10 Public speaking strategies: Speech (Pidato) MTAQ 2025

 

Public speaking was never a natural talent for me. I didn’t grow up doing debates or presentations—it’s a skill I had to learn from scratch, and, in spite of recent years of experience, it's a skill that I’m still continuously learning to refine and improve. 

This year's MTAQ pidato was another opportunity for development. Here, I'd like to share ten public speaking strategies I used for the competition: 

1️⃣ 📝 Concise scripting - with a hard time limit of 7 minutes for introduction + points + conclusion, you have to keep the script sharp, and trim down the fat. Make it precise: No room for fillers or repetitions for emphasis, just nail the points and move on. 

2️⃣ 💚 Express a range of emotions - to keep audience engagement, vary your tones of voice strategically and authentically express your emotions: what comes from the heart goes to the heart. 

3️⃣ ☝🏼Hand gestures - In her book "Captivate", author Venessa Van Edwards emphasizes some interesting findings on the impact of hand gestures: it signals confidence, builds trust and rapport, and if done right, serves as visualization aids that drive your points further. 

4️⃣ ❓Ask questions for reflection - strategically place questions at parts that emphasize interesting points or create a sense of wonder and anticipation. 

5️⃣ ⏸️Pause. Give space - this is a tip I struggle with (especially when getting nervous onstage!), but one that's super important. Don't just hammer your points like a machine gun - give audiences space to reflect, especially after asking thought provoking questions. 

6️⃣ 🫡Give credit to other contestants - since I was #5 and last in sequence  and they didn't have restrictions of listening in other contestants, I decided to give a subtle shout out to them in agreement, as a small nod and gesture of respectful professionalism. 

7️⃣ 🐝Use relatable stories and examples for reflection - aside from the analogy of the bees, to anchor the speech's key message, I picked a relatively unknown but inspiring story of transformation Fudhail bin Iyad - thief turned scholar. The message? 

"You can't be worse than a highway robber, and at the same time, we are all far behind the status of a righteous scholar. Yet if this individual can transform, perhaps so can you and I."

8️⃣ 👀 Strategic Eye contact - this is important for engagement, but sometimes can be tricky, if you accidentally get a frown or a negative facial reaction that can derail your train of thought. So, look at audiences at the back.. you can't really see their faces 😁

9️⃣ ♻️Rehearse: again, and again (and again) - as boring as it sounds, to me, there's no escaping it. Know it so well that you can confidently go on autopilot, so your hands and eyes can do their thing and reinforce your delivery. 

🔟 🤲🏽 Du'aa - I still get very nervous before any speech or presentation. So before speaking, I make it a habit to practice this: the Duaa of Musa. 

When Prophet Moses was about to confront Pharaoh, fearing for his life and needing confidence for the difficult task ahead, Moses made this prayer:

رَبِّ ٱشۡرَحۡ لِي صَدۡرِي وَيَسِّرۡ لِيٓ أَمۡرِي وَٱحۡلُلۡ عُقۡدَةٗ مِّن لِّسَانِي يَفۡقَهُواْ قَوۡلِي 

“My Lord! Uplift my heart for me, and make my task easy, and remove the impediment from my tongue, so people may understand my speech"

[Surah Ṭā-Hā: 25-28]

So that's it! The ten strategies. Any of them that you find useful and can implement? Any other major techniques you suggest? Love to hear it! 👇🏼

Pidato (Speech) for PETRONAS MTAQ 2025: “Al-Qur’an Dihayati, Organisasi Diberkati” (English translation)

 

A story for our contemplation: in the 2nd century Hijrah in Khurasan, Iraq, there lived a man infamous for his cruelty — a highway robber who loots caravans and travelers.

One night, he heard a recitation of the Qur’an — a verse from Surah Al-Hadid.

Struck by what he heard, he repented immediately, abandoned his sins, migrated to Makkah, pursued knowledge, & eventually became a great scholar.

His name is Fudhail ibn Iyad.

From a despised robber, he transformed into a renowned scholar & a teacher to great imams, including Imam al-Shafi‘i.

This is the power of the Qur’an when truly internalized.

And thus our theme:

“Al-Qur’an Dihayati, Organisasi Diberkati."

---

1. Integrity

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَن تُؤدُّوا ٱلۡأَمَٰنَٰتِ إِلَىٰٓ أَهۡلِهَا

“Indeed, Allah commands you to deliver trusts to those entitled to them.” (An-Nisa 4:58)

Integrity isnt just a slogan, it's the foundation of any organization. Even a company with billions in profit, without it will completely collapse — as we've seen in Enron and Theranos.

