Manage Your Time with Parkinson’s Law

Manage Your Time with Parkinson’s Law 

We can use Parkinson’s Law to be more efficient and effective in meeting deadlines and reaching our personal goals.

Ever noticed that when you have too much time to complete a task, you procrastinate until the very last minute?

But then you immediately go from lazy-mode to productivity superhero to hit a deadline, without sacrificing the quality of your work at all? 

Articulated by the British historian Cyril Northcote Parkinson, Parkinson’s Law says: 

“Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”.

For example, according to Parkinson’s law, if someone is given a week to complete a task should really only take them a day to finish, they will often end up unnecessarily stretching out the task, so that it will take them the whole week to complete it. 

When people decide to work on some project, whether it’s a business idea that they want to develop or a story that they want to write, they will often end up taking significantly longer to get started and to finish those things than they need, especially in situations where they don’t have a concrete deadline for finishing the project.

We can use Parkinson’s Law to be more efficient and effective in meeting deadlines and reaching our personal goals.

Putting a deadline to each task or each goal refocuses our target and energy to what needs to be done as well as enforces our effort to its maximum possibilities.

By applying Parkinson’s Law, you can remove the time fillers that slow you down, set time constraints, and limit the choices you have to make.

In doing so, you can reserve your energy for staying focused, productive, and smarter about how you work and the tools you work with.

Long story short, our efforts are increased when the time allotted is shortened. As time is dragged on, our efforts get drastically decreased.

So, give a strict time frame when goals and task needs to be completed and our energy and resources are focused to complete them.

******

Why Life Skills?

Life skills are the abilities and behaviors that help us deal effectively with the events and challenges of everyday life.

Why Life Skills?

Do you know that teaching and learning life skills are incredibly important for empowering young people to achieve success in education, employment and personal goals?

According to National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), teaching and learning life skills are incredibly important for empowering young people to achieve success in education, employment and personal goals. 

In her groundbreaking book, "Mind in the Making," Ellen Galinsky describes life skills as essential skills for success in all aspects of life, including college, relationships, and work. 

Life skills are the abilities and behaviors that help us deal effectively with the events and challenges of everyday life. 

They are the skills that allow us to handle everything from interactions with others to identifying and processing our emotions. 

They assist us to develop self-confidence and successfully deal with significant life struggles and changes. 

Interestingly, only a few universities all over the world have integrated life skills into their education systems; and University of Petroleum and Energy Studies is the part of the proud league. 

Glad to be a member of School For Life team at University of Petroleum and Energy Studies to offer these incredible life skills to its dynamic student community.

It was an honor to teach elements of Indian culture to 28 British youngsters (from various universities in the UK) who came to India for a British Council-supported 14-day-long “Generation UK-India” programme. 

I taught them with the help of inspiring interactions, interesting activities and fun games, in a professional and approachable manner. 

I am very sure and strongly believe that education on Life Skills is set to see a significant increase in demand across the globe.

******

Cultural Sensitivity

Cultural Sensitivity is crucial as it helps us lead with understanding and empathy, rather than judgment.

Cultural Sensitivity

With world rapidly becoming smaller, and people travelling far and wide, there are high chances that we will encounter people with varying cultures. Is your team at the workplace aware of cultural sensitivity?

Cross-cultural experiences help us build respect and empathy for other people, and celebrate our differences as well as our similarities.

On this day (Nov 25, 2020), one year ago, I along with my colleagues from different nationalities, completed my educational sojourn from JAIMS (Japan - America Institute of Management Science), Hawaii.

On our final day of completing the most prestigious program GLIK (Global Leaders for Innovation & Knowledge), we participated in a cultural event.

We represented our countries, and showcased our cultures and traditions through dance, music, and food.

Based on my experiences dealing with my colleagues from various cultures, I believe that cultural sensitivity is crucial as it helps us lead with understanding and empathy, rather than judgment.

In our globalized, interconnected world, colleagues, business partners and customers hail from a diverse range of cultures.

With world rapidly becoming smaller, and people travelling far and wide, there are high chances that we will encounter people with varying cultures. Is your team at the workplace aware of cultural sensitivity? 

In 2016, it was an honor to teach elements of Indian culture to 28 British youngsters (from various universities in the UK) who came to India for a British Council-supported 14-day-long “Generation UK-India” programme.

I taught them with the help of inspiring interactions, interesting activities and fun games, in a professional and approachable manner.

I am very sure and strongly believe that education on Cultural Sensitivity is set to see a significant increase in demand across the globe.

******

Skills on The Rise

Life Skills education is set to see a significant increase in demand across the globe.

Skills on The Rise

Workers will see an average shift of 42% in required workplace skills in the period leading up to 2022. Life Skills growing in prominence include Analytical Thinking and Active Learning.

Do you know, according to World Economic Forum, by 2022, Life Skills are set to see a significant increase in demand?

Global average “skills stability”— the proportion of core skills required to perform a job that will remain the same — is expected to be about 58%.

That means workers will see an average shift of 42% in required workplace skills in the period leading up to 2022.

Life Skills growing in prominence include Analytical Thinking and Active Learning. However, proficiency in new technologies is only one part of the 2022 skills equation.

Other Life skills such as Creativity, Originality, Initiative, Critical Thinking, Persuasion and Negotiation will increase their value, as will Attention to Detail, Resilience, Flexibility and Problem Solving.

Emotional Intelligence, Leadership and Social Influence as well as Service Orientation are also set to see a particular increase in demand.

Only a few universities all over the world have paid attention to this most crucial aspect of education, and University of Petroleum and Energy Studies is the part of the proud league.

Glad to be the founding member of School for Life at University of Petroleum and Energy Studies to offer these incredible Life Skills to its student community.

