Successful Speaking for Technical Professionals

“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 engineers are.  

You may feel that disagreeing with an executive will hurt your credibility, your chances for promotion, or even keep you from keeping your job. When done the right way, disagreeing with an executive when warranted will usually have the opposite effect.

Successful executives know that they don’t have all the answers.  And they usually don’t tolerate “yes men and women.”

In fact, they prefer engineers who tell them the unvarnished truth, even when it conflicts with the executive’s own view.

In this article, we will explore three ways engineers can disagree with executives without damaging their credibility.

References

• Gallo, Amy. “How to Disagree with Someone More Powerful than You.” Harvard Business Review, March 17, 2016. Discusses assessing the risks of speaking up, connecting disagreement to shared goals, asking permission to dissent, avoiding judgmental language, and respecting the decision-maker's authority.
• Edmondson, Amy C. “Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams.” Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 44, No. 2, June 1999, pp. 350–383. The study of 51 work teams established psychological safety as a shared belief that a team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking and connected it with learning behavior.
• Nembhard, Ingrid M., and Amy C. Edmondson. “Making It Safe: The Effects of Leader Inclusiveness and Professional Status on Psychological Safety and Improvement Efforts in Health Care Teams.” Journal of Organizational Behavior, Vol. 27, No. 7, 2006, pp. 941–966. Examines hierarchy, professional status, leader inclusiveness, and employees' willingness to speak up
• Nembhard, Ingrid M., and Amy C. Edmondson. “Psychological Safety: A Foundation for Speaking Up, Collaboration, and Experimentation in Organizations.” The Oxford Handbook of Positive Organizational Scholarship, Oxford University Press, 2012, pp. 491–504. Reviews evidence linking 

© 2026 DiBartolomeo Consulting International (DCI), LLC. All Rights Reserved. May not be used without permission.

© 2026 DiBartolomeo Consulting International (DCI), LLC. All Rights Reserved. May not be used without permission.

“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

Engineers routinely work with probabilities, assumptions, incomplete data, forecasts, simulations, and technical risk. 

The challenge is to acknowledge what is unknown while remaining clear about what should be done. 

Research on risk communication consistently supports communicating uncertainty rather than hiding it—but tying that uncertainty directly to its significance for the decision. 

In this podcast, you will discover three ways you can communicate uncertainty without sounding uncertain.

References 

• National Research Council. Improving Risk Communication. National Academies Press, 1989. The report recommends explicitly disclosing meaningful uncertainties, data gaps, confidence levels, and disagreements while avoiding both minimizing and exaggerating uncertainty. 
• Institute of Medicine. Environmental Decisions in the Face of Uncertainty. National Academies Press, 2013. Chapter 6 examines how uncertainty should be communicated in decision-making, including confidence, risk estimates, audience characteristics, and the effect uncertainty has on decisions. 
• Spiegelhalter, David. “Risk and Uncertainty Communication.” Annual Review of Statistics and Its Application, Vol. 4, 2017, pp. 31–60. Reviews methods for communicating numerical risk, probabilities, verbal expressions, graphics, and deeper forms of uncertainty. 
• Sudret, Bruno; Podofillini, Luca; and Zio, Enrico. “Treatment of Uncertainty in Risk and Reliability Modeling and Decision-Making.” ASCE-ASME Journal of Risk and Uncertainty in Engineering Systems, Vol. 5, No. 3, 2019. Emphasizes that uncertainty modeling, decision-making under uncertainty, and communication of uncertainty should be integral to engineering risk management. 
• NASA. NASA Risk-Informed Decision Making Handbook, NASA/SP-2010-576, 2010. Provides a structured framework for evaluating alternatives and making engineering and program decisions when significant uncertainty exists. 

© 2026 DiBartolomeo Consulting International (DCI), LLC. All Rights Reserved. May not be used without permission.

“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 professionals credibility, but strong presentation skills help decision-makers see, understand, and trust that competence. 

For engineers and other technical professionals, presenting effectively can demonstrate the communication, influence, strategic thinking, and leadership capabilities expected at higher organizational levels. 

In this podcast, we will explore three reasons excellent presentation skills lead to faster promotions.

