Webcast technology refers to the scientific method, material, and equipment that are used for the entire process from the creation of streaming media content up to a user's view of the content. There are four major roles, which are spread over its entire lifecycle and comes into the picture right from the time of content creation. It is then used to prepare the content for distribution and also aids it. Finally, webcast technology is used for consumption of the content by the consumer. The above four roles are discussed in detail in the paragraphs that follow.
Content Creation
What has to be distributed is known as content. The content has to be created first so that it can be webcast. For this, webcast technology such as audio and video capturing and editing equipment is used. The technology used at this stage includes cameras, microphones, other recording and editing devices and computer software.
Content Distribution
This is the stage in which webcast technology helps the preparation of content that was created in the earlier stages to make it fit for transmission. The technology used at this stage includes encoders and converters, which compress the content so as to make it suitable for transmission through the distribution system, without choking the bandwidth of the webcast provider or that at the consumers end. Since multimedia files are very large in size, this technology reduces their size through the removal of redundant data, as well as to leave out such details as would not significantly affect the quality of the webcast content in a negative manner.
The next stage is where the webcast streaming media server comes into the picture. This is in the form of streaming media, protocols of distribution as well as the technology which makes a connection to the webcast server possible. Thus broadband, dialup, GPRS, EDGE, WiFi, and HSDPA all take up their roles as webcast Internet connection technology and allow the transmission of a webcast to the consumer. You can read more about these at http://www.whatisawebcast.com
Content Consumption
Users, who want to consume the content provided through a webcast, can do this through the use of webcast technology in the form of client software, and sound and video processing subsystems. The user will connect to the provider through the use of any of the technologies used for distribution of content such as broadband Internet or GPRS or any other suitable mode. The client will then request to watch content from the webcast server, which will then be downloaded to the user's device, reprocessed, and presented to the consumer, who will watch it.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Making the Balanced Scorecard Presentation Simple
There are so many theories that have been emerging in the world of business today. This emergence of theories will not end any time soon because there will surely be more and more theories and business practices emerging. However, not all of them would be as effective as they claim to be. There will be successes, just as there will be flops. Still, the balanced scorecard would never be one of the flops because time and time again, this business tool has certainly proved itself. The sad thing, on the other hand, is that not too many people understand the balanced scorecard in full depth. This is why the balanced scorecard presentation is an important aspect to tackle as well.
The presentation of the balanced scorecard is very important, especially when you are presenting the tool to people who are not familiar with it at all. You might think the presentation of the tool should not really matter since you will be presenting this business aspect to people in the business industry as well. But the tool is not used by businessmen alone. In fact, professionals of various industries do make use of the balanced scorecard. This is the great thing about the scorecard, that you can use it in just about any industry, to get accurate and balanced measurement of performance. For instance, the scorecard can actually be used in the clinical setting. There are metrics to be implemented to check just how productive and effective certain aspects in a certain clinic are. Law firms also make use of metrics, to check productivity and effectiveness as well.
So, how do you make your presentation of the balanced scorecard friendlier, so to speak? This is quite easy. The key here is to make your presentation as simple as possible. Even if the tool is not too difficult to understand, the tool still comes with a lot of business jargon. This would be a breeze for businessmen, but for lawyers, this would be a little troubling. Thus, simplicity is the key here.
Present the aspects of the balanced scorecard in the simplest manner possible. The aspects that the scorecard contains should be quantifiable or measurable. This is because it would be difficult to interpret something that cannot be measured in the first place.
You also have to explain why it is necessary to stick with just a few metrics for your balanced scorecard. Many people think that it would be better to use a lot of metrics on the scorecard so that the measurement process would be made more thorough. This is not true at all. In fact, using numerous metrics would just make the process all the more confusing. There would be so much data to be processed that compiling all of these interpretations can leave people scratching their heads.
Lastly, you also have to explain the necessity of planning after the balanced scorecard is implemented. The measurement process would inevitably present certain areas in the business that need improvement. Planning should then take place to seek appropriate solutions for the different problems that would occur. This way, the scorecard, and your balanced scorecard presentation itself, would fulfill their purpose.
The presentation of the balanced scorecard is very important, especially when you are presenting the tool to people who are not familiar with it at all. You might think the presentation of the tool should not really matter since you will be presenting this business aspect to people in the business industry as well. But the tool is not used by businessmen alone. In fact, professionals of various industries do make use of the balanced scorecard. This is the great thing about the scorecard, that you can use it in just about any industry, to get accurate and balanced measurement of performance. For instance, the scorecard can actually be used in the clinical setting. There are metrics to be implemented to check just how productive and effective certain aspects in a certain clinic are. Law firms also make use of metrics, to check productivity and effectiveness as well.
So, how do you make your presentation of the balanced scorecard friendlier, so to speak? This is quite easy. The key here is to make your presentation as simple as possible. Even if the tool is not too difficult to understand, the tool still comes with a lot of business jargon. This would be a breeze for businessmen, but for lawyers, this would be a little troubling. Thus, simplicity is the key here.
Present the aspects of the balanced scorecard in the simplest manner possible. The aspects that the scorecard contains should be quantifiable or measurable. This is because it would be difficult to interpret something that cannot be measured in the first place.
You also have to explain why it is necessary to stick with just a few metrics for your balanced scorecard. Many people think that it would be better to use a lot of metrics on the scorecard so that the measurement process would be made more thorough. This is not true at all. In fact, using numerous metrics would just make the process all the more confusing. There would be so much data to be processed that compiling all of these interpretations can leave people scratching their heads.
Lastly, you also have to explain the necessity of planning after the balanced scorecard is implemented. The measurement process would inevitably present certain areas in the business that need improvement. Planning should then take place to seek appropriate solutions for the different problems that would occur. This way, the scorecard, and your balanced scorecard presentation itself, would fulfill their purpose.
Masterful Time Management
Its eleven o’clock and you realize that you didn’t get everything done that needed to get done for the day and you must be awake at six-thirty to be on time for work tomorrow at eight am. You go to bed and toss and turn thinking about all the things that you forgot to do during the day and are tired when you wake up the next day because of your lack of sleep. This is just another day in your life, looking like all of the preceding ones. When does it stop? It will stop when you decide it stops, hopefully after reading this article.
Why do some people accomplish more in a day than some of us do in a week? And some of us accomplish more in a month than others in an entire year? We all have the same twenty-four hours in a day, so how can some people do magic with these twenty-four hours while others watch in awe? The answer is masterful time management.
You must learn to tend to business, not to busyness. Place more value on results and less on putting in time or effort. If your goal is to produce x number of widgets in y amount of time, is your time most effectively spent putting together the widget, or can you delegate the assembly of the widgets and earn more money doing something else. You must focus on your highest pay off activities. There is the old story of jar and you have to put in a bunch of rocks, gravel, sand and water. In what order do you put them in the jar? Well if you put in the water first, then the sand, followed by gravel and finally the rocks, chances are you won’t be able to fit the rocks. If you reversed the order, everything would fit nicely in the jar.
What does this story have to do with time management, everything, if you do things in their order of importance (big rocks first) everything fits nicely into your day and the smaller less urgent and less important things tend to fit in just as nicely. So the story was great, but Louis, I need help, put it to me in English…right? OK, there are three important keys to masterful time management.
The first key to Masterful Time Management is to prioritize. Why do so many people say “Well, I would do that, but it is just not a priority now” or “When I find the time I will get around to that.” You must decide what is a priority and what is not. You must also not hope to find the time, you must make the time. To begin get out a sheet of paper and list all the things that you must do in the next year, month, week and day.
Under each place an A, B, C, or D next to each where A is the most important thing that must get done and D being the least important. Your list may have just a few items or be many pages long, however long it is, is ok. This will tell you what you must do and after a while of mastering your time, you will be able to do a lot more in less time.
Look at each item and write a plan on how each of these activities is going to get done. This will be like an instruction manual for your life or like the recipe for a great meal. Please make sure that the steps are spelled out, because if things are not done in the correct order, rarely can we run before we can walk.
This brings us up to our next step in the process which is delegation. Delegation is simply assigning a task to another to have completed. What do you delegate and what do you do on your own? I once heard someone say “The less I do the more I make.” Well if you do not like mowing your lawn and you make thirty dollars an hour and the kid down the street will mow your lawn for twenty dollars, I would suggest working an extra hour and give the kid his twenty to mow your lawn. Not only do you help the economy, but you are also helping yourself manage your time effectively.
Never step over a dollar to pick up a dime. That is why the wealthy can afford to have someone cooking their food, cleaning their clothes and taking care of their house. It is just not cost effective for them to do it themselves, they would be taking from the economy to do these things themselves. Support your local economy and figure out what is worth you time and what is not. How do you figure out what your time is worth? A good gauge is how much do you make per hour? A better gauge is how much do you want your time to be worth…and do the things that someone whose time is worth that much would do. Don’t forget, people are in business to serve you and those who think govern those who labor. Are you a thinker or a laborer?
You’ve prioritized your activities, you’ve delegated the things that are not worth your time to do, now for the third key to masterful time management…scheduling. “I have a date book” you say. Keep it in the drawer because the following will revolutionize your day to come. Go back to your list of things to get done for the next day, week, month and year. Begin with all the things that have A’s next to them and work on them until they are complete before you work on the B’s. Do the same with the B’s before you start the C’s and the same with the D’s.
Your daily must do list should be comprised of the working parts of completing your weekly must do list. The same goes for the weekly, being made up of the action steps for the monthly and in turn for your yearly things to accomplish. When you begin to plan you day, time becomes your friend. You must plan your work and work your plan, because if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. UPS drivers have 340 time saving movements when delivering packages from which hand buckles the seat belt to accelerating on the gas, how is that for micro management?
Sometimes working on the biggest rocks first is not as fun to knocking out some of the other gravel type tasks. If you are in an office and had to call back that one customer that you have been putting off for days, would you rather call him first thing in the morning or keep putting it off hour by hour until it is time to go home and you never make the call because the same thing happen day after day. If you called him first thing in the morning, the rest of the day is yours to enjoy without having to worry about making that call.
The same goes for a relationship would you rather marry someone and not really love them and stay married and have a miserable life, or would you rather address the issue immediately and enjoy the rest of your life.
Now that’s time management. People fear scheduling many things that they know must get done, but are comfortable knowing that they can do it later. Sometimes it doesn’t mater if you go over the fence or just jump back down, you just can’t stay on the fence for the rest of you life. When you decide to get off that fence, there are many more options out there for you. There is also the old saying of “Poop or get off the pot.” I find it appropriate to mention this only because too many people are comfortable not scheduling things because if they stay in their comfort zone, they cannot fail. In reality the longer they push things off, they are constantly failing.
Start with your next day and look at the activities that must get done. Starting with the A’s than the B’s through D’s set times to accomplish each task. Ask yourself, “How long should this task take?” Once you answer that question, get a day planner and write in that task in the appropriate time block. Make sure you have scheduled all you’re A’s before you work on the B’s through D’s. You may be asking what if I don’t get to all my C’s and D’s before the day is over. Every day, transfer them to your next day and eventually you will finish everything. There are many computer programs that do all this for you automatically. I personally use Microsoft Outlook and Act, there are many out there that work just as well. I suggest you find the way that works best for you, but you must implement immediately.
Every night before you go to bed you should know what the next day will look like and when you will be doing what.
These tasks should all be broken down into blocked time. Please don’t forget to schedule time for yourself to have some fun. A secret that I learned some time ago was to enjoy your work somehow by being creative with your activities. (Please check out my article, Balance In Life – No Longer A Balancing Act) The only time when we are bored doing something is when we lose interest in doing what is boring us, so find something exciting in all tasks and you will suddenly find energy. Maybe you can make a game out of what ever you are doing and challenge yourself. It is great to want to do a lot of things but never sacrifice quality for speed. If you put in a gallon’s worth of water in an eight ounce cup, you have wasted most of your water.
