Meeting the demands of the new workplace: technical communications courses and risk-taking skills

It is noted that research shows that, to compete more effectively in the global workplace of the 1990s, engineers will have to sharpen their risk-taking skills. Yet, while risk taking will be increasingly important in the new `lean and mean´ downsized corporations, research also indicates that employees tend to be risk averse when they worry about losing their jobs. Technical communication instructions can help students overcome the fear of taking risks by teaching about prudent risks. It is pointed out that, by helping students to defend their recommendations logically, educators can also build student confidence in risk taking