Public Speaking - Enjoy the Experience

I had the privilege of speaking at a conference on insurance in Jakarta this year. While it was not the first time I had spoken at a conference, it was particularly nerve wrecking because I was speaking at a conference full of industry veterans and experts, including country and regional CEOs. The Chairman of the conference who introduced me had spent 39 years (and counting) in the industry, which is longer than I have been alive. Imagine that!

Thankfully, everything went well and it was extremely satisfying when those experts came up to me and said they benefitted from my presentation. So here are three simple pointers that I had reminded myself of during my preparation, which could be useful to you.

Preparing mentally

I reminded myself that there was a reason why I was asked to speak. While the delegates were executives and management staff of insurance companies, as an ex-insurance agent/adviser with eight years of experience, I had “on-the-ground” experience that most of them did not have. Once I got over the mental hurdle that there was a reason for my presence, things became much easier as I no longer felt as anxious as before and could prepare for my presentation the way I had always done.

So the next time you are worried about having to speak in public, it could be useful to remind yourself why you are there. Perhaps you are the most senior, maybe your job requires it, or maybe you are just a student and it is part of your grading requirements. Whatever it is, there is a reason why you are doing it. Come to terms with it and learn to enjoy the experience.

Share, don’t preach

In this instance, it was easy for me. There was no way I could have “preached” to those CEOs and tell them what they should do. They wouldn’t have let me either. Why would anybody with more experience than I am alive listen to me? But as mentioned earlier, what I had was on-the-ground experience that most of them did not have. I shared with them my experience as

Foreigners looking for jobs in Singapore?

I got a job in Singapore, can I bring my wife/husband and children? If you are a foreigner looking/ have found a job in Singapore, do note that with effect from 1 September 2012, there will be changes to dependent privileges for Work Pass Holders.

Further information on the changes to sponsor work pass holders' spouses and children is available on Singapore's Ministry of Manpower website. 

Stated on the website:
The Government is tightening the criteria for work pass holders to sponsor dependants as part of the overall direction to moderate the growth of Singapore’s non-resident population. This will help ease the pressure on our social infrastructure. Nonetheless, Singapore remains a global talent capital. We continue to welcome highly skilled foreign professionals who wish to bring their dependants to stay with them.


Here's a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the review of dependent privileges for work pass holders for implementation: 1 September 2012, published on MOM's website.

REVIEW OF DEPENDANT PRIVILEGES FOR WORK PASS HOLDERS 
FOR IMPLEMENTATION: 1 SEPTEMBER 2012 
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

Q1 What are the main changes to the dependant privileges for work pass holders from 1 Sep 2012? 

NUS, NTU and SMU - Which is better?

Here is another entry on National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Singapore Management University (SMU).

If you are wondering which is "better", I guess one of the measures most will be looking at is how much do the graduates earn and how is the employment prospects.

Here is a look at the graduate employment survey 2011:


NUS Business School
Degree: Bachelor of Business Administration
Overall employment rate: 94.6%
Full-time permanent employment rate: 88.1%
Gross monthly salary (Mean): $3,141

Degree: Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons)
Overall employment rate: 90.4%
Full-time permanent employment rate: 89.2%
Gross monthly salary (Mean): $3,871

Degree: Bachelor of Business Administration (Accountancy)
Overall employment rate: 95.5%
Full-time permanent employment rate: 95.5%
Gross monthly salary (Mean): $2,759


Degree: Bachelor of Business Administration (Accountancy) (Hons)
Overall employment rate: 94.4%
Full-time permanent employment rate: 94.4%
Gross monthly salary (Mean): $3,393



Nanyang Business School

Degree: Accountancy (3-yr direct honours)
Overall employment rate: 97.5%
Full-time permanent employment rate: 96.3%
Gross monthly salary (Mean): $2,900

How much salary should I be paid?

Ever wondered how much income or wages you should be earning in Singapore?
Or whether you are under-paid or over-paid?
Or are you a foreigner trying to find out how much Singaporeans earn?


Well, here are the statistics last updated by the Ministry of Manpower in December 2011.




If you are a graduate of the various institutions of higher learning:






Median Monthly Starting Salary for Graduates, 2009-2010



Source: Graduate Employment Surveys conducted by various institutions of higher education

How much can a IT professional earn this year?

Ever wondered how much salaries are in the IT industry?
If you holding a IT job, and wonder what the wages are for IT professionals, here's some information.


Robert Walters, a head-hunting firm, released its 13th annual Global Salary Survey 2012 recently.




Basic salaries, excluding employer's CPF contributions:

NUS, NTU or SMU? - World university rankings

The National University of Singapore (NUS) was in 28th place, while Nanyang Technological University (NTU) was 58th in the world university rankings by London-based Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). 


Singapore has been ranked the 12th best city in the world and the top Asian city for students to pursue a university education. The Best Student Cities ranking by the education and career consultancy compares how attractive 98 cities are as destinations for both local and international students to pursue higher education.

5 lessons from Steve Jobs

A quick read.. 5 social media lessons from Steve Jobs from the team at Likeable Media.


In summary:


1. Stick to what you know
2. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication
3. Be a yardstick of quality
4. Love what you do
5. Think different


For the full write-up, including a link to Steve Job's now-legendary Stanford commencement address in 2005: http://www.likeable.com/2012/01/5-social-media-lessons-from-steve-jobs/



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