Printable Travel Checklist

Here is a printable checklist you can use when you travel to your speaking engagements. Below is the online version that you can highlight, past and edit. Or, you can just print off the full checklist and highlight what you need:
Printable Travel Checklist (in pdf format – you’ll need Adobe Acrobat to view and print this)

Travel Packing Checklist for Professional Speakers

Whether you travel locally or for international presentations, this checklist will help you pack all the essentials for your speaking trip.

Clothing	Health & Medical Supplies	Shaver/Razor	Travel Comfort
Shoes/Boots	Prescription medication	Shaving Cream/Oil	Travel Pillow
Underwear/Bras/Socks	Vitamins	Aftershave	Eyeshades
Pants/Skirts	Eyeglasses/Sunglasses	Soap/Soap Dish	Earplugs
Shirts	Contact Lenses/cleaners	Shampoo/Hair Care	Sleep sheet
Sweater	Eye Care Supplies	Wash Cloth/QuickDry Towel	Backrest
Swimsuit	Birth Control	Hairbrush	Earplanes
Jacket/Rainwear	Feminine Hygiene	Shower Cap	Compression Socks
Tie/Scarf/Bandana	Band-Aids	Body Cream/Lotion	Food/snacks
Hat	Antiseptic Cleanser	Tissue Pack	Water Bottle
Gloves	Cotton Balls/Swabs	Toilet Paper	Folding Cup
Belt	Thermometer	Toilet Seat Covers
Slippers	Pain reliever	Toothbrush	Miscellaneous
Shorts	Diarrhea Medicine	Toothpaste	Safety Pins
Formalwear	Laxative	Dental Floss	Resealable plastic bags
Pajamas/Robe	Motion Sickness Remedy	Mouthwash	Jewelry
	Sleeping Aid	Perfume/Cologne	Jewelry Case
Clothing Care	Jet Lag Remedy	Deodorant	Mobile Office Kit
Sewing Kit	Insect Repellent	Cosmetics	Address Book
Shout Spot Removing Wipes	Water Purification	Mirror	Stationery
Laundry Soap	Sunblock/Lip Balm	Tweezers	Large Mailing Envelope
Clothesline		Scissors	Duct Tape
Inflatable Hangers	Electrical	Leak-proof Bottles	Photo Film
Clothes Pins	Electric Current Converter	Foot Powder/Cream	Gifts
Laundry Bag	Hair-Dryer		Photos from Home
Lint Remover	Curling Iron/Rollers	Travel Gear
	Electric Shaver	Small Daypack	Automobile Check List
Security & Documents	Clothes Steamer	Expandable Bag/Tote	Check Oil
Money Belt/Security Wallet	Beverage Heater Coil	Maps	Check Fuel
Travel Tickets	Laptop Computer	Guide Books	Check Battery
Travel Insurance	Laptop battery	Phrasebook/Dictionary	Check Tire Pressure
Photo ID Card	PDA (Palm)	Leisure reading	Emergency Road Kit
Documents/Photocopies	Cell Phone/Charger	Money Exchange Calculator	Extra Set of Keys
Photocopy of credit cards and drivers license	Portable Music Player	Notepad
Passport	Camera	Diary/Journal	Your Travel Information
Travel Vaccinations	Memory for Camera	Pen	Departing Flight Number:
Credit/Check Cards	Video Recorder/batteries	Wristwatch	Time of Departure:
Traveler’s Checks	Battery Recharger	Travel Alarm Clock	Arriving Flight Number:
Destination’s Currency		Reading Light	Time of Arrival:
Travel/luggage Locks	Bodycare	Flashlight	Bus Number:
Luggage Tags	Toiletry Bag	Umbrella	Cruise Vessel:
Travel Safe	Nail Clippers	Water Bottle	Other:

Speaking Strategies To Capture Listeners

When you are speaking it is important to also listen.  Here are 12 speaking strategies for staying focused and keeping your listeners attention while you are their focus.

12 Proven Strategies to Stay Focused When Speaking from the Platform

Whether you’re presenting to an audience, participating in a sales call or facilitating a meeting, if you struggle with active listening, chances are you’re missing opportunities that can advance your career. In a normal day, we all listen nearly twice as much as we speak and four to five times as much as we read and write (Rivers, 1981). The challenge for all of us is being 100% present throughout the day, being present in the moment to capture key points and ideas as a result of listening.

To test your own listening efficiency, think about how often you ask someone to repeat information, or how many times someone has said to you, “You’re not listening to me.” This occurs more than you might think, because most people only listen for the first three to four seconds of a conversation. After that, they’re formulating a response. No, it’s not just you!

Try these 12 proven strategies to stay focused:
1. Make solid eye contact and keep it. This shows your listener you’re really listening and helps you stay centered on what’s being communicated.

2. Pay attention to your listener’s body language. If they’re looking at you versus away from you, there’s a greater chance they’re interested in what you have to say-and will hear your message and be more open to the information. As a result, you increase the probability they’ll take the action you desire.