Also in 2016, it was an honor to teach Life Skills to 28 British youngsters (from various universities in the UK) who came to India for a British Council-supported 14-day-long “Generation UK-India” programme.

I taught life skills with the help of inspiring interactions, interesting activities and fun games, in a professional and approachable manner.

I am very sure and strongly believe that Life Skills education is set to see a significant increase in demand across the globe.

******
 

Present Like A Pro: End with Effect

As presenters, we always hope that our presentations will end off on a high note.

Present Like A Pro: End with Effect

If you start strong but flounder at the end of your presentation, what feeling are people going to be walking away with? Not a good one, that’s for sure! That’s why the ending your presentation is so important.

Yes, it’s critically important to open a presentation well, so you capture the audience's attention. Equally important – closing it well, as that’ll be what people remember most from your talk.

Fireworks Techniques

Here are selected 'Fireworks Techniques' to effectively close your presentation,

(i) A Short Summary: 

Simple, straightforward and effective. For example, if your presentation has three takeaways, just summarize those three quickly. Or, summarize your main point. Is it the sexiest way to close your presentation? No. But it will imprint your point on your audience’s mind – and it’s particularly effective when giving an informational talk. 

(ii) Call to action:
What’s the point of giving a presentation? To share important information, yes. But you also want people to DO something with that information. And in order to do that, you need to end your presentation with a clear call to action. Something which motivates, empowers and inspires your audience. Make even more of an impact by starting your presentation with a negative motivation, something shocking perhaps, about how bad things could be if they don’t take action. Then, end it on a positive motivation, showing how great things could be if you do take action. 

(iii) If Possible, Skip the Q&A at the End of Your Presentation: 
Certainly make ‘question time’ a part of your presentation, but not the end. Q&A sessions have the tendency to run long, off-topic and have the possibility to turn sour. You want to end on a high-note or at least a note of your choosing. Not having questions at the end of a presentation means you can stay in control of the mood, what people take away from your presentation, and the timing. 

(iv) A Personal Tagline: 
There was a sales manager who closed every sales presentation with “Sell value.” Russell Wilson ends every interview he does with “Go Hawks.” Over time, this will build your personal brand and reinforce your message. Or, if there is a phrase you use again and again in your presentation, use it again as the closer. “The constant drumbeat of a few choice words can make you and your message more memorable to your audience,” Bergells said. 

(v) End Your Presentation with a Question:
Asking a question on the other hand can keep your audience thinking about your presentation long after it’s over. Provocative questions can compound your message, stir emotions, or invite action. Suspense can be a fantastic way to create a memorable ending if you use it appropriately. Round off with a question that they can reflect on after the presentation, to keep them thinking about what you’ve shared. Keep it closely related to your topic, and use it to put the spotlight on a point you which to bring across. 

(vi) Conclude Your Speech with a Story: 
Storytelling is a powerful presentation tool and is a great way to neatly bookend your presentation. Through storytelling, emotional listeners retain more information. An emotional story, whether it’s funny, sad, or thought-provoking, is a sure fire way to engage your audience. If you can, try to tie the beginning and end together with your stories, it works like a great strategy. 

(vii) The Power of 3 for Your Conclusion: 
Summaries are essential for info heavy presentations, but they can be super dull! Use the power of 3 to keep them short, snappy and more importantly, keep them memorable. This is a tried and tested method that has worked throughout the ages. Here are a few of the most famous examples of the rule of 3:

• “This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” – Winston Churchill
• “Blood, sweat and tears” – General Patton
• “I came, I saw, I conquered” – Julius Caesar
• “Just Do It” – Nike slogan 

(viii) Come Full Circle at the End of Your Presentation:
Give your audience a sense of completion by referring to your opening message at the end. It’s a great way to bookend the presentation and is a neat and tidy way to sum up.  You can set this up at the beginning of your presentation in a few different ways: Pose a question which you answer at the end; Tell a story and either refer to it or finish it at the end; Repeat the first slide, this works especially well with powerful images or quotes.

(ix) Demonstrate Your Product: 
"Show, don’t just tell" is a great rule of thumb, as the saying goes ‘actions speak loudly than words.’ Ending your presentation with a practical demonstration, will not only clarify your message but be memorable for your audience. It can also be a chance to inject some fun into your presentation.

(x) End with an Either / Or Scenario: 
Give your audience a choice at the end of a presentation. This is one way to encourage your audience to continue thinking about your presentation. This can be linked to your ‘call of action’ ending in tip (ii). For example, you can close a presentation by saying something along the lines of, “We can do this, or we can do nothing. The choice is yours.” 

(xi) Inspire Your Audience with a Quote: 
Quotes are one of the most commonly used methods. It has been a tried-and-tested way to reach out to your audience and connect with them on a deeper level. But here’s the thing: You need to figure out what resonates with them, and choose one that fits the presentation theme. If you’re up to it, you can round off the quote with your own thoughts as well. 

(xii) End Your Presentation on a High Note: 

Whichever way you choose to end your presentation, end it with energy! If you don’t show any passion or enthusiasm for your topic, then no one else will. As well as a more energetic ending, try to lift the mood. This can be especially important for those presentations which may tackle a difficult subject or convey some bad news. You don’t want your audience leaving the auditorium thinking, ‘well, that was depressing!’ Even if you do have to give dark data, try to end on a high-note and with hope 

(xiii) A Sound Bite: 
A sound bite is like a slogan, a phrase which demands attention. Can you condense your presentation message into a quick and catchy phrase? If you can fit the central message of your presentation into a few words, they will be memorable and ‘Tweet-able’. Here are a couple of great sound-bite examples for ending presentations: “Stay hungry, stay foolish.” – Steve Jobs “Chance favors the connected mind.” — Author Steven Johnson.

