Susan Young's
Amplify Blog

 

 

 

To Improve Internal Communication in AEC, Start 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! 

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How Are You Celebrating Your AEC Accomplishments?

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:

 ...

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When AEC Goes 'All In' on Communication, This Happens

"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...
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How to Open a Remarkable A/E/C Business Development Presentation

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...

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How to Be More Engaging with Easy-to-Understand Data

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. 

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How to Build Trust Quickly with Prospects

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.

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Competitors Have Solutions to Your AEC Communication Woes

Pulling together resources from different A/E/C offices and people was the theme of a CEO Roundtable I led yesterday. 

Each of the six attendees came in cold.

They didn't know who else was participating. Several are competitors.

They warmed up quickly.

I facilitated the free communication session for one reason.

There are pressing communication and leadership issues impacting the entire industry.

Leaders opened their hearts and minds to their peers about:

  • Mentoring staff AND getting work done
  • Attracting and retaining younger talent for the firms' future
  • Communicating effectively to build a positive culture
  • Teaching tech staff engaging ways to share processes in interviews

Each person brought a single question or challenge to pose to the group.

And each one was eager to be a resource. 

Creative solutions, success tips, and outside support brought fulfillment, individually and collectively.

Today, I celebrate these fearless architects,...

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An Engineering Story to Take to Heart

Have you ever gotten a round of applause after giving a 15-minute sales presentation to an A/E/C prospect?

It happened to my engineering client last month.

As she told me about it on our group coaching call, she was incredibly proud.

So was I.

She used my tactics to connect a personal experience directly to the prospect.

She nailed the delivery, pacing, pauses, and body language.

This engineer shared a two-minute anecdote about her birthday.

It emotionally touched each person.

How do we know?

They clapped at the end of her presentation.

Her boss was in the meeting as well. He was stunned by her personality, confidence, and command of the room.

Yes, engineers can tell stories!

It's profound to skillfully share an ordinary moment and connect it to a bid.

Her boss says he sees significant growth in those enrolled in my Amplify group coaching.

Reach out if you want to transform your team's communication and clarity so you can...

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Sales Presentations Don't Require Bragging

Sales presentations mean we have to talk about ourselves.

Most Doers in architecture, engineering, and construction aren't comfortable bragging about themselves.

Here's the deal. It's not about being egotistical.

It's about being relevant.

If you feel like you're boasting, you've got it all wrong.

Project managers, estimators, schedulers, commissioners, and program managers have to feel confident. 

And speak with humility.

Your job title or industry doesn't matter.

A/E/C folks in business development meetings must self-promote to win construction bids. 

To be effective, show prospects why your accomplishments are relevant to them.

That's not bragging.

That's understanding business marketing and branding.

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Putting a Price on Clarity

The one desire most people overlook is clarity.

Yes, we wish for a winning lottery ticket, good health, and peace in the world.

When thoughts, ideas, and minds are clear, life becomes easy.

Here's what I mean.

We confuse ourselves.

We overthink.

One of my former coaches calls it the Illusion of Confusion.

When your internal chatter is all over the map, your communication suffers.

Clarity and simplicity bring business and personal growth.

Clarity brings a sense of peace, internally and externally.

Clarity brings peace of mind.

Clarity brings confidence, clients, and exciting opportunities.

Confusion = Zilch.

Get clear on your expectations and the results you want.

Amazing things will begin to unfold.

I've been there more than once. I know.

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