The softer side of IT - public speaking

soft

The case for public speaking

This year, I’ve run workshops, seminars, and participated in more presentations than a PowerPoint at a business convention.

I have a secret, though. No one believes it at first. Not only am I an introvert, but my presentation skills have all the natural talent of a brick.

Learning public speaking was one of the best decisions I made early in my career, and today I hope to convince you to do the same. But first, let’s clear one thing up:

Public speaking is not normal

You’ve probably heard that people fear public speaking more than death. Poor science reporting and incompetent journalism aside, there’s a kernel of truth in there worth exploring. If your ancestor was being stared down by the whole tribe, their body would have kicked into overdrive — because either a saber-toothed tiger was behind them or they were about to get thrown out for solitary doom. Neither of which bode well for a future beyond next Tuesday.

Let's be clear: being afraid of public speaking is absolutely normal. If you’re not, you either have the experience of a seasoned pro or somehow throughout schools, family gatherings and work meetings you kept the blissful ignorance of someone who's never had to do it.

Public speaking matters

For those of us who find solace in the glow of a dual-monitor setup, working on soft skills can be about as appealing as a root canal. Why spend time practicing public speaking when you could be optimizing your gnarly Spark performance bottleneck or setting up a PI-cluster for distributed machine learning?

Well, because unless you're the very last IT professional on Earth, you need to communicate. Think about it:

  • Convince stakeholders vs. bore them into a coma.
  • Inspire your teammates vs. make them regret ever logging on.
  • Excite your group about upcoming changes vs send them straight to LinkedIn.

Your brilliant ideas are only as good as your ability to convey them. This is not just idle chit-chat; it's a fundamental career skill.

Don't believe me? Listen to this gem from Warren Buffett, who ranks communication training as his most valuable degree:

They gave us this book of speeches—keynote speech, election speech, lieutenant governor's speech—and we were supposed to deliver these things every week. The way it works is that you learn to get out of yourself. I mean, why should you be able to talk alone with somebody five minutes before and then freeze in front of a group? So they teach you the psychological tricks to overcome this. Some of it is just practice—just doing it and practicing. We really helped each other through. And it worked. That's the most important degree that I have.

Warren Buffett in The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

Warren Buffett, a man who could buy small countries with his pocket change, claims that communication skills can increase your personal value by 50%. And who am I to argue with the Oracle of Omaha?

It's just a skill

Imagine deciding to learn the saxophone. If your first attempt was in front of a packed Wembley Stadium, it would likely be memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Poor musician performance

Neither the audience, you, nor your unfortunate manager would be thrilled.

Musician taken off stage

Although if you spent 30 hours learning, you could probably perform a simple tune for your friends. Start filling your skill bar — you want it maxed out before any career-defining performances.

Opportunities for public speaking, whether in front of large audiences or during tough small-group meetings, often coincide with crucial career moments. Interviews, pitches, team addresses, and tech talks are all opportunities to shine — or bomb. If you had one shot, one opportunity, would you capture it, or just let it slip? Sorry, I couldn't resist

So how do you make sure you're ready when the spotlight hits?

Start small. Give presentations to your team and solicit feedback. Or check out your local Toastmasters club. Sign up for a class. Record yourself prepping for that tech talk and practice* like your dream job depends on it — because it just might.

Yes, some folks are naturally gifted. Extroverts might have a smoother ride since they practice early, but it doesn’t matter. If you’re willing to put in the hours, you can learn anything. I recorded my first presentation when I started actively learning public speaking. Two years later, watching it was just painful. Cringing hard, I hit ‘delete’ with no regrets.

Buffett was right. It’s one of the most vital skills you can develop.

[2024 Addendum] Five years later, I can definitively confirm and double down on everything I wrote here. I attribute much of my career success to the ability to communicate effectively, and presenting in front of large and/or demanding audiences is a skill that I use almost daily.

* There is some nuance to how you practice effectively. That’s why my core advice is to join a club or find a mentor as a first step. For instance, repeating your entire presentation from beginning to end over and over is likely to not only waste your time but also make your delivery worse.

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