Successful Speaking for Technical Professionals

“Ideas are worthless unless you can make them heard.” — Phil Cooke, media consultant and speaker

You were immersed in engineering or scientific matters in your engineering school or school of science. 

You then work in industry or government where you want to practice engineering and science.

Somewhere along the way, hopefully early, you realize you must “sell” your ideas to get ahead. It comes as a shock. You thought all you needed to succeed was sound engineering or science. 

Unfortunately, unless you can convey your thoughts intelligently in public, there will be a ceiling on your advancement.

In this podcast, we will explore three reasons technical professionals need excellent public speaking skills.

References

• Gallo, C. (2014). Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds. St. Martin’s Press.
• National Association of Colleges and Employers. (2023). Job Outlook Survey.
• https://www.naceweb.org
• Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading Change. Harvard Business Review Press.
• Ibarra, H., & Hunter, M. (2007). How Leaders Create and Use Networks. Harvard Business Review.
• Carnegie Mellon University Career Center. (2021). Top Skills for Engineers Beyond the Lab.
• Arruda, W. (2013). Ditch. Dare. Do!: 3D Personal Branding for Executives. Wiley.
• Duarte, N., & Sanchez, P. (2016). Illuminate: Ignite Change Through Speeches, Stories, Ceremonies, and Symbols. Portfolio.
• Zak, P. J. (2014). Why Your Brain Loves Good Storytelling. Harvard Business Review.
• Pentland, A. (2012). The New Science of Building Great Teams. Harvard Business Review.

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

“Champions don’t do extraordinary things. They do ordinary things better than everyone else.” – Tony Dungy, former NFL player and coach, best known for leading the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl win

Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers football team, on taking over as head coach of the Packers, said, “I am not going to change anything. We will use the same players, the same plays and the same training system. But we will concentrate on becoming brilliant on the basics.”

Becoming brilliant at the basics of public speaking has always been and will always be the foundation of any excellent presentation. 

In this podcast episode, we will explore three essential skills every public speaker must master to become brilliant in the basics:

References 

• Lucas, S. E. (2014). The Art of Public Speaking (12th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
• Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia Learning. Cambridge University Press.
• Cuddy, A., Kohut, M., & Neffinger, J. (2013). Connect, Then Lead. Harvard Business Review.
• Kennedy, G. A. (2007). On Rhetoric: A Theory of Civic Discourse. Oxford University Press.
• Mehrabian, A. (1971). Silent Messages. Wadsworth.
• Gilbert, G. M. (2010). The Psychology of Communication. Allyn & Bacon.

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

“The worst part of holding the camera up to speak is knowing that no one is really there to nod or smile back at you.” — Unknown

This week, my son Frank returned from a six-month Navy submarine deployment. He is a nuclear officer on the USS Indiana fast-attack submarine. My wife Elaine and I are very proud of him for defending our great country.

I thought about how my son and the other sailors on his boat must feel isolated being underwater for months. They have no contact with the outside world when they are underway.

Online-speaking entrepreneurs may also feel isolated at times. Speaking to and with others on a virtual platform differs from meeting with or presenting to others in person.

This episode explores three ways online speaker entrepreneurs can avoid isolation.

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References

• National Speakers Association: www.nsaspeaker.org
• Toastmasters International: www.toastmasters.org
• LinkedIn Networking Tips: LinkedIn Business Solutions
• PodMatch for Podcast Collaborations: www.podmatch.com
• Eventbrite for Finding or Hosting Events: www.eventbrite.com
• StreamYard for Webinar Hosting: www.streamyard.com
• Mastermind.com: www.mastermind.com
• SCORE Business Mentoring: www.score.org
• CoachHub for Professional Coaching: www.coachhub.com

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

“Everybody wants to win. However, there are few people who want to prepare to win.” - Paul “Bear” Bryant, legendary coach of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team

Today’s professional speakers face several challenges that can impact their effectiveness and career growth. 

Here are three key concerns of today’s professional speakers and how to address them:

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References

• Gallo, C. (2014). Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds. St. Martin’s Press.
• Duarte, N. (2012). Resonate: Present Visual Stories That Transform Audiences. Wiley.
• Neffenger, J. (2018). Compelling People: The Hidden Qualities That Make Us Influential. Penguin Books.
• Vaynerchuk, G. (2018). Crushing It!: How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence—and How You Can, Too. Harper Business.
• Scott, D. M. (2020). The New Rules of Marketing & PR. Wiley.
• Schaefer, M. (2014). Social Media Explained: Untangling the World’s Most Misunderstood Business Trend. Mark W. Schaefer.
• Allen, K. (2015). The Speaker’s Edge: The Ultimate Go-To Guide for Locating and Landing Lots of Speaking Gigs. Indie Books International.
• Walker, C. (2020). The Wealthy Speaker 2.0: The Proven Formula for Building Your Successful Speaking Business. Speaker Launcher.
• Baer, J. (2018). Talk Triggers: The Complete Guide to Creating Customers with Word of Mouth. Portfolio.

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

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker, renowned management consultant, educator, and author,

As a professional speaker, you must manage various business aspects to build and sustain your career. 

We will examine three key business matters for you as a professional speaker in this podcast episode.

