Image Flair

Create Better First Impressions

2012-02-23T23:59:00.000+08:00

Creating first impressions is key to attaining success in your professional and personal life. However, many are puzzled by how or what is takes to create a long-lasting, great first impression. In this article, we provide a few useful tips that can be incorporated in our daily lives to enhance your personality and set you up for the next occasion you will need to impress.

First of all, physical appearance needs to be given the highest priority. Proper clothes and a pleasant outlook will help create a positive impression even before you utter a single word. Like it or not, how you look is increasingly important to how other people perceive you. All you are required to do is adorn some clean clothes and appear well-groomed. Of course, depending on the formality setting, you would need to dress appropriately and wear only clothes that fit you.

In this regard, you can take help from professional personal consultation services that provide expert wardrobe analysis, colour and style analysis, and even personal grooming. Most often, it is considered that such services are a waste of time and money. However, such workshops provide resourceful tips regarding image and etiquette, and help enhance and revitalize a person’s appearance for a better image and outlook. All these play vital roles in creating the first impression that you want to have whether it is during an interview, a first date, or even a high school reunion!

Creating that first impression is just the beginning. Often, what follows during a personal introduction tends to tarnish that great first impression you have created, either because you could not hold a good conversation or the voice did not match the image. Another way how image and etiquette training can help you create long-lasting, better first impressions is by instilling the ability to make good introductions and hold conversations.

The right introduction requires articulating important personal information like your name and what you do in the right voice, tone, and volume. While this seems simple to many of us, you would be surprised at how many people find self-introductions a challenge. Continuing a conversation after seems like an even more daunting task. The aim is to engage the other person, and this is only possible through effective talking and listening skills. In this regard, you need to try and keep a balance between opening up too much and in other cases, not giving an adequate response. Begin conversation by making the other person feel comfortable and then go with the flow. In most cases, we tend to give less importance to ‘listening’. It is in fact, a very important aspect of making a well-balanced conversation.

Confidence building is also indispensable to creating better first impressions. Some people are inherently self-assured, while others need a little help. On a personal level, you can work by getting rid of self-consciousness. Sometimes, people tend to focus too much on themselves, where they tend to worry about what the other person thinks about them. This leads to low self-esteem, which outwardly represents itself in form of fidgeting, second-guessing and shyness.

However, low self confidence is not a problem that you have to live with permanently. There are many workshops conducted by trained image consultants, which aim to inculcate poise and self-belief in people. Speak with a professional today and get a lasting first impression that will set you apart from all the rest.

Bullying at school - why parents should be aware of children manners and social graces

2012-01-14T19:51:00.000+08:00

Many parents have been expressing their concern at the lack of children manners and social graces. It is baffling to see a sharp increase in the number of bullying incidents at school. Such non civil behavior in children can be attributed to the lack of awareness and proper guidance. In view of this disturbing situation, I would like to share about a holiday workshop conduced at Image Flair to help promote children manners and social graces. I would particularly mention the Cool Kind Kid program that aims to help children get along with others and impart anti bullying education.

I see many parents worried that they have no clue as to how they can play a role in instilling children manners and social graces. My advice would be that the best thing you can do for your child is to get him/her professional help at Image Flair.

Some of the basic causes of why your child becomes a victim of bullying at school are:

Lack of confidence
Low self-esteem
Inability to interact and socialize with others

At the same time you could be one of those parents receiving reports of your child’s misdemeanor and that he/she might be bullying others at school. This occurs from a lack of respect for others as well as poor children manners and social graces. Participants who have attended some of the workshops in this regard are pleased to find out that the foremost principle taught to children is RESPECT. The values instilled in school going children at these workshops help build their character with a strong stress laid on children manners and social graces.

Parents should be aware of the detrimental effects that bullying can leave on children. Any form of bullying can leave a child with long term personality disorder. Some of the effects include depression, anxiety, anger, insecurity and lack of trust. The three main forms of bullying that children generally face at school are:

Physical – This includes shoving, hitting and physically targeting a victim.
Verbal – Victims are usually teased, threatened and mocked in this type of bullying.
Emotional – A constant fear is developed in the victim’s mind.

