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Festive Presents for Men

Looking for Christmas gifts for the special guy that you know and love is a challenging task for us girls. We aren’t men so how do we know what they like? Choosing the best treat for any man can be hard work… So when it comes to the males who you are closest to (be it your father, your partner, or your brother) we sometimes need to get help in choosing their perfect Christmas gift.

If you’re a woman and you’re struggling to think of what to get the man in your life, don’t panic – I’m here to help!

To start with all men are secretly boys at heart. They love gadgets, electronic gifts, ‘guys games’ and ‘boys toys’! Digital devices and cool electronic gizmos are the most in-demand merchandise for men at Christmas. You can always find new gadgetry in stores and online and there are literally hundreds of adverts on TV offering the next best thing that guys just have to have. If you’re not worried about a budget then you will be overwhelmed with the choice in the market however, at the same time, if money’s a bit tight, you can still find a vast number of electronic and digital items to treat your man to. iPods, PlayStations, Nintendo Wii’s & Nintendo DS’s line the shelves of electric stores and warehouses. Or what about 3D TV sets? Your male friend will be amazed if you present him with this up and coming gift on Christmas morning! If your income is more modest, you can find loads of gadgets that your husband, boyfriends or father, will love! If your man loves his laptop you could get him a funky wireless mouse or keyboard set at an inexpensive price.

Another brilliant idea that will go down a treat for the many you love is a Gift Experience Day. If he’s the outdoorsy type, you could get him a day out rock climbing or paintballing. If he loves cars, you could treat him to a drive round the racetrack in an expensive super powered car. Or what about a flying lesson? Being a pilot has to be every boy’s dream! Whatever you pick it will certainly be a great day out for your man and, if you’re clever about it, you could organise it so you got a trip out to the theatre, or got to stay at a nice hotel with him as a lot of the breaks cater for 2 people! Males who love football, rugby, cricket, or any other sport, will revel in a tour around their favourite club’s ground organised by their girlfriend.

Although some of the gift experience days are pricey, you could split the cost between a group of you to ensure that your males friend gets a brilliant day out that doesn’t break your bank balance! There are literally hundreds of choices, so go online and have a look at what’s available.

Customized Christmas gifts like photo albums of the family would be a perfect seasonal treat for your Dad. There is an unlimited range of homemade gifts to choose from and the only thing stopping you is your own imagination! No matter what you create – whether it’s 100% made by you, or a personalised item in a shop (such as a mug, t-shirt or towel with a personal message or picture); a gift like this is bound to please. A bonus is that you can make it as expensive or inexpensive as you like; either way, it will look like you’ve spent a lot of time and effort choosing, making and creating your Christmas gift. Homemade gifts always make the recipient feel special!

If you want something totally off the wall, something that none of his guy friends will have, why not name a star after him? That will make him feel like a star himself and he’ll be boasting to everyone about his unique gift!

Confectioneries may be a good choice if the man you’re buying for has a sweet tooth. There are always loads of Christmas sweets, chocolates, alcoholic beverages and cakes in stores during the festive period. Everyone naturally associates women and chocolate, but lots of men love indulging in delicious, chocolaty treats too… so don’t forget them! Create a hamper of all of his favourite candies, or buy a ready made basket of Christmas food and drink. Either way, he’ll love the gift (or you might get to have a bite too!)

If you’re good in the kitchen then why not rustle up your own tasty treats for the men in your life? Bake some cakes and biscuits, create home made jams of your own recipe, or gift wrapped your own personal sweets and present them to your Dad or husband on Christmas day. They’re good fun to make and good fun to eat later! Homemade snacks like these are always a welcome gift to younger male cousins or brothers too! If you make enough they’ll last over the festive period too so it won’t be a short lived present.

Another gift idea that can be appreciated for much longer than Christmas day is a magazine subscription. If you know a gentleman who likes nothing better than kicking back after a hard day at work and lazing with a computer, car, golf or fishing magazine; then why not ensure he can carry on doing this for the whole of the next year? Most magazines offer weekly or monthly subscriptions, so you simply have to sign him up once and the voucher will last till next Christmas!

Copyright (c) 2010 Paul Evans

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Self Marketing and Events – How to Present Yourself In Meet and Greets, Career Fairs and Workshops

For the sake of example, let’s use someone who provides services of designing smart phone applications. It is very in demand; however you have just started in business and desperately need clients. Believe it or not, your first step is designing business cards. Yes, those old fashioned, 8 track, analog seeming, physical business cards. Here’s why: sometimes your encounters with potential clients are so brief that you do not have time to take out smartphones and exchange web pages or phone numbers. Even though our sample entrepreneur provides a very high tech service, if his encounter is too brief, he needs to leave the potential customer something with his phone number. It’s a common mistake that some make; they think that people don’t like those clunky space consuming business cards in this modern age. Even if they don’t, when your service offered is something they want bad enough, they WILL save your card and call you back.

The second step in the situation of an entrepreneur is confidence. It can sometimes be very difficult when you are bleeding revenue, are in the red, or maybe do not have a single client yet. If the bills are going unpaid, if your life is falling apart, and the stress is eating you up; you’re going to have to suppress it. After reading around the web a lot we have found that one of the easiest ways to do this is when you are talking to a new person who may be a potential client, pretend that they have already paid you and you are thanking them. Everything is great, your smart phone apps are the best in the business, and you are getting ready to go cash their check. If you don’t, they will see your insecurity and may not be willing to hire you. It’s a vicious environment out there, and no matter how friendly people may seem on the surface, they are inwardly judging you at every second. Instead of saying “I really need the work, I hope you contact me”, try saying, “Excellent, I do believe that I am free, hope to hear from you soon”. Desperation is sensed, and fighting the urge to look desperate at the workshop or meet and greet is going to be your biggest asset in the battle of selling your own business.

