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In-Person Training

Practice sessions, role-playing and exercises to solidify concepts

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About
Pendulum - ACT Human

ACT Human is a corporate training consultancy founded in 1997. We are passionate about helping today's workforce learn essential communication skills in an engaging learning environment.

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Our programs deploy the latest research in neuroscience, psychology and adult learning. Our training sessions are delivered in a dynamic, fun and collaborative way to help every individual realize greater personal and professional results.

Coaching

Training

Consulting

Facilitation

Pendulum - ACT Human

We call ourselves “ACT Human” because we are passionate about going the extra mile to humanize our interactions with clients.

 

The skills we teach and the way teach them – face-to-face and online training that range from self-paced, blended learning, to instructor-led formats - are our contribution to humanizing the world through transformational learning.

Pendulum - ACT Human

Successful organizational development is a result of personal and professional development.

This is why the ACT Process is embedded in all we do.

Awareness

Communication

The first step towards development is awareness - becoming aware of our strengths and weaknesses, our perceived needs and our desired outcomes.

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The second step is communication - learning to communicate our thoughts, ideas and feelings with clarity and energy, so as to enhance our ability to connect with others and to achieve our objectives and greater personal fulfillment.

Transformation

The final step is transformation - there is an element of personal development in everything we do. We assist individuals with the right environment, tools and opportunities to make effective and lasting change.

Pendulum - ACT Human

Sustainability

  • Practice time makes up a big part of our programs - participants' performance is sometimes recorded/ reviewed, but always coached and/or new skills are practiced through drills until comfort zones are expanded and change is visible.

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  • Carefully developed 'road maps' outlining step-by-step application guidelines and checklists are provided to support transfer of learning.

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  • Participants are entitled to support via email or phone.

Post Program

Follow-Up

  • Evaluation summaries are compiled for every program and used as a basis of follow-up discussions with clients.

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  • Follow-up skills sessions - half-day programs which give participants the opportunity to apply the skills acquired during the 'base line' program and to receive additional feedback and guidance.

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  • Individual skills coaching - personalized, focused, one-on-one sessions to deepen and extend the individual's skill levels.

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  • Executive/ team coaching.

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Post Program

Options

Whilst much can be achieved during our programs, some individuals have a desire to take learning that extra step. Hence, we provide a wide suite of post-program offerings. Some of the options include:

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Banking, Finance & Insurance

  • ABN AMRO Bank

  • American International Assurance Company, Limited

  • ANZ Bank

  • Barclays Bank Plc

  • Cerulli

  • Citibank

  • Deutsche Bank

  • Edaw GfK Asia Pte Ltd

  • Euler Hermes Singapore Services Pte Ltd

  • HSBC Private Bank

  • ING Life Insurance Company Ltd

  • JP Morgan Chase Bank

  • Lion Global Investors Ltd

  • Merrill Lynch

  • MGPA Advisory (Singapore) Pte.Ltd

  • OCBC Bank

  • Prudential Corporation Asia

  • Schroder Investment Management (S) Ltd

  • SetClear Pte Ltd

  • Swiss Reinsurance Company

  • TD Securities

  • The Great Eastern Life Assurance Company Ltd

  • The Toronto-Dominion Bank

  • The Royal Bank of Scotland plc

  • UBS Bank

  • United Overseas Bank Limited (UOB)

Chemical, Oil & Energy

  • Chevron Oronite

  • Ciba Specialty Chemical

  • ExxonMobil

  • Oil Spill Response Ltd 

Education

  • British Council

  • Civil Service College

  • Nanyang Technological University Pte Ltd

  • Singapore Institute of Management (SIM)

Food, Beverage & Fast-Moving Consumer Goods

  • Cerebos Pacific Ltd

  • Danone Asia

  • Kraft Foods Asia Pacific

  • Hasbro Asia Pacific

  • Nestle Singapore

  • Unilever Asia Pacific

Government & Non-Profit

  • Government Investment Corporation of Singapore (GIC)

  • Hong Kong Cyberport

  • Ministry of Defence (Singapore)

  • Singapore Power

  • Workforce Development Authority (WDA)

