While everyone was happily celebrating Christmas and the New Year, I was up in KL conducting corporate training on Internet Marketing. Although the $1,500/day was attractive, it was the challenge of public speaking that drew me.

I still remember my first speaking gig at CMO 2007 (Sheraton Imperial, KL) in March. Being a first timer, and speaking to/alongside senior marketers from MNCs, I was a nervous wreck. I actually locked myself in the bathroom the night before and rehearsed for two hours infront of the mirror!

The second workshop with TM Net (Equatorial Hotel, Bangi) in April was less stressful though it was a full-day event, probably because I was more confident with myself this time around.

The latest workshop was different in two ways - (a) it was a two-day event, hence a good test of stamina; and (b) it was for a small group so lots of questions were expected from the floor.

Now, I didn’t rehearse for the training at all and was able to speak spontaneously, guided only by my slides and questions from the participants. My early worries about not having enough materials was unfounded because we actually exceeded the alloted time. :)

However, doing two full-days was challenging indeed, and I ended the first day with a sore throat and the second day with a stiff neck. Fortunately though, the participants were very responsive and nobody dozed off. All in all, it was another satisfying experience and a wonderful end to 2007 for me.

So what’s so attractive about speaking and training as a career?

Apart from the challenges, great food and fancy hotels, I got to meet a lot of people - a refreshing change from working on websites. Besides, there was this HRDF (Human Resource Development Fund) scheme in Malaysia where companies could claim up to $3,500/day for staff training so it pays well too.

Hence although it’s only the 2nd day of the new year, I’m already planning my move into this area. I mean, why not? I already have a reputation, the presentation materials and the experience. Infact, I’ve got two invitations to speak already in June and July respectively - one’s a digital marketing workshop in Singapore/Hong Kong and the other’s Ad-Tech by DMG.

I’m not aiming to be as successful as Adam Khoo or Clement Chiang (ex-classmate at NTU by the way) but I’m hopeful that I’ll be a significant player as far as SEO/Internet Marketing is concerned. Looks like 2008 is going to be another interesting year. Happy New Year everyone! :)