Recently, I attended the U.S. Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, NY. I saw some great matches and players, including Rafael Nadal, Sam Querrey, David Nalbandian, Samantha Stosur, James Blake (from Fairfield, CT!) and John Isner.

I love watching tennis – and I think there are lessons from tennis that can apply to presentation skills:

PRACTICE IS REQUIRED
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are two of the best tennis players in the world and they practice for several hours a day. They never say, “I’m good enough, I don’t need to practice anymore.”

The same is true for presentations – if you want to give a powerful and effective presentation, you have to practice. The more comfortable you become at giving presentations, the more focused your practice becomes as you learn what specific aspect of the presentation you still have to work on.

MENTAL ATTITUDE IS KEY
During a match, what the player tells himself or herself is important, especially when they’re down a set and facing a tough opponent. If a player thinks, “I can’t beat this opponent; I’m going to lose,” it will be very difficult to overcome that mindset and win. Instead, when a player uses positive self-talk, “Yes, I can do this!” along with an energetic fist pump in the air, he or she is better able to access their skills, step up their game and have a shot at winning.

Likewise, what you tell yourself when you present is also important. If you drown out the negative voice in your head and instead, use a positive phrase or mantra, you’ll be able to present more effectively and confidently.

BODY LANGUAGE MATTERS
Two of my favorite tennis commentators, John and Patrick McEnroe, are always pointing out the players’ body language – how players act between points, how they walk to the other side of the court, how they respond when they lose a point, etc. Negative body language sends a message to their opponent that they are giving up and don’t believe they can win.

When you’re presenting, your body language also sends a message to the audience – it should match the words you’re saying and convey confidence and competence. For example, make eye contact with the audience, use appropriate gestures to illustrate your points, speak loudly enough to be heard and avoid nervous pacing.

The next time you have to give a presentation, remember these lessons from tennis to help you ace it.

Introduction

“Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it” said Joseph Pulitzer. This neatly sums up writing and giving a presentation. Let’s look at three ways you can use to help you give more powerful presentations.

1. Use the “Rule of Three”

Your presentation should be divided into these three distinctive parts:

o The opening

Here you establish rapport with your audience and introduce your topic. The opening should be more than 5% to 10% of your presentation length. The opening should also give three main points coming up in your presentation.

o The main body

Your topic information is provided here. Your three main points are discussed using no more than three minor points for each main point. This should take up no more than 70% of your presentation time. For a one hour presentation, for example, it would run about 40 minutes.

o The conclusion

A strong, unifying conclusion or summary is very important. This is where you briefly reiterate your main points and their respective values. Your conclusion is the part of your presentation that most attendees will remember best. Make it count. You’ll need about 10% of your presentation time to effect a good conclusion to your presentation.

2. Keep Your Presentation Short

It was none other than Winston Churchill himself who got up to speak, walked to the podium, and said, “Never, never, never, never give up.” He turned around, walked back to his seat and sat down. The thunderous applause that followed went on far longer than his speech had. It is remembered to this day.

Time your presentation to take a little LESS time than you’ve been allowed. Hardly anyone has ever complained about a presentation that was shorter than expected. On the other hand, if it runs longer than expected …

3. Use Appropriate Anecdotes and Humor

There really a number of ways you can successfully incorporate appropriate quotes, anecdotes and humor into your public speaking. A little laughter never hurt anyone, and once you get a rapport with your audience, your presentation is bound to be a successful one. Try some of these possibilities:

o A comic strip panel (especially one which imparts its humor without using words)

o A Cartoon or humorous video clip (a short digital video clip of a few seconds can easily be inserted into a Power Point or other audio-visual presentation program slide)

o A couple of well-placed jokes (if you don’t have a good source for jokes, there are lots of sources online)

o Use humorous graphics or funny photos to help illustrate a theme or point

o Humorous anecdotes are always popular and can be found online and in printed publications alike. Be a good sport though, and be sure to include your source.

o Humorous quote sources and humor websites abound on the internet and finding two or three appropriate ones to use will be time well spent.

Use these four key tips to help ensure a more powerful, successful presentation. You’ll find that your presentations will flow more smoothly, be more concise and informative and involve your audience more. With practice then, you too will have more attendees approaching after your presentation to shake your hand and say, “Thanks, I really enjoyed your presentation.” As for the others, the thunderous applause of the audience will wake them up.

