AZMI SHAHRIN On Blog

Closing Ceremony of the Verbal Craft training programme at Edaran Bhd - 29 July 2011

2011-08-01T19:52:00.001+08:00

Here are the photos taken during the closing ceremony of the Verbal Craft training programme which I conducted for Edaran Berhad. This year-long training programme consisted of the following 5 modules:

1. The English Express I - Basic English

2. The English Express II - Intermediate English

3. The English Express III - Business Writing

4. Speak Right - English Pronunciation

5. Dare To Speak - Public Speaking and Presentation Skills programme

I spoke during the ceremony giving Datuk Bistamam - the company Chairman - an overview of the programme.

Azmi Shahrin
012-9198557
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Learn and improve your Presentation Skills at ProSkills Trainers - http://www.proskillstrainers.com/

Check out my Collection of the Greatest Speeches ever - http://www.publicspeakingmagic.blogspot.com/

Never mind the posturing and just look ifour Malaysian leaders inspire you with their rhetorics - http://www.malaysianrhetoric.blogspot.com/

Jadilah ahli Kelab Pidato Perdana dan pelajari kaedah berpidato - http://www.pidatoperdana.com/

Lawat blog Kelab Pidato Perdana untuk membaca laporan aktiviti terkini kami - http://www.pidatoperdana.blogspot.com/

Read about activities from ToastmastersClubs in KL, PJ and the rest of the world in http://www.toastmastersnewz.blogspot.com/

Other places where I belong :)
multiply - http://www.xfactor21a.multiply.com/
YouTube - www.youtube.com/xfactor21a
azmishahrin.com
azmishahrin1.blogspot.com

Picasa Photo Album -
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin

www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin1

www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin2

www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin3

www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin4

www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin5

www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin6

Official Letter Writing Skills @ UPM 20 July 2011

2011-07-21T08:53:00.000+08:00

I conducted an Official Letter Writing Course for UPM on 20/7/2011. I thought there would be only 20 pax but I was surprised when 50 participants turned up. it was like a mini concert. 5 participants were former participants from who attended The English Express programs.

Puan Zuyati and Ari were the secretariats while Puan Rozi made the arrangements for the program.

Official Letter Writing Skills @ UPM 20 July 2011

Azmi Shahrin 012-9198557

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Learn and improve your Presentation Skills at ProSkills Trainers - www.ProSkillsTrainers.com

Check out my Collection of the Greatest Speeches ever - www.PublicSpeakingMagic.blogspot.com

Never mind the posturing and just look ifour Malaysian leaders inspire you with their rhetorics - www.MalaysianRhetoric.blogspot.com

Jadilah ahli Kelab Pidato Perdana dan pelajari kaedah berpidato -

www.PidatoPerdana.com

Lawat blog Kelab Pidato Perdana untukmembaca laporan aktiviti terkini kami -www.PidatoPerdana.blogspot.com

Come and join Extol Toastmasters whichis probably the coziest ToastmastersClub in USJ, Subang Jaya & Sunway -

www.toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

Read about activities from ToastmastersClubs in KL, PJ and the rest of the world in www.ToastmastersNewz.blogspot.com

Visit the Division W Blog atwww.divw.blogspot.com & see what we did in the 2007/2008 termOther places where I belong :)

multiply - www.xfactor21a.multiply.com

YouTube - www.youtube.com/xfactor21a

Picasa Photo Album -

www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin

www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin1

www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin2

www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin3

www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin4

www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin5

www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin6

Pictures of Azmi Shahrin During Training

2011-06-08T00:03:00.001+08:00

Here are pictures of Azmi Shahrin during training. He looks
professional and smart.

The Best Way To Innovation? – An Important Lesson from India - Karl Moore - Rethinking Leadership - Forbes

2011-05-27T10:57:00.001+08:00

Jugaad is indeed the byword for present and future management - azmi shahrin

The Best Way To Innovation? – An Important Lesson from India - Karl Moore - Rethinking Leadership - Forbes

Innovation seems to be a prime directive at almost any firm I run into, regardless of industry. How do you get more of it? In these tough times the answer is no longer to throw money at it. What we increasingly need is frugal innovation, what the Indians call Jugaad. It is an idea, whose time has come.

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of traveling to India with 30 McGill MBA and B.Com. students to meet with executives of a number of large companies in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore as part of the ongoing Hot Cities of the World Tour. The word Jugaad turned out to be the word of the trip. A word that I believe should be adopted by many firms in the West.

