Communication NewsFlash: 

The only tool your architects and engineers need is their voice.

The Best News: They are readily equipped. 

Right here and right now. 

Most just need some guidance to fine-tune their words, messages, and confidence.

Your A/E/C teams are capable of learning how to use their voices to grow careers and profits. 

Help them...then, stand back!!

Browse our training programs now (online and in-person) and let's do it! 

We are celebrating A/E/C pros who know how to use curiosity in communication and sales.

I met Sydney Unnerstall recently. She's an emerging leader and marketing coordinator at Vessel Architecture in St. Louis.

After my communications presentation at an SMPS regional conference, Sydney jumped at the chance to transform business conversations by being curious.

"I have started asking more relevant questions and hiding less since I attended Susan's program at the SMPS conference," she said.

"These go hand-in-hand with feeling more confident as I gain experience in meetings and with clients."

You get quality information when you ask quality questions (and listen deeply).

Sydney adds a couple of more quick gems in this 30-second video.

Take a look above.  

And reach out if your emerging leaders want to be more effective communicators. Our "Amplify for Emerging Leaders" online group coaching program is now available. Details are here!

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! 

A/E/C = Processes.

Networking and business growth = People.

Then processes.

First, you metaphorically nudge the door open.

Focus your 30-second elevator pitch on the other person.

Processes take more than 30 seconds and are cumbersome.

Your job in business development and shortlisted meetings is to avoid cumbersome.

Instead, pique people's curiosity. There's no need to be a walking bid package.

Nudge the door open.

Be interesting so they are interested.

When a prospect invites you to a meeting or coffee, ease into the process. But only if asked.

Remember wallpaper? 

It was a "thing" back in the day. 

And people would say: "Don't blend in with the wallpaper."

Translation: Stand out, get noticed, and be visible.

Don't be a wallflower. 

Blending in makes us feel invisible, ordinary, and maybe even dull.

It repels people and opportunities. It happens every day online. 

And at conferences. Most people don't seem to mind blending in at industry events.  

This week, I saw a few people I know posting pictures of themselves exhibiting at a trade expo. 

Some of the posts were from past coaching clients. 

They are REALLY good at what they do.

They know their sh*t.

They work hard and often exceed their goals. 

Why spend time in a booth when you could speak at a workshop down the hall?

To a captive audience who wants to learn from you. And maybe hire you.

Do you see yourself in an endless row of vendors trying to muster up conversations while handing out candy and...

Our communication is an “inside job.”

Whatever story we believe about ourselves becomes the soundtrack of our lives.

• I always get in a sales rut in the summer.
• I need to hire an assistant but I’m not making enough money.
• I suck at online networking.

When you have a high level of self-awareness, you notice the internal chatter. Then, if it's toxic, you can make a change.

The good thing is that you can decide anytime, any day, to re-record your self-talk jabbering.

You control the radio dial in your head.

So what are you listening to???

A soundtrack of worry, weeds, and unworthiness? 

Or are you tuned to a soundtrack of success and live with a sense of ease and optimism?

Getting real here.

I have often kidded myself into thinking no one else can hear my berating voice.

Sound familiar? 

I was soooo wrong.

Talking s**t about ourselves is sneaky.

It creeps into our conversations, emails, messaging, and BD meetings. Every. Single. Day.

When we decide to...

Are your teeth visible in your profile pictures online? 

This is not a trick question, it's quite important in how people perceive you. And how you communicate.

I share a tip on why...or why not...you should show your teeth in pictures. Especially in professional headshots and branded pix. 

Click the 3-minute video above for the details. 

Plus...I've included something fun for you about why body language is critical in our communication.

Are you smiling with your teeth showing in your pictures? Comment below!

Painfully blunt is the way my hubs describes me.

Not gonna mince words here.

If you’re pitching yourself to event organizers who hire speakers….and all you get are crickets and maybe a gig for “volunteer speakers” …you’re wasting your time and energy.

You DON’T need to:

Create a slick Speaker 1-sheet with new branded photos

Pay for a goofball “speaker reel” video that's staged with “real people”

Join Toastmasters or spend big bucks on a voice coach

Waste a ton of time, money, and energy writing a book

Here’s what you DO need to do:

Connect your topic to the theme of an event so that decision-makers know you "get" their audience

Have a 1-minute video clip from a real talk that showcases your personality and expertise

Work on your internal voice first so that you quiet self-doubt (and get contracts, not crickets!)

Fine-tune your topic and description so organizers see you're a polished pro (and they can easily...

If we took our own advice, the world would be a very different place.

I was finishing a post about our willingness to stare down the truth and "go there."

To go deep and say what truly needs to be said.

Scratching the surface helps no one.

I was ready to hit PUBLISH, but something happened.

I threw up a little in my mouth.

Lots of words that scratch the Sue Young surface.

Even the Grammarly app I use deemed the engagement as “Bland.”

Ugh.

So I followed my own advice to "go there." 

This is the real deal, Take 2.

I'm days away from finishing a year-long Mastermind program.

I'm a firm believer in learning from people who are 5-10 steps ahead of me.

To do this, I plunked down $30,000 to join Emily's Mastermind.

And I'm not even close to reaching my business goals. 

Surprisingly, I am OK with this.

Because Emily's group turned me upside down and inside out. Not so much as an entrepreneur but as a human being.

As the program wraps up, I’ve done a lot of reflecting.

I'm a...

Entrepreneurs are rarely short on ideas. 

And then we tell ourselves: I have no idea where to start.  

Let's ban the phrase, I have no idea where to start. 

It’s a familiar and comfortable narrative that has you brainwashed into believing you're stuck.

I’m calling you out on this BS because your internal story is blocking your business growth. 

You insist you're clueless and instead focus on external messaging like ad copy, SEO, and email automation.

Here's the thing. 

Your internal messaging is more important than anything else.

Because marketing rarely works when your internal story keeps hammering that you have no idea what to do.

Our words create our worlds.

 And our communication is “an inside job” that no SEO guru can tweak. 

When you start with Step 1 and commit to cleaning up your internal story, you'll have: 

 Qualified leads and decision-makers joining your list and...