People are craving authenticity — in presentations, in corporations and in brands. In the back of every public speaker’s mind is a single question: “does my audience see me as an authentic presenter?”

Fortunately, to be genuine and authentic, you don’t have to be different. You just have to be you. This is something everyone can do. When you are yourself, speak openly, connect with passion and care about your audience…you build trust.

Let’s connect-the-dots between two shining stars in the field of authentic presenting.

The Year: 198

In the presentation classic, You Are The Message, Roger Ailes says it all in the title. He reveals the secret benefit of being yourself in his sub-title: “Getting what you want by being who you are.”

In short, being authentic is the single key for successful presenters. Ailes shows the ins-and-outs with stories of politicians, CEO’s and television celebrities. The single concept: be yourself.

Ailes is president of Fox News Channel and chairman of the Fox Television Stations Group. He was a media consultant for Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W.Bush, as well as Rudy Giuliani’s first mayoral campaign in 1989.

Flash forward: 2010.

Thomas Sechehaye releases a new online course in Visual Storytelling. This class features an authentic system for engaging audiences and telling powerful business stories.

The online curriculum is based in his book: The Authentic Message, published in 2007. In this popular book, he outlines four steps to build a genuine bond in business presentations.

The four steps show how to plan and give presentations that show you are credible, creative, authentic and caring. These are ways to be genuine and connect to any audience.

Briefly, as detailed in the book, the steps are:

1. Credibility

Build a foundation that strengthens your credibility. This is done with your attitude, speech and body language. Use other people’s words in the form of testimonials, introductions and quotes to establish your expert status.

2. Creativity

Show your creativity with enthusiastic and dynamic delivery. Step out of boring or dry recitals of information. Instead, add energy and passion to your delivery and to how you share your story. Think in terms of what will appeal to your specific audience — and let loose so you can connect directly to their core desires.

3. Authenticity

Ask yourself, what’s your real intention? Why does this topic matter to you? Why are you committed to share this story? By showing your true passion, you will light a fire for your audience. This makes it easy for your audience to instantly connect with what you have to share.

4. Care

Finally, care deeply about your audience. Understand their needs, issues, problems and dreams. Go the extra step to make things easy for people to understand. Avoid speaking in complex terms or relying on insider jargon to express your ideas.

If you need to go out and speak to an audience, keep these 4-steps in mind.

• Are you credible?
• Are you creative?
• Are you authentic?
• Are you caring

Use this powerful blend of communication advice from two authorities on effective business presenting.

When you tell authentic stories, speak with passion and are yourself, you win results. The rewards are open conversation, connection and trust.

This is what master presenters know how to do with every audience, on every topic – every time. You can use this proven blueprint to give remarkable presentations to your audience.

When your presentation is alive, dynamic and full of enthusiasm, people will listen to you. Before you know it, you’ll win the expert status you deserve.

Have you ever sat though a boring presentation? Ever given one? Do you think the presenter actually planned to be this boring? Did you? If you answered “Yes!” and then “No!” to these questions, it’s time to try my Plan “B”.

I’ve given keynote presentations around the world. And no matter if I am speaking in Oman, Malaysia, or Taiwan, ninety-nine percent of the time there are speakers before me. So I begin by telling the audience, “Just want you to know, for my presentation, there will be…no slides! 842, so far, I counted!”

Inevitably, the audience bursts into applause. Why? Because they are tired of looking at slide after slide after slide after…You get the point.

Most people have forgotten the meaning of “Presentation Aid.” An aid should further the message, support it, assist it…and not be the message.

Slide shows have become the Band-Aid to poor presentation preparation. “I don’t have time to prepare my presentation so ‘my plan’ is to just refer to my slides.” These are the people who throw the slides together the night before… and instead of referring to the slides, they read them. Doesn’t that make you want to stand up and yell, “I can read! Why not just send me a copy of the slides and save my time!” (Unless, of course, you needed a nap!)
And here’s my biggest pet peeve: the final slide that says, “Thank you.” What? You needed help saying “Thank you?” Shut off the slides and talk to me! Isn’t that what a presentation is about?

