Wo kshop
Recommended ci a ion: Hi , S. J., T uslo e, J., & Coope , C. (2025). S o y elling
o Impac : Resou ces o Suppo Communica ion o Globally Responsible
Enginee ing. In Kangaslampi, R., Langie, G., Jä inen, H.-M., & Nagy, B. (Eds.),
SEFI 53 d Annual Con e ence. Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion
(SEFI), Tampe e, Finland. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17631549.
This Con e ence Pape is b ough o you o open access by he 53 d Annual Con e ence
o he Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI) a Tampe e Uni e si y in
Tampe e, Finland. This wo k is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion-NonComme cial-Sha e Alike 4.0 In e na ional License.
STORYTELLING FOR IMPACT: RESOURCES TO SUPPORT
COMMUNICATION FOR GLOBALLY RESPONSIBLE ENGINEERING
S.J. Hi a,
1
, J. T uslo eb, C. Coope c
a New Model Ins i u e o Technology and Enginee ing (NMITE), He e o d, UK,
0000-0002-0176-6214
b Enginee s Wi hou Bo de s UK, London, UK, 0000-0001-5671-0616
c The Lemelson Founda ion, Po land OR, USA, 0000-0001-7253-4042
Con e ence Key A eas: Dialogue be ween enginee ing and socie y – e ec s on
educa ion; Building he capaci y and s eng hening he educa ional compe ences o
enginee ing educa o s
Keywo ds: Communica ion; Sus ainabili y; Changemaking; Impac and in luence;
G een Skills
ABSTRACT
E ec i e communica ion is essen ial wi hin enginee ing educa ion and p ac ice,
especially when needing o wo k wi h di e se s akeholde s, es ablish c edibili y,
e idence impac , and a icula e isions o he u u e. Communica ion skills a e
he e o e c i ical o os e ing us , gene a ing ideas, cul i a ing ela ionships and
shaping a cul u e capable o mee ing ambi ious goals owa ds mo e globally
esponsible enginee ing ha p io i izes e hics, sus ainabili y, and equi y. Resou ces
such as he Lemelson Founda ion’s Enginee ing o One Plane F amewo k, he
Enginee ing P o esso s’ Council’s E hics and Sus ainabili y Toolki s, and Enginee s
Wi hou Bo de s UK’s Reimagined Deg ee Map all suppo he eaching and
de elopmen o communica ion skills, bu hey also unde pin he abili y o ell a new
s o y a ound he powe o ans o ming enginee ing o posi i e change. This
wo kshop ha nesses hese esou ces o equip pa icipan s wi h he addi ional
communica ion ool o s o y elling. Analyzing examples o e ec i e s o y elling in
enginee ing and lea ning key s o y elling echniques will enable pa icipan s o
unde s and how s o y elling p ac ices can inc ease hei own e icacy in
1
Co esponding Au ho
S.J. Hi
[email p o ec ed]
communica ing s o ies o change, and how a s o y elling app oach is ele an o
s uden communica ion lea ning ou comes.
1 BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE
1.1 Con ex
As a human-cen ed ac i i y, enginee ing is impossible wi hou communica ion. I is
well-acknowledged in academia and indus y alike ha skills in communica ion a e
essen ial o enginee s, pa icula ly in he con ex o Indus y 4.0 and he globalized
na u e o wo k (Wu, Xu, & Philbin, 2023; Rieme , 2002). This is especially impo an
gi en ha enginee s a e equen ly wo king on echnical inno a ions ha may no be
easy o a pe son wi h non- echnical expe ise o unde s and, ye he impac o hose
inno a ions may be a - eaching and a ec many aspec s o cul u e, policy, and he
en i onmen .
In his wo kshop we d aw in on h ee bodies o wo k ha posi ion communica ion
skills wi hin globally esponsible enginee ing educa ion and p ac ice, and which
suppo s uden s and educa o s o de elop hese skills in di e en ways: he
Lemelson Founda ion’s Enginee ing o One Plane (EOP) F amewo k, he
Enginee ing P o esso s’ Council’s (EPC’s) E hics and Sus ainabili y Toolki s, and
Enginee s Wi hou Bo de s UK’s (EWB UK’s) Reimagined Deg ee Map. Wi h he aim
o suppo ing enginee ing educa o s o in eg a e sus ainabili y, e hics, and jus ice
wi hin all aspec s o enginee ing deg ees, hese esou ces also emphasise he
impo ance o communica ion and he ela ed skills ha e e yone wi hin he
enginee ing sys em needs in o de o e ec i ely a icula e he meaning and impac o
enginee ing ha p io i izes global esponsibili y.
