Tips and Techniques for "talking techy" with non-technical people

Presenter: Neil Thompson

Overview: Picture a Biomedical Engineer or Technologist who is speaking with doctors, nurses, administrators, folks from Finance and Purchasing, and others, none of whom have technical backgrounds. Now imagine this person presenting on a highly complex topic where considerable technical jargon is the norm in discussions... but a huge portion of your audience has no idea what this jargon means! Sound familiar?

A core skill of any biomedical engineer or technologist is being a communication hub between all of these varied groups in a hospital or other setting, since we're often the group that has to guide the intergrated solution. Afterall, effective communication means relaying information in a way that your audience can readily understand. So let's get better at this key role! Neil Thompson will help us do just that. He's the founder and principle of the Teach the Geek to Speak Society (Teach the Geek to Speak Society - TEACH THE GEEK) and wants to help you communicate better!

Biography: Neil Thompson is a speaker, writer, and entrepreneur. He started out his career as a product development engineer, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Eventually, he went on to become a professional engineer. Neil is an ongoing contributor to Urbangeekz online magazine, and has contributed to Mechanical Engineering magazine, Tech Directions magazine, and PsychCentral. He started his journey in public speaking out of necessity, as he had to present in front of senior management every month at one of his engineering positions. After one too many failed presentations, he knew he had to work on his public speaking skills. He took what he learned in becoming more effective at public speaking and created the Teach the Geek to Speak course. He has presented at Society for Biomaterials, AICHE, and American Nuclear Society, among others. Neil also hosts a podcast that focuses on public speaking, offering tips and interviewing those with STEM backgrounds about public speaking.