3. Is your listener walking away from you or crossing arms? Both of these behaviors are “closed” and communicate that your listener is unapproachable or in disagreement. Involve your listener in the conversation by asking an open-ended question that communicates you’re sincere and invites their participation.

4. Pause before answering. This encourages your listener to provide you with additional information and gives you an opportunity to “think on your feet.”

5. Listen for changes in your listener’s tone of voice, inflection, or volume. If the voice has more inflection, they’re communicating a positive response to your message. If your listener’s voice increases in volume or carries a harsh tone, listen and then respond with a softer volume and tone.

6. Listen for key ideas and facts. When your listener touches on something you want to know more about, simply repeat the statement as a question.

7. Summarize and paraphrase key points periodically to guarantee you’re hearing and understanding your listener’s words. Say, “If I understand you correctly…,” or “So what I hear you saying is…”

8. Be patient and avoid interrupting, even though you may believe what your listener is saying is wrong or irrelevant. Indicate simple acceptance, not necessarily agreement, by nodding or perhaps injecting an occasional “I see.”

9. Briefly and accurately acknowledge your listener’s concerns, frustrations, and challenges. Without acknowledgment, they’ll continue to focus on the emotion versus the issue being discussed. Say, “I can imagine you must feel…” or “I get the impression you’re unhappy about… “.

10. Don’t get emotionally involved. Avoid expressing your own personal views, because they may influence or inhibit what your listener says. Try simply to understand their concerns first and defer evaluation until later.

11. Encourage your listener to provide additional information with phrases such as, “Tell me more” or “As I understand it, what you’re saying is….”

12. “Listen” for what isn’t said. You’ll gain valuable information via your intuition. For example, your listener may say, “This solution is not negotiable; how will I afford it?” Your response may be, “So you’re concerned about how much this will cost you. Let me share with you some options.”

This speaking strategy article has been presented to you by:

Stacey Hanke of 1st Impression Consulting, Inc., focuses on changing communication behavior. She has coached over 4000 individuals worldwide how to enhance their ability to connect, engage and influence others to take action. Stacey is co-author of the book titled “Conversations on Success” and has a lengthy Fortune 500 client list. Visit her at www.staceyhanke.com to learn about how she can add value to your development.

I hope you’ve found this article on speaking strategies to keep your listeners attentive useful.

Other related Speaking Articles:

Platform Presentation Sk

Training in Presentation Skills

In order to be comfortable while doing a presentation, you can gain the positive energy of audience members to help you through it. Before you get to that point, though, you may benefit from doing some presentation skills training and participate in some group speaking sessions.

The Missing Link in Presentation Skills Training

by: Melissa Mayers Lewis

Imagine you are the most amazing figure skater who ever lived. When rehearsing in a peaceful, empty rink, you demonstrate the ultimate in athleticism and artistry. You defy the laws of gravity as you leap in the air, landing with flawless precision. You spin with effortless grace and power; you execute jumps other skaters only dream about. On that ice, you are in your element, doing what you love to do and doing it perfectly.

In rehearsal, that is.

The next day, you enter the same rink for the big competition. When you look into the stands, you see thousands of eyeballs on you. As you begin your program, you skate self-consciously, hesitantly. You stumble on moves you usually don’t even have to think about. You forget what comes next. You wobble and bobble and barely get through the program on your feet.

Now, consider this: Your frustrated coach barrels up to you and bellows, “That’s it! From now on, we’re spending two extra hours a day in rehearsal until you get this right in competition!” Question: Will that tactic solve the problem? Of course not, because the problem is not in the realm of the skating. (Remember, you skated the program perfectly 24 hours ago.) The problem is in the realm of the EYEBALLS. You can skate until your feet fall off, but until you make peace with those eyeballs, you will continue to stumble in the spotlight.

So It Is With Public Speaking

Most people say, “One-on-one I’m fine. It’s only when I’m in front of a group that I get nervous.” If you can speak confidently and clearly one-on-one, it means you already know the content and can convey it well (like skating perfectly in rehearsal). The problem comes when a speech coach says, “OK, we’re going to have you rehearse the speech five more times in the conference room to make sure you get it right when you present in front of the Board.” Emphasizing the content and delivery has limited value because it attacks the problem from the realm of the SPEAKING. But where most people suffer most is in the realm of the EYEBALLS. Sure, you’re more likely to withstand the eyeballs if you feel confident in your material, but the discomfort will still be there. Techniques and gimmicks (like “picture the audience naked” or “start with a joke” or “look at the back wall if you’re too nervous to make eye contact”) won’t help either. These tricks just put up a barrier; they don’t solve the problem.

So what is the answer? Realize that the problem is not that you don’t know how to speak; it’s that you’re not used to being THE CENTER OF ATTENTION. You see those eyeballs and suddenly you’re thrust outside of your comfortable anonymity into the shocking realization that someone is actually paying attention. You shy away from the attention, the intense energy. But ironically, the energy in those eyeballs can energize and comfort you-once you let it in.

