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We all know that shopping for a present is not the easiest thing in the world. Plus you ought to take care and time into choosing the ideal present for some one like your dad. Why? Many people will ask. Quite simply because your dad is the person you go to if you’re a lad to ask for advice and regardless of being a girl or a boy your dad is the one who probably has the money and you will ask for your spending money off your dad because he’s more easy to get over than maybe your mother.

Your dad maybe also special to you if you are a girl because he’s going to be the one that takes you through the aisle on your wedding day and not your mother. Also your dad is the one that if you require any home improvements doing or the gardening your father is the one that will most likely be called out as he has the expertise and the knowledge with so many of the households jobs.

So that’s why you want to buy something that little bit extra for your father or dad many like to call them. What ideas do you have? The traditional and old gift that people use to buy their dads were buying them a pair of socks or a tie. But these are just a bit too plain and boring if I may say so. I know if I was ever given a pair of socks or a tie from my children I’m not going to be over the moon. It’s just going to make me say in my mind “Oh another pair of socks to go with my other 100′s of collections”.

You want to buy them something that will make them smile, laugh and something that will make them want to take it everywhere they go and to show it off to their friends. That’s the best feeling a dad can ever have, is have something to show off to their mates at work or at the local social club to show what their children has brought them or maybe have crafted out something for them.

The very gift I can safely say is always a win-win all round is buying them t shirts and hooded tops. Why both you may be asking? Well I wouldn’t want to be wearing t shirts in the middle of winter or a hooded top in the middle of summer.

You may now thinking what slogans can I get printed for my dad that won’t be rude or offensive? The best slogan I would recommend for any dad is “If Found Please Return To The Pub” or if you really love your dad buy him a “My Kids Went On Holiday And All I got Was This Lousy T Shirts”. These sorts of t shirts always gets them laughing and will get them grabbing attention for when they are down the pub or at work.

A major problem I see with a lot of business presentations is that they seem to be more geared to the needs of the presenter (or the organisation) than to the needs of the audience.

This is one reason why so many presentations can appear irrelevant or uninteresting, even when delivered by very capable speakers. (This is also a reason why more presentation skills courses should pay some attention to content and not focus entirely on delivery, but that’s another topic).

I’m coming to think that many presenters could learn a thing or two from the world of coaching.

Broadly speaking, coaching has the following characteristics:

• it focuses on the person receiving the coaching, not on the coach
• it focuses on a specific need
• it leads towards action
• it is based on a dialogue
• it builds on the existing knowledge and experience of the person being coached
• information is fed in, if needed, only after exploring what the person needs
• the coach is seen, not as a subject specialist, but as someone with skills in helping others to learn and to bring about change
• the coach is not seen as the one with all the knowledge or all the answers

Contrast this with a lot of presentations that take place. Many of these:

• are very heavy on content and concerned mainly with passing on information
• are not focused on helping people meet a specific need
• place the emphasis on the presenter transferring his or her knowledge to the audience
• are a monologue delivered by the presenter rather than an interactive discussion

In general, presentations tend to be much more content – driven. In fact, it’s quite possible (although it’s not the best idea) to put together a presentation on any given topic without reference to a specific audience at all – and, in my experience, this often happens. Someone prepares a presentation, on the assumption that someone will find it useful, then looks for an audience to deliver it to.

Now, I’m not suggesting that all presenters should become coaches. Presentations have a different function and, of course, they are delivered to groups of people rather than individuals. But presenters could at least take some of the effective aspects of coaching to make their talks more focused and useful.

At the very least, following a coaching model would help to make sure that a presentation was designed to meet a real need and it would help the presenter in choosing the most relevant content.

For example, many coaches follow the GROW model, created by Sir John Whitmore. This is based on four stages, which can be thought of as four basic questions:

G – Goals: what do you want to achieve?

R – Reality: what are you doing now? How well is that working?

O – Options: what other approaches could you try?

W – Way forward: what are you going to do now?

If presenters asked these questions about their prospective audiences before preparing their talks:

• they would begin from the needs of the people they are speaking to
• they could be more certain that what they say is relevant and
• they could include content which is not there for its own sake but because it helps people to achieve a goal they are striving for.

And, in the end, if you’re not helping people to achieve something, why are you giving your presentation at all?

Your transitions, well planned and strong, will add a smoothness and professionalism to your presentations that will wow any audience.

What is a transition?
A transition is used when we change from one state to another, from one thought/idea to another, from one topic to another, and from one method to another – in other words, a transition serves as a bridge for change. It can be smooth and effective. Or, it can be jarring and ineffective. Transitions need to be well planned and rehearsed, so that they help our listeners receive the full benefit of our presentations.

Why should we use transitions?

• Our listeners aren’t as familiar with our material as we are. Transitions serve as guides and bridges between the directions we are going.
• Participants are often busy and distracted. By using smooth and effective transitions, we can grab their attention, lead them into each new area with ease and help them to latch onto our whole message.
• When we move to a new thought or topic, a listener may still be thinking about our last statement. A well-placed transition will give him or her time to catch up.

When, where and how do we use transitions?

• The first and most important transition is our opening. We must transition our listeners from their daily lives, their conversations with others and their present concerns into paying attention to us and what we have to share. If we don’t make a striking first impression, we often lose them for the rest of the presentation.
• Don’t say anything for several seconds. Give them some time to settle down. Then, start with a compelling story, a meaningful quotation, an interesting question to start participants thinking, or a startling statement.
• If you have a sufficient amount of time you may start with an ice breaker. Just keep in mind that some participants may not be ready this early on to take part in an ice breaker, while others will be delighted, so choose carefully.
• The next transitions should occur between important points, thoughts and/or topics. These transitions can be as simple and straight-forward as, “And that brings me to the next point.” Or, they can be much more creative which takes prior planning. I love to use stories that relate to the next topic and I usually say, “Before I get into the next point, let me tell you a story.”
• Depending upon the time allotted and type of presentation, you may designate a question and answer period. Even in workshops, I feel that all of our transitions and strengths can be ruined if we let participants continually interrupt us. I have learned to tell my listeners/participants that, “There will be time for questions, so write them down as I go along.” Make sure that you know how long you have for questions and answers and plan a clever way to transition everyone back to your presentation when the time is up.
• The final, and important, transition is the close of your presentation. Consider the most important thought, idea and/or action you want your listeners to leave with. The closing should never give the impression that you have just run out of time and need to rush. So, have a rehearsed, memorized and strong, strong closing prepared.