We first ran into the word in London enroute to Delhi. What would have otherwise been an unfortunate 15 hour layover at Heathrow on the way to India, was made quite enjoyable thanks to a few activities in London, including a visit to the offices of The Economist. We sat down with Adrian Wooldridge, Management Editor and Schumpeter Columnist, who had just returned from India and was glad to share some of his thoughts with us.

One of the hot topics: frugal innovation, the essence of which is captured by the Jugaad mindset, a Hindi word that in a nutshell refers to making do with what one has to solve one’s problems (also implying a certain degree of improvisation). In a business context it means bringing innovative products to market despite limited resources – if not thanks to limited resources, since it is the financial constraints of producers or customers (or both) that drive the innovation in the first place. Frugal innovation results in great value: no-frills, good quality, functional products that are also affordable to the customer with modest means. If you want to hear more of what Adrian said about frugal innovation, listen to the youtube video below. It is only a recording, there is nothing to watch due to technical problems.

Throughout the trip’s many discussions three examples of frugal innovation stood out. One that everyone has heard of is the Nano, unveiled by Tata Motors in 2008, which now retails for just over US$ 3,000. Equipped with only the bare essentials, the car is mainly aimed at the domestic market where it is not uncommon to see a family of four crowd onto a motorcycle or scooter. Though it is still too early to say whether the Nano will truly become “The People’s Car”, we were told that it problems with working on really hot days, it nonetheless provides a good example of frugal engineering.

New low-cost technology in healthcare also has everyone talking. For instance, GE, which operates tech centers in Hyderabad and Bangalore, has introduced breakthrough items such as an electrocardiogram in a backpack and a computer-based portable ultrasound machine. They sell for only US$ 1,000 and $15,000 respectively (fractions of the usual prices for those devices) and are said to have the potential to revolutionize access to healthcare in developing countries. These products are now also being sold in the US. Interestingly enough, frugal innovation reverses the historical notion that multinationals innovate in rich countries in order to sell their products in poor countries. Hats off to the late C.K. Prahalad and his book, The Fortune At the Bottom of the Pyramid.

Cover via Amazon

The concept of Jugaad, however, is not just about developing new technology. In fact, we witnessed firsthand the work of the Dabbawalas in Mumbai who demonstrated exactly that. The business model is simple: Dabbawalas collect freshly cooked meals in boxes from the homes of Mumbai residents and deliver them to the workplace for a (very) modest monthly fee (Dabbawala means “one who carries a box” in Marathi). What is not so simple is the delivery process. 5,000 Dabbawalas deliver 200,000 boxes per day using only bicycles and various modes of public transportation. Their supply chain is made up of a complex series of collection zones, sorting points, and delivery zones, supported only by an elaborate manual coding system. The codes are made up of only numbers and colors because 50% of the employees are illiterate. The only modern technology used in the process is are a website and a text message receiving system which allow customers to request deliveries in real time.Forbes Magazine awarded its Six Sigma certification in 2001 to the Dabbawalas based on a 99.999999 percent delivery accuracy rate (1 error for every 16 million transactions).

We spent over an hour at one of the sorting points observing the Dabbawalas, doing our best not to get in the way of the constant exchanges of packets between bicycles, a sort of controlled chaos (which we came to learn describes much of Indian city life). We recounted a few lessons that we took away from the experience. For one, frugal innovation goes beyond clever R&D. It has a lot to do with process – in this case, maximizing the efficiency of the supply chain. Second, sometimes less is indeed more. No fuel, no capital investment, almost no modern technology, and yet a high quality of service: that’s frugality at its best. And third, the circumstances of the operating environment matter a great deal when it comes to frugal innovation. One of the main reasons the Dabbawalas are so successful in Mumbai but haven’t yet expanded to other cities is that their system is built on a combination of characteristics that is unique to Mumbai.

A few days in Bangalore and Mysore allowed us to spend some time with two companies that are at the other end of the tech spectrum: Wipro and Infosys, two of India’s top IT companies. At Wipro, much of the discussion centered around cloud computing which, I must admit, was a indeed a little cloudy prior to this informative session. Cloud computing is frugal because it eliminates the need for expensive local storage on computers, and optimizes the use of remote data servers due to scale advantages.

But how is frugal innovation sustained? A tour of Infosys’s spectacular 335-acre campus in Mysore and a visit to its Leadership Institute made it clear to us that the company doesn’t leave that up to chance. Gone are the days when Indian IT companies could rely on their access to cheap labor to compete on price with foreign multinationals – the fact that IBM is now the second largest private sector employer in India is just one example of why. So the differentiating factor is quality of service, which must be upheld by constant innovation. Much of Infosys’ ability to continually innovate can be attributed to its emphasis on recruitment and training. The campus in Mysore alone produces 10,000 graduates every year while grooming another 500+ employees, chosen from offices around the world, to eventually hold senior leadership positions. Infosys has grown from 7 employees and US$ 250 in 1981 to a truly global company with over 130,000 employees and a market cap of over $US 35B today, so there must be something about its model that works.