The anti-bullying programs are an effective way of eradicating bullying from school and promoting children manners and social graces. The workshops aim to teach students cooperation and dispute resolution techniques that will help them fit in school and avoid bullying.

Now you can take your kids to fancy restaurants

2011-12-19T17:02:00.002+08:00

Teen Etiquette & Dining Workshop - Dec 10, 2011

Becoming an etiquette consultant that teaches children social graces isn’t a typical career choice. However, after helping parents and children in building their character and attaining vital social skills, one can safely say that it is probably one of the most rewarding professions. Here at Image Flair, our professionals are well trained in children social graces. The workshops for dining etiquette have been divided into two age groups:

Children Social Etiquette and Dining Workshop for ages five to twelve
Teen Etiquette and Dining Workshop for ages twelve to nineteen

After attending these workshops, parents have expressed their satisfaction and have been utterly grateful for the services provided. Parents that once avoided taking their children out to high-end dining functions or venues can now look forward to having dinners and attending social gatherings with their children. The whole point of becoming an etiquette consultant is not just to teach etiquette skills to children, but to see families have an enjoyable time always. Some of the focus areas of teaching children social graces in the above mentioned workshops include:

Communication skills
Table manners
Dining etiquette
Social interaction
Making Positive introduction
Confidence building
Poise and Posture

At Image Flair, the professionals are certified to handle lessons on children social graces. Some of the instructions that you will come across in dining workshops have been thoroughly studied according to the current social situations. From the minor details to comprehensive character enhancement, the image consultants are well versed in all aspects of children social graces. After attending special trainings and workshops, children as well as teenagers are able to conduct themselves with poise in restaurants and other outdoor gatherings. The parents no longer have to face awkward situations arising at restaurants due to unruly children and teenagers. It destroys the entire eating experience leaving one embarrassed.

The children will also receive attendance certificates for their proud achievements at the workshops. Some basic tips and children social graces are given below that you can use to groom your kids before going to a restaurant.

After being seated, unfold and place the napkin in your lap.
Begin eating only after everyone at the table has been served
Use the silverware properly
Do not talk with food in your mouth!

The above mentioned tips just provide an idea to basic children social graces at restaurants. For a complete guide, it is my advice that you enroll your kids in a professional dining workshop so that they can shine at lunches and dinners!

Help your kids adapt to social situations

2011-11-12T00:00:00.000+08:00

As adults, most of us choose to remember the pleasant childhood memories -- the worry-free days, play dates and other priceless moments. We sometimes tend to forget the not-so-lovely aspects of being a kid, whether deliberately or unconsciously. The truth is that children in their own capacity come across numerous social situations that they cannot deal with. This shakes their confidence and also builds up anti-social element in their personality. Children Holiday workshops can help kids adapt to such social situations as they offer professional help on character building. The experience can prove to be life altering for many such children.

The Children Holiday workshops focus on children belonging to all age groups. Every child is different from the other and it is very important to be fully aware of this individuality. A child is going through a development phase till he/she grows up and enters a professional life. During this time period, the kids need to be taught and prepared for what they might expect from life in future. In fact, to be able to deal with social situations with poise, it becomes almost necessary that kids are enrolled in Children Holiday Workshops at least once. Starting from an early age of four, these Children Holiday Workshops help inculcate the skills and manners required to interact with those around them.

Children are on a constant path to discovery. They lack the experience and familiarity for dealing with a new environment outside home. In fact, sometimes children are also unaware on how to deal with situations arising at home. This may include on how to respond to parents and siblings. Similarly, they come across many occasions that involve dealing with friends, relatives, neighbors and complete strangers. Children might get confused and agitated if they are unable to establish a friendly relationship with these people. It may also have a lasting effect on their lives in future. Children Holiday Workshops teach children the necessary etiquettes to communicate, listen, understand and socialize. This helps them adapt to any social situations that may arise at home, school, neighborhood or social gatherings. A noticeable effect can be seen in kids in the form of increased confidence after they have attended Children Holiday Workshops. It also helps resolve anti-social behavior in children that can be quite detrimental to their personalities as kids and even in future. Bullying, disrespectful behavior, shyness and other such negative traits are a hurdle in a child’s social success. It is important to opt for professional advice such as Children Holiday Workshops on helping children adapt rather than isolating themselves.