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References

• According to insights in Book More Business, effective branding is essential for speakers to stand out in a competitive market.
• As noted in Book More Business, digital adaptation is a critical business matter that demands continuous learning and technological integration.
• Brands on Brands emphasizes that understanding and managing fee structures is crucial for long-term financial sustainability in the industry.

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

“Everyone who got where they are had to begin where they were.” – Richard Paul Evans, American author best known for writing The Christmas Box

As a speaker, you may often experience imposter syndrome, a psychological phenomenon in which you doubt your abilities and fear being exposed as a fraud despite evidence of your competence. 

In this episode, we will examine three key reasons why you may feel like an imposter and what you can do to overcome these feelings, supported by references (at the end of this article) from psychological research and communication studies.

References

• Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7(2), 117-140.
• Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.
• Kruger, J., & Dunning, D. (1999). Unskilled and unaware of it: How difficulties in recognizing one’s own incompetence lead to inflated self-assessments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(6), 1121.
• Swann, W. B. (1983). Self-verification: Bringing social reality into harmony with the self. Psychological Perspectives on the Self, 2, 33-66.

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

“Of all the talents bestowed upon men, none is so precious as the gift of oratory. He who enjoys it wields a power more durable than that of a great king.” -- Winston Churchill, British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (during the Second World War) and again from 1951 to 1955.

In this world of accelerating technological speed, it would be good if we stepped back in time instead of stepping forward to reveal what three legendary speakers can teach us about public speaking.

In this episode, we will briefly examine the public speaking wisdom of Cicero (106 – 43 BCE), Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965), and Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929 – 1968).

References

• Cicero, “De Oratore”
• Cicero, "On the Ideal Orator"
• Cicero, “Brutus”)
• William Manchester, “The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill”
• Winston Churchill, “The Second World War, Volume II”
• Richard Toye, “The Roar of the Lion: The Untold Story of Churchill’s World War II Speeches”
• Martin Luther King, “I Have a Dream” Speech, August 28, 1963
• Martin Luther King, “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
• Martin Luther King, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” Speech, April 3, 1968

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

"The future of public speaking is not about a solitary orator on a stage—it's a dynamic interplay between technology and human connection, where immersive digital experiences bring audiences closer than ever before." – Will Higham, behavioral futurist, author, and speaker known for exploring emerging trends in communication

It is hard to imagine the transformation in speaking in store for us as we speak.

This transformation is possible because of the rapid acceleration of technology.

This podcast episode examines three ways public speaking is expected to evolve.

References 

• A detailed exploration of these innovations is provided in the article "The Future of Public Speaking: Emerging Trends and Technologies," which discusses how XR technologies are poised to transform the speaker–audience dynamic by blending physical and digital experiences (​speakeragency.co.uk). 
• The Future of Public Speaking: 10 Emerging Trends Every Speaker ShouldKnow. The Public Speaking Academy's review of emerging trends, which emphasizes the role of multimedia and virtual platforms in modern presentations, provides additional insights (​publicspeakingacademy.co.uk).
• "The Future Of Oratory: AI Enhanced Public Speaking". Illustrates how speakers leverage AI tools to refine their techniques, offering concrete examples of AI-driven coaching and performance analysis (forbes.com). 
• Virtual presentation experts provide complementary perspectives, and they note that AI is increasingly becoming essential for tailoring speeches to real-time audience feedback (​speaking.coach).
• The article "Top Trends in Public Speaking: What Audiences Expect in 2024" discusses how modern audiences demand a more participatory experience, prompting speakers to integrate interactive tools into their presentations (speakeragency.co.uk)
• Further support comes from insights in "Trending Topics in Public Speaking for 2025," highlighting the growing emphasis on using data to personalize content and boost engagement during live events (​speakerhub.com).

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

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” — Walt Disney, American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur

Self-motivation, overcoming obstacles, and becoming a better leader are crucial for public speakers.

They directly influence your ability to engage audiences, inspire action, and maintain effectiveness over time. 

In this episode, you will discover why each of these areas is vital to you as a speaker:

References

• In his book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Daniel H. Pink discusses how intrinsic motivation, as opposed to extrinsic rewards, leads to higher performance and satisfaction—key qualities for a public speaker.
• In Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Angela Duckworth emphasizes how grit—the combination of passion and perseverance—is essential for overcoming challenges and achieving success. Public speakers often exhibit this trait to push through difficult moments and improve their craft.
• Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek focuses on the idea that effective leaders create an environment where people feel safe, valued, and motivated to contribute. Public speakers who embrace leadership principles can foster a similar environment in their talks.

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

“A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.” – William Arthur Ward, American inspirational writer

In the hit cartoon movie Madagascar, there is a group of talking penguins led by “the Skipper.” One of the penguins asks, “Skipper, don’t you think we should tell them the boat’s out of gas?” The Skipper simply says, “Nah! Smile and wave, boys. Smile and wave.”

As a speaker, how can you greatly benefit from smiling and waving to your audience?

Smiling and waving before speaking can offer several advantages that enhance your delivery and audience engagement. 

In this episode, we will explore three benefits of smiling and waving at your audience

References 

• “5 Reasons Why Smiling Will Improve Our Public Speaking,” eFactor Consulting, efactorconsulting.com
• “Does Smiling Help or Hurt Presenters?” Guila Muir & Associates, guilamuir.com
• “5 Reasons to Smile While Speaking,” Ethos 3, ethos3.com

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