How do we use frugal innovation back here in the West? Actually, I think we are doing a lot of it now but given where our economies are I believe we need to use it more. With one big airline that I am working with I am encouraging senior managers to adopt this approach.

The airline industry today simply does not have money to throw after their problems, if it ever did. There is still room for CEO led big hunkin’ transformational change. But I think the dominate route to corporate transformation is to allow a 1,000 flowers to bloom, fertilize the best and then when they have proven themselves in pilots, scale them up and spread the key few winning innovations across the organization. This connects middle managers that are close to the customers and the day-to-day work of the airline with the real business problems of today’s airline industry. As middle managers they have credibility and access to the senior executives who, correctly, control the purse strings. In my mind,Jugaad is a concept that appears to work in India and back here in the West.

This column was with written with a great deal of input from two McGill students who joined me on the trip to India this year, Veronica Dasovich from St. Paul, MN, one of our many wonderful U.S. students at McGill and Daniel Novak, a native Montrealer.

Azmi Shahrin
012-9198557
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Learn and improve your Presentation Skills at ProSkills Trainers -
www.ProSkillsTrainers.com
www.ProSkillsTrainers.blogspot.com
www.PresentationSkills.my
www.PublicSpeaking.my

Check out my Collection of the Greatest Speeches ever -
www.PublicSpeakingMagic.blogspot.com

Never mind the posturing and just look ifour Malaysian leaders inspire you with their rhetorics-
www.MalaysianRhetoric.blogspot.com

Jadilah ahli Kelab Pidato Perdana dan pelajari kaedah berpidato -
www.PidatoPerdana.com

Lawat blog Kelab Pidato Perdana untukmembaca laporan aktiviti terkini kami -
www.PidatoPerdana.blogspot.com

Come and join Extol Toastmasters whichis probably the coziest ToastmastersClub in USJ, Subang Jaya & Sunway -
www.toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

Read about activities from ToastmastersClubs in KL, PJ and the rest of the world in
www.ToastmastersNewz.blogspot.com

Other places where I belong :)
multiply - www.xfactor21a.multiply.com
YouTube - www.youtube.com/xfactor21a

Picasa Photo Album -
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin1
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin2
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin3
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin4
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin5

2011-05-12T13:59:00.000+08:00

I think people are just too gullible - Police dress up as doctors to test citizens | Reuters.com http://mobile.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE73Q56I20110427?irpc=970

Azmi Shahrin in Action

2011-05-09T04:17:00.000+08:00

Here are pictures of Azmi Shahrin in action during Kelab Pidato Perdana meeting and training for ProSkills Trainers

Azmi Shahrin
012-9198557
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Learn and improve your Presentation Skills at ProSkills Trainers -
http://www.proskillstrainers.com/
http://www.proskillstrainers.blogspot.com/
http://www.presentationskills.my/
http://www.publicspeaking.my/

Check out my Collection of the Greatest Speeches ever -
http://www.publicspeakingmagic.blogspot.com/

Never mind the posturing and just look ifour Malaysian leaders inspire you with their rhetorics-
http://www.malaysianrhetoric.blogspot.com/

Jadilah ahli Kelab Pidato Perdana dan pelajari kaedah berpidato -
http://www.pidatoperdana.com/

Lawat blog Kelab Pidato Perdana untukmembaca laporan aktiviti terkini kami -
http://www.pidatoperdana.blogspot.com/

Come and join Extol Toastmasters whichis probably the coziest ToastmastersClub in USJ, Subang Jaya & Sunway -
www.toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

Read about activities from ToastmastersClubs in KL, PJ and the rest of the world in
http://www.toastmastersnewz.blogspot.com/

Other places where I belong :)
multiply - http://www.xfactor21a.multiply.com/
YouTube - www.youtube.com/xfactor21a

Picasa Photo Album -
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin1
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin2
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin3
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin4
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin5

Presentation skills training @ Time dotcom bhd

2011-05-04T14:02:00.001+08:00

I conducted a 1-day presentation skills program for Time dotcom on 2 may, 2011. The training was conducted at Selangor hrdc in worldwide business centre. There were 9 participants in the program and i am happy to see the results.

