The main point of the article is that public speaking engagements help your career growth. I would be interested if others find that this is a good career growth mechanism for technical employees. I would think it would help if you going into a technical leadership position, but I believe that networking with the right contacts and a solid portfolio of projects provides a better path to career growth.
Thanks for leaving a comment. The challenge with networking is determining "the right contacts". Speaking in public, helps you scale your networking efforts, because it draws people in who are interested in the topic you're talking about. Some folks also dislike small talk, so being asked questions around their talk let's them cut to the chase and share their expertise.