IT & Telecommunication

  • Agilent Technologies

  • Alcatel

  • Apple Computers

  • Concerto Software Pte. Ltd

  • Dell Computers

  • EMC Computer Systems (South Asia)

  • Epson Singapore

  • Fuji Xerox Fujitsu

  • Harris Interactive

  • Hewlett-Packard Internet Securities, Inc

  • LG Electronics

  • Logitec Asia Pacific

  • Misys International Banking Systems

  • National Computer Systems

  • Samsung Economic Research Institute

  • SAP

  • Singtel

  • Starhub

  • Ubisoft Singapore Pte Ltd

Media

  • Platts

  • The Economist Group

  • Thomson Reuters

Manufacturing

  • ABB AMO Asia Ltd

  • BASF

  • Caterpillar

  • DSM

  • Dyneema Dynea Singapore

  • Flextronic

  • Lintec Singapore

  • MTU Asia

  • Osram

  • Ove Arup

  • PERI Asia

  • Philips Electronics

  • Rockwell

  • Schott Asia

  • Thales Group

  • Toyota

  • Tyco Electronics

  • United Technologies Corporation

Medical & Pharmaceutical

  • Abbott

  • AstraZeneca

  • Boehringer Ingelheim

  • Haw Par Healthcare Ltd

  • Hempel Asia

  • Pacific International Medical Clinic

  • International SOS

  • Johnson & Johnson

  • Medtronic International

  • Roche

  • St. Jude Medical (Hong Kong)

  • Smith and Nephew

  • Terumo

Real Estate/ Property Development

  • CapitaLand

  • CBRE Pte Ltd

  • C&W Services (S) Pte Ltd

  • Keppel Land

  • M&G Real Estate Asia Pte Ltd

  • First State Investments (Singapore)

  • Zeal Asset Management Limited

  • UOL Group Limited

Retail

  • Chanel

  • Alfred Dunhill

  • Hugo Boss

  • TopToy Hong Kong Ltd

Services

  • Clifford Chance

  • Club Med

  • Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation

  • The McGraw-Hill Group Companies

  • NES Overseas Services

  • Shangri-La International

  • Singapore Airlines

  • SIA Engineering Co Ltd

  • Singapore Turf Club

  • Veolia Water

  • New Zealand Trade & Enterprise

Pendulum - ACT Human
Paula Profile Pic

PAULA MARCONDES
Principal Consultant, Executive Coach

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“Exceptional, exceeded expectations. Added value not only in terms of leadership/ presentation skills but also to our lives, including science, nutrition and meditation/ mindfulness. Thank you Paula.”


Participant, Singapore Institute of Management (SIM)

Founder, managing director and principal consultant of ACT Human & Business Development Pte Ltd (established in 1997). Greatest strength is strategic thinking with a strong grasp of how the training process impacts participants at personal levels, enables transfer of learning to the work environment, and ultimately affects the business.

Business Experience

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Law degree with specialization in contract and corporate law from the University of Sao Paulo (USP). Studied law in Singapore through the University of London. In-house counsel for GEC Singapore (1995-1997) and Glencore Agrocomercial Ltd (1990-1993) when they were Brazil’s largest commodities trader and exporter. Set up legal departments of both companies and provided negotiation and contract management skills training internally. Founded ACT Human in 1997 and set up offices in Hong Kong (2004) and Korea (2006).

Consulting Experience

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Corporate trainer, facilitator and accredited executive coach with +23 years of experience specializing in needs analysis, curriculum design, customization and delivery of professional development initiatives at all organizational levels (from front-line to CEO/Board level) across a plethora of industries in the areas of leadership and management development, business communication, messaging and presentation techniques, sales and negotiation skills, professional image and customer service. Worked extensively with key players in the banking and finance, manufacturing, IT and electronics, education and pharmaceutical sectors (most of which are well-known multinational corporations and Fortune 500 companies), and in the public sector with government boards and government-owned organizations.

