How the world is changing and in some ways so fast, yet for the good and other ways that are definitely dubious. Did you know that nursery rhymes that have been the staple of generations of children are now being doctored. In Oxfordshire, England, children are no longer singing “baa baa, black sheep”, instead they are being taught to sing “baa baa, rainbow sheep.” Naturally this is based upon the political correctness which surrounds equal opportunities. They have also changed the ending of Humpty Dumpty so that the children will not feel sad, and Snow White has had to lose her seven dwarfs as well.

Whether you are a believer in these changes or you feel it is taking things a bit far, one thing is for sure political correctness is taking over. Political correctness has seeped its way through society making lots of positive changes but perhaps also making people a little over-sensitive in some cases. But as it appears to be here to stay this is a guide to buy presents which will be sure to be politically correct and pleasing at the same time.

When buying presents for the friend of your child, scenario of a lovely toddlers birthday party, you will want your child’s gift to stand out but not for the wrong reasons. Realise that it is not just a present for the birthday girl or boy, but their parents will likely review all the presents as well. Looking at gifts for toddlers, there are great options such as traditional colourful wooden toys that are safe, entertaining and maybe even educational.

What about a nice teddy bear music box which is handcrafted, where the teddy bears are sitting on a see-saw rocking to the music “When you wish upon a star”. This is great for helping the toddler go off to sleep and makes a perfectly politically correct present. Alternatively wooden animal skittles which are also handcrafted and colourful. These contain a dog, cat, zebra, frog, lion and mouse.

There are lovely wooden push alongs which are hand painted in bright colours. Take for example the yellow duck with lots of colourful wooden beads, which clacks cutely as it moves around. There is a wooden cow push along, the wooden dog push along, wooden fairy push along or a wooden ladybird push along.

Parents are normally very happy to see their children being encouraged to read. Wooden bookends make a decorative and practical present, taking for example these great blue wooden aeroplane bookends which are hand painted. They will brighten up any room and are also suitable for cds and dvds. Alternatively there are wooden fairy bookends, with the cheerful looking fairies holding up their wands ready to do some magic!

For toddlers of three years and upwards, actually for children of all ages, there are children’s wigwams. These come in cowboy and Indians, as well as fairy wigwams. Presents that encourage creativity and fun roleplay, while giving the child a new space of their own. Buying presents like these gives lots of pleasure while being politically correct.

Design your presentation well ahead of time

A great presentation requires a lot of work, so start preparing your content immediately after you decide to participate. Try to make it interesting and relevant to both, your exhibition stand presence and your company, to attract positive attention. Moreover, make it entertaining, so that the exhibits audience gains a memorable experience.

Promote your presentation

Start promoting your presentation well before the exhibition or event through blog posts, newsletters, social media and any other possible venues. This will publicise the event and promote your exhibition stand presence. Unless you will be conducting the first presentation, use your time wisely during the event and continue promoting your upcoming presentation.

Elevation would create more effect

Check out the presentation area ahead of the event to make sure that it is elevated for greater impact. If not, then make your own arrangements, such as a stool or a few crates, something that makes you visible to other visitors beyond the immediate crowd gathered to watch you perform. More people will be able to see you and recognise you at your both later.

Make good use of lighting

Colourful or well-placed lighting can draw attention to your presentation, somewhat like a spotlight. For a dramatic start, flicker it on and off as a signal that you are about to begin. Position the lights to focus exhibition booths after the presentation.

Use multimedia

Incorporating multimedia can help in highlighting the main points of your presentation. Remember that your words and the information you present are the most important parts of the presentation, but adding an element of humour can make the experience memorable and interesting. Use your multimedia to add imaginative graphics that emphasize your special points.

Involve the audience

Wherever possible, involve your audience during the presentation, because an interactive activity is more lively than a speaker going on and on about any subject. Keep in mind that your purpose here is to make this a memorable part of the trade show. The interactive segments will put the audience at ease and make them receptive to your products and services. More people are likely to visit your trade show display after an engaging presentation.

Keep it short

To create the maximum impact, keep the presentation short and focused on your main points, maybe three or four. Your slot may only be a few minutes, with distractions all around. Get the most benefit from this opportunity and create the desire in them to visit your booth where you can discuss your offerings in detail.