2. Teamwork / Cohesiveness

وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَىٰ

“Help one another in goodness and piety.” (Al-Maidah 5:2)

A single bee produces only one drop of honey in its lifetime — just one. But thousands working together create abundance for the entire hive and even for humanity.

Likewise, an organization’s strength is never about one “superhero,” but shared teamwork.

3. Professionalism

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِٱلْعَدْلِ وَٱلۡإِحۡسَـٰنِ

Allah commands justice and excellence.

Not just “meeting requirements,” but giving our best — that is true Professionalism. (An-Nahl 16:90)

4. Ethical Communication

وَقُل لِّعِبَادِي يَقُولُوا ٱلَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنَ يَنزَغُ بَيْنَهُمْ

“Tell My servants to speak in the best manner, for Satan sows discord among them.” (Al-Isra 53)

Many organisations fall not due to lack of expertise, but toxic communication. 

If we spoke only in the best way, imagine the blessing: healthier culture, easier conflict resolution, stronger collaboration.

5. Gratitude

لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ

“If you are grateful, I will surely increase you.” (Ibrahim 14:7)

Studies show grateful employees are happier, more productive, reduced stressed. Gratitude builds loyalty — and brings collective blessings.

---

We began with the story of Fudhail ibn Iyad — a robber turned scholar by one verse.

If a single verse can transform a life, imagine what blessings await when an entire organisation lives by the Qur’an.

What was that verse that changed Fudhail? Surah al-Hadid, verse 16:

أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوٓا أَن تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ

“Has the time not come for the hearts of the believers to humble themselves to the remembrance of Allah?”

So the question for all of us:

Has the time not come for US — to reflect, to internalize the Qur’an, and to seek its blessings?

Pidato @Murattal MTAQ PETRONAS 2025

"Al-Qur’an Dihayati, Organisasi Diberkati”

Satu kisah untuk renungan: Pada abad ke-2 hijrah di Bandar Khurasan, Iraq, ada seorang lelaki zalim: seorang perompak jalanan yang terkenal. 

Satu hari, beliau terdengar bacaan satu ayat Al-Qur'an. 

Mendengar ayat tersebut, beliau terus insaf, bertaubat meninggalkan dosanya, berhijrah ke Mekah, lalu menuntut ilmu hingga menjadi ulama besar.

Siapakah individu ini?

Nama beliau: Fudhail ibn Iyad. 

Dari seorang perompak hina, Fudhail bin Iyadh menjadi seorang ulama yang masyhur dalam Islam, menjadi guru kepada ulama besar, termasuklah guru kepada Imam Syafi‘i.

Itulah potensi keberkatan al-Qur’an apabila dihayati dengan sewajarnya. 

Dan demikianlah, tema kita: “Al-Qur’an Dihayati, Organisasi Diberkati.”

1. Integriti

Firman Allah (al-Nisa’ 58):

 إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَن تُؤدُّوا ٱلۡأَمَٰنَٰتِ إِلَىٰٓ أَهۡلِهَا

 “Sesungguhnya Allah memerintahkan kamu menunaikan amanah kepada yang berhak.”

2. Kerja Berpasukan atau Cohesiveness

Firman Allah (al-Ma’idah 2):

 وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَىٰ

 “Tolong-menolonglah kamu dalam kebajikan dan takwa.”

3. Professionalism 

Firman Allah (al-Nahl 90):

 إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِٱلْعَدْلِ وَٱلۡإِحۡسَـٰنِ

“Sesungguhnya Allah mengarahkan agar berlaku adil dan berihsan.”

4. Komunikasi Beretika

Firman Allah (al-Isra’ 53):

 وَقُل لِّعِبَادِي يَقُولُوا ٱلَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنَ يَنزَغُ بَيْنَهُمْ

 “Katakanlah kepada hamba-hamba-Ku: hendaklah mereka berkata dengan perkataan yang terbaik. Sesungguhnya syaitan menimbulkan perselisihan di antara mereka.”

5. Kesyukuran

Firman Allah (Ibrahim 7):

 لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ

 “Jika kamu bersyukur, nescaya Aku tambah (nikmatmu).”

PENUTUP;

 Di awal tadi kita mendengar kisah Fudhail ibn Iyad, perompak kerana tersentuh dengan satu ayat

Apakah ayat tersebut?

