Deliberate Words

David Stutzman and Steve Gantner
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by Conspectus, Inc. - decision managers, word masters, aggregators. There is tremendous power in a word that is perfectly placed at the best location, at the best time, during the design and construction process of a project. Deliberate words can manage success, build trust, and provide transparency that every member of the project team craves. As decision managers of the team, Conspectus explores the notion of how transparency transforms three main components of every project: behavior, content, and outcomes, through the appropriate usage of words. Behavior of every participant, is the foundation communication and collaboration, through deliberate words. It will transform the team, and build strong relationships. Content, the documentation built on these relationships, containing deliberate words, is then transformed. The outcome is a successful project, with a legacy of ultimate collaboration. Join us as we chat with members of the architectural, engineering, construction, and owner communities to learn how deliberate word shape their contributions, their projects, and their world! Through these conversations, words aggregate decisions, and transforms perspectives on transparency in the decision-making process.

  1. What A Week! Field Experience Sharpens Specifications, with Jay Bethel

    APR 28

    What A Week! Field Experience Sharpens Specifications, with Jay Bethel

    This week, we welcome a special guest from the Conspectus team - senior specifier Jay Bethel.  We chat about his unusual path into specifications. Jay moved from hands-on construction and historic restoration into construction administration, then ultimately into the world of specs nearly two decades ago. That field experience still shapes how he works today, bringing a contractor’s mindset to design decisions, constructability reviews, cost awareness, and real-world practicality. The discussion also explores productivity, concise writing, the evolution of specification tools, and why the best specifiers never stop learning from what gets built in the field. Along the way, Jay shares stories from swing scaffolds, deer-filled commutes, and life as a longtime working musician. It’s a reminder that great specifiers are often built from diverse experiences, not linear résumés. Learning Points Industry Insight Some of the strongest specification professionals come from construction backgrounds, where installation realities and field sequencing are second nature. Practice Takeaway A contractor’s lens can improve design outcomes by challenging impractical details before they reach the field. Process Lesson Good specs are not about more words. Clear, concise, coordinated language often performs better than bloated documents. Risk or Opportunity When teams ignore constructability and cost during design, problems simply wait until bidding or construction to surface. People & Culture Different backgrounds strengthen firms. Designers, builders, administrators, and technical writers each see risks others may miss.

    25 min
  2. Collaborator Extraordinaire at SOM, Featuring Rowan Georges

    APR 23

    Collaborator Extraordinaire at SOM, Featuring Rowan Georges

    Rowan Georges joins us as a collaborator extraordinaire at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), where he helps engage and inspire generations of designers across one of the world’s most influential firms. Rowan connects people, information, materials, and decisions across project teams, transforming complexity into coordinated action and the exceptional documents for which SOM is known. A passionate advocate for design intent, Rowan believes specifications are far more than paperwork at the end of a project. To him, they are a living thread woven from concept through construction, telling the story of why we build, how we build, and what systems and materials bring vision into reality. Where relationships, technical knowledge, innovation, and architecture intersect, Rowan often stands at the center, helping teams turn bold ideas into executable outcomes. In this episode, he shares his vision for a more collaborative future where architects, specifiers, contractors, manufacturers, and owners work from the same playbook to create smarter processes, stronger partnerships, and better buildings.

    52 min
  3. What A Week! The Hidden ROI of Product Shows

    APR 20

    What A Week! The Hidden ROI of Product Shows

    Spring doesn’t just bring thunderstorms, it signals the start of product show season across the industry. This week, the team compares experiences from traditional trade show floors to structured “speed dating” events like CSI Chicago’s CSI2eye. Steve Gantner, Elias Saltz and Tina Montone chat about how architects, specifiers, and manufacturers navigate the sometimes awkward dance of engagement, whether walking the floor or working a booth. From eye contact and first lines to deeper technical conversations, the episode reframes product shows as more than swag and small talk. At their best, they become a two-way exchange of knowledge, where product reps and specifiers collaborate to solve real project challenges. The takeaway is clear: meaningful engagement, not just attendance, is what turns these events into valuable project resources. Learning Points Industry Insight Product shows are evolving from passive exhibits into active, curated engagements, especially with formats like scheduled one-on-one sessions. Practice Takeaway Don’t overthink the approach. A simple “tell me what’s new” or “how should I specify this?” opens the door to valuable technical insight. Process Lesson Early and direct conversations with product reps can refine specification decisions faster than independent research alone. Risk or Opportunity Missed engagement is missed intelligence. Walking past a booth might mean overlooking a solution to a current or future problem. People & Culture The best interactions happen when both sides drop the script. Authentic curiosity from attendees and genuine responsiveness from reps build lasting relationships. Quote Worth Repeating “Product reps are my number one resource right behind the internet.”