(xiv) End with a Compelling Image: 
We all know the saying, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’. It’s pretty cliché, but true – Images do help to bring your message across in an impactful way. Ever heard of the ‘The Burning Monk’? In 1963, photographer Malcolm Browne captured a stunning photo of a monk who self-immolated in protest against the persecution of Buddhists. That award-winning photo sparked outrage around the world, and brought the situation into focus for many who were previously unaware of the situation. When you’re selecting an image to put on your final slide, ask yourself these questions to guide you along.

• What do you want to show your audience?
• What are you trying to illustrate?
• How should they feel after looking at the image?

(xv) End with a Provocative Statement/ Question: 
How often have you been sitting in a presentation only to find that you have stopped listening before the end and are now day-dreaming or thinking about lunch? Make sure your audience is still with you at the end by making a provocative statement/ question. Statements/ questions, especially those that jolt us out of our comfort zone, stimulate and challenge our mind. 

(xvi) Use the Title Close Technique:
Another useful technique for how to end a presentation is to use the title of your presentation as the closing words. This creates a bookend to your entire presentation and can be used to bring your audience full circle. 

(xvii) A Quick Presentation Recap:
One method commonly used when giving presentations is the “tell them” method. This involves stating what you are going to say, saying it and then telling them what you told them. While this sounds repetitive, you can use it as a general framework for keeping your presentations short and to the point. That’s because no matter how amazing your presentation has been, you will still need to remind people what you’ve covered. However, try to avoid dull phrases such as “In conclusion” or “To sum up”, you’re not writing an essay! Instead, instigate your summary with a question, such as “Where is this all leading?” or “What does this all mean?”

(xviii) Close with a Clear Cut Ending:
This is a must! There is nothing more uncomfortable than a presenter that doesn’t know how to end and just waffles awkwardly. The audience is left thinking, ‘Is that it? Do we clap now?’ Make sure you and your audience know when the presentation has reached its final destination. This can be a clear cut, ‘thank you!’, a wave, a bow, but let it be a clear signal this is the end. Or it can even be a summary slide that wraps up your talk and leaves your audience with the key takeaways and learning points.

(xix) End Your Presentation on Time: 
Remember time is precious. If you want to impress your audience, then end on time, or even better, with a few minutes to spare. The trick to keeping time is to practice your presentation well in advance, timing yourself each time. Cut out any fluff or filler and stick to what you’ve rehearsed.

(xx) A Few Last Tips:
Practice your last words, so they come out smoothly. And then, after you say them, hold for silence for a minute – and then nod, bow or use other appropriate body language to let the audience know the presentation is over.

As presenters, we always hope that our presentations will end off on a high note. So now that you know how to end a presentation with effect, take some time to prepare and practice, and you’re good to go. 

All the best!

******

Present Like A Pro: Impactful Content Development (II)

Present Like A Pro:
Impactful Content Development (II)

Let's look at ways that an audience measures your ethos-pathos-logos, and examine why it is so critical for a successful speech.

Tactics to Establish Ethos

If you have high ethos, your audience is listening and attentive from your first word. They expect that you have something valuable to say, and they are eager to hear it. They are likely to be persuaded by you, provided that your speech is compelling.

Ethos is about your audience’s perception of you, and this perception can be formed over time, or perhaps over many past speeches. So, first let's examine things you can do in the long run to improve your ethos.

(i) Have a clean online profile and social media presence. 

(ii) Develop deep expertise in topics you speak about.

(iii) Your introduction is probably the single best opportunity for you to establish your ethos with this audience on this day. For this reason, you should always write your own introduction.

(iv) You’ve got to take charge of your personal branding and make sure that it’s a brand that emphasizes the qualities you want to emphasize.

(v) Analyze your audience. Audience analysis will reveal valuable clues that you can use to adapt yourself to your audience. 

(vi) Seek to find common traits that you share and highlight them. For other traits, find ways to adapt your language, your mannerisms, your dress, your PowerPoint visuals, or your stories to match the audience.

(vii) Can you show up early to welcome the audience?

(viii) If your presentation is part of a larger event, try to attend as much of it as you can. Every minute you spend with your audience as an audience member builds your level of affiliation with them. The event becomes a shared experience. The audience sees you as one of them.

(viii) Tell stories or anecdotes which show you are consistent with your message.

(ix) Use language familiar to your audience.

(x) Use visuals/examples which resonate with your audience.

(xi) Reference people in the audience or previous speakers or events earlier that day. This forms connections with the audience.

(xii) Make yourself available to your audience. Whenever possible, stick around after your presentation is over. Mingle with the audience. Not only will you have the opportunity for productive follow-up conversations, but your audience will see you as accessible.

(xiii) Follow through on promises made during your presentation. One technique for managing a short Q&A session is to defer thorny or complex questions to a later time.

Tactics to Establish Pathos

Emotions — whether fear or love, pity or anger — are powerful motivators for your audience. An audience emotionally stimulated in the right way is more likely to accept your claims and act on your requests. By learning how to make emotional appeals, you greatly improve your effectiveness as a speaker.

(i) Choose emotional points and topics, for example "Beat your social anxiety" would trigger more powerful emotions than "Learn how to speak in a group."

(ii) Use analogies and metaphors - linking your ideas with something your listeners already know about and feel strongly about can trigger emotional responses. For example, "They are awful" compared to "They are poisonous." This will use the audience's knowledge that poison is bad and therefore this issue needs to be dealt with.

(iii) Use emotionally charged words, for example, say "This kitchen roll is a life-saver" rather than "This kitchen roll is great". Another way to make a statement more emotional is to use vivid and sensory words which allow the audience to experience the emotion. For instance, "The smell of your grandparents' house" will increase the recollection of hopefully warm memories, and therefore will trigger certain emotions.

(iv) Using humour increases the likelihood that the audience are enjoying themselves and so they are more likely to like you and listen to you.