References 

• National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). “Career Readiness Competencies: Communication.” Revised March 2025. NACE defines workplace communication as clearly and effectively exchanging information, ideas, facts, and perspectives and specifically identifies persuasion, influencing, organized communication, and verbal and nonverbal abilities as important workplace behaviors. NACE Communication Competency
• National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). “Career Readiness Development and Validation.” 2025. In NACE's foundational employer research involving 606 employer respondents, 91.6% identified oral/written communication as essential or absolutely essential, placing communication among the most highly valued workplace competencies. NACE Career Readiness Research
• National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). “What Is Career Readiness?” NACE identifies communication, critical thinking, leadership, professionalism, teamwork, technology, and career/self-development among the core competencies associated with workplace and career success. Its communication behaviors specifically include persuasion, influence, clarity, organization, and adapting communication to others. NACE Career Readiness Competencies
• Project Management Institute. “Power Skills and Project Success.” PMI. PMI identifies communication, problem-solving, collaborative leadership, and strategic thinking among the most important power skills and connects these interpersonal capabilities with successful organizational outcomes. These are precisely the capabilities professionals can demonstrate visibly through effective presentations. PMI Power Skills and Project Success
• Rabelo, Dannilo, et al. “Communication Skills in Software Engineering: A Multivocal Review.” 2026. This recent review of academic and professional literature found strong agreement that communication is a core competency in software engineering, reinforcing that technical expertise alone does not define professional effectiveness. 

© 2026 DiBartolomeo Consulting International (DCI), LLC. All Rights Reserved. May not be used without permission.

"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.

Technical expertise may earn engineers a seat at the table, but communication earns them influence. 

The engineers who are most respected by colleagues, managers, and executives consistently communicate with clarity, credibility, and purpose. 

This podcast explores three habits of highly respected engineers.

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References 

• Gallo, Carmine. Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds. St. Martin's Press, 2014.  
• Duarte, Nancy. Resonate: Present Visual Stories That Transform Audiences. John Wiley & Sons, 2010.  
• Brown, Brené. Dare to Lead. Random House, 2018.  
• Covey, Stephen R. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Free Press, 1989.
• Edmondson, Amy C. The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth. John Wiley & Sons, 2019. 

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Being a confident, engaging, and effective technical speaker is a vital personal and professional asset.  With more than 40 years of engineering experience and more than 30 years of award-winning public speaking experience, I can help you reduce your presentation preparatory time by 50%, overcome your fear of public speaking and be completely at ease, deliver your presentations effectively, develop your personal presence with your audience, and apply an innovative way to handle audience questions deftly.

Working closely with you, I provide a customized protocol employing the critical skills and tools you need to create, practice, and deliver excellent technical speeches and presentations.  Let's connect and explore how I can help you become the exceptional speaker you were meant to be.  Please reach out to me at [email protected] or 703-509-4424 for a complimentary discovery call.  Schedule one with me at calendly.com/frankdibartolomeospeaks

© 2026 DiBartolomeo Consulting International (DCI), LLC. All Rights Reserved. May not be used without permission.

"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

Senior executives often decide within the first few minutes whether a presentation deserves their attention. 

They are evaluating not only the technical content but also the speaker's credibility, confidence, and ability to communicate business value. 

Engineers who establish trust early are far more likely to influence decisions, secure resources, and gain executive support. 

Below are three ways you can earn executive trust in the first five minutes of your presentation.

References

• Gallo, C. (2014). Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press.
• Duarte, N. (2012). HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.
• Reynolds, G. (2019). Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery (3rd ed.). Berkeley, CA: New Riders.  
• Mollick, E. (2024). Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI. New York, NY: Portfolio. 
• Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading Change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press. 

© 2026 DiBartolomeo Consulting International (DCI), LLC. All Rights Reserved. May not be used without permission.

"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 have become a permanent part of technical work, bringing together team members, clients, and stakeholders from around the world. 

Technical professionals who adapt their communication style to these environments can improve collaboration, build stronger relationships, and ensure their technical expertise has a greater impact.

Listen to this podcast and discover three ways to adapt your communication style to hybrid and virtual meetings.

