If you want quality information, you've got to ask quality questions.

Waiting to hear back on a bid proposal you submitted months ago to ask why a prospect didn't choose you flies in the face of this.

Bottom line: You're in sales and marketing. 

Do your homework so that you have higher-level conversations. 

Ask better questions of yourself and your team. 

It's on you to deeply understand and know.

This is the way, A/E/C. 

Welcome to the Future.

That's the theme of National Engineer's Week. It's a 73-year-old observance that's especially relevant to you today.

The National Society of Professional Engineers' goal is for a diverse, well-educated future workforce.

Why does this feel like a lofty milestone for a highly proficient and technical workforce?

Because at the core of the mission is your weakness.

Interpersonal communication.

Becoming an effective communicator demands more than an ongoing commitment to learn. 

It's about your willingness to evolve.

With this year's futuristic theme, engineering firms must get back to basics. 

Engineering programs need to teach the importance of how human connections ignite successful careers. 

Developing confidence, public speaking, and business networking skills are not one-off classes. 

They are different from credentialing programs.

Interpersonal communication in engineering doesn't involve pushing papers or file management.

It's...

Perfect people are not welcome.

That was the sign in front of a church I saw this week.

You may be one of the AEC pros who feel pressure to be the perfect communicator.

• In seller-doer meetings.
• In presentations.
• On Zoom calls.
• In networking events — online or in-person.

Here's a News Flash: Take the pressure off of yourself! 

No one wants to do business with a "perfect" person. 

You know, someone who appears to be flawless on the outside. 

Everyone has something they are dealing with or navigating.

Prospects and clients want real people. 

The ones who stumble on a few words and keep going. 

The perfectly imperfect win bids and respect. 

The kind of people who bend but don't break.

I don't teach flawless communication. 

I show you how to be a perfectly imperfect, heartfelt subject matter expert. 

To share your perfectly imperfect story. 

To be yourself.

Friday Communication Tip: 

Focus on prospects and clients. 

There's no need to brag or talk about yourself. Be interested in others. 

Ask good questions and listen deeply.

Stay curious and watch your career and business grow! 

“The more you try to be interested in other people, the more you find out about yourself.”-  Thea Astley

Busy digging into new tech to reduce misunderstandings and unorganized data?

Slow down, Skippy.

Improving internal team communication is not the first step to managing projects efficiently.

This is where your firm must begin.

In this 2-minute video, I share the breakthrough communication strategy that successful AEC clients use.

It's internal, but not what you think it is! 

You've seen the gazillion end-of-year lists. #ugh

From popular baby names to celebrity divorces, the media covers it all. 

Have you made your Top 10 List of Achievements in 2023?

I've been doing this for 20+ years, and I love it!

Give yourself permission to celebrate and honor your hard work.

Maybe you helped win a huge bid. Are you working with a mentor or coach? Maybe you earned your PE credential or spoke at a presentation (without feeling totally stressed.) 

Too often, we downplay our efforts and results.

Maybe you're like me and forget what happened in March!

So, in late December, I compile my Top 10 list.

I do one for work and one for my personal life. 

My professional list includes:

 ♦Delivering the opening keynote at a global A/E/C conference.

 ♦Rebranding the company website.

 ♦Helping countless A/E/C folks improve their communication with coaching and training.

Personal highlights include:

 ...

"I've grown from it and want to keep going."

This is what a group coaching client, Phyllis, told me today. 

I've watched her go all in these past three months of Amplify, my online coaching program. 

It's where A/E/C pros uplevel their communication, confidence, and sales. 

Still, the way to grow and get your desired results is to be eager to learn. 

Honoring commitments was also discussed in our coaching session. 

People showed up to Amplify in different ways. 

They participated on different levels.

So they dug into the content and enjoyed the wisdom and techniques they hadn't heard before.

They appreciated my no-nonsense approach to building human connections. 

Like so many in A/E/C, students wanted to:

• Become more clear and confident in business development meetings.
• Overcome limiting beliefs around public speaking and communication.
• Learn high-level brain science so that selling is...

The best seller-doer teams in AEC use this presentation technique to win more bids.

They don't bury the lede.

The first few words out of your mouth or on paper must be the gem that resonates deeply with your prospect.

When you bury the lede, your main point is the needle in the haystack.

Prospects will quickly lose interest as you painfully try to articulate your message.

Every single trained news reporter and journalist lives and dies by "don't bury the lede." (Radio news reporter nerd here) 

Think about it. 

If the headline of a story doesn't grab your attention, you're onto something else. 

The same is true of an email subject line. 

Ask yourself and your team: What is THE most important reason we are in this meeting? 

♦Speak to that, and you'll be unstoppable.♦

Exceptional teams don't miss the mark or bury the lede. 

They are confident and competent communicators.

Decision-makers who look frustrated and distracted are...

Communication Tip: In Business Development presentations, help prospects grasp data.

For example, use round numbers.

If your engineering research shows 4.23 lumens, say "just over 4 lumens." 

Of course, you have the exact information. 

Still, people appreciate simplicity so they can easily digest numbers.

Round up or down as necessary so you don't confuse your prospects and audience.

Clarity is a beautiful thing.

Expending mental energy is a distraction. 

Keep their attention and break the specifics down when asked. 

Communication Tip: 

Bypass templates. 

You are the message. 

Work on your communication skills. 

Encourage and mentor your team so they are effective at networking events. 

And shortlisted interviews. 

Give staff the tools they need (and want) to feel comfortable, clear, and confident with decisionmakers.

Humans build trust and relationships.

Not templates. 

Not jargon. 

Real people grow business.