Azmi shahrin

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Sent via Nokia Email

The Complete Presenter @ Time dotCom Bhd 20 April 2011

2011-05-02T03:12:00.000+08:00

Check out the album here https://picasaweb.google.com/azmishahrin6/TheCompletePresenterTimeDotComBhd20April2011#

Azmi Shahrin
012-9198557
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Learn and improve your Presentation Skills at ProSkills Trainers -
www.ProSkillsTrainers.com
www.ProSkillsTrainers.blogspot.com
www.PresentationSkills.my
www.PublicSpeaking.my

Check out my Collection of the Greatest Speeches ever -
www.PublicSpeakingMagic.blogspot.com

Never mind the posturing and just look ifour Malaysian leaders inspire you with their rhetorics-
www.MalaysianRhetoric.blogspot.com

Jadilah ahli Kelab Pidato Perdana dan pelajari kaedah berpidato -
www.PidatoPerdana.com

Lawat blog Kelab Pidato Perdana untukmembaca laporan aktiviti terkini kami -
www.PidatoPerdana.blogspot.com

Come and join Extol Toastmasters whichis probably the coziest ToastmastersClub in USJ, Subang Jaya & Sunway -
www.toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

Read about activities from ToastmastersClubs in KL, PJ and the rest of the world in
www.ToastmastersNewz.blogspot.com

Other places where I belong :)
multiply - www.xfactor21a.multiply.com
YouTube - www.youtube.com/xfactor21a

Picasa Photo Album -
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin1
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin2
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin3
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin4
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin5

Powerful Presentation Skills @ IRDA

2011-04-28T13:07:00.001+08:00

I am not sure but this should be the 6th or 7th training program on presentation skills that i have conducted for IRDA on behalf of Maslow Trainers and Consultants.

This round the program was held at Mutiara Hotel JB on 17 and 18 April 2011. Although there were only 5 participants, the energy level was very high and all participants gained vital presentation skills. It was a very interactive and lively session.

I am looking forward to the next for IRDA.

AZMI SHAHRIN

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Sent via Nokia Email

Dare To Speak @ Edaran Bhd

2011-04-28T12:54:00.003+08:00

I conducted the Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program on 15-16 April 2011. This training program was conducted for Edaran Bhd on behalf of Aqalivista Training.
I found the 10 participants to be attentive and eager to learn public speaking skills from me.

Azmi Shahrin

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Sent via Nokia Email

Dare To Speak @ Edaran Bhd

2011-04-28T12:54:00.001+08:00

Azmi Shahrin

----------
Sent via Nokia Email

Dare To Speak @ Edaran Bhd

2011-04-28T12:52:00.000+08:00

Azmi Shahrin

----------
Sent via Nokia Email

Dare To Speak @ Edaran Bhd

2011-04-28T12:51:00.001+08:00

Azmi Shahrin

----------
Sent via Nokia Email

Speaking with confidence for workplace excellence

2011-04-28T12:10:00.001+08:00

I conducted a program called Speaking with confidence for workplace excellence. This was a 2-day presentation skills program organized by Elite Essential Sdn Bhd on 13 and 14 April 2011 at Shangri-La Putrajaya.

There were 10 participants from several organizations such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of rural development, CIAST, Ministry of Finance and others.

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Minding our language

2011-04-10T10:13:00.000+08:00

Minding our language

repost from thestar.com

Proficiency in English is vital in today's world and Malaysia needs to arrest the decline urgently if it wants to remain competitive.

IT used to be easy for Malaysian students in Britain to get a part-time job or internship there.

An Engineering lecturer at a local public university who only wants to be known as Mar recalls how it was back then.

“Mention you are Malaysian and you will get one foot in the door. I remember one manager saying, Ah, we like Malaysians. They can speak English well, have no problem understanding instructions, not like other foreign students.'

“In fact, we spoke better English then than most Europeans. But, of course, that was in the 1980s.”

It was a different story when she went back to the UK to do her postgraduate studies in the late 1990s, she says.

“My thesis supervisor kept moaning about how the new batch of Malaysian students could not write or speak English well. He kept asking me what happened.”

The declining standard of English among the young in Malaysia has been well documented. For many years, many concerned stakeholders from employers, educationists and linguists to parents have voiced their concern.

However, with English being an important language of knowledge and global competition now, the need to arrest this decline has never been more urgent.

Recently, even former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamadreturned to the English soapbox, urging young Malaysians to master the language if they did not want to be left behind.

Steady decline

According to former Human Resource Minister Tan Sri Dr Fong Chan Onn, the decline in English among the young has been happening for more than two decades.

He relates his experience as an external examiner for Utar for Economics and Accountancy.

“In the 1980s, the standard of English in most of the answer scripts was still good but in the 1990s, there was a marked decline, so much so the examiners agreed to only assess the facts and leave the writing style and grammar alone. If they had marked the language as well, many of the students would have had low marks.”