(v) Visual aids can sometimes be more powerful than words, for example, showing an image of a scared small child will have more impact than saying that children are often victims of domestic violence.

(vi) Research your audience and find out what their shared values are. Target these values and beliefs because they are strongly associated to emotions.

(vii) Storytelling is a quick way to form an emotional connection. It's often used to link a part of a key message with an emotional response - you'll be familiar with seeing this in adverts asking for charity donations.

(viii) Match what you're saying with your body language, face and eyes. People often mirror emotions so by matching your body language with your words you increase the chances of triggering the desired emotions.

(ix) Also match your voice to your words, for example, if you want to show sadness speak in a soft voice, if you want to show excitement then increase your pace etc.

(x) Stand as close as you can to the audience so the speech feels more personal - don't hide behind the computer screen.

(xi) Be Authentic Remember that the goal of pathos is to connect with the audience and share emotions with them. To share an emotion, you’ve got to feel it too. Be honest. Share your presentation in a way that your audience will feel as passionately as you feel.

(xii) Connect with your eyes. Meaningful eye contact is about connecting with one person at a time. Your eyes should express your excitement, your confidence, or your joy.

Tactics to Establish Logos

Logos is often equated with “logical reasoning” or “an argument based on reasoning”. You might be thinking that logic is dry and boring. You might also be thinking that you want to be a dynamic and fun speaker, and so logical reasoning isn’t really that important to you. While you may not get turned on by logical analysis, it is critical to your success.

(i) Use language that your audience will understand. Avoid jargon and over-technical terminology.

(ii) Use simple figures and charts to make the presentations more understandable.

(iii) Make the relationship between your evidence and conclusions clear.

(iv) Analogies and metaphors are helpful especially when explaining new ideas and theories.

(v) Ask questions, and get your audience thinking. This will make them active listeners so they may even come to your conclusion themselves.

(vi) Talk about opposing views as this allows you to explain why your logical arguments are more reasonable.

(vii) Facts and stats cannot be debated and they signify the truth.

(viii) Talking about something in abstract terms is good, but using real objects or photographs carries more logos. Visual evidence, such as, objects and videos are hard to challenge. 

(ix) Citing specialists, experts and authorities on a topic increases the quality of your evidence and therefore your claims. 

(x) Tell stories, such as, case studies or personal experiences. The audience would like to hear your own stories. 

(xi) Cite your sources. A statistic may be accurate, but without citing a source, your audience may dismiss it. By citing a source, you tip the scale towards believability.

(xii) Use real examples and case studies. Real examples and case studies show that the theory works in the real world.

******

Present Like A Pro: Impactful Content Development (I)

Present Like A Pro:
Impactful Content Development (I) 

2,300 years ago, Aristotle determined the components needed for persuasive speaking. They are referred to as the three pillars of persuasion - ethos, pathos and logos. 

Here, you’ll learn what ethos, pathos, and logos are (the secret!), and what every speaker needs to understand about these three pillars of public speaking.

What Are Ethos, Pathos and Logos? 

Ethos, pathos and logos are modes of persuasion used to convince and appeal to an audience. You need these qualities for your audience to accept your messages. 

Ethos: Your Credibility and Character 

Pathos: Emotional Bond with Your Listeners 

Logos: Logical and Rational Argument

Ethos - The Ethical Appeal 

Ethos is Greek for "character" and "ethic" is derived from ethos. Ethos consists of convincing your audience that you have good character and you are credible therefore your words can be trusted.

Ethos must be established from the start of your talk or the audience will not accept what you say. In fact, ethos is often established before your presentation.

There are many aspects to building your credibility: 

Does the audience respect you? 

Does the audience believe you are of good character? 

Does the audience believe you are generally trustworthy? 

Does the audience believe you are an authority on this speech topic?

Pathos - The Emotional Appeal 

Pathos is Greek for suffering and experience. Empathy, sympathy and pathetic are derived from pathos. Pathos is to persuade by appealing to the audience's emotions.

As a speaker, you want the audience to feel the same emotions you feel about something, you want to emotionally connect with them and influence them. If you have low pathos the audience is likely to try to find flaws in your arguments.

Pathos is the quality of a persuasive presentation which appeals to the emotions of the audience. 

Do your words evoke feelings of … love? … sympathy? … fear? 

Do your visuals evoke feelings of compassion? … envy? 

Does your characterization of the competition evoke feelings of hate? contempt? 

Emotional connection can be created in many ways by a speaker, perhaps most notably by stories.

The goal of a story, anecdote, analogy, simile, and metaphor is often to link an aspect of our primary message with a triggered emotional response from the audience.

Logos - The Logical Appeal 

The word “logic” is derived from logos. Logos is to appeal to logic by relying on the audience's intelligence and offering evidence in support of your argument.

Logos also develops ethos because the information makes you look knowledgeable. 

Logos is synonymous with a logical argument. 

Does your message make sense? 

Is your message based on facts, statistics, and evidence? 

Will your call-to-action lead to the desired outcome that you promise?

******

Present Like A Pro: Start with A Surprise!

Present Like A Pro: Start with A Surprise!

Did you know that you normally lose 90% of your audience within the first 5 minutes of your presentation? If you get 60 minutes to present, you do not get 60 minutes worth of attention. 

According to experts, public speaking is one of the most important and beneficial skill sets for your career. It helps to increase confidence and shapes the perception of others about you when you deliver a presentation.

According to experts, public speaking is one of the most important and beneficial skill sets for your career. It helps to increase confidence and shapes the perception of others about you when you deliver a presentation.

Wondering how to start a presentation that makes your audience sit up in their seats with excitement? Presentation starters like these are key to grabbing your audience's attention and making the most of the time allotted to you.

