Who says Etiquette class is boring?

I personally think that students nowadays can be rather blessed, the current education system is a lot more flexible and dynamic as compared to when I was a student, allowing students to be exposed to a lot more than just what they need to know to pass exams.

Business Etiquette and Networking is a very good example. We were invited by ITE College West (Clementi Campus) to train their students on business etiquette as well as business networking.

Students get to roleplay as professionals in various fields and then attempt to 'network' with one another. With hilarous results I may add.

Derick and I did the namecard and formality exchange.

'Hi, meet my boss, .....' the class learn about the do's and don't of formal business introductions.

'Nice namecard!' Live demo of what to do and say when meeting new people in a business setting.

The trick to knowing what is the correct volume to use during presentation is that when you cover your ears and speak, you should sound louder in your head than what you would normally be used to. This would mean that you're really projecting.

I've mention before that I really enjoy working with ITE students and I enjoyed having the opportunity to train and interact with the 120 Banking students. Thanks guys. You were great! Look forward to training you soon :) 

I wish everyone a Happy New Year!

The Importance of Networking

During 1 of the 4 E³ sessions for National Junior College's I&E Club, Dean was going over the fundamentals of networking.

He asked the students how much they knew about networking, and they all thought that they knew quite a bit about the subject. I mean, c'mon, isn't it as simple as meeting new people and making friends? They reasoned.

We decided to put them to the test and did a mock of an actual networking session. It turns out that there was quite a bit about networking that they don't understand. That getting to know someone professionally isn't quite the same ball game as socialising and making friends.

We told them that there were a lot of things they were doing that could be improved on, like how proper handshakes, or how to walk, talk and speak properly. What kind of topic to talk about when meeting someone new.

And then we ran the session again. And this time, both Dean and I were dumbfounded at how much they have improved. In a matter of an hour, the students have stopped being students and were networking, exchanging contacts, getting what they want out of the networking sessions as if they've done it their entire lives.

After the workshop, Dean and I had this conversation.

'Well done, Dean. They improved alot.'

'Yeah, I didn't expect them to be this good after a quick session.'

'These kids are different, it's not like you don't know it already. They absorb what you teach and fling it back at you with equal finesse and they make it look easy while they're doing that.'

Isn't it remarkable?