References

• Gallo, Carmine. Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2014. Carmine Gallo is a communication coach and bestselling author specializing in leadership communication. His work emphasizes concise messaging, audience engagement, storytelling, and presentation techniques that improve both in-person and virtual presentations. 
• Reynolds, Garr. Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery. 3rd ed. Berkeley, CA: New Riders, 2020. Garr Reynolds is an internationally recognized presentation consultant and former Apple executive. He advocates simplicity, visual clarity, conversational delivery, and audience-centered communication—principles that apply directly to hybrid and virtual meetings. 
• Duarte, Nancy. Resonate: Present Visual Stories That Transform Audiences. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2010. Nancy Duarte is founder and CEO of Duarte, Inc., one of the world's leading presentation design firms. Her research demonstrates how audience-focused messaging, storytelling, and purposeful visuals create engaging presentations across both physical and virtual environments. 
• Harvard Business Review. Neeley, Tsedal. "15 Questions About Remote Work, Answered." Harvard Business Review, January 16, 2020. Tsedal Neeley is the Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and an internationally recognized expert on remote work and global collaboration. She discusses best practices for virtual communication, inclusive participation, and maintaining engagement in distributed teams. 
• Microsoft. Work Trend Index Annual Report 2024: AI at Work Is Here. Now Comes the Hard Part. Microsoft Corporation, 2024. Microsoft's annual Work Trend Index draws on surveys of tens of thousands of workers, Microsoft 365 productivity signals, and LinkedIn labor-market data. The report highlights the importance of effective communication, inclusive meeting practices, and collaboration skills in hybrid workplaces supported by digital technologies. 

___________________________________

Being a confident, engaging, and effective technical speaker is a vital personal and professional asset.  With more than 40 years of engineering experience and more than 30 years of award-winning public speaking experience, I can help you reduce your presentation preparatory time by 50%, overcome your fear of public speaking and be completely at ease, deliver your presentations effectively, develop your personal presence with your audience; and apply an innovative way to handle audience questions deftly. 

Working closely with you, I provide a customized protocol employing the critical skills and tools you need to create, practice, and deliver excellent technical speeches and presentations.  Let's connect and explore how I can help you become the exceptional speaker you were meant to be.  Please reach out to me at [email protected] or 703-509-4424 for a complimentary consultation.  Schedule a meeting with me at calendly.com/frankdibartolomeospeaks.   

© 2026 DiBartolomeo Consulting International (DCI), LLC. All Rights Reserved. May not be used without permission.

"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 Engineers,

Technical expertise earns respect, which is necessary to influence your audience, but it is not sufficient to convince them. Memorable communication earns influence.

Make your ideas memorable to inspire action, win support, and advance your career.

In this podcast, we will explore three ways to become a memorable speaker.

References 

• Duarte, Nancy. Resonate: Present Visual Stories That Transform Audiences. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2010.
  Nancy Duarte is a leading presentation consultant and CEO of Duarte, Inc. Her work demonstrates how storytelling, audience-centered messaging, and visual communication make presentations memorable and persuasive. 
• Heath, Chip, and Dan Heath. Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. New York: Random House, 2007.
  Chip Heath is a professor at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, and Dan Heath is a bestselling author and senior fellow at Duke University's CASE center. Their research identifies the characteristics that make ideas memorable, including simplicity, storytelling, credibility, and emotion. 
• Gallo, Carmine. Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2014.
  Carmine Gallo is a communication coach and bestselling author specializing in executive communication and leadership presentations. He synthesizes research from TED Talks to explain how stories, passion, and concise messaging create memorable presentations. 
• Medina, John. Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School. 2nd ed. Seattle, WA: Pear Press, 2014.
  John Medina is a developmental molecular biologist and affiliate professor of bioengineering at the University of Washington School of Medicine. His work explains how attention, storytelling, emotion, and visuals significantly improve learning and memory. 
• Reynolds, Garr. Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery. 3rd ed. Berkeley, CA: New Riders, 2020.
  Garr Reynolds is an internationally recognized presentation design expert and former Apple executive. His work emphasizes simplicity, clarity, visual communication, and audience engagement to create presentations that are memorable and effective. 

© 2026 DiBartolomeo Consulting International (DCI), LLC. All Rights Reserved. May not be used without permission.

"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.

