How to Make Presentations Without PowerPoint

In these days, most of the presentations are made by a powerful tool called PowerPoint. In addition, there are lecturers and teachers who use this tool to make the learning process and teaching more interesting. However, there are some people making their presentations without using such tool.

Without PowerPoint, presentations can be quite boring. The reason is that they will be monotonous without any visual aid and music background. Presentations with PowerPoint usually provide the audience with a change in the presentation, and additionally provide the crowd with some explanations visually to the points being told. So without PowerPoint, the presentation requires the presenter to use his or her creativity. The reason is that the creativity is the only technique to keep the audience motivated and interested in the presentation!

The most important thing to be kept in mind to make a successful presentation without the help of PowerPoint is to know exactly what to talk about. If you are the matter of the issues intended to present, you will present it very well without PowerPoint. However, you should ensure making your presentation after you have learned about the nature and temperament of your audience.

At the beginning of your presentation, you need to present it and keep the end of your presentation in mind at the same time. You should know what your presentation talks about, because you may lose the audience’s interest without PowerPoint! Whatever you say, you should ensure seeing, hearing and feeling exactly what you want them to respond to. Make a strong beginning to the presentation. It is essential that your appearance and first words should be interesting enough to keep your audience glued to you listing. One of the most effective techniques to make a connection with your audience is to tell them a story or a universal appeal anecdote.

It is necessary to use props in a presentation without PowerPoint. The reason is that props are basically worth more than a thousand words. With such props, the audience tends to anchor their thoughts to these props. It makes no difference if the prop is serious or funny, small or large as long as it really relates to what you are trying to talk about and the audience can see it! Another technique to ensure that your audience loves you and your presentation although you do not use PowerPoint is to bring answers to the questions they have. As regards the audience, you can have a general idea of what their questions are; it is all dependent on you as it comes to bringing new ideas to your audience to try.

Keep in mind that because you do not use PowerPoint, you are just the visual aid and sound effect of your own presentation. People will get more interest in whatever you say, instead of overheads, visuals or fancy slides. So essentially, it is important for you as a speaker to be more well-versed and self-confident in your speech without PowerPoint.

Polite Business Negotiations

Business negotiations are a fact of life for most professionals. But there’s a world of difference between smart negotiation tactics and manipulative ploys.

Many people mistakenly put too much energy into manipulating others to get what they want instead of strategizing to conduct a mutually respectful negotiation. We’ve all seen these manipulative ploys – behaviors designed to throw the other negotiator off-guard so he inadvertently agrees to things while emotionally unnerved. These include maneuvers such as deferring decisions to a higher authority to buy time, asking for more at the end of the negotiation, artificially raising one’s voice to challenge a stated price, or pitting offers against those of fictitious competitors.

The ethical negotiator resists these shortcuts, and instead uses a professional and methodical approach. Here are nine tips to help you succeed as a savvy, ethical negotiator:

o Plan your strategy. Know ahead of time what you want, what you think you’ll get, and what your “walk away” position is. During the planning phase, set your aspirations as high as possible and find out as much as you can about the other negotiator. Ask yourself, “What will they likely open with or ask for during the meeting?”

o List your “bargaining currencies.” Compile a list of items you may use to bargain with during the negotiation in order to move the discussion in a favorable direction. Currencies can include the timing of a final transaction, the support and service required, or the number of units you will take. The longer your list, the stronger your starting position.

o Research the other negotiator. Find out as much as possible about the other party beforehand. Is he/she a forceful negotiator? Does he/she have time constraints on the project? Is his/her company solidly in place or is it one that is still building a reputation? If you know the other negotiator’s style you will be able to modify how you typically communicate in a way that flexes more in the other person’s direction, thus improving rapport.

o Create a positive climate. Your goal when face-to-face with your negotiator is to be conversational, relational, and energetic. Body language should communicate receptivity and a willingness to listen to the other person’s point of view.

o Bring an agenda both parties can use. This action will subtly give you control over the meeting. Get agreement from your fellow negotiator. Saying something like, “Does this include everything we need to discuss?” will ensure that you are both at the same starting point. If the other negotiator challenges the content of the agenda, this will be the first part f the negotiation you must tackle.

