Many people are discouraged from public speaking and are dissatisfied with the outcomes they achieve. I’m a firm believer that all speakers—and yes, engineers too—can engage an audience when they have the right mindset about the task.

The first step in improving your communication is a personal one. At heart, many technical professionals find it difficult to accept that technical work can be the subject of debate.

On three separate occasions at NSW Parliament House, the engineers had out-argued and out-witted their famously outspoken opponents. First lawyers, then economists, then architects.