Don’t be like a Chinese dinner, initially feeling full and satisfied, but hungry again and looking for substance soon thereafter. Make sure you are doing things that are aligned with your values, beliefs and rules. Make many mistakes, but only make each one once. When you master the three keys of Prioritizing, Delegating and scheduling, you will be a master in time management.
No one is perfect, so anticipate problem in all of your tasks. Handle one thing at a time, because when your focus is not 100% on the task at hand, you are cheating yourself and not utilizing your energy to its fullest. Have you ever heard the phrase if you need something done, give it to a busy person? This is because busy people know the value of the three keys of masterful time management and know how to get things done. Bad habits aren’t done by bad people, just the unbusy. When you have a full schedule, you will not have time to waste and be unproductive. Time wasters will slowly realize that they have to schedule time with you to try and waste your time.
When you are working…work. When you are playing…play. If you are thinking of work at play, or play at work, you will not get the most abundance out of what you are doing and not be using your time as effectively as you should be. Is it in your best interest to pick up the phone when you are in the middle of things? Do you run your business or does it run you? If I challenged you to turn off your cell phone and computer for a week, could you handle it? Don’t react to things, plan for them. Yes I am suggesting that you schedule time to return telephone calls and e-mails. Do you read junk mail? Do you wish you had all the time you wasted reading junk mail back? What could you do with that time now? Here is you chance to decide, and schedule because you can decide not to read junk mail anymore.
I am also going to mention a few more things that may open your eyes to new possibilities of gaining a few extra hours a day for you. Do you watch sitcoms on television? Would you wait in line for over an hour to save five dollars? Have you ever arrived at an appointment only to find that the person you were meeting with had to reschedule? This is my pet peeve so I will give you some quick tips to prevent this from happening (for more on this topic see my article, Commitments If You Make ‘Em Keep ‘Em). Any time I set an appointment, I ask the person to call me the morning of to confirm and I ask if they can’t see me to call and reschedule. This is done when setting the appointment, so the responsibility falls into their lap if they can not see me. This will prevent 95% of your no-show’s, the other 5%usually have their heads in the clouds so high, you may ask if it is really worth you time to meet with them.
You have learned many things in this article about time management that should make you more productive and earn you a few more hours in your day to enjoy. In closing I would like to share with you some statistics I found rather surprising. Is there an area in the following list where you could free up some time for yourself? You should be able to make cuts of up to at least 50% in this list of wasted time. The amount of time the average American in life spends…
1,086 days “sick”
3 years in meetings
8 months opening junk mail
17 months drinking coffee and soft drinks
2 years on telephone
5 years waiting in line
9 months sitting in traffic
4 years cooking and eating
1 and a half years grooming
1 and a half years dressing
7 years in bathroom
12 years watching television
3 years shopping
1 years looking for misplaced items
24 years sleeping
Louis Lautman, he is a business consultant, life coach and peak performance expert. He is the president of International Sales University, a sales training company based in Miami FL. He runs extraordinary public and private seminars to create breakthroughs and transform your life. Louis can be contacted at 813-380-7467 or louis@InternationalSalesU.com. Check his website at louis@InternationalSalesU.com
Louis has been in sales his whole life, originally from New Jersey; Louis got his start in Professional Sales knocking on 50 doors a day in NYC. Louis has made over 10,000 cold calls in person and on the telephone. He has been a top sales rep, sales manager and sales trainer for the last 10 years.
Why do some people accomplish more in a day than some of us do in a week? And some of us accomplish more in a month than others in an entire year? We all have the same twenty-four hours in a day, so how can some people do magic with these twenty-four hours while others watch in awe? The answer is masterful time management.
You must learn to tend to business, not to busyness. Place more value on results and less on putting in time or effort. If your goal is to produce x number of widgets in y amount of time, is your time most effectively spent putting together the widget, or can you delegate the assembly of the widgets and earn more money doing something else. You must focus on your highest pay off activities. There is the old story of jar and you have to put in a bunch of rocks, gravel, sand and water. In what order do you put them in the jar? Well if you put in the water first, then the sand, followed by gravel and finally the rocks, chances are you won’t be able to fit the rocks. If you reversed the order, everything would fit nicely in the jar.
What does this story have to do with time management, everything, if you do things in their order of importance (big rocks first) everything fits nicely into your day and the smaller less urgent and less important things tend to fit in just as nicely. So the story was great, but Louis, I need help, put it to me in English…right? OK, there are three important keys to masterful time management.
The first key to Masterful Time Management is to prioritize. Why do so many people say “Well, I would do that, but it is just not a priority now” or “When I find the time I will get around to that.” You must decide what is a priority and what is not. You must also not hope to find the time, you must make the time. To begin get out a sheet of paper and list all the things that you must do in the next year, month, week and day.
Under each place an A, B, C, or D next to each where A is the most important thing that must get done and D being the least important. Your list may have just a few items or be many pages long, however long it is, is ok. This will tell you what you must do and after a while of mastering your time, you will be able to do a lot more in less time.
Look at each item and write a plan on how each of these activities is going to get done. This will be like an instruction manual for your life or like the recipe for a great meal. Please make sure that the steps are spelled out, because if things are not done in the correct order, rarely can we run before we can walk.
This brings us up to our next step in the process which is delegation. Delegation is simply assigning a task to another to have completed. What do you delegate and what do you do on your own? I once heard someone say “The less I do the more I make.” Well if you do not like mowing your lawn and you make thirty dollars an hour and the kid down the street will mow your lawn for twenty dollars, I would suggest working an extra hour and give the kid his twenty to mow your lawn. Not only do you help the economy, but you are also helping yourself manage your time effectively.
Never step over a dollar to pick up a dime. That is why the wealthy can afford to have someone cooking their food, cleaning their clothes and taking care of their house. It is just not cost effective for them to do it themselves, they would be taking from the economy to do these things themselves. Support your local economy and figure out what is worth you time and what is not. How do you figure out what your time is worth? A good gauge is how much do you make per hour? A better gauge is how much do you want your time to be worth…and do the things that someone whose time is worth that much would do. Don’t forget, people are in business to serve you and those who think govern those who labor. Are you a thinker or a laborer?
You’ve prioritized your activities, you’ve delegated the things that are not worth your time to do, now for the third key to masterful time management…scheduling. “I have a date book” you say. Keep it in the drawer because the following will revolutionize your day to come. Go back to your list of things to get done for the next day, week, month and year. Begin with all the things that have A’s next to them and work on them until they are complete before you work on the B’s. Do the same with the B’s before you start the C’s and the same with the D’s.
Your daily must do list should be comprised of the working parts of completing your weekly must do list. The same goes for the weekly, being made up of the action steps for the monthly and in turn for your yearly things to accomplish. When you begin to plan you day, time becomes your friend. You must plan your work and work your plan, because if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. UPS drivers have 340 time saving movements when delivering packages from which hand buckles the seat belt to accelerating on the gas, how is that for micro management?
Sometimes working on the biggest rocks first is not as fun to knocking out some of the other gravel type tasks. If you are in an office and had to call back that one customer that you have been putting off for days, would you rather call him first thing in the morning or keep putting it off hour by hour until it is time to go home and you never make the call because the same thing happen day after day. If you called him first thing in the morning, the rest of the day is yours to enjoy without having to worry about making that call.
The same goes for a relationship would you rather marry someone and not really love them and stay married and have a miserable life, or would you rather address the issue immediately and enjoy the rest of your life.
Now that’s time management. People fear scheduling many things that they know must get done, but are comfortable knowing that they can do it later. Sometimes it doesn’t mater if you go over the fence or just jump back down, you just can’t stay on the fence for the rest of you life. When you decide to get off that fence, there are many more options out there for you. There is also the old saying of “Poop or get off the pot.” I find it appropriate to mention this only because too many people are comfortable not scheduling things because if they stay in their comfort zone, they cannot fail. In reality the longer they push things off, they are constantly failing.
Start with your next day and look at the activities that must get done. Starting with the A’s than the B’s through D’s set times to accomplish each task. Ask yourself, “How long should this task take?” Once you answer that question, get a day planner and write in that task in the appropriate time block. Make sure you have scheduled all you’re A’s before you work on the B’s through D’s. You may be asking what if I don’t get to all my C’s and D’s before the day is over. Every day, transfer them to your next day and eventually you will finish everything. There are many computer programs that do all this for you automatically. I personally use Microsoft Outlook and Act, there are many out there that work just as well. I suggest you find the way that works best for you, but you must implement immediately.
Every night before you go to bed you should know what the next day will look like and when you will be doing what.
These tasks should all be broken down into blocked time. Please don’t forget to schedule time for yourself to have some fun. A secret that I learned some time ago was to enjoy your work somehow by being creative with your activities. (Please check out my article, Balance In Life – No Longer A Balancing Act) The only time when we are bored doing something is when we lose interest in doing what is boring us, so find something exciting in all tasks and you will suddenly find energy. Maybe you can make a game out of what ever you are doing and challenge yourself. It is great to want to do a lot of things but never sacrifice quality for speed. If you put in a gallon’s worth of water in an eight ounce cup, you have wasted most of your water.
Don’t be like a Chinese dinner, initially feeling full and satisfied, but hungry again and looking for substance soon thereafter. Make sure you are doing things that are aligned with your values, beliefs and rules. Make many mistakes, but only make each one once. When you master the three keys of Prioritizing, Delegating and scheduling, you will be a master in time management.
No one is perfect, so anticipate problem in all of your tasks. Handle one thing at a time, because when your focus is not 100% on the task at hand, you are cheating yourself and not utilizing your energy to its fullest. Have you ever heard the phrase if you need something done, give it to a busy person? This is because busy people know the value of the three keys of masterful time management and know how to get things done. Bad habits aren’t done by bad people, just the unbusy. When you have a full schedule, you will not have time to waste and be unproductive. Time wasters will slowly realize that they have to schedule time with you to try and waste your time.
When you are working…work. When you are playing…play. If you are thinking of work at play, or play at work, you will not get the most abundance out of what you are doing and not be using your time as effectively as you should be. Is it in your best interest to pick up the phone when you are in the middle of things? Do you run your business or does it run you? If I challenged you to turn off your cell phone and computer for a week, could you handle it? Don’t react to things, plan for them. Yes I am suggesting that you schedule time to return telephone calls and e-mails. Do you read junk mail? Do you wish you had all the time you wasted reading junk mail back? What could you do with that time now? Here is you chance to decide, and schedule because you can decide not to read junk mail anymore.
I am also going to mention a few more things that may open your eyes to new possibilities of gaining a few extra hours a day for you. Do you watch sitcoms on television? Would you wait in line for over an hour to save five dollars? Have you ever arrived at an appointment only to find that the person you were meeting with had to reschedule? This is my pet peeve so I will give you some quick tips to prevent this from happening (for more on this topic see my article, Commitments If You Make ‘Em Keep ‘Em). Any time I set an appointment, I ask the person to call me the morning of to confirm and I ask if they can’t see me to call and reschedule. This is done when setting the appointment, so the responsibility falls into their lap if they can not see me. This will prevent 95% of your no-show’s, the other 5%usually have their heads in the clouds so high, you may ask if it is really worth you time to meet with them.