Yes, eyeballs almost always have positive energy behind them because listeners want you to succeed. Even if you face grouches in the crowd, you can count at least a few positive eyeball vibes coming toward you. Soak in the positive energy and send it back out in the form of genuine warmth and concern for your listeners. Seeing that concern invites even more positive energy, which keeps the cycle going.

Far-Fetched Idea?

It may seem far-fetched at first. But the only way to make peace with those eyeballs is to stop avoiding them and explore them instead. Seek them out. Peer back with your own eyeballs and see what’s really there. It takes practice, of course. To get started, seek out a positive setting such as a SPEAKING CIRCLE* or supportive group of friends. Remember, you’re already a speaker. You’re just not accustomed to being a recipient of listening-a skill that can only be mastered in the mysterious, wondrous, scary, exciting realm of eyeballs.

* The SPEAKING CIRCLE(R) methodology is a revolutionary new approach for building speaking skill and power. It’s based on the book Be Heard Now by Lee Glickstein. For more information, go to www.speakingcircles.com.

This article about presentation skills training was brought to you by:

Melissa Lewis turns traditional thinking about public speaking upside down to give people more comfort, confidence, and charisma in front of groups. For more information, call (913) 341-1241 or visit www.upsidedownspeaking.com.
melissa@upsidedownspeaking.com

If you’ve found this article on training and presentation skills helpful then be sure to put the advice to use and improve your presentation skills.

Other related Presentation Articles:

Platform Presentation Skills

Network Marketing Presentation

Network Marketers are not always well versed in doing presentations but there are some things you can do to put off a very powerful network marketing presentation. These ten tips will help you to have greater success with the response you receive from your audience.

Top 10 Tips For A Successful Network Marketing Presentation

by: Maria Davies

As network marketers, we often have important information to impart and our role in doing so is a major one. Many, many times I have had the pleasure of having people approach me to say how hearing me speak literally changed their lives due to the powerful message and the persuasiveness of the delivery. Most people in MLM are not trained presenters or salespersons but there are a few steps everyone can take to make sure their message has the best possible chance of being well received. Here are my top tips:

1. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE: Not every pitch will work for everyone so before you go to present the products or the business, whether it’s to just one person or to many, do a little research to ensure you’re presenting at the appropriate level. If your presentation is too lightweight, you’ll bore them; too in depth, you’ll confuse them. Either way, they will switch off and your vital words will fall on deaf ears.

2. WIIFM: Yes, that old chestnut, but it’s worth repeating as it’s so often forgotten. Bearing in mind tip no. 1, what are the challenges faced by this person or this group of people? How does your business opportunity or your product solve their problems? Focus on answering these questions rather than trotting out the mechanics of your offering. Your audience must feel you’ve prepared your presentation specially for them, even if it’s essentially the same one you’re giving all the time.

3. CONTINUALLY LEARN AND PRACTICE PRESENTING: One of the most important skills any network marketer can hone is that of becoming an accomplished speaker. It impacts so many other areas of your life as it massively increases your self-confidence. The more professionally you can deliver your message, the more readily it will be received, the more lives you will touch and the more money you will make in your business. Learning to present well is an investment in yourself and can give you the greatest return on the capital you’ve invested.

4. HANDLE DISSENTERS WELL: One of the major fears I hear from network marketers is that of being faced with doubting prospects or those who dispute what they’re being told. Unfortunately, the tendency is to dig in and fight your corner but this can turn the discussion into an argument and work against you, especially if you’re giving a presentation in front of a group. When you’re faced with negativity, always start your answer with “That’s a very good question…” and continue with your viewpoint. Wherever possible, turn things around to make your audience right. Download a free “one-sheet crib sheet” on this important subject at http://www.laddersofsuccess.com.

5. SHOW, DON’T TELL: Show the products you’re talking about. Let people feel, smell and see for themselves instead of just hearing what they are like. If you’re making a presentation about the business opportunity, remember that your company has probably done a lot to make things easier for you. Make sure you get the prospecting materials they offer, show the pictures of the top distributors, talk about them as if they are real people .

6. LET YOUR GUARD DOWN: People buy from those they know, like and trust. How can they do any of this if you won’t let them get to know the real you. You don’t have to be perfect, you can talk about your own challenges, beliefs, family, hopes and dreams. Doing so gives your prospects more opportunity to identify with you so you can use the similarities to build rapport.

7. STORIES INSTEAD OF FACTS: When we get excited about our products, we often delve into the features of the products, what works and why. This is all very exciting once you’ve had your first wonderful product experience, but it doesn’t make for a very exciting lead-in to your presentation. People want to know about results. They want the bottom line. There’s plenty of time to get to the detail later but to start this way could send most of your prospects to sleep (apart from the professors in the audience, of course). The best way to illustrate what your products or business opportunity can do is through telling stories. Use your own story or a case study of someone you know. Use emotive words. Remember, not just the facts, the feelings too.

