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

Brandon Berg: Making R&D Ideas Influential Brandon Berg is an R&D Sr. VP. In this episode, we explore how technical leaders can communicate complex ideas clearly to nontechnical audiences. We’ll chat about strategies for aligning innovation with organizational goals, coaching teams to present effectively, and influencing stakeholders to support R&D priorities. You’ll also gain insights...

Dr. Adam Link: Communication Builds Technical Trust In this episode of Teach the Geek Interviews, I speak with engineering manager Dr. Adam Link about why communication becomes a leadership requirement for technical professionals. We discuss what breaks down when engineers struggle to explain their work to nontechnical stakeholders and how those breakdowns affect trust, alignment, and business out...

Ohad Parush - When Technical Communication Becomes Leadership Ohad Parush is a Chief R&D Officer here to talk with me about technical professionals communicating with nontechnical audiences from the perspective of a technical leader. We will discuss why communication becomes a leadership requirement, how breakdowns impact the business, and what separates technical experts from technical leader...

Speaking from a President's View with Cash Mahesh Cash Mahesh is a President with a proven track record of accelerating global business growth through strategic initiatives. With an engineering background, I wanted to discuss with Cash how, as a president, he views the effectiveness of technical employees communicating with nontechnical audiences. With his technical background, I’m sure he’ll...

Turning Technical Complexity into Clarity with Yanik Berube Yanik Berube is a VP Engineering with a passion for leadership, technology, and the people and teams who build these technologies. I wanted to talk to Yanik about the challenges translating complexity into clear and actionable insights. We explored lessons that any technical leader can apply to improve clarity, influence, and impact acros...

3 Presentation Skills I Wish I Had Learned Earlier If you want to give better presentations, this video will help you avoid the mistakes I made early in my career. I share three presentation skills that would have saved me time, stress, and confusion. These tips will help you speak with clarity, keep your audience engaged, and deliver your message with confidence. Whether you are a technical profe...

Dr. Ruth Jones - Physicist and STEM Advocate Dr. Ruth Jones has over 25 years in the Aerospace Industry, skilled in Mishap Investigation, Optical Physics, and Engineering Management. She’s also founded It’s All About MEI, LLC, delivering speeches on topics like leadership, career development, and mindset. I’m curious to learn more about her founding It’s All About MEI, her journey to get to where...

John Congdon: the PHP Architect John Congdon is a web programmer specializing in e-commerce and database administration. He is also the CEO of PHP Architect, a force in the PHP space, publishing a monthly magazine, books, training, and hosting conferences. I’m curious to learn more about his motivation to start his own enterprise, working in the PHP space, and the ways in which speaking has benefi...

Lawrence Watkins: an engineer investing in the future Lawrence Watkins is not your typical engineer. He has formed companies, worked in the investment sector, and is now the managing partner of Malcolm Garvey, helping organizations, business owners, and families use practical, market-driven approaches to improve the overall well-being of Black communities. I’m keen to learn more about the differen...

How to Ensure Your Audience Remembers What you Said Last week we talked about making presentations less boring. This week, we take it a step further: how do you make sure your audience actually remembers what you said? In this episode, I share practical tips for technical professionals to: a. Craft a clear, memorable key message b. Structure presentations so your audience can follow along c. Use s...

Why Brilliant Engineers Give Boring Presentations and How to Fix it Brilliant engineers often struggle to give presentations that are clear, engaging, and understandable — especially for nontechnical audiences. In this episode of Teach the Geek, I explain why technical professionals stumble in front of an audience and share practical tips to fix it: ✅ Avoid the curse of knowledge ✅ Use slides to...

Elaine Schomburg-LaFleur: Speaker and STEM Advocate Elaine Schomburg-LaFleur is an engineer with over 22 years of experience in the entertainment industry, leading projects in engineering, design, and technical management for major theme parks. Outside of work, she’s also a speaker and STEM advocate, inspiring the next generation of STEM workers. I’m interested to learn more about her work in ente...

