Wednesday, May 16, 2012
   
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Your Blog To Looking & Feeling Good

Build Confidence Through Fitness, Grooming & Communication
A big group or small group? It really doesn't matter to me as the most important consideration is that the participants who signed up are willing to participate and by doing so, extract maximum value from my talks and workshops :)

Welcome to Lexmark International Singapore - the next stop of my health and fitness talk today. We all know the importance that health plays in our daily lives. But many choose to ignore it until the first signs of a possible ailment comes a-knocking. That's when we start to panic. Rather than be faced with this scenario, it's always wiser and better to do some self-maintenance.

Self-maintenance will not be too much to ask - all it requires is some form of exercise 30 minutes each time for three times a week. If we can spend hours sitting in front of the television or hours playing my i-phone games, why not invest that same time to better use?

To the small group of staff who 'sacrificed' their lunchtime to listen to me today, I'm very sure they have benefited tremendously. In life we always have choices to make - it's either we choose to make a difference to ourselves or choose to remain constant. For for every decision we make, there are always  different end results.

We hold the key to better health and fitness in our very own hands. The question is - are you willing to do something for yourself so that you will benefit in the long run?

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NLP Training Workshop For SHRI Staff

Posted by: lionel

Tagged in: nlp

Most people may have heard of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) or may have even attended some past training. Yet when it comes to applying it in their daily lives, many are unfortunately, clueless. This is one of the most often heard remarks from my audience.

Do not despair as NLP is not something that is beyond the reach of all. Neither is it so mystical that only a few blessed ones are able to crack the magic code.

Simply put, NLP is the study of excellence. In order to reach the pinnacle of success in life, knowing how and when to apply the various techniques of NLP is that key.

Sharing with the staff at the Singapore Human Resources Institute (SHRI) this afternoon, many of whom signed up especially for this NLP class, I had more than my dosage of fun and participation today. Like all my programmes, my “Applying NLP In Your Daily Lives” programme is 100% practical hands-on. 

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There are many tenets of NLP but the ones I love most are those that enable us to build better rapport with others. In a society where we are always surrounded by people – colleagues, clients and vendors at the workplace; and family and friends outside the office, learning how to build rapport with others will put us in good stead. If we can observe their eyeball patterns, listen to their choice of words used and read their body language; it is half the battle won. Just like how I share with my participants in my grooming workshops that it takes just half a second to leave a positive lasting first impression, so too can you get into the world of the other person in as brief as one minute.

Should you want to go a step further, then what you can do after decoding the representational system of your partner is to mirror him or her. Just like a physical mirror when we can look into and see our own reflection, mirroring is yet another very useful NLP tenet. We can mirror almost anything under the sun – ranging from gestures, breathing patterns to tonality and speed of voice.

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And less you be taken by surprise, it really is that easy to instantly change your present state in that split second. Just like how you would snap your fingers when you get that eureka moment, so can you snap out of your present state in the same manner. Still feeling down and overburdened by work? Snap out of it! Change your state! There are the participants showing you how to do it :)

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I was told to be mentally prepared when I first stepped in the empty room by the Stanchart manager that it was going to be a full crowd today for my grooming talk. All 48 seats would be filled. I smiled.
In most cases when employees RSVPed saying they would attend, some would not come eventually as some other matters may crop up. But boy was I wrong. From the moment the first lady stepped in, next followed another guy...and true enough, all 48 seats were filled. While most came in their executive wear, a small minority came in their light blue overalls which I thought was very nice of them to rush over after breaking for lunch.

Every person in the audience is a gift to me from the universe simply because I have the opportunity to make a difference in his or her life. Being able to touch the life of one person is already magical. But to be able to do this to 48 people is just pure gratification :)

It's always a blessing to be able to share with others simple tips on how to look good and impress at first sight. It really isn't difficult - when you know how to and when to.

Many a times we are too busy caught up in the rat race or listening to others' comments that we forget how to just be ourselves. If we cease to be, we cease to live. Being is the very essence of our life. Who knows me best? Me. Who knows my likes and dislikes best? Me. Who knows my body assets and flaws? It's me too! Simple advice but it goes a long way because if you want to look good, just trust your instincts  which coupled with my advice, will put you in good stead, just like all of them from Rockwell Automation Asia Pacific today.

If you would like me to make a difference in your lives too, drop me an email here!

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It really feels good to be back in a school environment. I recall my own school days with fond memories – the playground, the tuckshop, the music room, the laboratories and all…And as I look around me, it dawns upon me that I have never quite left the education sector. From a student years back to a full-fledged trainer now, I’m constantly molding the lives of others and impacting them in a positive way.