 Ayat ke-16, surah al-Hadid:

 أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوٓا أَن تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ

 “Belum tibakah masanya bagi orang-orang yang beriman, untuk hati mereka tunduk mengingati Allah?

 

Persoalan kepada diri saya dan anda: bukankah sudah tiba masanya untuk tunduk khusyu, dan menghayati al-Qur’an? 

Johan: Majlis Tilawah Al-Qur'an PETRONAS 2025 📖

الحمد لله الذي بنعمته تتم الصالحات

Alhamdulillah, dengan izin dan rahmat Allah, rezeki saya tahun ini, dikurniakan Johan bagi Kategori Murattal, dengan pidato tahun ini berlandaskan tema, "Al-Qur'an Dihayati, Organisasi Diberkati" 

"From Intention to Action: Walking the Talk" at Huffaz Frontiers National Leadership Camp, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) - October 2025

 

Have you ever had big dreams, huge aspirations, major life goals—but constantly failed to take action?

Had brilliant ideas for a project or change, but they get stuck gathering dust in your notes app?

Set your new year's resolutions and "azam," but you keep procrastinating and never get started?

These questions formed the core theme of my recent talk with participants of the Huffaz Frontiers 2025 National Leadership Camp at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM Gombak). With 48 student participants from five different universities, my session served as the final address after a powerful four-day program, setting the stage for the closing ceremony. The key takeaway was simple: Now that you’ve absorbed all these amazing ideas towards becoming impactful leaders, what’s next? 

What will you focus on? Who will you BE after this experience? What changes are you going to make to the trajectory of your life, from here on?

The focus of my talk was to shed light on the underlying factors that drive us to take action, extracting lessons from the "B=MAP" model introduced by Stanford psychologist BJ Fogg on Behavioral Design. This simple model breaks down action into three key components: Motivation, Ability, and Prompt.

The concept seems relatively simple, but the reality is that human beings are complex, especially in this modern world: Our ambitions are often fickle, our motivations constantly fluctuating, distractions endless, external influences heavy, and our emotional experiences ever-present. The goal of this sharing wasn't to berate ourselves, but to emphasize on understanding how these factors interact, how we can gain better self-awareness, and sharing some practical tools.

To provide a robust, consistent framework for taking action, we turned to the teachings of the Qur’an and the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ . We explored how to step up, be steadfast, and remain consistent, extracting the deep wisdom of Tawakkul: the principle of "tying your camel" (exhausting all efforts within your control) before "putting your trust in Allah" (being optimistic and accepting of the wisdom in any outcome, after you have given it your absolute best).

The leadership camp’s overarching theme was "Charting the Future with Divine Light," aiming to harness the guidance of the Qur’an and Sunnah to shape leaders who are future-ready, ethically grounded, and impactful in their communities.

Alhamdulillah, from a personal and professional perspective, I am very happy that programs like these exist. It is a real blessing for students to have educators with such holistic thinking paving the path to nurture the leaders we need for tomorrow. It was certainly an honor to be a part of it, and to be able to reach out to these bright, young future leaders.

Project Balearica: 3 Valuable Lessons from (what, to me, is) the Most Challenging Presentation (so far in my career)

Alhamdulillah this week our Feasibility Studies team presented a techno-comm study full-day technical review committee for an international asset. For me personally, it was the most challenging and complex technical presentation, as the main presenter covering multiple engineering disciplines. 

But I’m sure, for many of my front end engineering veterans, it was just another Thursday.

Here are three valuable lessons I got from the experience:

1. Synthesizing input, one cohesive message - The project involved multiple engineering disciplines, with different facilities, some with unique different technicalities. There was a lot of information. When you want to present a proposal to a committee, it’s not about dumping information or flexing our technical knowledge: The real skill - and true value added here - is how well you arrange things in a cohesive narrative, extracting the essence of the message and key intent of our team members findings, and prioritize what do we want to present in that limited window, to condense for the committee and relevant stakeholders for decision-making. 

2. Read the Room - Our portion was one of the last slots of the day-long presentation (our slot only started at 5:45pm). Many people just come in at their turn, but to me, I try to make an effort to come in from the start and listen in to learn from other presenters too, in order to get a feel and a tone of the committee members’ comments, major concerns. The team tweaked some info & data on the fly, and made adjustments to the presentation to best fit - in the end, every bit of last minute adjustment was worth it and was put to good use. 

