Looking for a new way to level up and connect with your peers? The SMPS Fellows Committee is proud to share the launch of a new Fellows Cohort program exclusive to you. To kick things off, we've invited author, executive coach, and a Chief founding cohort guide Henna Pryor, PCC to share her knowledge around the power of peer coaching cohorts to foster continued professional growth and development. This opportunity is founded on a key truth: By bringing powerful professionals together, you can accelerate the type of professional growth and learning that no individual can create on their own.
 
In this dynamic session, we'll explore how collaborative learning environments can elevate leadership skills, cultivate innovation, and deepen industry expertise and influence.

This webinar will provide practical strategies for establishing and maximizing the effectiveness of peer coaching cohorts within the SMPS community. Through real-world examples and testimonials provided by SMPS Fellows, you'll gain valuable insights into:

• The principles of peer coaching and its transformative impact on leadership development
• Frameworks and techniques for building and sustaining effective peer coaching cohorts
• Best practices for facilitating constructive feedback and mutual support within groups
• Strategies for leveraging cohort dynamics to address industry challenges and drive innovation
• Tips for operationalizing the learning, measuring peer coaching success, and powerful closings

SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 continuing education units for the Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) program and 1.5 learning units from the American Institute of Architects. Recordings of SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 CPSM CEUs.

Per-Site Registration Fee*  

SMPS Member Site Registration: $199

Nonmember Site Registration: $259  

*Remember: webinars are open to your whole staff. Your team can participate from one location in your office for one fee. Register today and benefit from affordable, convenient, actionable learning and earn valuable CPSM CEUs and AIA LUs!

At many firms marketing and business development are considered two separate activities, often with separate staff leading them.  However, smart firms recognize the interplay between the two and use each to help inform the other.  This webinar will talk through the ebb and flow between marketing and business development before, during and after the pursuit process, share examples of how they have been coordinated successfully, and offer practical tips for engaging with your colleagues on the “other” side of the marketing aisle.

Learning Objectives

• Understand which parts of the BD/M effort take precedence during which phases of a project pursuit
  
• Recognize the ways in which each part of the BD/M team informs/supports each other
  
• Identify practical ways to bridge the divide to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts
  

SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 continuing education units for the Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) program and 1.5 learning units from the American Institute of Architects. Recordings of SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 CPSM CEUs.

Per-Site Registration Fee*  

SMPS Member Site Registration: $199

Nonmember Site Registration: $259  

*Remember: webinars are open to your whole staff. Your team can participate from one location in your office for one fee. Register today and benefit from affordable, convenient, actionable learning and earn valuable CPSM CEUs and AIA LUs!

Schedule at Glance

June 25, 2024 (2-hour program) LinkedIn Thought Leadership Amplified by Unique Insights

Explore the transformative power of Thought Leadership in our exclusive session, designed to enhance your brand’s digital influence. Discover why Thought Leaders excel on LinkedIn, and learn how to establish yourself as a credible authority. We’ll also delve into the intricacies of LinkedIn’s algorithm, revealing key strategies to amplify your reach and engagement. Gain practical insights into content optimization for immediate impact.

Key takeaways:

1. The Power of Thought Leadership: Understanding why Thought Leaders achieve the best results on LinkedIn.
2. Building Authority: Strategies for branding yourself as a trusted authority and gaining instant credibility.
3. Cultivating Company Thought Leaders: Implementing a 4-layer Employee Branding Model to foster thought leadership within your organization.
4. Navigating LinkedIn’s Algorithm: Insights into current algorithmic challenges and how to overcome them for better visibility.
5. Content Strategy Mastery: Learning how different content formats influence reach and engagement, and how to use them effectively.
6. Actionable Algorithm Insights: Six implementable insights to enhance your LinkedIn strategy for immediate results.

August 15, 2024  (2-hour program) Turning Your Brand Story Into A Hiring Strategy

Before spending a dollar on promoting a job, recruiting teams should know whose attention they want to capture. Hiring teams must understand what matters most to quality candidates. Instead, many simply post jobs on more websites in hopes of filling niche roles with any warm body rather than the right person.

