Malaysian participants at conferences and seminars can give a
culture shock to even the best foreign speakers. At a recent automotive
conference, the renowned speaker who is also a world best selling author of The KPI Book was greeted with silence when
he threw a question to the floor.
No one attempted to reply and the participants he looked at
for answers avoided eye contact! He was deeply hurt but carried on
professionally. During the morning break, he could not get his cup of coffee as
he was bombarded with people trying to ask questions.
The same thing happened when he resumed his talk after the
break. Again, it was total silence when he asked a question. During lunch
break, he was swarmed with people asking questions.
Malaysians are naturally friendly but lack courtesy to the
extent that it can be perceived as rude, especially by foreigners.
It will be tragic if we choose to say nothing and allow the
fear of being ridiculed to be omnipresent in our Malaysian society.
As rightly pointed out by the speaker who related his
experience in a published letter, our country may be left behind if Malaysians
don’t ask questions during training or conference.
It is common for speakers to wait agonisingly after their
presentations for questions, which usually snowball towards the end of the
Q&A session.
As such, it is incumbent upon organisers to appoint some
members of the audience to start the ball rolling by raising questions or offer
replies to the speakers to avoid awkward situations.
Perhaps, the Malaysia Conventions and Exhibitions Bureau under
the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board can provide a template for organisers to
use as a guide.
Conferences and seminars must be organised efficiently for
their sustainability and effectively for the participants.
As they cater for up-market tourists and industry leaders,
their quality is a clear indication of the progress we have made as a nation
and the direction our country is heading.
YS Chan
Kuala Lumpur
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