Train the Trainer

2011-08-21T12:14:00.002+08:00

During the years of my professional life, I have had many inquiries on ‘Train the trainer’ program. I am passionate in my teaching, and whatever I do. I have talked to Lew Bayer, internationally recognized as the “civility expert”, who is President of Civility Experts Worldwide, and we decided to partner to offer live Civility Train the Trainer training in Singapore, along with a self study program.

In addition to 5 years as a credentialed, experienced image consultant and professional presence trainer, I have had interest in positive, courteous behaviour and so Image flair is a founding member of International Civility Trainer’s Consortium (ICTC). And since I’m a master trainer, certified by ICTC, it is my responsibility to see that our country receives the best talent in terms of etiquette teaching.

Are you looking forward to be a trainer for kids, teaching them etiquette? Now you can - with our Train the Trainer program.

With Image Flair Academy of Modern Etiquette, you can now achieve certification as a trained ICTC trainer though programs offered by Distance/Online or face-to-face through the Academy of Modern Etiquette in Singapore. The Academy is providing training classes to people who would like to work with kids and to teach them etiquette. This will be a 5 day coaching, and will help people in becoming a child etiquette consultant.

And if you do not belong to Singapore, or cannot join my course due to some reason, you can enroll in the online course that is offered now at a flat 50% discount rate. You can get online training and an ICTC approved certificate.

Benefits of becoming an etiquette consultant

When you become an etiquette consultant, you can get authority over the behavior of kids. You will get hands-on training from Ms Eunice Tan, the ICTC certified master of etiquette. From there on, you can add credibility to your services by being a caring and compassionate etiquette coach. To add children etiquette training in your resume, you need a certificate of training that is provided by the Image Flair Academy, and high courtesy standards that speak out for themselves.

Becoming a children etiquette consultant is a lucrative profession, but it’s not all about money. Of course it offers good growth prospects, but you need to have the passion and flair to be a good coach. And when you are handling kids, patience is a must. I handle all the kids with patience and love, and want all the trainers to do the same.

The Children Etiquette consultant certificate that you will receive from Image Flair would be approved for the ICTC credit. Once you complete the self study program or live training, you can take the International Civility Trainer’s Consortium Certification exam to achieve International certification in the field of children’s etiquettes. And after 5 years of teaching and training experience, you can apply for the ICTC Master Trainer Certification.

Interested in knowing more? Contact Ms Eunice Tan at 65.94311895 or email eunice@imageflair.com.sg today.

Beauty is in the Eyes of the Beholder

2011-07-24T12:47:00.001+08:00

A very true statement indeed, but being a professional makeup artist, I also believe that in order to enchant the beholder’s eyes, a little touch of makeup is required.

Makeup is an art and it comes from within. If you have it, you are lucky, but if you don’t have it, you can train yourself to refine the skills. My make-up coaching class lasts for 2 hours and trains you for the following how-to’s:

· Apply your make up for that flawless look.

· Enhance your features, liven up your eyes- especially single-lid eyes, droopy eyes and puffy eyes

· Wear false lashes (optional)

· Achieve natural day and transform to night make up

· Individual face shape analysis & advise on suitable hairstyles to compliment the look

This make-up lesson will provide you with everything you need to know to achieve the look you want. Walk away with a renewed sense of confidence and a new look that will garner plenty of compliments, amaze you and your friends and boost your confidence to a new level!

As the base for a good color spread is good skin, you will receive many professional tips and easy, fuss-free tips on skin care too.

I have refined many adults as well as teenagers, including employees and housewives, and taught them the intricacies of makeup and skin care. I love to share my knowledge with my clients and they are very happy with the results.