8. MAKE ‘EM LAUGH: When people laugh they feel more relaxed and amenable. Every situation has a humorous side and if you’re telling a tragic story your prospects will welcome the respite that comes with a moment of levity. The golden rule is to move people: make ‘em laugh, make ‘em cry, then they buy. This is something I aim to do in every presentation because it means I’ve moved my audience emotionally. I appreciate this is an advanced technique, but if you learn how to do it, you’ll increase your success rate exponentially.

9. DON’T TELL – ASK: Instead of telling your prospects everything, get them answering questions. Rather than saying “Did you know that only 1% of people retire financially free?”, ask them “What percentage of people do you think retire financially free?”. This gets your prospects involved and if you word your questions correctly, you’re coaching them to the purchase decision rather than having to push them into buying. This is a technique I teach that I’ve perfected over the years. It works great for network marketers and women and I call it “pull selling”.

10. GIVE A REASON TO ACT NOW: Again, not being salespersons, many network marketers give a great presentation and then wimp out without asking for the order. Your prospect’s motivation will never be higher than it is at that moment so make sure you use this to your advantage. Think of reasons why they should place their order today. Some possible reasons might be because you are offering a special bonus OR prices are about to increase OR there’s an order deadline coming up so they’ll get their goods sooner OR you’re placing an order too so they’ll save on the postage OR you’re offering a discount on orders placed today OR you’re seeing someone else who could become a distributor and will go beneath them. Whatever it is, tell them, and secure the sale.

This Network Marketing presentation article has been brought to you by:

Maria Davies, Ladders of Success Ltd, is a network marketer and a Professional Sales Presenter and Presentations Coach. She trains others to overcome their public speaking fears and use presentation skills to increase the audience share for their product or service by around 91%. More resources at http://www.laddersofsuccess.com.

If you’ve found these ten tips on giving a Network Marketing presentation useful, then make sure to put them to good use.

Other related Presentation Articles:

Platform Presentation Skills

Using Humor In Presentations

Laughter is a great way to keep everyone relaxed and enjoying your presentation. Add a little humor to your presentation and it will be a great experience for everyone and a fond memory for you.

Ten Fun Ways to Liven up Any Presentation

by: Sandra Schrift

Most of us would agree that having humor in our lives increases rapport, strengthens our relationships and overcomes communication barriers. People who work in a positive, often playful environment are more likely to stay. Productivity and creativity increase while stress is reduced. We just feel better after a good laugh. Think funny!

1. Open with a humorous story. . I remember the time the lights when out and I fell off the stage. I wasn’t hurt and quickly said, Now I will take questions from the floor. I’m at my best when taking questions in the dark. Before you can be funny, you must learn to see funny. Find the humor around you, in your life every day. The lady who takes an aisle seat rather than sit next to the window . . . doesn’t want to mess up her hair. Practice telling the story out loud, and cut out any parts that aren’t crucial. As Shakespeare so wisely said, “Brevity is the soul of wit.”

2. Use props (candy bars, hats, funny faces, etc.) Props can be used as a metaphor or an analogy for a point you are introducing. They get your creative juices working while providing an anchor for your audience to focus on.

3. Cartoons use your own or others a picture saves a 1000 words. Put cartoons on an overhead or use as part of a PowerPoint presentation.

4. Humor – should be relevant to your topic. Tom Peters said, I deeply believe in humor; not in jokes. Humor is spectacular. Humor relieves anxiety and tension, serves as outlet for hostility and anger, and provides a healthy escape from reality. It lightens heaviness related to critical illness, trauma, disfigurement, and death. It comes as no surprise that many people are utilizing humor to deal with the trying times. But is the humor timely? Is it appropriate?

Do not use ethnic, racist, political or religious jokes. Include a joke that helps bring back the attention of the audience or as a way to lighten up your remarks. We all can use a good laugh from a well timed, funny joke.

5. Self effacing humor- it is better to admit you made a mistake than to admit that you are one. One of my lines as a mother of five is: For someone who isn’t Catholic, I sure did my share for the pope! Phyllis Diller is in the Guinness Book of World Records as having the most laughs per minute. A laugh is measured by:

5 points if everyone is laughing and applauding
4 points if everyone is laughing and there’s a smattering of applause
3 points if everyone laughs but there’s no applause
2 points if some people are laughing
1 point for a titter or giggle

6.Mime- Marcel Marceau makes us laugh and moves us. Charlie Chaplin was an all time great without using the spoken word.

7.Move Your Body Try lifting your nose, look off to the side, jut out the bottom of your jaw, and notice how you become arrogant or aloof, Take a wide stance, shift your hips forward, and now you’ve just gained 50 pounds. The use of body movements will help to visually enhance your remarks.

8.Repetitive oral recitation- (repeat after me, Remember, if you can see funny, you can be funny. Repeat a particular sentence throughout your presentation to encourage audience retention.

