Why Communication Skills Are Foundational to Teaching, Leading, and Adapting in AEC F

The technology has changed. The way people physically work together has changed. And so how we inhabit this profession has changed, and it's going to change even faster. I mean, that's the thing. We look back and we can see all the change. We have a much harder time looking forward and seeing the change, but it's coming. So how do we build a flexible system that allows us to get at the key components of what humans need to learn about other humans, um, in order to be able to work within whatever system is out there, which for me always comes down to communication. That to me is the most— if, if I could teach anything perfectly, Mm-hmm. it would be For somebody to— for people to become incredibly strong communicators.

I think you're— I mean, I think it's interesting what you said because there's about the looking forward, because I think while it's true we don't know what the next 3, 5 years will bring, I think even if you do kind of scenario planning, I don't think there's a scenario you could imagine where becoming a better communicator and communications won't be more important in 3 or 5 years than it is today. I don't think there's a world where Shepley being able to learn faster and adapt more quickly isn't more important in 3 to 5 years than it is today. So you don't know exactly what it's going to look like, but that skill of being able to learn quickly and communicate seem like durable investments to make as an organization.

Yeah, I think they're foundational in a lot of ways. They're foundational in also, you know, a lot of the changes that we're experiencing with how different generations work with each other and back to the silos, right? People have different priorities. And I mean, we experience this every day working with our clients, working with consultants, right? So we're working with people who aren't doing exactly the same thing we are. The better we can be at really communicating Clearly. And that doesn't mean clearly like I say it very clearly so you can understand.

My diction is perfect.

But it's me saying it in a context that makes sense to the person who's listening so that they can actually engage on, on this subject that we need to talk about as opposed to talking past each other. And I think—

We had a, we had a speaker at K-Connect. I want to say it was 2012. It was Jim Kent, who was the chief marketing officer at Thornton Tomasetti at the time. And he said, look, my job is communications and I define it very simply. There's something that's in my head that I want you to know. And the degree to which what was in my head you understand and have, have received, that's communication, right? It's like it doesn't matter how clearly I wrote it, the brand, the font, whatever that is. Did I move my idea or feeling or emotion, whatever, from me to you? Did it transmit?

Yes, yes. And it gets trickier when you're—

Knowing that people receive information differently and all the things, right?

Yeah, exactly. Because otherwise you're talking about different things. You're not talking about the same things. And that, again, fundamental to teaching, fundamental to advising, fundamental to leading teams, fundamental to setting direction.