"Today, you will learn something that will add 10 years to your life." "20 years from now, your job won't exist." 

"Did you know that more people have access to a mobile phone than a toilet?" 

Knowing how to start a presentation is just as crucial as the message you're trying to convey. If you can't start it effectively, you might not be able to leave a strong enough impact by the end of it.

Hooking your audience is no easy feat, especially if you are on a short timeline but it is a vital piece of the puzzle if you want to be able to perform presentations that leave people engaged and wowed!

A hook or grabber is the part of your presentation that compels an audience to sit up and pay attention. It should come at the beginning of your talk, where it can do the most good. 

Audiences have a lot on their minds as they prepare to listen to your remarks. They might in fact be attending a number of presentations that week. 

So you need to let them know right away that you're the speaker who is going to be interesting. Once engaged, listeners will stay with you. That is, as long as the body of your speech doesn't fail to live up to expectations. But it's that hook that gets everything started.

What then does a good speech hook do? 

(1) It resonates with the audience. 

(2) It surprises them. 

(3) It's concise. 

(4) It taps into something larger than your topic. 

Presentation coach, Patricia Fripp, claims that a presenter has approximately 30 seconds to capture interest before an audience’s attention gets lost. Let’s take a look at the top presentation hook ideas you can use to start your presentation and focus your audience‘s attention on your message:

(a) Tell a Story.
Storytelling has been known to increase audience retention by up to 26%. Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to open up a presentation due to its ability to create and demonstrate human connections. When a presentation is able to communicate emotion and a relatable experience with an audience, they are not only more likely to listen to what is being said but also trust the presenter. Include a brief story in the introduction of your presentation that incorporates and delivers your message clearly, energetically, and empathetically.

(b) Surprise Your Audience.
Interesting or surprising statistics get straight to the point and keep your listeners on the edge of their seats. Audiences can quickly grasp what points the speaker is trying to make and they won’t feel lost with any abstract information. Statistics give a presentation concrete purpose and can also provide credibility to the presenter. Make sure to round up the stats – it is easier for people to grasp whole numbers over than decimal points. Try using an infographic, this provides a visual aid for the audience and also reinforces the main points.

(c) Use Their Imaginations.
Open your audience’s mind. Mentally engaging the audience creates an image in their head, as well as suspense. Try beginning a sentence with “close your eyes and imagine…” then follow with something that relates to your message. This will set the tone for your entire presentation.

(d) Make Them Laugh.
Humor can be integrally persuasive and lighten the mood. Laughter also makes you accessible and can cause the audience to feel more comfortable and engaged with your words.

(e) Imply Action.
Throughout the presentation, mention attainable goals and plans of actions each individual can take. Use language such as “We can,” “We will,” etc.. This gives your audience purpose, inspiration, and directly involves them in the presentation’s content.

(f) Interact with the Audience.
Ask rhetorical questions. Getting the audience involved and thinking about potential answers creates a give-and-take relationship between the speaker and the audience. Having interactions with the audience is known to be more persuasive and enjoyable rather than someone speaking at the audience for a period of time.

(g) Grab Them with a Quote.
Quotes give you the ability to utilize an expert’s take on the subject. Use an inspirational, astounding, or meaningful quote to hook the audience and make your presentation more memorable. Ensure the quote relates to your content in some way and lays the foundation for your presentation as a whole.

(h) Trigger their Senses. 
Visuals trigger imagination and people process visuals better and more quickly than words, which can make your presentation more enjoyable and memorable. Open with images that arouse intrigue, or even a little bit of confusion. This way, you can easily grab the audience’s attention and proceed with your message and goals.

(i) Use Props.
Get creative by incorporating props into your presentation, which will also offer a different type of visual for your audience. Incorporate some humor to lighten the tone and relax your audience as well. When using props, however, be careful about how they’re used, if paraded around too much, they can distract from the rest of your presentation.

(j) Give them Anxiety.
You can capture an audience’s attention by reminding them of their own fears or worries. Anxiety is characterized by uncertainty and can be magnified by our inability to foresee the future. A worrisome statistic, visual, or statement will activate the amygdala, stimulating worry or doubt in the brain and priming the audience to pay attention. Don’t go about scaring your audience, but instilling a bit of distress will certainly get them to listen.

SUMMARY

(i) Use a surprising metaphor - straight to the problem.
(ii) Arouse curiosity.
(iii) Trigger the audience imagination. 
(iv) Provide a reference to a historical event.
(v) Leverage historical events. 
(vi) Deliver a compelling sound bite.
(vii) Make them laugh bring it to life - show an appealing picture. 
(viii) Make a startling assertion.
(ix) Break common belief and provoke the audience. 
(x) Use quotations to grab them. 
(xi) Use quotations differently.
(xii) State a shocking fact questions and audience interaction. 
(xiii) Quote a foreign proverb.
(xiv) Take them through a "what if" scenario.
(xv) Storytelling. 
(xvi) Combine more hooking techniques together.

******

21 Practical Ways for Staying Positive in Life (Part II)

21 Practical Ways for 
Staying Positive in Life (Part II)

When we make a decision to become positive and follow that decision up with action, we will begin to encounter situations and people that are also positive.

Let’s look at some other ways of building a habit of being positive.

1. Laugh More, Especially at Yourself:

A 2016 study pointed out that, “Decreasing stress-making hormones found in the blood, laughter can mitigate the effects of stress”. By decreasing levels of certain hormones in the body, laughter can help to reverse the stress response, mitigating short-term or long-term depression. If we can learn to laugh at ourselves and our mistakes, life will become more of an experiment in finding out what makes us happy, and finding happiness makes finding positivity a lot easier.

2. Help Others:
Negativity goes hand in hand with selfishness. People that live only for themselves have no higher purpose in their lives. If the whole point of this world is only to take care of yourself and no one else, the road to long-term fulfillment and purpose is going to be a long one. To learn how to get rid of negative energy, look outside yourself and begin to help others. 