9. Use taped music for a stretch break. Get the audience to sing a funny song. Pass out words to a song. Lighten up your attendees have some fun and your audience retention will increase. Don’t be afraid to be theatrical or silly. It’s why we pay actors the big bucks; and your audiences won’t forget you. Be outrageous. It’s the only place that isn’t crowded.

10. Group exercise a fun way to conclude your presentation is to use a group exercise. Use the football huddle to get the group to repeat a cheer or an affirmation to take some action.

This article on adding humor to a presentation is brought to you by:

Sandra Schrift 13 year speaker bureau owner and now career coach to emerging and veteran public speakers who want to “grow” a profitable speaking business. I also work with business professionals and organizations who want to master their presentations.

To find out How to Become a Highly Paid Professional Speaker, go to http://www.schrift.com/ProfessionalSpeaker/

Join my free bi-weekly Monday Morning Mindfulness ezine http://www.schrift.com/monday.htm

I hope you’ve found this article on presentation humor helpful and can use some of the tips in one of your upcoming presentations.

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Platform Presentation Skills

Voice Presentation Skills

Having a quiet voice isn’t the best way to hold an effective presentation.  Even if you have a great presentation it won’t do you any good if no one can hear you.  You can improve your presentation skills and voice by working on the 4 ‘P’s.

Persuasive Presentations – It’s In The Voice!

by: David Woodford

I was working with a student recently who had a very quiet voice —- and he knew it. But, too, he recognized that it was time to do something about it. “I realize that making a persuasive presentation that can be heard by everyone is an essential step in my career development” he said. And how right he was.

How many times have you sat through a presentation where you have had to strain to hear what the speaker said? In fact, after about five minutes of that, we usually switch off and give up the attempt.

Whilst your material might be top notch, if no one can hear you clearly, all you preparation is wasted. Not only that, if you do not have authority in your voice, then it will be a very difficult job to convince anybody of anything.

So what can we do?

We can work on what is called MODULATION. Usually connected with such things as radio waves —- which can be modulated to change their characteristics —- modulation is also an essential skill for the professional presenter. So let me present the 4 ‘P’s to improve your voice and increase your authority in presentations.

PITCH

The pitch of our voice could also be called the ‘musicality.’ It has to do with the note at which we pitch a word or phrase. Doing so in a monotone is guaranteed to send your audience to sleep! What we need to do is to vary our pitch according to the importance of the expression we are using. For instance: when we are excited our pitch goes up and when we are serious or somber, it drops (just listen to the voice of the sports commentator when someone scores a goal and compare that to when someone is injured, to see what range is needed!) If you have a problem with pitch, either join a choir , or practice singing in the shower to increase your range (or learn Norwegian – with apologies to my Norwegian friends)

PACE

The pace is clearly the speed at which we speak. That too needs to vary during the course of a presentation to maintain audience interest in our material. Again, sports commentators give admirable examples of this during the course of their work. When you want to emphasize an important point, slow down and speak distinctly. When you want to cover less important points it’s Ok to speed up.

POWER

Power speaks for itself. And motivation of an audience certainly calls for the ability to increase the power of our voice. But remember too that it is possible to ‘whisper’ and still be heard! It’s the relative sound that counts from the audience’s side not yours! Here’s a suggestion. Read a few sentences out loud to some colleagues sitting some distance away increasing the volume (power) all the time, and ask them to raise their hands at the point at which it gets uncomfortable. I guarantee you will be in for a shock! That point for you will seem like you are shouting at the top of your voice! Why? Because when we hear ourselves talking, the sound has only traveled from our mouth to our ears — but a few inches. But for our audience that distance had to be measured in feet! So be careful!

PAUSING

The last – but arguably the most important – of our 4 ‘P’s. PLEASE pause from time to time — for everyone’s sake! For your own sake to get some breath. And for our sake, to allow time for the points to sink in. Time has a funny habit of extending when you are a presenter. By that I mean that 3 seconds of silence to the listener feels like 3 minutes to the speaker, and he feels that if he stops, even for a second, the audience will think he has finished and get up and leave. Not so! Pausing not only gives us time to think, it can also be effectively used to create anticipation. “Now I would like you to think about this next point very seriously. (PAUSE and count to 5). During the next three months we need to …”

Remember the 4 ‘P’s for persuasive presentations? Pitch, Pace, Power and Pausing. Work hard on those and see how your audience’s attention will improve in leaps and bounds.

——————-

Presented by David Woodford of Presenters Forum.

This presentation skills article is brought to you by:

David Woodford of Presenters Forum has taught presentation skills for over 30 years. Visit his site at http://www.presentersforum.com for resources to help you make persuasive presentations.

david@presentersforum.com

I hope you’ve found this presentation skills article helpful.

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Platform Presentation Skills

Great Presentation

Make a Great Presentation

Planning out your presentation properly will save it from being a hastle and you’ll actually find it easy. Learn how to make a great presentation using the mind map tool.

