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A 4-step Blueprint to Elevate Tech Staff with a Speaker Training Program

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Date and Time

Wednesday, November 5, 2025, 11:30 AM until 1:00 PM

Location

, VA
USA

Videoconference information will be provided in an email once registration is complete.

Event Contact(s)

PWSHRM Programs Director

Registration Info

Registration is required before Friday, October 31, 2025 at 11:59 PM

Payment In Full In Advance Only

Registration cancellations will be accepted until Friday, October 31, 2025 at 11:59 PM

Cancellation Policy:

Refunds for monthly meetings will be processed provided that the cancellation is submitted prior to the cancellation deadline. Any request for cancellation after this deadline is non-refundable and no shows will be billed.

About this event

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CHARITABLE DONATION

PWSHRM IS EXCITED TO
MATCH
YOUR $5 DONATION

BEACON for English Language and Literacy is a nonprofit organization based in Prince William County that empowers adult English Language Learners (ELLs) to achieve their educational and employment goals. Founded in 1992 by Sister Eileen Heaps of the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia, BEACON offers affordable English and Citizenship classes.

Our secular, community-based program serves more than 500 adult learners annually from over 50 countries. We offer eight levels of English instruction—from Pre-Literacy to Advanced Grammar and Composition—as well as Citizenship preparation classes. Courses are delivered in three 12-week sessions and three 8-week English Learning Circles (English conversation practice) sessions each year. We also provide one-on-one tutoring when possible to meet specific learner needs. All classes are taught by volunteers.

MEETING SPONSOR

STILL AVAILABLE CLICK FOR DETAILS

Neil Thompson, Founder, Teach the Geek

AI. Green technology. Augmented reality. All these topics are popular nowadays. Companies are either using them directly or developing products that incorporate them. Organizations need people who have the aptitude to learn technically complex topics quickly. The technical staff are these people. For a variety of reasons, though, technical professionals can struggle with effectively communicating these topics, especially to non-technical audiences. HR professionals can help overcome this challenge by developing speaker training programs for the technical staff. In this session, we will discuss why developing a speaker program makes sense, what developing a speaker program entails, and how to track the usefulness of the program. This session is for HR professionals who recognize the issue of their technical staff struggling to convey technical information that others in the organization can understand and appreciate and are open to the idea of establishing speaker training programs to address the issue.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

•Learn how to identify and address specific challenges technical staff face in public speaking.

•Discover effective methods for providing opportunities to practice speaking and get constructive feedback.

•Understand the importance of tracking progress and measuring the impact of speaker training programs.

•Receive reasons to implement speaker training programs for the technical staff.

Neil Thompson is an engineer-turned-communication coach dedicated to helping STEM professionals enhance their public speaking skills. After experiencing challenges in conveying complex technical information to non-technical audiences, he founded Teach the Geek, a platform designed to empower technical experts to communicate more effectively.

Through Teach the Geek, Neil collaborates with organizations to develop customized speaker training programs for technical staff, aiming to transform technically proficient employees into confident communicators.

Neil also hosts the Teach the Geek podcast, where he interviews STEM professionals about their public speaking journeys, and has authored the book Teach the Geek to Speak: A No-Fluff Public Speaking Guide for STEM Professionals.

In addition to his coaching and writing, Neil contributes to publications such as Inc. Magazine, sharing insights on effective communication strategies for technical audiences.

PWSHRM is recognized by SHRM to offer
Professional Development Credits (PDCs)
for the SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities.

Re-certification Credit

1 SHRM
1 HRCI

This program has been submitted for pre-approval for credit toward aPHR®, aPHRi™, PHR®, PHRca®, SPHR®, GPHR®, PHRi™ and SPHRi™ recertification through HR Certification Institute® (HRCI®).