PLC Breaks the Barrier with First Ever “Speak Up Day”
PETRONAS Leadership Centre (PLC) recently organised its very first PLC Speak Up Day, public speaking event aimed towards encouraging capability development and change management initiatives. Attended by approximately 100 people, the audience was from PLC and Human Capital Development (HCD) division and the inaugural event took place at PLC’s very own 360 auditorium hall – a space which played a pivotal role in creating an immersive experience for both the speakers and the crowd.
With the core objective of inculcating PETRONAS’ Cultural Beliefs, “Speak Up: I express my views openly”, PLC Speak Up Day was birthed as a platform that provides a safe, supportive, and positive learning environment for members of the workforce to develop confidence, while practicing and honing their public speaking skills.
Adopting a blended learning approach, the speaking platform is supplemented by a series of upskilling sessions called ‘Speaking with Confidence’, a 3-hour masterclass held on a monthly basis in PLC. It is facilitated by internal communications expert, Asrif Yusoff, Head of PLC Leadership Academy, who has been very keen on sowing the seeds of confident public speakers among fellow colleagues.
Essentially regarded as a peer-learning workshop, participants of the class get to learn how to quash their fear of public speaking and how to do it with conviction through an experiential instructional method. Leveraging on off-the-shelf Public Speaking modules on the TED@Work digital library on PETRONAS’ learning platform, they are also equipped with a practical guide on techniques to prepare and deliver an impactful speech. To further reinforce learning and put it into practice, Asrif also offers one-on-one coaching outside the classroom for learners who are passionate about progress.
Upon mastering the art of effective storytelling, learners are then fuelled to take their newly acquired skills to the next stage – which goes beyond the figurative context. On 9 March 2023, six courageous and incredible volunteers took on the challenge to step up and speak up in the first ever PLC Speak Up Day. The centre stage of 360 hall was graced by an amazing line-up of pioneering speakers: M Bistari Sadri, Aznan Mohd, M Faizal Alias, Nurulain M Suffian, Long Haffiz Long Hassan and M Hafiz Paring.
With minimal restrictions on genres and topics, each speaker commanded the stage with a diverse range of compelling stories and ideas. Some were thought-provoking, some were heartwarming, and some even made jaws drop. One thing is for sure, all of them exuded charisma, energy and confidence in their own unique colours – talk about stage presence! The audience also significantly contributed to the impact with their genuine reactions and utmost support towards fellow colleagues who stood under the spotlight that day. All in all, this is what underpins the notion of creating a safe space and fostering a culture of continuous learning.
PLC Speak Up Day 1.0 was wrapped up wondrously with an overall rating of 4.47 and a whopping 90 Net Promoter Score (NPS). Citing En. Ruslan Islahudin, Head of HCD and CEO of PLC in his concluding remarks during the event, “The spirit of Speak Up should not only end in this hall – let’s have it demonstrated and taken into action in the workplace”. This is a significant testament that speaking up matters and we pledge for a collective effort in making such platforms more prevalent, starting at PLC, with the potential to be scaled up across the organisation as a whole. Be sure to look forward to PLC Speak Up Day 2.0, and witness more and more aspiring speakers living up the spirit of being #fearless to #breakthebarrier!
