Before you begin your speech there are a few things to make sure you have in place in terms of the technology you’re working with and your own preparation/the speech itself. In terms of the technology and equipment, these should be projectors, rigged up to your computer and some speakers, as well as a microphone and good lighting. All of this will help to ensure that the audience are concentrating on you and on your speech and will also ensure that nothing goes wrong during the presentation. A malfunction with projectors for instance can be a serious problem and mean that the whole presentation is a failure – it will be all that people speak about after your talk is done and the actual message of the presentation will be lost. Make sure that you know of the local computer shops and use these to stock up on necessary equipment and to ensure it is all in good working condition. Make sure that the lighting is also set up well so that it doesn’t interfere with projector and supports the presentation.

At the same time you should also ensure that any projectors have something good to project, and this means trying to create the best possible PowerPoint presentations. The key here is not to try to put too much information and exposition onto each slide, but instead use it to simply enhance what it is that you are talking about. Make sure you also use lots of images and remember that you can embed other media too, such as videos, music, GIFs or anything else. Don’t be shy of using lots of images in order to add a splash of colour to your pages and don’t be afraid to put in a bit of humour – especially when dealing with drier topics. For example a financial modeling presentation with some amusing gifs can be a lot more engaging than just dry stats and charts – though at the same time you have to be careful to avoid drawing attention away from the speech itself. These presentations can help to make your speech far more engaging and to elaborate on points you are making. If you hadn’t already considered using projectors and a PowerPoint presentation as part of your talk then you should.

In terms of ensuring that you and your speech are up to scratch there are a few key points to bear in mind. First of all – be sure to speak slowly and this will help you to sound clearer. Often when we give speeches we will talk increasingly rapidly – even when we think we are making an effort to speak slowly. So make sure you are really careful to talk at a slow pace and try listening to yourself back. Use queue cards or the displays on the projectors in order to give yourself hints as to the next topic to ensure you cover every point, but don’t try and memorise the entire talk word for word. Try not to fiddle too much or to pace around which will make you look nervous. Finally be sure to scan the audience with your eyes to ensure everyone feels like you are giving them eye contact, and to particularly focus on areas and individuals that you seem to be losing.

Image you are an executive seeking a new position and you could create a PowerPoint presentation about yourself and your accomplishments. Imagine further that you could voice narrated to this presentation using your own voice. You could add the appropriate level of emphasis and articulate your thoughts in a refined manner.

If you could do this then you would be playing to your strengths. Executives need to be able to use their presentation skills all the time. They must present to communicate. They must present to convince. They must present to the board or to their employees. Their voice is a well polished tool and their ability to use it is a strength that has been well developed. Their ability to communicate is a matter of pride.

Today, an executive is expected to know how to use the powerful communication tools now available. Also, if an executive could distribute this well developed and perfectly presented presentation to all that needed or wanted to hear it then this executive would be fully leveraging their communication skills.

I now want to introduce you to a simple and straight-forward way to do this. The technology is called the PTT Presenter and it stands for Presentations That Talk. It starts with the creation of a PowerPoint Presentation which is then uploaded to a server and converted to streaming media. Then, by making a simple telephone call one may voice narrated to this presentation on a slide-by-slide basis.

Once the voice narration has been approved by the presenter (and multiple takes are allowed) a link to the presentation can be sent in an e-mail, or linked to from a website. It is a great way to distribute and leverage your presentation.

Consider creating a voice-narrated presentation as a supplement to your resume. The presentation could define your strengths and accomplishments. It would demonstrate and highlight your communication skills. In today’s competitive executive marketplace communication skills are the most sought after executive requirement. Use a PTT Presenter and your voice to complement your resume and do something that will commands attention.

For more information on the PTT Presenter and online voice narrated presentations visit the website of Presentations That Talk. To find us simply type Presentations That Talk into the Google Search field as we will come up number one.