3. A great team - Perhaps the most valuable experience of this project and presentation was having a great team supporting us. It’s always a nerve-wracking experience to be the front-face of the presentation, knowing you don’t have all the answers. And we’ve all been in situations when committee members dish out some tough queries and the team goes completely silent. But Alhamdulillah.. our team really pulled through throughout, readily swooping in to answer and clarify. It gives a huge boost of confidence, knowing you have brilliant team that’s got your back

And finally, as always, I try to find space to add a bit of levity and appropriate humor. It’s a long day, and it never hurts to crack a few lighthearted remarks to ease the tension a bit and add in some human touch to find opportunities of making connection. 

As a last anecdote, I’d like to emphasize again the importance of presentations. Contrary to what many young engineers (including myself, in my fresh graduate days) may perceive, I have always believed that presentations are an important aspect of our work - so put your best effort into it. If your months of team’s work are condensed in those few minutes (in our case, 90 minutes), then you’d better spend time to understand, arrange, revise, rehearse. 

These precious minutes are like the tip of your spear: Make it count!

Sunnah Melayani Si Kecil - Pendekatan Rasulullah ﷺ melayani dan berinteraksi dengan kanak-kanak

 

Masha Allah, Sangat kagum bila lihat peribadi Rasulullah dalam cara beliau melayan kanak2. Penuh dengan kasih sayang, kemesraan, dan pada masa yang sama, penuh dengan kehormatan, respect. 

Zaman sekarang, jarang sekali kelihatan dewasa - terutama di kalangan lelaki dan bapak2 - melayan kanak2 mcm yang dituntut oleh baginda ﷺ. 

Terasa lagi sedih bila dibandingkan dengan cara pakcik2 melayan kanak2 masjid.. Tak best 😢. 

Di manakah toleransi dan Rahmah yang diajar oleh Rasul kita? Sudahkah semuanya menjadi sunnah yang diabaikan? 

Bila dilihatkan keperibadian Rasulullah melayan kanak2, ia lebih daripada sekadar happy happy. Sebaliknya, saya memandang pendekatan ini sebagai berwawasan Jauh. Ini lah pendekatan seorang pemimpin, membentuk pemimpin masa hadapan. 

Bayangkan, perasan para sahabat yang muda, dilayan oleh Rasul terakhir, yang juga memegang jawatan sebagai pemimpin negara, mufti besar, dan ketua Perang negara. 

Anak2 yang dibesarkan dengan kasih sayang dan prinsip yang jelas, akan membesar dengan keyakinan dan keamanan dari sudut emosi dan mental.

Let's all play our part, dan hidupkan sunnah Rasulullah ﷺ dalam rumah tangga kita. Jadilah manusia yang di sebut oleh Rasulullah sebagai,

"manusia yang terbaik di kalangan kamu adalah mereka yang terbaik kepada ahli keluarga ya". 

Holding on to Faith (HOTF) Conference 2025: Tarbiyah Before Trends, with Sheikh Dr. Abdullah As-Sueidi and Ustaz Ismail Bullock - Masjid Wilayah KL, 20 July 2025

 

This was the First time conducting a full day "podcast-style" forum with both speakers simultaneously onstage, upon the suggestion of Sheikh Abdullah, so we can make it more interactive and engaging to address the challenges of raising a family. 

We broke up the conference to three segments and conversations: 

1. Back to Hubbullah (Love of God): the Root of Unity - grounding our families on objective values and principles, taught by the Qur'an and sunnah 

2. Fix what's fading: When the Heart Loses Sight - the importance of Human Connection and how we can better foster connection in our homes

3. Parenting with a Bigger Vision: From Home to Ummah - how we can play our part to raise our families, especially in modern times when we are busy with our jobs and surrounded by so much spiritual trials. 

Alhamdulillah, we received a lot of positive feedback. I think This style of format was a brilliant idea, allowing variety and some back-and-forth banter to keep the conversation flowing and engaging, leveraging the strengths of both speakers simultaneously. 

One of my favorite parts of the event was when we asked audiences to share their key takeaways: what is ONE major important lesson you've learnt from this conference, and what is ONE thing that you will immediately implement, when you walk outside of this hall? 

The idea was for participants to put a more intentional mind, to plant a firm resolve on what to do next, for participants to learn from each other (going along my favorite themes of "by practitioners, for practitioners"), and also as kind of an appreciation gesture for our two speakers to listen to what the participants learned.. It's always so satisfying to know what your students gain from the classes.