Slides, actually, are quite helpful if the presenter remembers to do one thing: talk to the audience. A presenter is there to educate, to inspire, to persuade.

Now you’re probably thinking, “Okay, Darren, point made. So what’s this Plan “B” you mentioned?”

Right! Plan “B.”

Do you know what is the most powerful key on your keyboard? The “B” key. During a slide presentation, if you hit the “B” key, the screen goes black. Think about that. In the middle of your presentation, you have the ability to make your screen go black. Do not let the simplicity overshadow its power.

In addition to giving keynote speeches for a living, I also coach CEOs and executives in this skill. One of my corporate clients is a group of account executives from an Internet company. They give sales presentations for six-figure contracts. Presentations are crucial to their bottom line, and their individual careers.

In the coaching sessions, each executive gives a 5-minute presentation, which his or her peers and I then critique. During one particular session, I gave an assignment to find one place in which to use the “B” key. They needed to find a logical place to make the screen go black and to just speak directly to the audience. The goal was to make a compelling point or to tell a client success story, and then hit the “B” key again and return to the slides.

When the first person was finished I looked around the room and asked, “Did you notice a difference?” The executives were stunned! Their faces said it all.

Powerful presentations are ones in which presenters connect with the audience through the power of their words, the power of their delivery. You cannot persuade an audience when you are looking at slides, and not at them.

So don’t let the slideshow get in your way. Next time you are giving a slide presentation remember Plan “B”: Open strong, close strong, and find one place in the middle where you speak directly to the audience with a black screen behind you. It will be powerful!

The most successful sales and management presentations are those that engage the audience with logical facts and emotional appeal. Unfortunately, most presentations in the business environment lack emotion, instead relying upon PowerPoint slides that are data dumps to convince audiences of their argument.

Logic will not inspire or move an audience to change. To make that happen there needs to be an emotional attachment to what the presenter is talking about. The best way to gain some form of emotional connection with your audience is to utilise stories. A story will enable you to easily make key points in your presentation, more understandable and memorable.

Stories in business presentations are under utililsed, despite the fact that everyday new stories are created involving customers and staff of every organisation. Often it is because a presenter does not know where to find stories, that they are not used in a presentation.

Internet

There are thousands of websites that can be found with stories that can be utilised in your presentations to highlight and emphasise your key points. The major downside of utilising the internet as a source of stories is that the story will lack a true personal connection with your audience. These stories, will involve characters and situations that your audience can not directly relate to.

Rather than using stories from the Internet directly; use them as a template or inspiration for finding stories in your workplace or business.

Members of Staff

One of the richest sources of stories in any organisation is the staff who work within it everyday. Members of staff have a multitude of experiences. They deal with clients, contractors, and other staff and this experience can be used to illustrate almost any point. You simply need to ask members of staff about their experiences, most people are only to willing to share them.

Staff experience is one of the richest and most valuable resources available because the situations and characters involved are usually relatable to your audience. If the person who shared the story with you is in the audience when you tell the story you have an automatic advocate for the point you are trying to make.

Past Projects

Failures can be painful, but if we take the time to analyse them we can find some valuable lessons. This is often the case when we review projects that have gone wrong. Review the history in your department or organisation and you will find examples of projects that did not go to plan. There will be lessons and stories that you can use to illustrate the message you want to convey in your presentation.

This can be a fruitful area to find stories, especially if people who were involved in the project where the story originates from are still with the company.

Complaints or Compliments Department

From a presentations’ perspective the customer complaints (or customer compliments) department can be an effective presentation resource. It is a treasure chest of stories from people who have willingly and voluntarily contacted your business to share their experiences with your products and services. Here you have an entire group of people collating and resolving poor customer experiences that you can utilise.

Simply, there is no better source of authentic and inspirational stories within your organisation. Reach out to your complaints or compliments department today to reap the benefits in your next presentation.

Customers

On many levels the customers are the forgotten resource. But by speaking to them you will hear fascinating stories illustrating many varied uses of your products or services. By talking directly to your customers you will find many alternative experiences that will not conform to your anticipated standard. If you are presenting to internal staff or potential clients you will find stories gleaned from conversations with current customers a source of inspiration and information.