Getting a personal makeup consultation is probably the best solution. As I said, makeup is an art and to learn it, you need good consultation. Get an appointment with me and let me give you a flawless look based on your skin tone and features. I also have you some expert tips to increase your face value, along with skin care advice and color selection guide. I’ll explain the different types of brushes and why it is important to get the right one for the task. Also, you’ll be taught the various methods of makeup application, and the compact that is good for you.

If you have always heard about fashion makeovers, but never witnessed one, this is your time. Shed your inhibitions and say hello to a new you. Let the more beautiful, the more attractive side of you take over- the you that you really are….

And if you believe that makeup is for shallow people, just touch yourself with makeup once and then feel the difference. It doesn’t just make others look at you, it will make you look at yourself! If you think you could look prettier if you just had the right person to help you out, you’ve got an answer to your prayers. Attend my makeup training sessions… or better still- contact me for a visit and see yourself transform.

It’s all about the features. If you buy lipstick shades by the advice of others, just keep in mind- what suits them wouldn’t necessarily suit you. Come for a personal consultation on make up or color analysis and purchase colors that look flattering on you. If you want to learn the best hairstyle for your face(depending on its shape), make an appointment with me for 1-1 hands-on hairstyling consultation. After this hairstyling session, you can create your own daily, nightly, and glam hairdos by mastering the use of the tools and products for hairstyling.

Here is a useful handy tip:

Makeup brushes are very important and if you can’t buy them all, make sure you have the foundation brush at least. It takes very little effort and helps everyone put on foundation and compact easily. You can get many foundation brushes in the market, but if you want the right one for you, contact me.

For all your makeup needs, feel free to contact me. You can also get color and style consultation along with personal and business etiquette courses. … See you soon.

Little Phoenix and Dragon Etiquette Workshop

2011-07-07T21:37:00.008+08:00

To begin with, I would like to say that I truly enjoyed the The Little Phoenix and Dragon Workshop .

I’m extremely happy to share with you that the Little Phoenix and Dragon Etiquette Workshop had turned out to be very successful. It was held on Thursday, 16 June 2011 - 2 to 4pm at Lecture Room & Ixora Room.

There were 8 lovely kids age between 7 to 9 year old. I always try to keep the number of participants to the minimum so that each kid can get equal attention.

Children were encouraged to dress up in Peranakan fashion and the museum provided kebaya sarong and batik cina shirts for participants who wanted to dress up. When young kids were dressed up in traditional outfits, they looked amazing and the whole environment looked ethnic and grand.

The museum staff was very hospitable and helped in setting up the entire program. We started with some games and activities for the kids to open up and have fun. With the help of these games, they had a chance to interact with each other. It was fun to watch kids stand up and talk to each other. It gave them more confidence and I felt proud of them.

Then there was also a tour of the Peranakan culture where they were explained the meaning and the heritage of Peranakan history. The best part was when they learned about the Peranakan wedding events and culture. All kids were excited to know about various wedding functions. The kids also love the etiquette workshop segment conducted by me and wished the etiquette workshop was longer.

We soon had snack break and parents were allowed to join us later. Children enjoyed the variety of finger foods we had for them, and they practiced dining etiquette skills while eating. We also had sweet kueh, which became the favorite of all kids there. There were tea and coffee for parents and juices for kids. The whole menu was decided keeping in mind the taste preferences of young kids.

Later we handed out certificates to the participants. I was happy to see proud parents taking pictures of their young ones.

The program ended at roughly 4.30 pm and we bid farewell to happy kids and their parents.

It was certainly fun and I enjoyed the entire function. If you would like your child to participate in our holiday programs, contact me now as seating is limited. Early Bird Registration will save 10%.

Partnership with Civility Experts Worldwide

2011-07-07T17:10:00.002+08:00

Today, I would like to share with you about a dear friend, whom I call one of my mentors, Lew Bayer, President and CEO of Civility Experts Worldwide. For the past 14 years, Lew and her team have been internationally recognized as Canada’s leading experts on civility in the workplace. Lew has published 8 books including her recent co-author book called The Power of Civility. Additionally, Lew is the Executive Director of the International Civility Trainers’ Consortium (ICTC) In 2009, I had the opportunity to contribute to the creation of ICTC and I am proud to be one of the handful of Master Level ICTC certified civility trainers in the world, and a founding member of ICTC.