Masha Allah we got some really good input and sharing. The highlight was hearing from including a 16 year old participant, sharing what he learnt about the importance of listening. 

Lots of great takeaway points I got from the conversations, and we pray to Allah that it becomes a means of righteous families towards happiness in this life and the next. .

Many thanks to the awesome team at Ahlan Academy for this wonderful opportunity.. Was really satisfying and awesome to be working with such a passionate, dedicated and cohesive team. Am always amazed by the great work they do providing quality educational experience for children, and now for the adults too! Keep up the great work, may Allah grant success in all our efforts in dunya and akhirah 🤲🏽 

Photo credit: Ahlan Academy.

TBE Podcast with Sheikh Dr. Abdullah As-Sueidi 🇸🇪 @ Creatorsphere Kota Damansara, 21 July 2025

 

Amazing conversation with Sheikh Abdullah, where we discussed key issues bothering the minds of youth and parents in our modern society: 

1. Beyond the Rules: Reclaiming the Joy and Purpose of Islam 

2. Winning the Battle of Hearts and Minds - taking back the narrative of skeptics and doubts about God and Religion 

First time conducting our podcast at the amazing Creatorsphere studio at Kota Damansara. Awesome work to brother Kirill (who is also Swedish, like our Shaykh 😊) who really spent time and effort in mindful creativeness towards providing the best set tailor made for The Barakah Effect podcast, resulting in what is hands down, the most beautiful set we've ever shot in. As our brother @anas_mujahid keeps saying - "bro, THIS is Ihsan!" - yeah bro, totally agree! 

If you'd like to know more, Check them out at

https://creatorsphere.my/

Look forward to our releases in season 4!

Reeza Marriage 19 July 2025

 Alhamdulillah dah selamat dah abang kite @ Reeza

Congratulations to our brother Reeza for his marriage last night 19th July 2025. 

Alhamdulillah, now the entire team at @thebarakaheffect are all married dudes. Welcome to the club, my brother. It's about time 😁

 

بارَكَ اللّهُ لَك،

وَبارَكَ عَلَـيْك،

وَجَمَعَ بَيْـنَكُما في خَـيْر

May Allah grant barakah upon you, shower His Blessings upon you, and enjoin you both in goodness. 

Alhamdulillah it was an honor for Emceeing on your big day, and professionally, a was an exciting new stretch challenge for me as an Emcee too, working with tightly coordinated Professional wedding planners, combining Nikah and wedding reception in 1 night (settled everything in 4 hours - talk about efficient!), and it was quite a thrill conducting the ceremony in dual languages of English and BM.

The event was very well managed, and it was quite the sight to witness Sheikh Hussain conduct his portion of the ceremony, with a special tazkirah, du'aa and milk serving for the bride, groom and their families. 

Special thanks and appreciation as usual to my Pantun Master, Husaini Md Rasid, for helping me out compose so many Pantun, in both Bahasa Malaysia and in English. Banyak positive review! 

May Allah grant continuous khayr, barakah and Rahmah to our newly weds, Reeza and Fatimah 

Bumping into Dan Henry @ WhiteMuslimGuy at KLCC

 Bumped into @danhenry AKA @whitemuslimguy at KLCC today. Nice guy masha Allah, heard his talk for the first time last weekend at @gmcsummit on the topic of “Cracking the Instagram Code: 0-100k Followers in 60 days”. Loved it!

I told him, i really enjoyed his talk. Then he asked, “what did you gain from it?”

Oh, man. Why you put this introvert on the spot, man? 

Then I remembered the first big takeaway that came to mind: “Find your unfair advantage”

Everyone has a unique gift that Allah granted. You probably don’t realize it. But we have it, we just have to see it. In Dan’s case, his unique thing was that he whenever he hung out with his Muslim friends, he was known as the “white muslim guy”. Which he later realized, was kind of rare, and surprisingly, was available in Instagram and other platforms!

 

He added: “Find your niche. Find something that makes you stand out from the crowd, that differentiates you. Then hone on it and make the best out of it. 

My first social media brand took me 7 years to build, and once i found my new unique brand, whitemuslimguy, it took me 1 month to achieve the same results.”

Second big takeaway I got from his talk: The definition of a “Hook”. 

When it comes to the world of influencers and social media, everybody talks about mastering the art of creating a hook. 

Now, first thing’s first: What IS a hook?

People will typically say, a hook is what gets people’s attention. 

Clarification: That’s what a hook DOES. Not what a hook is. 

