Powerful Public Speaking
Published by O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Proven techniques for confident communication
- Deliver compelling presentations with confidence
- Engage and connect with diverse audiences effectively
- Utilize storytelling and technical demonstrations to enhance message delivery
- Handle Q&A sessions with poise and professionalism
Public speaking is a critical professional skill that helps build confidence, influence, and leadership presence within an organization.
Join expert Anjuan Simmons to discover the tools and techniques you need to present your ideas and projects with confidence and clarity. You’ll learn how to craft engaging presentations, handle audience questions with ease, manage your nerves, ensure engaging delivery, and use storytelling to make complex technical concepts accessible. Through interactive exercises and real-world examples, you’ll gain practical knowledge that can be immediately applied in team meetings, presentations, conferences, and client pitches.
What you’ll learn and how you can apply it
- Understand the principles of effective public speaking and communication
- Learn how to structure a presentation for maximum impact
- Develop strategies for engaging different types of audiences
This live event is for you because...
- You want to become a more confident speaker who can convey your ideas effectively.
- You present to technical audiences and need to communicate complex ideas clearly.
- You speak regularly in front of audiences but are looking for new tips and tricks.
Prerequisites
- No prior public speaking experience required
Recommended follow-up:
- Take Giving Effective Presentations (on-demand course)
- Read Presentation Patterns (book)
Schedule
The time frames are only estimates and may vary according to how the class is progressing.
Introduction to public speaking (20 minutes)
- Group discussion: What is your biggest fear when it comes to public speaking?
- Presentation: Importance of public speaking to career success; common challenges and how to overcome them
Crafting your message (45 minutes)
- Group discussion: Which aspect of crafting a message do you find most challenging?
- Presentation: Structuring a technical presentation; using storytelling to explain complex concepts
- Hands-on exercise: Outline a presentation
- Q&A
- Break
Engaging your audience (60 minutes)
- Presentation: Understanding different audience types; techniques for audience engagement
- Hands-on exercise: Audience analysis
- Q&A
- Break
Presentation delivery (40 minutes)
- Group discussion: Which part of presentation delivery do you want to improve the most?
- Presentation: Body language and vocal variety; handling nerves and building confidence
- Q&A
Wrap-up and Q&A (15 minutes)
- Presentation: Best practices for handling audience questions; final thoughts and takeaway techniques
Your Instructor
Anjuan Simmons
Anjuan Simmons is a staff engineering manager at GitHub where he combines his experience working at small technology startups and Big 4 management consulting companies to implement practical solutions that can be understood and scaled across organizations. He presents at conferences, seminars, schools, and community centers worldwide on topics including Agile software development, inclusion, and leadership. Anjuan has an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Texas A&M University.