Plan your staff placements

Use your team members effectively by placing them strategically within the presentation audience. They must be ready with relevant literature, business cards and information sheets and a brief verbal message to enhance the connection you have established with the audience.

For more professional advice of exhibits and events participation, always consult with a professional exhibition stand contractor.

Although the most effective way to build strong relationships with your customers is still face-to-face, that is not always practical. Luckily web video conferencing can be almost as effective. Even if your customer or prospective lead lives half way around the world, it is still necessary to host sales meetings and presentations – the impersonal nature of email will only get you so far.

A number of excellent, easy-to-use solutions exist to host your online meeting or webinar. Personally, I’ve used and participated in WebEx meetings many times and always had a positive experience, although their costs can add up quickly as meetings get larger or more frequent. There are more affordable and just as capable and reliable web video conferencing choices out there also for online meetings or webinars.

Here are my 6 top best practices for getting the most out of web video conferencing for successful sales presentations:

1. The number one thing to remember is that you must treat the web video conferencing meeting as you would a “real” face-to-face meeting: dress professionally, plan the agenda carefully, do not multitask (close your email and other applications before the meeting starts so you have no distractions).
2. Choose a service provider carefully – you need to be sure they can meet your goals for the meeting in a professional manner;
3. Be considerate of participants’ time: in a web video conferencing session they are not a captive audience, and will get distracted by email and other business demands if you don’t maintain their interest;
4. Put together a crisp agenda, with meeting goals and strategies to achieve them;
5. Have a plan to encourage live interaction. You could have some questions to ask of your customer to spur discussion, or include someone who’s role it is to ask the first questions or add comments to get interaction going;
6. Have a clear call-to-action at the end of the meeting. Too often web meetings are ended abruptly (after all, since you are not face-to-face, there will not be the usual opportunity for small talk or next steps discussion as the customer is ushering you to the door). Include time in the agenda for wrap up and next steps, with clear action items for the attendees.

Kids’ birthday presents set you back more and more every year. Even as tots they now get not one but two or three different presents from their parents or guardians, and siblings. Sometimes even the family pet “gives” a gift! And this at the grand old age of two or three! By the time children reach four, it’s a bike, by eight, it’s the latest trendy trainers or a mobile phone, and by twelve, it’s a laptop. So it pays to practise frugality whilst your child is young.

There are several methods you can employ in order to shave off up to 70% of the retail price of gifts for your child, and all they take is a little time.

1. Plan Your Annual Birthday List & Start Sales Shopping
It can’t be said enough times, forward planning will save you money. List the names of every child you wish to purchase a present for that year (you can include adults too if you wish). Next to each name, allocate a budget and if possible, put that money aside before the year starts. Then, when the sales begin, no matter what month, stick to that list. If you can find a gift suitable for someone on that list for the allocated budget then get it. If not, then don’t.

2. eBay It
eBay is a fantastic source of brand new unwanted items. If you have an item in mind, enter it into the search function of eBay and see what is returned. Set the filter to include only brand new items, with or without tags (though with tags is more convincing that it’s new), set your highest bid and wait. Because you are not in a hurry, you will not end up panic-bidding, nor will you “need” the item for which you are bidding, as you can choose another item up for auction on a later date if you wish.

3. Online Special Offers
Online toy stores always have special offers available throughout the year. By bookmarking your preferred site, you can check back at regular intervals and see what the special offers are and if any of them appeal. Sometimes the toys and items can be over 50% off!

4. Off-Season Shopping
The major sales are usually held twice a year to get rid of unwanted leftover seasonal stock. This usually means t-shirts are for sale in winter, and woolly hats are for sale in summer. However, if you calculate what items your children need well in advance, you will know which clothes, toys, and books they will need and when allowing you the perfect opportunity to stock up for up to half the price. Though the items won’t be the very latest, they will be new – and considerably cheaper than they were just three months earlier.

5. Closing Down & Moving Sales
Businesses and shops that close down or move location tend to slash prices just to sell the goods before they have to move out of the premises. They figure some money for an item is better than no money. And rightly so. But for you, it’s a goldmine of opportunity to get brand new items at up to 80% off.