Best-in-class candidates aren’t settling for templates and worn-out tactics. They want to know why they should work for you. If you’re not expressing it in a language that attracts the right person, it’s costing the company money. This presentation can help. People who have attended this session with hiring expert Katrina Kibben have said it helped them learn simple steps to stand out with recruitment marketing that uses real stories.

What’s In It For You

• Steps for translating your stories into a unique recruiting strategy,
• An introduction to recruiting personas and how they work,
• 4 things you can do to increase applications without an employer brand budget,
• And more!

Attendees will leave this session with actionable insights that help companies of all sizes stand out.

September 11, 2024 (2-hour program) Unlocking Employee Potential through Powerful Conversations 

Managers are expected to motivate, train and develop their direct reports. To do so, managers need tools to help them draw boundaries and sustain empathy while also holding employees accountable. Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a powerful communication technique that helps do just that. Often utilized by coaches, social workers, therapists and healthcare practitioners, MI is designed to enhance effectiveness in eliciting positive behavior change by empowering and engaging the individual. This presentation will introduce MI’s principles and key skills and provide attendees with a safe learning environment to practice its application to real-world business scenarios.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) skills offers several benefits:

• Enhanced Communication: MI improves communication between managers and employees by fostering a collaborative, non-confrontational atmosphere. This leads to more open and honest discussions.
• Empowerment: MI empowers employees to explore their own motivations for change, rather than being told what to do. This autonomy increases their commitment to making positive changes.
• Increased Engagement: By using MI techniques, managers can effectively engage employees in conversations about change initiatives or performance improvements, leading to greater buy-in and participation.

A recent study by the B2B Thought Leadership Agency FT Longitude found that 88% of business leaders spend significant time researching companies before engaging with them. This and similar research show that the vast majority of decision-makers within your client organizations rely on your firm’s content to assess your innovative thinking, expertise in their specific issues and the quality of your talent – all long before the formal selection process begins.

But there’s a catch: With more and more firms publishing more and more smart, high-quality content, simply creating more/better content is unlikely to create a competitive advantage for your firm. You need a new blueprint!

This three-part series will introduce the next-gen content strategies and approaches designed for today’s AEC buying journey. You will learn how creating content that addresses your prospects’ and clients’ needs at all critical points in their decision-making process will grow your firm’s influence and reach and bring more best-fitting projects through the door.

Using research, data, and insights along with compelling examples, adaptable models, and useful checklists, this program will provide you with a practical roadmap you can put to work immediately.

Is your firm ready to transform content into business?

Session 1: Using Content to Win Business

The first session in the series will answer the fundamental questions about how using educational and thought leadership content as a business strategy directly contributes to your firm’s ability to attract and win more business.

 Session 2: Aligning Content to Today’s AEC Buyer Journey

The session will provide a comprehensive overview of developing content for different stages in today’s mostly digital and self-directed AEC buying process

 Session 3: Activating Content for Results

This final session will cover how to activate content to meet stated objectives, engage the right audiences and influence business decisions. From execution, publishing, distribution, promotion, and measurement, we’ll cover every aspect of making sure your content deliverables are primed to achieve a return on objective.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Understand the role of educational and thought leadership content in achieving your firm’s business objectives and accelerating growth.
• Learn how to align content to every stage in the AEC buying journey, helping your firm reach, engage and convert the right decision-makers, faster.
• Discover what makes educational and thought leadership content effective in today’s digital environment and how to ensure it’s easy for business decision-makers to find, access and consume your content.
• Learn how to transform content into a strategic business function and create efficient content operations for your firm.

Proposals should position your firm to win – they’re sales documents! It needs to persuade the reader that your firm is the best firm for that project. But this is often hard to do when our firm is just like our competitors. How do we truly find those differences, and then translate those into persuasive proposals?

Enter in the Differentiation Framework. This can be used on any proposal, for any client, and in any market. This program walks you through the Differentiation Framework with the end result that of value proposition that gets shortlisted.