    18 min
  4. What A Week! Supply Chain as a Design Input

    APR 13

    What A Week! Supply Chain as a Design Input

    This episode reframes supply chain not as a downstream construction issue, but as a design constraint that must be addressed early. Late-stage decisions on equipment and systems often collide with real-world lead times, forcing redesign, substitutions, and schedule impacts. The discussion highlights how integrating market awareness, contractor input, and early equipment selection into the design process can reduce uncertainty and improve alignment. Strategies such as pre-purchasing and locking in long-lead items shift risk forward, allowing the rest of the design to develop with clarity. The takeaway: when supply chain is treated as a design input, not a surprise, projects are better positioned to meet schedule, budget, and performance goals. Learning Points Industry insight: Supply chain challenges can be the result of late design decisions, shifting the burden from design teams to contractors during construction. Practice takeaway: Identify long-lead items early and consider strategies such as pre-purchasing or early procurement to maintain project schedules. Process lesson: Engaging contractors and leveraging their knowledge of market conditions during design improves decision-making and reduces uncertainty. Risk or opportunity: Failing to address supply chain constraints early can lead to redesign, delays, and cost escalation, while proactive planning creates opportunities for schedule and budget control. People & culture: Stronger collaboration between designers, contractors, and owners early in the process leads to more informed decisions and better project outcomes.

    14 min
  5. What A Week! The Art of Squirreling

    APR 6

    What A Week! The Art of Squirreling

    This episode dives into the familiar specifier experience of going down the research rabbit hole, or as the team calls it, “squirreling.” What starts as a simple product lookup can quickly turn into chasing ASTM references, code citations, performance data, and manufacturer documentation that leads in unexpected directions. Product research used to be limited to curated catalogs, while today’s unlimited online access makes it easy to keep digging long past the original question. Deep research builds expertise, but it can also consume time and distract from decision-making. Dave, Steve & Elias share how these detours often uncover useful knowledge that benefits other projects and reinforces the specifier’s role as a technical resource. The takeaway is not to avoid “squirreling,” but to recognize when it’s productive learning and when it’s simply wandering. Learning Points Industry insight: Product research has expanded dramatically with online resources, increasing both opportunity and information overload for design and specification teams. Practice takeaway: Start product research with trusted directories like 4specs.com, the Specifier Portal, or known sources to avoid unnecessary time spent chasing irrelevant information. Process lesson: Following references such as ASTM standards and code citations can reveal critical requirements, but teams should define when research has reached sufficient depth for decision-making. Risk or opportunity: Excessive research can delay progress, yet strategic “squirreling” builds knowledge that improves future specifications and problem-solving. People & culture: Specifiers often serve as knowledge hubs for project teams, using accumulated research experience to guide architects, engineers, and owners toward informed decisions.

    16 min

  6. MAR 27

    What A Week! Do We Really Need Submittal Reports?

    This episode explores a recurring request from design teams: generating submittal, QA, and other specification-based reports. The discussion questions the actual purpose of these reports and whether they provide meaningful value. While potential uses include internal review of required submittals or cross-checking contractor submissions, the conversation highlights significant challenges. Inconsistent formatting across consultant specifications, variations in CSI section organization, and reliance on automation all make accurate report generation difficult. The team also considers whether AI could extract submittal data, but notes similar reliability concerns. Ultimately, the episode raises a larger issue: relying on reports as shortcuts may discourage teams from actually reading the specifications. The conversation ends with an open challenge to the industry to reconsider why these reports are requested and whether they truly improve project outcomes. Learning Points Industry insight: Requests for submittal and QA reports are common, but the intended purpose and value of these reports are often unclear. Practice takeaway: Before generating specification-based reports, teams should define how the information will be used and whether it improves coordination or decision-making. Process lesson: Automated report generation depends on consistent formatting across specifications, which is difficult to achieve when multiple consultants contribute content. Risk or opportunity: Using reports as checklists outside the specifications may discourage thorough review of the actual project requirements and lead to missed coordination issues. People & culture: Questioning long-standing practices, such as requesting submittal reports, encourages more thoughtful workflows and better engagement with the specifications.

