Teach the Geek: Public Speaking and Communication Skills for Technical Professionals

Lauren Hasson is a software engineer who is devoted to helping female engineers get the most out of their careers. Her company, DevelopHer, is proof of that. She also offers a course called NegotiatHer that helps female engineers know their value and get it. We chatted about her work and the motivation for starting DevelopHer and NegotiatHer, especially in these times when so many are losing their...

To put it plainly, COVID-19 is screwing over many people. Companies are going under. People are losing their jobs. We’re all stuck inside. We’re wearing masks everywhere we go. It all can seem so defeating. The government is working to provide Americans with resources so we can weather the storm. I spoke with Jamye Pritchett Solorzano of the SBA about programs and resource partners available to sm...

My guest today, Aditya Guthey, was a software engineer for several years before becoming a coach to engineers and podcaster. We spoke about his life in software engineering, his transition to coach for engineers, and his podcast, Signs Of High Paid, High Performing, Happy Engineers. Check out his podcast at https://anchor.fm/aditya-guthey. TEACH THE GEEK teachthegeek.com youtube.teachthegeek.com @...

Barbara Khozam, starting out her career as a chemist, now works as a professional speaker who speaks primarily on customer service. We chatted about her transition from chemistry, the service she provides to companies, and her best tips on public speaking.  Get in touch with Barbara at https://barbarakhozam.com/ TEACH THE GEEK  teachthegeek.com youtube.teachthegeek.com @teachthegeek (FB,...

My guest today, Nitasha Syed, studied computer science and is now works as a product manager. I was interested to find out how she came to computer science, her road to becoming a product manager, and how public speaking figures into it all. TEACH THE GEEK teachthegeek.com youtube.teachthegeek.com @teachthegeek (FB, Twitter) @_teachthegeek_ (IG)

Adam Malofsky is a speaker and the Managing Director of Elemence LLC, which consults with a variety of industries.  We spoke about his job as a Managing Director, his previous stops and how they prepared him for his current gig, and public speaking, of course. TEACH THE GEEK teachthegeek.com youtube.teachthegeek.com @teachthegeek (FB, Twitter) @_teachthegeek_ (IG)

Because people are losing their jobs left and right, society doesn’t have the spending power it once had. But businesses want to keep making money so they can stay open and retain their employees. How do you go about marketing and selling during this time? I chatted with sales consultant Meri Birhane on ways companies can still sell without alienating their potential customers.  Connect with...

Kim Stuck is the Founder and CEO of Allay Cannabis Consulting, a consultancy that helps cannabis sellers with cannabis compliance. I was very interested to find out how she went from working for the Man as a health inspector to working against the Man as an ally for cannabis sellers.  Learn more about Kim at https://allayconsulting.com/ TEACH THE GEEK teachthegeek.com youtube.teachthegeek.com...

The Coronavirus pandemic is putting a lot of people out of work. What now? Ronald Childs and I talked about applying for jobs, resumes, interviewing, and salary negotiation. Watch as we go through what you should be doing to get through these troubling times. To get in touch with Ronald, connect with him on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronald-childs/ TEACH THE GEEK teachthegeek.com youtube...

Landi James is a software engineer who is community minded. In addition to her work at FDA, she founded the DNAwesome STEM club to promote STEM primarily to minority students. We chatted about her interest in computers, her job at the FDA, and her motivation for starting the DNAwesome STEM Club. TEACH THE GEEK teachthegeek.com youtube.teachthegeek.com @teachthegeek (FB, Twitter) @_teachthegeek_ (I...

My guest today, Dr. Tamara Baynham, is an engineer who, after working in clinical research for many years, started her own consultancy.  We talked about her reasons for pursuing a doctorate, her interest in clinical research, and her motivation for starting with consultancy. TEACH THE GEEK teachthegeek.com youtube.teachthegeek.com @teachthegeek (FB, Twitter) @_teachthegeek_ (IG)

I heard my guest, Adi Mopidevi, speak at an event, and really liked his slides, so much so that I wanted to have him on the channel. Adi has a background in computer science, he started as a developer and is now a CTO. We chatted about the evolution of his career, his thoughts on public speaking, and his slides, of course.   TEACH THE GEEK teachthegeek.com youtube.teachthegeek.com @teachthege...