Indeed, c i ical o he abili y o make changes o modules, p og ammes, and cou ses
as well as o he way we p ac ice enginee ing and e alua e success is elling s o ies
o he need o change o he e ec s o posi i e change (Cleland Sil a & deTa so
Fonseca Sil a 2022). This s o y elling skill is essen ial o gaining suppo ,
es ablishing c edibili y, e idencing impac , and a icula ing a ision o he u u e. Too
o en, howe e , we emain s uck wi h ou moded o i ele an na a i es ha a ec
he way enginee ing is augh and p ac iced. Wha migh happen i we equip mo e
enginee ing s uden s and educa o s wi h communica ion echniques ha can help
shi hese common s o ies?
1.2 Why do enginee s need s o y elling skills?
S o y elling has long been known o suppo meaning-making, enhance belonging,
and os e communi y engagemen (Simmons, 2006), and communica ion is
essen ial o widely- ecognized ans e able skills such as collabo a ion, empa hy,
and c ea i i y (Ca a ozzolo, Al a ez-Delgado, & Hosseini, 2020). Indeed, no ma e
wha hei ole, enginee s mus be able o lis en and in eg a e wha hey a e hea ing
in o hei wo k, pe suade and in luence o he s o unde s and hei posi ions and he
alue o sus ainabili y choices, o wo k wi hin and manage eams, and e en o
ad oca e o policies o a esponse o a policy. In many he o ical si ua ions,
s o y elling echniques can suppo e ec i e communica ion ou comes (Suzuki e al.,
2018). Bu he concep o s o y elling as a communica ion echnique o enginee s is
less o en ecognized, pe haps because his app oach o communica ion is o en
seen o be a odds wi h he cogni i is , dis anced, impe sonal s yle adi ionally
adop ed wi hin STEM ields (Mille , 1979).
Ye in ecen yea s, s o y elling has gained ac ion wi hin enginee ing educa ion. Fo
ins ance, i has been s udied in he con ex o Sys ems enginee ing and C ea i i y
(Madni, 2015; A ka e al. 2024) and s andalone modules in s o y elling ha e been
o e ed wi hin enginee ing deg ee p og ammes. Addi ionally, he g owing ecogni ion
o he impo ance o mul idisciplina y and in eg a ed enginee ing educa ion means
ha s uden s, educa o s, and adminis a o s alike need o be able o communica e
he “why” o enginee ing: ins ead o ocusing only on echnical solu ions and ac s,
hey need o be able o connec p oblems o a b oade con ex o ensu e ha
solu ions a e ele an , unde s andable, e hical, and sus ainable, which he emo ional
and pe sonal side o s o y elling can emphasize (Co es A e alo e al).
Bu his is no jus a pedagogical ad o a new echnique–i is a ecogni ion o long-
held indigenous knowledge: s o ies a e powe ul hings (Law ence & Paige, 2016).
They shape ou unde s anding o ou sel es, o ou communi ies, o ou wo k; hey
can gi e us pu pose, and hey can lead us as ay. Like any hing else, enginee ing
educa ion is ull o powe ul es ablished s o ies: abou he s e eo ypes o enginee s
and enginee ing s uden s, abou he p omise and pe il o enginee ing inno a ions,
abou he silos we wo k in, abou he slowness o ins i u ions o change. These
s o ies can be us a ing and limi ing, bu we ind hope and oppo uni y in he
pe spec i e a icula ed by Canadian Che okee w i e Thomas King: “Wan a di e en
e hic? Tell a di e en s o y.” (2003, p. 164) Indeed, s o y elling has been shown o
mo i a e people o ac and spa k social change (T e isan, Vaughan, & V omen,
2025) and o compel agency a ound clima e ac ion (Wang & Co en, 2024). Th ough
se e al yea s o adical collabo a ion, Enginee ing o One Plane , Enginee s Wi hou
Bo de s UK, and he Enginee ing P o esso s Council a e join ly ying o ell a
di e en s o y abou how esou ces o suppo educa o s can c ea e meaning ul
impac and change wi hin enginee ing educa ion.
