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This page contains reports of our public programmes and other exciting events! View specific programmes only: All programmes & events: Dare To Speak™ Public Speaking Programme for Executives & Professionals The registration for this session was not very encouraging. It could be due to the uncertainty and hyperactivity surrounding the General Elections. In any case, I worked hard and managed to get 8 participants to attend the class. We went back to the TM Convention Centre.
The course went off to a energetic start. As usual, the trainer Azmi Shahrin was enthusiastic. Since the number was small, he had more time to ask each participant in detail what he or she feared most about public speaking and what he or she wanted to get out of this course. He then assured all present that their respective problems were common and could be overcome.
As usual, the key modules covered included body language (4 elements), vocal variety, speech organization and others. And again, the highlight of the course was the personal coaching that the participants received. Each participant had the opportunity to present 6 speeches throughout the programme and was coached intensively. During some of the speeches, the participants were encouraged to speak on topics related to their work.
Course highlight:
For tea breaks and lunch on both days, I had to buy food from outside and it involved a lot of work. However, I persevered to ensure everyone was happy. The programme ended with the presentation of certificates and evaluation. Luckily, everyone was happy with their progress over the 2 days. However, I still have to devise a strategy to get more participants for the next round! Bonus photo:
Reported by Sandy Tan
For this round, registration was slow at first but it really picked up as the programme dates were fast approaching. In the end, I accepted 11 participants and had to turn away 5 others. I also had some problems booking the training room but fortunately our usual room at Crystal Crown was made available after another event organizer postponed his event date. So we went back to our preferred training venue. Amazingly, nobody pulled out before the class or on the second day due to work-related emergencies (despite the class being held on weekdays). So we had 11 participants throughout the course.
In this course, the key modules covered included body language (4 elements), vocal variety, speech organization and others. However, the highlight of the course was the personal coaching that the each participant received. During each round of practice, the participants were coached and directed as to which areas to improve.
A few more photos of personal coaching:
Besides going through the usual modules, the trainer Azmi Shahrin was always sensitive to the personal needs of the participants by providing opportunities for them to gain skills critical to their work.
The trainer also threw in some bonus tips for an effective PowerPoint presentation (not part of this basic course). In the following photos, another participant had the chance to practise with the flipchart.
In addition to ordinary speeches, we also had a discussion session where participants had to practise speaking while seated!
Here are closed-up photos of the remaining participants (those not shown above):
I believe this was one of the most active and happy groups that we have encountered! Everyone kept the energy level high till the closing session. Reported by Sandy Tan
It's difficult to believe that the Dare To Speak™ Public Speaking Programme has been running for 4 years. This first session in 2013 marked the beginning of the programme's 5th year of existence. It is very important for us to maintain the interest while improving the programme so that more people can benefit from this highly effective course. For this first session, we faced some difficulties in getting enough participants but it was overcome with extra effort. In the end, we had 11 participants even though on the second day we were left with 10.
Right from the beginning, the effectiveness of this course lies in the extensive hands-on practice. It was no different in this round. The trainer Azmi Shahrin explained each module briefly and spent the rest of the time coaching the participants individually (after the module was explained). The modules covered included body language (4 elements), vocal variety, speech organization and others.
Here are some photos of the participants speaking:
For me personally, the most inspiring speech during this entire course was presented by Daniel Tey, who shared how he lost more than 20 kg in a short period of time:
In any case, all the participants presented interesting topics relating to their life and career and everyone showed a marked improvement over the 2 days. Although there were some inconveniences in the provision of meals over the weekend, the participants were well-fed. For tea breaks, I bought doughnuts for all. On the first day, we had lunch at Secret Recipe situated at the basement of Menara TM. On the second day, I ordered pizza. It was hard work but well worth it.