How to use Mind Map Tool for making Great Presentations

by: Dr V J Mariaraj

In the current globalized world of business, Presentations have become an intrinsic part. Not a day goes without making a Presentation to the CEO or the Chairman, or the Angel Investor, or banker, or any one else for that matter, for clinching a deal, or for raising a fund or a loan, or what have you. Presentations need not be such an awesome task if you learn to apply the basics.

The main elements of a Presentation are preparation and practice. In order to make the right preparation you have to first define the purpose of your Presentation. You have to be clear about the objective of your exercise at every point of your Presentation. You will then have to decide the main message you wish to convey, the kind of audience and the best and appropriate mode to reach the audience. The duration of your Presentation, the settings and facilities available at the venue are other factors that play a definite role for make a scintillating Presentation.

By far the most important aspect of Presentation is maintaining eye contact throughout your Presentation, for only then you will be able to strike a rapport and keep them riveted on what you say. Having a positive and genial approach, keeping your content simple, concise and informative and spicing up with humor and questions to prevent them from losing their interest are other elementary aspects of a Good Presentation.

Equally important to know is that you should capture your audience’s attention in the crucial first 7 minutes, which is the maximum span of attention before your audience’s attention begin to sag. The vital message and objective of the Presentation must come through clearly within those first few moments so audience are aware where you are leading them.

It must be obvious by now that preparation is absolutely vital for making meaningful Presentation. This is where Mind Mapping as a Mind Tool will be of immense aid. In writing the purpose, content, speech and in fact the entire course of Presentation can all be effectively dovetailed into a Presentation Mind Map. You can sequence every step of your Presentation using Mind Map. As Mind Mapping involves giving our full attention, you can be thorough and plan your Presentation well.

Beginning with writing the content of your speech, text for the visual display, the allotment of time for each aspect, being prepared with probable questions to field your audience, quoting anecdotes, humor and so on, Mind Maps serve a simple and yet effective tool. They are not at all obstructive as you will be able to capture the entire sequence of your Presentation, step by step, within just one page. That speaks for the simplicity and power of the Mind Maps. You really have got to learn the technique to understand its true value.

This article on making a great presentation was brought to you by:

Dr. Vj Mariaraj is a Mind Map enthusiast and has been using Mind Maps for the past twelve years. He has created over 5650 Mind Maps. To learn more about mind mapping send an email to freemindmap@aweber.com. He is the founder of BusinessBookMindMap.com that creates Mind Map Summaries of Business Books. To learn more visit http://BusinessBookMindMap.com/mind-map.php?ac7.

If you’ve found this article on making a great presentation useful, then you may enjoy some of the other presentation articles on this site.

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Effective Presentation

It’s human nature that your audience will want to know about and read everything on the slide as it is first presented. Take this into consideration when designing your presentation and you’ll have a more attentive audience and effective presentation.

Presentation Skills – The First To Know

by: J. Douglas Jefferys

To fully understand the rules that govern just how much information you can include in your presentation slides, you need to appreciate a fundamental of human nature – namely, that we have an innate desire to be The First to Know.

Unfortunately, most of the presentation visuals that we see are designed with the mistaken belief that audiences will actually wait for the presenter to walk them through them. Wrong.

When the technology of communications was slower, we took a more historical approach to news – news was about what happened. We were accustomed to waiting for the news, and news had a time: Did you see the morning paper? Did you hear the evening news?

But with electronic advancements, we came to think of news more in terms of what is happening at the moment. Film brought us motion, but video feeds brought us there. Screens eclipsed paper as the preferred venue for getting the latest. Newspapers folded, first afternoon editions and then even icons of Americana – think Herald Tribune. Instead of being the first source of news in the world, to survive newspapers became more feature oriented – providing value only for less perishable and less immediate content.

Cable News Network took a huge gamble that people all over the world would watch news twenty-four hours a day – news on the people’s timetable, not the providers. News on demand. Fulfillment for those with the desire to be “the first to know.”

What does all this have to do with presentation design? You don’t need to be a news junkie to share a basic trait of humans and other intelligent animals – curiosity. Curiosity is basic to survival, and we have evolved as creatures who need to learn what we can quickly. So this same desire that humans have to be the first to know translates to every event that involves new information uptake. During a presentation, audience members want the same control, and are basically unwilling to wait for you, the presenter, to help them be the first to know.

Once the curiosity about a slide has been satisfied, audience members usually will give the presenter their attention.

But when a new slide first appears on the screen, all eyes, like moths to the flame, tune to the new image, and immediately begin the race to be the first to know what the slide is all about. It’s not their fault! They’re human!

Only when every member of the audience is thoroughly convinced that they know exactly what the slide means will they lend their attention back to what you are saying.

And until this point you realistically might as well not be there. Oh, sure, you can act as most do and begin to describe the elements in the slide, but for all intents and purposes, it matters little what you do. You could drop your pants. You could leave the room. You could tell off-color jokes. But until the audience has determined for themselves exactly what all the data and word tracks on the screen mean to them, you have approximately 0% of their attention.