By being continuously on the lookout for special offers and within that, for items suited to a certain age group is very time-consuming. However if you have the time free, it can save you spending so much more than necessary on toys, clothes and other birthday gifts.

Many of us remember insomnia-curing corporate training sessions that engaged in overkill while presenting information to department heads or other groups. The organization’s leader, or sometimes a guest consultant, would show a massively detailed outline on overhead slides, distribute a lengthy handout with the identical information, and then read the material aloud practically word for word. Not surprisingly, audience members doodled (this was before they could text), read irrelevant materials, dozed, and daydreamed. Both attention and retention suffered.

Now we have PowerPoint, which-used skillfully-brings much stronger visual appeal, and even welcomed humor through snazzy photos or clip art. Also, a majority of presenters have moved away from reading verbatim, toward adapting a more casual, even conversational speaking style. A few made that switch because of Speech Coaching, and others because they found audiences preferred a less stilted session.

These questions remain: Are handouts still helpful? If so, when do we distribute them?

Yes, handouts remain effective for several reasons:

–Participants get a take-home or take-to-the-office summary of the major points, which serves as a learning and memory prompter.

–If your presentation included calls for action, attendees will have a concrete reminder of exactly what you expect them to do.

–When your message confuses a listener, the handout brings clarification.

–Expecting a handout, the listener doesn’t have to depend on meticulous, distracting note-taking to absorb the information.

–Audience members have easy access to Web sites, books, videos, and other resources you mentioned, including contact information for guest presenters.

–You have shared a record of what you said, which could become useful if a listener claims you had proposed another plan.

–A handout assures the listener that you studied your topic thoroughly, rather than wasting the group’s time with spontaneous random remarks.

As for when we distribute the handouts, the traditional method of giving them to audience members as they enter the room has a major drawback-the absence of suspense. If your listeners can see everything you’re going to say, you have surrendered the advantage of surprise. Plus, when they observe how much more material you still have to cover, attention will wander.

So how do you distribute the handouts afterward? Either you can use the traditional hard copy or you can say, “When you return to your office today, click on our company’s Web site and you’ll find our presenter’s one-page handout that contains the key topics covered in our half-day seminar.”

A final caution: When you speak at a conference or convention, your meeting planner may request your handout ahead of time, to include in a printed booklet or to display online. You will want to comply with the request, although you could still protect your surprise advantage by not referring to your illustrations, stories, and supporting materials.

Because I’m in training and development and I’m a business coach, public speaking is one promotional strategy I use to build my visibility – whether in person or in a virtual setting. It’s easy to fall into a rut with the way we present ourselves and our content to others.

Every time you speak, write an email, post a blog, or use social media – you’re in fact making a presentation. That directly relates to how you and your message are received, and your credibility. And as a business owner, I believe your ability to attract clients and close business. So I chose to talk about simple ways to recharge presentations and selected 3 tips that could be applied in most any situation.

While these tips are specifically geared toward presentations – whether live or virtual – they can also apply to other aspects of your communication with others.

Create a compelling introduction. Your audience will make judgments about you, your message, and your credibility within the first couple minutes (maybe even less). That impression tends to last throughout their experience with you. Make the most of that time by creating a compelling introduction. Before you even get to that opening content, you want to pique curiosity, create surprise, and grab your audience. A simple way to do that is with a poll question. Formulate a question that is relevant to your audience and the content, and also creates conversation.

Stir emotions and improve engagement with stories. Our brains simply can’t remember boring things! We are programmed for stories. Why? Because stories attach meaning to the details, making them more memorable. Look for places in your content where storytelling may better convey your point, rather than just pure information telling.

Switch it up every 10 minutes. No matter how engaging you are, or how interesting your content – it’s human nature for people to tune out after about 10 minutes. Solve that by introducing a change at 10-minute intervals. That could be a poll question, a story, or simply a transition to a new topic. This keeps your audience with you and looking forward to what’s next.

Just implementing one of these techniques in your next presentation, virtual meeting, or informal interactions will make a difference in how your listener perceives you and your message – you’ll be credible and memorable.

Your presentation skills reflect your level of preparation and confidence in your product or service. Take the time to hone this important skill and reap rewards from better relationships with your clients, suppliers and even your family and friends.

