Commanding the Room: Mastering the Craft of Public Speaking
February 21 @ 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
This comprehensive 3-hour course is designed for active service members, military veterans, and military family members who want to develop confident, effective public speaking skills. Whether you’re preparing for job interviews, business presentations, community leadership, or simply want to communicate more powerfully in everyday situations, this course will equip you with practical tools and techniques to speak with clarity and conviction. The course teaches you how to make your ideas pop in the mind of any audience.
Participants will learn how to organize their thoughts, manage speaking anxiety, engage diverse audiences, communicate complexity, and deliver messages that resonate. Through interactive exercises and constructive feedback, you’ll transform nervousness into confidence and discover your unique voice as a speaker.
Art Form
Visual ArtsChapter
Washington, DCProgram Type
WorkshopAbout the Instructor
Joe Buccino has made two successful careers out of high-pressure communication. For more than three decades, he’s stood in front of rooms full of skeptics—military commanders, cabinet officials, media outlets, and comedy club audiences—and made his message land.
A retired U.S. Army Colonel, Joe served at the highest levels of the U.S. government in military communications and public affairs. He advised top military leaders, cabinet officials, and two U.S. presidential administrations on communications strategies during global operations, crisis response, and complex geopolitical situations. His work required clarity under pressure, the ability to read rooms instantly, and the skill to make complicated ideas accessible—capabilities that translate directly from the Pentagon briefing room to the comedy stage.
Named the 2025 PR Executive of the Year by Ragan Communications, Joe is a frequent commentator on major broadcast networks and guest columnist for Foreign Policy. He is also a New York City-based stand-up comedian, where he discovered that facing a hostile crowd with nothing but a microphone provides the ultimate training in executive presence.
Joe’s book on public speaking, “Seriously Funny: What Executives Can Learn From the Craft of Stand-Up Comedy,” is set for release in October 2026 by Penguin Random House.