As eager as you are to tell people that you create the coolest smartphone apps on the market, remember it is also key to listen. The bubbliest of personalities can really shoot themselves in the foot when it comes to presentation. If you know that the person you are speaking with at the workshop or expo is potentially one of the biggest purchasers of your apps that you make in the state; don’t bombard them; it is more important than ever to let them speak about what they want to speak about first, even if it is their vacation to Idaho to see potato fields. Then after some obligatory listening, you can let them know that you just launched your app creating venture. The client you want to land most may take some time, it will be important to have smaller jobs to tide you over. This is a very difficult time of any business, as some of the smaller clients may literally treat you worse and with less respect than the big fish you are after. You just have to handle these situations with grace, and you WILL know when it’s time to cut them loose. However they are invaluable to pay the bills on your way up.

If you are a job hunter seeking an hourly wage job in the world out there, no matter what anyone says, it is still like walking in a field full of landmines. One good word of advice is that even though we hate to say it; these days if an employer is just desperate to sign you up and have you start tomorrow; they may not be telling you what the job entails. Right now employers get their pick of talent no matter what the media tells you, and if they are hurriedly filling a position, it may be getting ready to be outsourced soon or simply be a very toxic environment.

Another thing to know is that we have been told over the last month that some employers are now taking their applicants through as many as SIX interviews, when the standard used to be 2 or 3. Yes, this can be very demoralizing; and you also have to answer questions from multiple people firing them at you. It is best as always to just be yourself, as cliché as that may sound. The main thing that your objective to let employers know about you is that you are going to help save them money. They do not care about your violin lesson teaching on the side, or softball league through church. It’s only the bottom line, and it will be this way for quite a few more years. As far as the current climate, without trying to sugarcoat anything; another tactic is that when the interview is over and the hr manager is thanking you for your time; you can always say outright, “Well I am interested in the position; is there any way to move things forward at all?” what happens is that when the interview is over, the applicant leaves, and sometimes the hiring manager has no idea if the applicant really wants the job. We live in a world where everything in life is full of headgames; swashbuckling your way through them is really more of a battle than doing the job every day once you land it.

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Presentation Skills Training: 5 Secrets For Fearless Presenting

Being able to present to a small or large group, speaking in public, and standing in the spotlight can bring even the bravest leader to his or her knees. Public speaking is the number 1 fear of most business professionals. Discover 5 easy secrets to move from fear to fearless.

In today’s fast-paced environment, comfort and confidence in business presenting is a must. You must be able to present effectively to a group-whether it is a group of peers, your superiors, or important clients.

But what if presenting makes you feel nauseous, queasy or having the overwhelming urge to run out of the room? If you are experiencing symptoms of presentation anxiety, there is hope. Use these quick and easy secrets to escape the jitters and shine in any spotlight.

As you can see from the 5 secrets, it’s time to make friends with the entire process and practice of presenting. Let’s jump into each of these 5 powerful secrets.

Secret 1. Training Is Your Friend
Many professionals not only dread presenting, they also avoid presentation skills training. This is strange and faulty logic. When you take a professional training seminar, you’ll get valuable insights. You’ll learn step-by-step processes that make presenting in public much easier to do well-and to do without fear.

Secret 2. Technology Is Your Friend
With radical advances in technology, it’s time to ‘make friends.’ If you’ve been resisting presenting because you feel technophobic, all that’s about to change.

Technology has gotten much, much simpler. For example, it’s easier these days to add colorful graphics to your PowerPoint slides. Just click on the SmartArt icon and find the graphic that’s right for you.

If you truly can’t relate to high-tech presentations, then go low-tech. Use a whiteboard to sketch while your audience watches. As this is not used as frequently as slides, you’ll show up as creative and innovative.

Secret 3. Presenting Is Your Friend
As presentation experts advise: “you can do more for your career in a 5-minute presentation than you can achieve in 5-years at your desk.” Face-to-face presentations get you noticed by the top brass. Presenting well in front of your boss or senior leadership puts you on the fast-track.

Secret 4. Coaching Is Your Friend
If you’re in luck, your company provides targeted presentation skills training. But if you are caught in a downturn and budgets are tight, take matters into your own hands. Get personal coaching and you’ll get the focused attention you deserve.

More and more professionals are opting for personal coaching delivered virtually because it is convenient, affordable and customized to what you need most. This is hard to achieve in a traditional classroom with 12-40 participants.

Secret 5. Rehearsing Is Your Friend
This important secret could be the most important. Rehearsing. Practicing. Practice your script. Rehearse what you say. Rehearse how you move. Practice overcoming objections. Practice responding to questions. Practice to make the most of the technology. Practice personal strategies to present with total confidence.

Break out each part of presenting so that you can improve your skills. The more you practice-and get real-time feedback from a professional coach, the faster you’ll improve.

When you look at these 5 secrets, it’s easy to see that fearless presenting is a skill that is completely learnable. And yes, you can learn how to present your way to the top of your career.

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