The programme ended with evaluations and certificate presentation. Reported by Sandy Tan
We had a small group for this session with 8 participants. In fact, only 7 registered through the normal channel and I had to ask a friend to send his child to raise the total to 8. We decided to go ahead with the programme in order not to disappoint parents who had registered their children. The programme started with the trainer asking the participants whether they chose to be there or were forced by their parents to attend the class. Half of them answered one way and half the other way. They were all asked to enjoy the 2 days irrespective of their answers.
The actual training proceeded in the usual way, of course, at a level suitable for the young children. Due to the small number, each of them had many opportunities to speak.
Over the 2 days, the children made friends and began to enjoy the programme more and more.
During the second afternoon, we had the graduation ceremony at 3 p. m. More than half the parents attended.
The 8 participants did their best for their parents and peers.
Prizes were given to the 3 best speakers. The "judge" was myself.
In closing, 2 parents shared their thoughts on the programme.
All in all, everyone went home happy. Reported by Sandy Tan
To close our 4-year run of this programme, I decided to have a change of training venue just to get a fresh breath of air. So I chose the Jaya33 Convention Centre which was very near our usual training location (Crystal Crown Hotel). Registration was a bit hard to come by probably due to the course being held on weekdays and towards the end of the year. However, I worked extra hard to get the numbers. Eventually, we still had a full class of 10 participants.
The training proceeded as usual with each module being covered and the participants undergoing many rounds of presentation and individual coaching. The modules included overcoming nervousness, body language, vocal variety, speech organization and correct pronunciation. I had a few errands to run outside and did not catch much of the action. But I could see that everyone was eager to learn and improve. And they did improve a lot over the 2 days.
Since we could not sign up for catering due to the small number, we decided to provide breakfast and lunch instead of lunch and teabreaks. On both days, the participants had a hearty and healthy breakfast at Coffee Bean and an enjoyable lunch at Georgetown White Coffee. Both were within the Jaya33 complex. In short, Jaya33 was a reasonable alternative and we would consider having more trainings there. Here are some photos of the trainer:
The programme ended on time and on a positive note. Reported by Sandy Tan
The response was exceptionally good for this session. As a result, we had to make arrangements to take up 2 rooms at the training centre and engage an assistant trainer. In the end, a total of 21 participants registered. The programme commenced and proceeded as usual. The main trainer Azmi Shahrin conducted all the main lectures. During the practical sessions, we split the participants into 2 groups. Azmi and the assistant trainer took charge of one group each (alternately). This enabled each participant to speak and be coached individually and the programme to (still) progress at the intended speed.
The assistant trainer Norhafis Nordin (nicknamed "Bobo") was assisted by myself in the smaller classroom. Interestingly, on the second morning, Azmi sent to us a few participants whom he found hard to motivate (spoke very little). We were asked to pay special attention to them. We used various means to get them to speak, with some success.
One of the programme highlights was the debate held during the first afternoon. The participants let go of their inhibitions and spoke their minds freely. Here are a few scenes from the debate:
For lunch on both days, we enjoyed food and fellowship at the nearby OldTown White Coffee:
Due to the large number, we did not have the opportunity to conduct the usual graduation ceremony where the participants would present their final speeches before the parents. However, we still had a grand finale round of speeches where each participant gave his or her best performance. Reported by Sandy Tan
This was the penultimate session before closing a 4-year run of this programme. As I hoped for, the registration process was not too difficult. 11 people registered. From experience I knew that 1 or 2 would not be able to make it to the class, hence I allowed up to 11 people to register. And true enough, only 9 turned up on the first day and 8 on the second day. So we ended up with quite an optimal number of students for effective coaching. As planned, we went back to Crystal Crown Hotel after conducting the training elsewhere in July.
There was not much difference between this round and the few earlier ones. The trainer took the participants through the standard modules on overcoming nervousness, body language, vocal variety and speech organization. Of course, the participants had many rounds of practice while being coached by the trainer. One of the things I liked about this training (this round and all the past rounds) was the trainer's willingness to take seriously and answer questions from the floor. Though this took up additional time but it made the participants happy. On the first day, I was not around most of the time as I had another meeting to attend and a few urgent things to do. I didn't see much of the action. When I arrived on the morning of the second day, I was relieved when one of the participants said he was very satisfied with the programme so far. Not that I was surprised but it's nice to be reassured anyway. And judging from their performance that morning, I could see that they had improved a lot since the beginning of the first day (based on the little that I saw).