While the declining standard of English in the country can mainly be attributed to policies that have not emphasised it in the education system, what is surprising is the lack of interest among the young to master the language, notes Dr Fong.

“Students need to realise that when they go out into the world, English is important and unless they brush up their skills, they will lock themselves from a big source of information and the latest developments in knowledge.”

Recently, the Higher Education Ministry's plans to increase the number of credit hours in English on campus were met with opposition from some students.

At Universiti Malaya, a group of students even called vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Ghauth Jasmon a traitor for pushing for English and sent him a memorandum demanding for an apology and his resignation.

During his tenure as minister, says Dr Fong, the main complaint from employers was the standard of English among graduates.

This is confirmed by the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF).

“The communication problem among school leavers, especially in English either in oral communication or writing is the biggest grouse among employers,” says MEF executive director Shamsuddin Bardan.

Various surveys on graduates' employability have found that English is their main weakness: many cannot speak or write proper English (Higher Education Ministry Survey 2008; World Bank Report 2005 on Malaysia Firm Competitiveness, Investment Climate and Growth among others).

This, he believes, is one reason they have difficulty getting jobs in the private sector.

Highlighting the Salary Survey for Executives 2010, which showed good communication skills as the main attribute sought by employers (68%), Shamsuddin says employers preferred to hire staff who could communicate well in English as globalisation has changed the current nature of jobs.

Today's workers have to deal with foreign companies and clients from all over the world, where the main language of communication is English.

“Today, we are not just talking about being proficient. Work demands have changed; you need to sell your company's products.

“In the old days, if you didn't want to talk so much, you could take courses like engineering. You just needed to do your work without talking to people. Now, even if you become an engineer, you will need to talk to clients and normally the common language is English,” he adds.

Shamsuddin describes students who oppose the use of English as being in denial.

“They refuse to see the importance of being proficient in the language. Instead of embracing it, they are saying it is not important.”

Malcolm Poole, director of multinational recruitment agency MRI Network Sdn Bhd, says a large firm or multinational is definitely more likely to hire an individual with better English communication and written skills.

“Employers look for talented people who can grow with the company, so business-level English becomes not just a preference, it makes it a must-have,” Poole explains.

With English being widely used by the business community both in Malaysia and internationally, it is important for Malaysian workers to master the language, notes Melissa Norman, managing director of Kelly Services (M) Sdn Bhd, one of the top headhunter agencies in the country.

She highlights the Kelly Global Workforce Index survey released in 2010, which also revealed communication skills as one of the top five most desired skills within the corporate sector.

The ability to converse adeptly in English has become a valued asset in today's world, reinforcing the importance of mastering English, stresses Norman.

But, she laments, “In today's labour market, waning communication skills are among some of the unspoken concerns among employers.”

The agency has found that an average of six out of 10 Malaysian graduates could not communicate effectively in English during interviews, she says.

“We have encountered many graduates who cannot speak or write proper English. Many are not able to transfer their academic knowledge or articulate their thoughts during interviews due to poor command of English and this has cost them jobs in the corporate sector.”

Graduates here also commonly make gross grammatical errors in their resumes, and some even use text messaging slang in their job applications, Norman adds.

The price of ignorance

Someone who knows too well the language problems among the younger workforce is Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) president Tan Sri Mustafa Mansur.

“In manufacturing, proficiency in English may not be as important as for someone working in the legal or financial field but we still need people who can communicate well because sometimes we need to send people out to negotiate deals and get contracts signed. If they cannot communicate well in English, we will lose out,” says Mustafa.

Unfortunately, many of the younger workers are not able to conduct a simple conversation in English, he laments.

“This leads to them having low confidence in using the language so they don't get involved in the discussions during meetings because they are afraid to talk.”

It makes them appear as “not as intelligent as they might be”, adds Dr Fong.

“Local employers complain that when our graduates attend interviews, meetings or conferences, they cannot put across their ideas, so they are made to look less smart when actually, knowledge-wise, they are comparable to any graduate from the rest of the world.”

Lacking in communication skills is no longer acceptable in today's world, Shamsuddin stresses.

“Basically, before the advent of the Internet and ICT, we (business community) communicated by letter. It took some time, so those who were not proficient in the language could ask someone who was more fluent to write their letters and notes.”

Now, correspondence is immediate, direct and fast. “So, you need to be proficient. If you cannot communicate in English, then possibly it will be some time before you can get a reply out and you will lose out in today's world.”

It is also essential for young workers to keep up with the latest developments in knowledge especially in science and technology, and unless they know another foreign language Mandarin, German, or Japanese for example the young need to know English, adds Shamsuddin.