Candy and Chocolate Bouquets can be found as affordable, exquisite, and delicious arrangements mostly online. These candy and chocolate bouquets are becoming a unique gift alternative for all those occasions we so often need the right gift. Gifts for our family, friends, loved ones, co-workers, business associates and the list goes on. These gifts are suitable for anyone you can think of, all ages from kids to seniors.

These arrangements come in all varieties and pretty much for all occasions at your online candy florist stores. Many of them provide you many choices and options for your gift-giving need. It seems at times it can be hard to find the perfect gift to convey your sentiments and wishes and these candy and chocolate bouquets provide a great alternative and one that is a delicious treat too!

Gifting these exquisite sweet delights for those people on your list is simple. Whether you are shopping for birthdays, get well need, Christmas presents and gifts or shopping for other special days. Maybe you are just plain shopping for enjoyable gifts for family, friends, co-workers and all others important in your life. In your search for these perfect gifts just put in keywords such as “candy bouquet arrangements, candy bouquet gifts, yummy bouquets, chocolate bouquet gifts, sweet delights, chocolate gifts,” and etc. You will no doubt hit several pages of wonderful delicious candy and chocolate bouquets perfect for gifting.

These edible creations of candy and chocolate sweets in bouquets are sure to delight anyone receiving them. The gift of food is a traditional concept and continues to grow. That makes these baskets of sweet foods the perfect gift for everyone. Not only are these beautiful and festive, they are also distinctive and stylish in their creative arrangements. Beyond that these incredible edible candy and chocolate arrangements are so delicious! Everyone loves candy and chocolates and you would be hard to go wrong with sending a gift of edible treats next time for your gift giving needs. A delivery of a basket of these goodies would impress and leave a lasting impression.

Now as the holidays are quickly approaching, why not try sending one of these candy or chocolate bouquets to convey your wishes, thoughts, or sentiments. Cross someone off your list and order a yummy bouquet. These yummy candy and chocolate bouquets are perfect for that sweet tooth in all of us. Send them a gift a basket of Christmas cheer and put a smile from ear to ear! They are sure to delight and enjoy this present this year!

Below are the three very direct steps to getting yourself to be more in the present moment awareness. These steps will help you achieve this if done with enough practice. This is very attainable and easy to do. Start doing this today and see what rewards it will bring you for yourself in your life.

Step 1

Practice awareness. Be aware of what is around you, be very aware of the thoughts that continue to pop up in your mind. This is very difficult to do because our ego is always trying to put these new thoughts in our heads that leave us feeling drained and overwhelmed. Practice silencing the mind. This takes discipline and focused effort to get started with.

Step 2

Recognize the benefits. There are tremendous benefits when operating in the now. Although you can only really feel and see the benefits for yourself because this is an experience another can’t really describe in full, unless the observer can see this fully and honestly. The benefits are tremendous yet very simple in nature.

Step 3

Acceptance. Be willing to accept where you are at now. This takes a lot of courage and a lot of faith in yourself that where you are now is where you really need to be and the past and future are nonexistent right now. This takes like I mentioned a new discipline of focus to be in this space, but if you’ve been here it is very blissful indeed. Acceptance is the key to putting this all together for yourself.

We all love to laugh. Laughter releases endorphins, lowers blood pressure and improves our overall outlook. Among a group, it can create a sense of rapport and goodwill. We value laughter so much that we actually pay professional comedians to make us laugh! What’s not to love about laughter?

Let me ask you a different question: What is the appropriate use of humor in professional settings? If you are presenting information as well as leading an interactive session, there are certainly benefits to creating an enjoyable experience for everyone, but there are also huge risks involved as well. Here are some practical guidelines for the best use – or avoidance, as the situation may merit – of humor in business presentations and meetings.

The overarching, cardinal rule for the use of humor? It has to be funny! The worst thing you can do is make an attempt at humor that utterly fails. This will diminish your credibility and put you in a hole that can be hard to climb out of. If you’re not sure if something you’ve planned to say will work, run it by a colleague, if possible. Otherwise, the best rule of thumb is “if in doubt, don’t.”