Career Achievements & Awards​

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  • Awarded “Top 10 Trainers 2016” by the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM)

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  • Articles published in the media:

    • “Presenting With Conviction”, Today’s Manager, Issue 3, 2019, published by SIM

    • “The Resilient Organization”, Roundabout (Dec 2012 - Jan 2013), The Team Management Systems
      (TMS) magazine

    • “Surviving And Thriving”, Human Resources Magazine, Jan 2012, Lighthouse Independent Media

    • “Bridging The Resilience Gap (Part 2)”, Today’s Manager, Dec 2011-Jan 2012, SIM

    • “Bridging The Resilience Gap (Part 1)”, Today’s Manager, Oct-Nov 2011, SIM

    • “Training The Mind Versus Training The Brain”, Today’s Manager, Aug-Sep 2011, SIM

    • “Thanks Coach!”, HRM Singapore, 9.8 issue, published by Key Media Pte Ltd

  • Designed most programs delivered to ACT Human’s clients and authored more than +49 workbooks published by ACT Human.

Accreditations & Certifications​

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  • Coaching Foundation (ICT) by NeuroLeadership Group (former Results Coaching Systems), 2008
  • Certified EQ Trainer by 6Seconds, 2008
  • Team Management Systems Accreditation Certificate (Work Index, Linking Skills Index, Team
    Performance Index, Team Management Profile Index, QO2 Index), 2000
  • Power Training I and II, 1998
  • Certificate in Training Management (PSB Institute for Productivity Training of Singapore), 1997

Languages​

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  • Fluent in English and Portuguese

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  • Deutsches Sprachdiplom I (German)

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  • Conversational in Spanish
Skills Development

"I have attended many training programs before on presentation skills, but the only one that really stuck in my mind, was the training conducted by ACT on Powerful Presentation skills. I find that it had a lot of impact, was very powerful and well organised and can be applied in any presentation. I have personally seen the improvement in myself and used the skills that I learned very frequently."

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- Corina Tan

Director, Customer Experience and Care, Dell Computers

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Improve performance and thrive in the position that you currently hold as well as in your future personal and professional prospects

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ACT Skills Development programs make individuals more self-aware and confident so as to consciously adopt behaviors that support them in achieving their goals.

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“Paula is an excellent teacher. Very patient, encouraging, knowledgeable and able to show us practical application options, not just deliver technical knowledge. Personally I have seen vast improvement in my presentation skills from day one to the last day of the course. Paula is a fantastic trainer and person.”
 

Participant, Singapore Institute of Management (SIM)

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Participants, line managers and clients often tell us that our programs stick, that confidence levels increase and that skills learned are transferred to the workplace.

 

We believe that this is the result of our 7-pronged approach.

 

Customization takes place at every level - client, line manager, participants - to ensure that examples are relevant and objectives are aligned with the organization's strategic goals and individual development needs.

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Uncompromising Commitment
To Customization

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Competence

Passion, strategic thinking and vast experience on creating programs that impact participants at personal levels, i.e. greater self-awareness and confidence levels, so as to intrinsically enable transfer of learning to work, affect business results and humanize the world.

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An overview of the courses we offer:

  • ACT Customer Service Series

  • ACT Intercultural Communication Series

  • ACT Interpersonal Communication Series

  • ACT Negotiation Series

  • ACT Personal Productivity & Effectiveness Series

  • ACT Presentation & Messaging Series

  • ACT Professional Image, Etiquette & Branding Series

  • ACT Professional Sales Series

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Case Study #1

Background

We were approached by one of our clients who is a major powerhouse in the banking and finance industry to work with their MD for Singapore and a small team of business heads. Aside from their functional roles, this group of individuals was expected to be able to speak to the media and eloquently articulate the organization’s vision and business strategies in the financial domain. Having newly established themselves in Singapore after a major restructuring in other parts of Asia Pacific, their stability and motives were being questioned and they were receiving much flak, thereby affecting investor and client confidence. To add to the challenge, despite the seniority of the team, many had never even faced the media, let alone be able to navigate it’s complex and unforgiving environment.

Case Study #2

Background

We were approached by a long-time client of ours to provide a sales and customer service training that would enable their team to better respond and anticipate the needs of a rapid changing marketplace.