With most of the slides we see in business presentations today, this is where the disaster begins. You see, the typical slide contains so much information that a typical audience member would need more than 30 seconds just to read the material, much less absorb it. The reading process is delayed, though, because first the viewer tries to decide for herself where to begin, and which piece of information is most important. Clues to the relative value of the information are often erroneous, however, as audiences base them on such things as the size of the type or placement on the screen.

For this reason, you must ask yourself how long it will take the average person to discover for themselves all the information you have in your slide. The more time it takes the average person to absorb and assimilate the information they see, the greater the chance you have to lose your audience.

So what does this tell us? Of course, there is only one truly viable solution, and that is to limit, by all means possible, the amount of information that is released with each click of your mouse.

The less time it takes the audience to discern the new information, the sooner they’ll get back to you and start to listen to what you really mean to “say” on the slide.

This article on holding an effective presentation is brought to you by:

J. Douglas Jefferys is a principal at http://PublicSpeakingSkills.com, a national consulting firm specializing in training businesses of all sizes to communicate for maximum efficiency. The firm spreads its unique knowledge through on-site classes, public seminars, and high-impact videos, and can be reached through the Internet or at 888-663-7711.

If you’ve found the advice in this effective presentation article useful then use it in your next presentation.

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Presentation Design

When you sit down to design your presentation think about how you can make it one of the best and impress your audience. Don’t waste their time with a poorly designed presentation.

Presentation Design – Why Is “Well Done” So Rare?

by: J. Douglas Jefferys

Your job as a presentation designer is to make ideas into visual images. For your presentations to work, the visual images must convey exactly what you want to say and require the least possible effort on the part of your audience to “get it”. The difference between a visual that works and one that fails is good design.

To appreciate of how good design adds to the quality of our lives, it helps to look at some examples of truly bad design that we all deal with on an everyday basis. Bad design abounds, and everyday our lives are a little less pleasant for it.

The really unfortunate thing about poorly designed objects is that countless unpleasant times might have been spared if only the designer had thought through his or her approach a little more thoroughly. The line between good and bad design is often fine. It can be no more than positioning a button in a spot not easily accessed by mistake; a label placed where it could actually be seen before the wrong action is taken; a multi-step process where you don’t have to get to step seven before you realize you did step three wrong; or a lever or handle shaped more like the movement it wants you to make.

When you acquire a more developed sensitivity to design, you begin to look at all things with questions such as, “Might it have been better to do it this way?”, or “What would it have taken to make it work like this?”

Then take a look at the last presentation you delivered. Do you suppose there were elements that caused even temporary confusion? And then when you explained the element, did they say, “Oh I get it - but why didn’t you just say it this way?”?

All bad designs cause the expenditure of more effort to produce the same result. The more effort it takes to absorb your message the less energy is available for processing the message itself. Effort causes discomfort. In the presentation environment, that can mean disaster because -for the very same reason- discomfort leads to disassociation from the message. That’s why professional trainers make certain the learning environment is as comfortable as possible - fresh water, good seats, frequent breaks. “The mind can only absorb what the buttocks can endure” is old but still relevant. Bad presentation design is a pain in the ass, and it stops message uptake just as quickly.

Now let’s step back from presentations for a few moments.

Think about the various devices – electrical, mechanical, architectural, digital, whatever – that you use or come in contact with on a daily or weekly basis. Keep in mind that anything manufactured for human consumption was first designed by a human. You know that some humans are more talented than others. If you’re like most people, you have probably been annoyed or frustrated with a device than was designed by one from the less talented group.

Next time you use your hair-dryer, notice whether the high-low switch works the way you would expect, or to affect a High setting you need to push the switch to its Lower position. Can you get water into and coffee out of your drip-style coffee-maker without dripping any of either? Where does your refrigerator spew more ice – into your glass or onto the floor? Can your friends operate your microwave without your showing them how?

Discussing how design affects our everyday lives is purposeful in getting you to think very hard about how your presentation designs affect the people you subject them too, and why it is worth the effort to do them well. And although it is kind and thoughtful to design in ways that enhance, rather than detract from, the quality of your audience’s experience, the bottom line is simple: good design goes down easier. You need every opportunity to get your audience on your side, and you must allow nothing in your control to discomfort the people you’re trying to persuade. As Edward Tufte says, “audiences are fragile; respect them”.

One last sad truth about bad design is that so many people who are frustrated by things that don’t work think it’s their fault! When people don’t understand what they’re told, or audiences don’t understand what they see on the screen, they often blame themselves - they believe that they’re either stupid or slow or perhaps they simply learn in other ways.

Ask yourself: Do your presentations have a less-than-evident “operating system?” Before someone can get your message (the function of your presentation) do they first have to learn and comprehend your design?

Your main goal when designing a presentation should be to keep your audience’s attention on your idea, your pitch, your proposal—your message. They should never be distracted by, or even really aware of, your design. Dazzling them with bells and whistles will help them remember the bells and whistles, not your message. You need to make your message the star so that nothing takes their minds away from it.

