Managing The Built Environment

I recently delivered a workshop on Strategic Writing to a group of FM professionals. It’s the same workshop I’ve given for other Property Management and Facility Management organizations who want to elevate their ability to write well, and present a good image and influence others.

Some of the participants had the same concern that others have had related to memo’s or letters. The approach I teach is focused primarily on communicating information and influencing the reader to do what you want, whether it’s agreement, approval or to follow directions. Since the writing has a clear purpose, I teach techniques that support the purpose. Every Facility Management professional needs to know how to communicate effectively to be successful yet this soft skill is often overlooked.

To that point, here is a very relevant quote:

“The only people in the world who can change things are those who can sell ideas” - - Louis Wyse, advertising executive

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(First, my apologies to the Property Managers out there - your function and role is much clearer and has a much more obvious and measurable impact to your company)

The demands of the job are intense, the stakes high and the credit often elusive, but we all know how important the job is and I believe the industry is continuing to make progress to get attention and respect in the organizations you serve.

As costs increase, both for the real estate and the cost of operations, not to mention the cost of the human resources we house, Facilities Management becomes more and more important. Continue reading »