Presentation Changes for a Bit of Excitement for You and Your Listeners

Is it time for a change? If you have been speaking for awhile, you have probably settled into the comfort of re-using the material that is already prepared and familiar. In this article, I challenge you to make some changes.

Start by asking yourself the following questions:

  • Do I use the same or similar handouts?
  • Do I have tried and true visuals that I use over and over again?
  • Do I have a particular topic or topics that I always speak about?

If you answer “yes” to all or any, it is time for changes.

Update and upgrade your handouts. I know, I’ve been there. It is so much easier and more efficient to make minor changes on the computer to your saved handouts, thus using basically the same format over and over again. After all, we spent lots of time in the beginning research, writing, tweaking, and creating those super handouts. Unfortunately, that was in the “beginning” and, hopefully, we have grown past that stage. Take a hard, critical look at what you have been handing out to your audience. Could they be shorter and punchier? The long ones are usually filed away and never looked at again. Maybe all you need to hand out is a sheet of resources — recommended links, books and tapes.

Reevaluate your visuals. If you use a lot of visuals, maybe it is time to use fewer with snappier meanings. If they are serious, maybe it is time for some cartoons. People who laugh with you establish rapport with you and will appreciate your presentation more. If you don’t use visuals, think about what type of visual would enhance your presentation. Remember the old saying that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” If you are using visuals made up of words, think about pictures. The word “cow” doesn’t look like a cow.

Try a brand new topic or approach to a topic. I know that all of the books and speaking gurus stress the value of becoming an expert in a particular field, and I do believe in the importance of that theory. I feel, however, that if you attack a brand new topic — and possibly present it to a different audience for free — you might discover ways to enhance your usual topic and/or topics. Everything is related, and by researching a whole new field, you may find a whole new approach to and way to strengthen what you already are familiar with presenting.

Get out of your comfort zone. Not only will it strengthen your presentations, it will also be fun and exciting for you and your listeners.

Business Negotiation Strategy in Each Stage

Business negotiation strategy has a wide range. However, there are different strategies in each stage according to the practice.

2.3.1 The strategy of the first phase
a. Consensus-style
Apply: there is no business between the two sides before; their strength are close for the first contact.
Practice: he uses of diplomatic language, and chooses a neutral topic, with the attitude of respect for each other, neither overbearing nor servile.

b. Frank style
Apply: the two sides had business dealings before, and a better understanding of each other. Their relations are very good; and strength is less than the other negotiators.
Practice: he gives a sincere, passionate talk about the friendly and cooperative relations in the past, and frankly takes the views of one’s own statements as well as the expectations of each other; and frankly show one’s own weaknesses

c. Carefully opening ceremony
Apply: the negotiating parties have had business dealings over the past but the other side had not a satisfactory performance
Practice: he expresses regret that the inadequacies of the other party in the past and hope that they can change this situation through this cooperation. In no hurry to reduce the relationship, he uses of a courtesy question to check each other’s attitudes and thoughts.

d. Start-style attack
Apply: the other side is condescending, and has the tendency to force and do not respect one’s own side
Practice: he should be rational and advantage, and to hit the key issues and he can not be too aggressive, to change their practices in a right time.

2.3.2 The strategy of the pricing stage
First, prices starting point strategy

a. suspended construction of the high-profile (Continental quote)
It refers to a negotiation strategy that a seller makes a higher price than the actual requirements in the starting point and bargains with the opponent and makes concessions to reach an agreement.
Do: outcry hard; make concessions slowly
Methods to deal with: ask for basis of quotation or counter-offer.

