MAPS 2011 Annual Convention

More than 100 of Malaysia’s professional speakers and trainers gathered together to learn new techniques, share experience and connect with their peers from five other countries, including USA, UK and Singapore.
Organised by MAPS, the Malaysian Association of Professional Speakers, the event also celebrated the 10th anniversary of their creation.

Appropriately, the Founder President and the nation’s first CSP (Certified Speaking Professional), Dato’ Lawrence Chan, was present to lead members down Memory Lane at the accompanying Banquet as he presented ten years of visual highlights.But, in the main Convention Hall, an impressive line-up of overseas and home platform speakers was led by , GSF President Alan Stevens and current NSA President Kristin Arnold.

First up was Canada’s Joseph Sherren,  a 25-year veteran of the speaking industry who shared with delegates the importance in the 21st century of dealing with the information explosion, with new expectations, and with shifting priorities. But his underlying and inspirational message was that “Tomorrow is Going to be Amazing”.
Dato’ Dr. R. Palan celebrated his recent Datoship (equivalent of a British knighthood) and even more recent creation as a CSP by reminding his fellow Malaysians of his unique ‘Global Journey of an Asian’ in developing a multinational training company based on his personal passion to help people learn and perform in a FUN way.

Alan Stevens, a leading British speaker and trainer, may be GSF President, but he remains a very active and passionate advocate of the use of social media to enhance our speeches. And he practised what he preached by linking his presentation to live online tweats received as he was speaking.

Former World Champion of Public Speaking Darren LaCroix is a regular visitor to Malaysia. But on this visit he was keen to remind delegates of the need to constantly develop our speaking skills, taking ourselves from our own starting point and moving through inevitable “failures” in the pursuit of eventual achievement.  And, of course, he delivered this message using his very personal and effective brand of humour.

Shirley Taylor may be best known as a writer and user of the written word, but as incoming President of the Asia Professional Speakers, Singapore, she was able to relate the importance of effective writing in becoming an effective speaker.

MAPS President and a leading Malaysian sales trainer, Jonathan Low shared his motivational views about the relationship between speaking, sales and relationships in enhancing performance and achieving success.
Who better to round off the two-day event than the current NSA President ? Kristin Arnold aimed to provide an “Endnote” closing presentation which would link together the key lessons emerging from the whole event. And she certainly succeeded in leaving delegates with practical ways to identify business opportunities and to develop a speaking business.

Of course, there were many other elements to this Convention, including 16 experienced ‘Showcase speakers’ sharing techniques to enhance participants’ skills in a wide range of areas related to the speaking and training arena.

And, as an innovation which most certainly worked in the eyes of delegates, two ‘Meet the Pros’ sessions provided our international and local leaders with an opportunity to share ideas in a Forum environment to develop a speaking business and to enhance professional speaking skills.

Overall, a very successful and valuable way to spend 48 hours in the company of fellow professional speakers leaving most delegates eagerly anticipating the 2012 MAPS National Convention in May 2012.