You have learned many things in this article about time management that should make you more productive and earn you a few more hours in your day to enjoy. In closing I would like to share with you some statistics I found rather surprising. Is there an area in the following list where you could free up some time for yourself? You should be able to make cuts of up to at least 50% in this list of wasted time. The amount of time the average American in life spends…
1,086 days “sick”
3 years in meetings
8 months opening junk mail
17 months drinking coffee and soft drinks
2 years on telephone
5 years waiting in line
9 months sitting in traffic
4 years cooking and eating
1 and a half years grooming
1 and a half years dressing
7 years in bathroom
12 years watching television
3 years shopping
1 years looking for misplaced items
24 years sleeping
Louis Lautman, he is a business consultant, life coach and peak performance expert. He is the president of International Sales University, a sales training company based in Miami FL. He runs extraordinary public and private seminars to create breakthroughs and transform your life. Louis can be contacted at 813-380-7467 or louis@InternationalSalesU.com. Check his website at louis@InternationalSalesU.com
Louis has been in sales his whole life, originally from New Jersey; Louis got his start in Professional Sales knocking on 50 doors a day in NYC. Louis has made over 10,000 cold calls in person and on the telephone. He has been a top sales rep, sales manager and sales trainer for the last 10 years.
Child Safety Poster - An Essential Tool For Letting Very Young Children Explore
Do you want to develop your child without the risks? Child safety posters can alert us on the dangers lurking around us. Every parent has to come to a decision very often - to let your child explore in order to develop his senses, his concentration and his vocabulary while having lots of (messy) fun, or to shut them off due to the risk of exposure to accidents. The normal route is the first one. With the help of safety posters this can be easy.
Your home can become a learning experience for your little ones if you can remember some safety tips. Post up safety posters everywhere. Children love funny safety posters. Everyone gets to have fun in the process! You can also download free safety posters on the internet.
Pre-school children need plenty of time to feel, smell, think and explore. Putting up safety awareness poster is one good way to amuse them. You can ask them questions about the school safety posters and why they have to avoid some actions. Some of these health and safety poster are aimed at the adults. For example there is one about fire safety that illustrates why you must never leave children alone with matches or candles. With that kind of knowledge, adults can supervise the child more carefully at all times - because he knows the whys!
Do you know that there are hazards in some playgrounds?
Some 200,000 children are treated in emergency rooms every year for injuries they suffered on playgrounds. About 70 percent of the injuries are from falls. When you bring your child to a playground, you may be exposing him or her to new hazards.
Young children love playgrounds. They can play for ages with slides, swings and other climbing equipment. What risks are there when they play with these equipments?
In one child safety poster on playground safety for example, the illustration shows a child running after a ball while a car screech to a halt in time. Adults looking at this poster will be alert to the presence of fencing or hedges that can help prevent children from straying into parking lots and oncoming traffic. If it is just a set of words, the message is diluted. With the cartoon in the safety poster, the observer will understand the full impact of the situation.
Another humorous safety poster illustrates the danger of s-hooks on swings.
Many of the equipments at a playground encourage children to develop their coordination and balance. Because of this, many children are expected to fall while they are developing. But that is the problem if the surfaces of the fall are hard. The recommendation found on the safety awareness poster is to have at least 12 inches of soft material to break the fall.
Swings are another plaything that has to be inspected. There are certain minimum distances between the swings and the support structures. Run down and poorly maintained equipment are also dangerous. So are broken glass and trash bins. Illustrated poster safety sign can be understood by any adult supervising children at the playground.
Spend some time inspecting the equipment! Go for a walk and check them out before you allow your child to explore. Make sure that your child does not explore more than his or her boundary. Your tool is the safety poster download.
Your home can become a learning experience for your little ones if you can remember some safety tips. Post up safety posters everywhere. Children love funny safety posters. Everyone gets to have fun in the process! You can also download free safety posters on the internet.
Pre-school children need plenty of time to feel, smell, think and explore. Putting up safety awareness poster is one good way to amuse them. You can ask them questions about the school safety posters and why they have to avoid some actions. Some of these health and safety poster are aimed at the adults. For example there is one about fire safety that illustrates why you must never leave children alone with matches or candles. With that kind of knowledge, adults can supervise the child more carefully at all times - because he knows the whys!
Do you know that there are hazards in some playgrounds?
Some 200,000 children are treated in emergency rooms every year for injuries they suffered on playgrounds. About 70 percent of the injuries are from falls. When you bring your child to a playground, you may be exposing him or her to new hazards.
Young children love playgrounds. They can play for ages with slides, swings and other climbing equipment. What risks are there when they play with these equipments?
In one child safety poster on playground safety for example, the illustration shows a child running after a ball while a car screech to a halt in time. Adults looking at this poster will be alert to the presence of fencing or hedges that can help prevent children from straying into parking lots and oncoming traffic. If it is just a set of words, the message is diluted. With the cartoon in the safety poster, the observer will understand the full impact of the situation.
Another humorous safety poster illustrates the danger of s-hooks on swings.
Many of the equipments at a playground encourage children to develop their coordination and balance. Because of this, many children are expected to fall while they are developing. But that is the problem if the surfaces of the fall are hard. The recommendation found on the safety awareness poster is to have at least 12 inches of soft material to break the fall.
Swings are another plaything that has to be inspected. There are certain minimum distances between the swings and the support structures. Run down and poorly maintained equipment are also dangerous. So are broken glass and trash bins. Illustrated poster safety sign can be understood by any adult supervising children at the playground.
Spend some time inspecting the equipment! Go for a walk and check them out before you allow your child to explore. Make sure that your child does not explore more than his or her boundary. Your tool is the safety poster download.
How to Use PowerPoint Presentations to Put a Smile Upon Your Audience's Face
Many of you might be misunderstood that being funny on stage means you have to dress up as a clown or a court jester in order to please your audiences. It has to be ardently funny, elegant and professional when you present your business ideas to your clients as a method of seeking close rapport with your audiences.
Therefore, you are required to levitate your sense of humor by expressing it via your presentation slides. There is one pioneer in making laughter via PowerPoint in stand up comedy - Tim Lee; who is making use of his science background to twist abstract theory into thought provoking comedy.
It is indeed interesting to flourish your slides with this comical approach that can attract your audiences' attention in such a serious and intense condition. Sometimes, you need to create a stress-free environment in any business meetings - regardless formal or informal meetings.
Is it hard to become a talented stand up comedian like Tim Lee?
The answer is yes. But you do not have him to win your audiences. You can review his slides during his performances as your main reference.
Start with simplicity
In most of his performances, you will realize that his presentation slides are practically simple and clear in which he used simple slide layouts with plain white slide background.
Notice that he used the classic-black-and-white theme (plain white background with black colored fonts) in his slides.
In some certain extent, it takes a little effort to make people laugh due to simplicity of his slides. In addition, he used the same approach for displaying other visuals such as graphs and tables. In other words, he does not have to use additional visuals - videos, flash, and audios to mesmerize his audiences.
Normally, pictures are placed in the middle of the slides. If you are a serious type of person and persist in giving out conventional presentation, it is preferable that you include funny pictures that are related to the text-contents.
How to make yourself a 'stand up comedian'?
Being a comedian has no shortcuts. However, if you are a rigid person and you have a low sense of humor, being funny at suitable times able to develop a close and quick rapport with your audiences. These are the simple steps on how to put a smile upon your audiences' faces.
Step 1: Start to identify your own distinctive type of comic
There are several of well-known comedians that have their respective type of comic. For example, Jim Carrey is belongs to physical comics category whereas Jay Leno belongs to topical comics category. Other comic categories are character, observational, prop and gimmick comics; and impressionists and improvisationalists.
Step 2: Write and practice
After you have identified your type of comic, it is time to list out the points that you can make your audiences burst with laughter. Write every single point on your notepad. You will soon improvise these funny ideas in front of your family and friends before you start performing a stand up comedy in front of your audiences.
Step 3: Decide your distinctive stage persona
Once you have observed the behavior patterns of several stand up comedians, innately you will develop your unique personality onstage though there will be some resemblance of these well-known comedians. Eventually, it will definitely make your Powerpoint presentations more entertaining to watch.
Therefore, you are required to levitate your sense of humor by expressing it via your presentation slides. There is one pioneer in making laughter via PowerPoint in stand up comedy - Tim Lee; who is making use of his science background to twist abstract theory into thought provoking comedy.
It is indeed interesting to flourish your slides with this comical approach that can attract your audiences' attention in such a serious and intense condition. Sometimes, you need to create a stress-free environment in any business meetings - regardless formal or informal meetings.
Is it hard to become a talented stand up comedian like Tim Lee?
The answer is yes. But you do not have him to win your audiences. You can review his slides during his performances as your main reference.
Start with simplicity
In most of his performances, you will realize that his presentation slides are practically simple and clear in which he used simple slide layouts with plain white slide background.
Notice that he used the classic-black-and-white theme (plain white background with black colored fonts) in his slides.
In some certain extent, it takes a little effort to make people laugh due to simplicity of his slides. In addition, he used the same approach for displaying other visuals such as graphs and tables. In other words, he does not have to use additional visuals - videos, flash, and audios to mesmerize his audiences.
Normally, pictures are placed in the middle of the slides. If you are a serious type of person and persist in giving out conventional presentation, it is preferable that you include funny pictures that are related to the text-contents.
How to make yourself a 'stand up comedian'?
Being a comedian has no shortcuts. However, if you are a rigid person and you have a low sense of humor, being funny at suitable times able to develop a close and quick rapport with your audiences. These are the simple steps on how to put a smile upon your audiences' faces.
Step 1: Start to identify your own distinctive type of comic
There are several of well-known comedians that have their respective type of comic. For example, Jim Carrey is belongs to physical comics category whereas Jay Leno belongs to topical comics category. Other comic categories are character, observational, prop and gimmick comics; and impressionists and improvisationalists.
Step 2: Write and practice
After you have identified your type of comic, it is time to list out the points that you can make your audiences burst with laughter. Write every single point on your notepad. You will soon improvise these funny ideas in front of your family and friends before you start performing a stand up comedy in front of your audiences.
Step 3: Decide your distinctive stage persona
Once you have observed the behavior patterns of several stand up comedians, innately you will develop your unique personality onstage though there will be some resemblance of these well-known comedians. Eventually, it will definitely make your Powerpoint presentations more entertaining to watch.
Three KPI Examples
There are many ways to measure an employee's performance. However, the most popular tool of today that is also used by many managers all over the world is the employee scorecard. This scorecard contains metrics with specified targets and these are called KPIs. KPI means key performance indicator. As the term suggests, these are areas of performance and there is a specified target for each one. Many employers have a certain target set as expected performance. Any level of performance below these targets are deemed unacceptable, and anything beyond is something that exceeds expectations. There are hundreds and probably thousands of metrics around the world, but below are some most commonly used KPI examples.
CSAT
This stands for customer satisfaction. Definitely, companies need to hear the voices of their customers. Customers are the very bloodline of very business, without whom the business will not have any opportunity to expand. Before, many companies get their customers satisfaction level through surveys. In many fast food chains and restaurants, there are survey forms available in counter stations, and customers can pick up and fill out these forms as they please. Now, with the advent of the Internet, companies simply send these surveys through emails. The responses of the customers will then give the company a clear picture of the processes that they can improve on. These comments from customers can also provide adequate information on how to improve service down to the employee level, especially in customer service industries, like the BPO or Business Process Outsourcing industry.
Quality
There is no doubt that companies can only improve business by adhering to a set of standards called quality. Quality is very important in any business because this is an unbiased form of judgment and this is the method used for internal control. This is a means of ensuring that all products and services are at par with customer specifications and expectations as the company has promised. From time to time, human beings will have lapses at work, but any quality personnel will see to it that the same defect or mistake should not be repeated again by the same employee.
