0 ratings | 0 reviews | avg rating:0.0

Joel Benge’s Followers (7)

Joel’s Bookshelves

to-read (0)
currently-reading (0)
read (0)

Joel’s Friends

Joel hasn't connected with their friends on Goodreads, yet.

Joel Benge

Goodreads Author

Website

https://messagespecs.com

Genre

Nonfiction, Self Help

Member Since

May 2025

edit data

Joel Benge is the principal nerd that talks good at MessageSpecs Consulting and helps other nerds talk good too. Joel has always been more interested in how people communicate technology than the inner workings of the technology itself, so he uses “message therapy” (no, that’s not a typo!) to not only address the how of technical messaging but also the so what, the why, and sometimes even the wtf.

Working with companies from Nickelodeon to NASA, Joel has mastered the art of communicating complicated ideas and technology to every kind of audience and team. Always the one who “talks good” at his jobs, he knew there needed to be a better way to help technical companies communicate on their own. He developed MessageDeck, a card deck that gamifie Joel Benge is the principal nerd that talks good at MessageSpecs Consulting and helps other nerds talk good too. Joel has always been more interested in how people communicate technology than the inner workings of the technology itself, so he uses “message therapy” (no, that’s not a typo!) to not only address the how of technical messaging but also the so what, the why, and sometimes even the wtf.

Working with companies from Nickelodeon to NASA, Joel has mastered the art of communicating complicated ideas and technology to every kind of audience and team. Always the one who “talks good” at his jobs, he knew there needed to be a better way to help technical companies communicate on their own. He developed MessageDeck, a card deck that gamifies the process to help developers better communicate their ideas and discover their credibility builders and hooks for their messaging. In his book, Be a Nerd That Talks Good, and his podcast, Nerds That Talk Good, Joel shares how technical communicators and facilitators can break through the blank-stare moments to reach their audiences.

Joel is a recovering theater kid, technical nerd, and startup survivor. With a background in theater, education, and video games, Joel became an IT guy and went into cybersecurity and compliance. He worked as the principal cybersecurity communications manager for the Department of Homeland Security and coordinated policy and communication to teams, leadership, and Congress. He moved on to being the director of communications at a cybersecurity startup. At a marketing agency, he serviced dozens of security startups, the Defense Department, and intelligence agencies, helping them communicate and fixing their marketing approaches, eventually becoming the head of content. He’s had speaking opportunities in Zurich, Switzerland, the RSA Conference, and a private audience at the White House.

Born in Lansing, Michigan, as a military brat, Joel settled outside of the DC/Baltimore area. He is a husband and father, a hobbyist card game creator, a puppeteer, and a (poor) didgeridoo player.

For more information on Joel’s work, visit his website at https://messagespecs.com. You can also listen to his podcast, Nerds That Talk Good, at https://messagespecs.com/the-podcast. ...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Joel Benge questions, please sign up.

Combine Editions
Joel Benge’s books

Average rating: 5.0 · 3 ratings · 1 review · 1 distinct work

Be a Nerd That Talks Good: Transform Your Technical Knowledge Into Powerful Messages

it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — 3 editions

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

24 posts
Joel Benge's Blog: MessageSpecs Musings

S02 EP028: Delete Your F***ing Meetings: Building the Virtual Office: with Katmai’s Erik Braund

Watch on YouTube or click below:

Episode Summary:

What if the future of work isn’t another meeting—but a place to actually be together?

In this episode, Joel Benge sits down with Erik Braund, founder and CEO of Katmai — a virtual office platform on a mission to delete your f***ing meetings.

From his roots as

rss
Joel’s Recent Updates

Joel Benge wrote a new blog post S02 EP027: Taking Back Control of Your Business Narrative with Anti-Algorithm Coach Lidia Axe S02 EP027: Taking Back Control of Your Business Narrative with Anti-Algorithm Coach Lidia AxeWatch on YouTube below:Episode Summary:In this Season 2 k Read more of this blog post »
Nov 14, 2025 06:57AM · like
Joel Benge made a comment on Elizabeth’s review of Be a Nerd That Talks Good: Transform Your Technical Knowledge Into Powerful Messages " Thanks for the review, Elizabeth! I'd love to know what you found to be five-start-worthy. :) ...more "
Jul 15, 2025 09:34AM · see review
Joel Benge answered Goodreads's question: What books are on your summer reading list this year? I am digging into: Brad Feld's "Give First," a book on the power of mentorship Jason Michael Perry's "The AI Revolution," to get better prepared for ... the AI revolution And also revisiting James Clear's "Atomic Habits."
Jul 14, 2025 08:47AM · like
Joel Benge is accepting questions on their profile page.
May 21, 2025 01:31PM · Be the first to ask Joel Benge a question

More of Joel's books…

Joel’s Friend Comments

No comments have been added yet.

Joel Benge’s Followers (7)

Joel Benge

Goodreads Author

Popular Answered Questions

rssJoel’s Recent Updates

rss
Joel’s Recent Updates