Elaine Lung: A Critical Life Skill
What do you get when put two recovering engineers together? You might just get a far-reaching conversation about public speaking, Toastmasters, and improvisational theatre. That’s what’s in store for you…
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Bryan Rutberg: Connect People, Not Boxes
In this episode, host David P. Otey (https://davidotey.com/) has a conversation with Bryan Rutberg, an expert in interpreting technical topics for non-technical audiences. How do you relate to your audience…
Chris Fenning: Relevant, Relatable, Simple, and Jargon-Free
If you happened to be an engineer who is comfortable speaking not only the language of engineering, but also the language of business, sales, and marketing, you would likely find…
Alaina G. Levine: Your Unicorn Career
What would be your “unicorn career”? And now that you have experience and perhaps an advanced degree in a technical field, how do you go about creating that career? According…
Mark Herschberg: Stop Taxing Your Audience
Take one part physicist, one part electrical engineer, and one part computer scientist, and mix in an affinity for helping technical experts communicate more effectively, and what would you have?…
Influence Lessons
In this content episode, program host David Otey (https://davidotey.com/) explores some ideas that jumped out at him from watching the excellent speakers who presented at the annual meeting of the…
Angela Andrews: A Different Way
Maybe you’re the kind of person who can focus intently on detailed, analytical work. And maybe you think that makes you a little different from other people. In this episode,…
Bob Goodyear: Go With Feelings
When you picture a computer geek, what image comes to mind? Someone hunched over a keyboard, writing line after line of code? Now picture someone speaking boldly and confidently about…
Tim Durkin: Executive Presence
From executives to beauty-pageant contestants, Tim Durkin has a remarkable track record when it comes to coaching successful speakers. When it comes right down to the basics, do you know…
Jesse Hensley: Present Your Why
How does a trained engineer go from testing fuel cell membranes to being a team leader focused on relationships, communication, and people? In today’s episode, you will hear a conversation…
Jill Tietjen: Maximizing Abilities
What does it mean to you to maximize your abilities and talents? Do you pursue that, even when it takes you in surprising directions and may lead you into non-traditional…
Alex Ramsey: What Gets in the Way
Do you get nervous when you speak in front of an audience? What if I (https://davidotey.com) were to tell you that the nervousness you feel is actually a key to…
Three Verbal Tools
Ever encounter the challenge of making your work clear and understandable to someone outside your field of expertise? This is a problem many technical experts face. In today’s content episode,…
Avoid the DD!
If you’re out on the town and imbibing, a DD is a good thing: a Designated Driver. But where technical presentations are concerned, you want to studiously avoid a DD:…
Dr. Jeffrey Magee: The Great Reboot
In this episode, you are going to hear a wide-ranging conversation between host David Otey (https://davidotey.com/) and the always energetic Dr. Jeffrey Magee, a highly regarded expert in leadership and…
Susan Morris: Four Steps to Confidence
In this episode, you are in for a treat. Not only will you meet Susan Morris, a dynamic speaker and coach who can help you up your career ladder, but…
Ron Karr: What’s your velocity?
Speaker and author Ron Karr likes to ask the question, “What would the world be like if everyone acted like a leader and not a victim of circumstance?” In today’s…
Three Lessons Learned
In this content episode, host David P. Otey shares three lessons he learned from the experience he had of creating and managing the delivery of a training program to more…
Lisa Scott: All About Clarity
Today’s conversation is with Lisa Scott, a speech pathologist who has turned her attention to the particular needs of presenters who need either more confidence, or help with their speech…
Benedict Albensi: Science, Innovation, and Creativity
In this episode, you will hear a conversation with Benedict Albensi, Ph.D., a neuroscientist with wide-ranging interests not only in science and the arts, but also in training young scientists…
Dr. Robert Dickson: It All Builds
What would you call someone who was a Navy sailor, then in turns a policeman, fireman, and paramedic before going to med school and becoming an emergency physician? Why, you’d…
Susan RoAne: Interesting and Interested
In this episode, you’ll hear a conversation with best-selling author and speaker Susan RoAne. If you don’t know Susan yet, trust us: if you were in a room with her,…
Brenden Kumarasamy: How would the world change?
What is your gut reaction when someone asks you to speak in public? Is it a knot in your stomach? If so, you’re not alone. In this episode, you will…
Nancy Giere: Where Do You Want to Take Them?
In this episode, you will hear a conversation with Nancy Giere. Nancy is a trainer and a designer of online courses, mostly for businesses. Whether you are designing a course…
They Did Better
This content episode is a follow-up to the previous episode, “Why Do Better?” This time around, host David Otey will review the benefits you stand to gain when you up…
Why Do Better?