1.3 Resou ces and in e en ions o ell a new s o y
Telling his new s o y, a ound he possibili ies and oppo uni ies inhe en in
ede ining enginee ing excellence and educa ing enginee s o a mo e globally
esponsible u u e, can be di icul and me wi h skep icism o mo e in ansigen
ba ie s. We’ e ound inc edible alue in sha ing esou ces, insigh s and
expe iences, and in lea ning om each o he abou shi ing he na a i es owa d
posi i e change in enginee ing educa ion. We’ e also ound ha he EOP
F amewo k, he EPC Toolki s, and he EWB UK Reimagined Deg ee Map suppo
in e en ions a di e en le els o he enginee ing educa ion sys em ha can
empowe changemake s, show success is possible, con ince o he s, and de elop
compe encies wi hin s uden s and educa o s alike (T uslo e, Hi , & C ich on, 2024).
Th ough engagemen s wi h s uden s, we ha e ound ha he nex gene a ion o
enginee s is eage o lea n mo e abou how o a icula e hei passions and desc ibe
hei desi ed impac .
In he case o communica ion,
● The Enginee ing o One Plane F amewo k and companion eaching guides
a icula e communica ion lea ning ou comes o s eng hen a ange o in e nal
and ex e nal communica ion compe encies, as well as sel - e lec ion and
leade ship skills. F om communica ing he alue and impac o sus ainabili y
choices e ec i ely ac oss disciplines, sec o s, and hie a chies o managing
p ojec s and imelines o cul i a ing in e pe sonal skills, he ools p o ide
speci ic examples and exe cises ha can be used in di e se class oom
con ex s.
● The EPC E hics and Sus ainabili y Toolki s p o ide guidance o educa o s no
only abou how o embed communica ion skills wi hin enginee ing- ocused
lea ning ac i i ies, bu also how o app oach he challenges o leading ough
discussions in he class oom, o how o ha e a con e sa ion wi h someone
who appea s esis an o embedding sus ainabili y wi hin enginee ing
cu icula. Addi ionally, i showcases he s o ies o educa o s who ha e
success ully implemen ed Toolki ac i i ies o se e as a model o o he s.
● The EWB UK Reimagined Deg ee Map p o ides a s ep-by-s ep guide o
e lec on he needs o mode n lea ne s, he app oaches o con ex ualising
21s -cen u y challenges wi hin cu icula and communica e s a egic decisions
wi h s akeholde s a ound he need o change deg ees. The Map can be used
o s eng hen ambi ion, ela ionships, and he a ious oles who con ibu e o
na iga ing sys emic change ac oss a depa men (s). I is in ended o acili a e
engagemen wi h a di e se g oup o people o shape deg ees collabo a i ely,
whils p o iding con en speci ically aimed a educa o s o e ec i e
collabo a ion o p og amme adap a ion and enhancemen .
These esou ces we e designed o inspi e, mo i a e and suppo o he s. In his
wo kshop, we will demons a e how using hem can help s uden s and educa o s
de elop b oade skills in communica ion, as well as con ibu e o a changing
na a i e o ans o ma ional enginee ing educa ion (Buganza, 2023). Finally, we will
showcase how hese esou ces can connec use s o a b oade communi y ha can
help ampli y he na a i e o posi i e change.
2 WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES
2.1 Ta ge audience
● Educa o s esponsible o embedding communica ion o sus ainabili y
con en in modules, p og ammes, o cou se con en ,
● Academic leade s in ol ed in ins i u ional s a egy o u u e hinking,
● Those who seek o in luence, gain ac ion, shi a cul u e o na a i e,
and communica e he impac o hei wo k.
2.2 Expec ed lea ning ou comes
In his highly in e ac i e wo kshop, pa icipan s will be guided h ough small g oup
ac i i ies and e lec i e plena y discussions. By he end o he session, pa icipan s
will ha e:
● Lea ned how he esou ces men ioned abo e suppo communica ion
ou comes wi hin enginee ing;
● Become amilia wi h key componen s o e ec i e s o y elling;
● P ac iced how o use a s o y elling app oach;
● Analyzed s o ies o change in enginee ing.
