Successful Speaking for Technical Professionals

"There's zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas."   -- Susan Cain, American author, lecturer, and former lawyer.   Your ability to project confidence and executive presence is vital to your presentations and your career. Audiences engage more with speakers who are confident in their material and delivery. This podcast suggests three ways to do this....

“ Questions are never indiscreet; answers sometimes are.”   — Oscar Wilde, one of the most celebrated literary figures of the Victorian era, known for his wit, plays, and insightful commentary on society.     Most speakers dread audience questions.  This is unfortunate because questions reveal what interests your audience. To ensure you are effective when addressing questions, in this podcast epis...

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, engineer, pilot, and writer known for his insights on simplicity and design.   You studied and practice your technical area of expertise because you like detail.  However, when you are delivering a technical presentation, detail can be deadly. The detail in you...

“Your audience is the hero of your presentation.”   - Nancy Duarte from Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences    Have you ever delivered a technical presentation to an engineering audience, and your audience members’ faces were like “deer in the headlights” Audiences who aren't engaged by the speaker are bored and don’t retain or implement what you say. In today's pod...

“Before you marry a person, you should first make them use a computer with slow Internet service to see who they really are.” — Will Ferrell, comedian and actor   Two weeks ago, my wife, Elaine, and I moved to Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, just outside of Charleston.  We loved living in Northern Virginia, but we wanted to move to a warmer climate.   We weren’t disappointed.  The beaches, the Cha...

“ In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”— Sun Tzu from The Art of War ,    My wife, Elaine, and I recently moved from Northern Virginia to the Charleston, South Carolina, area.  To say our move was chaotic is an understatement.  The packing, moving, and unpacking (which is still ongoing) were and are stressful. This chaos of moving to another state got me thinking about the chaos that...

“People don’t want perfect; they want real .” – Modern audience engagement trend   Excellent public speakers keep up with the latest audience trends. This podcast explores three audience trends for which public speakers should take advantage. References Gallo, C. (2022). The Bezos Blueprint: Communication Secrets of the World’s Greatest Salesman . St. Martin’s Press. Discusses how tech-savvy leade...

“What you do for yourself dies with you. What you do for others is immortal.” — Albert Pike, attorney and writer     On this Memorial Day, it is proper to remember those who have given their lives so we may enjoy our freedom.  Memorial Day in the United States began as a way to honor and remember soldiers who died in military service, particularly those who died during the Civil War, both Union an...

“It’s not the words that count, but the moment you made them feel something.” — Nancy Duarte, CEO of Duarte, Inc., and author of Resonate    A compelling and under-discussed topic for public speakers is the power of micro-moments – how small interactions shape audience perception. These micro-moments have a significant effect on engagement with your audience.  In this week's podcast episode,...

“If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six sharpening my axe.” — Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States   In my weekly articles, I have extensively discussed how to create, practice, and deliver presentations. However, I have not often discussed what you should do before you create your presentation. Before creating your presentation, you should take three essential pre...

“If you listen to your audience, they will tell you what you need to know.” — Lee Clow, American advertising executive, best known for creating the iconic “1984” Apple Macintosh commercial.     Speakers often consider what their audience can learn from them. Have you ever considered how much you can learn from your audience? This podcast episode explores three ways you can learn from your audience...

“When you position your customer [or audience] as the hero and yourself as the guide, you win the day.” -  Donald Miller in his book Building a StoryBrand 2.0: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen     Donald Miller’s book, Building a StoryBrand 2.0: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen (Harper Collins Leadership, 2025), discusses making your client the hero of your interaction. Y...

  "Designing a presentation without an audience in mind is like writing a love letter and addressing it 'to whom it may concern.'" — Ken Haemer, Presentation Research Manager at AT&T    This podcast episode covers the nitty-gritty of how to create, practice, and deliver excellent presentations. It contains practical processes for doing this you can implement immediately. 

“Ideas are worthless unless you can make them heard.” — Phil Cooke, media consultant and speaker    You were immersed in engineering or scientific matters in your engineering school or school of science.  You then work in industry or government where you want to practice engineering and science. Somewhere along the way, hopefully early, you realize you must “sell” your ideas to get ahead. It comes...

“Champions don’t do extraordinary things. They do ordinary things better than everyone else.” – Tony Dungy, former NFL player and coach, best known for leading the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl win   Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers football team, on taking over as head coach of the Packers, said, “I am not going to change anything. We will use the same players, th...

  “The worst part of holding the camera up to speak is knowing that no one is really there to nod or smile back at you.” — Unknown   This week, my son Frank returned from a six-month Navy submarine deployment. He is a nuclear officer on the USS Indiana fast-attack submarine. My wife Elaine and I are very proud of him for defending our great country. I thought about how my son and the other sailors...

“Everybody wants to win. However, there are few people who want to prepare to win.” - Paul “Bear” Bryant, legendary coach of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team   Today’s professional speakers face several challenges that can impact their effectiveness and career growth.  Here are three key concerns of today’s professional speakers and how to address them: ________________________...

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker, renowned management consultant, educator, and author,   As a professional speaker, you must manage various business aspects to build and sustain your career.  We will examine three key business matters for you as a professional speaker in this podcast episode. __________________________ References According to insights in Book...

  “Everyone who got where they are had to begin where they were.” – Richard Paul Evans, American author best known for writing The Christmas Box   As a speaker, you may often experience imposter syndrome, a psychological phenomenon in which you doubt your abilities and fear being exposed as a fraud despite evidence of your competence.  In this episode, we will examine three key reasons why you may...

“Of all the talents bestowed upon men, none is so precious as the gift of oratory. He who enjoys it wields a power more durable than that of a great king.” -- Winston Churchill, British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (during the Second World War) and again from 1951 to 1955.   In this world of accelerating technological speed,...

"The future of public speaking is not about a solitary orator on a stage—it's a dynamic interplay between technology and human connection, where immersive digital experiences bring audiences closer than ever before." – Will Higham, behavioral futurist, author, and speaker known for exploring emerging trends in communication    It is hard to imagine the transformation in speaking in...

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” — Walt Disney, American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur   Self-motivation, overcoming obstacles, and becoming a better leader are crucial for public speakers. They directly influence your ability to engage audiences, inspire action, and maintain effectiveness over time.  In this episode, you will discover why each...

“A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.” – William Arthur Ward, American inspirational writer    In the hit cartoon movie Madagascar, there is a group of talking penguins led by “the Skipper.” One of the penguins asks, “Skipper, don’t you think we should tell them the boat’s out of gas?” The Skipper simply says, “Nah! Smile and wave, boys. Smile and wave.” As a speaker, how can you gr...

  “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” – Charles Darwin (1809–1882), naturalist, geologist, and biologist   Have you ever considered that adaptability is key to you delivering an excellent presentation? How do you develop the ability to be adaptable “on the fly?” Seamlessly adaptable speakers can adjust their delive...

“When you walk into a room, own it. Let your presence be felt. Confidence isn’t just about what you say; it’s about how you carry yourself.” - Oprah Winfrey, Media Mogul and Philanthropist   To own a room effectively, speakers can employ several strategies: This podcast episode explores three strategies:  exuding confidence, engaging through storytelling, and mastering delivery techniques. Referen...