wrote about municipal utilities and local water districts, and how they provide such clear, pure, tasteless, odorless, and safe water to their customers. I wrote about water being the most critical issue facing the State of Texas, about the availability of water in that specific part of Texas, and about the need to make the most efficient use of this vital but very limited resource. Finally, I told a story about my client’s technical approach and ad- ministrative process on a recent similar project for another group of municipal utilities — how they studied the local water situation and sent staff crisscrossing the area to talk with a variety of water cus- tomers; how they conducted multiple public meetings to collect ad- ditional input from the communities affected; how they worked with utility staff to create processes that could be implemented and managed effectively, using finite local financial and manpower resources; and how they debriefed with the utility both six months and one year after implementing the new processes. I told this story with photographs — of the old and new equipment, of people using the new equipment, of crowds at public meetings, of meeting handouts, and of staff members in training sessions, as well as screenshots of the project website. In short, I convinced this utility group that my client understood the importance of the service and product they provided their community, and the policy and operational challenges their staff had to meet every day in satisfying the needs of local water users. I also convinced them that my client had a better understanding of these items than any other firm/team that was likely to submit a proposal. Then, having solidly established this connection in the minds of the owner’s selection committee members — in other words, after my compelling story — I established my client’s technical credentials through their specific qualifications, relevant project experience, and staff resumes. The combination of connection and credentials — along with a great shortlist interview — resulted in a win. And at the end of that year, their revenues were more than double those of the previous year. Today’s A/E industry is full of anecdotes about how a compelling story helped a firm get selected over other teams with stronger technical credentials. LGArchitects, Inc. (LGA) is another firm that recognizes the value of a great story. LGA likes to outline a vision for the project 10, 20, 30, and more years from today. Then, they tell the story from the perspective of all potential users. Once the job is won, that becomes the start of the vision dialogue. According to LGA’s Craig Galati, AIA, FSMPS, CPSM, a storytelling effort helped win a project for the Springs Preserve, a 180-acre nature preserve a few miles west of downtown Las Vegas, operated by the Las Vegas Valley Water District.
“In the late 1990s, we were invited to review a plan for a nature preserve right outside Las Vegas,” Galati said. “The client staff was mostly biologists and sociologists who would react well to a ‘softer and more heartfelt’ approach. We wrote a poem about the preserve, the native tribes that used the site, and how seeds were dropped and plants and trees grew. Other competitors had more depth and breadth, but our team was selected.” Another aspect of great storytelling is that it helps you show the client you understand their project challenges. Your compelling story allows you to demonstrate to the client that you have “been there, done that,” and can repeat the successful process on their project.
In the early 2000s, the proposal team for a major renovation of the main terminal building at Dallas Love FieldAirport met at the architect prime’s office. I attended with the president (an engineer) of my firm, which was to provide a variety of engineering and other services for the project. The connecting hallways of the Love Field terminal building are aver- age height for such a facility, probably about 15 or 18 feet. But the main waiting room is a cavernous space, probably four stories or more in height. The ceiling is so high that a small propeller plane hangs over the space. The architects and engineer discussed numerous aspects of design, basic configurations and movement pathways, and HVAC and lighting challenges. The only thing they never mentioned — the 800-pound gorilla in the room — was the ceiling height of the main waiting room. Finally, I cleared my throat and said, “Look, the average man is be- tween 5 feet, 7 inches and 6 feet tall. The ceiling in the main waiting room is 40 or 50 feet high, maybe more. I think we need to give some thought to how we “humanize” the space, what we might do to make people comfortable in the space. It’s not about the distraction of a cof- fee bar or a snack counter. We have to make the space less intimidating to the person who wants a place to relax with their coffee, donut, and emails until their flight is called. If you’ve ever had that kind of chal- lenge on another project, this is the ideal place to tell that story.” And that became the main story — and one of the win themes — of that proposal. In the end, our team was selected for the project. The client’s project manager later told our own project manager that we were the only team
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may 2018
csengineermag.com
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