Learning Objectives

• Understand what makes a proposal persuasive
  
• Learn how to apply the Differentiation Framework to your proposals
  
• Get ideas on how to infuse creativity into each proposal
  

SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 continuing education units for the Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) program and 1.5 learning units from the American Institute of Architects. Recordings of SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 CPSM CEUs.

Per-Site Registration Fee*  

SMPS Member Site Registration: $199

Nonmember Site Registration: $259  

*Remember: webinars are open to your whole staff. Your team can participate from one location in your office for one fee. Register today and benefit from affordable, convenient, actionable learning and earn valuable CPSM CEUs and AIA LUs!

As marketers and business developers, we know crafting a great proposal is more complicated than “just throwing a few things together.” Even if your firm has all the pieces in place like a go/no go filter, proposal process, updated templates, and a badass marketing team, each proposal can feel like a bumpy journey of cat herding and deadline stress. Creating proposals takes an enormous amount of people power, coordination, and time (and therefore $). Establishing a pursuit process that works with your firm culture is critical. In this session, we will share how we evolved our pursuit process to fit our unique firm culture to boost adoption and engagement. We will provide tools and tips on how you can ensure pursuits are led by marketing, but still have buy-in and contributions from your busy technical professionals.

Learning Objectives

• How to create a pursuit process that uniquely fits the DNA of your firm to ensure adoption.
• Understand how marketing professionals and business developers can provide meaningful insight in the go/no go process to influence the decision to pursue and the response strategy using the knowledge they possess.
• Learn collaboration tools that can help keep your pursuit process on track.

SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 continuing education units for the Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) program and 1.5 learning units from the American Institute of Architects. Recordings of SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 CPSM CEUs.

Per-Site Registration Fee*  

SMPS Member Site Registration: $199

Nonmember Site Registration: $259  

*Remember: webinars are open to your whole staff. Your team can participate from one location in your office for one fee. Register today and benefit from affordable, convenient, actionable learning and earn valuable CPSM CEUs and AIA LUs!

Amplify A|E|C Digital is the industry’s premier virtual marketing, business development, and leadership experience. 

With more than 7 hours of on-demand programming, you’ll strengthen your skills—and amplify your knowledge. You can earn up to 7 CEUs by participating in the Amplify A|E|C Digital program. 

Here’s the courses included:

Designing Your Collateral for Success
Facilitator: Tom Silva

The session "Designing Your Collateral for Success" will be a practical, no-nonsense review of what every marketing person needs to know to lay out and produce materials that position their companies, services and products as leading-edge, winning trust and confidence without compromising the quality of information. The session will intro the basic tenets of design but, uniquely, tailor them to the AEC sector and the built environment. How do you showcase projects, team members, and services? How do eyes scan digital vs print collateral. Why is negative space an active part of your layouts? Why should you care about contrast? This is a session to empower a non-designers to make the right decisions moving forward.

The Future of A/E/C Websites 
Facilitator: Danielle Diforio

What is coming next in the world of A/E/C websites? This session will explore the evolving digital landscape within the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. In an era marked by rapid technological advancements, delve into cutting-edge trends and strategies reshaping A/E/C websites, paving the way for enhanced user experiences and greatly improved site management. Attendees can expect to gain invaluable insights on how A/E/C firms are rethinking their websites to help win the talent war, gain new clients, and stay in touch with current clients, all while streamlining the time needed for the marketing team to keep the website up-to-date.

Amplify your BD and Marketing Effectiveness with Better CRM 
Facilitator: Megan Miller, CPSM

Do you struggle getting your project managers, business developers and marketing teams to fully leverage your CRM? Do your teams see your CRM as just "one more administrative thing" they don't have time for? This session will highlight best practices for using your CRM to amplify your BD and marketing effectiveness. Learn how you can truly turn client information into client intelligence and help your teams make better, more informed decisions to build a better pipeline and ultimately win more work. Join Megan Miller, CPSM to hear practical ways that you can truly boost adoption and turn your CRM into a must-have resource for your teams so your teams can prioritize where to invest their time, develop better pursuit strategies, proactively manage your pipeline and track the impact of your BD and marketing efforts more effectively.