Attendance and Tardiness
There are many companies that do not have much bearing on attendance or tardiness, especially in the sales industry in which employees are sent out in the field to sell and reach a certain quota. Once this quota is reached, the employee has the option to stay at home as much as he wants to. However, attendance is a serious issue in many industries, especially in manufacturing since people are needed to operate the machines. This is also a critical metric in the call center industry because service is delivered to customers real time. There has to be a person manning the phones, so if a customer calls, someone will attend to his concerns.
These are only few of the most common KPI examples. There are many more out there and these metrics or key performance indicators vary from one company and industry to another. This is because one company has a different strategy and priority from the others.
CSAT
This stands for customer satisfaction. Definitely, companies need to hear the voices of their customers. Customers are the very bloodline of very business, without whom the business will not have any opportunity to expand. Before, many companies get their customers satisfaction level through surveys. In many fast food chains and restaurants, there are survey forms available in counter stations, and customers can pick up and fill out these forms as they please. Now, with the advent of the Internet, companies simply send these surveys through emails. The responses of the customers will then give the company a clear picture of the processes that they can improve on. These comments from customers can also provide adequate information on how to improve service down to the employee level, especially in customer service industries, like the BPO or Business Process Outsourcing industry.
Quality
There is no doubt that companies can only improve business by adhering to a set of standards called quality. Quality is very important in any business because this is an unbiased form of judgment and this is the method used for internal control. This is a means of ensuring that all products and services are at par with customer specifications and expectations as the company has promised. From time to time, human beings will have lapses at work, but any quality personnel will see to it that the same defect or mistake should not be repeated again by the same employee.
Attendance and Tardiness
There are many companies that do not have much bearing on attendance or tardiness, especially in the sales industry in which employees are sent out in the field to sell and reach a certain quota. Once this quota is reached, the employee has the option to stay at home as much as he wants to. However, attendance is a serious issue in many industries, especially in manufacturing since people are needed to operate the machines. This is also a critical metric in the call center industry because service is delivered to customers real time. There has to be a person manning the phones, so if a customer calls, someone will attend to his concerns.
These are only few of the most common KPI examples. There are many more out there and these metrics or key performance indicators vary from one company and industry to another. This is because one company has a different strategy and priority from the others.
6 Rhetorical Techniques To Help You Present Like A Pro
When it comes to preparing a presentation, most people devote the lion’s share of their prep time to putting together their Powerpoint slides. But think about the last presentation you attended, and tell me what you remembered. The slides? Nah. The presenter? Right. The best slideshow in the world can’t make up for bad delivery, but a good presenter can hold an audience without using a single slide.
In an increasingly commoditised market, a memorable presentation gives you an edge over your competitors. So forget about Powerpoint for a while, and let’s look at 5 rhetorical techniques that can help you deliver memorable, enjoyable and persuasive presentations.
1. Onomatopoeia
A long word, but a simple concept. Words like BANG! WHAM! WHOOSH! POW! KER-CHING! etc. are all great for emphasising key points, and also for waking up a drowsy post-lunch audience.
Examples:
• Our sales figures were pretty flat in 2005 but in 2006 we implemented a CRM solution and WHOOSH!!! they really took off!
• As soon as we started advertising online, KER-CHING! The money started flooding in!
2. Rhetorical Questions
Asking questions to which you already know the answer is a more engaging way of presenting simple statements as it involves the audience and gets them thinking. Compare these two ways of delivering the same information:
• Our software can save you as much as $50,000 in just one year.
• How much money can our software save you? As much as $50,000 in one year!
A pause after the question creates anticipation and ensures people listen to the answer.
3. The Rule of 3
Experienced public speakers – be they lecturers, teachers, politicians or comedians – all know the power of the Rule of 3 (how many jokes begin with three people – an Englishman, an Irishman & a Scotsman for example – walking into a bar?). Lists of 3 are more memorable than lists of 4 or more.
Examples:
• Our service is swift, efficient, and professional.
• How do we reach our goals? By building new factories, employing more workers, and reducing production costs.
• A good presentation should be concise, informative, and memorable.
4. Machine-Gunning
Machine-gunning is the opposite of the Rule of 3, in which you quickly run off a long list of items – you don’t care how many the audience remember, you just want to impress them with the number of things on your list!
Examples:
• Our product is cheaper, newer, faster, bigger, cleaner, safer and better than anything else on the market.
• We can supply software to handle accounts, reporting, POS, hospitality, web design, ERP, CRM and e-commerce.
5. We’re all in the same boat
…or ‘creating rapport’. This technique builds a bridge between you and your audience. Using words like ‘we’, ‘us’, or ‘all of us’ (instead of ‘you’) shows that you understand your audience’s pain points, as you’ve experienced them yourself.
Examples:
• And we all know what problems that can cause, don’t we?
• The importance of global marketing is clear to all of us.
• We need to ask ourselves what we can do about this.
• Like me, I’m sure you are often too busy to reply to all the emails you receive.
6. Turn Off/Shut Up
Want the audience to pay attention to you? Turn your slides off! Mute the projector or hit ‘B’ on your keyboard, and the screen will go black, leaving the audience with nothing to look at but you. Cast the crutch of Powerpoint aside and learn to stand alone!
When you want the audience to look at a slide, shut up! Silence is all too rare in presentations and it will indicate to the audience that you want them to pay particular attention to what’s on the screen.
So you don’t have to be a rock star, an actor or a stand-up comedian to present well – just use a few of these techniques during your next presentation and you’ll engage your audience, keep their attention, and make sure they remember you. And as with all presentation techniques, practice makes perfect!
In an increasingly commoditised market, a memorable presentation gives you an edge over your competitors. So forget about Powerpoint for a while, and let’s look at 5 rhetorical techniques that can help you deliver memorable, enjoyable and persuasive presentations.
1. Onomatopoeia
A long word, but a simple concept. Words like BANG! WHAM! WHOOSH! POW! KER-CHING! etc. are all great for emphasising key points, and also for waking up a drowsy post-lunch audience.
Examples:
• Our sales figures were pretty flat in 2005 but in 2006 we implemented a CRM solution and WHOOSH!!! they really took off!
• As soon as we started advertising online, KER-CHING! The money started flooding in!
2. Rhetorical Questions
Asking questions to which you already know the answer is a more engaging way of presenting simple statements as it involves the audience and gets them thinking. Compare these two ways of delivering the same information:
• Our software can save you as much as $50,000 in just one year.
• How much money can our software save you? As much as $50,000 in one year!
A pause after the question creates anticipation and ensures people listen to the answer.
3. The Rule of 3
Experienced public speakers – be they lecturers, teachers, politicians or comedians – all know the power of the Rule of 3 (how many jokes begin with three people – an Englishman, an Irishman & a Scotsman for example – walking into a bar?). Lists of 3 are more memorable than lists of 4 or more.
Examples:
• Our service is swift, efficient, and professional.
• How do we reach our goals? By building new factories, employing more workers, and reducing production costs.
• A good presentation should be concise, informative, and memorable.
4. Machine-Gunning
Machine-gunning is the opposite of the Rule of 3, in which you quickly run off a long list of items – you don’t care how many the audience remember, you just want to impress them with the number of things on your list!
Examples:
• Our product is cheaper, newer, faster, bigger, cleaner, safer and better than anything else on the market.
• We can supply software to handle accounts, reporting, POS, hospitality, web design, ERP, CRM and e-commerce.
5. We’re all in the same boat
…or ‘creating rapport’. This technique builds a bridge between you and your audience. Using words like ‘we’, ‘us’, or ‘all of us’ (instead of ‘you’) shows that you understand your audience’s pain points, as you’ve experienced them yourself.
Examples:
• And we all know what problems that can cause, don’t we?
• The importance of global marketing is clear to all of us.
• We need to ask ourselves what we can do about this.
• Like me, I’m sure you are often too busy to reply to all the emails you receive.
6. Turn Off/Shut Up
Want the audience to pay attention to you? Turn your slides off! Mute the projector or hit ‘B’ on your keyboard, and the screen will go black, leaving the audience with nothing to look at but you. Cast the crutch of Powerpoint aside and learn to stand alone!
When you want the audience to look at a slide, shut up! Silence is all too rare in presentations and it will indicate to the audience that you want them to pay particular attention to what’s on the screen.
So you don’t have to be a rock star, an actor or a stand-up comedian to present well – just use a few of these techniques during your next presentation and you’ll engage your audience, keep their attention, and make sure they remember you. And as with all presentation techniques, practice makes perfect!
Good Concepts Need Good Presentation and Good Speakers
At the Online Think Tank we receive lots of inquiries from around the World and we discuss all sorts of awesome technologies. Recently one member stated that every good technology or concept needs a good spokesman and someone who can wow the crowds to start a trend. Like Apple, Inc. Steven Jobs.
Yes I do believe the speaker, who believes in their mission is the greatest asset to creating trends that lead to human society movements. I also have theories of how their voice box has extra vibrational attributes when they have certain chemicals in their brain, which run the organic device at a certain frequency. I believe this affects listeners that something is very important and continues to charge up the speaker. People who speak with passion, I am one, can memorize an audience, get them to listen. This is a powerful ability; I believe one, which should not be abused. ie. Hitler in later years.
Often a good presentation includes slide shows, video and graphics, but as one online think tanker clearly stated one must be careful to not over-entertain. In other words are they listening or being dazzled by the nightly news?
Yes well I concur actually with these conclusions and I think the video of the data visualization comment I was making is that if you are "Teaching" humans a concept then you need them to be thinking and so a little dazzling to get their attention is worthy and yet, do not push it.
When one is using these visualization tools to teach a methodology or philosophy then the presenter must be sure that the listeners in the audience absorbing the information and that they "Get It" and consider it to its full potential. No one said life would be easy, nothing good in life ever is. In fact it gets tougher every day to hold the shortened attention span of an audience. I hope this article propels thought in 2007.
Yes I do believe the speaker, who believes in their mission is the greatest asset to creating trends that lead to human society movements. I also have theories of how their voice box has extra vibrational attributes when they have certain chemicals in their brain, which run the organic device at a certain frequency. I believe this affects listeners that something is very important and continues to charge up the speaker. People who speak with passion, I am one, can memorize an audience, get them to listen. This is a powerful ability; I believe one, which should not be abused. ie. Hitler in later years.
Often a good presentation includes slide shows, video and graphics, but as one online think tanker clearly stated one must be careful to not over-entertain. In other words are they listening or being dazzled by the nightly news?
Yes well I concur actually with these conclusions and I think the video of the data visualization comment I was making is that if you are "Teaching" humans a concept then you need them to be thinking and so a little dazzling to get their attention is worthy and yet, do not push it.
When one is using these visualization tools to teach a methodology or philosophy then the presenter must be sure that the listeners in the audience absorbing the information and that they "Get It" and consider it to its full potential. No one said life would be easy, nothing good in life ever is. In fact it gets tougher every day to hold the shortened attention span of an audience. I hope this article propels thought in 2007.
Presentation Skills & Public Speaking - 10 Tips to How to Design & Prepare for a Presentation
Top 10 Tips to help you Plan and Design and Prepare for your Presentation
Next time you are faced with the daunting prospect of having to write a presentation, try out these tips from Skillstudio and you'll be surprised at just how effective they can be at helping to design and prepare for a presentation.
1. Prepare Prepare Prepare - The more time you spend preparing your presentation beforehand the more confident you will be on the day.
2. Get to know your audience. Put yourself in their shoes. What's in it for them? What understanding do they currently have? Do they want a detail or strategic level talk from you?
3. What's the one key goal you want to achieve by giving this presentation? Make sure that this is clear to your audience at the beginning and end of the presentation.