References 

• Goman, Carol Kinsey. The Silent Language of Leaders: How Body Language Can Help—or Hurt—How You Lead. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2011. Carol Kinsey Goman is an executive coach, leadership consultant, and internationally recognized expert on body language in business. 
• Cuddy, Amy. Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company, 2015. Amy Cuddy is a social psychologist, former professor at Harvard Business School, and researcher specializing in nonverbal behavior and presence. 
• Duarte, Nancy. Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2010. Nancy Duarte is a communication expert, CEO of Duarte, Inc., and author specializing in presentation design and leadership communication. 
• Gallo, Carmine. Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, 2014. Carmine Gallo is a communication coach, keynote speaker, and bestselling author on leadership communication and presentation skills. 
• Morgan, Nick. Power Cues: The Subtle Science of Leading Groups, Persuading Others, and Maximizing Your Personal Impact. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press, 2014. Nick Morgan is a communication theorist, keynote speaker, and founder of Public Words, a communications consulting firm. 
• Molinsky, Andy. Reach: A New Strategy to Help You Step Outside Your Comfort Zone, Rise to the Challenge, and Build Confidence. New York, NY: Avery, 2017. Andy Molinsky is a professor of organizational behavior at Brandeis University and an expert in leadership, confidence, and professional behavior. 

© 2026 DiBartolomeo Consulting International (DCI), LLC. All Rights Reserved. May not be used without permission.

“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 episode, we will examine three key methods to use when your audience asks you questions.

References

• Talk Like TED. Gallo, C. (2014). Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press. Gallo emphasizes audience engagement, thoughtful responses, and maintaining credibility during presentations. 
• Presentation Zen. Reynolds, G. (2020). Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery (3rd ed.). Berkeley, CA: New Riders. Reynolds discusses audience interaction, active listening, and managing presentation flow. 
• The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking. Carnegie, D. (1962). The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking. New York, NY: Pocket Books. Carnegie highlights the importance of sincerity, preparation, and respectful audience interaction.  
• Made to Stick. Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2007). Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. New York, NY: Random House. The authors explain how clear, evidence-based communication increases audience acceptance of ideas. 
• Resonate. Duarte, N. (2010). Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Duarte describes methods for engaging audiences, addressing resistance, and maintaining message focus during presentations. 

© 2026 DiBartolomeo Consulting International (DCI), LLC. All Rights Reserved. May not be used without permission.

“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 your technical presentation more often than not confuses your audience, delves into irrelevant information, and is mismatched to your audience’s needs.

In this podcast, we will explore three ways to fix these presentation traps.

References 

• Nancy Duarte. Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences. Wiley, 2010. Duarte emphasizes that presenters should focus on a central audience-focused message and use supporting information selectively to reinforce that message. 
• Garr Reynolds. Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery. New Riders, 2020 (3rd Edition). Reynolds advocates simplicity, signal-to-noise reduction, and the elimination of unnecessary information that distracts from key ideas. 
• Barbara Minto. The Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking. Financial Times Publishing, 2021 Edition. Minto's framework recommends presenting conclusions first and organizing supporting evidence hierarchically. 
• Edward Tufte. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. Graphics Press, 2001. Tufte stresses presenting only meaningful data and reducing clutter that obscures understanding. 
• Chip Heath and Dan Heath. Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. Random House, 2007. The authors demonstrate that simplicity and focus increase audience retention and understanding. 
• Richard E. Mayer. Multimedia Learning (3rd Edition). Cambridge University Press, 2021. Mayer's research shows that people learn more effectively when extraneous information is removed and attention is directed toward essential material. 

___________________________________

Being a confident, engaging, and effective technical speaker is a vital personal and professional asset.  With more than 40 years of engineering experience and more than 30 years of award-winning public speaking experience, I can help you reduce your presentation preparatory time by 50%, overcome your fear of public speaking and be completely at ease, deliver your presentations effectively, develop your personal presence with your audience; and apply an innovative way to handle audience questions deftly. 

Working closely with you, I provide a customized protocol employing the critical skills and tools you need to create, practice, and deliver excellent technical speeches and presentations.  Let's connect and explore how I can help you become the exceptional speaker you were meant to be.  Please reach out to me at [email protected] or 703-509-4424 for a complimentary consultation.  Schedule a meeting with me at calendly.com/frankdibartolomeospeaks.   

© 2026 DiBartolomeo Consulting International (DCI), LLC. All Rights Reserved. May not be used without permission.