The class ended a bit late on the second day but everyone went home satisfied. Reported by Sandy Tan
This was a great programme because, to begin with, we had full registration of 10 participants. Starting from 3 very keen students, I worked hard until we hit the minimum of 7 participants. I was determined to make this training session for college and university students a reality as we had not had it for more than a year. 3 days before the event, another 3 students signed up. One person did not turn up but we still had with 9 participants in the class. The training was held at JCI PJ, which was a bit out of the way but once you got into the training room, you'd find it very comfortable. The seating arrangement was U-shape.
After a brief opening which touched on ways to overcome nervousness, among other things, the participants were asked to start speaking. The trainer Azmi Shahrin did his usual thing by helping them correct their most obvious weaknesses right at the beginning, whether it was shifting feet, stiff hands, speech crutches, soft voice, etc. However, before each subsequent round of speeches, he also gave a formal explanation of 1 or 2 new skills to be learned. Thus he covered the 4 elements of hand gestures, vocal variety and other skills over the 2-day period.
I beleive that in this programme, the participants got to speak more times than was usually the case. On the first day, they spoke 4 times including taking part in a debate. On the second day, they spoke 3 times as the speeches become longer. Everyone showed remarkable improvement. The class ended with a session on correct English pronunciation. These are some pictures taken during the debate:
What about food? On the first day, we had lunch at Murni Restaurant which was just opposite the block where we had the training. On the second day, one group went with Azmi to a mamak restaurant while the rest of us patronized a Chinese kopitiam. I'm personally very thankful that the programme turned out so well. I faced several challenges along the way among which was one parent refused to deposit the registration fee into our account before the training day because we didn't our own centre which she wanted to see first. Despite explaining to her that most of our trainings were conducted at the premises of companies, she still pulled out her daughter. But thank God, others were more reasonable and didn't find this a problem. I'm also glad that no participant dropped out on the second day despite the "commando-style" training method used by the trainer who drilled each person repeatedly until he or she managed to "get it". But they improved, and that's the whole point of this training. Reported by Sandy Tan
Ever since 2009, we've been giving out "special offers" during Ramadan to Muslim participants. We did it again this year and the response was encouraging. In fact, I had to give away 6 instead of the originally planned 5 seats at the special price which constituted a 60% discount. Anyhow, response from the normal price segment was not far behind with 5 participants registering. As only half of the participants would be having their meals, we had to change to venue to the newly opened Telekom Malaysia Convention Centre which was located strategically next to the famous Menara Telekom in Bangsar. On the first day, however, only 9 participants could make it.
The training started off well. The trainer Azmi Shahrin asked each participant what was his or her greatest problem in public speaking and then gave a short encouraging response to each of them. Everyone was looking forward to overcoming their fears and worries. Participants were also asked to complete a simple self-assessment form which was found in the workbook. The core training was divided into 2 main segments of dynamic delivery skills and critical content, while dynamic delivery was divided into body language and vocal variety. Body language was further divided into 4 elements. The trainer gave a simple yet concise explanation for each skill that the participants were supposed to learn. The participants got 3 rounds of practice on the first day.
On the first day, we (those who're not fasting) had lunch at Secret Recipe on Level LG of Menara TM. It was a cosy gathering too. (On the second day, I had to take away food from Kenny Rogers as per requested by one of the participants as Secret Recipe was closed.)
On the second day, unfortunately one participant dropped out. The remaining participants had another 3 rounds of practice. The training ended with a module on correct English pronunciation before the usual certificate presentation and closing speeches.