b. throw the ball down (Japanese-style quotations)
It refers to a negotiation strategy that first of all the seller propose a lower starting point than actual requirements of its own for negotiations in order to attract each other, trying to beat the opponent who take part in the competition, and then take real negotiations with the buyer who be tempted to hook, force them to make concessions to reach their own purpose.
Methods to deal with: first, the buyers compare and calculate the contents of the bid of each other with other vendors’, and straightforward to raise objections. Second, he is not tempted by the small profit of the other side.
Second, division pricing strategy
Divisor is commodity prices and dividend is that quantity of goods or the use of time. It comes up with a very small price. So buyers feel price cheap and low.
Third, adder pricing strategy
In business negotiations, sometimes it is afraid that high prices offered will scare customers. The price had gradually broken down into several levels to make a number of quotations. And the final total is still equal to the original one-time price.
Fourth, differences in pricing
According to the nature of the customer, the number of purchase, trading hours, the payment ways, it adopts a different pricing strategy.
Fifth, Comparison Price
It refers to the other side point out quotations of similar commodity of many businesses which is beneficial for one’s own side to establish reference prices, and then make comparisons between these goods traded and similar goods of businesses in terms of performance, quality, service, and other transaction conditions, and as the basis of price for this side.
Sixth, the number traps
He shows their cost of production of goods to the buyer to support the reasonableness of the total price.
Apply situation: it is a multi-commodity trading, the complex cost, no uniform standard method of calculating the cost, or each other is very offensive to use the case.

2.3.3 The strategy in consultation phase
First, negotiation strategy under the conditions of the advantages
a. do not set a precedent
in the negotiations, it means a party who hold the advantage in order to adhere and raise their own terms of trade to use no precedent as reason for refusing to make concessions, let the other side to accept their conditions.
It is a good way to refuse the other party and do not injure the face of the other party.

b. the first bitter; after sweet
first in the negotiations use harsh conditions to cast doubt on the other side, depression of mind, etc., in order to significantly reduce the opponent’s expectations, and then gradually in the actual negotiations, make concessions step by step, to make each other’s psychology have been met and reach a agreement.

c. the price trap
It refers to the party use of market prices increased trends expected, as well as the widespread concerns psychological, to attract the other sides on the price to let them neglect other important provisions.

d. period strategy
It refers to business negotiations, a strong party put forward the time limit to reach an agreement. Over this period, sponsors will withdraw from the negotiations, as to put pressure on the other side to make a decision as soon as possible.

e. diversionary
In order to achieve a particular purpose and needs, one’s own side consciously direct the subject of consultations to irrelevant false momentum, transfer their attention in order to realize their goals

f. the head start
In the start of the negotiations through the use of one’s own strengths and characteristics, in order to seize the psychological advantage, and he seizes the initiative.

Second, negotiation strategy under the conditions of the disadvantages
a. fault-finding
In Business negotiations, in response to each other’s products or related issues, he over and over again deliberately finds problems and the other side’s confidence will drop, and so to make concessions.
The key point is that critical issues should be raised rightly.

b. take a soft approach to meet the other’s hard attitude
When there is a crisis situation in the negotiations or the other side does not make concessions, and he can take a soft approach to meet each other’s hard attitude to avoid facing conflict, so as to achieve the purpose.
The main points: the use of indirect tactics, insisted reasoning

c. woolly-headed
It is defensive strategy is that in the event of adverse situations, pretending to confuse, and use it as cover to paralysis of the will to fight each other in order to achieve the purpose and muddle through.

d. tired tactics
It refers to the negotiations like the marathon, and gradually wear down the opponent’s spirit, to fatigue, to reverse the own side’s disadvantage and passive of the situation, when the opponent exhausted, dizziness brain up, the party may be anti – from defensive to offensive, with the attitude of reasoning, put the views of this side to reduce the other side to accept the conditions.

e. power is limited
It refers to business negotiations, the weaker party was asked to make excessive concessions on certain conditions to the other side. They claim that the mandate on this issue is limited, and have no right to make such a concession to the other party, or established fact can not be changed in order to make the other side give up conditions. f. turn around telling. It refers to the party at a disadvantage, let the other side to pay more for the negotiations, so that they change from passive to active, to turn disadvantage to advantage.