This is a grooming workshop with a difference. I’m not training the students today. Rather, I’m training the teachers of Mayflower Primary School.

It’s really an honour being able to train the teachers as I always hold teachers in high respect. But what really made my day was the fact that despite their busy schedules, both the principal and vice-principal also made it a point to attend the workshop.

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Grooming – a subject so close to all our hearts as who doesn’t want to look good and feel good? If you didn’t raise your hands, I think you are definitely lying to yourself.

In this world where first impressions count, learning useful tips on how to up our image quotient and likability factor in the hearts and minds of others is the key to success. Just like how the teachers came together today to master the art of looking good and be the role models in the lives of their students. This seeks to remind me of how one always looks up to one’s role model or mentor so as to accelerate success in life.

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If you think training teachers is a challenging task, think again. They are not! They may appear fierce or even scold you if you forget to do your homework. Yet if you take time to get to know each of them personally, you will find that they are friendly, amicable and deliberately poke fun at themselves...all for a good cause!

From all their cheerful expressions and wide smiles, I'm sure they have picked up valuable skills which they can further share with their students. Thank you teachers of Mayflower Primary School!

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It is perfectly normal to have butterflies in your stomach, especially if you have to do a presentation to a group of people. They may be your colleagues, the vendors or worse…your bosses!

I was in the same shoes as you too when I first did my public presentations in varsity. Back then, it was made worse by the fact that my grades would be directly or indirectly affected by how well we presented.
Fast forward to today and I’m a lifestyle coach with an arsenal of workshops and programmes. If you ask me if I ever prepare for my workshops and programmes, I’ll give you a resounding YES. No talk or workshop is considered ready to see the light of day unless I have rehearsed it at least five times. And of course the more you practise, the better you become at it. Well, you need to be convincing as you never know what questions the audience might ask you.

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This was the essence of what I shared with the staff at Best World International as part of my “Be Prepared to Speak” talk.
If I had to choose a topic to present, it would be something along the lines of either my talents or experiences. There is a difference between talents and experiences and this distinction needs to be made clear.

Talents refer to an innate ability which you may be born with. It is something you are naturally good at. For example, if I recall back from my childhood days, I enjoyed doodling to such a great extent that no wall in my house was spared from my Picasso-like drawings. Also, I loved to sing. So doodling and singing are my talents.
On the other hand, experiences are skills you have acquired over the years, either because of your formal training at the office or through your degree of specialization in varsity. So if you may have an accountancy degree, that means wanting you to speak on how to read financial statements would be a breeze for you.
Now that you know the difference between talents and experiences, do take some time to come up with a separate list for both. Once your list is ready, you will never be dumbfounded should you be asked to speak off the cuff.

Remember, creating credibility is all about being in familiar ground. The more familiar you are with the topic, the more you will be able to speak convincingly and galvanize the audience into taking the necessary actions. Personally, I can speak for hours or even days on topics such as grooming, fitness, nutrition, NLP, service excellence etc as these are very close to my heart. I certainly wouldn't be sharing the euphoria of knitting nor baking as I'm a complete novice at these!

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And I like it best when the audience participated actively with my series of mnemonics designed to help them learn more effectively. Here's proof of that! :)

Lunchtime Grooming Talk Series: Cordlife

Posted by: lionel

Tagged in: grooming

It's my first time exploring the Science Park today. Located at a stone's throw away from educational institutes such as NUS and Ngee Ann Polytechnic, the Science Park strikes me with its beautiful blend of nature and mankind. Walk around and there's a green lung almost everywhere you turn...complete with waterfalls and all. This is in stark contrast to the research laboratories housed there.
I've been scheduled to be at Cordlife to give a grooming talk later. As its name suggests, CordLife collects, processes and stores your baby's cord blood stem cells which may later become potential source material for lifesaving treatment. It is indeed interesting to learn that cord blood has become a major source of stem cells for transplantation worldwide and is used to treat over 80 diseases, including certain cancers and bone marrow failure syndromes, blood disorders and immunodeficiencies. I truly salute the people wearing white overgarments in the laboratories as they are the unsung heroes of others, whose lives depend on their very hands.

Comprising a bubbly lot of employees, it was clear that everyone was in for a fun session. From the moment I declared the discussions open, chatter and laughter was all that resulted. And all for a good cause as I firmly believe that the more you share with your partner, the more both will benefit :)

Asking them to share on image destroyers for both men and ladies proved to be the highlight of the talk as everyone was keen to air their own opinion.

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And when it came to demonstrating how to determine one's face shape in my simple, two-step system, the group volunteered their colleagues from HR. Hailing from a HR background, this is almost always the case as HR is the know-it-all, do-it-all department in any organisation.


