Professional Speakers Unite at Keynote 2017: First Professional Speakers Conference

On July 26, 2017, the Philippine Association of Professional Speakers, Inc. (PAPS) organized the first-ever conference for professional speakers entitled “Keynote 2017”. Around 100 aspiring and existing professional speakers filled the Jesus V. Del Rosario conference hall of the AIM Conference Center in Makati City to witness this milestone in the field of public speaking.



The whole-day event started with an inspiring keynote by Jonathan Low, past President of Global Speakers Federation and Malaysian Association of Professional Speakers. In his keynote, Jonathan shared his experience of having a sense of community within the speaking profession in his country, and also shared some valuable insights on how a professional speaker can uphold himself to the highest standard. He also highlighted authenticity as one of the qualities that a professional speaker should possess, in order to become successful in his career. Jonathan also led the induction and oath-taking of the PAPS Board of Directors right after his speech.

Two panel discussions followed shortly after the oath-taking. The first panel discussion was geared towards aspiring professional speakers, on how they can jumpstart their profession. The panel was composed of Karen Agustin-Ostrea, 2002 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe and Managing Director of Global Image Management, Inc.; Bryson Bonsol, Laughter Yoga Leader and owner of Be Blest; and Ricky de Vera, a business mentor, consultant, trainor and motivational speaker. The panel was moderated by Pambansang Inspirasyon and PAPS Founding President Lloyd Luna. The panelists shared how they started their career in the public speaking arena, as well as the challenges they had to overcome in order to make a name for themselves as speakers.

The second panel discussion was about benchmarking the profession, where they discussed current industry best practices, as well as how a Filipino motivational speaker can conquer the international stage. The panel was moderated by PAPS Chairman of the Board Carlos “Pido” Aguilar. Among the panelists were Dr. Joyce Dy, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences of Lyceum of the Philippines University; NPI Communications Consulting Inc. CEO Archie Inlong, and Lhoree Valerio, a Certified Hospitality Educator at De La Salle College of St. Benilde.



After lunch, the participants were treated to another inspiring keynote by ABS CBN and ANC Host, and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, Ms. Karen Davila. Karen acknowledged and lauded the participants, recognizing that being a motivational speaker is a noble calling that they should be proud of undertaking. She gave the audience her perspective of the qualities that make a great professional speaker. She emphasized being authentic, having a great story, and keeping an open mind. A quick open forum was conducted where Karen answered questions from the audience.

Two more panel discussions happened in the afternoon session. The first panel was about mentoring for professional speakers, which was moderated by Philippine Daily Inquirer’s Assistant Vice President and PAPS founding member Jesse Rebustillo. The panel was composed of Salt and Light Founder Boris Joaquin; Southeast Asia Speakers and Trainers Bureau Founder Dina Loomis; author, TV host and actor, and motivational speaker Michael Angelo Lobrin; and Voice Director, author, youth advocate and PAPS founding member, Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales.



The last panel discussion was about building the community of professional speakers, where they discussed the value of camaraderie and synergy among speakers, and reaching consensus on the standards and norms of the industry. The panel was composed of Manila Bulletin Head of External Affairs Barbie Atienza; author and founder of Project CourageZone JC Libiran; DLSU educator and Kairos recollection master No-el Salvacion; and PAPS CEO Michelle Lim. The panel was moderated by AIB Training’s Chief Awesome Officer, Al Ian Barcelona.

Keynote 2017 closed with the singing of the PAPS hymn.

Here are the highlights of the event.


Philippine Association of Professional Speakers is a network of existing and aspiring professional speakers whose mission is to uphold the holistic development of professional speakers in the country.

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The Pochologist Motivates Aspiring Infopreneurs to Ignite their Dreams

On July 22, about a hundred participants filled the D’Cup Coffee Republic in Mandaluyong City to attend the event “Ignite Your Dreams.” This whole-day event was organized by Pinoy Save and Invest, and featured business and finance coaches to teach the participants how to start their path towards financial freedom. The event also gave them an inspirational boost from Filipino motivational speaker Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales.



The first speaker of the event was Allan Mantaring, founder of Pinoy Save and Invest. He shared his humble beginnings as a young man who started with nothing but his dream to become successful. His perseverance and determination to succeed fuelled him to become the author, speaker and infopreneur that he is today.

Allan was followed by fellow coaches who also shared their experience and expertise in the topic of business and finance – lifestyle coach RD Cedro, financial coach Jet Semilla and business coach Elmar Nabisa. While each have their own businesses, they all inspired the audience with the shared message of believing in the power of their dreams.



