more about me
Hi, I'm Gayo.
I used to be a shy kid who would hide whenever all children were called to perform during family gatherings. I hated raising my hands or being called to talk in class (I might say the wrong things!). Performing in front of a crowd would literally bring tears to my eyes.
That was eons of years ago. Experiences, both good and bad, have changed me.
I was toughened by the countless embarrassments and failures I had in front of a crowd, from telling a joke that no one laughed at to having a dress malfunction during a performance.
I learned by speaking, speaking and speaking (despite being overwhelmed with fear!) and by literally studying communication here and abroad.
I received my Broadcast Communication degree from the University of the Philippines with a distinction of Magna Cum Laude and awarded the first-ever Most Outstanding Broadcasting Student by GMA TV Network (not bad for someone who started as a shy kid, right?)
After 6 years of working in media, corporate and non-profit organizations, I was granted a full scholarship to pursue graduate studies (still in Communications!) from one of the top Asian universities in the world – Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore.
I have been working for over 15 years doing communication work. As a fresh graduate, I started doing research and writing scripts for the country’s two biggest TV networks – ABS-CBN and GMA.
After a few years working in media, I joined one of the largest and most trusted life insurance companies in the Philippines - Philamlife. Learning about investment and financial products, selling life insurance to companies and training licensed agents on group life insurance products built my skills in sales and training.
I finally found the kind of work I was passionate about when I joined as a Communication Specialist for World Vision International – helping poor people improve their lives. It was in non-profit where I spent most of my career, working on the challenging task of teaching complex medical and health concepts to urban and rural poor, most of whom never finished primary or secondary school.
I have travelled all over the Philippines to help communities better understand, in the simplest way possible, the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
Once assigned to handle the Asia Pacific region, I then helped staff in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam improve their skills in doing health communications and simplify their technical publications.
Since then, I had been an advocate of using simplicity when speaking.
I became a facilitator, a communication trainer, an event host, a speaker and a writer. And my main goal when speaking or writing? To be always CLEARLY UNDERSTOOD.
I must admit I would rather speak than write (better yet, I will let you decide…check out my published works HERE).
It was a long (and difficult!) journey learning how to communicate very well (and I am still continuously learning and fortunate to be mentored by international lay preacher and motivational speaker Bro. Arun Gogna, one of the senior builders of The Feast established by Bro. Bo Sanchez) but it was worth the travel.
Communicating seems easy yet making oneself clearly understood is difficult.
Simplicity is the key to being understood in communication but making your message simple and easy requires hard work. As Steve Jobs puts it, “Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.”
And in my own little way, I would like to help you be understood by coaching you in the art of simplifying when speaking.
I used to be a shy kid who would hide whenever all children were called to perform during family gatherings. I hated raising my hands or being called to talk in class (I might say the wrong things!). Performing in front of a crowd would literally bring tears to my eyes.
That was eons of years ago. Experiences, both good and bad, have changed me.
I was toughened by the countless embarrassments and failures I had in front of a crowd, from telling a joke that no one laughed at to having a dress malfunction during a performance.
I learned by speaking, speaking and speaking (despite being overwhelmed with fear!) and by literally studying communication here and abroad.
I received my Broadcast Communication degree from the University of the Philippines with a distinction of Magna Cum Laude and awarded the first-ever Most Outstanding Broadcasting Student by GMA TV Network (not bad for someone who started as a shy kid, right?)
After 6 years of working in media, corporate and non-profit organizations, I was granted a full scholarship to pursue graduate studies (still in Communications!) from one of the top Asian universities in the world – Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore.
I have been working for over 15 years doing communication work. As a fresh graduate, I started doing research and writing scripts for the country’s two biggest TV networks – ABS-CBN and GMA.
After a few years working in media, I joined one of the largest and most trusted life insurance companies in the Philippines - Philamlife. Learning about investment and financial products, selling life insurance to companies and training licensed agents on group life insurance products built my skills in sales and training.
I finally found the kind of work I was passionate about when I joined as a Communication Specialist for World Vision International – helping poor people improve their lives. It was in non-profit where I spent most of my career, working on the challenging task of teaching complex medical and health concepts to urban and rural poor, most of whom never finished primary or secondary school.
I have travelled all over the Philippines to help communities better understand, in the simplest way possible, the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
Once assigned to handle the Asia Pacific region, I then helped staff in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam improve their skills in doing health communications and simplify their technical publications.
Since then, I had been an advocate of using simplicity when speaking.
I became a facilitator, a communication trainer, an event host, a speaker and a writer. And my main goal when speaking or writing? To be always CLEARLY UNDERSTOOD.
I must admit I would rather speak than write (better yet, I will let you decide…check out my published works HERE).
It was a long (and difficult!) journey learning how to communicate very well (and I am still continuously learning and fortunate to be mentored by international lay preacher and motivational speaker Bro. Arun Gogna, one of the senior builders of The Feast established by Bro. Bo Sanchez) but it was worth the travel.
Communicating seems easy yet making oneself clearly understood is difficult.
Simplicity is the key to being understood in communication but making your message simple and easy requires hard work. As Steve Jobs puts it, “Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.”
And in my own little way, I would like to help you be understood by coaching you in the art of simplifying when speaking.