Demystifying Document Accessibility 
Facilitator: Dax Castro

This session will answer the burning questions of “What is document accessibility?” and “Why do I need to do it?” We will continue the conversation with key tips to managing your proposal timeline while incorporating accessibility along the way. Dax will share his time-saving tips for things like setting up your templates, writing alt-text, and understanding how to tell if your document is compliant. Attendees will leave with skills that will demystify accessibility and several checklists that will keep you focused in the right direction.

Managing Your AEC Firm Through a Rebrand 
Facilitator: Ida Cheinman

With so many A/E/C firms undertaking complex rebranding projects (often for the first time!), successfully navigating your firm through a rebrand can be a career high point. It’s also a monumental challenge. The role you play in the process and how you play it can make an equally monumental difference in the credibility and the perceived value of the marketing function within your firm. Following a strategic and disciplined process will help reduce headaches and prevent both costs and timelines from spiraling out of control – most important, it will ensure that the new brand meets your firm's current and future needs, creates a competitive advantage and delivers results.

How Brain Science in Meetings Improves Productivity and Communication 
Facilitator: Susan Young

The most overlooked communication skill in AEC is curiosity. Top-notch marketing leaders beat competitors by paying deep attention, asking quality questions, and embracing new ideas.  High-level interpersonal communication goes beyond emotional intelligence and team-building activities. The key is knowing human behavior that drives connections, productivity, and profits. Award-winning communicator and AEC speaker Susan Young teaches Neurolinguistic Programming. NLP is a 50-year-old business and communications model that top executives use worldwide. 

Generative AI Impacts on the AEC Industry 
Facilitator: Frank Lazaro

Join Frank Lazaro as he delves deep into the transformative world of Generative AI and its profound impact on the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. This session unravels the intricacies of Generative AI, setting it apart from other AI frameworks, and provides a comprehensive overview of AI's current footprint in the AEC industry. Whether you are considering integrating AI into your projects or striving for responsible AI deployment, this presentation provides actionable insights and a look into the future. As we explore the horizon, learn about the potential future of AI in AEC and engage in a thought-provoking session. Don't miss this opportunity to stay ahead of the curve in the rapidly evolving landscape of AEC and AI.

The DEI Certificate program will provide participants with the knowledge and skills needed to develop, implement, and sustain effective DEI strategies and policies. Although research has shown that diverse and inclusive workplaces lead to better business outcomes, many A/E/C professionals do not have a blueprint to successfully activate an internal DEI program within their firm. By developing a DEI Certificate program customized for the A/E/C industry, SMPS will offer members the tools and roadmap to create a more inclusive and welcoming workplace.

To promote lifelong learning, SMPS will also require DEI certificate holders to earn DEUs, which are continuing education units specifically focused on diversity. This ongoing education allows participants to have access to resources that help them navigate the everchanging environment of workplace diversity. This certificate program aligns with our strategic priority to cultivate professionals with diverse expertise.

CEUs

Each 60-90 minute virtual program in this course is approved for 1 diversity education unit (DEU) .

Module 4: Building a DEI Program for Your Firm

Creating an effective Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) program requires a clear understanding of your organization’s current state, a strong foundational “why,” and actionable strategies driven by data. This course provides a comprehensive guide to developing, assessing, and implementing a DEI program tailored to your organization’s unique needs. Participants will learn how to collect and analyze relevant data, set realistic goals, and create sustainable practices that promote diversity and inclusion. Through practical examples and expert insights, this course aims to equip leaders and HR professionals with the tools necessary to foster an inclusive workplace culture.