The five sources of stories covered in this article are not the only sources of stories in your organisation. However they are five sources that exist in every company around the world. The stories you gather from any source will provide you a great tool to bring your presentations to life as you masterfully illustrate your key points and messages.

Before you sit down at the negotiating table, you need to be prepared. I cannot emphasize this enough. And it sounds pithy. “Be Prepared”. It sounds so obvious.

It’s not. Let me ask you this…

What is negotiation?

It is two parties sitting down, both wanting different things and eventually coming to an agreement. Note these three words:

Wanting Different Things. That means, you are entering a conflict situation. Think about that. That’s important. It is a conflict situation.

Now… how do the words “be prepared” sound to you? It’s not so pithy anymore, is it? It’s not some beat-up cliché gurus throw around anymore, is it? It is now ten times more important in your head. And all I had to do was say the magic “C” word. Conflict.

Now you’re probably getting images of soldiers, or law courts or football stadiums in your head. And if you were not before, you should now. Good. Now we’re ready to talk about “being prepared”. You may be wondering why I did that. It’s simple. Because in this conflict of negotiations… you have to understand… it is YOU who’s starting the conflict. The seller is asking THIS price and you’re coming back with THAT price.

And before you start the conflict, you need to ASK QUESTIONS. You need to gather as much intelligence as you can. Because once you start the conflict… there is NO going back.

These are the three things you must understand about negotiations.

1. Negotiating is conflict
2. You start the conflict
3. Once you start it, you cannot go back.

So… here are the NINE things you must have — clear in your head — before you walk into a situation like this.

1. Worst Case Scenario
2. Best Case Scenario

You need to know where your limits are. What’s the price you want out of this deal, what’s the lowest price you’ll take before you walk away?

3. Time heals all wounds

If someone walks away, let a few days pass, and get back at the table. If you ever see labour unions negotiating, you’ll see they’re ALWAYS walking away and coming back. It’s just another strategy. That’s it.

4. It’s not personal

Who cares if he yells and screams? Who cares if he swears? As long as you get what you want.

5. Assume they’re acting

I’m not kidding. Because most of the time… they are. They’re putting on a front as much as you are.

6. External Advisors

At the end of the negotiating day, take notes and review them with a mentor. This is invaluable. A pair of fresh eyes will give you strategies and tactics you’ll NEVER think of — because you’re in the thick of it.

7. Prepare yourself in advance
8. Expect them to be unhappy and angry
9. Practice and role-play.

That’s it.

When you enter the conflict zone, and people are screaming, and swearing… you must maintain your composure. If he sees you sweat, if he sees you flinch… it’s all over. Oh… and one last thing. If you’re not in there for at least fifteen minutes… you’re not negotiating.

To Learn More, Visit: http://www.Rental-Property-Investing.com
Copyright (c) 2009 Dario Lorenzo

Most of us have attended some events/ conferences, which we considered well – organized, informative, enjoyable, and worth our time and money, as well as a number, which we considered somewhat the opposite. Since I have been professionally negotiating, arranging, organizing, and/ or overseeing these, for about four decades, I am perhaps even more sensitive to, the difference between what often is, as opposed to what might have been! In the vast number of circumstances, the major factors are the quality and depth of the planning, and how well the organization negotiated! This article will address 7 basic suggestions, to enhance and improve the possibilities, to put on an event, you can be proud of, and attendees are glad they attended.

1. Hire a professional: Unless you are a large group, will in – house, professional negotiators, it will almost always pay, for you to seek, interview, and hire the best negotiator for you! Ask questions, including what it will cost, what services will be performed, and speak to his references! Professional negotiating is not merely opting for someone who tells you they’ve got lots of experience, but rather taking advantage of the skills, someone with genuine expertise will bring to the table!

2. Know your needs: Why are you running this event? What are its purposes, and what do you wish to achieve/ accomplish? Is there an educational purpose/ component, is it for fundraising purposes, a social gathering, or some combination of all of these? Is this something done regularly (a tradition), or is this the first – time?

3. Have a real budget from the start: Under – estimate your projected revenues (a.k.a. be conservative), and over – estimate expenses/ costs! Where do the revenue sources come from? Are they from charging attendees, from sponsors/ donors, out of the organization’s funds, or some combination? What are the priorities and purposes?