Probably you’re already doing a lot of these; look for one or two that jump out at you and do them right away.

1. Join a civic group or community service organization.

2. Practice your talk with your family and ask for feedback. (Warning: you’ll get blunt honesty from your kids.)

3. Go to TED.com and listen to one talk every day or so.

4. Join Toastmasters.

5. Write down the purpose of your talk or presentation.

6. Think about how you can create hunger for your topic — that’s an important part of your introduction.

7. Write an outline.

8. Give a talk in a non-threatening (for you) environment. Find out as much as you can about the room before the day of your talk.

9. Tell your audience why your topic is important to you. You can do this with a short story.

10. Don’t apologize, unless you REALLY mess up.

11. Invest in a coach.;-)

12. Speak about topics you really care about.

13. Focus on your audience. Find out as much as you can about them, before you show up.

14. Make it shorter. They’ll love you if you go less than the time allowed.

15. Learn a new word every day.

16. Watch movies and pay attention to how stories are told.

17. Notice what parts of your talk appeal to emotion, and which appeal to logic.

18. Use short sentences.

19. Stand up straight and tall.

20. Visit a museum for inspiration.

21. Listen to what people are complaining about — that’s a good way to create the hunger for your topic.

22. See if you can give your audience a way to participate – ask them questions.

23. Breathe deeply.

24. Keep yer hands out of yer pockets.

25. Write your ideas for future talks in your journal.

26. Have someone record your presentation and watch it afterwards.

27. Do the research.

28. Put the quantitative stuff on a hand out.

29. Think of a better example of how your topic helps people.

30. Make a list of 10 new metaphors.

31. Appreciate your audience and let them know it.

32. Relax.

33. Ask speakers you enjoy for their suggestions.

34. Challenge yourself to be more creative with your visual support. Use high-quality photographs.

35. Get a makeover. (Or a new suit.)

36. Take random notes about things that call your attention.

37. Have fun with it.. It’s your show.

For more tips on presentation skills and life leadership, visit Mixonian Institute for frazzled, over-committed, overachieving leaders who are one chipped nail or one Prozac away from losing it!

Have you ever sat through a presentation, even on a topic that interests you, knowing that if there was a test half an hour later you’d flunk it. You tried to listen. You wanted the information or the motivation but somehow it was hard to focus on what the speaker was saying.

And now it’s your turn. You are going to be the one up there in front of the room. You are going to be different. You are going to be dynamic. Your message will be taken in and remembered weeks – maybe months – later.

Here’s how you can do that. Here are seven easy steps to becoming the speaker that the audience remembers.

1. Prepare. Do the research so that you know your topic inside and out. Look at the topic from different viewpoints and decide which approach to take

2. The approach depends on your audience. Write down all you know about them – age range, education level, background. ask yourself why they are interested in this topic and what you can offer that will be of value to them. Narrow the focus down so you are not covering a wide swath of known material, you are presenting information of key interest.

3. Write your speech out and rehearse it. Time yourself so you know the material can be fitted comfortably into the time allotted. If possible practice in front of a friend and ask – Was there anything you didn’t understand? Did I lose you at any point? Was my voice clear? Tell me, what could I improve?

4. Incorporate some humor into your speech. Self deprecating humor is good.

5. Check the venue ahead of time. Make sure everything you need is in place and that the electronics all work the way they should.

6. Give the person introducing you a strong, relevant introduction to yourself and your topic. Ask them to deliver it just the way you wrote it.

7. Go to the front of the room or on stage as if you are eager to be there, as if you can’t wait to get into your presentation and share it.

8. Smile. Make eye contact. Connect with people. Remember they are not ‘an audience’ at this moment, they are individual people.

9. Don’t try to impress with big words or with lots of knowledge that isn’t relevant to your core message.

10. People only remember a few facts at a time. Make a point and tell a story to give the fact context and meaning. People will remember your stories and that will help them remember the point you made. Skipping the stories and adding more facts just adds blur. If you want them to have more information, use hand outs.

When you are the speaker you feel as if it is all about you. In fact it’s about you and your connection to the audience, to each individual person in the room. You are sharing, not giving, You need to connect before you can communicate.

