The Dallas
Chapter held the following meetings recently:
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Title:
"Do Reliability Engineers have to know it all?
Competency Models for engineers,
what do you need to know?
What have 34 years of Experience
Taught Me"
Date:
Thursday, June 17th
Place:
Raytheon, North Central Expressway
Speaker:
Brian H. Wells, VP Corporate Engineering
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Title:
"Better Business and Better Living through Communication"
Date: Thursday, August 19th
Place: UTD, Waterview Science and Technology Center
Speaker:
Larry Wagner
Program Summary:
As Engineers, we frequently focus our skill improvement activity on learning the
latest and greatest in technology. We sometimes ignore the "soft skills". In
reality, we are ignoring the things that simplify our life at work and at home.
At work and at home, we need to be able to influence people and resolve
conflicts. The talk will focus on the basics for dealing with the need to
influence and resolve conflict. The primary tools are active listening and
developing an understanding of other people's perspective. Communication is by
definition and exchange of information, but it is easy to ignore others inputs
when we are not listening effectively. Several basic skills for improving our
listening
skills will be presented. Tips for effectively getting our points across will
also be provided for the wide variety of communication methods we now face. It
is nearly impossible to influence someone when we don't have an understanding of
their perspective on a problem. By understanding perspective and learning basic
influence strategies, we can be much more effective in achieving our goals.
Several influence strategies will be presented. Managing conflict is a critical
skill for every aspect of our lives. Basic responses to conflict discussed
along with methods for dealing with conflict.
Speaker:
Larry Wagner is currently President of LWSN Consulting Inc., formed in late
2008. LWSN provides training in communications skills and diversity training
along with IC Failure Analysis consulting. Larry was the 2006-2007 President
of ASM International and on the ASM Board of Trustees for 6 years. He was a
founder and the first President of the Electronic Device Failure Analysis
Society, an affiliate society of ASM International, as well as the first editor
of the Electronic Devices Failure Analysis Newsletter. He retired after 30
years in various areas of IC Failure Analysis at Texas Instruments including
management of the worldwide Quality FA labs. He has published extensively
including a book, "IC Failure Analysis: Tools and Techniques", several book
chapters, numerous international tutorials and presentations. Larry graduated
from Marquette University with a BS in Chemistry and from Purdue University with
a PhD in Physical Chemistry. He joined Texas Instruments after two years at
Argonne National Lab.