4. Split your presentation into a beginning a middle and an end. Use the middle section to develop your ideas.
5. Remember the power of three. Wherever possible think of things in threes. eg three key points to make at the beginining, three key points to develop further in the middle and three key points to make at the end. Your middle can further expand on the three points with three additional points each. etc
6. Brainstorm the likely questions you will be asked by your audience. Prepare answers using the Power of three.
7. Try using a mind map to help you organise your ideas into logical chunks. The clearer your thinking is the easier it should be to understand when you are presenting.
8. Avoid the trap of preparing for your presentation at the last possible minute. It will only mean you lose a night's sleep - on the night before you have to present!
9. Lead your audience through your presentation using sign-posting. Recap on what you've just covered and then use rhetorical questions to move onto the next section. Always summarise your main points just prior to the end of your presentation.
10. Plan to end your presentation with a call to action, a request for a decision to be made, or whatever you believe is the most appropriate means to achieve your overall goal.
Next time you are faced with the daunting prospect of having to write a presentation, try out these tips from Skillstudio and you'll be surprised at just how effective they can be at helping to design and prepare for a presentation.
1. Prepare Prepare Prepare - The more time you spend preparing your presentation beforehand the more confident you will be on the day.
2. Get to know your audience. Put yourself in their shoes. What's in it for them? What understanding do they currently have? Do they want a detail or strategic level talk from you?
3. What's the one key goal you want to achieve by giving this presentation? Make sure that this is clear to your audience at the beginning and end of the presentation.
4. Split your presentation into a beginning a middle and an end. Use the middle section to develop your ideas.
5. Remember the power of three. Wherever possible think of things in threes. eg three key points to make at the beginining, three key points to develop further in the middle and three key points to make at the end. Your middle can further expand on the three points with three additional points each. etc
6. Brainstorm the likely questions you will be asked by your audience. Prepare answers using the Power of three.
7. Try using a mind map to help you organise your ideas into logical chunks. The clearer your thinking is the easier it should be to understand when you are presenting.
8. Avoid the trap of preparing for your presentation at the last possible minute. It will only mean you lose a night's sleep - on the night before you have to present!
9. Lead your audience through your presentation using sign-posting. Recap on what you've just covered and then use rhetorical questions to move onto the next section. Always summarise your main points just prior to the end of your presentation.
10. Plan to end your presentation with a call to action, a request for a decision to be made, or whatever you believe is the most appropriate means to achieve your overall goal.
Horse Feeding Guidelines - How to Understand Them
Due to the number of questions and concerns I field from horse owners unable to maintain weight on the horses I've written the following to explain feeding guidelines found on feed bags. Also, how to determine what amount your particular horse needs.
Typical Guidelines call for:
Recommended feeding amount is ½ to 1 pound of feed per 100 pound bodyweight.
Feeding amounts may be adjusted slightly to meet the needs of the horse.
Feeding amounts should be split into 2 or more feedings per day.
I.e. a 900 pound horse would need to be fed 4 ½ to 9 pounds per day.
Now comes the tricky part
I know you've all probably heard the terms "easy keeper" and "hard keeper". What that boils down to is the metabolism and energy level of that particular horse. You also have to factor in the size of your horse. A taller horse will weigh more than a shorter or smaller horse. If you have a low energy low metabolism horse you'd go toward the low end. If you have high energy high metabolism horse you'd go toward the high end. The average person is not good at guessing the weight of their horse nor the proper weight their horse should be.
The best judge of your horse is you. If your horse is getting to heavy or losing weight look at the nutritional needs of your horse and see if they are within the guidelines. Use a body scoring chart to see if your horse is within optimum weight range.
I've had people with a small, average and large horse ask me why one is doing well, one is doing okay and one is losing weight. When I ask what they are feeding they answer "one scoop". Here lies the problem.
Different feed weighs different amounts. Also, some people fill the scoop to different levels. You should scoop out your feed and weigh it. Find out exactly what you have been feeding. Then compare that to the guidelines.
In the example above an 800 pound horse, a 1000 pound horse and a 1200 pound horse were being fed 6 pounds of feed daily. It was the appropriate amount for the smaller horse but way to low for the others. The 1200 pound horse guidelines call for 6 to 12 pounds per day. I recommend splitting the difference and seeing how the horse does then increase or decrease according to body condition. If your horse is underweight go to the high end. Just remember, do it gradually and increase their feed no more than 1 pound per meal.
Quick Reference Table Chart
Horses weight _____________Feed bag rec________________Amount to feed horse
800................................................ 4-8 pounds daily ..........................................6 pounds per day
1000............................................ 5-10 pounds daily.......................................7-8 pounds per day
1200.............................................6-12 pounds daily......................................... 9 pounds per day
This is based on an average horse. If your horse is high energy you go to the high side, low energy to the low side average you fall in the middle. Start out with the mid range and adjust accordingly.
Feeding Need To Knows
* An average horse can not utilize more than 5 pounds of feed at one meal. Anything more they are basically just pooping out without being able to utilize the nutrients. This is why feeding horses must be broken down into 2 or more feedings per day.
* In order to achieve the nutrient value on a bag of feed the horse has to consume the pounds required for their size and metabolism or their nutrients are falling short.
* Do not increase a horses feed ration more than 1 pound per meal over a course of a week..
* Do not change a horses feed without mixing it with the new feed for at least 7 to 10 days. Feed changes must be made gradually.
* Do not feed less hay than feed. If a horse is getting 6 pounds of feed they need a minimum of 6 pounds of hay.
* Typically, the average horse should consume 1 bag of feed and 2 bales of hay a week.
Conclusion
The best judge of your horse is you. Feed your horse according to their needs. Stop being of the "scoop" mind and get "pound" wise. Listen to your horse, they can tell you a lot. Don't be afraid to ask questions from someone. If your horse doesn't appear to be doing well to you they probably are not. Get in the habit of observing horses body condition. Rate horses based on a body condition scoring guide. Rate your horse and other horses. Get to know your horse and your horses individual needs.
Horses do not fit into a nice tidy package. They are as different as us in their nutritional needs. Obviously a 5 foot tall person is not going to have to eat as much as a 6 foot tall person to maintain their optimum weight. So goes it with horses. Also, we've all met that person with the high metabolism that seems to be able to eat anything they want and they stay skinny or the person that watches everything they eat and still gains weight. Again, so goes it with horses.
Typical Guidelines call for:
Recommended feeding amount is ½ to 1 pound of feed per 100 pound bodyweight.
Feeding amounts may be adjusted slightly to meet the needs of the horse.
Feeding amounts should be split into 2 or more feedings per day.
I.e. a 900 pound horse would need to be fed 4 ½ to 9 pounds per day.
Now comes the tricky part
I know you've all probably heard the terms "easy keeper" and "hard keeper". What that boils down to is the metabolism and energy level of that particular horse. You also have to factor in the size of your horse. A taller horse will weigh more than a shorter or smaller horse. If you have a low energy low metabolism horse you'd go toward the low end. If you have high energy high metabolism horse you'd go toward the high end. The average person is not good at guessing the weight of their horse nor the proper weight their horse should be.
The best judge of your horse is you. If your horse is getting to heavy or losing weight look at the nutritional needs of your horse and see if they are within the guidelines. Use a body scoring chart to see if your horse is within optimum weight range.
I've had people with a small, average and large horse ask me why one is doing well, one is doing okay and one is losing weight. When I ask what they are feeding they answer "one scoop". Here lies the problem.
Different feed weighs different amounts. Also, some people fill the scoop to different levels. You should scoop out your feed and weigh it. Find out exactly what you have been feeding. Then compare that to the guidelines.
In the example above an 800 pound horse, a 1000 pound horse and a 1200 pound horse were being fed 6 pounds of feed daily. It was the appropriate amount for the smaller horse but way to low for the others. The 1200 pound horse guidelines call for 6 to 12 pounds per day. I recommend splitting the difference and seeing how the horse does then increase or decrease according to body condition. If your horse is underweight go to the high end. Just remember, do it gradually and increase their feed no more than 1 pound per meal.
Quick Reference Table Chart
Horses weight _____________Feed bag rec________________Amount to feed horse
800................................................ 4-8 pounds daily ..........................................6 pounds per day
1000............................................ 5-10 pounds daily.......................................7-8 pounds per day
1200.............................................6-12 pounds daily......................................... 9 pounds per day
This is based on an average horse. If your horse is high energy you go to the high side, low energy to the low side average you fall in the middle. Start out with the mid range and adjust accordingly.
Feeding Need To Knows
* An average horse can not utilize more than 5 pounds of feed at one meal. Anything more they are basically just pooping out without being able to utilize the nutrients. This is why feeding horses must be broken down into 2 or more feedings per day.
* In order to achieve the nutrient value on a bag of feed the horse has to consume the pounds required for their size and metabolism or their nutrients are falling short.
* Do not increase a horses feed ration more than 1 pound per meal over a course of a week..
* Do not change a horses feed without mixing it with the new feed for at least 7 to 10 days. Feed changes must be made gradually.
* Do not feed less hay than feed. If a horse is getting 6 pounds of feed they need a minimum of 6 pounds of hay.
* Typically, the average horse should consume 1 bag of feed and 2 bales of hay a week.
Conclusion
The best judge of your horse is you. Feed your horse according to their needs. Stop being of the "scoop" mind and get "pound" wise. Listen to your horse, they can tell you a lot. Don't be afraid to ask questions from someone. If your horse doesn't appear to be doing well to you they probably are not. Get in the habit of observing horses body condition. Rate horses based on a body condition scoring guide. Rate your horse and other horses. Get to know your horse and your horses individual needs.
Horses do not fit into a nice tidy package. They are as different as us in their nutritional needs. Obviously a 5 foot tall person is not going to have to eat as much as a 6 foot tall person to maintain their optimum weight. So goes it with horses. Also, we've all met that person with the high metabolism that seems to be able to eat anything they want and they stay skinny or the person that watches everything they eat and still gains weight. Again, so goes it with horses.
Timeshare Sales Techniques - The Statement of Intent
The statement of intent is an excellent sales tool for establishing a number of things right at the beginning of your sales presentation. Firstly and most importantly it is used to calm your clients down and make them feel more comfortable about being on a Timeshare or Holiday Club presentation.
Once you have collected your clients from the reception, have them seated correctly in the warm up area and ordered their drinks, you should give them what is known in the Timeshare Industry as "The Statement of Intent". Or "Breaking of the pact"
Your clients are probably very nervous, either because of a past personal experience on a Timeshare presentation, or because of all the bad press and warnings they have read or heard about what happens when you attend a Timeshare sales presentation.
The easiest way to alleviate their fears is let them know exactly what is going to happen during their presentation. People only fear the unknown. So if you let them know what to expect and in what order. They will normally calm down immediately.
A good statement of intent should go something like this:
"Ok John and Mary, while we're waiting for our drinks to arrive let me tell you exactly what's going to happen while you're with me here today". "Firstly I'm going to ask you to help me with a brief holiday survey about where you've been in the past, where you would like to go in the future, and what you've liked or disliked about some of the holidays you've taken in the past. It's a very important part of my job as the information people like you give us, help my company to keep up to date with the ever changing holiday trends and stay ahead of the competition, then I'm going to show you around the resort and you will see why we now have so many members in my holiday club and you'll realise the benefits that my members get from being part of such a large and well established holiday company, at the end of my presentation you will be given the option of either saying no thanks, in which case I will make sure you get any gifts you have been promised and a taxi back to your hotel, or you can choose to join the other thousands of families who said yes and are now enjoying the many benefits of being part of my club and I will make sure my manager is available to sort out the best possible deal at the best possible price, either way the choice will be yours." "All I ask is that you allow me to do a full presentation and answer all your questions before you make your choice." "Is that fair enough?"
Now get all parties to agree and shake all their hands. At this point you must confirm that they are ok for time, that they're not rushing of to meet any one in half an hour and they haven't left Grandma alone on the beach in full sunshine.