Let’s be clear about what humor is, and perhaps more importantly, what it’s not. Jokes are not necessarily synonymous with humor. As a general rule, jokes should be avoided in a formal business presentation. Since they are pre-scripted, they can give the appearance of being used as a crutch for people who simply cannot be funny in the moment. In general, people who master the art of being humorous don’t have to rely on telling jokes. Another potential pitfall of using jokes is that you could offend someone. This violates the second cardinal rule for humor: never be offensive. Let’s cast the net even wider: never offend anyone in the room, anyone they know, or anyone they’ll ever know. Sound restrictive? It’s meant to be – and is another reason that jokes in particular can be dangerous.

What kind of humor is appropriate? Humor should reflect a lively, quick wit; the best way to wield it is to weave in humorous observations in the moment. These will build the kind of goodwill and rapport that you desire. Humor should be context-specific and part of the natural ebb and flow of a discussion. This requires a keen observation of your audience, a sense of self-confidence, and extremely active listening.

While some content certainly lends itself to humor more than others, a light touch of humor can catapult a dry session into an enjoyable, memorable one. Give some thought to your content ahead of time, and be prepared to elicit a smile whenever you can. And remember: enjoy yourself! If you’re having fun, your audience will too.

“The brain can absorb only what the rear end can endure.” ~Mark Twain

Think back to all the presentations or briefings you’ve attended. Have you ever heard anyone complain that they were too short? That they wanted the speaker to keep on going, piling PowerPoint slide on top of PowerPoint slide until nearly every head nodded in bored weariness or to look down at a watch without being too obvious? Not bloody likely.

But then have you ever sat through a briefing by a presentation skills practitioner that actually was too short? That left you thirsting for more information? I can’t think of one, and the reason is compellingly simple: A concise, pithy briefing works because those experts at presentation skills care about informing and entertaining their audience, about getting to the point with a minimum of technological back-up and a few key points jotted on a whiteboard or flip chart.

Just as importantly — as I keep insisting to participants in my business communications seminars — they want to turn the event into a conversation, not a lecture. They want to stimulate a lively Q&A where, if things really get revved up, the presenter pivots off the back-and-forth to bring out the best in the audience. The ones most adept at presentation skills leave room for what should be the high point of their time up there – you and your ideas and questions. Isn’t that more stimulating than a speaker viewing you as a passive receptacle for a look-at-me lecture?

It’s a matter of respect. The best briefers don’t act as if they hold a monopoly on all the relevant wisdom in the room. At the same time, they keep ideas or information in reserve because they know at least some of you will ask the questions or make the points that transform one speaker and 30 or 40 listeners into a lively learning experience.

One last thing, calling on Mark Twain above: pretend your audience is sitting on hard wooden pews. The best sermons, I’ve been told, rarely exceed 15 minutes.

Hall of Shame

I’ve gotten many comments on my inaugural entries in the Language Hall of Shame, for which I’m grateful. So herewith:

o “Out of the box.” I thought this sucker would be gone by now, consigned to some ash heap like “this particular point in time” subbing for “now,” but I’ve been hearing it far too often lately. If you’re really thinking outside the box, should you be using tired phrases like “outside the box?” And if everyone thinks outside that ubiquitous cardboard container, maybe the “most unique” course for you would be to climb back inside and hunker down in lonely, risk-free splendor.

o “Taking it to the next level.” Okay, I know this is a sports cliché, and I know we can blame it on a host of ex-jocks in broadcast booths across America. But I’ve been hearing it creep into consultant-speak and what passes for business communications. One thought: In the workplace, writing skills are most effective if they’re precise. So the “next level” doesn’t have to be a glorious ascension, does it? It could be a step downward, couldn’t it?

o “Step up to the plate.” Sports again. This one’s achieving critical mess (that’s not a typo). And it’s an absurd example of what occurs when copycat, mindless writing masquerades as effective business communication. Do you know what happens to the top 20 or 30 baseball hitters when they “step up to the plate?” Nearly seven times out of ten, they strike out, hit a grounder, a foul pop-up, an infield pop-up, a line drive to an infielder or a fly ball to an outfielder. In other words, they fail.