All in all, it was a successful programme. However, we'll revert to Crystal Crown Hotel for the next round for more comfort and convenience! Reported by Sandy Tan
After a very long lapse of more than 2 years, we finally managed to resume this training programme. It was upon the "great interest" of one of them to sign up that I began to work on it earnestly. I guess after the long break it became easier to find other interested parties. We limited the class to 6 participants and managed to get 5. With a small group to train, the course flow was pretty much fluid. After a short introduction by the trainer Azmi Shahrin on the common mistakes made by PowerPoint presenters, each participant was given the opportunity to present what he or she had prepared beforehand. In fact, throughout the day the participants presented the "same" project as many as 4 times. With each subsequent attempt, the objectives became clearer, font sizes became larger, redundant slides and information were gradually thrown out and other improvements were made, thanks to the guidance of the trainer. Surely it must feel very satisfying to undergo the process. As the participants presented, the trainer also ensured they applied the various public speaking skills which they had learned in Dare To Speak™. In this course, participants were allowed to speak in Bahasa Malaysia if they so desired. One of the participants did much better after he opted to speak in BM; I was pleasantly surprised to witness the transformation when I returned to the classroom later in the afternoon.
In short, we don't expect to conduct this great course again in the near future, but we'll do it soon enough. Maybe next year! Reported by Sandy Tan
Although this training programme had been running for quite some time, I tried not to take for granted that I could easily recruit participants. Therefore I was thankful to receive as many as 11 registrations for this round. The participants found us or came to us through different channels but as always, they were keen to learn. The following were our 11 amazing participants:
The programme went ahead smoothly with an introduction to public speaking followed by the usual modules. Due to having a full class, the practice sessions were a bit lengthy. Perhaps the next time we should limit participation strictly to 10 persons, though it could be a bit "cruel" to turn away the 11th (I always turn away the 12th). Anyway, the participants managed to learn all the essential elements of public speaking including hand gestures, stance, eye contact, facial expression, vocal variety, speech organization, etc. Along the way, the participants presented on various interesting topics, simple or profound. During one of the practice sessions, they were asked to speak as their company's representative, which everyone found very useful. The class ended a bit late on the second day with a quick certificate presentation ceremony. I didn't even have time to give a full closing speech as everyone wanted to rush home and the trainer also had to head up to Genting for another training on the next day! Reported by Sandy Tan
As this programme was to be held on weekdays, we expected some difficulty in obtaining participants. However, thanks to Axis Anugerah Sdn. Bhd. which registered 3 participants, we had a good start in terms of registration. In the course of time, 6 more participants registered. The venue was again Crystal Crown Hotel, PJ.
After a short introduction on the importance of public speaking, the trainer went into the individual modules including speech organization, body language, vocal variety and correct English pronunciation. As usual, the module on body language took the longest to cover as it consisted of 4 separate parts. And this time, in response to the participants' request, an extra emphasis was placed on speech organization. There was hands-on practice after each module or section.
In total, each participant had 6 rounds of individual practice and of being coached personally. Besides the standard stuff, the trainer also helped participants overcome individual "unique" weaknesses such as unnatural intonation and others. Outside of class time, the participants also had to opportunity to mingle and network during tea breaks and lunch. It was good that we had no "dropouts" for this round. All 9 participants managed to stay till the end as no work or other emergency arose. The class ended with certification presentation and evaluations.
In my closing speech, I encouraged the participants to continue speaking.
Reported by Sandy Tan
It's been more than a year since we last conducted this programme. In 2011, we did not manage to enlist a sufficient number of participants to have the class. This time round, 9 participants registered after I worked extra hard to promote the course and follow up on enquiries. However, only 8 of them eventually made it. As for the venue, we used English Champ's newly open centre at Dataran Pelangi Utama, Bandar Utama. In fact, we were the first people who used the centre even before their normal classes had started. The centre had a little platform/stage which was very suitable for public speaking training!
