Years ago, when I was in high school, I lost my voice for a few days.

I suddenly had laryngitis. 

Couldn't make a sound. 

It was beyond frustrating.

After college, I became a radio news reporter and anchor. 

My voice was my job. I had a degree in communication. 

But even then, I didn't fully believe my opinion or voice mattered. 😮

I second-guessed my worth. 

I stayed quiet when I had something to say. Sound familiar? 

I see the same pattern in 95% of the A/E/C professionals in my coaching and training programs. 

People who are technically capable but hesitate to speak up in client-facing meetings or networking events.

Many in our industry shy away from making small talk and interacting with others.

It's about having more confidence.

Keeping your "nose in your phone" keeps you silent in real life. 

💰The reluctance to use your voice costs your firm millions in lost bids, referrals, and opportunities.💰

A/E/C professionals don't lack ideas; they doubt their value. 

They second-guess themselves. 

Today's emerging talent wants more than a welcome packet and an awkward free lunch.

This generation wants others to see, hear, and value them. 

They want coaching and wisdom; not onboarding jargon. 

🔷Humans have an innate desire to feel included.

To be part of a group or community. 

And above all, younger generations want training because they want to grow.

When communication is one-way (or nonexistent), newcomers to A/E/C quietly disengage. 

You miss the opportunity to transfer knowledge. 🚩

New employees find the door and leave, depleting your training investment, team stability, and project momentum.

And every time new hires walk out the door, your firm suffers from:

👉Lost productivity

👉Delayed schedules

👉Missed pursuits

Multiply that by a few exits each year, and the revenue impact is real.💰

Ongoing, impactful training with today's communication skills is not a perk. 

It has nothing to do with a freebie pizza lunch. 

🧨It's about having a retention strategy with bottom-line results.

Let's build the...

New project managers are watching you.

What are you showing them?

In every meeting, on every jobsite, and during every project handoff, your emerging leaders are quietly taking notes.

They may not speak up yet.

But they are watching how you...

✅Communicate under pressure

✅Handle mistakes

✅Give direction

✅Treat others

Your actions become their playbook.

🧨Here's the truth about A/E/C: Strong communication and visible ownership are non-negotiable.

It's not only about what you say—it's how you lead through words, tone, clarity, and follow-up.

If experienced leaders model sarcasm, vague directions, or avoid responsibility, younger project managers are likely to do the same—and think it's acceptable when it's not.

Your communication and the leadership culture of your firm come down to this:

🗝️You lead by example, not memos and long meetings.

Train your next-level leaders today so that they don't mirror outdated and bad habits.

There was an engineering webinar yesterday with 225 people online. 

I was one of them.

I was on camera.

As I scrolled through the participants, I noticed 99 percent were off-camera. 

No faces. 

Most didn't even have a headshot or image—just a dark screen with their name.

😮The chat? Silent.

😮The interaction? Nonexistent.

😮The engagement? Almost zero.

There was no technical glitch. It was a communication culture issue.

When busy A/E/C firms invest in webinars, training, or virtual meetings, they often forget the human part:

➡️ People don't engage when they don't feel safe and confident.

➡️ Cameras stay off when participants feel awkward.

Yes, I realize some may have been eating lunch or caring for a child. Zoom fatigue is a real thing. But the entire group??!!

➡️ Silence in the chat is a symptom of disengagement or a lack of confidence to express views or at least say hi to others online. 

I posted in the chat right before the start of the program: "Thank you (organizer's ...

Nearly 75 percent of construction delays are due to poor communication and collaboration among teams.

The research comes from Procore, a software company serving the A/E/C industry.

That's a tough number to digest.

😮Materials, weather, and budgets aren't always to blame when projects go off the rails.

It ultimately comes down to effective communication and team coordination.

It's easy to assume breakdowns only happen at the top.

But the chain is only as strong as its weakest communicator.

That includes younger project managers, superintendents, and estimators throughout the industry.

✅They have impressive technical skills.

Yet, their leadership voices are still developing.

Emerging leaders often hesitate to ask for clarification, share bad news, or speak up in meetings.

Then, we see ripple effects, such as:

🚩Wrong assumptions

🚩Missed deadlines

🚩Frustration with crews and clients

Project difficulties aren't just a "people problem."

Communication and collaboration directl...

Communication tip: 

If your team is hesitating to say what everyone is privately thinking, you have a communication gap.

You may—or may not realize it.

👉Avoiding uncomfortable truths—with internal staff or prospects—doesn’t help your firm's credibility.

It erodes trust, performance, and your bottom line.

This isn’t about publicly calling someone out or embarrassing them.

It’s about creating a culture with psychological safety to calmly address real issues with professionalism and respect.

➡️Here’s a common example in A/E/C: 

You have a charismatic project leader or superintendent who dominates conversations and shortlisted interviews. 

They’re likable… outgoing… the “life of the party.”

But here’s what no one’s saying to their face:

📈Their long-winded stories and off-topic comments derail important discussions—especially with prospects.

What feels like small talk to them feels like wasted time to others. 😮

The challenge is that this individual doesn't know how to read the room and reel themselves i...

Risk mitigation and workplace silos go hand-in-hand. 

What if you saw training differently?

Successful A/E/C firms that capture pursuits face and embrace workplace training data. 📈

They don't make excuses about budgets, limited time, or keeping training in-house: 

• Nearly 50 percent of managers with 10 or more years of experience report having received a total of only nine hours of training.
• Almost 45 percent of managers who have been in their role for less than a year haven't had any training.

Research from Lorman shows that internal programs may save your firm money in the short term, but the benefits are limited.

🎯Most employees crave fresh perspectives and innovative problem-solving strategies.

To scale and narrow talent gaps, proactive firms are willing to invest in external training.

A/E/C executives must be open-minded and know that scalability is intertwined with today's business development and communication skills.

How does your team measure up against competitors? 

Savvy leaders recognize the return on investment i...

Many PMs, superintendents, estimators, and others have deep technical knowledge—but often lack experience in client-facing conversations.

📈That’s not a flaw; it’s a gap that training and education can address.

With today's new strategies, A/E/C teams can develop the confidence and communication skills needed to differentiate your firm—building trust, getting referrals, and strengthening client relationships.🥇

🎯Here are four foundational areas to help employees shift their mindset and be better prepared to capture pursuits.

A/E/C professionals often tell me they don't have outgoing, friendly personalities to build business relationships.

😮Small talk feels uncomfortable.  

😮Presentations are painful.

😮Sharing your expertise becomes a confusing mess. 

To overcome limiting beliefs and negative self-talk, listen to the techniques I share on the "Engineer Your Success" podcast.

Click here to see the episode.https://bit.ly/4ksKzgO