Third, negotiation strategy under the conditions of the balance of power
a. testing the waters
The negotiators intended to propose a number of assumptions, through the other side responses and answers to detect the other side’s intentions and seize the good opportunity to make a deal.

b. first rally; after counter
It refers to after the other side make offer, in no hurry to make a counter-offer, but point out that changes in market situation, or to emphasize the strength and advantages to build the situation in favor of the own side, and then raised prices.
Response: refused, adhering to offer, make a concession carefully

c. first “vertical” post “capture”
It refers to although the party would like to make a deal, but put on a nonchalant way, cover up their eagerness, it seems merely to satisfy the needs of the other party for the negotiations, so that the other side is eager to take the initiative to make concessions.

d. put on foolish, but clever in fact
It refers to a party put on deliberately confused, frightened, hesitant, slow response in order to let the other side down, for sufficient time to achieve the purpose.

e. for the cursory
It refers to the party at the negotiating table, encounters the key issues, or there are insurmountable differences between each other, or to remedy its own mistakes, make an excuse for their own that the decision can not be done by them, to further negotiations by another.

f. fish in troubled waters
It means in the negotiations, he deliberately disturb the normal order, and put many of the problems out once, making it difficult to meet in order to let the other side make mistakes.

g. private contacts
It means through the personal contacts, using a variety of ways to enhance understanding and emotional contact, the establishment of friendship, he can use this way to promote the negotiation.
There are many forms of private exchanges, such as telephone contact, visits, entertainment, and dinner and so on.

h. lubrication strategy
It refers to the negotiators in order to express the feelings of friendship to feed gifts for each other, for a better effect of negotiation, the West humorously referred to it as “lubrication strategy.”
To consider: cultural differences, the value of gifts, gift-giving occasions and rituals.

i. emotional transfer
It refers to when the formal negotiations have difficult impasse or obstacles, the organizers of the negotiations should be conscious to transfer the environment of the negotiations, the atmosphere and forms, so that the other side’s emotion transfer

Mindfulness – Focusing the Attention of the Mind Into the Present Moment

Alright. Today’s topic for this week is a practice called “Mindfulness”. The key to being mindful is to focus the attention of the mind into the present moment. So if presently you are listening to this message, you focus your mind entirely into the message.

Mindfulness then, would be the practice of ignoring any other distractions that might come in while you are paying attention, either listening to or reading this particular message. If you were to practice mindfulness while you are falling asleep, you would fall asleep much faster. If you were to practice mindfulness maybe while doing something that is pleasurable to you, you will find much more pleasure in it. Practicing mindfulness while smelling a cup of tea, you will find that you probably love the aroma and when you taste it, it will taste differently than the aroma that you were loving. The same is true of food.

So when we are mindful and we focus our attention into one activity, it changes the experience. Sometimes you can use this say for an addiction. Maybe you really like your beer or something and you think about the beer and something begins to transform. There is a physical reaction. Your stress hormones begin to change; a variety of things happen.

Well, just focus your mindfulness 100%. It might be ice cream you are craving, whatever it is, and then go ahead and feel it, smell it, focus your mind entirely on it, not the result that you are expecting like “I’ll feel relaxed” or “I’ll feel comforted” or “I’ll be distracted from my real emotions”. Whatever else is going on.

Be mindful 100% with that item of your addiction. It may be drugs, sex, food, alcohol, whatever it is and stay with it and you will find that because you are mindfully attentive, it is not producing the normal side effect that you are used to. Oftentimes substituting with something very simple like taking some trace colloidal minerals, take a mineral supplement, and maybe a little Vitamin C or Ester C with it and maybe some MSM. Take that instead and some water and wait. And then if it comes back again, focus mindfulness into that whatever it is and see if anything has changed.

All right dear ones. That has been your Spirituality Article, information for this particular week. As always we appreciate very much that you help spread the information. It is complimentary.