3. Surround Yourself with Positive People:
We become most like the people that we surround ourselves with. If our friend group is full of negative energy-suckers and drama queens, we will emulate that behavior and become like them. It is very difficult to become more positive when the people around us don’t support or demonstrate positive behavior. 

4. Turn Negative Energy Into Positive Action:

The next time you’re in one of these situations and feel bad, walk away and take a break. With your eyes closed, take a few deep breaths. Once you’re calm, approach the situation or problem with a pen and piece of paper. Write out four or five actions or solutions to begin solving the problem. 

5. Read Positive and Inspirational Materials:

Spend time each day reading something that encourages positive thinking. Read the inspirational, spiritual material, or motivational quotes to help you focus on what’s important to you in life. It can be a great way to start and end your day.

6. Establish and Work Toward Goals:

It’s easier to be positive about problems and setbacks when you have goals that you’re working toward. Goals will give you motivation to overcome those obstacles when you encounter problems along the way. Without clear goals, it’s harder to make decisions and gauge your progress. Learn to set SMART goals to help you achieve more. 

7. Consider the Consequences of Negativity:

For example, a person who thinks, “I probably won’t get this job interview,” may put less effort into the interview. As a result, he may decrease his chances of getting the job. Create a list of all the ways negative thinking impacts your life. It likely influences your behavior, your relationships, and your feelings. Then, create a list of the ways in which positive thinking could be beneficial. 

8. Create a Daily Gratitude List:

If you start keeping a daily gratitude list, you’ll start noticing exactly how much you have to be thankful for. This can help you focus on the positive in your life instead of thinking about all the bad things that have happened in the day. Getting in the habit of showing an attitude of gratitude makes positive thinking more of a habit. 

9. Practice Self-Care:

Take good care of yourself and you’ll be more equipped to think positively. Get plenty of rest and exercise and practice managing your stress well. Taking care of your physical and mental health will provide you with more energy to focus on positive thinking. 

10. Start the Day with a Positive Affirmation:

How you start the morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. Have you ever woken up late, panicked, and then felt like nothing good happened the rest of the day? This is likely because you started out the day with a negative emotion and a pessimistic view that carried into every other event you experienced. Instead of letting this dominate you, start your day with positive affirmations. Talk to yourself in the mirror, even if you feel silly, with statements like, “Today will be a good day” or “I’m going to be awesome today.” You’ll be amazed how much your day improves. 

11. Focus on the Good Things, however Small:

Almost invariably, you’re going to encounter obstacles throughout the day—there’s no such thing as a perfect day. When you encounter such a challenge, focus on the benefits, no matter how slight or unimportant they seem. For example, if you get stuck in traffic, think about how you now have time to listen to the rest of your favorite podcast. If the store is out of the food you want to prepare, think about the thrill of trying something new. 

12. Find Humor in Bad Situations:

Allow yourself to experience humor in even the darkest or most trying situations. Remind yourself that this situation will probably make for a good story later and try to crack a joke about it. Say you’re laid off; imagine the most absurd way you could spend your last day, or the most ridiculous job you could pursue next. 

13. Turn Failures into Lessons:

You aren’t perfect. You’re going to make mistakes and experience failure in multiple contexts, at multiple jobs and with multiple people. Instead of focusing on how you failed, think about what you’re going to do next time—turn your failure into a lesson. Conceptualize this in concrete rules. For example, you could come up with three new rules for managing projects as a result. 

14. Focus on the Present:

I’m talking about the present—not today, not this hour, only this exact moment. You might be getting chewed out by your boss, but what in this exact moment is happening that’s so bad? Forget the comment he made five minutes ago. Forget what he might say five minutes from now. Focus on this one, individual moment. In most situations, you’ll find it’s not as bad as you imagine it to be. Most sources of negativity stem from a memory of a recent event or the exaggerated imagination of a potential future event. Stay in the present moment. 

15. Find Positive Friends, Mentors and Co-workers:

When you surround yourself with positive people, you’ll hear positive outlooks, positive stories and positive affirmations. Their positive words will sink in and affect your own line of thinking, which then affects your words and similarly contributes to the group. Finding positive people to fill up your life can be difficult, but you need to eliminate the negativity in your life before it consumes you. Do what you can to improve the positivity of others, and let their positivity affect you the same way. 

16. Practice:

Confidence is the result of not just doing something well, but knowing you can do something well.  When you practice often, you get good.  When you get good, you feel confident about your abilities.  When you feel confident about your abilities, you take more risks, practice even more, and ultimately become a master of your craft. Similarly, if you do not practice, you won't feel good about your skills.  If you don't feel good about your skills, you won't take as many risks, you'll get down on yourself, you won't practice as often, and you'll make very few strides on your path to greatness.  

17. Believe You Will Succeed:

In order to feel more positive, you will need to start believing in yourself. When you believe in yourself, you are showing great self-worth and care. Try not to get scared by the fear of failing or not reaching your goals and know that even if you do make a mistake, you can try again. Believe that you will achieve your goals and you are one step closer to doing so. Remember that any mistake made is just a lesson to learn from. 

18. Practice Positive Affirmations:

Positive daily affirmations are great for keeping you optimistic and reminding you of the good things in your life. Positive affirmations are statements you repeat to yourself every day that make you feel good. For example, if you are struggling with low self-esteem, you would repeat ‘I am beautiful’ to yourself in the mirror, this could be in the morning or whenever you would prefer. When you keep repeating these affirmations you are reminding yourself of these positive statements and can start to believe in them more and more. 