4. Prepare and use a Request for Proposal (RFP): How will you find the correct venue, unless you shop around, and formally request bids, with specifics? Lay out, in as much detail as possible, what you need, want, and seek! Are you using a stand – alone venue, or is it associated with a hotel? If the latter, how many rooms will you be using (known as room nights)? If the room nights is a significant number, use that generated revenue, as a bargaining chip! Do you need audio visuals? If so, carefully negotiate these, because they often are far more than anticipated! Food and beverage costs must be negotiated, meal by meal, and never accept choosing from a pre – selected book!

5. Make the RFP an addendum to the contract: It is important that your RFP be made an addendum to your contract. It must be stated that it supercedes anything to the contrary, stated in the standard contract. Discuss cancellation charges, breakage (also known as no – shows), and what leeway you will be given, as well as when you must submit your guarantees. The more you have in writing, upfront, the better off you will be!

6. Get it, in writing: Make sure everything is written, and never accept the answer, Don’t worry. We’ll take care of you.

7. Win – win: Successful event negotiating is never about defeating your adversary, nor about treating the venue as an adversary! Rather, come to a meeting – of – the – minds, where your needs and concerns are clearly understood, and you get something you can afford, which will help you create a superb event! This is the art and science of win – win negotiations!

Since events are a major component of most organization’s operations, doesn’t it make sense to have better, less costly, more bang for the buck, enjoyable ones? Use common sense negotiating skills and techniques!

Despite how important fair pay is to most of us, effective salary negotiation is an often misunderstood and avoided topic. Current research indicates the average duration of a position today is 3.8 years. Over the lifespan of your career, how well you negotiate raises or starting pay will have an enormous cumulative effect on the quality of your life.

So why does this skill remain elusive for many career professionals?

Most of us do thorough research and prepare extensively for a job interview. We create the perfect resume, slave over cover letter drafts, and rehearse answers to anticipated interview questions. We make sure we’re dressed right, have references, and are on time. But all too often, only cursory attention is given to thinking through how, when, and why we’ll end up being happy with the terms of our pay.

One problem is that cultural taboos in our society make talking about money a no-no. Many of us regard money negotiation as inherently unseemly, or we feel guilty about not accepting what’s been offered so nicely. Isn’t haggling supposed to take place if you’re buying hand-made rugs somewhere in Turkey?

We want to believe that the first offer we hear should be the highest dollar figure possible; moreover, we don’t want to “rock the boat” and potentially ruin our chances of landing that great job. That voice inside of us whispers “Everything in this interview has been going great! Don’t wreck it now!”.

Like it or not, though, you’re a negotiator. You can’t get off this ride. Negotiation routinely takes place in dozens of ways in our daily lives. Given the fact that you will make or lose several thousand dollars in the span of a few minutes, learning how to respectably negotiate your pay is vital! Notice I say respectably.

Unfortunately, I see countless candidates who either come off way too aggressively, or much too meekly, for their own good. This is often because of a lack of self-preparation and practice. Many candidates also fail to realize their position in the marketplace and the position of the employer. Not good!

The good news is that salary negotiation skills can be learned or improved upon. Here are seven key tips to being paid what you’re worth while maintaining a healthy respect others have for you:

o Don’t believe that effectively negotiating your salary means that you must have the mentality of a used-car salesperson! You aren’t being slippery, out of line or ungrateful to not accept the first figure that’s tossed out. Most employers value candidates who clearly possess self-respect and confidence in themselves; these qualities are revealed through the skill and poise in how you negotiate your pay–they are aso revealed if you do nothing.

Think about it: Doesn’t it make sense that if you demonstrate effective negotiation capabilities for yourself, that in turn you’ll negotiate smartly for your employer, too? Hiring managers pick up on this.

o Do remember that your value is far more important than a number somewhere on a spreadsheet. Yes, this is true despite common cries that “payroll budgets being fixed, this is the best we can do” or “in this economy, you must be realistic.” Employers by and large are not searching for “cheap bargains” but want value in their employees.