A Hook is, “something someone sees that CREATES MULTIPLE BURNING QUESTIONS in their mind, that they can’t stand to leave unanswered, therefore they keep watching”. 

I introduced myself to him, telling him I work in Engineering in Oil & Gas and do content creation part-time with our podcast, but we kind of feel stuck in our channel. 

He shared some good advice: You gotta have the blueprint before you start building. 

Many of us wanna jump straight into content creation. 

But How do you build a house - Do you just start building? 

There’s a lot more that goes into it before a single brick touches the ground.

Awesome to meet you brother! Enjoy the rest of your stay in Malaysia 🇲🇾

Global Muslim Content (GMC) Summit: 12-13 July, 2025 @ Westin Hotel, Kuala Lumpur 🇲🇾

I paid over RM3000 for my ticket to Attend this GMC summit @gmcsummit this weekend - the most expensive weekend course I've ever paid for.

At the time I purchased the ticket, it seemed like a crazy idea and I wondered if it would be worth it. 

I was expecting to learn a few new tips, get to meet a few new people, and as an engineer, feel awkwardly out of place in this crowd of content creators, influencers, media professionals, and people of knowledge.

And yes, it kinda was that. AND, on top of that, a few unexpected experiences along the way, too: 

 

✅ inspired by the humble beginnings from  authentic personal journeys of the influencers, how they recovered from failure, self doubt, and haters 

✅ opened up a whole new world of possibility and inspiration, as I marveled at the amazing work people have done all over the world with millions of followers which I had no idea about, until now 

✅ Gained practical, actionable insights that provided genuine A-ha! Moments that made me realize why I always feel stuck 

✅ changed the way I see AI and technology in general, and feel that we left behind as our speakers

✅ huge diverse background of speakers and multiple creative formats to their keynote

✅ an amazing multi-feature conference mobile app that enables us to connect with fellow attendees, get conference updates in real time, systematically book workshops, and so much more

✅ getting to know new people from all over the world, and the different areas of expertise, opening the door for complimenting each other's strengths and niche 

✅ feel a sense of courage and empowerment to double down our efforts even further towards collaboration and creating positive impact

Was it worth it? 

Absolutely. It is one of the best conferences I've ever been to, and I'm glad I made that investment to experience this inaugural summit. 

Alhamdulillah for the taufiq to join this wonderful event. May Allah grant us the strength and steadfastness to implement what we learnt and continue to benefit the ummah with this newfound knowledge and wisdom. 

Faisal Latif 🇲🇾 meets Faisal Latif 🇺🇸:

🧠 Zero-Based Design Ideation Workshop, 1 July 2025 @ KL Convention Centre

Alhamdulillah — we’ve successfully completed our first multi-disciplinary engagement workshop, bringing together Technical Professional SMEs from all key facilities engineering disciplines: process, instrumentation, mechanical, structural, pipeline, technical safety, front-end, cost, and reliability.

The goal? To ideate around a bold question:

How can we collectively reduce Facilities CAPEX by applying the ALARP (As Low As Reasonably Practicable) philosophy?

We explored how to embrace higher risk tolerance, strip designs down to the essentials, and holistically assess the impact of these simplifications.

💡 Reflections from the Experience

1. Team Recruitment – Building the All-Star Lineup

As the appointed team lead, one of the most exciting parts was assembling the right mix of SMEs across disciplines. It took time, but in the end, it felt like we had formed a powerhouse team. I couldn’t help but imagine myself as Nick Fury in a post-credit scene — except this was a strategic initiative, not "the Avengers" initiative. 😄

2. Challenging Norms – Redefining Boundaries

The ideation session opened up a world of possibilities. Our experts brought forward bold — even “radical” — proposals. Will they work? We’re not sure yet, but we’re excited to test them out and learn from the outcomes.

3. Small Wins, Big Impact

Some ideas may seem minor in isolation, but when combined across disciplines, they stack up to create significant collective impact. Every contribution counts.

4. Facilitation – Connecting the Dots

Ideas don’t exist in silos. Every engineering proposal affects others — often in unexpected ways. Workshops like this provide a transparent, collaborative space where SMEs can challenge and support each other toward a shared goal.

👏 Kudos to the entire team for a strong start to an exciting journey ahead. Let’s keep the momentum going!

#FacilitiesEngineering #CAPEXReduction #ALARP #ZeroBasedDesign #StrategicInitiative #EngineeringLeadership #CrossDisciplineCollaboration #InnovationInAction