The (Not-So) Secret to Successful Client Management
A consultant’s priority is to provide a service in exchange for payment. It may be advice or developing and executing a plan. In civil engineering, our industry’s charge is to build a better quality of life for all of civilization, doing so both ethically and sustainably. Each completed project brings us closer to that goal. […]
How to Write Emails That Get the Job Done
What if you could write really good emails? Would it boost your career? I’m sure it would because being able to write really good emails would make you stand out from the crowd. Most people write emails that are average or below average. How do you know if your emails are above average, or even […]
3 Virtual Presentation Strategies for Tech Entrepreneurs to Accelerate Stakeholder Buy-In
It is no secret that your ability to communicate well about your tech is often the make-or-break reason for project success. You can have the best idea or product in your market, but if your key stakeholder does not “get it,” then you do not get the critical buy-in you need. Communicating tech is so […]
Stop Talking and Listen!
Communication: The imparting or exchanging of information or news. Depending on your personality, you are either the type to listen or talk. Usually, people struggle to be good at both. I was the type to talk, to think about what to say next, and sometimes forget to listen to the person I was talking to. […]
Being a Good Communicator Isn’t as Hard as You Think
“Engineers don’t have good communication skills.” I hear this all the time, and it is a myth. While it may be true for some engineers, we cannot put it out as a blanket truth that applies to all of them. And most importantly, if someone is not a great communicator now, they can develop those […]
How Public Speaking Changed My Career Direction (and Can Change Yours Too)
How can one speech transform your life? If you’re the one giving it, on the right topic, and to the right audience, it can. That’s what it was for me. In 1999, I jumped out of the best job I’d ever had to fulfill my goal of having my own business before I turned 40. […]
Who Knows What You Know? – Your Voice Matters!
Last month we discussed Continuous Learning, growing together as teachers and students, deepening our commitment to sustained personal and professional growth. As our COVID-19 response continues to mature, the AEC industry is rapidly advancing new ways of communicating, learning, and delivering projects. As we Zoom from meeting to meeting (cheesy pun intended), it is easy […]
Engineers Quit Managers Not Companies – Dear Manager, We Need to Talk!
I am writing you this note because I think we need to talk, but quite frankly, I am a bit intimidated to bring this up. I have been working for you for quite some time and feel like things may have dwindled a bit between us. But to be honest, I think that there […]
5 Crucial Client Communication Skills for Engineering Project Managers
Honing top client communication skills will make you a more competitive and more desirable candidate in the field. If you’re already part of a team, then it will make you much more adept.
5 Simple Ways to Have More Meaningful Conversations as an Engineer
“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.”—Eleanor Roosevelt Who hasn’t heard this famous quote? To have meaningful conversations, we need to raise our levels to those of great minds. To inspire, to leave a trail behind, and to motivate MUST be our motive. Aren’t you charmed by the conversational […]