The last speaker for the day was Filipino motivational speaker Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales. In a short talk, Pocholo also shared his own journey towards building a business around what he calls the most powerful human instrument – the VOICE. He told the story of how his simple dream of hearing his voice on the radio greeting his nanay on air turned into something bigger than what he could have ever hoped for himself, which is to become the country’s most recognized Filipino voice artist. Pocholo livened up the crowd by giving a sample of the several character voices he can make. In the end, he shifted the mind of the participants from being motivated to get into business for the purpose of making money, to getting into business to find meaning and purpose in life.

Pinoy Save and Invest is an online platform that is dedicated to inspiring and empowering Filipinos all over the world on the importance of saving, investing and even retiring with good finances.

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Entrep Radio Signs Memorandum of Agreement with Association of Filipino Franchisers Inc.

On July 1^st, a Memorandum of Agreement was signed between two game changers in the world of Filipino business – Entrep Radio, the latest youth entrepreneurship radio program in the country, and the Association of Filipino Franchisers Inc. or AFFI, an organization committed to supporting franchisers in the Philippines. The momentous MOA-signing was held at the 8 Trimedia office in Quezon City, where Entrep Radio airs every Sunday.



The MOA was signed by Entrep Radio Producer and Negosyo Kabataan Founder, Filipino motivational speaker Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales, and AFFI President and Aquasuisse Perfume Bar owner John Chung.

Entrep Radio is a radio program under Negosyo Kabataan, an organization that provides training and mentoring to aspiring young Filipino entrepreneurs. As an entrepreneur and internationally-awarded youth advocate, Pocholo created Negosyo Kabataan as a venue for the youth to ignite their entrepreneurial spirit, and build what he calls a “passion-driven business.” Entrep Radio is a one-hour radio program that talks about various topics such as social enterprises, startup businesses, and everything else that a young entrepreneur needs to know. It airs every Sunday from 9-10am at DZRJ 810AM and 8 Trimedia.



The Association of Filipino Franchisers Inc. is the country’s prime trade organization whose mission is to promote responsible MSME’s through franchising. Since 1997, it has united much of the franchising industry in the Philippines through training, networking opportunities and technical assistance.

The partnership presents Entrep Radio as AFFI’s official media partner, to help promote its programs, advocacies and services. Also present in the MOA Signing were AFFI’s Director for Education, Mr. Eric Caeg, and Entrep Radio’s main anchor, Dennis Sajo.

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The Pochologist Talks about Public Speaking for Sales and PR Professionals

On June 29, TAG Media and Public Relations organized a workshop on blogging, branding, SEO and public speaking, held at the Misono Teppanyaki restaurant in Makati City. Around 50 participants attended the event to learn about the topics from the industry experts, including TAG Media founder, Engr. Grace Bondad-Nicolas, and Filipino motivational speaker Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales.



The event started with a networking activity, where the participants were given time to go around and chat with each other. As some participants have come from provinces near and far, the networking was a good opportunity to establish potential partnerships and future deals.

After the networking activity, Engr. Grace was the first speaker in the four-hour event, where she talked about the importance of blogging and the use of social media in PR. She shared her own experience as a marketing and blogging expert, and also shared tips on how to write a good press release in as little as 5 minutes! She gave the participants a few minutes to write their own article, using the technique and structure she has shared.

The next speaker was Robert Rillorta of Tree Top Adventure Baguio. Robert talked about search engine optimization. He explained the benefits of SEO to any business, and how they can leverage the power of social media to engage with their audience. He also touched on some of the metrics that gauge the effectiveness of one’s SEO efforts. Robert was followed by Jackie Dilag, Marketing and Sales Head of Tree Top Adventure in Subic. Jackie’s presentation was about branding, both for businesses and individuals. Jackie spoke of brands that have dominated their respective brand categories, and also shared some tools and tips on how to estabish one’s brand.



The last speaker for the event was the VoiceMaster, who discussed the art of public speaking. Pocholo started his presentation with an introduction of who he is and what he does, and how he journeyed into the public speaking arena. He also gave the audience a glimpse of his career as a voice artist, and impressed the audience with his reportoire of character voices.

Pocholo then transitioned to his topic, and gave an explanation as to why public speaking has become the number 1 fear in the world. He also talked about spontaneity, and how this quality can be the key to overcoming a person’s fear of public speaking. Pocholo also reminded the participants to always speak FOR the audience instead of TO the audience. He also emphasized the use of humor, stories and pauses to make one’s presentation powerful, engaging and memorable.

The workshop was organized TAG Media and Public Relations in partnership with Elabram Systems, Multibiz International Corp., Tree Top Adventure and Zoomanity Group.

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