Issues of Interpretation and Understanding: Social Semiotic Framework to Inform Teaching of Civil Engineering and Project Communications

Abstract

Civil engineers and project managers must control and manage the project management discourse with the client and other stakeholders or risk slippages to time, cost, and programs. This paper explores how communicative choices and the representation of project requirements and engineering issues are intrinsic to effective civil engineering work. Using a social semiotic framework, the paper contributes to civil engineering learning by revealing how various engineering communications (e.g., schematic drawings, visual images) function in civil engineering contexts. The research builds upon civil engineering communication scholarship, highlighting the significance of representational choices for affecting engineering work. The social semiotic and multimodal-informed analysis clarifies processes of cognition, interpretation, and understanding at play when civil engineers interact with project stakeholders. The findings inform civil engineering education and the teaching of communication skills: communication composition being intrinsic to effective civil engineering work. The paper presents a framework for assisting and guiding civil engineers and project management professionals in the formulation and review of communicative resources (e.g., visual images; drawings, schematics) used in civil engineering and project management work. The social semiotic framework, validated through case study evidence from a hospital construction project, informs the teaching of civil engineering communication skills: communicative choices and the representation of project requirements and engineering issues being intrinsic to several aspects of civil engineering work, including risk management, stakeholder engagement, and planning and control. The theoretical insights address the role of authors and readers of sign communications in civil engineering work and clarify the processes of cognition and interpretation at play when engineers interact with other professionals and project stakeholders with various communicative resources. The paper adds to the body of knowledge concerning communication in civil engineering contexts and informs the teaching of communication skills for professional civil engineers.