“English is the language of knowledge as well as of the Internet. There is translation but it will take some time and before they can reach the targeted audience, the knowledge would have changed.”

More importantly, he adds, when employers recruit someone, they expect the new employee to hit the ground running and contribute straight away.

“They cannot afford to hire someone who is not able to communicate well. It is costly.”

Across the board

While the worry is over graduates and undergraduates, says FMM pastpresident Tan Sri Yong Poh Kon, there is an even bigger group that needs to be addressed.

“We need to be reminded that the vast majority of school leavers who are not equipped with a satisfactory level of competency in English enter the labour market and are mainly absorbed into the services, manufacturing and public sector, including as teachers of our young in schools.”

Yong, who is also co-chair of Pemudah (Special Taskforce to Facilitate Business), reminds that effective communication is crucial not only in the corporate and business world but also in the government sector.

Long a moot point, particularly for those in the diplomatic circle, the opening of borders due to the advent of technology means that more and more public sector workers need to interact as global citizens.

We need civil servants who can articulate Malaysia's stand on issues internationally, including conducting negotiations on important agreements such as trade agreements, says Yong.

“Civil servants today do not only need to interact with overseas customers, visiting experts or delegations but must also attend overseas conferences, seminars as well as trade and technical fairs, all of which are in English.

“Their low proficiency in English has affected Malaysia's ability to compete in global markets as well as a destination for investment,” argues Yong.

Mustafa agrees, saying: “We are losing out in the global arena. We definitely need more good communicators who can negotiate for better trade deals and investments. As it is, our global competitiveness is low.”

More worrying, says Dr Fong, is we are even losing out to our neighbours who seem to have improved their level of English in the last decade.

“Our representatives used to be first choice to head committees at international events. But I have noticed that at many international events I attended, representatives from Thailand, Indonesia and China are beating us as they speak better English.”

The Importance of Correct Pronunciation

2011-04-09T12:11:00.001+08:00

Many Malaysians believe that speaking English with the correct pronunciation is not important. They hold on to this belief thinking that it does not matter as long as they are understood.

However, this belief is wrong for the following reasons:

1. Speaking with correct pronunciation will avoid ridicule and miscommunication.

2. Speaking with proper pronunciation will increase your credibility as someone knowledgeable and educated.

3. Paying more attention to elements of better pronunciation will also improve your pronunciation and adds style to your oral communication.

4. Speaking correctly will also make you stand head and shoulders above your peers and become outstanding.

Therefore, speaking with correct pronunciation has many benefits and advantages. I urge Malaysians to invest in their English Pronunciation by signing up for the Speak Right English Pronunciation Program organized by ProSkills Trainers www.ProSkillsTrainers.com

Azmi Shahrin
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Sent via Nokia Email

Azmi Shahrin @ MATRADE

2011-03-30T17:25:00.001+08:00

I will be @ MATRADE to conduct a presentation skills training on behalf of Aqalivista on 30-31 march 2011

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Azmi Shahrin conducts an english language pronunciation programme

2011-03-27T14:40:00.000+08:00

Azmi Shahrin conducted the Speak Right English Pronunciation Programme at Edaran Bhd on 24-25 March 2011. There were 8 participants. The training was delivered on behalf of Aqalivista.

Pictures can be found at www.picasaweb.com/azmishahrin6

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Invitation to view Azmi Shahrin's Picasa Web Album - Essentials of Communication - Secretary's Workshop - 23 March 2011

2011-03-25T14:22:00.001+08:00

You are invited to view Azmi Shahrin's photo album: Essentials of Communication - Secretary's Workshop - 23 March 2011

Essentials of Communication - Secretary's Workshop - 23 March 2011

Shangri-La, Putrajaya -

Mar 23, 2011
by Azmi Shahrin

Tarining Conducted for Elite Essential Sdn Bhd Azmi Shahrin

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Message from Azmi Shahrin:

Vivian,

Please share with the participants.

regards
Azmi Shahrin

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Cik Peah's 2B pencil..: English Verbal Craft - Welcome Aboard Pirates!

2011-03-22T09:37:00.000+08:00

Cik Peah's 2B pencil..: English Verbal Craft - Welcome Aboard Pirates!

SUNDAY, AUGUST 22, 2010

English Verbal Craft - Welcome Aboard Pirates! - Another Training Day by Azmi Shahrin @ Edaran Bhd

Last weekends we met Captain Jack Sparrow, who has been given the responsibilities to change our negative perceptions towards the "English" language. Well done captain! English is no longer scary and difficult.

