Introduction
IEEE YP LETs talk was a project initiated by IEEE Young Professionals Sri Lanka in 2017 with the aim of enhancing the knowledge of young professionals through various series of sessions on mature subjects and improving soft skills in order to be more effective in their professions and their career ladder. Although initially the project focused on the areas of Leadership(L), Entrepreneurship(E), Technology(T) and Sustainability(S), LETs talk now provides a well-rounded approach to personal and professional development of Young Professionals.
LETs talk is valuable for individuals seeking to develop their core skills. It offers opportunities for skill-building, networking, and mentorship, for participants to gain the tools needed to excel in their careers. The project provides a platform for prominent professionals to share their knowledge and experience, helping the young generation to avoid common mistakes and learn from their successes. The talks are open to anyone interested in these subjects and not just to the YPs. Thereby LETs talk has been going on for six consecutive years and it’s a testament to its effectiveness and popularity!
A Twist from 2022
Spark your Inner self
In 2022, the LETs talk team organised the “Spark Your Inner Self” talk series, consisting of six (06) presentations. The focus of this series was on developing personal qualities and helping young professionals in their journey towards success. This series was particularly inspiring and motivating for individuals seeking to enhance their skills and improve their future prospects. In total, over 850 individuals participated throughout the series.
Improving your own Performance
On 24th June, Dr. Ranil Sugathadasa, expert trainer and coach on mindset mastery, motivation, management, leadership, and organisational transformation, conducted
the first talk session of the “Spark Your Inner Self” series. This talk session was about prioritising your own life by loving yourselves. It influenced the young professionals to give some credit to their lives and make it worthwhile to live.
Being assertive, How to say “NO”
On 12th July 2022, there was a talk held with the amazing personality, Mr. Vidhusha Nathawitahrana, Founder and Density Architect of High Five Consultancy, and Luminary Learning Solutions. He did a session by explaining how we need to act in different scenarios in our lives, especially in our tough times. Highlights of the day were pragmatism and consistency.
Coping with change
On August 11, 2022, a talk related to Sri Lanka’s current industry was held, featuring Mr. Mangala Perera, the COO of Rootcode Labs, who gave a closing speech. Mr. Perera shared his valuable experience and provided practical advice on adapting to life during an economic crisis and a pandemic. His simple and easily digestible explanations motivated participants not to give up during tough times.
Iron out Your Passion with Creativity
On 24th of August 2022, the series was given a distinctive twist by a panel discussion on entrepreneurship. The main objective was to give direction and counsel to future entrepreneurs. The day’s expert moderator was Mr. Manodya Nabadawewa, who introduced Mr. Tharindu Amarasekere (Founder and CEO of TAC Group) and Mr. Pasindu Wijesena (Co-founder and CEO of AI Team). It was a synthesis of ideas from various angles, inspiring our passionate entrepreneurs to take their own path in their own way, creating the best upshots.
Personal Branding! Must You?
An outstanding personality in the country Mr. Kumar De Silva conducted the session on 7th of September 2022, with the greatest perceptions on presenting yourself with the best personality traits. This session marked the closure of “Spark your Inner self”, inspiring our young industrialists to be more charismatic and outstanding on their own terms. A major impact of this session was developing a strong personal brand which could optimistically impact on an individual’s career and personal life.
UPSKILL 2022
UpSkill Sri Lanka 2022 included two virtual sessions and one physical session. The event attracted around 460 attendees, with most participating in both the virtual and physical sessions, showing tremendous enthusiasm.
The event consisted of three components, including a talk session, panel discussion, and workshop. The talks focused on adapting to dynamic leadership concepts, developing management skills, and maintaining a positive image.
Meanwhile, the panel discussion provided valuable insights into sustainable development and its potential for growth. The physical session, held on November 6, 2022, at Trace Expert City, was attended by 77 delegates who participated in various activities aimed at enhancing the qualities and behaviours of young professionals in the workplace. The UpSkill event ended on a high note, with an emphasis on the development of interpersonal skills.
SkillUp and Standout
“SkillUp and Standout ” is one successful event of the LETs talk 2022 calendar, where it was a combination of four talk series, focused on four different aspects of professional development. This series was proposed to help the people, to get the maximum out of their selves and lives, and improve their inner skills and evolve as a person in whole.
True Blue Strategy
On the 14th of January 2023, the “SkillUp and Standout” talk series kicked off with “True Blue Strategy,” an insightful session led by guest speaker Dr. Mahinsas Rathnayake. The aim of the session was to educate young professionals on how to approach industrial work with responsibility and commitment, instilling values such as credibility, discipline, and virtue. Participants found that the presentation was engaging and inspiring.
Logics Set Up Creativity
“Logics Set Up Creativity,” took place on the 28th of January via Zoom. Mr. Kushan Chanaka Amarasinghe led the session, exploring the relationship between logic and creativity and how they can work together to produce exceptional outcomes. Participants learned the importance of using logic to reinforce creativity which gave optimal outcomes.
The Pitch Game
Mr. Leslie Uduwavidane was the guest speaker for the talk series’ “The Pitch Game” session, which was held on the 11th of February via Zoom. The session emphasised the importance of a great pitch and how it can lead to a successful career. Participants learned techniques for presenting a pitch, including adapting a simple, creative, and charismatic behaviour to reduce agitation and achieve successful outcomes.
Growth Mindset
The “SkillUp and Standout” talk series was concluded on the 4th of March via Zoom with an exceptional session on “Growth Mindset,” led by distinguished speaker Mr. Jayantha Fernando. The session aimed to encourage young professionals to develop a proper mind integration to enhance continuous learning, manage daily life stress, and maintain professionalism. Participants were urged to prioritise continuous learning, which is a critical issue faced by students in their daily lives
What’s coming up in 2023?
UpSkill Sri Lanka 2023
UpSkill Sri Lanka, this has been one signature project LETs talk has been carrying throughout the years. UpSkill 2023 is just about to be the same and much more.
This signature event of the IEEE Young Professionals Sri Lanka collaboration with IEEE Region 10 young professionals improves soft skills and creates enthusiastic industrialists. This year we are to conduct a hybrid event, a solo physical session along with a duo of a virtual session exclusive with an interesting leadership program. We hope to hold it at the end of July 2023. After considering many many aspects, our main goal is to improve the soft skills of our young professionals while bringing to you a remarkable event with prominent speakers itself! Besides upskilling, we eagerly await to uplift our participants with entertainment and networking sessions as well!
CommuniCraft
An event to focus on developing your very own communication skills and convert you into a professional with top-notch pitching and societal communication capabilities. Here it’ll be split to four segments of topics and thoroughly taken through; focusing on how to find your professional voice, pitching your ideas, negotiation skills and professional writing and presentation development.
Elevate the Game
Elevate the Game, will show you, pave the way to actually brand yourself, and make ‘You’ a walking brand in the industry. Here the program will focus on how to improve a mindset, situational handling, and even of how to market yourself to your desired field of industrialists, by which you can elevate your career life!
The Leadership Camp
A time out of your softness, and into the roughness in bringing out the true potential of the leader within you! Here in this campaign, we will be focusing on self-leadership, human management, and overall leadership to motivate and inspire yourself and the people around you. A much interesting camp to come and let’s just leave the rest as a mystery until its day!
Our journey so far…
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” A successful journey comes with dedication, strong determination, and hard work. Still, we’re on our way of working on our journey, and it’s time for you to get some hands-on experience as the pillars of strength in our future. Until now, LETs talk has brought you amazing experiences and we’re counting our days to do more!