ASCE publishes book to help engineers speak more effectively in public settings

Reston, Va. — Engineers often find themselves in the uncomfortable position of presenting to clients, councils, zoning boards, land-use commissions, or other municipal bodies, which can strike terror in the heart of the presenter.  A new ASCE Press book, Public Speaking for Engineers: Communicating Effectively with Clients, the Public, and Local Government, tackles this critical skill of speaking in public. The author, a practicing engineer himself has seen both sides of this coin, having made presentations himself, as well as serving on city council.

Readers are walked through a step-by-step process of preparing for a presentation. The main topics — speech planning, design, and delivery — are broken into component pieces and the author explains the range of choices, emphasizing the importance of understanding your audience. Examples are used throughout the book to illustrate the path for planning, preparing, and delivering a speech. A dozen or so case studies offer tales of real-life successes and missed opportunities, including a chapter on what local governments do and how they do it.

Public Speaking for Engineers offers a wealth of practical advice and enthusiastic coaching to anyone who needs to make a technical presentation to a nontechnical group of decision makers. Engineers of all kinds will appreciate this roadmap to a successful public presentation.

Purchase the book online through the ASCE Bookstore at https://www.asce.org/templates/publications-book-detail.aspx?id=24697.