Key Takeaways:

1. Assessing Current State: Understand the importance of an honest assessment of your current workplace environment as the first step in building a DEI program.
2. Establishing a Strong “Why”: Learn how to define the purpose and goals of your DEI program, ensuring they align with your organization’s broader objectives.
3. Data Collection and Audits: Identify the types of data you need, including demographic information and metrics related to hiring, attrition, and performance, to create an accurate picture of your workplace.
4. Reporting and Analysis: Understand how to generate and analyze reports that highlight patterns and inform your DEI strategy. Learn the importance of regular data refresh cycles and how to act on the findings.
5. Using Data to Drive Change: Discover how to use collected data to support the “why” of your DEI program, maintaining momentum and purpose. Learn strategies for communicating your goals and progress to stakeholders.
6. Stakeholder Engagement: Recognize the value of involving stakeholders, such as executives and employee resource groups, in the DEI journey to ensure accountability and broad-based support.
7. Practical Examples: Gain insights from examples of successful DEI initiatives, such as leadership development programs, learning and development enhancements, and salary audits for parity.
8. Resources and Tools: Access a curated list of resources and tools to further develop and refine your DEI efforts.

About T. Tara Turk-Haynes

T. Tara Turk-Haynes is a passionate advocate and operator for workplaces that are inclusive, equitable and foster belonging for diverse communities. She is the Founder of Equity Activations – a company committed to helping small and midsize companies embed DEIB practices into their day to day operations for impactful results. In her role at Leaf Group, she spearheaded the company’s DEI journey, introducing customized effective programs and resources for individual and group learning. In addition to leading DEI Champion committees, ERGs, and creating DEI auditing processes, she expanded global awareness of issues affecting underrepresented communities across the company’s digital media and marketplace brands. T. Tara also chaired Graham Holdings Company’s DEI Council and has been recognized as a trusted leader offering results driven consulting, creative approaches to challenges, and leadership coaching. She has made significant contributions through virtual events, panel discussions, and featured appearances at prominent conferences and publications.

Each 60-minute webinar in this course is approved for 1 continuing education unit (CEU) for the Certified Professional Services Marketer program. 

The DEI Certificate program will provide participants with the knowledge and skills needed to develop, implement, and sustain effective DEI strategies and policies. Although research has shown that diverse and inclusive workplaces lead to better business outcomes, many A/E/C professionals do not have a blueprint to successfully activate an internal DEI program within their firm. By developing a DEI Certificate program customized for the A/E/C industry, SMPS will offer members the tools and roadmap to create a more inclusive and welcoming workplace.

To promote lifelong learning, SMPS will also require DEI certificate holders to earn DEUs, which are continuing education units specifically focused on diversity. This ongoing education allows participants to have access to resources that help them navigate the everchanging environment of workplace diversity. This certificate program aligns with our strategic priority to cultivate professionals with diverse expertise.

CEUs

Each 60-90 minute virtual program in this course is approved for 1 diversity education unit (DEU) .

Module 3: Inclusive Leadership

The evolving workplace requires leaders to not only drive performance but also to cultivate inclusive, equitable, and accessible environments where team members feel valued and empowered. This course delves into the principles of inclusive leadership, offering practical strategies to foster an environment where diverse perspectives are heard and respected. Participants will learn to navigate the complexities of modern leadership, develop essential skills such as self-awareness, empathy, and vulnerability, and implement actionable steps to create a more inclusive workplace.

Key Takeaways:

1. Understanding Inclusive Leadership: Learn the core concepts and importance of inclusive leadership, which goes beyond traditional management to create equitable environments.
2. Essential Skills for Inclusive Leaders: Develop key skills including self-awareness, curiosity, vulnerability, courage, and empathy to better support and lead diverse teams.
3. Three-Step Framework: Implement a straightforward framework to lead by example, mitigate bias intentionally, and redesign outdated practices for modern, inclusive leadership.
4. Practical Implementation: Discover easy-to-implement strategies such as designing safe spaces, promoting accessibility, and prioritizing team well-being without waiting for organizational initiatives.
5. Challenges and Opportunities: Understand the challenges of inclusive leadership and the significant positive impact it can have on talent attraction, retention, and overall organizational culture.
6. Resources for Further Learning: Access additional resources and educational materials to continue developing inclusive leadership skills and understanding implicit biases.

About Dani Herrera

Dani is a bilingual, certified, award-winning DEI and Talent Professional with 17 years of global experience in Talent Operations, DEI, and Leadership.