3 WORKSHOP DESIGN
3.1 Time plan
The ac i i ies wi hin his 60-minu e wo kshop will connec people o ongoing
esou ces and ne wo ks ha suppo embedding communica ion in enginee ing
educa ion as pa o globally esponsible p ac ice and communica ing he case o
change, whils p o iding he space o pa icipan s o lea n and p ac ice s o y elling
skills.
Table 1. Ou line o S o y elling Wo kshop Timeline
Run ime
Ac i i y and Facili a ion Mode
No es
15 min
In oduc ion: Didac ic plena y
Communica ion ou comes in
enginee ing, Exis ing esou ces o
global esponsibili y, and S o y elling key
echniques
15 min
In e ac i e ac i i y 1: Wo k in
small g oups
Each g oup will analyze a change
na a i e based on ei he he EOP
F amewo k, EPC Toolki s, o EWB UK
Reimagined Deg ee Map o analyze he
way he s o y was old and conside i s
ele ance o hei con ex .
7 min
Re lec ion and Discussion:
Guided plena y
15 min
In e ac i e ac i i y 2: Wo k in
pai s
P ac ice elling a s o y wi h hose
echniques
8 min
Takeaways and conclusions:
Didac ic Plena y
Lea n how o connec o b oade
ne wo ks.
3.2 In e ac i i y
The wo kshop will use se e al app oaches o in e ac i i y. Plena y sessions will use
Soc a ic ques ioning, while Pai and Small G oup wo k will allow pa icipan s o
p ac ice and analyze echniques p esen ed in he didac ic po ions. Equally balanced
be ween plena y, pai , and small g oup sessions, he wo kshop makes use o
di e en lea ning modali ies.
4 WORKSHOP RESULTS
Ou aim was o demons a e how he use o key s o y elling skills among bo h
s uden s and educa o s can help shi en enched na a i es wi hin enginee ing
educa ion by empowe ing people o communica e be e and di e en ly.
19 people a ended he wo kshop, which was held du ing he i s session o he i s
day o he con e ence. They b oke in o h ee g oups o he i s in e ac i e session;
each g oup was asked o analyse one o h ee di e en na a i es:
1. “O Ice C eam and The modynamics: The Powe o Momen s” by D . Adebayo
(Bayo) Ogundipe, G and Valley S a e Uni e si y, Michigan USA
2. “Help! I’m Teaching E hics o he Fi s Time” by Jude B amp on, Uni e si y o
B is ol, UK
3. “Ha nessing Oppo uni ies o Change when Re eshing Cou ses” by Vicky
Melon, Associa e Head o he School o Enginee ing and Buil En i onmen ,
She ield Hallam Uni e si y, UK
They did his by using an accompanying handou seen in Figu e 1. In he second
Fig. 1 S o y elling Techniques
in e ac i e session, a endees wo ked in pai s o ios on a s o y hey wan ed o
needed o ell. A leas ou o he pa icipan s implemen ed lea ning om he
wo kshop in hei la e con e ence sessions, and wo kshop acili a o s we e in i ed o
suppo a po en ial E hics Special In e es G oup e en ela ed o his opic.
S o y elling Techniques
dis illed om The S o y Fac o by Anne e Simmons and S o y Ready by Janece Sha e
S o y elling Techniques
1.Make a map o ou line: whe e is his s o y going, and wha de ails will
help you ge he e?
2. Iden i y emo ional componen s wi hin he s o y.
3. Pick ou some “s icky” o memo able aspec s o de elop.
4. De ine he ans o ma ion: who o wha has changed and why?
5. Wo k on “hooks” o beginnings and ends.
“The sec e o elling a s o y o in luence is no ound by asking
he ques ion, ‘How do I ell a s o y e en hough I don’ belie e
i will make a di e ence?’ bu
‘How do I begin o belie e I can make a di e ence?’”
Finally, pa icipan s we e p o ided wi h esou ces o suppo communica ion o
globally esponsible enginee ing, including he Enginee ing o One Plane
F amewo k, he Reimagined Deg ee Map and Enginee ing o People Design
Challenge om Enginee s Wi hou Bo de s – UK, and he E hics and Sus ainabili y
Toolki s om he Enginee ing P o esso s Council.