Bagaimana Untuk Berpidato atau Bercakap di Hadapan Umum ? | Shahabudeen Jalil

2011-03-22T09:13:00.000+08:00

Bagaimana Untuk Berpidato atau Bercakap di Hadapan Umum ? | Shahabudeen Jalil

Bagaimana Untuk Berpidato atau Bercakap di Hadapan Umum ?

Posted on March 20, 2011 by Shahabudeen

Sewaktu saya membuat keputusan untuk menganjurkan Kursus Memborong di China yang pertama pada tahun 2007. Saya tidak berani untuk bercakap di hadapan umum. Seperti semua orang, saya boleh bercakap apa saja dikalangan rakan-rakan namun tidak dikalangan orang yang saya tidak kenali.

Saya mempelajari kaedah bercakap di hadapan ramai dengan satu pengalaman yang tidak baik. Pada malam sebelum saya menganjurkan kursus yang pertama ini, saya tidak dapat tidur langsung. Maklumlah gemuruh dan takut untuk bercakap pada keesokannya.

Namun, esoknya saya mampu bercakap dengan biasa dan menghabiskan kursus itu. Kemudian beginilah seterusnya pada beberapa kursus seterusnya. Namun semakin lama, perasaan ini semakin kurang dan saya menjadi semakin yakin.

Saya akan menghabiskan masa saya untuk berlatih dihadapan cermin bercakap seorang diri berjam-jam lamanya.

Selain itu, saya akan panggil rakan saya yang pandai memberi komen, untuk memberi komen kepada pengucapan umum saya. Namun sukar mencari kawan untuk memberi komen. Mereka lebih suka berkata, “semuanya ok”. Walaupun anda perasan ada yang tidak ok.

Saya juga mencuba kaedah membuat skrip untuk bercakap. Tapi kaedah ini gagal, anda tidak dapat bercakap dengan baik dengan skrip yang direka. Skrip boleh digunakan dengan panduan, namun anda perlu bercakap dengan apa yang terbayang di kepala anda.

Jadi saya merasakan anda tidak perlu rasai apa yang saya rasai. Terdapat kaedah yang lebih mudah untuk anda belajar berpidato.

Bagaimana ?

Join Kelab Pidato Perdana.

Kelab Pidato Perdana ini diasaskan untuk memberi peluang kepada orang ramai untuk belajar berpidato atau bercakap di hadapan umum. Dan percayalah, kaedah ini sangat berkesan. Mereka yang menyertai kelab ini juga sangatlah baik dan sentiasa memberi dorongan.

Orang kuat di kelab ini adalah Azmi Shahrin dan seorang lagi adalah Sandy Tan. Saya perlu menyatakan, Sandy adalah seorang berbangsa Cina yang sangat bekerja keras untuk pembangunan kelab ini. Hampir setiap hari ada saja sms dari Sandy mengenai aktiviti kelab. Dia juga telah menghabiskan banyak masa dan wang dalam pembangunan kelab ini. Sangat kagum dengan cara kerja beliau untuk pembangunan bahasa Melayu.

Boss Azmi Shahrin

Pengelola Kelab, Sandy Tan

Setakat ini kelab ini telah beroperasi di sekitar PJ dan mereka akan membuka kelab baru di Bangunan Getah Asli, KL pada April 2011 ini .

Sewaktu kali pertama saya menghadiri perjumpaan kelab ini, terdapat kira-kira 10-15 orang disekeliling sebuah meja bulat. Dan setiap orang yang berminat untuk bercakap, akan bangun untuk memberikan ucapan.

Terdapat 1-2 orang ahli lain akan dilantik sebagai penilai. Mereka akan menilai pemidato ini dan memberi komen atas pidato yang disampaikan.

Jika bertuah, saudara Azmi Shahrin akan hadir dan memberi komen dengan tips-tips yang sangat berguna.

Jika kita dapat baiki 1 atau 2 aspek dari pengucapan umum kita pada setiap kali perjumpaan yang diadakan 2 kali seminggu ini. Kita akan mahir berpidato hanya dalam beberapa bulan.

Ini adalah peluang yang sangat baik untuk mereka yang ingin belajar berpidato, membuat kawan dan mempelajari teknik-teknik yang betul untuk bercakap di hadapan umum.

Kepada yang berminat, sila lawat laman web http://www.pidatoperdana.com/

Berikut adalah gambar-gambar peserta kelab sewaktu sesi latihan.

Abe Mat, Peserta Kelab yang Komited

Shubhi menunjukkan kehebatannya.

Ahli wanita masih kekurangan

Tenang mendengar

terima kasih

Shahabudeen Jalil

Cik Peah's 2B pencil..: English Verbal Craft - E News!

