thocuria.info

I was on my way to a national conference when I met a fellow speaker in the airport. “My carry-on suitcase is filled with handouts and few clothes,” I commented. He shook his head and said he didn’t distribute handouts any more. If an attendee needed a handout, he or she could go to his website and download it.

As an experienced speaker, I can tell you I still distribute printed handouts. Why do I use them?

First of all, attendees like and benefit from written materials. However, the idea of giving attendees your Power Point presentation is fading. Attendees want and expect more. Olivia Mitchell describes the benefits in her Speaking About Presenting website article, “13 Best Practice Tips for Effective Presentation Handouts.” She says handouts allow the speaker to cut down on the material that is presented. Handouts guide the speaker and you don’t have to worry about forgetting what you planned to say because you’re referring to your handout(s).

Handouts help attendees to remember your talk and you. If you include contact information, as I do, attendees can easily contact you later. I think handouts help attendees to relax. They don’t have to follow every word or take copious notes because your handouts contain essential information.

Handouts may also include new information, things you don’t cover in your talk. For example, at the bottom of a handout you may list some additional resources. After the attendees have returned home, they can read your handouts and recall your presentation.

The handouts you create fall into three general categories, uncompleted handouts, outlines (also called skeletal handouts), and worksheets. Simple handouts work best for me and I often give attendees an outline of my talk, with space beneath the points for notes. This is an example of an uncompleted handout.

I’ve also developed a worksheet, with bulleted headings for workshop attendees to complete. For the conference bookstore, I’ve created a list of the grief resources I’ve written — a publicity handout. Over the years I’ve come up with my “how to” points for creating handouts, and these points may help you.

1. Use simple words and avoid jargon.

2. Add a visual, a photo, clip art, or symbol, to every handout.

3. Make every handout as attractive as you can; nobody wants an ugly handout.

4. Copyright the handout in your name.

5. Include your phone number, email address, and website address if you have one.

6. Color-code handouts so attendees may find them easily.

You’re probably wondering about when you should distribute your handouts. I give attendees the skeletal handout at the beginning of my talk or workshop, and pass out additional handouts during the talk as needed. This keeps attendees from shuffling papers and losing track of the points you are making at the moment.

No doubt about it, providing handouts costs money, and you are the only person who can decide whether the investment is worth it. Personally, I think handouts speak well for you and your expertise. You provide handouts because you care about the attendees and they will figure this out. Good handouts “speak” for you long after your presentation is over.

Copyright 2013 by Harriet Hodgson

The average attention span of a literate adult is 20 minutes.

Good, you think to yourself. 20 minutes is plenty of time.

But how many speeches have you sat through where you fell asleep within the first two minutes?

And how afraid are you that people are going to do the same for yours?

It seems terribly obvious: unless you’re interesting, no one is going to pay attention. When you watch an episode of the O.C. or Gray’s Anatomy, you’re there to be entertained. You watch because the plot twists and the developing relationships on-screen are interesting. Not interesting? You switch the channel.

People may not have the luxury of turning off a speaker. But they can certainly turn off their own brains, and if you’re not careful, you’ll find most people snoozing in their chairs.

Find out your audience’s expectations, and do your best to break them. Does your audience expect you to be very formal? Take off your jacket and walk out from behind your podium. Does your audience expect you to be very serious? Be irreverent. Be self-deprecating.

One simple way to do this is to ask unexpected questions. It makes people think and also keeps them awake because it’s embarrassing to be singled out for sleeping.

5) Laugh! Never underestimate the power of humour. It’s been said to the death, but somehow people still don’t seem to get it. And they end up with dead audiences.

And I don’t mean just a humorous beginning or ending. Make sure you keep it up! It’s a pity if your audience doesn’t pay attention to the body of your speech.

6) Be visual. Okay, the above blog post advises that you ‘show a (half) naked woman’. But take that with a pinch of salt. It might not be appropriate, and you never know when you might have a dedicated, stone-throwing feminist in your audience.

Instead, you can be visual. It’s pretty much an undisputed fact that we remember images better than words. If you have a powerpoint presentation, make it visually striking. At the most basic level, it’s as simple as bolding words to make them stand out. At higher levels, you can add images or even videos.

