Successful Speaking for Technical Professionals

"Speed reading is a skill that allows you to process information more efficiently, which is critical for anyone who wants to communicate effectively in today’s fast-paced world."   – Tony Buzan, British author and educational consultant, best known for his work on mind mapping and mental literacy   Have you ever thought how reading at a faster rate can help you become a better speaker? P...

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” — Robert Collier, American author and publisher Maintaining motivation is a challenge for speakers like you.   This episode explores three ways you as a speaker can maintain your motivation.

“Your content is your voice. Post consistently, and the right people will hear you.” – Unknown    One of the most common ways to become known as a speaker is to post your content regularly on various electronic platforms. This episode reviews three platforms you can use to post your speaker content online. References Medium Blog (2023). “Why Blogging Remains a Powerful Content Medium.” Patel, N. (...

“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” – Pericles, Greek politician and general during the Golden Age of Athens    Public speaking has always been a cornerstone of societal change, personal influence, and cultural growth.  From ancient forums to modern stages, powerful speeches have shaped our world. In this podcast, you will...

“The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller. The storyteller sets the vision, values, and agenda of an entire generation that is to come.” –- Steve Jobs, American businessman, inventor, and investor best known for co-founding the technology company Apple Inc.   Have you ever thought about why you speak to your audience?  Although the number of topics you can speak on is limitless, th...

“A panel discussion is a great way to explore multiple viewpoints, but it only succeeds if the panelists are engaged and the moderator knows when to steer or step back.” — Nancy Duarte, American writer and speaker   You may be asked to moderate a panel discussion one day. In this podcast, we will explore ways you can prepare, conduct, and follow up as the moderator of a panel discussion.  

"If you can't write your message in a sentence, you can't say it in an hour." — Dianna Booher, American author and communication expert   It's the holiday season, and you have more than a few things to do. So, how do you get them all done?   The key to a happy holiday season is to prioritize the items you need to accomplish and then complete them one at a time. If you do t...

"Speak clearly, if you speak at all; carve every word before you let it fall."   -  Oliver Wendell Holmes, American jurist who served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Do you have challenges answering technical questions from the audience during your presentations? You are not alone.   Fortunately, there is a myriad of information on how to overcome the challenges present...

"If computers get too powerful, we can organize them into committees. That'll do them in."   -  Author unknown   When technical issues occur during a presentation, technical professionals can take a few key actions to address and resolve them efficiently.  In this episode, we explore three critical steps that technical people can take to address and resolve presentation technical is...

“Approach each customer with the idea of helping him or her to solve a problem or achieve a goal, not of selling a product or service.” – Brian Tracy , self-development expert   Selling a technical idea through a technical presentation involves more than just delivering technical details; it requires making the idea compelling and relatable to your audience.  In this week's podcast, we will d...

"If you want something stuck in someone's head, put it in a sequence of three." — Brian Clark, Canadian businessman   The "power of three" is a communication and presentation technique based on the principle that people tend to process, remember, and respond well to information presented in groups of three.  This concept suggests that three points, ideas, or examples creat...

Have you ever been interrupted in your presentations by an audience question?  The question may or may not be Germaine to your presentation topic Dealing with presentation interruptions and topic detours can be challenging, but effective strategies exist to manage them. This podcast episode details three strategies you can use

In your technical career, you will realize you must sell your ideas to get ahead in your career. To a large extent, you can sell your ideas through presentations.  However, how do you overcome your lack of confidence in delivering presentations? In this episode, we explore three effective strategies to overcome your lack of confidence in delivering presentations.

Technical people are often frustrated with how management or marketing teams may prioritize style and polish over the actual content or data.   This style and polish can feel superficial to technical people who value substance and accuracy. The key to an excellent technical presentation is to find the right balance between style and polish and substance and accuracy To balance style and polish wit...

  Technical professionals are often asked to explain complex information under a time constraint. You can effectively condense complex projects or data in a short time while maintaining critical technical information by employing the following strategies:  visual communication, executive summaries, modular documentation.  

“People who know what they’re talking about don’t need PowerPoint.”   -  Steve Jobs, American businessman, inventor, and investor best known for co-founding the technology company Apple Inc.     While this might sound a bit extreme, the essence of the Steve Jobs quote is clear: to truly engage, you must focus on more than just slides—you need to connect with your audience. This can be challenging...

"By visualizing information, we turn it into a landscape that you can explore with your eyes. A sort of information map.”  -  David McCandless, writer, designer & creative director living in London Technical people delivering technical presentations have an additional burden which non-technical speakers don't have to worry about– how to represent data on their slides. Regarding data...

As a technical professional, you may often experience specific frustrations related to the complexity of content in your presentations. In this podcast episode, we will explore three frustrations you may have experienced and what to do about them:  overwhelming detail, audience knowledge gaps, and balancing technical depth and clarity.  

Welcome to “Successful Speaking for Technical Professionals,” the podcast dedicated to helping you shine in the spotlight and deliver your technical expertise with flair. I’m your host, Frank DiBartolomeo. In each episode, I will draw from my over 40 years experience as an engineer and over 30 years experience as a Toastmaster to explore the nuances of presenting complex information in a way that...

Forbes Magazine tells us the number one fear of people is public speaking. This is unfortunate because speaking intelligently to an audience, engaging them, and leaving them with something that will improve their personal and professional lives will do more to advance your career than anything else. Some people believe technical expertise is what companies prize. They do, but it is much easier to...

Why do people still go to the movies? Because everyone loves a story. In these weekly articles on public speaking, I have often talked about the power of story in your public speaking. However, do you also use stories in your technical presentations? When you use stories in your technical presentations, you demonstrate how the technology is used in the real world. Using stories in your technical p...