Less than one month left before the holiday season! Preparations have already started, the lights are up and the words ‘Christmas’ and ‘Santa’ are already on everybody’s lips. As usual, retailers were the first to announce that Christmas is close – shop windows had already turned all red in October. Soon they will be crammed with people frantically searching for presents.

Coming up with excellent gift ideas every year is tough. Women say it’s even harder to buy gifts for men. Especially if they are not that crazy about fashion, jewelry, cosmetics or home décor. However, there is one thing these men usually like – and that is technology.

TheNerds.net is an online shop created especially for them. It has been around for 13 years now, and has one of the largest ranges of gadgets and computer parts and accessories in the U.S. There are about 125,000 products to choose from each day, all from reputable brands such as HP, Intel, Creative Labs, ATI or Diamond. You can be assured that you will get only high-end products at industry-leading prices. Additionally, they have great customer support, with a toll-free line that you can call to talk to real people about any problem you may have.

Do you have a proper sound system in your bedroom? If not, it would make an excellent Christmas gift. And you don’t need to spend a lot on it, or lay cables all over the floor.Sony HT-CT 350 Sound Bar is perfect for bedrooms and other rooms where space is an issue. It is a good replacement for a complete sound system, and comes at a great price. Additionally, it is 3D-compatible, so you can hook it up to your 3D television and create a home theater. It enables to connect multiple devices to your surround system, and easily switch between them, watch Blu-Ray DVDs, play 3D video games and much more.

Or, if you want something suitable for the cold season, you can opt for a fancy heater. The Lasko Ceramic Tower Heater has free shipping during the holiday season. It is very stylish and silent. It has multi-function remote control, programmable thermostat, 7-hour timer and other attractive features. It is also affordable, and has a 3-year guarantee.

TheNerds.net offers these and many other geeky things that make wonderful Christmas presents. They only work with the top names in the industry, and you can be sure that everything you purchase is good quality. However, their return policy is very convenient, so even if something went wrong you could get your money back hassle-free. Are you late with your shopping or did you forgot to buy a gift someone? Don’t worry about it. You can opt for an overnight delivery and still receive your presents before Christmas.

Picture walking into your favorite restaurant. What does it feel like when you walk in the door? Does a friendly face greet you warmly? Do you hear water trickling from a courtyard fountain, brush by beautiful fresh flowers as you enter? Is the aroma from the dining room making you hungry? Do you see your table set with sparkling silverware and a crisp tablecloth? Does your server make you feel as if you’re doing him the greatest honor by letting him serve you?

Now forget that 4 star restaurant downtown for a minute. Here in Texas, waiting for your table sometimes means listening to live music in the shade of a 100-year-old oak tree with a bottle of Shiner Bock in your hand! But even the best barbecue restaurant on the edge of town has cheerful faces, drop-dead Hill Country views and a smoky savory smell that would bring tears to your eyes. From the moment I walk in, I know I’m in good hands and I’m going to have a great time. That’s hospitality, y’all.

Hospitality is essential for public speakers and entrepreneurs.

According to NYC restaurateur and author (Setting the Table: the Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business) Danny Meyer, providing and receiving hospitality is one of the most intense human drives.

“Within moments of being born, most babies find themselves receiving the first four gifts of life: eye contact, a smile, a hug, and some food.”

Now if that doesn’t make your heart skip a beat, you’re probably not cut out for the restaurant business. However, if you are an entrepreneur — even if your business isn’t food related — the business angel tapped you on the shoulder for one reason or another, so this sentence should strike a chord with you, too.

Your customers pay your for your services and products. If you’re also a public speaker (and we all are on some level) our audience also appreciates a memorable experience. Their encounter with you is transformed by your hospitality to them: before the event, while you’re on stage or presenting at a meeting, and after your speech.

Infuse hospitality into your speech and your business; your audience’s experience will be transformed by it.