Apart from relaxing your clients and making them more open minded, you will have also got rid of the time problem. If they start pushing you to speed things up you can just remind them that they agreed to allow you to do a full presentation and you shook hands on it.
Your clients will have agreed to give you at least ninety minutes. It's up to you to turn that ninety minutes into a three hour presentation that ends in a deal!
They won't even notice the time if you, entertain them, win them over, and close them using the "Simple Selling Skills" you'll be learning when you keep dropping by my site on a weekly basis.
See you next week.
Once you have collected your clients from the reception, have them seated correctly in the warm up area and ordered their drinks, you should give them what is known in the Timeshare Industry as "The Statement of Intent". Or "Breaking of the pact"
Your clients are probably very nervous, either because of a past personal experience on a Timeshare presentation, or because of all the bad press and warnings they have read or heard about what happens when you attend a Timeshare sales presentation.
The easiest way to alleviate their fears is let them know exactly what is going to happen during their presentation. People only fear the unknown. So if you let them know what to expect and in what order. They will normally calm down immediately.
A good statement of intent should go something like this:
"Ok John and Mary, while we're waiting for our drinks to arrive let me tell you exactly what's going to happen while you're with me here today". "Firstly I'm going to ask you to help me with a brief holiday survey about where you've been in the past, where you would like to go in the future, and what you've liked or disliked about some of the holidays you've taken in the past. It's a very important part of my job as the information people like you give us, help my company to keep up to date with the ever changing holiday trends and stay ahead of the competition, then I'm going to show you around the resort and you will see why we now have so many members in my holiday club and you'll realise the benefits that my members get from being part of such a large and well established holiday company, at the end of my presentation you will be given the option of either saying no thanks, in which case I will make sure you get any gifts you have been promised and a taxi back to your hotel, or you can choose to join the other thousands of families who said yes and are now enjoying the many benefits of being part of my club and I will make sure my manager is available to sort out the best possible deal at the best possible price, either way the choice will be yours." "All I ask is that you allow me to do a full presentation and answer all your questions before you make your choice." "Is that fair enough?"
Now get all parties to agree and shake all their hands. At this point you must confirm that they are ok for time, that they're not rushing of to meet any one in half an hour and they haven't left Grandma alone on the beach in full sunshine.
Apart from relaxing your clients and making them more open minded, you will have also got rid of the time problem. If they start pushing you to speed things up you can just remind them that they agreed to allow you to do a full presentation and you shook hands on it.
Your clients will have agreed to give you at least ninety minutes. It's up to you to turn that ninety minutes into a three hour presentation that ends in a deal!
They won't even notice the time if you, entertain them, win them over, and close them using the "Simple Selling Skills" you'll be learning when you keep dropping by my site on a weekly basis.
See you next week.
5 Attributes of an Effective Presentation
Presentations are the lifeblood of a sales team. Each presentation is a chance to sell the brand, and an effective presentation will do just that.
Your presentation should be a "Simple, Concrete, Credible and Emotional Story." If it is, your impact will increase significantly. Here are five tips to help you do so:
* Simple: Avoid jargon and corporate-speak. With attention spans shrinking, you need to speak in easy-to-grasp common English. Think of President Kennedy's simple and concrete space mission: Put a man on the moon and return him safely by the end of the decade.
* Concrete: Be specific; avoid generalities. Establish concrete goals and benchmarks to show what you plan to do and how. It's better to "open 10 new accounts" than to "increase sales", because details resonate with a listener.
* Credibility: What's essential to your audience believing your message? Is it a prior track-record or the skills with which to face the next challenge? Is it industry expertise or M&A experience? And when you present statistics, put them in perspective. Is a 13% increase in sales really good, when the goal was 18% and the team average was 21%?
* Emotion: Once people have established a fact-based framework, they make decisions based on emotions. You may have the best solution, but if there's no trust or confidence, you'll lose to your competitor.
(That's why the lowest cost provider is usually not the winner!)
* Story: We're used to telling and hearing stories to make points and motivate action; that's our comfort-zone. So if the thought of "presenting" makes you anxious, think of it as "sharing a story" and you'll feel more comfortable.
Your presentation should be a "Simple, Concrete, Credible and Emotional Story." If it is, your impact will increase significantly. Here are five tips to help you do so:
* Simple: Avoid jargon and corporate-speak. With attention spans shrinking, you need to speak in easy-to-grasp common English. Think of President Kennedy's simple and concrete space mission: Put a man on the moon and return him safely by the end of the decade.
* Concrete: Be specific; avoid generalities. Establish concrete goals and benchmarks to show what you plan to do and how. It's better to "open 10 new accounts" than to "increase sales", because details resonate with a listener.
* Credibility: What's essential to your audience believing your message? Is it a prior track-record or the skills with which to face the next challenge? Is it industry expertise or M&A experience? And when you present statistics, put them in perspective. Is a 13% increase in sales really good, when the goal was 18% and the team average was 21%?
* Emotion: Once people have established a fact-based framework, they make decisions based on emotions. You may have the best solution, but if there's no trust or confidence, you'll lose to your competitor.
(That's why the lowest cost provider is usually not the winner!)
* Story: We're used to telling and hearing stories to make points and motivate action; that's our comfort-zone. So if the thought of "presenting" makes you anxious, think of it as "sharing a story" and you'll feel more comfortable.
Presentation Skills & Public Speaking - 10 Tips to How to Design & Prepare for a Presentation
Top 10 Tips to help you Plan and Design and Prepare for your Presentation
Next time you are faced with the daunting prospect of having to write a presentation, try out these tips from Skillstudio and you'll be surprised at just how effective they can be at helping to design and prepare for a presentation.
1. Prepare Prepare Prepare - The more time you spend preparing your presentation beforehand the more confident you will be on the day.
2. Get to know your audience. Put yourself in their shoes. What's in it for them? What understanding do they currently have? Do they want a detail or strategic level talk from you?
3. What's the one key goal you want to achieve by giving this presentation? Make sure that this is clear to your audience at the beginning and end of the presentation.
4. Split your presentation into a beginning a middle and an end. Use the middle section to develop your ideas.
5. Remember the power of three. Wherever possible think of things in threes. eg three key points to make at the beginining, three key points to develop further in the middle and three key points to make at the end. Your middle can further expand on the three points with three additional points each. etc
6. Brainstorm the likely questions you will be asked by your audience. Prepare answers using the Power of three.
7. Try using a mind map to help you organise your ideas into logical chunks. The clearer your thinking is the easier it should be to understand when you are presenting.
8. Avoid the trap of preparing for your presentation at the last possible minute. It will only mean you lose a night's sleep - on the night before you have to present!
9. Lead your audience through your presentation using sign-posting. Recap on what you've just covered and then use rhetorical questions to move onto the next section. Always summarise your main points just prior to the end of your presentation.
10. Plan to end your presentation with a call to action, a request for a decision to be made, or whatever you believe is the most appropriate means to achieve your overall goal.
Next time you are faced with the daunting prospect of having to write a presentation, try out these tips from Skillstudio and you'll be surprised at just how effective they can be at helping to design and prepare for a presentation.
1. Prepare Prepare Prepare - The more time you spend preparing your presentation beforehand the more confident you will be on the day.
2. Get to know your audience. Put yourself in their shoes. What's in it for them? What understanding do they currently have? Do they want a detail or strategic level talk from you?
3. What's the one key goal you want to achieve by giving this presentation? Make sure that this is clear to your audience at the beginning and end of the presentation.
4. Split your presentation into a beginning a middle and an end. Use the middle section to develop your ideas.
5. Remember the power of three. Wherever possible think of things in threes. eg three key points to make at the beginining, three key points to develop further in the middle and three key points to make at the end. Your middle can further expand on the three points with three additional points each. etc
6. Brainstorm the likely questions you will be asked by your audience. Prepare answers using the Power of three.
7. Try using a mind map to help you organise your ideas into logical chunks. The clearer your thinking is the easier it should be to understand when you are presenting.
8. Avoid the trap of preparing for your presentation at the last possible minute. It will only mean you lose a night's sleep - on the night before you have to present!
9. Lead your audience through your presentation using sign-posting. Recap on what you've just covered and then use rhetorical questions to move onto the next section. Always summarise your main points just prior to the end of your presentation.
10. Plan to end your presentation with a call to action, a request for a decision to be made, or whatever you believe is the most appropriate means to achieve your overall goal.
Corporate Storytelling 101 - How To Pick A Story That Moves Listeners
Business publications these days sing the praises of corporate storytelling. But what if you're not a natural storyteller? How do you pick a tale that inspires and connects - and still suits a business setting? Here are nine tips to get you started:
1. Brief is better. Choose a story that can be boiled down to 3-5 minutes. Longer tales can get too complex. A good story should be like a skirt: long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to keep things interesting.
2. What is the Why? Why are you telling this particular story? Make sure it reinforces the value you want to reinforce in a positive way. Know the key point of your story. This will help you choose what to leave in and what to leave out.
3. This time it's personal. Find a story from your own life if possible - especially for a "why I'm here" tale (one that explains your purpose for speaking to your listeners). This gives you authority and authenticity.
4. Who's your hero? Listeners need a clear protagonist to identify with. If you have too many heroes, the audience and the tale lose focus. Telling it from a single hero's point of view keeps things simple and powerful.
5. What's the beef? Every story needs a clear problem and solution. Make sure this problem has relevance to your listeners, and remember to include the solution. Listeners need closure.
6. Make ‘em feel it. If you want your story to hit home, give it some strong human emotion. Fear, anger, excitement, frustration, joy - it doesn't matter which feeling, as long as it's genuine. Your involvement in the story's emotion triggers your listeners' emotional involvement.
7. Keep it real. For most business purposes, true stories resonate more than parables or myths. Who Moved My Cheese? aside, would you relate better to a story that happened to the teller or one that happened to mice?
8. All's well that ends well. Pick a story with a happy ending. Why? It'll give your listeners an endorphin rush and leave them with a positive impression. Yes, fear can motivate, but it can also lead to paralysis. Take a tip from Hollywood and end on an up note.
9. Papa, don't preach. At your story's end, let the listeners draw their own conclusion. If you spell out the moral, you ram it down their throats. Leave space for the audience to reach its own conclusions, and you draw people in
1. Brief is better. Choose a story that can be boiled down to 3-5 minutes. Longer tales can get too complex. A good story should be like a skirt: long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to keep things interesting.
2. What is the Why? Why are you telling this particular story? Make sure it reinforces the value you want to reinforce in a positive way. Know the key point of your story. This will help you choose what to leave in and what to leave out.
3. This time it's personal. Find a story from your own life if possible - especially for a "why I'm here" tale (one that explains your purpose for speaking to your listeners). This gives you authority and authenticity.
4. Who's your hero? Listeners need a clear protagonist to identify with. If you have too many heroes, the audience and the tale lose focus. Telling it from a single hero's point of view keeps things simple and powerful.
5. What's the beef? Every story needs a clear problem and solution. Make sure this problem has relevance to your listeners, and remember to include the solution. Listeners need closure.
6. Make ‘em feel it. If you want your story to hit home, give it some strong human emotion. Fear, anger, excitement, frustration, joy - it doesn't matter which feeling, as long as it's genuine. Your involvement in the story's emotion triggers your listeners' emotional involvement.
7. Keep it real. For most business purposes, true stories resonate more than parables or myths. Who Moved My Cheese? aside, would you relate better to a story that happened to the teller or one that happened to mice?
8. All's well that ends well. Pick a story with a happy ending. Why? It'll give your listeners an endorphin rush and leave them with a positive impression. Yes, fear can motivate, but it can also lead to paralysis. Take a tip from Hollywood and end on an up note.