As usual, most of the participants were sent by their parents. Some were not very happy to be woken up early in the morning on a weekend during school holidays. But they warmed up pretty fast especially after making friends with one another and having the first round of practice. On the first day itself, the participants had 4 rounds of practice (each person spoke 4 times). We focused on speaking without notes, body language and speech organization. On the second day, the participants had another 4 rounds of speeches while adding vocal variety and correct pronunciation to the skills learned on the first day. Needless to say, their progress was only natural with so many rounds of drilling.
The participants in action:
During the "graduation ceremony", some parents came to witness their children presenting their grand finale speech. This round was also a mini contest.
Everyone did well but officially the winners were Darshan Abraham (first prize with speech title "Problems with Teens"), Ilham Nurhakim (second prize with speech title "Appreciation") and John Ong (third prize with speech title "What I learned in this programme"). Another speech which I liked very much was "How to handle a hyperactive child" by Jeeva Murugan who was himself a hyperactive child.
Certificates of completion were presented to all the participants. The programme concluded with 2 parents sharing their thoughts and one participant giving his feedback on behalf of the other participants. He said he wasn't happy to attend on the first morning but was eager to arrive on the second morning.
So the programme ended and everyone went home happy. Reported by Sandy Tan
This must be the best programme ever, for this topic! I'm glad I went ahead to push for it despite having only 3 participants with 10 days to go. After sending out 2 e-mails to our mailing list, we managed to enlist a total of 9 participants in the end. At the same time, we faced problems finding a suitable venue as our favourite "haunt" in Sunway had stopped operating. Luckily, we found an alternative somewhere near Kelana Jaya. Though a bit out-of-the-way, it was a nice and cosy place. On the first day, however, they opened the doors late and we had to start almost an hour late (which was compensated by ending late).
After a preliminary introduction on the importance of using correct English pronunciation, the participants were asked to select and read aloud one of the short stories in the workbook. These readings were recorded. Then the real work began. On the first day, we managed to cover the segment on plosives, plosives with "s" and the "schwa". On the second day, we covered double plosives, "th", "z" and "v", and long and short vowels. Some participants expressed dissatisfaction at having been taught wrongly in the past. :)
There were prescribed exercises for each segment. The trainer was very meticulous; he spared no one and and wanted everyone to produce the sounds correctly.
After all the modules had been covered, the participants were asked to re-read the stories that they read earlier and their readings were recorded again. After that, we viewed and compared the "before" and "after" recordings. It was clear that everyone made considerable progress.
The class ended with the participants filling up the feedback forms and the presentation of certificates. Reported by Sandy Tan
We started off the year very well with the best ever programme so far, in terms of getting enough participants. 11 participants registered for the course. We're still loyal to Crystal Crown after having used their facilities for 3 years (since January 2009). Same course, same trainer, same venue... but with a fresh batch of participants!
After the opening session, we sailed full steam into unchartered waters (for the participants only, of course). The trainer Azmi Shahrin, always flexible with the flow of his delivery of the course contents, had chosen this time to talk about the 4 elements of body language and vocal variety under the heading of "dynamic delivery", before touching on speech organization under the heading of "critical content". As usual, after each round of short exposition, there would be a practice session where each and every participant had to go forward to speak.
With each round of practice, the participants' delivery improved noticeably. This went on for 2 days, so in the end they were all pretty good at it.
On the second day, we were left with 10 participants. The following photos were taken on the second day:
Before the course ended, there was just enough time to cover the module on correct English pronunciation. Those who wanted to delve deeper into this subject were encouraged to attend our full 2-day course on this subject. We ended with a quick certificate presentation ceremony and everyone had to "rush" home because we were 1 hour late in finishing! In short, this training programme had allowed the participants to catch a glimpse of and taste what it was like to speak confidently and interestingly before an audience. We very much hope that they would continue to practise and apply their new skills and achieve success. :) Reported by Sandy Tan View programmes before January 2012 View specific programmes only: |
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Determination is the key to success
Mr. Kennedy, our first Mat Salleh student...
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