In this issue
	My first visit to Vietnam Don't miss MotivAsia 2003 Lovely to meet you Active listening And finally ...

Don't miss MotivAsia 2003

I am delighted to announce that I will be MC at MotivAsia 2003 to be held in Singapore on 18 November. MotivAsia 2003 brings you world-class speakers and best-selling international authors like Ron Kaufman (keynote speaker), Roger Konopasek, David Freemantle, Alvin Lee, Ricky Lien and Paul Stefansson. These inspirational speakers will show you how all things are possible. Come and join this powerhouse of motivation, and gather all the fuel you need to propel your life forward! MotivAsia 2003 promises to inspire and stimulate you; it will give you and your team all the motivation you need to leap forward confidently into the new year! MotivAsia 2003 is organised by Partners Conference & Event Management. For further details please e-mail enquiries@partners-conference.com or call 6786 7363. Read more about MotivAsia 2003 »

Lovely to meet you

PUBLIC WORKSHOP IN SINGAPORE Big thanks to Delphine and Rona of Partners Conference & Event Management for organising our first 2-day workshop 'Power Up your Business Writing Skills'. Seen here are the 28 happy participants saying "thumbs up" to Partners! Partners are organising another of these workshops on 8/9 December so if you are interested please e-mail enquiries@partners-conference.com. GREAT EASTERN It was great to conduct a second round of my 2-day workshop 'Strengthen your Business Writing Skills' for Great Eastern. Thanks to JobsDB Singapore for organising this. Always a pleasure to work with you. MALAYSIAN EXECUTIVE SECRETARIES SEMINAR Thanks to Quest Learning in Malaysia for organising this seminar at the PJ Hilton near Kuala Lumpur, with 45 lovely participants. It was great to meet so many participative and friendly secretaries. See more photos of live events with Shirley »

Active listening

Thanks to everyone who wrote to say how much they enjoyed last month's guest article by Ricky Lien on the topic of communication skills. Due to popular demand I'm happy to include another of Ricky's articles on active listening this month. Active listening is the art of non-defensive and empathic listening. Almost all difficult situations can be avoided if you practice the art of active listening, listen to understand, not to agree or to disagree. So what stops us from listening? And what steps can you take to learn to listen effectively and actively? To learn more about active listening, together with Ricky's tips to develop your listening skills, read the rest of this article by Ricky Lien. Read more about active listening from Ricky Lien »

And finally ...

TIP OF THE MONTH Thanks to Geo from Great Eastern Life Assurance for forwarding an e-mail to me with this advice that says PUNCTUATION MATTERS: An English professor wrote these words on the whiteboard and asked his students to punctuate it properly: "A woman without her man is nothing." All the males in the class wrote: "A woman, without her man, is nothing." All the females in the class wrote: "A woman: without her, man is nothing." Punctuation is powerful. Geo will receive a copy of my book 'Guide to Effective E-mail' with my compliments. If you would like to receive a FREE COPY of one of my books, please send your tips to me at news@shirleytaylor.com. COME ON - put your brain into gear and your fingers to keyboard TODAY! I hope you've enjoyed this issue of Shirley Says. If you have any ideas about what you would like me to include in future issues, please write to me at news@shirleytaylor.com. PS: You may reprint this e-newsletter or forward it to your customers and colleagues. However please keep this copyright and contact information intact: Copyright Shirley Taylor 2003. Shirley Taylor is author of several popular books on effective communication and business writing. She lives in Singapore and works as an international trainer, seminar leader, professional writer and conference speaker.