9. Papa, don't preach. At your story's end, let the listeners draw their own conclusion. If you spell out the moral, you ram it down their throats. Leave space for the audience to reach its own conclusions, and you draw people in
An Inflatable Slide is a Huge Hit for Indiana Parties
Planning an event can be fun. But it's always stressful trying to find an attraction that everyone will love. One item that is always a hit is the Inflatable Slide.
You'll find the inflatable slide right in the middle of the fun at most Indiana corporate picnics, post proms and other functions. But did you know you can get a slide for a home party too?
Although inflatable slides have been around for awhile, in the past few years more unique slides have come into the marketplace. You can get slides in sizes that work for everyone. A giant slide (around 22') is great for ages 12 to adults. If you're looking for something for younger kids, you'll probably want to stick with a backyard slide which is around 14' tall.
Remember the 70's when slip n slides were so popular? Well, now you can get inflatable slip n slides that are even MORE fun. They come in single and in double lanes both so you can even race a friend if you'd like. But the new slip n slides have a safety ramp at the end to slow your slide so they're much easier on your body than the old version.
If you like the traditional slide, but still want water, you can rent an inflatable water slide. With sprinklers shooting out the top, this slide is fantastic for a hot summer day.
There are just a few things you need to remember when renting an inflatable slide or any other inflatable game:
1) The unit must be staked down at all times
2) The unit can only be operated with adult attendant in place who understands all safety requirements
3) You will need a dedicated 20 amp circuit to use for each blower (most units only need one). This outlet needs to be within 50 feet.
4) If you're using a water slide, you'll need a water connection and hose within a reasonable distance.
5) Participants should always follow safety instructions and should always be sitting feet first
when sliding down a traditional slide.
If you follow the simple guidelines you can have a safe, fun attraction that everyone will love.
You'll find the inflatable slide right in the middle of the fun at most Indiana corporate picnics, post proms and other functions. But did you know you can get a slide for a home party too?
Although inflatable slides have been around for awhile, in the past few years more unique slides have come into the marketplace. You can get slides in sizes that work for everyone. A giant slide (around 22') is great for ages 12 to adults. If you're looking for something for younger kids, you'll probably want to stick with a backyard slide which is around 14' tall.
Remember the 70's when slip n slides were so popular? Well, now you can get inflatable slip n slides that are even MORE fun. They come in single and in double lanes both so you can even race a friend if you'd like. But the new slip n slides have a safety ramp at the end to slow your slide so they're much easier on your body than the old version.
If you like the traditional slide, but still want water, you can rent an inflatable water slide. With sprinklers shooting out the top, this slide is fantastic for a hot summer day.
There are just a few things you need to remember when renting an inflatable slide or any other inflatable game:
1) The unit must be staked down at all times
2) The unit can only be operated with adult attendant in place who understands all safety requirements
3) You will need a dedicated 20 amp circuit to use for each blower (most units only need one). This outlet needs to be within 50 feet.
4) If you're using a water slide, you'll need a water connection and hose within a reasonable distance.
5) Participants should always follow safety instructions and should always be sitting feet first
when sliding down a traditional slide.
If you follow the simple guidelines you can have a safe, fun attraction that everyone will love.
Presentation Skills & Public Speaking - 10 Tips to How to Design & Prepare for a Presentation
Top 10 Tips to help you Plan and Design and Prepare for your Presentation
Next time you are faced with the daunting prospect of having to write a presentation, try out these tips from Skillstudio and you'll be surprised at just how effective they can be at helping to design and prepare for a presentation.
1. Prepare Prepare Prepare - The more time you spend preparing your presentation beforehand the more confident you will be on the day.
2. Get to know your audience. Put yourself in their shoes. What's in it for them? What understanding do they currently have? Do they want a detail or strategic level talk from you?
3. What's the one key goal you want to achieve by giving this presentation? Make sure that this is clear to your audience at the beginning and end of the presentation.
4. Split your presentation into a beginning a middle and an end. Use the middle section to develop your ideas.
5. Remember the power of three. Wherever possible think of things in threes. eg three key points to make at the beginining, three key points to develop further in the middle and three key points to make at the end. Your middle can further expand on the three points with three additional points each. etc
6. Brainstorm the likely questions you will be asked by your audience. Prepare answers using the Power of three.
7. Try using a mind map to help you organise your ideas into logical chunks. The clearer your thinking is the easier it should be to understand when you are presenting.
8. Avoid the trap of preparing for your presentation at the last possible minute. It will only mean you lose a night's sleep - on the night before you have to present!
9. Lead your audience through your presentation using sign-posting. Recap on what you've just covered and then use rhetorical questions to move onto the next section. Always summarise your main points just prior to the end of your presentation.
10. Plan to end your presentation with a call to action, a request for a decision to be made, or whatever you believe is the most appropriate means to achieve your overall goal.
About the author
Martin MacLeod is a director and co founder of Skillstudio Limited, the UK based Presentation & Communication Skills training company.
Skillstudio offer a range of public courses throughout the UK, including:-
• Presentation Skills (3 different levels) • Communication Skills • Body Language Awareness • Vocal Impact • Job Interview Skills
Skillstudio also offer 1-2-1 coaching and in-house training throughout the UK and Europe in:
• Presentation Skills • Public Speaking • Communication Skills • Interview Technique • Media Skills • Assertiveness • Body Language Awareness • Chairperson Skills • Facilitation Skills • Telephone Technique • Vocal Skills • Accent Softening • Elocution
Next time you are faced with the daunting prospect of having to write a presentation, try out these tips from Skillstudio and you'll be surprised at just how effective they can be at helping to design and prepare for a presentation.
1. Prepare Prepare Prepare - The more time you spend preparing your presentation beforehand the more confident you will be on the day.
2. Get to know your audience. Put yourself in their shoes. What's in it for them? What understanding do they currently have? Do they want a detail or strategic level talk from you?
3. What's the one key goal you want to achieve by giving this presentation? Make sure that this is clear to your audience at the beginning and end of the presentation.
4. Split your presentation into a beginning a middle and an end. Use the middle section to develop your ideas.
5. Remember the power of three. Wherever possible think of things in threes. eg three key points to make at the beginining, three key points to develop further in the middle and three key points to make at the end. Your middle can further expand on the three points with three additional points each. etc
6. Brainstorm the likely questions you will be asked by your audience. Prepare answers using the Power of three.
7. Try using a mind map to help you organise your ideas into logical chunks. The clearer your thinking is the easier it should be to understand when you are presenting.
8. Avoid the trap of preparing for your presentation at the last possible minute. It will only mean you lose a night's sleep - on the night before you have to present!
9. Lead your audience through your presentation using sign-posting. Recap on what you've just covered and then use rhetorical questions to move onto the next section. Always summarise your main points just prior to the end of your presentation.
10. Plan to end your presentation with a call to action, a request for a decision to be made, or whatever you believe is the most appropriate means to achieve your overall goal.
About the author
Martin MacLeod is a director and co founder of Skillstudio Limited, the UK based Presentation & Communication Skills training company.
Skillstudio offer a range of public courses throughout the UK, including:-
• Presentation Skills (3 different levels) • Communication Skills • Body Language Awareness • Vocal Impact • Job Interview Skills
Skillstudio also offer 1-2-1 coaching and in-house training throughout the UK and Europe in:
• Presentation Skills • Public Speaking • Communication Skills • Interview Technique • Media Skills • Assertiveness • Body Language Awareness • Chairperson Skills • Facilitation Skills • Telephone Technique • Vocal Skills • Accent Softening • Elocution
Effective Presentations - The First Step
How familiar is this scenario? Do you typically click on the PowerPoint icon immediately you are tasked with preparing a presentation? If that is the case then you definitely have common cause with most of us. And regrettably it is a big mistake. It's a mistake because our presentation focus is already upon the mechanics of slides, decks, visuals, clip-art, logos and templates. Such a focus will be needed -- but much later. For now the focus has to be on our expected achievement and outcome.
Before we click on the PowerPoint icon we should draft in a single sentence the planned achievement of our presentation. In today's business language we would recognise this as a mission statement. But unlike many vacuous mission statements the purpose of this one is to capture the planned impact of our presentation upon our audience. That is, how do we plan for our audience to respond? We should consider the following questions at this stage:
* After my presentation what will the audience do that is different?
* After the presentation what will they know that is different?
* Once they have heard the presentation what will they believe that is different?
Before we begin to physically lay the foundations of an effective presentation, let alone build its structure or prepare the PowerPoint slides we must have a firm grasp on the expected outcome of the presentation -- what it is that we are aiming to do. To be effective our presentation will have an impact upon our audience beyond that of a management report, an email or a document. Our direct face-to-face presentation aims to change the actual behaviour, thoughts and beliefs of an audience. That is why we do it.
If our successful presentation has to impact our audience in a way that simply reading its content would not achieve then our mission statement has to capture these planned expectations. So, taking an example from a recent manufacturing presentation in the South West, our mission statement was:
"To ensure that the team understands the HR (Human Relations) impact of factory closure."
What can we say about this? It meets the requirement for a single sentence. It is succinct and to the point. It is measurable -- we should be able to gauge the team's understanding of the HR consequences quite readily. It also sound achievable within the context of a single presentation. And that should not be overlooked. We can not expect too much from only one presentation!
With the mission statement prepared, what is next? Well, my advice would be to park the mission statement for an hour. Then try to recall it from memory. If you can do so readily then you have got something that is fully workable and from which we can hang the working objectives of a quality and effective presentation. And that is the second step.
Before we click on the PowerPoint icon we should draft in a single sentence the planned achievement of our presentation. In today's business language we would recognise this as a mission statement. But unlike many vacuous mission statements the purpose of this one is to capture the planned impact of our presentation upon our audience. That is, how do we plan for our audience to respond? We should consider the following questions at this stage:
* After my presentation what will the audience do that is different?
* After the presentation what will they know that is different?
* Once they have heard the presentation what will they believe that is different?
Before we begin to physically lay the foundations of an effective presentation, let alone build its structure or prepare the PowerPoint slides we must have a firm grasp on the expected outcome of the presentation -- what it is that we are aiming to do. To be effective our presentation will have an impact upon our audience beyond that of a management report, an email or a document. Our direct face-to-face presentation aims to change the actual behaviour, thoughts and beliefs of an audience. That is why we do it.
If our successful presentation has to impact our audience in a way that simply reading its content would not achieve then our mission statement has to capture these planned expectations. So, taking an example from a recent manufacturing presentation in the South West, our mission statement was:
"To ensure that the team understands the HR (Human Relations) impact of factory closure."
What can we say about this? It meets the requirement for a single sentence. It is succinct and to the point. It is measurable -- we should be able to gauge the team's understanding of the HR consequences quite readily. It also sound achievable within the context of a single presentation. And that should not be overlooked. We can not expect too much from only one presentation!
With the mission statement prepared, what is next? Well, my advice would be to park the mission statement for an hour. Then try to recall it from memory. If you can do so readily then you have got something that is fully workable and from which we can hang the working objectives of a quality and effective presentation. And that is the second step.
Five Ways On How To Give Your Business Presentation In 30 Seconds Or Less
How many times on a daily basis are you asked to tell someone about your business? Have you ever stammered, scrambling for the right words to describe what you and your company are about? Do you feel that your business is so complex that you ramble on and on forever?
Preparing carefully ahead of time for such situations can be one of the most important things that you do. It is called your 30 second commercial or elevator presentation. It is basically just that. In 30 seconds you should be able to tell precisely the most important details about your company.
If you advertise, you already understand the need to shorten information into bullet points. The same concept applies here.