    11 min
  7. Design Intent, with a Cherry on Top - featuring Ben Caldwell, the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)

    MAR 26

    Design Intent, with a Cherry on Top - featuring Ben Caldwell, the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)

    Design intent is the governing framework of a project, yet it is often compromised as it moves from concept through construction. In this episode of Deliberate Words, Ben Caldwell, Director of Specifications at the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), joins Dave and Steve for a discussion on how design intent can be systematically preserved through documentation, alignment, and early-stage decision-making. The conversation examines the role of narrative-based specifications, the continued relevance of UniFormat as a systems-based approach, and the value of integrating estimating insight earlier in the process. Rather than treating documentation as a downstream technical exercise, Ben positions it as an active instrument for conveying intent, coordinating systems, and enabling informed decisions. Drawing from BIG’s global practice, the discussion challenges conventional methods and reframes specifications as a critical medium for translating design into constructed reality, with a brief but memorable aside on the unlikely inspiration of a well-crafted banana split.

    51 min
  8. What A Week! Peek Behind the Curtain of Conspectus Cloud

    MAR 23

    What A Week! Peek Behind the Curtain of Conspectus Cloud

    This episode offers a rare peek behind the curtain at how a specification platform is developed by the very practitioners who use it every day, experienced specifiers who write construction documents and coordinate design intent on active projects. Rather than a traditional software roadmap, the conversation reveals how real project challenges, user feedback, and daily workflow friction drive feature development. The team discusses how even seemingly simple ideas require extensive “what-if” discussions, technical evaluation, and collaboration with developers. A current effort to enable multi-firm collaboration highlights the complexity behind decisions that affect document control and shared content. What makes the discussion unique is hearing specifiers: Dave Stutzman, Steve Gantner, and Elias Saltz explain how their real-world experience shapes the evolution of the tool. The result is a candid look at how practical project needs translate into software features designed to support better collaboration and documentation. Learning Points Industry insight: Developing tools for construction documentation is inherently iterative, shaped by real project use rather than a fixed roadmap. Practice takeaway: User suggestions, real-world workflows, and day-to-day friction points are often the strongest drivers for meaningful feature improvements. Process lesson: Even small feature requests can create cascading impacts, requiring extensive discussion, prioritization, and testing before implementation. Risk or opportunity: Without careful evaluation, new features can disrupt existing workflows; thoughtful development creates opportunities for better collaboration and efficiency. People & culture: Open dialogue between users, specifiers, and developers encourages transparency and leads to more practical, usable solutions.

    17 min
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About

by Conspectus, Inc. - decision managers, word masters, aggregators. There is tremendous power in a word that is perfectly placed at the best location, at the best time, during the design and construction process of a project. Deliberate words can manage success, build trust, and provide transparency that every member of the project team craves. As decision managers of the team, Conspectus explores the notion of how transparency transforms three main components of every project: behavior, content, and outcomes, through the appropriate usage of words. Behavior of every participant, is the foundation communication and collaboration, through deliberate words. It will transform the team, and build strong relationships. Content, the documentation built on these relationships, containing deliberate words, is then transformed. The outcome is a successful project, with a legacy of ultimate collaboration. Join us as we chat with members of the architectural, engineering, construction, and owner communities to learn how deliberate word shape their contributions, their projects, and their world! Through these conversations, words aggregate decisions, and transforms perspectives on transparency in the decision-making process.

Information

  • Creator
    David Stutzman and Steve Gantner
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    83
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Deliberate Words
  • Show Website
    Deliberate Words