Raven Baxter has an interesting story. Even though she now is a college science teacher, molecular scientist, and doctoral researcher, she once was a college dropout, not sure what to do next. To say that she figured it out would be an understatement. She’s also a public speaker, eager to spread the message of inclusivity in STEM. We spoke about her research, the merger of hip hop and science, and...

Robert Kennedy III, a Biology major, worked as a science teacher for several years. He even did instructional design for a time. He now is a professional speaker and coach, focusing mainly on presentation skills. He also hosts the RK3 show. We chatted about his time as a teacher, his transition from instructional design to coaching and speaking, and his future plans.  TEACH THE GEEK  tea...

Bob Brumm is the Encouragement Engineer. Whether he is addressing salespeople or college students, his goal is to turn negative beliefs into something positive. He has a degree in accounting, but works as a systems programmer. We spoke about how we went from accounting to programming, where the motivation for becoming the Encouragement Engineer came from, and how public speaking has impacted his c...

Stacey DelVecchio, a chemical engineer by training, worked for years in additive manufacturing, a fancy name for 3D printing. She is also a past president of the Society of Women Engineers. We chatted about what additive manufacturing entails, what she did during her tenure as SWE president she was most proud of, and how public speaking figured into it all. TEACH THE GEEK  teachthegeek.com yo...

Warwick Merry got degrees in computing and accounting, but that isn't where he stayed. He now does coaching, consulting, speaking, and training. How did he go from computing to coaching? Well, we get into that and more, like his thoughts on leadership.  To learn more about Warwick, visit warwickmerry.com and learn about his podcast, Get More Success, at getmoresuccess.com. TEACH THE GEEK teac...

Dylan Reid is a mechanical engineer and host of the Engineer Soft Skills podcast. The goal of the podcast is to help engineers with developing skills not taught in school. I was interested to learn more about the evolution of the podcast. Since this channel is about public speaking and public speaking is one of those skills typically not promoted in school, we got into that, too.  To learn mo...

Kara Diane Festa, a civil engineer by training, worked as a consultant for 20 years. She now coaches women in Engineering and other traditionally male-dominated fields. I was especially interested in hearing her thoughts on female leadership, her motivation to become a coach, and her thoughts on public speaking, of course.  Learn more about Kara at karadiane.com TEACH THE GEEK teachthegeek.co...

Brittany Dougherty is a civil engineer whose focus is land development. She told me that her discipline isn’t too popular in school, so I was interested to talk to her about that. She also passed the PE exam, which I took a number of years ago; it’s a tough test by the way; we talked about that, too. Finally, we got into public speaking, and how it has affected her career so far.  To learn mo...

In this video, I talk about using storytelling to keep an audience's attention. I know that I never used to consider storytelling when giving technical presentations. I do now!  TEACH THE GEEK teachthegeek.com youtube.teachthegeek.com teachthegeek.slack.com @teachthegeek (Twitter) @teachthegeek (FB) @_teachthegeek_ (IG)

The Balance offers some great tips on overcoming the fear of public speaking. There are 7 of them. I talk about them in the video.  Original article: https://www.thebalancesmb.com/overcome-fear-of-public-speaking-2951708 TEACH THE GEEK  teachthegeek.com youtube.teachthegeek.com teachthegeek.slate.com @teachthegeek (Twitter) @teachthegeek (FB) @_teachthegeek_ (IG)

Tony Munson, is a software engineer who has spent the last 16 years developing software professionally for various companies including Agilent Technologies and Hewlett-Packard. He’s also the author of the book, People Skills for Engineers. We talked about his interest in computer science, the motivation for writing his book, and future plans for other books.  Check out peopleskillsforengineer...

Jonna Gerken has a title I’ve never heard of before: Deputy Global Transitions Manager. I found out what that means. We also talked about her advocacy work with SWE and how public speaking factors into that. Check her out on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JonnaGerken TEACH THE GEEK teachthegeek.com youtube.teachthegeek.com teachthegeek.slack.com @teachthegeek (Twitter) @teachthegeek (FB) @_teachth...

I read this article on public speaking, and while there were 20 tips, one really stood out. I talk about it.  Link to article: https://www.inc.com/brent-gleeson/20-tips-for-mastering-art-of-public-speaking.html TEACH THE GEEK teachthegeek.com youtube.teachthegeek.com teachthegeek.slack.com @teachthegeek (Twitter) @teachthegeek (FB) @_teachthegeek_ (IG)