Team Development

"I had a great time at the training. It helped me to have better understanding of ‘team’ and how I need to be in our team."

- Ha Eun-Young

Korea

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Work collaboratively with others within diverse teams, work groups and across
the organization and cultures to achieve common goals and synergistic results.

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ACT Team Development Solutions are designed to assist teams at all levels, from start-up to mature, to achieve synergistic teamwork.

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Participants become more aware of own and other’s strengths and limitations, and work preferences.

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An overview of the courses we offer:

ACT Teambuilding Workshops

Off-site meetings and corporate incentive events.

ACT Team Development Series

Highly-customized programs that tend to form part of on-going team or leadership development initiatives and often involve the use of Team Management Systems (TMS) Profiles, training sessions to bridge potential skill gaps and facilitation of carefully selected activities.

ACT Facilitation

Cross-functional teams and senior leadership teams.

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We often choose to integrate Team Management Systems (TMS) instruments into our team development programs. TMS is recognized as the foremost integrated system of work-based, research-proven assessments worldwide - supporting effective positive and lasting change and higher performance in the workplace.

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Benefits of Using TMS Instruments:

Team

Development

  • Show how key work areas fit together and the need for activities to be linked together.

  • Allow team members to see clearly how the team maps onto a researched model of team effectiveness and what areas may need to be addressed.

Personal Development

  • Enhance self-awareness – the foundation of sustainable team & and leadership development.

  • Provide practical feedback and insights on work preferences, leadership strengths and risk-orientation.

Leadership Development

  • Enhance understanding of what motivates people at work.

  • Provide practical feedback on individuals, jobs and team performance.

  • Provide complete overview of how people are working together.

4 Reasons Why

TMS Instruments

Work

  1. Simple - Distils extensive research into some simple, universal models.

  2. Practical - Generates work-focused, simple and practical language.

  3. Proven - The TMS approach has been reviewed by the British Psychological Society and has been used by over a million people in companies all around the world.

  4. Integrated - Provides a versatile suite of feedback tools. It keeps development on the agenda as it fosters on-going process.

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Case Study:

Team Development

Background

We were approached by a company undergoing a major transition in its focus, branding and market position. The company was moving from a functional, engineering, internally-focused organization to a matrix, externally-focused organization. This change posed challenges for the management team - the perception that the management team was not unified, some continuing communication / competition issues between a couple of departments, leadership of the management team and individual differences that existed between team members.

Case Study:

Facilitation

Background

We were approached by a world leader in framework and scaffolding technologies to work with their senior management team. The team comprised heads of various business units, with different cultural backgrounds who held very entrenched positions about the way tasks needed to be performed and information disseminated across teams. This naturally had led to cross functional tension and eroded the trust and collaborative spirit needed by the team to synergize effectively.

Resilience Development

"The trainer was very clear and gave us all the opportunity to express our views, opinions. A good listener too!!! Bravo! Good choice of words, her rhythm and style of presentation enabled her to have captive audience. Everyone participated and had fun – at the same time, learning all the necessary skills we needed."

- Mohamed Ghazali Amin Ali

Human Resource Manager

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“More than education, more than experience, more than training, a person’s level of resilience will determine who succeeds and who fails. That’s true in the cancer ward, it’s true in the Olympics, and it’s true in the boardroom”
 

- Dean Becker


Organizations do everything they do to be more resilient - to be more successful not just in the short term, but in the medium to long term. Yet, research shows that volatility is ever increasing, and so is the gap between winners and losers.


Resilience development is about providing individuals with the mindset, tools and a whole-system approach to managing change, teams, planning strategy, writing policy, and mapping organizational development in more resilient ways.

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Resilience Development Offerings

Designed to help individuals improve their ability to integrate work and life in more meaningful, healthier, fulfilling and sustainable ways and for organizations to create sustainable competitive advantage in increasingly turbulent conditions.

An overview of the courses we offer:

  • ACT Building Resilience Series

  • ACT Mindfulness & Wellness Series

  • ACT Leading Resilient Organizations Series

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Why is developing resilience important for an organization?

"For every $1 spent on wellness programs, employers can expect an average return of $3.50."