Among many other things, Dani is a Talent and DEI Consultant, Trainer, and Speaker. She’s also the Awareness & Advocacy Founding Partner at Allies in Recruiting, a volunteer DEI Expert for the NASA IDEA Practitioners Database, a Career Mentor, and a Content creator.

Dani is radically and unapologetically committed to helping organizations analyze and deconstruct biased and inequitable systems. She works (very!) intentionally to nurture cultures that attract and retain talent from historically excluded communities, design processes that minimize biases, and build strategies and systems that foster inclusion, equity, and belonging. She’s also a fierce advocate for the Latine and Immigrant Communities in the United States. 

Dani’s had the privilege of speaking at local and international events, including SXSW, Disrupt HR, Hacking HR, and Manifest Equity. Her POV has been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Inc. Magazine, the BBC, and Refinery 29, among many others!

Each 60-minute webinar in this course is approved for 1 continuing education unit (CEU) for the Certified Professional Services Marketer program. 

The DEI Certificate program will provide participants with the knowledge and skills needed to develop, implement, and sustain effective DEI strategies and policies. Although research has shown that diverse and inclusive workplaces lead to better business outcomes, many A/E/C professionals do not have a blueprint to successfully activate an internal DEI program within their firm. By developing a DEI Certificate program customized for the A/E/C industry, SMPS will offer members the tools and roadmap to create a more inclusive and welcoming workplace.

To promote lifelong learning, SMPS will also require DEI certificate holders to earn DEUs, which are continuing education units specifically focused on diversity. This ongoing education allows participants to have access to resources that help them navigate the everchanging environment of workplace diversity. This certificate program aligns with our strategic priority to cultivate professionals with diverse expertise.

CEUs

Each 60-90 minute virtual program in this course is approved for 1 diversity education unit (DEU) .

Module 2: Overcoming Unconscious Bias to Foster an Inclusive Workplace

Unconscious bias is an inherent aspect of human cognition, influenced by our backgrounds, experiences, and societal norms. This course provides a comprehensive understanding of unconscious bias, its types, and its impact on workplace inclusivity. Participants will learn practical strategies to recognize, address, and mitigate unconscious biases in their professional environments. Through engaging discussions and actionable insights, this course aims to empower individuals and organizations to foster a more inclusive and equitable workplace.

Key Takeaways:

1. Understanding Unconscious Bias: Learn what unconscious bias is, how it develops, and why it is unavoidable due to the immense amount of information we process daily.
2. Types of Unconscious Bias: Gain knowledge about various types of unconscious biases such as affinity bias, beauty bias, confirmation bias, gender bias, the halo/horns effect, name bias, and weight bias, and how they manifest in the workplace.
3. Addressing Unconscious Bias: Discover the power of asking good questions to uncover and address biases. Learn techniques to identify commonalities, create contrast, and ask questions that promote inclusion and innovation.
4. Bias in the Hiring Process: Identify how bias influences hiring decisions and learn strategies to mitigate it, including:
   • Exaggeration: Reviewing job postings to ensure qualifications are necessary and inclusive.
   • Consistency: Using standardized questions and evaluation criteria during interviews.
   • Involvement: Increasing diversity in decision-making processes by involving multiple people with specific roles.
5. Practical Implementation: Understand the importance of continuous improvement and the impact of addressing unconscious bias on creating a better workplace for current and future employees.
6. Resources for Further Learning: Access additional resources such as Project Implicit and articles on the connection between unconscious bias and brain function, and examples of unconscious bias in the workplace.

About Kat Kibben

Kat Kibben is an award-winning writer and renowned keynote speaker known for helping hiring teams write inclusive, unbiased job postings that help them hire the right person faster. 

Before founding Three Ears Media, Kat was a CMO, Technical Copywriter, and Managing Editor for leading companies like Monster.com, Care.com, and Randstad Worldwide. Today, they are frequently featured as an HR and recruiting expert in publications like The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Forbes. 

Kat travels the country in their RV while dividing time between North Carolina, Colorado, and the dogs behind the name Three Ears Media.

Each 60-minute webinar in this course is approved for 1 continuing education unit (CEU) for the Certified Professional Services Marketer program.