I've heard it said that you learn (or re-learn) something best when you have to teach it to others. So I try to teach as often as the opportunity arises. In fact, my desire to share knowledge is such that my answers are often way more detailed than the questioner ever wanted!
So far this year, I've had three opportunities to conduct professional workshops, requiring quite a bit of travel.
In late February, I went to Anchorage, Alaska, where I conducted two half-day workshops at the Alaska Surveying and Mapping Conference. In the morning, I did my "Who's Afraid of Marketing?" for the 17th time. I love doing this workshop. It's designed for senior technical folks -- project manager and higher -- who fear marketing as an "unknown" because they don't know they do it every day. In the afternoon, I did my new "RFQs/RFPs -- Writing and Responding" for the first time. This session focuses on the required components of a solicitation and the various ways to respond to them. It also touches on the ethical dilemma of whether or not to write an RFQ or RFP for which only the writer's firm can make a fully responsive submittal.
In mid-April I had two speaking engagements -- one in California and the other in Florida. At Lake Tahoe, I spoke to CELSOC, the Consulting Engineers and Land Surveyors of California, presenting a shorter version of "Who's Afraid of Marketing?". A week later I was at the ZweigWhite 2008 Marketing Now Summit in Coral Gables, where I presented a new workshop on how an A/E firm's marketing staff might be impacted by the firm's implementation of an "integrated services" method of service delivery.
One of these opportunities paid a fee plus travel, lodging and miscellaneous expenses; one paid for travel and lodging; and one gave me only a free conference registration. It didn't matter. The combined opportunities to teach and to learn are always worth it for me.
These are great opportunities to talk about a wide range of "how to's" related to marketing A/E, planning, surveying, environmental and construction phase services. They showcase me and my firm and bring me additional opportunities to teach, write and consult. But the best part is the exchange -- the "question and answer" section at the end of each workshop, where I get to defend my ideas, which helps me make sure they are still relevant, or that I've struck the right chord in developing a new presentation.
I learn more in these "teaching" sessions than in anything else I do. If you and your firm would like to give me an opportunity to learn by teaching, call me at 559.901.9596 or contact me at [email protected]. I'll be happy to chat with you about how I can deliver the kind(s) of workshops you want to provide for your staff.