Lew and I have known each other for just over 3 years. I first got to know Lew when I was searching for curriculum to teach my children etiquette class. There were so many curriculums out there and the reason I chose Lew’s curriculum is because she is prompt in replying to my queries, she is also friendly and professional. Furthermore, her materials/curriculum was great and easy to use...At present, I continue to use Civility Experts Worldwide training materials to teach my etiquette classes and have been successful. You can view my class schedule and offering at http://www.imageflair.com.sg

I am pleased to note that a Business Etiquette Brief that I wrote as well as Etiquette Plus!, which is content I created is endorsed and sold on the Civility Experts shopping cart.

As an entrepreneur, it is very important for me to deal with someone I can trust and working with Lew has been great... In 2009, I decided to further my training as a children etiquette consultant and got personal training from Lew and achieved my Master Level Trainer (MCCT®)certification from ICTC. This accomplishment has enabled me to build my business and to form a strategic alliance with Civility Experts Worldwide. With great pleasure I can announce that effective May 1, 2011, Image Flair Academy of Modern Etiquette is the official, and exclusive, Children’s Character, Confidence and CourtesyCoach Certificate Train-the-Trainer for Singapore. This means that I and my team will be delivering face-to-face Train-the-Trainer programs for etiquette consultants, daycare providers, parents, teachers, event planners and others who want to teach children character, confidence and courtesy.

In one of our recent conversations Lew stated, “Civility is entirely about consistently communicating respect and consideration for others, Eunice – you and your team exemplify these values and we are proud to partner with you and support you in continuing civility conversations, promotions, training and development of civility in Singapore”. Learn more about Lew by visiting www.civilityexperts.com - note that I am the Featured Affiliate on their main site.

I have always respected Lew and am so happy to be able to represent her prestigious company, Civility Experts, in Singapore. We strongly believe that teaching children social graces is important and to help parents support their children’s social development, we plan to offer Social Competence and Cultural Competence training to adults and businesses beginning 2012

Building Confidence through Confidence is Cool® Workshop

2011-07-03T14:11:00.031+08:00

The latest Confidence is Cool® Workshop was conducted between 6 June and 8 June 2011.

Confidence is a very important trait. You can’t have great personality if you aren’t confident enough- you should be able to talk, walk and act with confidence.

While I have seen many management stream people talk about it, it is generally not instilled in children from the right age. Think about it- if a person has always felt low about himself from his childhood, how do you expect him to be more confident as he grows up? This is why I got the idea to start this workshop.

Confidence is cool. It is what gives structure to your personality. You just cannot have a good personality without confidence. You can have a great personality without expensive clothes and accessories, but not without confidence.

What gave me the idea of ‘Confidence is cool®’?

· Many parents came to me and said that their kids were shy and did not participate in social interactions.

· Some parents requested adding a lecture on public speaking. This is why I include it on the last day.

· Some students needed a self-esteem build up. I noticed this while conducting etiquette lessons. Most of them had some kind of bullying experience, thus lowering their self esteem.

There were many other reasons as well, but these were the primary ones. One thing that I always keep in mind is to conduct a small workshop, involving no more than 10 students, so that it can be kept personalized.

There were 5 students in my class in the June 2011 workshop. The names were Peng Siang, Peng Yang, Pang Boslyn, Bradley and Bentley. All of them came in with little confidence on the first day, and their confidence improved over the next 2 days. Now I am extremely happy to see them talk to one another with great confidence. It reflects in their facial expression, body posture and tone of voice.

One of the parents was so happy with the results that she signed up her sons for the Etiquette Plus Workshop on 13 June to 15 June 2011.

You may catch some pictures here at facebook.

The workshop quickly ended, and I miss those kids now. I hope to see them again as they were all bright and cheerful kids. They did extremely well and I’m proud of them.