Much of hospitality centers on presentation. I’ll bet you can vividly remember a meal that was so unpleasant you couldn’t wait to get out of there. Whether it was at a restaurant, a picnic, or a person’s home, if your experience was inhospitable then you felt like someone was doing something TO you instead of doing something FOR you. The worst!

Your presentation is “felt” in everything you do. In business and on stage, serving clients, customers, vendors and your audience requires hospitable manners. That may not mean white glove service (especially if you’re in the BBQ business!) but it does have those four elements Meyer mentions:

• Eye contact: Your connection depends on it. Have you ever sat in a presentation where the speaker never bothered to make that connection? Even in the smallest room, the eye contact helps you follow the message and creates a dynamic and powerful link. The hands may move, the speaker may walk around, but unless she’s making eye contact, the speech falls flat on its face.
• A Smile: If you’re nervous or worried, or if you think you’re just s smidgeon better or smarter than your audience, it shows. A smile is the great equalizer, the universal sign of goodwill. One of my favorite personalities, author and speaker Guy Kawasaki (Enchantment), says to smile so your crows feet dig in. Smile so your eyes close, smile like you really mean it.
• A Hug: OK, even if you wanted to, even if it were required, it’s not possible to actually hug everyone. What IS necessary though is to embrace people with your message. Even if they don’t have any interest in what you’re presenting, your audience will be more receptive to your speech if you roll out that personal touch. Good speakers are prepared. They know ten times more than they actually tell. They spare you from boredom by incorporating stories, specific details and enthusiasm for their subject. That’s the speaker’s equivalent of a hug.
• Some Food: ever notice how words and speeches are often perceived in distinctly food-related terms?

You want your listeners to digest what you’re saying.

They showed interest by consuming all of your content.

Your delivery was fresh.

He had a crisp tone of voice.

They roasted the guest last week.

Her words were tough to swallow.

Chew on this advice.

Break your speech down down into bite-sized portions.

He poured on the intensity.

She has a spicy style.

His words were raw but effective.

If you spend weeks and months working on your craft, you know that your word choices matter. A hospitable speech is memorable and well prepared, just like the most fabulous dining experience or exquisitely planned event.

When you are on stage your natural voice comes through (with experience) and you find a cadence and delivery that just feels right. When you are on your dime, your speech is fun to give and receive, just like that human desire for hospitality!

Your presentation begins long before you step up to the podium. Your written materials also reflect your style and your professionalism. Copywriting plays a part in your hospitality quotient, too.

Don’t forget the service and preparation you deliver before and after your speech in the form of your emails, your correspondence, your written bio, and your web content. Words are the “Food” part of your service to your organizer, so remember that the “Written Word” makes an even more compelling and long-lasting impression.

What is vocal variety?

Vocal variety refers to the proper variations in volume, pitch, rate, pace, etc. throughout your presentation. The purpose of incorporating vocal variety is to add meaning, interest, involvement, and impact in your presentation.

What’s the opposite of vocal variety?

You may think it is monotone. Monotone is more related with lack of emotions. In fact, it’s just part of the answer. The opposite of vocal variety is sameness.

Have you ever heard speakers starting off their presentation with this booming voice, and kept booming their voice for the entire presentation. And you have no idea what is important or unimportant, because they just stayed that way the entire time. How did you feel? Did you feel it disturbing? You probably wanted to cover your ears and ran to the nearest exit.

Or have you heard speakers talking so softly, that you couldn’t even hear what they said. Those are mostly ladies because ladies are told to be nice and gentle. While as audience you found it so hard to hear them and you lost your interest.

How about speakers speak so fast that you couldn’t even catch up? You tried so hard to follow their thoughts, just to find exhausted and had to give up.

Or have you ever heard someone speak so slowly, you just wanted to help them spit it out.

These are only a few examples of sameness.

Sameness not only creates a hard time for your audience, but also projects a negative impression of you as a speaker, being uninterested or bored with your topic, or you just wanting to get it over asap.