For those of you who attend weekly social networking luncheons, here are some creative things that you can do to keep interest. This is the most advantageous time to practice your point power presentation.
1. Have a different theme for each month. Each week can be a variation of your
monthly theme. If your company offers different products, highlight a different one each week.
2. Be creative. Some people use exactly the same 30 second commercial over and over
again. Even though their presentation may be excellent, people tire of them.
3. Take advantage of holiday's. Most business's can be fit into gift giving holidays.
Jewelry for example can be easily promoted at Christmas and Mother's Day.
4. Play a question/answer game. You can ask people questions about your company and then when they get the answer correct, throw them a candy bar. This is a lot of fun and leaves a memorable impression!
5. Sing a few seconds of a song. If you have a good voice, Christmas is a perfect month to sing part of your 30 seconds. Close with a few seconds of your name and company. This was done at a luncheon with great results.
Almost every company has multi-faceted, detailed and complex information. By bullet pointing key information, you can create interest in your business. Later a more in depth presentation can be given. Before and after the luncheon is when true networking is done. Business transactions are commonly closed after the luncheon or appointments are made for later discussion.
When you are giving your 30 second commercial, be relaxed! Do not try to put 2 minutes worth of information into 30 seconds. Speak slowly and comfortably. Some people try to put two or three business presentations into 30 seconds. This is a huge mistake! It takes away credibility. It also does not leave time to give any business a clear picture of the product or service. Everyone will be confused, not enticed to learn more.
If you think that your 30 second commercial is not important, let me share a true story with you. A man got into the elevator with a woman at a large entrepreneur convention. The woman asked what he did. By the time they reached their floor, the woman handed her business card to him and said, "I came to look for a company to invest in. Call me, I have just found it."
Preparing carefully ahead of time for such situations can be one of the most important things that you do. It is called your 30 second commercial or elevator presentation. It is basically just that. In 30 seconds you should be able to tell precisely the most important details about your company.
If you advertise, you already understand the need to shorten information into bullet points. The same concept applies here.
For those of you who attend weekly social networking luncheons, here are some creative things that you can do to keep interest. This is the most advantageous time to practice your point power presentation.
1. Have a different theme for each month. Each week can be a variation of your
monthly theme. If your company offers different products, highlight a different one each week.
2. Be creative. Some people use exactly the same 30 second commercial over and over
again. Even though their presentation may be excellent, people tire of them.
3. Take advantage of holiday's. Most business's can be fit into gift giving holidays.
Jewelry for example can be easily promoted at Christmas and Mother's Day.
4. Play a question/answer game. You can ask people questions about your company and then when they get the answer correct, throw them a candy bar. This is a lot of fun and leaves a memorable impression!
5. Sing a few seconds of a song. If you have a good voice, Christmas is a perfect month to sing part of your 30 seconds. Close with a few seconds of your name and company. This was done at a luncheon with great results.
Almost every company has multi-faceted, detailed and complex information. By bullet pointing key information, you can create interest in your business. Later a more in depth presentation can be given. Before and after the luncheon is when true networking is done. Business transactions are commonly closed after the luncheon or appointments are made for later discussion.
When you are giving your 30 second commercial, be relaxed! Do not try to put 2 minutes worth of information into 30 seconds. Speak slowly and comfortably. Some people try to put two or three business presentations into 30 seconds. This is a huge mistake! It takes away credibility. It also does not leave time to give any business a clear picture of the product or service. Everyone will be confused, not enticed to learn more.
If you think that your 30 second commercial is not important, let me share a true story with you. A man got into the elevator with a woman at a large entrepreneur convention. The woman asked what he did. By the time they reached their floor, the woman handed her business card to him and said, "I came to look for a company to invest in. Call me, I have just found it."
Better Presentations - Stop Making Ugly And Ineffective PowerPoint Slides
I was recently putting together a tutorial on "how to create a company funding presentation" when I decided to do a Google search on '.ppt'. I wanted to see if I could find some examples of ineffective presentations that I could correct with better graphics and messaging but I was unprepared for just how many bad presentations were out there. Many of the presentations were so bad that I couldn't even figure out what they were trying to say.
It is time for this to stop. Anyone can create a good PowerPoint presentation; it just takes a little work and basic understanding of visual impact. Here are the basics:
Know your target audience -- You must know who you are presenting to in order to be effective. Write down who they are, their goals are, and any emotions they may have related to those goals and to your presentation. Use this to check every slide to make sure that it speaks to your audience.
Know you objective-- What do you want out of the presentation? Exactly what do you want your audience to do when you are done with that last slide? Write it down and then do a sanity check when you are done creating your presentation to make sure you accomplish your goal.
Understand the format -- Are you giving a 10 minute pitch or a four hour seminar? If it is a 10 minute pitch, you are going to need slides with very few words. Of course if it is a four hour seminar, slides with fewer words are also more kind to your audience.
Use basic graphics design techniques -- The following are some simple things you can do to make your slides more readable and effective:
1. Colors -- Pick a color scheme and stick with it. Pick some colors from your logo or website that will work well for all your graphics and stick with those colors. Avoid the use of too much bright red as it can be very jarring to the eye.
2. Fonts -- Use san-serif fonts (the fonts without the little lines on the top and bottom) because they are easy to read for small quantities of text. Use one simple font throughout the presentation. Use different font sizes and weights for emphasis only. If you change a font size, make sure it is substantially different from the other fonts on the page. Using some fonts in 20pt and others in 22pt just looks muddled.
3. Alignment -- Align charts, graphs, and words with other text and elements on the page. Your slides will look neater and immediately become more legible.
4. Focus -- Pick a single focal point for each slide. Make sure your audience knows what you want to emphasize just by looking at the slide. Make that part of your slide is in a contrasting color or larger font.
4. Point -- Each slide has a point, why not put that point in the title? Your audience will know immediately what you are trying to convey with that slide.
6. Clean-up -- Get rid of anything in the slide that doesn't belong. Get rid of all extra words -- never use full sentences in a PowerPoint presentation. Get rid of any graphics that are not core to the point of the slide. Don't be afraid of white space. A slide with a lot of white space is often a welcome break in a presentation.
Those are the basics! You are well on your way to making a more effective presentations.
It is time for this to stop. Anyone can create a good PowerPoint presentation; it just takes a little work and basic understanding of visual impact. Here are the basics:
Know your target audience -- You must know who you are presenting to in order to be effective. Write down who they are, their goals are, and any emotions they may have related to those goals and to your presentation. Use this to check every slide to make sure that it speaks to your audience.
Know you objective-- What do you want out of the presentation? Exactly what do you want your audience to do when you are done with that last slide? Write it down and then do a sanity check when you are done creating your presentation to make sure you accomplish your goal.
Understand the format -- Are you giving a 10 minute pitch or a four hour seminar? If it is a 10 minute pitch, you are going to need slides with very few words. Of course if it is a four hour seminar, slides with fewer words are also more kind to your audience.
Use basic graphics design techniques -- The following are some simple things you can do to make your slides more readable and effective:
1. Colors -- Pick a color scheme and stick with it. Pick some colors from your logo or website that will work well for all your graphics and stick with those colors. Avoid the use of too much bright red as it can be very jarring to the eye.
2. Fonts -- Use san-serif fonts (the fonts without the little lines on the top and bottom) because they are easy to read for small quantities of text. Use one simple font throughout the presentation. Use different font sizes and weights for emphasis only. If you change a font size, make sure it is substantially different from the other fonts on the page. Using some fonts in 20pt and others in 22pt just looks muddled.
3. Alignment -- Align charts, graphs, and words with other text and elements on the page. Your slides will look neater and immediately become more legible.
4. Focus -- Pick a single focal point for each slide. Make sure your audience knows what you want to emphasize just by looking at the slide. Make that part of your slide is in a contrasting color or larger font.
4. Point -- Each slide has a point, why not put that point in the title? Your audience will know immediately what you are trying to convey with that slide.
6. Clean-up -- Get rid of anything in the slide that doesn't belong. Get rid of all extra words -- never use full sentences in a PowerPoint presentation. Get rid of any graphics that are not core to the point of the slide. Don't be afraid of white space. A slide with a lot of white space is often a welcome break in a presentation.
Those are the basics! You are well on your way to making a more effective presentations.
Find Success in Business with These Excellent Presentation Skills
Did you know that without good, clear communication your business will never be effective nor efficient? It's plain and simple to understand. Your business will not succeed or last for long if you can't get your message across to others. The ability to deliver an cohesive, clear and compelling presentation is often undervalued in the business world but it is a core value for any business.
One of the more effective ways of communicating your business's message to a large number of people all at once is through a presentations. These are more than just communicating information, however. They need to be able to create interest and excitement in your business along with trust and enthusiasm in you. Here are some simple tips to help you craft your presentation skills effectively:
* Structuring - Think of your presentation as a story and just like any story it needs a beginning, a middle and an end. Structure the presentation around these three premises and clearly define all three as well. Try your best to provide your listeners with new information or put a new interpretation on existing information.
* Relevancy - What makes your presentation and more importantly, your message relevant to the audience? Don't let them decide if you are relevant; tell them you are. Throughout the presentation, focus on main message all times to tell your listeners why you are relevant. If it the first trial run of this isn't on topic, trash it and start over with a new that it. Everyone in the audience is asking themselves how is this relevant to me. Your presentation should answer that.
* Enthusiasm - If you're not enthusiastic about your presentation, then why should anybody else be? While, it is good to show some passion in your message, try not to get too carried away. There isn't a quicker way to lose an audience than becoming too over-the-top.
* Practice - Don't expect to walk into that room and perform flawlessly without practicing over your presentation. It will never happen. In order to nail it and convince your audience that your position is the side to be on, you better know the presentation like the back of your hand. Know how in's and out's of any equipment you plan on using. Have a backup plan ready just in case there are any technical problems.
* Know you subject - It sounds pretty obvious to be on this list but you would be surprised with how many presentations I've sat in where the speaker wasn't adequately informed as much as they should have been. No one in that room should know more about your subject matter than you. There is no getting around this step. They may know the subject as well as you do, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't know a unique spin on the topic. Get clear on what message you want to convey to your listeners.
One of the more effective ways of communicating your business's message to a large number of people all at once is through a presentations. These are more than just communicating information, however. They need to be able to create interest and excitement in your business along with trust and enthusiasm in you. Here are some simple tips to help you craft your presentation skills effectively:
* Structuring - Think of your presentation as a story and just like any story it needs a beginning, a middle and an end. Structure the presentation around these three premises and clearly define all three as well. Try your best to provide your listeners with new information or put a new interpretation on existing information.
* Relevancy - What makes your presentation and more importantly, your message relevant to the audience? Don't let them decide if you are relevant; tell them you are. Throughout the presentation, focus on main message all times to tell your listeners why you are relevant. If it the first trial run of this isn't on topic, trash it and start over with a new that it. Everyone in the audience is asking themselves how is this relevant to me. Your presentation should answer that.
* Enthusiasm - If you're not enthusiastic about your presentation, then why should anybody else be? While, it is good to show some passion in your message, try not to get too carried away. There isn't a quicker way to lose an audience than becoming too over-the-top.
* Practice - Don't expect to walk into that room and perform flawlessly without practicing over your presentation. It will never happen. In order to nail it and convince your audience that your position is the side to be on, you better know the presentation like the back of your hand. Know how in's and out's of any equipment you plan on using. Have a backup plan ready just in case there are any technical problems.
* Know you subject - It sounds pretty obvious to be on this list but you would be surprised with how many presentations I've sat in where the speaker wasn't adequately informed as much as they should have been. No one in that room should know more about your subject matter than you. There is no getting around this step. They may know the subject as well as you do, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't know a unique spin on the topic. Get clear on what message you want to convey to your listeners.
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