Teach the Geek: Public Speaking and Communication Skills for Technical Professionals

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. __ TEACH THE GEEK teachthegeek.com anchor.fm/teachthegeek youtube.teachthegeek.com @teachthegeek (FB, Twitter) @_teachthegeek_ (IG, TikTok)

Inspiring the engineers of tomorrow with Rebecca White Rebecca White is the CEO of Engineers of Tomorrow, an organization whose goal is to talk differently about the STEM professions to kids, with a focus on engineering. She worked in manufacturing positions before moving into the non-profit world. We chatted about the motivation to move from the for-profit  world to the non-profit one, her work with Engineers of Tomorrow, and the ways in which public speaking has benefited her. To learn more about Engineers of Tomorrow, visit https://engineersoftomorrow.ca/. __ TEACH THE GEEK teachthegeek.com anchor.fm/teachthegeek youtube.teachthegeek.com @teachthegeek (FB, Twitter) @_teachthegeek_ (IG, TikTok)

How does acupuncture inform burnout, Cait Donovan? Cait Donovan is a burnout coach, a podcast host, and a keynote speaker. It’s her beginnings that I find fascinating, though. Cait’s journey is exactly what this podcast has come to symbolize: just because you start in a certain place doesn’t mean you have to continue down a particular path. She was a pre-med major originally, but left that and eventually became an acupuncturist. We chatted about her decision to leave pre-med and pursue acupuncture, her motivation for focusing on burnout, and the purpose behind her podcast.  Learn more about Cait at https://www.caitdonovan.com/. __ TEACH THE GEEK teachthegeek.com anchor.fm/teachthegeek youtube.teachthegeek.com @teachthegeek (FB, Twitter) @_teachthegeek_ (IG, Twitter)

The entrepreneurial structural engineer, Ed Quesenberry Ed Quesenberry is a structural engineer who was an employee for years before striking out on his own and creating his own firm, Equilibrium Engineers, LLC.  It’s so easy to be an employee. You do your job, and money ends up in your account on a predictable basis. Being an entrepreneur is another beast altogether. We chatted about his motivation to take the plunge into self-employment, the ways in which public speaking has benefited him, and the meaning behind the name Equilibrium Engineers. To get in touch with Ed, email him at edq@equilibriumllc.com. __ TEACH THE GEEK teachthegeek.com anchor.fm/teachthegeek youtube.teachthegeek.com @teachthegeek (FB, Twitter) @_teachthegeek_ (IG, Twitter)

Ethical Sustainability with systems engineer Dr. Jon Wade Dr. Jon Wade is a systems engineer who has worked in industry and academia. Currently he is in the latter.  Dr. Wade is also an expert in ethical sustainability. I wanted to speak with him specifically because I have no clue what ethical sustainability is. We also spoke about his journey in systems engineering and the moment he realized that public speaking could be of use to him.  To get in touch with Dr. Wade, you can reach him at jpwade@ucsd.edu __ TEACH THE GEEK teachthegeek.com anchor.fm/teachthegeek youtube.teachthegeek.com @teachthegeek (Facebook, Twitter) @_teachthegeek_ (IG, TikTok)

Teach the Geek - public speaking for engineers Anand Safi works as engineering manager but is also a tech mentor and startup advisor. My podcast isn’t the first one he has been a guest on, so he obviously must present well. We spoke about his journey to engineering management, the moment he realized that public speaking could be of use to him, and the difference between being a tech mentor and a startup advisor.  You can find Anand on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/anandsafi/ __ TEACH THE GEEK teachthegeek.com anchor.fm/teachthegeek youtube.teachthegeek.com @teachthegeek (FB, Twitter) @_teachthegeek_ (IG, TikTok)

Dr. Norman Fortenberry is the executive director of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). You don’t just come out of school and become an executive director, though (unless you found an organization, then I supposed you can do whatever you want). He held a number of positions before his current. He’s gotten a number of degrees, too (he must really like school). We talked about his beginnings in Engineering and his transition to work as an administrator. To learn more about Dr. Fortenberry, shoot him an email at n.fortenberry@asee.org. __ TEACH THE GEEK teachthegeek.com anchor.fm/teachthegeek.com youtube.teachthegeek.com @teachthegeek (FB, Twitter) @_teachthegeek_ (IG, TikTok)

Luis Duque is a bridge engineer and host of the Engineering our Future podcast. He immigrated to the US to go to engineering school, and liked living there so much, he stayed. We chatted about his transition to the US, his work as an engineer, and his journey in public speaking, particularly as a non-native English speaker. __ TEACH THE GEEK teachthegeek.com anchor.fm/teachthegeek youtube.teachthegeek.com @teachthegeek (FB, Twitter) @_teachthegeek_ (IG, TikTok)

Karim Harbott is the co-founder of the Agile Center, a consultancy that offers agile coaching and leadership coaching. Before starting the consultancy, he worked for years as a scrum master and an agile coach. I’m really interested to find out what Agile is, what scrum is, and the ways in which public speaking helps in his work. To learn more about Karim, visit https://www.karimharbott.com/ __ TEACH THE GEEK teachthegeek.com anchor.fm/teachthegeek youtube.teachthegeek.com @teachthegeek (FB, Twitter) @_teachthegeek_ (IG, TikTok)

Anne Meixner: career coach for engineers Anne Meixner is an engineer who worked in the semiconductor industry for years before embarking on a different life, founding her company, The Engineers’ Daughter. She now consults on semiconductor testing and contributes to engineers' career development. She’s keen on passing along her experience to the next generation of engineers, doing so via presentations, webinars, group coaching, and 1:1 coaching. I was interested to speak with Anne about her time in the semiconductor industry, the motivation to strike out on her own, and her journey in public speaking. To learn more about Anne, visit https://annemeixner.com/ __ TEACH THE GEEK teachthegeek.com anchor.fm/teachthegeek youtube.teachthegeek.com @teachthegeek (FB, Twitter) @_teachthegeek_ (IG, TikTok)