Your connection and your preparation will make you a memorable speaker.

Have you ever sat in front of a personal computer, flipped by means of multiple shop catalogs, or paced by means of the aisles at your regional department shop seeking for the excellent present for a pal or household member? If you have then you are not alone. Every day there are numerous people who will need to buy a particular gift for a birthday, anniversary, or yet another particular celebration.

If you stop up paying for a present from a section retailer or a catalog it is likely that the gift you chosen isn’t as personalized as you wished it would be. The difficulty with buying a personalized present is that numerous folks are looking in the incorrect spot. A personalized picture umbrella is a present that would most likely meet your desires; however, it is one that cannot be found in most section shops or keep catalogs. Several instances the only way to obtain an individualized photo blanket is to come across a picture designer on the web.

Obtaining a customized image quilt designer is simple thanks to the net. Quite a few people who make a living building personalized photograph blankets only promote their business on-line. This is why you may possibly have never observed or heard of a personalized photograph quilt prior to. Each and every photo quilt designer is most likely to present various product functions and designs; as a result, you are encouraged to see what every single particular person has to provide prior to planning your sheet design.

Individualized picture blankets usually come in a big amount of distinct sizes and kinds. To figure out which size and style you would like to purchase you ought to very first learn what is offered. It is not uncommon for modest throw blankets to be presented; nevertheless, it is possible for smaller and larger image blankets to be created. When purchasing a personalized photograph umbrella you will also need to have to know if colour blankets are obtainable. Most individuals choose a black and white umbrella; however, both things are well-known.

When a customized photograph quilt is bought it is achievable for the umbrella to be employed; nevertheless, several occasions they are just used as a memento. If you are purchasing a customized picture sheet for somebody that you know you really should preserve this in thoughts when producing the buy. There are several photograph sheet designers who market wall hanging kits. This is a fantastic individualized photograph sheet accessory for those who will want to protect the quilt and keep it as clear as achievable.

A customized picture umbrella is a fantastic present for friends and household members. Whether or not you are ordering a customized photo umbrella with a image of you and your greatest buddy or a photo of your household there is nothing at all as significant and as personalized as a picture sheet. Why obtain a generic present when you can supply so significantly much more to the individual that you care about?

When you have to make a business presentation or pitch to group of senior executives it’s often the case that you might be just one of many presenters that they have seen that day. So it’s important to start strong and capture their attention from the get go. One way of doing this is to let them set the agenda.

I’ve just finished watching the first in a new series of the British X-Factor. It was obvious that by the time the final few performers were due to sing that Simon Cowell had had enough of average acts. When the last singer came on to the stage, Simon was distracted, bored and angry. But then Daniel, a teacher from England started singing, and he lit up the room. He was brilliant, but seemed even more so because he was such a contrast to those that had gone before.

This is the opportunity you have in business presentation; especially those that require data, analysis or numbers. It’s normal for the presenters to be ill prepared. Hence they start weak and continue in the same vein through the presentation. They can make the mood in the room dark and gloomy.

So what can you do to make sure that you capture the attention of your audience right from the beginning, and then continue to do so throughout the presentation?

Here’s a unique way of doing it. What you do is open with a question that allows the audience to tell you exactly what they want, and then you use what they say to set the agenda. This is exactly how go about it.

Step 1: Ask the audience a really specific question about the topic upon which you are going to present. For example, if you were going to pitch for venture capital money for a new car which ran on fresh air you might say: “I have an idea for a car which will run air, what three questions do you most answered in order to make an investment.”

Step 2: You listen to the questions then use them to set the agenda. For example let’s say that the first question was “Do you have an cast iron patent?.” You would say “thank you for that question I’m going to deal with the patents in the second point of my agenda.”

Step 3: You write the question as an agenda point on a flipchart, i.e. provide a cast iron patent, and continue to take questions, and turn them into agenda points until all issues are covered.

This technique is not for the faint of heart. It relies on you being very prepared, and willing to drop or add some points from your presentation, on the hoof. But if you’ve prepared and have a tight structure for your presentation then you can give them a tightly targeted, highly original pitch.

And if like Daniel, from the X-factor, you are faced with a grumpy sullen audience, then maybe you too can light up the room just when they are least expecting it.