There is little value in attending a sales presentation training workshop unless you come open to improving your presentation style.

In all the workshops we have run over the years, we have found that participants fall into two main mindsets:

1. Those who believe that anything "new and challenging" is risky and to be avoided.
2. Those who believe that they can learn new skills and that their ability to speak persuasively can be coached and developed.

Few of us would say that we present ourselves in the same way now as when we were teenagers. That's because personal ...

With more sunshine hours than anywhere else in the country, right on the water overlooking the Tasman Bay from one of the nicest stretches of coast in New Zealand, there couldn't be a better place to get away from it all and relax than Nelson. The city is a popular destination in the South Island and attracts a huge number of visitors every year.

The words "unwind" and "work" often don't sit well together in the same sentence. When the year has started up and everybody is back into the swing of things, pining for the holiday that ...

When planning an event whether it is for your business or having a family wedding affair, a creative and innovative flower arrangement can really set the theme for your party. Although flowers can be costly, and usually just disposed of after the event, they can really transform a room or outside setting into a festive and inviting space.

Party flowers are usually coordinated by a company that specializes in the production of these large scale events. These companies know how to effectively fill a room with floral arrangements that create a theme or setting for the given party, or corporate ...

In John C Maxwell's book "Becoming a person of influence", he says that "if your desire is to be successful or to make a positive impact on your world, you need to become a person of influence. Without influence, there is no success."

For today's executives who project influence and confidence, this means getting more done through their teams. As companies move towards global and matrix organisations, being effective means less command-and-control and more encouraging, advocating and inspiring. The best executives are able to attract people and resources by defining and expressing a purpose. Much like Steve Job ...

The halo effect is a cognitive bias that leads us to generalize and stereotype a person's characteristics based on limited information. When we see certain favorable qualities in a person we assume the existence of other favorable qualities, even though there may be no basis for doing so. If someone is talented in one area, we also assume she is performs well in other areas. Usually, we have no idea we are falling prey to this bias.

Physical attractiveness is one of the strongest qualities when it comes to creating a halo. For example, studies have shown that teachers ...

Recently I watched "Mr. Popper's Penguins" with my daughter. Thom Popper (played by Jim Carrey) is a supremely confident salesman and dealmaker. In one scene he goes to close a deal on a valuable property, when the owner suddenly decides he doesn't want to sell. There is no point in arguing or even attempting to reason with the man - his mind is made up. There is only one thing to do: touch his emotions with a story.

Popper notices his prospect has a model ship and other nautical trappings adorning his office. Popper surmises that Mr. Prospect's ...

Sorry about the morbid title, but if you bear with me you will find this article uplifting. I've been to a couple of funerals recently, and I noticed something about eulogies.

Most of us don't attend many funerals, and we give even fewer eulogies. You don't really learn how to give a eulogy in school. So how do we manage to come up with some comforting, thought provoking, or even inspiring words under these difficult circumstances? Most of us model what we see on TV and in movies.

The tributes offered in funerals on TV and in ...

There have been many books written about Steve Jobs' skill as a presenter. Jobs is widely acclaimed as the 'gold standard' of presenters. And he certainly was outstanding. But the Apple co-founder was only human, and he made mistakes and missed opportunities just like the rest of us. So before you try to make yourself over as the next Steve Jobs there are a few things you should know.

You're not Steve Jobs. Jobs was a celebrity. He could deliver presentations to thousands of people while dressed in jeans, a black T-shirt, and sneakers. He was only one of ...

How can you ensure that your presence at a trade show doesn't get stale after year one?

Well, if you purchase or have purchased a conference exhibit the strategy is called spend, spend, and spend some more.

In order to maintain impact at a convention you have to maintain a certain amount of innovation. It's more than plausible to assume that after two years your current exhibit, booth, or display is completely out of date and out of touch with your consumer.

Therefore; by purchasing your trade show exhibit you are spending an enormous amount of money on ...