REFERENCES
A ka , M., Gholami, A., Ga agsaz-Ghoachani, R., Pha anasak, M., & Pie ede ici, S.
(2024). Sus ainable Educa ion o Sus ainable Fu u e: A o S o y elling o
Enhancing C ea i i y, Knowledge Re en ion on he Acme o Success ul Educa ion.
IEEE Access, 12, 101782–101796. h ps://doi.o g/10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3432030
Buganza, T. (2023). S o ymaking and o ganiza ional ans o ma ion: how he co-
c ea ion o na a i es engages people o inno a ion and ans o ma ion. Rou ledge.
h ps://doi.o g/10.4324/9781003276210
Ca a ozzolo, P., Al a ez-Delgado, A., & Hosseini, S. (2020). Pe spec i es on he use
o Se ious-S o y elling o C ea i e Thinking Awa eness in Enginee ing. 2020 IEEE
F on ie s in Educa ion Con e ence (FIE), 1–9.
h ps://doi.o g/10.1109/FIE44824.2020.9273994
Cleland Sil a, T., & de Ta so Fonseca Sil a, P.. (2022). Making Sense o Wo k
Th ough Collabo a i e S o y elling : Building Na a i es in O ganisa ional Change.
Sp inge In e na ional Publishing. h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/978-3-030-89446-7
Co es A e alo, J., Adamson, K., Fan ini, E., Ve b ugge, L., & Pos ma, R. (2023).
S o y elling. In Handbook T ansdisciplina y Lea ning (pp. 359-369). T ansc ip
Ve lag. h ps://doi.o g/10.14361/9783839463475-037
King, T. (2003). The T u h Abou S o ies. Uni e si y o Minneso a P ess.
Law ence, R. L., & Paige, D. S. (2016). Wha Ou Ances o s Knew: Teaching and
Lea ning Th ough S o y elling. New di ec ions o adul & con inuing educa ion, 2016
(149).
Madni, A.M. (2015). Expanding S akeholde Pa icipa ion in Up on Sys em
Enginee ing h ough S o y elling in Vi ual Wo lds. Sys ems Enginee ing, 18(1), 16–
27. h ps://doi.o g/10.1002/sys.21284
Mille , C.R. (1979). A Humanis ic a ionale o echnical w i ing. College English,
40(6), 610-617. h ps://doi.o g/10.2307/375964
Rieme , M. J. (2002). English and communica ion skills o he global enginee .
Global J. o Engng. Educ, 6(1), 91-100.
Sha e , J. (n.d.). S o y Ready. h p://s o y eady.com/
Simmons, A. (2006). The s o y ac o : sec e s o in luence om he a o s o y elling
(Re ised edi ion.). Basic Books.
Suzuki, W. A., Feliú-Móje , M. I., Hasson, U., Yehuda, R., & Za a e, J. M. (2018).
Dialogues: The Science and Powe o S o y elling. The Jou nal o Neu oscience,
38(44), 9468–9470. h ps://doi.o g/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1942-18.2018
T e isan, F., Vaughan, M., & V omen, A. (2025). S o y ech : powe , s o y elling, and
social change ad ocacy (1s ed.). Uni e si y o Michigan P ess.
h ps://doi.o g/10.3998/mpub.12067961
T uslo e, J., Hi , S.J., C ich on, E. (2025). The P ac ical Reali y o E ec ing Change
o Pedagogies o Global Responsibili y in Enginee ing Educa ion. In: Aue , M.E.,
Rüü mann, T. (eds) Fu u ep oo ing Enginee ing Educa ion o Global Responsibili y.
ICL 2024. Lec u e No es in Ne wo ks and Sys ems, ol 1261. 165-178. Sp inge .
Wang, H., Co en, E. (2024). S o y elling as a Ca alys o Clima e Change
Communica ion and Empowe men . In: Co en, E., Wang, H. (eds) S o y elling o
Accele a e Clima e Solu ions (1s ed.). Sp inge In e na ional Publishing. p. 1-16.
Wu, Y., Xu, L., & Philbin, S. P. (2023). E alua ing he Role o he Communica ion
Skills o Enginee ing S uden s on Employabili y Acco ding o he Ou come-Based
Educa ion (OBE) Theo y. Sus ainabili y, 15(12), 9711-.
h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/su15129711