A common misconception is “I’ll have a better chance of getting the job if I don’t ask for much money–I won’t cost as much as other candidates.” Don’t go there! Concentrate on the value you bring, not how little you cost. By the way, if you do this properly, the question of “previous salary history” should be much less relevant. This means you will have a better chance at jumping to higher ranges faster in your career.

o Don’t (and I mean never) accept any form of benefits before you negotiate your salary. Why? Once some form of compensation other than salary is accepted by you, the employer has leverage in justifying why your salary should be lower. Remember to always get agreement on the starting salary first. Then negotiate non-salary benefits and special considerations afterwards.

o Do delay talking about compensation; try to discuss your value, and the specific benefits you can bring to the table, for as long as possible. The employer should perceive you as a valuable, one-of-a-kind resource–not an off-the-shelf good with a price tag.

Think of those high-end infomercials that delay revealing what the price of the offer is until the very end (if at all). The whole point of the infomercial is to draw your attention to the value of the good or service and its many different uses and applications.

Certainly something that clearly validates a gain or cost-savings of $25,000.00 would be attractively valued at $2,499.99. But would you really pay attention to an ad that immediately said its cost was $2,499.99? Probably not! The same psychology applies to salary negotiation. The longer the interview process continues, the more likely you will be regarded as a valuable resource obviously worthy of upper-range pay.

o Don’t accept any offer, no matter how lucrative, on the spot. Instead, express your continued interest in the position and how you clearly see yourself making contributions (specify them one more time again). Then always ask for 24 hours to consider the offer. Certainly a day will give the hiring manager time to find any necessary “wiggle room”, if need be.

Be passionate and excited, but don’t lose your objectivity–any position that will be the center of your daily professional life for years to come won’t melt in 24 hours. Right?

o Do remember the old axiom “he (or she) who speaks first loses.” Wait until an offer has been made–but don’t respond immediately. Remember that in many cases, what is initially offered to you may be the lowest figure the hiring manager dares to put forward.

This is mission critical territory: Often, even casual remarks made by you constitute implied acceptance of the offer…Which can quickly become explicit acceptance as the conversation moves on. Don’t let this happen! Instead, intentionally steer the conversation back to the responsibilities of the position. Who will you be supervising? What are some tangible, specific contributions you see yourself making? Where do you picture yourself in the organization in the future?

The greater long-term picture you create, the greater the likelihood you will negotiate more effectively. You can only really begin to negotiate after you have clearly brought to life realistic present and future scenarios.

o Don’t over-negotiate. How do you know when to recognize what is too little or too much? By researching your market ahead of time. Don’t just go to http://www.salary.com and think you “should” be earning a certain dollar figure without taking into consideration the unique opportunities every employer possesses. This is not really true research.

A salary is compensation paid for services performed. Your salary should be commensurate with your skills and experience built yesterday, but negotiated for the work you will be doing today and tomorrow. Remember, you don’t get what you deserve in life…You get what you negotiate!

Would you like more help? Check out this month’s HireWorks Recommends for some great resources.

Special Offer! This month we will review 10 Resumes at no charge. Find out what improvements you can make to get the attention of hiring managers and land that important first interview! Click Here to submit yourself to be among the first 10 people to respond!

How confident are you in your negotiating abilities, whether in your personal relationships, professional endeavors, or marketplace, including travel?

One book with a fresh perspective on negotiating is “Getting More: How to Negotiate to Achieve Your Goals in the Real World-The 12 Invisible Strategies That Changes Everything You Thought You Knew About Negotiating,” by Stuart Diamond.

Diamond embodies 40 years of negotiation expertise and teaches a negotiation course for MBA students.

He shares his entire negotiation class in three broad questions:

1. What are my goals?
2. Who are “they?”
3. What will it take to persuade them?

The first six chapters explain Diamond’s 12 invisible negotiation strategies. These methods aren’t rocket science, but unless you already know how to do them; they’re completely unseen he says. Five of those skills are:

