Public Speaking for Shy Software Developers: 3 Ways to Develop This Underrated Skill

Let’s see ChatGPT do this

You want to become a senior developer. CTO maybe. Create your own startup perhaps. Or maybe, you just want to land your first role in tech.

You will not get there from coding alone. There is a valuable and suspiciously overlooked skill you will need as a technical leader — public speaking.

Let’s explore 3 ways you, yes you reading this, can improve your non-existent public speaking skills in a practical way.

Unfortunately, if you’re anything like I used to be, you’re probably thinking of every reason NOT to speak as developer.

“I got into this industry to code, not for politics and presentations”

“I don’t want to lead”

“I’m too junior to speak about anything”

No, no and no again.

There is a limit to the return on your technical skill.

Believe it or not, I was terrified of public speaking during the first 3 years of my career. I wanted to hide behind the code.

I did my work and for the most part, I did well.

Then, at a small startup, I couldn’t hide anymore. The entire company was 5 people. I was 1 of 2 developers. I had to develop opinions on our technical direction and features. The CTO explicitly told me that I HAD to speak up more often.

😬

Some amazing things happened once I was forced to start speaking and presenting my work:

• I took more pride in my code
• I said some cringe-worthy stuff, had mini-anxiety attacks and lived through it
• I got better

To my own disbelief, I’m now an engineering manager and a lot of my job requires speaking to groups of developers and leading presentations in person and online.

Public speaking is overlooked in the tech industry, but it’s a skill that can significantly boost your career and income. Here’s why:

1. Leadership: Public speaking is a critical leadership skill. It allows you to effectively communicate your ideas, influence decisions, and inspire your team. As you grow in your career, these skills become increasingly important.
2. Visibility: Public speaking gives you visibility. It allows you to showcase your expertise, build your personal brand, and network with industry leaders. This can open doors to new opportunities and higher-paying roles.
3. AI and Automation: As AI and automation continue to advance, technical skills alone may not guarantee job security. However, skills like public speaking that involve human interaction and creativity are less likely to be automated, making them more valuable.

Public speaking can be daunting, especially if you’re naturally quiet (like 99% of developers out there). But don’t worry, here are 3 strategies to help you develop this skill in a practical way.

Use Loom for Practice

I love Loom. In fact, I have challenges in my Not Another Course offering that require mentees to explain concepts over video.

If you’re learning to code and want to be a hire-able software developer — just join me at Parsity.io

Loom is a video recording tool that allows you to record and share your screen. You can use it to practice presenting your work, explaining complex concepts, or walking through code. Review your recordings and identify areas for improvement to build confidence.

This is a great entry point for you to begin sharing what you’re working on in a public way. You can edit, re-record and over think your video before sending it out 😉. This will get you used to speaking in front of a camera in a low stakes environment.

Volunteer for Demos

Demoing your code or leading a lunch-and-learn is a great way to practice public speaking in a safe environment. It allows you to get comfortable speaking in front of a technical audience.

Next time you launch a feature or fix a bug, work with your manager to find a short time slot to walk through your work. If your team does not have a format for devs to learn from one another, suggest starting a monthly lunch and learn and kick it off with a 15 minute lightning talk on NextJS or unit testing or some article you read.

Start Small

If your anxiety meter is going off — don’t worry. You don’t need to jump into the deep end just yet.

Start small. Like really small.

Next time there is a meeting I want you to ask a question. Write it down ahead of time if necessary.

The next step is to be the first person to break the awkward silence during a meeting when someone else asks a question.

Developers are a notoriously quiet bunch. It really doesn’t take much to stand out and start building your public speaking muscle.

The further you grow in your career as a developer, the more you will be expected to have opinions and voice them publicly. So start now. Record yourself, ask questions, get uncomfortable and realize that it gets easier the more you do it 😉.

I work with software developers at different stages in their career — if you are starting out, join me at Parsity.io

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