19. Use The Mirror Technique:

You may have never heard of the secret mirror technique, but if you have, you will probably understand how easy and helpful this technique can be. In the morning and in the evening, stand in front of a mirror, look at yourself and start saying what you like about yourself. Give yourself confidence, praise yourself and tell yourself how great you are. Doing this can really start to change your mindset and help you with your confidence. You can start to feel much more positive and optimistic about yourself and your life. 

20. Breathe:

Breathing may seem like a very simple and little thing to do, but you may be surprised at how it can help you to stay positive. When we are worried and stressed we often make decisions quite quickly without thinking. If you can stop and take some long deep breaths, you can then focus on your breathing for a little while, whilst clearing your head. This can help you to think rationally and become more positive even if you are in a stressful situation. This can also bring you back to stay in the present moment, which is great for helping you to switch your mindset.

21. Use Self-Hypnosis:

Self-hypnosis can really help you achieve a new positive mindset. When we take part in self-hypnosis we are opening our highly conscious state of mind to follow instructions. This means that we can be much more open to positive words and self-suggestions, which can start to train our mind to be more optimistic and happy. Be sure to research and find out more about how self-hypnosis could help you.

So, here is another example of one of my former students who understood the value of positivity in life and changed his entire outlook to achieve his goals. 
Coincidentally, I received this message on my birthday :) 

Stay Positive!

******

21 Practical Ways for
Staying Positive in Life (Part I) 

When we make a decision to become positive and follow that decision up with action, we will begin to encounter situations and people that are also positive.

Negativity limits your potential to become something great and live a fulfilling, purposeful life. It has a tangible effect on our health, too. 

Research has shown that people who cultivate negative energy experience more stress, more sickness, and less opportunity over the course of their lives than those who choose to live positively. 

When we make a decision to become positive and follow that decision up with action, we will begin to encounter situations and people that are also positive. 

Although negative and positive energy will always exist, the key to becoming positive is to limit the amount of negativity that we experience by filling ourselves up with more positivity. 

Before we get into building positivity into our life, let’s look at why we would even bother. What are the real benefits of being more positive? 

(I) Negativity doesn’t work – Literally – Our subconscious brain can’t handle it: 
The other thing about negativity is that our brains can’t process negative words according to the latest studies. So when we hear phrase like “don’t smoke” or “don’t touch that,” our subconscious skips over these negative words and simply hears “smoke” or “touch that.” 

Our conscious mind can obviously process these words, but it’s the subconscious that makes a lot of our decisions without us realizing. What this means for us is that we struggle to change our habits or thought patterns when we tell ourselves negative phrases, since only our conscious minds can take those in. 

We can make this much easier and let the subconscious do its job by using positively-framed phrases like “refrain from smoking” or “walk away from that.”

(II) You’ll improve your outlook of the future: 

Positive thinking can actually improve our overall happiness. Noting down things we’re grateful for on a regular basis and how that can improve our happiness. 

A study at the University of North Carolina also showed that positive emotions are more likely to encourage people to plan ahead and think of actions they would like to take or activities they’d like to participate in the future. Negative emotions, on the other hand, led to participants being less inclined to think positively about their future. 

(III) You’ll be more healthy:

Yes, positivity has shown to directly affect your physical health. Another study from the University of North Carolina used the ancient practice of loving-kindness meditation to test how cultivating positive feelings like love, compassion and goodwill towards others could affect the emotional and physical health of the participants. 

Compared to the control group who did not participate in the meditation, the meditators showed increases in positive emotions like amusement, awe and gratitude during the research period. They also reported feeling more socially connected and closer to the people around them. 

“Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habit. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny” ― Lao Tzu

Now that we know how beneficial positivity can be to our health and happiness, let’s look at some ways of building a habit of being positive.

1. FOCUS ON WHAT'S POSSIBLE: 

Avoid “can’t” thinking or other negative language. Don’t be afraid to seek help in accomplishing things, but remind yourself that you don’t need approval from others to recognize your accomplishments. Focus on what you’re able to do. Remind yourself of all your capabilities and positive qualities. 

2. LET GO OF THE PAST:

You must look to the future to change. Stop thinking of old failures. They are the past. This is NOW. Remind yourself that this time you’re focusing on the core issues that will ensure your success. BELIEVE IT! 

3. LEARN TO ACCEPT COMPLIMENTS AND BUILD YOUR SELF-ESTEEM, SELF-IMAGE, AND CONFIDENCE. 

A compliment is a gift to the receiver and a gift to the giver if the receiver really accepts it. Very few people do this well. Truly taking in a compliment is an opportunity to increase our self-esteem, self-image, and confidence. If you don't accept the gift of a compliment, it hurts the giver’s feelings and the chance of that person giving you a gift again is decreased. 

4. BE KIND TO YOURSELF. 

People often feel perfectly comfortable treating themselves in ways they wouldn’t consider treating others. Do you call yourself names like fat, ugly, and loser? Would you use those terms to describe a friend? Remind yourself that you deserve to be treated well. Do something nice for yourself sometimes, either in thought (give yourself a compliment) or action (give yourself a nice workout). 

5. BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR FEELINGS. 

Just as you can’t make all other people happy, don’t expect others to make you feel happy or good about yourself...and don’t blame them if you feel guilty or bad about yourself. You create your own feelings and make your own decisions. People and events may set the stage for your emotions, but they can’t dictate them. What others think about you and say to you can only have as much effect as you allow it to have. What’s important is what you tell yourself, and how you react to others. 

6. ONLY YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOU. 

Just as not everything is your fault, not everything is your responsibility, either. You’re responsible for you; it's great if you also influence others positively, but you’re not responsible for their thoughts, feelings and actions. It’s OK to be helpful, but don’t feel the need to be all things (and do all things) for all people. This is putting too much of a burden on yourself. 

