SDN Networking Night: Personal Grooming Tips For Singles

SDN Networking Night: Personal Grooming Tips For Singles
Today’s my final work day for 2010 and to cap off a very fruitful year, I’m the invited speaker at the Social Development Network (SDN) networking night.

SDN does bring back some memories for me as I remember the time when first local graduates like myself back then after varsity were given free membership for a few years. The aim was for singles to join, participate in the different activities, broaden our social circle, and hopefully find a soulmate. And through the years, the aim has never changed. Indeed this is true. Just think about it – after graduation, everyone is all geared up to carve a niche for himself/herself as far as career is concerned. Relationships unfortunately for some take a backseat. And as the years fly by, in the words of some of my friends, so too has their market value dropped a few notches.

And that’s my sole responsibility tonight to up the market value of all the participants  – all 28 of them! And fear not, it’s actually that easy even though you may be in the company of strangers.

Starting off with some ice-breakers, the ever-friendly counsellors started the ball rolling by getting both the guys and girls to mingle and get to know one another better. Through various cajolling means, the participants soon warmed up to the idea of moving around the room to network.

After breaking the proverbial ice, it was time for me to take over the stage and share with the participants useful personal grooming tips.

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In the same spirit as all my other grooming workshops, I got the participants to engage in discussions. This not only served the purpose of allowing them to know themselves better, but also gave them the opportunity to chat up the lady or guy beside them. Who knows if any sparks would fly after the workshop? I certainly hope so 🙂

Hands shot up eagerly when I requested for volunteers during the demonstration part. This was a refreshing surprise considering that most Singaporeans are shy people. But hey, there’s really nothing to be shy right at a networking night like this. If you are shy, you will probably walk home with no phone numbers or having befriended no one new.

Today, I’ll be sharing on both the visual and verbal parts of looking good. Besides looking good, you must also know how to project yourself vocally by various means – one of which is my perennial favourite topic – NLP. Learning how to incorporate NLP techniques into grooming is probably a first and it is indeed very useful when attempting to build instant rapport effortlessly. When a male participant subsequently asked me after doing the exercises how infallible NLP was, I was not surprised as he was indeed deciding to put his new learnt social skills to the test the very next day by chatting up some girls he fancied.

Let the truth be said that NLP is indeed a very useful tool but we should not misuse it. After all, knowledge is power but if used for the wrong means, can result in destructive consequences. In NLP, we observe the other party subtely. We do not cause a major traffic standstill by staring hard and intensely. That certainly would not impress others at first sight. Instead, we would just be doing the very opposite – by scaring everyone away and being labelled as rude, inept and lacking social graces.

Nonetheless, I had a piece of very good advice for him – in whatever we do, it’s always practice, practice and practice that makes us masters at our own craft. I certainly didn’t become good doing what I’m doing now without honing my skills for years. The more you practise, you more conversant and comfortable you are.

As the night slipped away, it was again a stark reminder how blessed I truly am this year to be able to touch the lives of so many people and share the gift of a better 2011 ahead. Remember, it all begins with understanding yourself thoroughly.

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