As a speaker, always remember, “Everything you do, you do it for your audience.” Therefore, you need to incorporate vocal variety to your speaking to create interest for your audience, involvement from your audience, and impact in your audience. Whether you want to inform, entertain, persuade, or inspire your audience, you cannot achieve it with sameness.

To avoid sameness and accomplish vocal variety, you have a few tools to use: volume, pitch, presentation rate, pace, stress, and pauses.

Today, you are going to pick up one must-have tool, and this tool, you can immediately use it, no matter what kind of personality you have. This tool is “stress”.

Stress is emphasis you put on certain words or phrases to make them stand out. To stress does not necessarily mean you should say these words or phrases louder. It simply means you should verbally set them apart from everything else you say so that your audience could hear and feel the difference or importance.

Let’s take one example to practice stress.

The statement is “I won the lottery”.

If you want to convey the meaning that it is you not anyone else won the lottery. How will you say it? You probably put the stress on the word “I”.
“I” won the lottery. (It’s not you.)

If you want to convey the meaning that you didn’t steal the lottery or pick up from the floor. How will you say it? You might put the stress on the word “won”.
I “won” the lottery. (I didn’t steal from someone.)

If you want to convey the meaning that you didn’t win a game, or a bet. How will you say it? The stress should be put on the word “lottery”.
I won the “lottery”. (I didn’t win a car.)

Before you give your next presentation or presentation, think about what meaning you want to convey and where you can put the stress.

PowerPoint is powerful, dynamic software for creating interesting, eye-pleasing presentations to be delivered to large or small audiences in formal or informal settings. However, as has been said before, never let the visuals become your presentation. Visuals support your message and capture your information is a way that is easy for your audience to understand. The old adage that “a picture is worth a thousand words” is true here. Rather than trying to explain a complex process or procedure, a visually pleasing graphic can do the trick and you can explain the intricacies and interrelationships it represents without spending valuable time describing what to visual displays and at the same time, boring your audience and losing their interest.

In order to maximize the impact of your use of PowerPoint, there are some guidelines that should be followed. Initially, when you are drafting out your presentation materials, take the time to plan your presentation and determine when you will use certain visuals or when to reveal certain critical facts. This means concentrating on the content and the organization of that content. It would be a mistake to simply type out what you are going to say and run the risk of reading it to your audience from the screen. Use bullet points to highlight your significant points which will force the audience to listen to you elaborate on them. This will also force you to be prepared to provide the information and actually address the crowd, make eye contact and engage with them. When you plan your presentation, maintain a logical sequence of points for discussion and elaboration. This should help you be more conversational with your audience and will make your presentation much more interesting.

There are three basic slide content rules for composing effective PowerPoint slides which need to be addressed here. Firstly, only focus on one topic or theme for each slide. The will help you keep your content organized and focused. Remember that the content of your slide supports what you are saying; it should not contain every word you are saying. Avoid adding a second topic to a slide if there is not a lot of text on the slide. If you feel that the slide appears empty, add an appropriate illustration to fill out the slide. But do not overfill a slide with too much text. Add a second slide on that topic and include (cont’d) beside the title of that second slide.

Secondly, the content of each slide should adhere to the 6 X 6 rule of composition. What does this mean? You should use a maximum of six bullet points per slide with a maximum of six words per bullet. This rule helps you keep your slides clear and uncluttered. Your audience can quickly read your slide and then focus on what you have to say. To accomplish this, use short phrases and not full sentences. Leave out unnecessary articles (such as “the” or “a”), pronouns (such as “your” or “its”), and adjectives (such as “extremely” or “very”). In this regard, also do not put punctuation at the end of a bullet. Applying this rule will keep your bullet points short and to the point rather than too long and wordy. The audience will focus more on you and your dynamic delivery and less on the words on the screen.

The third point is that of “parallel construction”. This means that each bullet point must start with the same part of speech, such as a verb, noun, or gerund (an action word ending in “ing”). This rule ensures that your bullet phrases read easily and clearly. Consistent phrasing makes your presentation more professional. Mixing action words with nouns or descriptors leaves a confusing impression and shows general lack of good planning.