o Neutrally obtain information. Ask open-ended questions to gain as much information as possible during the negotiation. At this stage, remain as nonjudgmental as possible. For example, acknowledge everything but agree to little. During this phase focus on uncovering the importance of various factors to your opponent. If you know what the other person values and in what order, you will be a better negotiator.

o State positions. You and your fellow negotiator must state your respective positions, which often means talking price. Always get the other person to talk dollars first, because it generally gives you a stronger position. Remember, unless both of you clearly know the other’s starting position, subsequent negotiation will be fruitless.

o Bargain methodically. Remember that giving and getting concessions is part of the process. For every concession you give, make sure you receive one in return. Because most concessions occur at the end of a negotiation, retain as many of them as long as possible so you can trade at the very end.

o Agree in writing. You should write a contract as soon as possible outlining agreements. If the final legal document will take some time, at least get a co-signed letter of agreement while you await detailed paperwork.

Shark Deterrents – Past & Present

Since humans have gone into the water with sharks the desire to be able to repel sharks has always been ever-present. The natives in the Amazon used red peppers dragged behind a boat to stop bull sharks and many other ancient cultures used many other methods with little or no definitive success.

Until the 1900′s no real effort was pursued and the pivotal moment was the USS Indianapolis which was sunk in World War II. Once the sailors went into the water the ocean white tips and other open ocean sharks picked off those who survived in great numbers.

This prompted the US navy to develop a shark repellent that would give sailors a sense of comfort and safety if they found themselves in the water with sharks. The packet was composed of a dye and copper acetate as the main ingredients which in some cases deterred sharks. There was also a bag that the sailor or airman got into which masked his scent and hopefully prevented a shark attack.

Under optimal conditions these deterrents and protective measure worked but the shark being one of the ultimate predators of the oceans was not always prevented from attacking the person in the water. So many conditions need to be perfect for these deterrents to be effective such as the type of shark, the water conditions, salinity, current, proximity to the shark and how hungry the shark is.

In recent years technology has improved and so have innovations in shark defense. Magnets, electro-magnetic fields and chemicals have been developed with varying claims of success.

Some of the products on the market today are the shark banz, shark shield, shark replusion, shark chaser, electronic shark defense system, shark defense and a new entry being, shark bio barrier. Well, the shark may or may not be affected by any or all these systems at any given time, place or condition. That’s a fact!

The prices range from $25 to $499 and everything in between. One thing to consider if the shark deterrent is an electronic device then the salt water will eventually render it useless. If it is a passive magnet device then it won’t break but the science is still uncertain as to its effectiveness. And if it depends on a dead shark chemical then it still is affected by currents, the type of shark, water conditions and other variables. In other words nothing works all the time every time, period!

The thing about sharks is they are smarter than we realize and will sense that the particular deterrent they are dealing with has its limitations and will exploit the limitations by testing what it can or can not do. Remember that all the testing in the world will not prevent an ambush attack or an aggressive shark such as a large bull or tiger shark.

The shark deterrent, shark bio barrier is based on the shark’s smell and electric sensing system and it is a passive system which can’t break or fail due to a malfunction. The bio available essential oils with the natural magnetic mineral, magnetite work in combination to mask your odor, make your presence unpleasant and disrupt their electric sensing system. Priced at $29.95 for the recreational size it is very affordable and comes in a canister with a built in brush so you can lightly coat different objects on your person prior to entering the water. Very easy to apply and remove.

Is it perfect? No, nothing is and may never be! There are so many different species of dangerous sharks that under various conditions will attack out of curiosity, hunger or outright aggression. There are too many variables in play to guarantee total shark deterrence but if you are able to deter many of them then you are much safer than the people who choose to use nothing at all. Peace of mind is priceless and anything that can provide it is also priceless.

Do your own research and make an educated decision on what shark deterrent you want to depend on. Something to consider is that the US Navy has not officially endorsed any shark repellent on the market today and they have the most stringent testing requirements in the world today!