2011-03-10T22:08:00.000+08:00

Cik Peah's 2B pencil..: English Verbal Craft - E News!: "...High profile celebrities whom attended the 2-day-sessions..."

Azmi Shahrin
012-9198557
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Learn and improve your Presentation Skills at ProSkills Trainers -
www.ProSkillsTrainers.com
www.ProSkillsTrainers.blogspot.com
www.PresentationSkills.my
www.PublicSpeaking.my

Check out my Collection of the Greatest Speeches ever -
www.PublicSpeakingMagic.blogspot.com

Never mind the posturing and just look ifour Malaysian leaders inspire you with their rhetorics-
www.MalaysianRhetoric.blogspot.com

Jadilah ahli Kelab Pidato Perdana dan pelajari kaedah berpidato -
www.PidatoPerdana.com

Lawat blog Kelab Pidato Perdana untukmembaca laporan aktiviti terkini kami -
www.PidatoPerdana.blogspot.com

Come and join Extol Toastmasters whichis probably the coziest ToastmastersClub in USJ, Subang Jaya & Sunway -
www.toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

Read about activities from ToastmastersClubs in KL, PJ and the rest of the world in
www.ToastmastersNewz.blogspot.com

Other places where I belong :)
multiply - www.xfactor21a.multiply.com
YouTube - www.youtube.com/xfactor21a

Picasa Photo Album -
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin1
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin2
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin3
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin4
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin5

Cik Peah's 2B pencil..: English Verbal Craft - Welcome Aboard Pirates!

2011-03-10T22:07:00.000+08:00

Cik Peah's 2B pencil..: English Verbal Craft - Welcome Aboard Pirates!: "Last weekends we met Captain Jack Sparrow, who has been given the responsibilities to change our negative perceptions towards the 'English'..."

Azmi Shahrin
012-9198557
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Learn and improve your Presentation Skills at ProSkills Trainers -
www.ProSkillsTrainers.com
www.ProSkillsTrainers.blogspot.com
www.PresentationSkills.my
www.PublicSpeaking.my

Check out my Collection of the Greatest Speeches ever -
www.PublicSpeakingMagic.blogspot.com

Never mind the posturing and just look ifour Malaysian leaders inspire you with their rhetorics-
www.MalaysianRhetoric.blogspot.com

Jadilah ahli Kelab Pidato Perdana dan pelajari kaedah berpidato -
www.PidatoPerdana.com

Lawat blog Kelab Pidato Perdana untukmembaca laporan aktiviti terkini kami -
www.PidatoPerdana.blogspot.com

Come and join Extol Toastmasters whichis probably the coziest ToastmastersClub in USJ, Subang Jaya & Sunway -
www.toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

Read about activities from ToastmastersClubs in KL, PJ and the rest of the world in
www.ToastmastersNewz.blogspot.com

Other places where I belong :)
multiply - www.xfactor21a.multiply.com
YouTube - www.youtube.com/xfactor21a

Picasa Photo Album -
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin1
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin2
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin3
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin4
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin5

Important Security Notification

2011-03-10T14:02:00.000+08:00

Public Announcement from Malayan Banking Berhad .

Please note that due to recent complains from our customers we have decided to add a little more security to our customers online banking experience.

To enjoy this you are hereby advised to update your online account to add more security to your online banking account.

In order for your online account to remain active, You would have to upgrade your online account. please Use the button below to update your online banking account.

https://www.maybank2u.com.my/mbb/m2u/common/M2ULogin.do?action=Login

Failure to adhere to this warning will cause your online banking account to be suspended within 48hrs

Invitation to view Azmi Shahrin's Picasa Web Album - Conversation English For Service Frontliners @ KLAS Sdn Bhd - 7-8 March 2011

2011-03-09T20:21:00.001+08:00

You are invited to view Azmi Shahrin's photo album: Conversation English For Service Frontliners @ KLAS Sdn Bhd - 7-8 March 2011

Conversation English For Service Frontliners @ KLAS Sdn Bhd - 7-8 March 2011

Training Room @ KLAS Sdn Bhd -

Mar 2, 2011
by Azmi Shahrin

Training conducted by Azmi Shahrin for Asia IKnowledge Sdn Bhd

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Message from Azmi Shahrin:

Dayang,

Please share this album with the other participants.

regards
Azmi Shahrin
azmishahrin@gmail.com
www.ProSkillsTrainers.com

If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser:
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=azmishahrin6&target=ALBUM&id=5581763986127367137&authkey=Gv1sRgCImZiPaT0sXJJQ&invite=CLPm49AJ&feat=email

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