It’s that time of year. The time when you have to rack your brain for present ideas… Some come easy, such as the nephew who plays soccer or the daughter who is a dancer. However what about for those Hard to Buy for people? What do you get those people who you just can’t seem to think of anything for?

Well in this Guide I’m going to address both the best Presents for this Christmas, as well as the best presents for the “hard to buy for” People in your life. So let’s get into it!

Top Selling Presents this year:

1. Apple Accessories:
It is really no surprise to anyone that Apple is still the hottest thing around. With 1 in 2 households owning something apple, there really is no shortage of gift idea’s here. Be it a new phone case, A IPod Dock, or a I pad keyboard. Apple is a great place to start your shopping

2. Sporting Memorabilia
Now this depends on the persons tastes, But 85% of Australian’s follow some form of sport. So grab them a Scarf or bumper sticker for a fail proof gift.

3. For Boys and Men: Video Games
This year has been packed with great game releases. If the Boy or man you’re looking to buy for loves kicking back with the Xbox for a little R&R then check out the new Halo 4, Assassins Creed 3, FIFA 13 and Ridge Racer Unbounded

4. For the Lady in your Life: A New Jewellery Box
Did you get her earrings last year, and a necklace the year before that? Well its now time to get her somewhere special to keep them all. All women Love a new jewellery Box. Get one with a classy design, and several compartments. And don’t forget; if you want extra points put a small something special inside for her.

5. For your Son
The Little man in your life will love many things such as the batman DVD collection: The Dark Knight Trilogy Box Set or a new set of glasses.

6. For your Daughter
We all know that young ladies can be difficult. However you can’t go passed the traditional “Girly” Accessories. A New handbag, Pair of sunglasses, or a Gift voucher for Myers and you can take her on her very own Shopping Spree!

7. For your Parents: A Kindle
The world is a changing, Yet the simply joys in life such as reading remain the same. Grab your parents a Kindle from Amazon, and pre-load it with several of their favourite books!

Now for those “But I have no idea what to get them” People.

The majority of the population will set themselves New-Year’s resolutions on December 31St, So why not get them something that will help them achieve them.

1. A Set of New Body Fat Scales
Over half the country will set the goal to lose weight in 2013, so give them a helping hand with a new set of Body Fat Scales

2. A Gym Starter Pack
For those who don’t want to lose weight, a large amount will aim to “Get in shape” in 2013. We know its much the same thing, However a gym Starter pack will set them on the right track. Include items such as a Gym Towel, Pedometer, Tape measure and Callipers so they can track their results. Oh and don’t forget a water bottle!

3. A Kitchen Scale
Cooking is an essential part of life. Everyone does it, even if they don’t admit it. So grab your mother, your sister or that friend from work a new Kitchen scale and give them the gift of better tasting cooking in 2013.

Well there you have it. A fully comprehensive Christmas Buying Guide. I hope that it helps take the pressure off this Christmas season!

If you found this guide useful please click “Yes” below, so more people can find this guide this year!

Yours in Health and Well-Being

Joel

The art of persuasion and negotiation is a much-coveted skill. For hundreds of years, humankind has been using these skills to survive. The ancient Greeks negotiated with their neighboring lands all the time. Leaders of different nations always send ambassadors to settle peace negotiations. Traders of both the old and the new world use their powers of persuasion to sweeten their deals.

If you look at today’s environment, the art of persuasion and negotiation has only become more relevant. The most successful people in the world know this all too well. By reading this article, you, too, can learn how to channel their powers of persuasion and negotiation.

1) Knowledge is power.

In the art of persuasion and negotiation, knowledge is very crucial. How much you know determines the extent of your power over the other. Before attempting a negotiation, you have to know everything there is to know about the people you’ll be speaking with.

Find out what their weaknesses are, what they want, how much they are willing to put out, etc. Knowing all these can help you come up with better points for arguments and negotiations. You’ll have an easier time persuading people to see things your way as well.

2) Establish common goals.

When dabbling in the art of persuasion and negotiation, you must remember that both parties should benefit from the deal. As much as possible, make the deal a win-win situation for everyone.

One way to cinch such collaborations is by establishing common goals – goals that are in line with you and your prospect’s plan. Doing this gives the client a sense of solidarity, which will make them more agreeable to whatever it is you’re cooking up.

