Technical Public Speaking Spring 2017 | Characteristics, Skills, and Course Details

ENG 100E Technical Public Speaking Spring 2017 Pamela Cosman Professor, Electrical & Computer Engr. Jacobs School of Engineering 1

Top 10 Characteristics Employers Want National Association of Colleges & Employers, 2015 survey of 260 employers: Lots of Soft skills on this list 1. Teamwork skills 2. Ability to make decisions, solve problems 3. Oral communication 4. Planning, organizing, prioritizing 5. Ability to obtain & process information 6. Ability to analyze quantitative data 7. Technical knowledge related to the job 8. Computer skills 9. Written communication 10. Ability to sell & influence others ENG100E 2

Public Speaking Skills are Super Useful Major part of some jobs At least minor part of nearly all college-degree jobs Shows up outside of work too School board meeting Homeowner s association meeting City Planning Commission Presentation at your child s school Civic groups Interviewed by reporter at political rally Making a toast at a wedding 3

Other ways to learn public speaking at UCSD 1. TDGE 25. Public Speaking (4 units) Fundamentals of effective oral communication Relaxation, concentration Organization Clear voice and diction Textbook, recordings, written speeches, self evaluations, rehearsal partners 2. Toastmasters Clubs Huge international club for practicing public speaking 4

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Objectives Develop effective technical public speaking and critical listening skills Conveying technical concepts clearly Using effective eye contact, pacing, body language, voice Designing useful & attractive technical slides Handling questions Listening critically and giving constructive feedback 6

Guest Speakers 1. Dr. Rakesh Kumar Teaches CSE 190 (Entrepreneurship for Microsystems) Monday April 10 Topic: The Elevator Pitch 2. Tiffany Fox Public Information Officer for the Qualcomm Institute Monday April 17 Topic: Body language and voice usage 7

Course Requirements and Grading 3 main speeches 2 speech evaluations 2 speaker introductions Attendance and participation 45% 5% 5% 45% 8

Attendance If you need to miss a class for a valid reason (e.g., job interview): Let me know (reschedule your speaking) Make it up: 1. Attend Toastmasters meeting & give me brief written evaluation of speeches 2. UCSD Splash 3. Maybe: Watch additional assigned TED talks, critique them, etc. 9

Main Speeches 1. Informative speech on technical topic 7-10 (?) minutes Use powerpoint slides Involve technical elements such as plots, block diagrams, etc. Persuasive speech on technical topic Many topics possible: e.g., engineering ethics, genetic engineering, product liability, research on animals/humans, climate change, etc. 7-10 (?) minutes Involve technical elements such as statistics, charts, plots, etc. Elevator pitch or other technical speech of your choice 2. 3. Either speech 2 or 3 must use powerpoint 10

Speaker Introductions 1. 1-2 minutes 2. Information in introduction does not have to be real but must be connected to topic e.g., Dr. Lisa Smith is the Founder and CEO of Rural Tech Solutions. She got her PhD in 2011 . 3. Speaker and introducer need to check in ahead of time 4. I ll put info on the web site about what elements should be in an intro 11

Evaluations 1. 2-3 minutes 2. You will have a checklist on which to jot notes Content: Organization (Introduction, main body, conclusion), clarity, level of detail, English usage Body language: Gestures, eye contact, distracting mannerisms Voice usage: Variety, volume, enthusiasm, rate Slide design: Readable, useful, attractive Give some positives, then suggestions for improvement, and end positive 12

Class Participation 3. Four specific roles (rotate each time): 1. Feedback: After every speech, every student writes brief feedback: Word of the day: present a word which people try to use during class period 2 items that the speaker did well 2 suggestions for improvement Assistant: collect feedback sheets, give to speakers 2. Impromptu speaking: on occasion (but not graded) Timer: keep track of time Uhm Counter: count how many times people use uhm, uh, ah, so, etc. 13

You & Your Speaking Goals 1. Name 2. Undergrad or Grad, and Year 3. Major 4. Something about you (e.g., what you like to do) 1. Why you re in this class Career plans Concerns about this course? Things you want to learn & work on in this class Already have idea for topic for speech 1? 14

Next few classes 1. Wednesday April 5 Design of technical slides Basics of organizing & delivering technical talk 2. Friday April 7 By 9:30am, send me 1 slide with title & outline of speech 1 Optional second slide Each student presents 1-2 minutes 3. Monday April 10 Rakesh Kumar on Elevator Pitches 15

What to do this week 1. Send me an e-mail if you know dates you will miss class 1. Read the course web site & bookmark it http://www.code.ucsd.edu/~pcosman/ENG100E-2017.html 3. Get ahead: Watch the two TED talks & read the other two links 4. Choose a topic for speech 1 and start an outline, send me 1-2 .ppt slides by Friday 9:30am 16