Category: Blog

How to Overcome Fears on Media and Public Speaking

What fears have you overcome and how?

I’ve overcome my fears of facing the media over the years. It was a real challenge, but now I can confidently tackle various media platforms. From giving lectures to students, public speaking at seminars and conferences, making keynote speeches, being a panelist or even a panel moderator, going live on radio and TV, hosting webinars, creating videos on YouTube or TikTok, and going live on Facebook—I’ve done it all!

It wasn’t an overnight process, though. It took me a good number of years, actually more than 20 to 30 years, starting from my early days of employment, to lessen the jitters I felt when facing crowds and the media.

Overcoming Media Fears: My Tips

  1. Knowledge is Confidence: Being knowledgeable about the topic is crucial. The more you know, the more confident you’ll feel when speaking about it.
  2. Practice, Practice, Practice: Rehearse your speeches or presentations extensively. The more you practice, the more comfortable you become with the material, refining your delivery and controlling your nerves.
  3. Arrive Early and Mingle: Ease your nervousness by arriving early and mingling with the audience or other speakers. It helps build connections and creates a more relaxed atmosphere.
  4. Prepared Answers for Panels: Have written answers prepared for panel sessions. They serve as a helpful reference when faced with challenging questions.
  5. Relate to Your Expertise: Find connections to your expertise when encountering unfamiliar topics. This allows you to provide valuable insights while staying within your comfort zone.
  6. Honesty Beats Guesswork: If you don’t know the answer to a question, it’s better to admit it honestly. Offer to look into it and provide a well-informed response later.
  7. Inject Humor Appropriately: Adding humor lightens the atmosphere and engages the audience. Ensure it is relevant and suitable for the occasion.
  8. Link Topics Mentally, Not Read Slides: Instead of reading slides verbatim, mentally link the topics together for a more natural flow during the presentation.
  9. Clear and Concise Communication: Avoid mumbling or speaking too fast. Articulate your words clearly and explain complex ideas in simple terms to connect effectively with your audience.

These tips have helped me overcome my fears and excel in facing the media. What about you? Do you have any strategies or techniques that have worked for you? Share your thoughts!

When No New Ideas Are Generated

How do you know when it’s time to unplug? What do you do to make it happen?

At times, our marketing strategies don’t yield the desired results, despite trying various approaches. The growth we seek seems elusive, making it necessary to reconsider our tactics, whether that’s adjusting pricing, devising a new strategy, experimenting with alternative marketing platforms, tweaking our messaging, targeting a different customer base, or even introducing new products. If these efforts still fall short, it may be time to take a step back, to decompress and regain perspective.

I often find solace in vacations, peaceful beach walks, or revisiting my passion for photography, perhaps even catching up on some movies. I might not be able to completely disconnect from the digital world as I value the ability to stay connected and enjoy using my favorite mobile apps.

Does this approach always work? Not necessarily. But it occasionally provides fresh insights into the challenges I’m facing, which is a valuable starting point for innovative ideas.

What about your experiences?

Dateline for the Next eBook

For nearly two years, I have delayed working on this eBook due to my chronic habit of procrastination.

One of the factors contributing to this delay is my belief that the content is insufficient.

Moreover, I lack the confidence to publish a new eBook, fearing that it may not meet the standards necessary for people to consider purchasing it.

Additionally, my busy schedule managing my business has left me with limited time and focus to dedicate to writing.

Furthermore, I failed to establish a deadline for myself, making it challenging to complete the eBook.

Without a set timeline, accomplishing the task of finishing the eBook appears highly improbable.

Dateline is Important.

Academia, Industry & Government

What jobs have you had?

I’ve had the privilege to work in three diverse sectors: academia, industry, and government, with ten, twenty-one, and eight years of experience respectively.

In academia, my endeavors included teaching, conducting research, authoring academic papers and journals, as well as presenting at conferences.

My time in the industry was spent across two telecommunications companies and my own startup. I acquired leadership skills, managing everything from small teams to larger divisions with over 100 staff members.

While in government roles, I collaborated with numerous agencies, overseeing multimillion-dollar R&D projects and generating patents.

These experiences provided me with an understanding of various issues – from educational challenges to those surrounding research and development. I learned how to manage large divisions, even acting as the CEO of a subsidiary, and how to establish my own products and services as an entrepreneur.

I have had the opportunity to work in large corporations with abundant resources, and in contrast, in startups with limited funding and manpower.

The journey took me from being an employee to becoming an employer, understanding both perspectives. My career has spanned from the era of analog technology (IR 1.0) to the digital, Internet, and AI era (IR 4.0)

These valuable experiences, for which I am deeply grateful, have equipped me to contribute meaningfully to the younger generation.

What else could one wish for?