Rachel attended my workshop last year, and I got her message on Facebook recently:

These gestures would make anyone happy and proud. Thank you Rachel, I appreciate that a lot!!!

Do note that Confidence is Cool® is a holiday's program. I started this workshop in 2008 and the response was so positive and overwhelming that every year, I conducted it twice…one in June school holiday, the other during Nov/Dec school Holidays.

The Three-day workshop was conducted to help youngsters, ages 8-12, achieve confidence, social skills and fine-tune their deportment skills. It covered the following points:

· What is Confidence

· The Steps To Gaining Confidence (6 steps)

· Setting Goals – Strategies

· Problem Solving Skills

· How To Assert Themselves Appropriately

· Techniques For Overcoming Shyness/ Self-Esteem

· The Language of Confidence – Verbal and Non-Verbal

· Public Speaking Skills

· Courteous Communication Skills

· Poise and Posture

· Situational Etiquette and many others.

Do you want your child to shine out among the rest too? Sign up for the next Confidence is Cool® now. But make sure you register on time, because I don’t accept a lot of kids in one workshop- Just to keep it focused :)

Image Consulting - Looks and Beyond

2011-05-29T11:58:00.002+08:00

When I’m not conducting workshops in schools, or holding corporate seminars on etiquette and image, I do consultation for private clients. It gives me a break from the monotony and I interact with them at a more personal level.

I have been working as an image consultant and have spent a lot of time with private clients (both men and women) to discover what suits their personalities, in terms of style, color and clothing that complements their lifestyle and body types. I play many roles and make sure that my clients get the best of everything in image consulting.

This helps me make friends and since my clients are always happy with my work, they also enroll their kids to my etiquette classes. This makes my work even more fun. What can be better than working with bubbly and vibrant kids? I love kids and thus working with them is fun for me.

Personality is not just about style and wardrobe- they stretch out to different realms and encompass colors and make up, etiquette and grooming. It is all about you- who you are and how to discover your hidden style.

My job is far more than improving looks by make up. I follow out the body types of my clients and recommend the correct clothing style that would suit them. I also visit their wardrobe and help them mix and match their clothing. This helps them save money as well. I also offer personal shopping so that they can get what really suits their looks and they can look best at reasonable prices. My aim is to save my client’s money while making them look the best.

I enjoy helping my clients. I try to walk an extra mile just to save them money and help them look good. After all, they rely on me, and it is my responsibility to help them get what they want.

I find that most of my clients have the same problem- they have nothing to wear. So I arrange a complete wardrobe for them, at lowest possible costs.

I also have associate trainers who conduct personal hairstyling and make up workshops- right in the client’s house. This helps them save time as well. Many of my clients are businessperson or housewives and they do not have time to attend my workshops, so I offer to visit them at their home and hold a small workshop there. Some of them are also 1-1 consultation sessions. It benefits them since it saves their time and money.

This Friday, I’m going for a personal shopping visit with one of my clients to help her get clothes that suit her living style and personality. I’m planning a day out with her when I can get to know her and then get what suits her looks and her way of living. Understanding people is very important before you start to change their looks.

Here are some tips for grooming (right from my secret tips chamber):

· Pay attention to the fit. Bad fit will not enhance your personality. If you bought a jacket or dress that seems too big, send it for alteration, but make sure that you get it done at pros only. I get my clothes altered at Alter Pro at UOB Center. They did a great job with my clothes and are very professional. You might want to try them.

· Do not get your white shirts dry cleaned. It yellows the cotton quickly and even causes red stains on them.

· Select colors that work well with your skin tone.

· Shop alone. I have tried this and found that when I shop alone, I am more focused and buy exactly what I need. Also, create a shopping list and stick to it.

· When you go shopping, wear a white tank top. This way you can try many things without going to the fitting room.

