business management topics that apply to all Engineering Firms, and then to learn about specific practices from your own company by taking an Internal course offered by your employer.  The general business management class offered by ATI and the business management class offered by your employer are complementary.  Ideally, a scientist should take both classes to be fully versed on business management practices he may encounter daily.

If you think you may be interested in taking the ATI course “Business Management for Scientists and Engineers”, ATI has a way that you meet the instructor and learn about the course content before you make your decision.  Consider attending the free one-hour virtual short-session where the instructor will talk about the topic, and discuss course content.  If you want to register for the free short-session, or the full course, you can find more information or register here. 

Both the short session and the full class are right around the corner, so please don’t delay.

And, as always, if you want to see the full set of courses offered at ATI, please visit us at www.aticourses.com.

Public Speaking For STEM Professionals

Posted on by Bob
I was a very quiet and shy kid, and I think that must have been evident to the adult Scout Leader that was presenting a lecture to a large group of early teenage Boy Scouts attending Leadership Training back in the 70’s.  The lesson on this one day was Public Speaking, and the leader’s goal […]

I was a very quiet and shy kid, and I think that must have been evident to the adult Scout Leader that was presenting a lecture to a large group of early teenage Boy Scouts attending Leadership Training back in the 70’s.  The lesson on this one day was Public Speaking, and the leader’s goal was to demonstrate the importance of being well-prepared when delivering a speech.  As an object lesson, the instructor had found a charismatic kid the day before, and directed that kid to prepare a speech on some subject of the kid’s choosing, and to be prepared to deliver that speech on this day.  He was to become the example of a well-prepared speech.  On class day, the leader singled me out of the group, called me to the front, and announced that I would give a speech on a topic that the leader chose for me, and I was to start speaking immediately.  Needless to say, the speech did not go well, and I became his example of a not-well-prepared speech.  It was a horrifying experience for me, and no Scout Leader would do something so thoughtless to a kid today, but as horrifying and embarrassing as it was for me that day, it was also a memorable and important event which I still remember vividly over 50 years later.

After attending college, I got a job which required that I present the results of my work to the customer on a routine basis.  My first presentation did not go very well, and although I did not get fired, both my boss and I decided that there was lots of room for improvement.  That night, while thinking about what went wrong, I realized that I had fallen into the trap that my Scout Leader had warned against.  I had given that presentation without being prepared for all possible eventualities.  I had not been prepared to proceed if my overhead projector did not work, and it didn’t.  I had not been prepared to cover some topics in the event that my associate missed his flight, which he did.  And, I had not been prepared to answer some tough questions which my customers may have asked, and they did.  Over the span of my career, I worked hard to always be better prepared when I spoke, and I eventually became very proficient at public speaking.  In fact, later in my career, I started teaching, an occupation that requires public speaking skills more than any other, in my opinion.

STEM professionals need to be proficient in Public Speaking just as much as any other professional worker.  Although many STEM students are academically gifted, many may also lack social skills that other students take for granted, for example, Public Speaking.  For that reason, Public Speaking Instruction is a very important component of a STEM student’s coursework in all levels of schooling, and even in the professional workplace which follows schooling.  One can never be too smart in their social skills, or over -prepared to deliver a good speech.   

Applied Technology Institute has offered technical short courses for scientists and engineers since 1984.  This year, ATI has decided to start offering non-technical short courses that can also be very important for scientist and engineers.  One of our first non-technical offerings is a class on Public Speaking.  The course will be taught by Mr. Frank DiBartolomeo, award winning public speaker, engaging seminar leader, and professional public speaking coach.  His short course will be titled “Technical Presentation Skills for STEM Professionals.”  Although the full course will be offered in April, there will be a free one-hour short session offered virtually in March.  This will be an opportunity to meet the instructor and see what is covered in the full course.  If you would like to learn more about the free session, or the course, or register for either or both, you can do that here.

As always, a full listing of ATI Courses can be found at www.aticourses.com

ATI Will Be Giving You The Business in 2022

Posted on by Bob
Historically, Applied Technology Institute has delivered technical courses to scientists and engineers to help them keep current in their fields.  As stated in our mission statement, we have offered courses in satellite communications, space, defense, radar, sonar and acoustics, signal processing, and systems engineering.  Although we plan to continue doing exactly that in 2022, we […]

Historically, Applied Technology Institute has delivered technical courses to scientists and engineers to help them keep current in their fields.  As stated in our mission statement, we have offered courses in satellite communications, space, defense, radar, sonar and acoustics, signal processing, and systems engineering.  Although we plan to continue doing exactly that in 2022, we are also going to be offering some new courses that will be unlike what we have offered before. 

As reported in the Harvard Business School’s Business Insights Blog, “To stay competitive in the job market, aspiring engineers and those who want to advance need a strong, diverse set of skills.”  The article continues saying “To meet job demand, it’s important they round out their experience and add important business basics to their skill set.”  And, “As engineers advance to senior positions, they acquire responsibilities like managing teams, projects, and budgets. To reach those positions and perform their duties effectively, they need to have a strong set of business skills.”  This article states precisely why ATI has decided to start offering courses to help scientists and engineers supplement the technical skills in their toolbox with other critical skills for success in today’s world.

The HBS Blog identifies seven areas that should be addressed in an engineer’s business training; Communication, Management, Creativity, Finance, Observation, Negotiation, and Ethics.  ATI will begin by offering two courses related to this discussion in 2022. 

The first course introduces many of the topics mentioned by the HBS Blog.  The course will be “Business Management for Engineers” taught by Dr. Alan Tribble, author of the book by the same title.  As stated by Dr. Tribble, “This two-day course is intended to accelerate professional growth by helping individuals with a technical background develop an appreciation for, and understanding of, the types of business knowledge used by senior leadership.”  A full description, as well as the schedule for upcoming offerings of this course can be found here on the ATI web page.

The second course will be more focused on one of the skills highlighted in the HBS blog.  The course will be “Technical Presentation Skills for STEM Professionals”, taught by Lt Col, USAF (Ret) Frank DiBartolomeo, Jr, author of the book “Speak Well and Prosper”.  As stated by Frank, “This two-day course for scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians (STEM) covers all the basics of sound technical presentation preparation and delivery.”  A full description, as well as the schedule for upcoming offerings of this course can be found here on the ATI web page.  This course will also be the subject of a free short session overview which is scheduled to occur in the lead up to the class.

Again, ATI will continue to offer the technical courses you have come to expect from us, but we are excited about these new courses that will give scientists and engineers the ability to broaden their horizons even more.  Please check back soon for additional business-related courses, and as always, please let us know if there are business topics you would like us to focus on next.