

Teach the Geek Podcast - public speaking for technical professionals
Neil Thompson
In STEM (science, technology, engineering, math)? Struggle with public speaking? Then you're in the right place! I'm Neil Thompson, engineer and speaker. This is the place to get tips to improve your public speaking, and also hear from others with STEM backgrounds who saw the benefit of public speaking in their careers and the steps they took to get better at it. Think you or someone you know would make a great guest? Email me at hello@teachthegeek.com.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 29, 2022 • 27min
EP. 209: Dr. Moriba Jah, who's responsible for the space junk?
Dr. Moriba Jah is an astrophysicist and he’s a big deal because he has his own Wikipedia page. He’s definitely the first guest I’ve had that I can say that about. He’s also a professor and a founder. When I think astrophysics, I think of the show, The Big Bang Theory, and I wouldn’t characterize any of the main characters as public speakers. But Dr. Jah is that, too. He is a TED fellow, in fact. We chatted about his interest in space, his life as a founder, and the ways in which public speaking has benefited him.
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Jun 22, 2022 • 29min
EP 208: Tom Kirkham - from Economics to Cybersecurity
Tom Kirkham - from Economics to Cybersecurity
Tom Kirkham is a cybersecurity expert and speaker. What does he speak on? Cybersecurity (big surprise). He’s also a soon-to-be author of the book "The Cyber Pandemic Survival Guide". How did a guy who studied Economics end up in Cybersecurity? Doesn’t exactly seem like a straight line. And how did public speaking figure into all of this? Listen in to find out!
To reach Tom, you can email him at tom@kirkham.it.
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Jun 15, 2022 • 28min
EP. 207: Lindsay O'Leary - from engineer to engineering association director
EP. 207: Lindsay O'Leary - from engineer to engineering association director
Lindsay O’Leary is the Director of Technical Advancement of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). She was Executive Director of the ASCE – Texas Section before that, and even before that, she worked in varying engineering roles within the civil engineering discipline. We chatted about her motivation to make the switch away from being an everyday engineer, the ways in which her engineering training has prepared her for her current role, and her public speaking journey.
To get in touch with Lindsay, find her on LI or Twitter (her handle is @LndsayAnneO.
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Jun 8, 2022 • 34min
EP. 206: Jennifer Hogan, how do I get my first engineering job?
Jennifer Hogan, how do I get my first engineering job?
Jennifer Hogan is the Professional Development Coordinator for Clemson University’s Bioengineering department. I wanted to talk to her because she is heavily involved with preparing engineering students for the workforce. I often talk about the importance of public speaking on this platform, but all the public speaking skills won’t mean much if you can’t get a job! We chatted about how engineering students can best position themselves to get jobs. There was quite a bit of laughter on my part in this episode, too, so it's a can't miss.
To reach Jennifer, her email is jrhogan@clemson.edu.
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Jun 1, 2022 • 33min
EP. 205: Talking plant breeding with Dr. Magan Lewis
Talking plant breeding with Dr. Magan Lewis
Dr. Magan Lewis is the first plant breeder I've spoken to. I didn't even realize that was a thing, so we definitely chatted about it. She's also a big proponent of STEM outreach. We spoke about that, too. Because I learned about her from a keynote she gave, public speaking was also on the menu!
To get in touch with Dr. Lewis, her instagram handle is @drmagan.
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May 25, 2022 • 28min
EP. 204: Talking Petroleum Engineering with Zachary Evans
Talking Petroleum Engineering with Zachary Evans
Zachary Evans is a reservoir storage engineer. I must admit I had no idea what that meant; I definitely found out during our conversation. He’s also the Regional Director for North America of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). We talked about his interest in petroleum engineering, his work with SPE, and the ways in which public speaking has been useful to him.
To get in touch with Zachary, email him at zachary.evans@gmail.com or find him on LinkedIn.
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May 18, 2022 • 30min
EP. 203 - From Engineering to Journalism with Manjula Selvarajah
From Engineering to Journalism with Manjula Selvarajah
Manjula Selvarajah is a journalist and columnist on technology and education. She even worked for a time in marketing. But it all started with an engineering degree. We chatted about how an engineer went into journalism, how her engineering background benefits her curren work, and when she realized that public speaking could be of benefit to her. During our conversation, she mentioned a technique she uses to get ready to speak. It involves bending over and an apple...
To learn more about Manjula, her twitter is @manjaselva.
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May 11, 2022 • 27min
EP. 202 - From Operations to Coaching with Gary Smith
From Operations to Coaching with Gary Smith
Gary Smith is a business coach and author. He worked for years in operations management before embarking on his journey as a coach. We chatted about how his engineering background prepared him for life as a coach, why he decided to make the transition, and how public speaking has benefited him.
Check out Gary's website at https://garylsmith.com/.
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May 4, 2022 • 31min
EP. 201: Nanoengineering professor & podcaster Dr. Darren Lipomi
Nanoengineering professor & podcaster Dr. Darren Lipomi
Dr. Darren Lipomi is a professor in nanoengineering, studying the areas of soft electronics for solar cells, biosensors, and artificial touch. He’s also a podcaster and has a YouTube channel, addressing topics related to STEM in academia. We chatted about his journey to becoming a professor, his research, and the ways in which public speaking has benefited his career.
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Apr 27, 2022 • 30min
EP. 200: Becoming a professional engineer with Britt Smith
Becoming a professional engineer with Britt Smith
Britt Smith embarked on a civil engineering career that eventually led to him becoming president-elect of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE). We spoke about where his interest in Engineering came from, whether the working world was what he thought it would be, and what was the motivation to be involved in NSPE leadership.
To contact Britt, email him at brittsmithpe@gmail.com.
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