Now we are 6 year old (since 2017)

Starting The Next IoT Ebook

Today, I began my journey of writing my next eBook. After completing my last two eBooks, I realized the need for a more comprehensive guide on IoT. I want to provide readers with an enhanced version of my previous book, “Your IoT Journey,” with even more valuable content.

However, as I pondered over the title, I started to have second thoughts about the original one. I believe a captivating title is crucial for attracting readers and conveying the objectives of the book effectively. So, I decided to brainstorm some alternative titles that would encompass the essence of the book while sparking curiosity. Here are a few options I came up with:

  1. Start Your IoT Business
  2. Your IoT Guide
  3. IoT Journey Guide
  4. Transform into IoT

I’m open to any suggestions or feedback on these titles. Feel free to share your thoughts and help me choose the perfect title for my upcoming eBook. Stay tuned for the next update!

New IoT eBook

37.5% Increase of Views in May 2023

This Blog started on Nov. 17, 2021.

However, beginning early this year (2023), I started to become more active. In 2022, I only posted 16 articles, but today (May 16, 2023), I have already posted 54 articles!

And the number of views have increased 37.5% and we have 6-7 more months in 2023. Most likely it will reached far higher than this by end of 2023.

This is what I did to make the difference:

  • Be more active in generating contents
  • Daily postings either through new articles or responding to WordPress Daily Prompts.
  • Post trending topics. Currently the topics are related to Generative AI such as ChatGPT, Bard, Midjourney and AIPRM
  • Post new tips and tutorials
  • Engage with other readers using WordPress Reader. Exchanging comments and give Likes.
  • Increased number of followers. Especially after I reach out and engage with other Bloggers
  • Using FB Page and WhatsApp Groups to share links. This help to attract new visitors.

I will keep this methods to increase more visitors and views.

What do think? What other methods did you use to increase traffic to your Blog?

The Person Who Had A Positive Impact on My Life

Share a story about someone who had a positive impact on your life.

Without even realizing it, my late father imparted three invaluable lessons that significantly influenced my life.

During my early teenage years, I would accompany my father, a simple government clerk, to television repair shops. It was there he would obtain the TV circuit diagrams, and then fix the TVs single-handedly. Our backyard was filled with TVs lined up for repair – a sight I’ll never forget. I was never certain whether this was a part-time job for him or a personal hobby.

His ability to fix these TVs without any formal education in the field left me in awe.

Inadvertently, he gave me three essential lessons that have had a profound effect on my life:

Autodidacticism: There are many areas where formal education, like college or university, can impart knowledge. But there are also instances where we must seek out knowledge ourselves and become independent learners.

Overcoming Obstacles: If you put your entire heart and soul into something, it can be achieved. Yes, there will always be hurdles in your path, but persistence will eventually lead you to your destination. You’ll never know the realm of possibilities unless you try.

Inspiring Others: Unbeknownst to my late father, he was a constant source of inspiration to me. Imagine the impact we could have if we intentionally aimed to inspire others?

What about you? Who gives you a positive impact in your life?

An Entrepreneur – The Last Career

What is your career plan?

In 1984, I began my career as a lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, which was also my alma mater. However, upon completing my PhD, I made the decision to change paths and transitioned to the field of telecommunications. In 1994, I joined Celcom, a prominent telecommunication company.

At Celcom, I initially served as the Manager of Research and Development, and over the course of the next 13 years, I progressed to become a Vice President, overseeing various divisions within the company.

Following my tenure at Celcom, I embarked on a new phase of my career as the Wireless Communications Cluster Director at Mimos. In this role, I was responsible for conducting research and development in wireless technology, focusing on areas such as IPv6, WiMAX, and ultimately, the Internet of Things (IoT).

In 2015, I made the decision to join another telecommunications company with the objective of assisting them in establishing a new subsidiary known as Redtone IoT.

Subsequently, I ventured into full-time entrepreneurship, establishing my own startup named Favoriot. This marked the final phase of my professional journey, as I had reached the age of 60. My aim now is to retire after successfully building a company that I can take pride in.

The full details about me can be found here.

Scientist of a Robotics Company

What’s a job you would like to do for just one day?

A scientist – that’s what I had in mind when I was a kid. That’s my ambition – to become a scientist that can design robots.

Probably I have been watching too many sci-fi movies during my childhood days. Starting from Jetsons to Land of the Giant to Star Trek.

Although I have not become a Scientist, I became an Engineer, a Lecturer, a Professor and a CEO.

Although I don’t design or develop robots, at least now I have a chance to use AI in my daily lives.

But maybe if there’s a wish that can come true – probably I would like to become a Scientist in an advanced Robotics company.

Giving myself a day to contribute my knowledge for the betterment of mankind in the future.

What about you?

A Scientist