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ON THE MOVE RJN GROUP, INC. SELECTS JEFF PLYMALE AS NEW COMPANY PRESIDENT RJN Group, Inc. announced that its board of directors has unanimously chosen Jeff Plymale as the organization’s next president. Plymale, who currently serves as RJN’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, will succeed Al Hollenbeck, the company’s current president and CEO. Hollenbeck will remain CEO and chairman of the board. After a thorough succession planning process, the board is pleased to have found the best individual to become the third president in the 42-year history of the firm. Plymale has a track record of strong leadership and innovation both inside and outside of RJN. This combined with his deep industry knowledge and institutional tenure makes Plymale uniquely

qualified to lead RJN successfully into the future. “I’m honored for the opportunity to lead this exceptional organization of creative, dedicated, and talented professionals,” said Plymale. “RJN provides innovative, cost- effective engineering solutions every day, and our solutions offer a cleaner and safer community around the United States. This is a terrific opportunity that any leader would welcome.” Plymale holds a bachelor of science in civil engineering from the University of Illinois and joined RJN Group, Inc. in 2000. Since then, he has undertaken various management positions within the organization, including business development, strategic planning, geographic expansion, product development, and management of multiple large-scale

condition assessment programs around the country with municipalities under federal consent decrees. Prior to joining RJN, Jeff worked both in the U.S. and internationally on large scale engineering programs with some of the largest utilities in the world including Australia, Singapore, and Europe. Hollenbeck expressed confidence in the board’s choice. “Jeff is an outstanding leader and has been instrumental in our growth, innovation, and success over the years. I’m very pleased with the board’s decision, and I’m confident Jeff will ensure that RJN continues to be an industry leader in solving challenging infrastructure issues,” Hollenbeck said.

KELLY THOMPSON, from page 9

is making in the lives of its everyday users. Videos take time to produce (although it’s much easier these days with smart devices), but have an irresistible power to fire our imagination and move our soul. ❚ ❚ Social media. Social media posts are known for being short, concise, and ephemeral. Because of this, we often neglect to harness the power of our social networks to narrate our sto- ries. This medium, however, has two important benefits – the potential to reach thousands of people (or more in the event that it goes viral), and the flexibility to include words, pic- tures, and videos. Did you know Instagram has its own “sto- ries” feature? Have you explored creating a Twitter Moment? Or, as an idea that’s a bit more simplistic, have you thought about creating a branded hashtag to tell your story? At Little, we created #thisislittletome to curate the story of our culture and what it means in the eyes of our employees. There are countless ways to tell powerful, unique stories on social me- dia. Go experiment! ❚ ❚ Print materials. Whether a cover letter in a proposal or a project case study in a brochure, your print materials have the opportunity to tell stories, build relationships, and create lasting impressions. In this medium, words become so much more important. We’re often under the misconception that elaborate sentences full of industry terms are more profes- sional. Unfortunately, those sentences are typically hard to understand and aren’t effective or memorable. Think about who your audience is, what their needs are, and what you’re trying to achieve. Position your content in the context of a story with shorter sentences, smaller words, and an active voice. For example, instead of a proposal cover letter that rambles on about why your firm is most qualified, try crafting a story about why the project is important to you or captivate the reader’s imagination with how you envision the project impacting the community. So, what are you waiting for? Collect your stories and take time to hone them in both content and in delivery. Your story may be the key to winning a project, identifying a new service offering, or attracting a potential new employee. Isn’t it time you shared it? KELLY THOMPSON is a senior associate and marketing communications manager at Little. Contact her at kthompson@littleonline.com.

the difference. Keeping this in mind, along with the tips for successful storytelling covered in last week’s article, consider the following mediums to convey your stories once you have them formulated: ❚ ❚ Presentations. Presentations are critical in our industry – it’s how we win work, it’s how we share our innovative thinking, and it’s also one of the most powerful ways to tell stories. Unfortunately, too often our presentations are a deck of slides with weak visuals and an exorbitant amount of text. Instead of laundry lists of bullets, focus on your ability to tell an engaging, relevant story. Cognitive scientists say when it comes to presentation design, we can’t read text on the screen and listen to the speaker while retaining all of the informa- tion. It can’t be done. If you have to use slides to support your story (by the way, no slides is a viable option), think pictures. Choose images that paint a picture for your audience and don’t be afraid to use visuals that create an element of surprise. Remember, your goal is to get those dopamine and oxytocin chemicals stirring in your listeners’ brains. “Collect your stories and take time to hone them in both content and in delivery. Your story may be the key to winning a project, identifying a new service offering, or attracting a potential new employee. Isn’t it time you shared it?” ❚ ❚ Videos. Videos allow you to tell a story that words on a slide could never tell. Remember the infamous, yet politically charged, 2017 online Superbowl ad by 84 Lumber? This short video, incorporating a beginning, middle, and end, took you on an emotional journey of a mother and daughter making their way to the Mexico-U.S. border. While none of us would be likely to take a political stance in our own videos, the idea that can be borrowed from 84 Lumber is how we, as AEC pro- fessionals, can impact lives and be part of a collective memo- ry. Instead of showing photographs of a project, talking about its square footage and all of the great program elements, tell a story through video that shows the difference that project

THE ZWEIG LETTER October 16, 2017, ISSUE 1220

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