I began to hear of the APSS soon after joining PSAI in 2020. There would be references during talks of something new, exciting, and seminal. It took a while to deconstruct APSS to mean Asia Professional Speakers Singapore. However, it took some time to enroll with APSS as a member.
The APSS Digital Convention 2021 showed me conclusively what masterful presentations could achieve. John Sanei’s ‘Singularity Expertise’ and Vernice ‘Flygirl’ Armour’s ‘Master Flight Briefing’ took permanent residence in my head. I followed this up with the Alumni Membership of the Speakers Academy that I attended in 2021.
So, I registered eagerly when the APSS Convention 2022 was announced on the 27th of May (In-person) and 28th of May (Virtual). And what a conference it was! The SPEAKERVERSE!
The convention was designed to offer both the convenience of the digital world and the cozy connections of physical meetings. The two-day convention featured authoritative professionals using technology, mixed reality, and pandemic-prompted strategies to scale up their speaking game and inspire others to lift off their careers.
There were four different universes of expertise on offer in this SpeakerVerse:
- TrainingVerse
- BusinessVerse
- KeynoteVerse
- CoachingVerse
The program architecture aimed to address the art of professional speaking on any platform. There were Trishal and Elizabeth on the Future Trends and How to Get Radical about it, Nathan Shooter on how to Create a Stunning Speaker Showreel, and Marlee Jayme on how to Break the Unbreakable Glass Ceiling. I was so taken in by Arthur Carmazzi’s talk on Speakers and NFTs in The New Metaverse that I joined the community as a member and quickly learned to set up a crypto wallet.
Moments of epiphany abounded. There was a heart-to-heart with Amanda Lambros of Professional Speakers Australia on grief counseling. There was an intense connection on generational issues with Vivek Iyyani, the Millenial Speaker. There was this absolutely candid conversation with Cindi Wirawan, the Millennial Career Coach.
Sparks of inspiration, emotion, and elation! Those hugs with Cathy Johnson and Tanvi Gautam, and Anupama Singal. The incredible hospitality of Kenneth Kwan and Avni Martin. And finally, the flocking to Neera Gupta, sister of our very own Asootosh Kant.
Three of us represented the PSAI at this convention. Chander Sharma, Lokesh Rajendrababu, and I all wore our PSAI badges with pride. We displayed our books, shared Himalaya Koflets, and took copious notes. The conference was about new ideas, breakthrough momentum, and potent energy. But most of all, it was about the people. It is always about the people!
Neerja Singh
President, PSAI (2021-22)