Working with Peranankan Museum

2011-05-21T11:42:00.011+08:00

In February this year, Barbara of the Peranakan Museum contacted me to conduct the Children Etiquette Workshop for the upcoming school holiday in June. I was extremely happy to have a chance to work with Peranakan Museum as my husband and I are half Peranakan. Our grandparents were Peranakan, and so we do have the Peranakan bit in our blood.

The Peranakans have a very cultural background. They are Straits Chinese. In their language, Babas means men, and Nyonyas means women. History says that Hang Li Poh, a Chinese princess, came to Malacca to get married to their Sultan. This intermarriage led to coming together of two cultures- Malays and Chinese, and gave birth to the Peranakans.

The Peranakan community then migrated to close by places like Singapore and Penang. The nyonyas traditionally spent time at home with elders, and thus the Peranakan culture has a very diverse range of costumes and cuisines.

The Peranakan culture is so diverse and vivid that it cannot be summed up here. To know more about them, visit http://www.peranakanmuseum.sg

I was very happy to be invited to work on the museum assignment. For this event, I have decided to wear a traditional kebaya sarong that I purchased from one of the stores in Katong Shopping Center. As you can see below, there are so many beautiful kebaya, sarongs and beaded shoes. I have picked a red kebaya because red is my favorite color and it complements my skin tone as well.

My Red Kebaya and Blue Printed Sarong

Today, I met up with Michelle to go through the final details for the upcoming workshop. This workshop, “Little Phoenix and Dragon Etiquette Workshop for age 7-9 years old on
16 June 2011,” will be great fun with lots of Peranakan events. There will be traditional foods and etiquette training too. Everything will be done in a Peranakan setting. There is so much to learn at the museum, I am planning to take my daughter along so that she can learn something about the culture as well.

Do you have children of age 7-9 years? Would you like your children to learn about Peranakan culture? Why not sign up your children on this workshop. Make sure to dress your child in traditional Peranakan fashion. It will be a fun way to bond with other people of the different cultures. Kids are encouraged to get dressed in Peranakan attire, so in case you do not have Peranakan attire at home, you can get kebaya sarong and batik cina shirts from the museum.

Hope to see you and your kids at the Peranakan museum. I will put up the event happenings and pictures on my blog. Do not miss it…

Partnership with Civility Experts Worldwide

2011-05-14T10:56:00.000+08:00

My own experience with my princess

2011-05-14T10:04:00.018+08:00

I feel etiquette training plays an important role in raising children. It becomes a foundation for them to grow in the society and present themselves with demeanour and respect.

I say so because I have a daughter and in her I have instilled a sense of manners and proper behaviour when she is interacting with other people apart from me and my family. As a mother, I feel that it is necessary for her to behave and show manners when she is dining, talking and playing, so that when she grows up, she is able to present herself in good light and can become a perfect person.

Right now, my daughter is a monitress in her class and I feel proud of her. Her dressing and manners have impressed her teachers at school and she is able to impart these manners and other behaviour etiquette to her fellow classmates. This has given her a confidence that she can lead people if she is well turned out and well-behaved. And I say this- not just as a mother, but as her etiquette coach as well. I see her as a perfect student. Of course I have other students as well, and some of them have outdone themselves and are performing really well. But pardon my joy that I feel especially for my daughter- because I’m a mother.

As a mother and a parent, I am able to feel her happiness, which cannot be fulfilled with gifts, rewards, money or toys. She is able to beam with pride about her achievements and that itself is the reward for her and for me as a parent and as a coach.

As an etiquette coach, I am able to impart to her and instil in her the importance of good manners, good dining habits, proper body language, assertiveness in talking, being fair in dealing with others, etc. She is also proud of my achievements and is impressed when people come and talk to me about their children. She likes it when I am featured in the newspapers and it makes her especially happy when she comes in the paper with me. She feels I am her friend and am able to guide her when it comes to handling difficult situations in her school life. She is open to both her parents and considers us as her best friends.

I strongly believe that in today’s times, good parenting and proper emotional and physical nutrition can help our children grow as responsible citizens of our countries and civilizations.