In this content episode, host David P. Otey discusses the reluctance of some technical experts to put effort into learning how to be better presenters. Why bother raising the bar…
Anthony LaMantia: The Before and After
In this episode, you will hear a conversation with Anthony LaMantia, Ph.D., of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech. Like my previous guest, Dr. LaMantia started out intending…
Amanda Hays: Take the Initiative
In this episode, you will meet Amanda Hays. Dr. Hays is a pharmaceutical scientist—but she didn’t start out to be a scientist. You will hear how she fell in love…
Stephanie Pasas-Farmer: Anticipate the Need
How do you get your audience on your side when they fear that your innovation will put their job at risk? That’s not a scientific problem; it’s a communication problem.…
Marty Dickinson: Present with Confidence
In this episode, you are going to meet Marty Dickinson, author and entrepreneur. But you’re not just going to meet him—you are going to hear him interview podcast host David…
Alan Cote: Practice, Practice, Practice
In this episode, you will pick up on the surprising parallels between host and guest. Both were engineers before changing direction and becoming speakers. Both found help and an impetus…
Beth Boaz: Arm Yourself with Every Skill You Can
In this episode, you will meet Beth Boaz, who credits her communication skills with advancing her engineering career. You will hear how her early interests led her into engineering, how…
Ed Tate: Focus and Prepare
Focus on what your audience needs. Rehearse your “planned spontaneity.” And watch all your videos four different ways! These tips and others helped former technology executive Ed Tate win the…
Bill Williams: “I’m all about context”
Science is about uncovering mysteries. And today’s guest gets that. He’s a scientist and a journal editor who says that sometimes, that mystery comes through—even in scientific writing. Join me…
Your Authentic Self
This is the episode that proves scientists are not all introverts! Dr. Stacey Tannenbaum is a Senior Director of Pharmacometrics. (I’ll let her explain what that means.) What our conversation…
Craig Valentine: Conflict, Cure, and Change
In this episode, you will hear a conversation with one of the best storytellers on the planet. That’s not hyperbole. Craig Valentine won the World Championship of Public Speaking on…
Andrew Cooper: Passion and Enthusiasm
Can you speak on saving energy and reducing greenhouse-gas emissions with passion and enthusiasm? Andrew Cooper is known for doing just that. In this episode, you will hear how this…
What Does Your Audience Need?
This episode draws its content from Chapter Two of the soon-to-be-released third volume in the “Speaker’s Quick Guide” series of books by podcast host David P. Otey. The book is…
Anthony Poponi: Meeting a Need
When Anthony Poponi was a scientist working on wastewater, flow meant one thing. Now that he speaks on the science of positive psychology, flow means something entirely different. In this…
Carol Otey, Ph.D.: Making Stories Memorable
When your topic is talking about science and your sister is a scientist, having her on the show is not nepotism; it’s a logical next step. In this episode, you’ll…
Rebecca Murray: It’s a playground, not a prison!
In this episode, you will hear a conversation with author, speaker, and entertainer Rebecca Murray. If you’re a scientist, do you ever think of yourself as an artist? Rebecca does.…
Mark Brown: We Bring Ourselves
In this episode, you will hear a conversation with Mark Brown, the 1995 World Champion of Public Speaking. You will hear about Mark’s unlikely path into a professional speaking career.…
Randy Olson: And, But, Therefore
This episode is a lively conversation with scientist-turned-filmmaker Randy Olson, who is widely credited with popularizing a simple, yet powerful, narrative structure based on three simple words. You will hear…
Michael Davis: Speak to Elicit Emotion
In this episode, you will hear from my colleague and fellow speaking coach Michael Davis. You’ll learn the reason why speakers tell stories. You’ll pick up on what makes a…
Who am I to speak?
This episode draws its content from Chapter One of the soon-to-be-released third volume in the “Speaker’s Quick Guide” series of books by podcast host David P. Otey. That book is…
Darren LaCroix: Get the Book!
In this episode, you will get to meet one of my speaking mentors, Darren LaCroix. Apart from being the 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking, Darren is an inspiration to…
Patricia Fripp: It’s Clarity, NOT Dumbing-Down!
In this episode, you will hear a conversation I had with Patricia Fripp, a superstar in the world of professional speakers and speaking coaches. Fripp is known for her focus…
Keith Bailey on Unintentional Audience Abuse
This episode is the continuation of a two-part conversation with master storyteller and coach Keith Bailey. If you have not already listened to “Keith Bailey and the Bottomless Story Well,”…
Keith Bailey and the Bottomless Story Well
This episode is the first of a two-part interview with Keith Bailey, former fitness coach and master salesperson turned speaking coach for business. Learn about the techniques Keith uses to…
Q and A: Purpose, Story and Scientific Rigor
Today you’re going to hear a Q and A episode in which I answer some of the questions I have been asked about topics that come up in my…
Conversation with Rich Hopkins, the “Win Anyway” Speaker
Join a fascinating conversation with internationally-renowned speaker Rich Hopkins. Rich understands the universality of story, even as that universality unfolds in the particulars of the events a specific character lives…
Meet a Storytelling Scientist: Ray Mohr
In this episode, you’ll hear a conversation with scientist and storyteller Ray Mohr. You’ll hear how Ray has used story to convey challenging scientific ideas to a wide range of…
Maureen Zappala: Impostor Syndrome and Your Story
In this episode, you’ll hear a conversation with former NASA engineer Maureen Zappala. Now a professional speaker, Maureen learned to overcome her own impostor syndrome and now teaches other high…
The Nuts and Bolts of Story: What It Does, What You Do
In this episode, you’ll get into the nuts and bolts of story as a rhetorical device. First, the practical elements of what purposes a story should accomplish for you as…
Connection before Content: Why and How
In this episode, we return to science—in particular, the psychology of first impressions and the neuroscience behind how we make decisions. You will come away understanding even more about the…
The Virtual Reality: How to Compete with Real Distractions
In this bonus episode of “The Power of Story and Science,” host David P. Otey takes a short break from the general topic of connecting with one’s audience through story,…
Where to begin: Our purpose (and yours)
In a program titled “The Power of Story and Science,” you would expect there to be some science behind the storytelling. And there is! Host David P. Otey lays the…