Coming on sportingly, the two HR representatives took it in their own stride and became models for the rest to follow and learn from.

Every talk for me is an unique experience as I love it when participants make it a point to ask questions privately after the talk or an effort to keep in touch. That's the primary motivation that keeps me going :)

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I'm super excited today for two reasons. One, I'm back to the bright lights of Shenton Way again, pounding the streets just like the other guys in their suits. Second, this is a brand new talk series for me.

When I got the brief from the client about wanting to do something radically different and broach the evergreen topic of conversation chemistry dating tips between men and women, to be honest, I was startled. After all, I need to justify that I'm not a pickup artist nor relationship expert. My roots hark back to fitness and grooming.

But when I thought about it, conversation chemistry between a guy and a girl is essentially all about the remaining 7% that makes up our overall image score. The 7% is premised primarily on how we communicate with others. This includes both the verbal and non-verbal aspects; and the chemistry vibes of course.

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I simply love the crowd today. Yes, they are the staff of Aviva Singapore. The only difference is that all the staff attending my talk today are singles. Responsive, fun and energetic - that's the trademark of the crowd today. All so eager to learn as much as I am equally geared up to share as much. Plus the arrangement of the tables in a U shape allows me to work the room to the maximum effect by coming up close to each and every participant :)

If you ask me what creates the spark between a man and a woman, I'll tell you it boils down all to the topic of communication. In today's society, there are some topics that are considered off limits or even taboo. These include race, religion, politics and sex. No one in the right frame of mind would spark off a debate in any one of these topics after successfully scoring the first date.

If you are lost for topics to choose from, I offer you three perennial favourites to choose from. They are (in no particular order of merit) food, shopping and travel. Singaporeans simply love to eat, shop and travel. Plan your topics around these three big topics and you can chunk up or down easily. What's your most memorable holiday? Why do you love shopping at Topshop? Are there any foods you don't take?

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Now that you have the right topic(s) to talk about, it's only half the battle won. The other half would depend on your body language, speaking techniques and ability to sustain the conversation.


As a man, what signs do you read in a lady that she's interested in you and this date would eventually result in the second date...nth date? Likewise for a lady, how do you read the body language and speech patterns of a guy to ascertain if he reciprocates your sentiments?

Never one to disappoint my audience,
I left them with 7 of my all-time useful art of conversation tips. And you would never guessed they resonated well with the audience as I saw heads nodding and smiles widening on faces. Sometimes, it's the simple things we do in life that get people to notice and remember us for all the good reasons.

With my confidence at an all-time high now and the positive acclaim from both the Aviva's management team standing behind, I can safely predict that another run for yet another organisation is definitely on the cards. And I'm going to include this in my workshop offerings. Yeah :)

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NLP Training Workshop For HK Hardware & Engineering

Posted by: lionel

Tagged in: nlp

Even though words only make up 7% of our total image score, it is still important to choose the right words when communicating with others. This is especially so because we do not live in a vacuum. Like it or not, we are surrounded by people – our colleagues, friends, families, suppliers and even strangers.

While words have the power to motivate, heal and make others feel loved; words too have the power to hurt, demoralize and inflict pain. Therefore, choosing the right words to use in any situation is an art in itself. And there lies the beauty of NLP.

NLP or Neuro-Linguistic Programming continues to wield a ‘mystic’ power over millions of believers since it was formally introduced by Richard Bandler and John Grinder during the 1970s.

But let the truth be said that NLP is not something reserved only for the scholarly, bright and upper-class. It is a very useful tool which we can all adapt for usage in our everyday lives as long as we know how to. Essentially, NLP is concerned with how one knows what one knows.

This in essence was the message I brought across to the staff of HK Hardware & Engineering Pte Ltd today.

Comprising the management team seated right upfront and the rest of the staff who signed up for it in the back tables, I saw many a pair of doe eyes looking at me in bewilderment.

No, I didn’t project myself as a demigod. Neither did I speak in a tongue so alien to their native Singaporean or Malaysian ears. What I did was simply lift the veil behind NLP and demystified it completely.

I’m grateful for this gift of mine which is to simplify difficult to grasp concepts into easy, bite-sized ones.

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What NLP can really do for everyone who chooses to embrace the different tenets and integrate them into our daily lives is to help enhance our relationships with others. This is done through adopting the right representational systems. For example, if the speaker primarily uses visual words to communicate his thoughts, I too would choose visual words in my response to him. If he was more kinesthetic, then so would I. It is this simple. But of course, you would have to observe other types of systems too.

If you would like to unlock the power of NLP today and build better relationships with your colleagues, bosses, subordinates, family, friends or lover, contact me now.

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