Your audience has gone to some effort to let you speak your piece. Thank them for showing up by rewarding them with good design.

This presentation design article is brought to you by:

J. Douglas Jefferys is a principal at http://PublicSpeakingSkills.com, a national consulting firm specializing in training businesses of all sizes to communicate for maximum efficiency. The firm spreads its unique knowledge through on-site classes, public seminars, and high-impact videos, and can be reached through the Internet or at 888-663-7711.

If you’ve found the advice in this presentation design article useful then use it in your next presentation.

Other related Presentation Articles:

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Presentation Tips

Want to have everyone talking about your presentation? Think you need to take plenty of time and effort to prepare for your presentation? Think again, and follow these easy to do presentation tips.

Bomb! Ten Easy Steps to Blow Up Your Next Big Presentation – Guaranteed!

by: Harrison Monarth

Your next presentation is just around the corner. To ensure devastating impact, just follow these ten steps and watch your career catch fire.

1. Avoid Excessive Research

Research is for geeks and bookworms. Do you really want to bore your audience with a bunch of statistics and facts that they can easily get from the library or from Google?

You want to tell people your version of how things work, not someone else’s ideas that have been posted all over the Internet already.

2. Be Spontaneous

Preparation and rehearsals are for amateurs, or actors. By practicing your presentation you only sabotage your chances for spontaneity. Just scribble down a few notes and stuff them in your pocket in case you need them for reference. This allows you to improvise as you go, keeping your talk lively and interesting. People hate predictability.

Plus, by rehearsing your presentation you run the risk of having a bunch of know-it-alls give you unwanted feedback, which may tempt you to make last-minute changes. Do you really want to start over? Remember, this is YOUR show!

3. Always Start 15 Minutes Later

When you go to a 7:30 movie, what time does the feature presentation actually start? Around 7:45. There are usually at least 15 minutes of commercials and previews, to allow people enough time to settle in for the big show.

If this strategy works for multimillion-dollar movies, it will work for you too.

Besides, if you start your talk right on time you’ll only get distracted by the latecomers.

4. Calm Your Nerves

To avoid getting nervous prior to your presentation, have a big meal and an alcoholic beverage right before you start your talk. Both will help you relax to the point where you wish you could take a nap. If food and beverages are not available at the time, head to the nearest pharmacy and get some cold medicine or sleep aids. But don’t overdo it. All you want to do is take the edge off, not go to sleep.

5. Open With a Joke

People like to laugh. Telling a joke at the beginning of your talk will serve as a great ice breaker. And if they hate the rest of your presentation, at least you made them laugh right at the start. And first impressions are the most important.

If you can’t remember any good politically incorrect jokes, pick on someone in the audience. That’s what stand-up comedians do. Before long, you’ll have the audience roaring and in a great mood.

6. Ignore the Audience

When you finally get up to speak, don’t look anyone in the eye. They’ll just make you nervous with their constant staring!

Also, if people shake their heads or roll their eyes while you’re speaking, you won’t get distracted by looking at them, so you stay right on track with your presentation.

7. Use Jargon Liberally

You’re the expert, right? You speak a specialized language that only you and a handful of other experts in your field know. You’ve earned the right to use it. If your audience can’t keep up, it isn’t your problem. Maybe next time they’ll be better prepared and study up on the topic you’re speaking on.

8. Don’t use Audio Visuals

PowerPoint is the devil. It’s complicated and technical and cumbersome to drag around. Plus it adds unnecessary preparation time. And who’s going to set it up? What if there aren’t any electrical outlets or they’re too far from the front of the room? You don’t want to burden yourself with all these technical details. Skip the fancy technology.

9. Time is Money

What you have to say is too important to fit into a predetermined time slot. You might take twenty minutes, you might take two hours. If inspiration strikes during your presentation and you think of additional information your audience should know, are you supposed to withhold it? That wouldn’t be very ethical. Pack as much detail as possible into your speech.

On the flipside, if you run out of things to say before your allocated time is up, people can get back to work and you’ll have directly contributed to office productivity. It’s a win-win situation.

10. Leave Quickly

Audiences are infamous for asking questions after presentations, and if you stick around you’ll only set yourself up for annoying Q & A sessions.

Obviously people weren’t paying attention while you were speaking, so why should you reward them by answering questions that you most likely covered during your talk?

Watch the President the next time he makes a statement to the press. As soon as he’s said what he wants to say, he heads for the exit, with reporters shouting questions after him. Does he waste his time? Neither should you. Perhaps the audience should take notes next time.

Copyright 2006 Harrison Monarth

These great presentation tips were brought to you by:

Harrison Monarth is a Speech Coach whose firm helps Fortune 500 Executives, Political Candidates and Professional from Finance, Technology and Sales convey their message with impact. For information contact GuruMaker – School of Professional Speaking at 866-806-4366 or 720-394-7999. Read his blog at http://www.gurumaker.typepad.com/.

If you think your current presentation routine is boring and dull, try these presentation tips and you’re sure to spice things up.

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