3) Try the grassroots approach.

Gone are the days when you don’t care about the person you’re negotiating with over the phone. The grassroots strategy is once again earning popularity.

Instead of treating your clients like cash cows, try to develop a certain relationship with them. Ask about their family or their dreams every once in a while. The grassroots approach requires you to relate with the people you’re trying to persuade or negotiate with. Drop your high and mighty attitude and start knocking on doors.

The art of persuasion and negotiation has long been practiced. Anybody can try the different strategies one step at a time. Try it on your parents, your friends or the local shopkeepers in your town.

As a seasoned public speaker of many venues, I can tell you there’s a big difference between giving a speech and giving a presentation. One cannot, of course, teach presentation skills without teaching basic speech skills, and vice versa. The two are closely related in terms of understanding how to use body language, voice, eye contact and other techniques. But while there are many similar and overlapping skills, the difference lies in the objective.

Let’s start with giving a Speech.

If you’ve taken any speech classes in college, you’ve probably heard there are three types of speeches: informative, persuasive and entertaining. While this is fairly accurate, it won’t help in discerning between speeches and presenting because many think they are one in the same. But they are not.

Primarily, the purpose of a speech is to simply deliver a message. Often, a speech does not require the use of visual aids because a good speech can actually stand on its own without support or explanation. At the end of an effective speech, an audience will be stirred into thinking in a way or doing something they may not have before hearing it.

But most of us of in everyday life will generally hear two kinds of speeches: the kind that entertain and the kind that aim to change thinking or attitudes. After-dinner speeches and wedding toasts are in the former camp, most others in the latter. The “change” speeches can still have entertaining elements, but their purpose goes beyond that. Consider eulogies, for example. A eulogy is, or should be, in honor of the deceased. It should therefore connect with, and hopefully uplift the hearts of the mourners. It’s a speech, not a presentation, and the intention is to generate affection and good feelings.

Speeches are often, but not always, written out word for word and are given by individuals who normally don’t speak to crowds, or at least don’t regularly engage in public speaking (presidential speeches are an obvious exception). This is why a person giving a speech can and is usually expected to read the speech from paper or a teleprompter. An experienced speech giver, however, will still attempt to make the reading sound like he or she is actually talking to the audience at a personal level rather than just reading to no one in particular.

Many speeches also tend to be formal in nature. Consider how graduation speeches or State of the Union Addresses are delivered. Because of the formality, the speech would sound very similar from one audience and situation to another. But while it’s true that from some speeches there have been spontaneous outpourings of impromptu words and passion, most stay within the script.

Now let’s talk about Presenting.

A presentation needs a proposition and typically, a call to the audience for decisive action afterward. A good presenter understands that he or she is putting on a performance to a degree. Presenting is a form of art, a direct connection with an audience that engages people on intellectual and emotional levels. It should be designed to give an audience an experience, not just information. Presentations involve more entertainment, more senses and more activity from both the speaker and audience. An effective presentation is an orchestration of many pieces of many things to enhance the message.

Presentations tend to be less formal and the material should not be delivered by means of reading from a script. In fact, they should never be written word for word, or even memorized word for word. A seasoned presenter knows how to use notes with just key or “trigger” words to remind him or her of what to say. Also, presentations will often employ storytelling that the presenter can do off the cuff and from the heart.

The beauty of a presentation is that the presenter can be spontaneous and add, modify, or eliminate material according to the audience’s reaction or things like distractions or time constraints. This is why the same presentation can be delivered in vastly differently ways depending on the crowd and venue. And unlike speeches, presentations often will involve the use of visual aids to stir emotion or drive a point. At the end of a presentation, if the presenter has been effective, audience members will not only be moved to do something afterwards, they will also have some new knowledge in their mental arsenal to take away.

Finally, another purpose of presentations is to make a sale. A presentation geared toward selling is an emotionally compelling one designed to create a perceived need to buy the product, whatever it may be. Everything the presenter does and shows will be engineered to create and feed that need. Such a speaker will usually have books or DVDs or sign-up sheets waiting in the back.

In summary, if you’re going to be a speaker at some engagement and trying to decide what format to use, a good question to ask is: What is the purpose of my talk? The answer to that question will help you decide what you’re there to do for your audience, what they expect, and how you’re going to deliver it.