7. LOSE THE GUILT. 

You’re not to blame every time something goes wrong or someone has a problem. Apologizing for things and accepting the blame can be a positive quality — if you're in the wrong. You learn and move on. But you shouldn’t feel responsible for all problems or assume you’re to blame whenever someone’s upset. 

8. ENCOURAGE YOURSELF. 

Instead of focusing on the negative, replace your criticism with encouragement. Give constructive suggestions instead of being critical. (“Maybe if I try to do ____ next time, it would be even better,” instead of “I didn’t do that right.”) Compliment yourself and those around you on what you’ve achieved. (“Well, we may not have done it all, but we did a pretty great job with what we did.”) Giving praise will also encourage others to praise you, and this builds up your confidence to continue on the path. 

9. DON’T BULLY YOURSELF! 

It’s great to want to do well, but expecting yourself to be better than the best and then punishing yourself when you fail is a vicious cycle. Stop it. Live in the present and move forward. Don’t drag the past along for the ride; it gets heavy. Keep saying to yourself, “I know I can...I know I can...I can...I can!” Tell your subconscious you’ve already done it. Be kind to yourself and remember you can do this! 

10. IT'S OK TO BLOW IT. 

Maybe you got nervous and embarrassed that you couldn't keep up in workout session or felt bad that you gave in and ate those potato chips. It’s OK. All people have weaknesses, and we all fall off the path at times or don’t do things as well as we think we should. Your boss, co-workers, friends, family, and favorite movie star have all had embarrassing moments and setbacks. Make doing your best your ideal goal. Focus on what you’ve gained from the process and how you can use it in the future. Allow yourself to make mistakes and then forgive yourself.

11. LOOK FOR THE POSITIVE. 

Did you know that love is a word derived from the Sanskrit word that means looking for the good? Be loving toward yourself (and others), and instead of focusing on what you think your negative qualities are, accentuate your strengths and assets. Maybe you didn’t develop enough stamina this month to run a mile, but perhaps your hard work and perseverance led to losing an additional five pounds. Maybe you felt nervous and self-conscious when going out to a formal social event, but you received numerous comments from friends that they were happy you joined them and had a good time. 

12. AVOID ABSOLUTES AND EXAGGERATIONS. 

Correct your internal voice when it exaggerates, especially when it exaggerates the negative: “I always eat too much” or “i’ll never lose weight.” These are absolutes, meaning they’re always 100 percent true, but there are very few absolutes in life. If you exaggerate or use an absolute, rephrase what you say. For example, “I always eat too much” can be changed to, “In the past, i’ve often eaten too much. Now, I’m getting better at how much I eat.” Then feel good about taking control of your thoughts. 

13. HALT NEGATIVE THOUGHTS IMMEDIATELY. 

Sometimes putting a stop to negative thinking is as easy as that. The next time you start giving yourself an internal critique session, tell yourself to stop it! If you saw a person yelling insults at someone else, you’d probably tell them to stop, wouldn’t you? Why do you accept that behavior from yourself? 

14. STOP MAKING EXCUSES: 

To be more positive, you should try and stop putting up barriers over new challenges. You may even be making excuses with regards to things that could have a chance of making you feel happier, and not even know. Try and say yes a little bit more and dim the voice in the head telling you that you cannot do it. 

15. ONLY USE POSITIVE WORDS WHEN TALKING: 

When you are talking to others and even yourself, try and stick to using positive words only, and refrain from any negative words. You should try and stop using words such as ‘no’, ‘can’t’, ‘won’t’ and ‘don’t’, and replace them with more positive words. This way you are changing your physical words and your brain can start getting used to a more positive language. 

16. REMIND YOURSELF OF YOUR BLESSINGS: 

Just like when you remind yourself of how great you are, you should also remind yourself of all your blessings. These types of things could be your family, friends or even smaller things such as having a roof over your head. You could even tell your family and friends what your blessings are so you are also saying them out loud and repeating it to yourself. 

17. DEVELOP A PERSONAL MANTRA: 

A Mantra is much like a positive affirmation, but you typically will develop your own personal mantra to repeat to yourself. Make sure your mantra are words that inspire you and can remind you to stay positive each day. You can repeat these to yourself in meditation or whenever you feel most relaxed and calm. 

18. PREPARE YOUR ENVIRONMENT: 

The environment we try to build new habits in (or break old ones, even) has a huge effect on how successful we are. Environment in this case includes the people we spend time with and the messages we hear or tell ourselves, as well as our physical environment. In terms of being positive, you could find a friend or family member to do this with to keep you accountable, or set a daily reminder so you don’t forget. Filling your work space with positive sayings or images could help, and reading books that encourage positive thinking will reinforce this. 

19. TAKE NOTE OF ONE POSITIVE MOMENT EVERY DAY: 

Noticing the positive things that happen in your everyday life has been proven to be a successful method of increasing your positive thinking. This doesn’t just happen when you’re doing the exercise: the effects can actually last much longer. 

20. TRY TO MEDITATE:

Meditating is beneficial for the body and mind. It not only improves mindfulness and positive thinking while you’re doing it, but it has been shown to decrease illness and improve mindfulness and feelings of purpose in life up to three months after being practiced daily for a short period. After establishing the habit for several weeks, you can slowly increase the length of your meditation sessions to an amount that gives you the most benefit. 

21. BE GRATEFUL FOR EVERYTHING: 

When we spend time being grateful and appreciate everything in our lives—from the small struggles that make us better, to the car that gets us from A to B every day—we shift our attitude from one of lack and frustration to one of appreciation. This appreciation gets noticed by others, and a positive harmony begins to form in our relationships. We begin to receive more of that which we are grateful for because we’ve opened ourselves up to the idea of receiving instead of taking.

Here is the example of one of my former students who tried some of these practices and successfully changed his life for the better. 

Stay positive!

******