7) If you’re stuck with words only, then use what fiction writers and poets have been using throughout the ages: metaphor, simile, and analogy. All these techniques are meant to call up images in the mind of the reader – or in your case, the listener – and help them retain your message better.

Tell stories [http://blog.ericfeng.com/getting-your-audience-engaged-excited-at-the-edge-of-their-seats-at-all-times]. It may sound difficult but it’s not, because we do it all the time.

When you tell your friends about the time you were stuck in a traffic jam or about dealing with your horrible boss or about the time you tried so hard to get tickets to a concert, you’re essentially portraying the essence of life: conflict.

Tell your audience about a particular conflict you resolved. It endears you to them and also helps them empathize with you. Besides that, stories are simply far more memorable and interesting than a series of unconnected facts.

9) Start writing your speech early. A lot of people wait till the very last minute to start working on their presentation, which results in them being unconfident and boring. If you don’t craft your jokes and stories carefully first, you’ll end up telling them badly or not telling them at all.

10) Keep your role as a public speaker in mind, all the time. You can start keeping a folder of notes or materials to use in any speech.

If something interesting happens to you, write it down. If a friend tells you a good joke or if you happen to read a nice anecdote from a book or the Internet, write it down. You never know when it’ll come in handy.

Do it yourself debt negotiation is difficult but only because you do not know how to do it. There are several success stories of people who have reduced their debts on their own and you could be one of them if you just give it a try. However, the key to succeeding is to know what is at stake. What you know of negotiating debts will get you that financial freedom that you have been dreaming about.

All debt situations are unique so there is no one formula to negotiate. Not to mention the fact that you will be dealing with creditors from different types of debts. There are, however, general tips that you can keep in mind to provide the debt relief success that you are aiming for.

On top of the list is to always mention bankruptcy. When debt negotiation or debt settlement is considered, it also means you are in dire financial situations. If you fail at this, your only option is bankruptcy. Creditors are scared of bankruptcy because this means there is a chance that they get nothing at all. They will be more likely to accept a settlement as it is a promise that they will receive even a small percentage of the debt owed. That is better than getting nothing after a bankruptcy judge rules it to happen. They will be powerless to come after the debtor once the court passes judgement. This is especially true for unsecured creditors.

The next tip is to aim for 50% or more in terms of debt reduction. Begin with a very low offer – like 20% or 25%. The creditor will offer a higher percentage for sure. Just be firm and do not agree to an amount that you cannot afford in the first place. Keep negotiating and explain that you cannot afford payments if they are higher than what you can pay for.

It is also important that you have cash on hand to offer your creditors. All debt settlement companies will ask you to stop paying your creditors and put that amount in a safe account instead. As you go through the negotiation process, you will grow that amount so you have something to offer once the negotiations are in full swing.

Through all of this, keep your eye on the bigger picture. Not all debts can be negotiated and this is usually limited to unsecured debts. Secured debts may be more difficult to reduce but here are tips that you can use if you have to negotiate with various creditors.

Credit Card Companies. These are practically the easiest and most negotiated debt among the others. They are more inclined to accept a settlement because they are the first to be discharged when the debtor files for bankruptcy.

Other Unsecured Loans and Personal Loans. This can be approached in the same way as credit card debt.

Debts with Local Merchants. If you have debts with any merchant, you can approach your debts just like your credit cards. These are among the first debts to be discharged during bankruptcy.

Mortgage Lenders. While debt reduction is usually not possible, you can negotiate for a loan modification. This will get you lower monthly payments but that is because you will be extending your term. If you have a loan with a small or local bank, your chances of getting an approval is more likely. A home refinancing can also be an option instead of opting for a foreclosure.

Other Secured Loans. Similar with mortgage lenders, it is usually easier to negotiate if you have a loan with a small bank. Bigger banks make it next to impossible to get a loan modification. But with a smaller bank, you can follow the usual techniques as those done with a credit card company.

Student Loans. This is one of the loans that cannot be discharged by bankruptcy so a debt reduction negotiation may not be possible. There are government programs that can help in reducing their monthly payments and sometimes, cancel the entire loan. However, you need to be qualified to avail of that privilege.

When you are in doubt, it is always best to get the aid of a debt professional. You may also consult a bankruptcy lawyer to give you advice on the right path that you should take towards getting rid of your debts.