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

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

3. 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

4. Other ways to learn public speaking at UCSD
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…
Toastmasters Clubs
Huge international club for practicing public speaking

6. 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

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

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

9. 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:
Attend Toastmasters meeting & give me brief written evaluation of speeches
UCSD Splash
Maybe: Watch additional assigned TED talks, critique them, etc.

10. Main Speeches 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.
Involve technical elements such as statistics, charts, plots, etc.
Elevator pitch or other technical speech of your choice
Either speech 2 or 3 must use powerpoint

11. Speaker Introductions
1-2 minutes
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….
Speaker and introducer need to check in ahead of time
I’ll put info on the web site about what elements should be in an intro

12. Evaluations
2-3 minutes
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

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

14. You & Your Speaking Goals
Name
Undergrad or Grad, and Year
Major
Something about you (e.g., what you like to do)
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?

15. Next few classes Wednesday April 5 Design of technical slides
Basics of organizing & delivering technical talk
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
Monday April 10
Rakesh Kumar on Elevator Pitches

16. What to do this week
Send me an if you know dates you will miss class
Read the course web site & bookmark it
Get ahead: Watch the two TED talks & read the other two links
Choose a topic for speech 1 and start an outline, send me 1-2 .ppt slides by Friday 9:30am