If you are going to put developers in a situation where they have to speak in front of people, they should be given the skills and training. Always bugs me that people immediately just laugh and say that IT people can't work with people. Maybe if taught or given an opportunity to learn they could and it would make the organization stronger.

Why don't we laugh at accountants who can't right SQL? It's a skill they've never been taught.

Yes, there are some IT developers who want to be left to write code in their cube, but if you ask them, most would tell you they would love the opportunity to be more involved with the rest of the business to better understand how their work fits into the business. The good ones at least do.

BTW...I'm not a developer, but I spend a lot of time with them and have mentored several who didn't like being typecast as Milton with the red stapler.