Dianna Deeney: A Coach of Quality Dianna Deeney is an engineer, product development coach, and founder of Deeney Enterprises. With over 25 years in manufacturing, she’s worked her way up from the plant floor to leading product design and quality engineering teams. She’s also the author of the book “Pierce the Design Fog”, showing how leaders can bridge the communication gap with engineers. I’m cur...

Dr. Harold Lee III on life in corporate, founding a consultancy, and giving technical presentations Dr. Harold Lee III is the founder of the Preferred Thinking Group, a consultancy that provides services such as soft skill development, career readiness training, and project management. I’m curious to learn more about his work in corporate, his motivation to start the Preferred Thinking Group, and...

Jenn Stevens on Working with Technical Professionals on their Communication Skills Jenn Stevens is the founder of Presence Coaching & Consulting, working with growing tech companies on the human side of technical problems. She has spent her career helping leaders discover that their biggest challenges aren't technical but are about communication, leadership, and navigating organizational c...

Jacques the Party Scientist is Bringing Joy to the World Jacques The Party Scientist ditched his career in pharmacology to, among other things, develop the Joy Bootcamp, the first joy-based leadership retreat. We chatted about his corporate life in Medical Devices (something we have in common), his transition to self-employment, and the ways in which he uses speaking to spread his message of joy....

Darnell Dixon on STEM Advocacy, Being a Manager, and Technical Speaking Darnell Dixon is an engineer and STEM advocate, working with local schools and organizations to inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists. I’m keen to learn more about his journey in Engineering, his advocacy efforts, and the ways in which speaking has impacted him. To get in touch with Darnell, visit https://www...

Engineer Kim Burton on being a Pilot, Giving Presentations, and Managing Others Kim Burton is a director of project engineering. She’s a pilot, too. I’m curious to learn more about where her interest in Engineering came from, her work in industry, and how speaking has benefited her work life. To get in touch with Kim, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-burton-2898b9a/. You can also find her on...

Melanie Myles - Engineer Turned Coach: Master Career Growth & Public Speaking in STEM Melanie Myles is founder of Arctic Butterfly Coaching and Consulting. She helps women in STEM take control of their careers via the GRACE framework. I’m keen to learn how an engineer got into coaching, her life industry, and the ways in which speaking has worked for her so far. What You’ll Learn in This Episo...

Dr. Barbara Oakley: From Military to Engineering, Learning, Altruism & Public Speaking Insights Today my guest is Dr. Barbara Oakley, a distinguished professor of Engineering. She didn’t start there, though. She spent time in the military before embarking on a career in industry, which ultimately led her to academia. I’m curious to learn more about learning Russian, going back to school to stu...

Caroline Dunn: From Engineer to YouTuber Caroline Dunn is a YouTube creator and author. In her corporate life, she started in engineering and transitioned to marketing before pursuing her current endeavors. I’m curious to find out more about her previous work life, the change to creator, and the ways that her past has prepared her for what she does now. To get in touch with Caroline, visit https:/...

The Communication Gap Brilliant Minds Need to be Aware OfI attended the SPI Optics + Photonics conference and notice some things that perhaps don't affect a technical audience, but will affect a non-technical one. I laid out 3 challenges that technical presenters must overcome to effectively communicate with a non-technical audience. Do you agree with the challenges? Let me know in the comment...

Dr. Stella Lee: Paradoxical Learning Dr. Stella Lee is founder of Paradox Learning, a consultancy that partners with clients to develop initiatives in digital learning transformation, AI integration, and workforce capability development. I’m curious to learn more about how she came to founding her consultancy, the work she did along the way to get her there, and how she works with clients. I’m sur...

Frank DiBartolomeo - From Military to Speaking Frank DiBartolomeo is the founder of DiBartolomeo Consulting International (DCI) and host of the Successful Speaking for Technical Professionals podcast. After years in the armed forces and working in engineering roles, he started his firm to help technical professionals with their public speaking skills. I’m curious to learn more about his evolution...

Cartis Best: Non-Impulsive Leadership Cartis Best is the director of Impulse Leadership LLC, working with clients to develop strategies to lead, especially in uncertain times. I’m curious to find out more about his journey, namely how his Engineering background benefited him in what he does now, how his clients work with him, and how speaking figures into it all. To get in touch with Cartis, visit...