US Department of Health and Human Services

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"...83% of participants said they were 'taking time each day to optimise my personal productivity' - up from 23% before the course (mindfulness at work). 82% said they now made time to eliminate tasks with limited productivity value - up from 32% before the course. Among senior executives who took the course, 80% reported a positive change in their ability to make better decisions, while 89% said they became better listeners."

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Janice Maturano, Deputy General Counsel, General Mills (the company behind Cheerios cereal and Haagen-Dazs ice cream) quoted In 'the Mind Business', Financial Times, Saturday August 25/ Sunday August 26 2012

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Case Study

Background

Early this year one of our clients from the banking industry - who had been through many training programs and had many skills in place - was ready to embark on a personal coaching journey with us. He wanted answers on how to move forward at work and in life with more fulfilling options, and wanted to ensure that he was exploring his full potential while planning for the future.

Leadership Development

“Powerful content and learning points. Good content that I can follow easily. This is the best course I have ever attended. I was engaged throughout the course, visual aids, group discussions, games, videos are all used in meaningful and engaging manner.”

- Participant

Singapore Institute of Management

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ACT Human virtual solutions enable powerful learning experiences online without losing the human touch by encompassing all 5 senses:
 

Pre-Course
We work closely with our clients to  understand what they need and get participants to prepare and meet each other beforehand – it’s selfie-time!
 

During Course
We enhance the experience of digital learning during the course by making it fun and very interactive with polls, questions and comments.
 

Post-Course
We supplement the course lessons with self-directed online learning post-event, and provide the space for everyone to stay connected with social learning and messaging.
 

Future Upcoming Course
Data and insights to invite interested participants to upcoming workshops.
 

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ACT Human online courses are offered in fully self-paced or blended (self-paced and instructor-led) versions:
 

  • Powerful Presentations

  • Provide Superior Service & Manage Upset Customers

  • Negotiate & Influence For Successful Outcomes

  • Professional Sales Skills

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We understand the importance of accountability and alignment, especially in times of change, so we track the application of our online courses with real-time data analytics so as to have an insight on participation for easy follow ups.

Coaching

"The coaching sessions have been a great inspiration. The sessions are well structured, challenging, rewarding and focused – I feel that I have benefitted from each and every session. What is particularly interesting is the process of continuation. We do not start on new and unrelated discussion points, but my coach manages to challenge me to continuously progress on every single goal set at the beginning. Through this approach, I have to keep an open mind, remain flexible to discover new aspects of the goals I set."

- Senior Banker

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What Is Coaching?

The International Coach Federation (ICF) defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.

Coaching honors the client as the expert in his/her life and work and believes that every client is creative, resourceful, and whole.

As a result of coaching, individuals can produce exceptional results and create positive change by maximizing professional and personal challenges and opportunities.

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Clients tell us that our sessions are inspirational, well structured, rewarding and focused and that they feel challenged to continuously progress on every single goal set at the beginning of the process. We believe that this is the result of our 7-pronged approach to coaching:

 

Our coaches are committed to pursuing carefully laid-out certification pathways and we abide by the rules and guidelines and are members of the international coaching federation (icf) - this reinforces the seriousness and quality of our work.

1

Professionalism

2

Expertise

More than 3 years of coaching experience and previous business and consulting experience enables each one of our coaches to work successfully with clients within complex organizational systems who are used to high impact, results-focused interventions and who require strong coaching, robust reporting, effective measurement tools and a high level of flexibility.

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Coaching Offerings

  • Supports the creation of goals in the workplace, in line with the company strategies , mission and vision

  • Provides support, an objective view and honest feedback

  • Supports sustainable peak performance

ACT Executive

Coaching

ACT Personal Coaching

  • Supports the creation of goals in personal areas (life, relationships, health, finance, career, community, etc)

  • Enables the creation of long-term habits that support goal achievement

  • Facilitates greater self-awareness

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Case Study

Background

We were approached by a client who we have been servicing for the past six years to provide executive coaching for three of their senior executives who had not been in senior positions for long and needed to develop a new mindset as leaders in the organization and also leadership communication skills for impact.