Marc Brooker: How Technical Communication Drives Decisions

In this episode, I’m joined by Marc Brooker, a VP and distinguished engineer who has worked on large-scale systems and now focuses on safety and policy for agentic AI. We explore how his approach to communicating complex technical work has evolved as his responsibilities have changed. We also discuss what works and what doesn’t in technical presentations, how organizations can help technical professionals become better communicators, and why effective communication matters when technical work needs to influence decisions.

To learn more about Marc, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-brooker-b431772b/

On another note, Kiro is expanding its free Students tier from 11 to 132 universities across 18 countries, giving eligible students a full year of access with 1,000 monthly credits. The program supports building across the IDE, CLI, Web, and open‑source Crew, aiming to make professional‑grade AI tools globally accessible.Head to kiro.dev/students to learn more and sign up. Share what you are building with #KiroStudents — @kirodotdev on X, LinkedIn, and Instagram, and @kiro.dev on Bluesky.

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Danielle Prilepskiy: Teaching Machine Learning through Tennis

Danielle Prilepskiy is a Statistics and Machine Learning student who is exploring what happens when technical knowledge meets the human side of communication. After teaching tennis to kids and learning how to break down complex physical mechanics into simple analogies, she now applies those lessons to explaining machine learning to people who are trying to understand what it actually does in the era of AI. In this episode, Danielle shares how teaching tennis shaped her approach to communicating technical concepts, how she has developed her public speaking skills, and why technical people need more than technical expertise to be effective communicators.

To get in touch with Danielle, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-prilepskiy-685757225/.

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Lisa Hornschemeier: When Engineers Fail to Communicate

Lisa Hornschemeier is a Vice President of Engineering with a career spanning software development, enterprise systems, cloud platforms, and engineering leadership. In our conversation, we will discuss how engineering leaders bridge communication gaps across the organization, explain complex technical decisions to diverse stakeholders, use storytelling to build support for engineering initiatives, and why strong communication skills are essential for engineers who want to lead and drive business impact.

To learn more about Lisa, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/oraclelisa/.

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Michael Jones: When Engineering and Business Miscommunicate

Michael Jones sits at the intersection of artificial intelligence, systems engineering, and stakeholder communication. He leads multidisciplinary teams developing LLM-powered tools, researches AI hallucinations, and regularly helps decision makers understand complex technical trade-offs. In our conversation, we discuss where engineering and business teams miscommunicate, how misconceptions about AI affect leadership decisions, and what technical professionals can do to have greater influence in strategic discussions.

To learn more about Michael, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-jones-8aa77716/.

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Rob Kalwarowsky: When Technical Teams Meet Business Leaders

Rob Kalwarowsky is a former engineer whose journey from high achievement and burnout to human-centered leadership has shaped the way he helps executives, entrepreneurs, and elite performers lead more effectively. We'll discuss where technical and business teams miscommunicate, how technical professionals can communicate trade-offs and influence decisions, and why strong communication skills are essential for both individual and organizational success.

To learn more about Rob, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-kalwarowsky/.

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Mark Castleberry: Technical Communication that Works

In this episode, I’m joined by Mark Castleberry, a Director of Enterprise Applications with more than two decades of experience leading HR technology, ERP, and cloud transformation programs across both consulting and industry roles. In our conversation, we explore where communication breaks down between technical teams and business stakeholders, how those gaps impact outcomes, and what strong technical communicators do differently when they present, translate trade-offs, and build alignment across mixed audiences.

To learn more about Mark, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdcastleberry/

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Kelly Schroeder: Communicating IT Tradeoffs With Confidence

Effective communication is critical for IT leaders who must bridge the gap between technical teams, executives, and stakeholders across the organization. In this episode, Kelly Schroeder shares lessons from leading large-scale technology transformations, guiding organizations through major change initiatives, and helping decision-makers understand the tradeoffs behind IT investments, cybersecurity, and digital transformation efforts. We also discuss storytelling, stakeholder buy-in, and why strong communication skills are essential for both IT leaders and the teams they lead.

To learn more about Kelly, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyrschroeder/

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Robert Monroe: Casting Engineering Stories in Steel

Cast in Steel is the competition where minds meet metal, as student teams from across the country take on the challenge of recreating George Washington’s sword through design, casting, and rigorous testing. Each week, they are pushed through a grueling qualifying round where creativity, engineering skill, and durability are tested, all while competing for a $25,000 grand prize and the title of Cast in Steel champion.

On the podcast I had Robert Monroe to talk about the origins of the series, how the storytelling approach came together, and what it revealed about how engineers communicate their work to the world.

To learn more about Cast in Steel, visit https://www.youtube.com/@CastinSteel

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Jigar Thakkar is a technology leader who has helped drive large-scale cloud, data, AI, and investment platform initiatives. We discuss where technical and business teams most often miscommunicate, how those misunderstandings affect leadership decisions, and what technical professionals can do to communicate trade-offs, influence strategy, and earn a stronger voice in business discussions.

To learn more about Jigar, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/jigart/.

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Nick Schmidt: Technical Communication that Drives Decisions

Nick Schmidt is a global entrepreneur, veteran, and technology leader who has scaled businesses across renewable energy, defense, aviation, manufacturing, and enterprise software. As a CTO, Nick has built high-performing teams and architected AI-driven and enterprise-scale systems that turn complex ideas into measurable business results. In our conversation, we explore the communication challenges between technical and business teams, how technical professionals can gain greater influence, and what organizations can do to help their technical talent become stronger communicators.

To learn more about Nick, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/oneguynick/ or https://geekyschmidt.com/

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