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Successful Speaking for Technical Professionals
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 resonates and engages.
Whether you're a software engineer, data scientist, or any tech professional eager to polish your presentation skills, this show is for you. We’ll tackle everything from crafting clear and compelling narratives to mastering the art of visual aids and handling challenging questions with poise.
Join us as we speak with seasoned presenters, communication specialists, and industry insiders who will share their secrets for making your technical presentations not just informative but unforgettable.
If you’re ready to transform your technical knowledge into impactful presentations and leave a lasting impression, you’re in the right place.
Remember, great presentations are not just about sharing information—they’re about connecting with your audience and making your message resonate. From refining your narrative to perfecting your delivery, every detail counts.
Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode, and if you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review and share it with your colleagues. We’d love to hear your feedback and any topics you’d like us to cover in future episodes.
Thanks for joining us, and until next time, keep honing those presentation skills and make every tech talk count!
Episodes
59 episodes
59. How to Get Management to Understand Technical Concerns
“Cost, Schedule, and Risk are the three items foremost in a decision-maker's mind.” — Eric C. Stasiunas, How to Educate Decision Makers on the Value and Necessity of Modal Testing and Model Correlation: Tips for Young Engineers
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58. Too Much Maintenance and Too Little Real Engineering
“As an evolving program is continually changed, its complexity… increases unless work is done to maintain or reduce it.” — Meir M. Lehman, computer scientist and pioneer of the Laws of Software Evolution Engine...
57. How Engineers Can Convince Executives That Technical Debt Is a Business Problem
“The extra effort that it takes to add new features is the interest paid on the debt.” — Martin Fowler, British software developer, author of Technical Debt, 2019, and international public speaker on software development
56. How Engineers Can Make Meetings More Efficient
“Meetings are a symptom of bad organization. The fewer meetings the better.” — Peter F. Drucker, management consultant and author One of the most frustrating activities for engineers is attending inefficient meet...
55. How Engineers Can Get Executives to Make a Decision During Their Presentation
“When you get to about 70% of all possible data, it’s probably time to make a decision and not wait for the last 30. That’s judgment.” — General Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff...
54. How Engineers Can Present Risk Without Sounding Alarmist
“Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower, General of the Army and 34th President of the United States You deal with risk every day.You deal with risk when y...
53. How Engineers Can Disagree with Executives Without Damaging Their Credibility
“Bad news isn't wine. It doesn't improve with age.” — Colin Powell, American U.S. Army general, diplomat, and statesman Are you intimidated by the idea of disagreeing with an executive in your company? Many eng...
52. How Engineers Can Communicate Uncertainty Without Sounding Uncertain
“When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it.” — William Thomson, Lord Kelvin, was one of the most influential physicists and engineers of the 19th century
51. Three Reasons Why Excellent Presentation Skills Lead to Faster Prom
“If you can’t communicate and talk to other people and get across your ideas, you’re giving up your potential.” --- Warren Buffett, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Technical competence may earn professio...
50. The Communication Habits of Highly Respected Engineers
"Seek first to understand, then to be understood." — Stephen R. Covey, from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1989). Covey (1932–2012) was an educator, leadership consultant, and internationally recognized author.
49. How You Can Earn Executive Trust in the First Five Minutes of Their Presentation
"Trust is equal parts character and competence. You can look at any leadership failure, and it's always a failure of one or the other." -- Stephen Covey, American author, educator, leadership consultant, and businessman
48. How You Can Speak More Effectively in Hybrid and Virtual Meetings
"Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple." — Steve Jobs (1955–2011), Co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc Hybrid and virtual meetings h...
47. How You Can Become a Memorable Speaker Instead of a Forgettable Expert
"Remember, you are there to clearly and concisely communicate important information—not to show off and use big words." — Harry T. Roman, Engineer, inventor, educator, and author of Public Speaking for ...
46. How to Project Confidence and Executive Presence in Your Presentations
"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 vit...
45. How to Handle Questions and Objections in Your Presentations
“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.
44. How Technical Professionals Can Avoid Too Much Detail in Their Presentations
“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. ...
43. How to Engage an Engineering Audience
“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 ...
42. What to Do When Your Internet Connection is Lost
“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 Pl...
41. How Speakers Can Deal with Chaos
“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 s...
40. Take Advantage of Audience Trends
“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 ...
39. How Do You Want to Be Remembered?
“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 ...
38. The Power of Micro-Moments
“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 ...
37. What to Do Before You Create Your Presentation
“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...