How to Pick the Perfect Mother’s Day Present

When Mother’s Day comes around, it fills a lot of people with dread because they have to buy their mother the perfect gift. This can mean a lot of stress and if the present is not met with the perfect reaction, then they will stress about the gift for a few months afterwards.

If you are in this position this year, then you will know that level of stress feels, all over a gift for a person that you have known your whole life. It shouldn’t be this hard and sometimes it isn’t.

However, if you are approaching middle age, then you have a lot of mother’s day gifts behind you and you might be running out of ideas for what to get her. Therefore, the stress levels will rise and you might be in a state of panic over what to buy.

If this sounds familiar, then read on for some tips on how to get the perfect gift for your mother on Mother’s Day.

Ask Her

If you are not sure what she would want and you have no idea where to start, then you should think about asking her. It is likely that you will get the token mother answer and she will say, ‘nothing dear, just your love.’

She is trying to be nice but this answer is extremely irritating, especially since you honestly have no idea where to start. Try explaining to her that you are really stuck and this is her chance to get something that she really needs. She will probably give you an answer in this case.

Money or a Gift Card

You can the risk and give her money or a gift card. She might appreciate this, but the problem that you will have is that doing this does not look like you have put enough effort in.

She will think that she has been there for you her entire life and you can’t even be bothered to buy her a gift. She won’t know that you tried your hardest, but were not able to find anything for her.

It is recommended that you only give her money or a gift card if she explicitly asks for it; otherwise she is not going to like it.

Shopping

If you are stuck and you really don’t want to ask her what she wants, you could take her on a shopping mission. The trick here is to not tell her that you are looking for a gift, but to keep an eye on all the items she picks up to have a look at.

If she picks something up and then puts it back because it is too expensive for her, then you should take note and then go back later to buy it. She will really appreciate that you have been taking notice.

Jewellery

You can’t go wrong with jewellery, but you need to know what type of jewellery she likes. If you buy something that is too much for her, she might never wear it.

So, look in her jewellery box, take a picture of it if you have a smart phone, and buy something that is similar to what she already has, but not exactly the same. She will appreciate that you have took the time to find out what she really likes.

You could always take her into the store with you and ask her to choose something that she likes.

Winning Business Presentation Design – Creation, Formatting, Illustration Techniques Discussed

Business presentations can make or break a business proposition. Understanding key design elements and setting up your presentation can go far to assure success. There are specific items techniques that will assure a quality product. While there many other approaches, permutations, sources, and skills, these will produce a very high quality product.

The first item we want to consider is the presentation theme. Microsoft PowerPoint is probably the most readily available product. Because of this, we will focus on a presentation using this product. First, Microsoft PowerPoint offers a variety of themes as part of the package. These are not very imaginative, but in general they are conservative and will not make a bad impression. Moreover, you can tailor the color pallet, font selection, and font size on the master for each of these themes. Don’t stray too far from what is expected, but keep in mind that a good impression is the objective. Since this is the case, you probably should perform a search for free downloadable PowerPoint themes from the Internet. This will expand the possibilities, increase the impact, and improve the professional feel of your presentation.

Next, ensure the text in your presentation offers correct grammar and spelling. Nothing destroys the impact of a presentation like the immediate sense that the product is sloppily prepared.

If you are making a presentation, you are selling something. You may be selling your expertise. You may be selling the conclusions you reached from research. You may be trying to close a contract or win an investor. While you may not be a sales person, you need to expect that by definition a presentation means you are selling. Therefore, you need to decide what conclusion you expect your audience to reach. Then you need to set up your presentation to deliver that conclusion. This means that your charts need to tell them what you want them to understand, explain why this is important to them, and emotionally involves them in reaching your intended conclusion.

Now for the individual charts of your presentation. Keep your audience focused. This implies that every chart should be animated. This feature will take a few minutes to master, but choose appropriate animations that bring the audience’s focus to the charts with each main bullet. Follow the main bullets with animations bringing in subsequent bullets one at a time or in groups as the presentation objectives support. Changing it up can be valuable. A single very consistent display of items may not be the best choice. Instead use a variety of animations considering what is appropriate given the intended message and the audience.

Next, apply transitions between the slides. Transitions again help bring your audience back in focus as the motion of the change helps regain their attention.

Finally, apply graphics that support emotionally the conclusions your presentation intends.

As a presenter, these hints for visual appeal, quality appearance, solid fundamental form, and impactful display go far to assure the desired presentation result.

Master The Uncertainty Of Presentations

Why try to fool ourselves? Presenting to a group is fraught with uncertainty. If you want to know exactly what will happen at every moment, you’d be better off hiding in the closet. Here’s the secret for feeling confident in every situation…

In spite of extreme risks and rampant uncertainty, giving presentations and speaking in public are a part of every professional’s life. Certainly as you progress in your career, you can expect to give more presentations. And each public speaking event is likely to present more challenges and more uncertainties than the last one.

What’s the best way to cope with the unknowns?

Hmmm… does pushing the variables under the rug work?

Nope.

Let’s see. How about sneaking out the side door and letting someone else deal with butterflies and nervous jitters?

Not if you want to rise to the top.

Face the facts. The best coping strategy is not ignorance. Or avoidance. Yet, many professionals use these strategies when it comes to presenting and speaking to groups.

There is an alternative.

Learn and use a systematic approach to build remarkable presentations. Follow a simple plan to produce exciting and engaging talks. The big mistake that many subject matter experts make is: heading into a presentation without a systematic process.

No wonder the alternatives of hiding or avoiding look so attractive.

Just about everything that works well in business is a system. You have a system for strategic planning, project management, and sales efforts. Why wouldn’t you have an equally thought through system for presenting?

The only reason that consistently pops up for NOT having a presentation system is: assigning ‘presentations’ into a category of ‘unimportant.’

If one believes that presenting is not a valuable use of time, then it would make sense to not have a system for doing it.

But that’s just foolish. One 5-minute presentation in front of the right people could do a whole lot more for your career than 5 years behind a desk. You could get a promotion, seal a deal, or get funding for your dream project. One presentation could unlock doors that would never be touched if you remain hidden deep in research.

Just last week I coached a woman who was struggling with this very issue. She had so many ideas for her 1-hour talk, that she could have easily written a 700-page book. Without a proven process, she spent hours dissecting ideas, jumping from one topic to the next.

In a short time together, we whittled down the massive volume to a few key concepts and a single theme. Instead of tearing her hair out, she was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

“This process was incredibly helpful! I never could have done it without you.”

Presenting in public can be scary and daunting. There are unknowns and risks. People may sit in stony silence. Participants may ask uncomfortable questions. Problems may emerge that you aren’t sure how to answer.

But with a solid system to plan your story, share your ideas, and guide interaction…you will feel ready to take on the unknown. Interested in building your confidence and growing your presentation skills?