Our work with the Tanglin Club…

2011-05-07T21:15:00.009+08:00

The Tanglin Club, one of Singapore's most prestigious and prominent social clubs, is one of the places where I had enjoyed working the most. I had worked with them two years ago; recently I got the honor of working with them again. This time too, it was for the children of the elite club members.

Initially, we had planned to conduct one workshop on March 19 on the topic of “Children Social Etiquette and Dining”, but the response was so overwhelming, we decided to hold another workshop on March 26.

The children who participated were very enthusiastic and energetic about the workshop. With so much laughter and excitement, we received an overwhelming response from them. They were eager to learn the manners that we taught and all the while, they were very excited as they learnt new ways to behave. This mannerism and behavior included everything from what to say and do when they meet people, to increase their confidence to be better individuals.

We used exciting and innovative ways of teaching kids, so we always had positive responses. We even got responses directly from children, saying, “When can we come back for another workshop?” and “Will there be another workshop next week?”

A few days ago, I received the regular magazine from the Tanglin Club. There was a write-up about our workshop on the 19 March from a parent. We are so proud of the work that we did for the children. It is a very satisfying feeling.

The parent went on to share that his child had started applying his learning at home and he was happy to see his child use the learning in a productive manner.

I strongly believe that a person’s character is developed in childhood and thus it is an important phase in a person’s life in which he or she learns and develops. I want to provide equal opportunities to all children so that they can develop and learn social skills.

With school holidays coming up in June, we are starting workshops, and you can check our website for more details.

With our current experience so fruitful, we are very proud of the children who participated in our workshop. We wish them all the best!!

Being an entrepreneur myself!

2011-05-06T22:23:00.012+08:00

All of us know, being an entrepreneur is not very easy. And it is not a cakewalk either. Though some of you may disagree, but according to me, entrepreneurship requires a lot of hard work.

Today I met with a young entrepreneur group for an inspirational talk. I had been called in to discuss with them how I had become an entrepreneur and was successfully running my business. Most of the participants were young and enthusiastic, but lacked direction and actual purpose in their professional lives.

Let me share with you here what I told them.

I had been a flight attendant for 9 years. I had never thought that I would become an entrepreneur till I gave birth to my daughter. I realised being a mother was a full-time job. But I had a desire to work and I was wondering what it is that I would like to pursue as a career that would give me flexibility to be with my daughter and husband when they needed me. After a lot of deliberation and thought, I decided to become an image consultant. As a flight attendant, I had learnt the art of personal grooming and etiquette and had put those skills to the best use possible.

My husband supported me with my decision. He even financed the 5-day certification course in image consulting. After completing the course, I immediately went about setting up my own business. I wanted to put my learning to good use as soon, if not now, it would go as waste.

Being proactive in business was the first thing that occurred to me. I knew that to be successful, one has to be proactive. So I kicked off by talking to some of my entrepreneur friends and draw some inspiration from them. I learnt that pitfalls would be there along the way, and I would have to stumble in order to learn. However, there were merits as well. I would be my own boss, and the success of the business would lie on my shoulders. I would have others working for my vision and objectives, and that would be a great booster to my self-confidence.

As the next steps, I started my own website. Running a website might look easy, but it requires a lot of work because you have to manage your online real estate and keep it running. I bought books on entrepreneurship, running a business, successful business people, and I realised that I needed to carry my own mettle on my shoulders. I also learnt that belief in oneself and God was a prime factor in one’s own success. I also could not wait for things to happen, rather, I would have to make them happen.

My company is now 4 years old. And I am running it with the same fervour and determination that I had started out with. My husband, family and friends are proud of my achievements.

Today, I am often quoted on the skills of social interaction, interviewing, grooming and dining in the various publications, such as: Agence France-Presse, Women’s Integration Network Council, Shin Min Daily News, Lian He Zhao Bao, Duet Magazine, Young Families, Sunday Times, Straits Times Digital Life, IGNITE ITE Magazine, Young Parents, Young Families, Today’s Parents, Simply Her, Her World, Cleo and Lifestyle Magazine.

I wish to continue my efforts in helping others become successful. And being a successful entrepreneur will come when I help make others successful.