• Goals Are Paramount. Goals are the end-all and be-all of negotiations. You need to negotiate to meet your goals. Everything else is subservient to that. Write down your goals and remind yourself, not just at the beginning of the process, but throughout.
• Make Emotional Payments. The more important a negotiation is to an individual, the more irrational he or she often becomes. Irrational people are emotional people. When they’re emotional, they can’t listen. When they can’t listen, they can’t be persuaded. You need to tap into the other person’s emotional psyche with empathy. Value them or offer them other things that allow them to think more clearly.
• Every Situation is Different. Every negotiation is different because there are different people, or the same people on different days. Or, a different set of facts and circumstances, or a different goal. There is no “one-size-fits-all,” including race or gender.
• Incremental is Best. In our imagination, big, bold moves produce big successes. In reality, big, bold moves mostly scare people; you’re trying to go too far too fast. Incremental steps anchor people to the step or steps they’ve already accepted. They reduce the perceived risk of moving forward.
• Embrace Differences. Most people think different is wrong, risky, annoying or uncomfortable. But different is demonstratively better. It’s more profitable; and studies show that more creativity results from the clash of differing perceptions and experiences.

Diamond emphasizes that mastering the twelve strategies occurs only through practice; and that each method is situation-specific. He also uses the Baseball Hall of Fame as an analogy for your negotiating efforts: “If you are a.280 hitter in baseball, and you get one extra hit every nine games, you become a.310 hitter in baseball. And that is worth a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame and $10 million more in your compensation. All for one extra hit every thirty-six times at bat.” You needn’t hit a home run when negotiating. Aim for one extra hit every nine games and you’ll be highly successful.

The people and processes used comprise more than 90 percent of what’s important in a negotiation says Diamond. The substance, facts, and expertise account for less than 10 percent, which is quite counterintuitive for most people.

Negotiating is often viewed as confrontational and manipulative, reserved only for the most talented. Diamond says that great negotiators are developed, not born. Becoming a better negotiator will enhance your self-confidence and provide a detailed approach to problem solving. It will also produce greater control over your life, more money and more peace of mind.

Getting More’s chapters include Getting More at Work, Getting More in the Marketplace, Parents and Kids, and Travel. Chapter 15, entitled “Public Issues” provides prescient insight on some of the key questions to ask when evaluating how well people are doing in solving a problem. Those challenges could be within the local school board or halfway around the world in the Middle East. The answers will reveal whether you have the right people negotiating, and the right processes.

If you’re looking to hone your negotiation skills, Getting more will provide some clear direction.

When negotiating, do you accurately detect disgust in the other negotiator? Do you know how to do so by using micro expressions? Such emotions have a direct influence on the negotiation.

Smart negotiators know how to manipulate a negotiation by utilizing different emotions. In order to protect yourself from such ploys, you need to know the micro expressed signs that denote genuine disgust.

What does disgust look like in a negotiation?
In a negotiation, disgust can be seen in the body language of the other negotiator, through the use of sighing, constantly looking away from the person speaking, checking the time via glances at his watch or a clock on the wall, and the fiddling of objects. Disgust can also be displayed by the use of strong hand gestures (pounding table, stabbing/poking the air with a finger, etc.).

What to observe to detect real disgust in a negotiation:
To detect the genuineness of disgust, examine the other negotiator’s face for a wrinkling in his nose and his upper lip raised. This expression will only last for 1/25 of a second to 1 second. Thus, while the emotion will be fleeting, you can glimpse the sincerity of the other negotiator’s emotional state of mind, if you capture this signal.

How to combat disgust during a negotiation:
Regardless of whether the display of disgust is genuine, if it converges at a precipice in the negotiation, weigh the option of discussing your perception to seek validity of the display. If such displays are made during noncritical points in the negotiation, consider ignoring them. Only speak about them if you wish to convey that you’re cognizant that something’s askew. Be careful not to fall prey to a position that’s not beneficial to your negotiation efforts.

Ways to alter false disgust displayed during a negotiation:
Depending upon the person with whom you’re negotiating and their demeanor, you may consider ignoring the signs of disgust they display. In some cases, like a child, the more you inquire as to what is wrong with the person with whom you’re negotiating, as displayed by their behavior, the more you’ll be drawn into their realm of control.

To be better equipped to defend against emotions displayed during a negotiation, observe the characteristics of disgust, as conveyed through micro expressions. Once you become adept at identifying genuine emotions, versus those that are presented for the purpose of diversion, you’ll compete at a higher level and be more successful when negotiating… and everything will be right with the world. Remember, you’re always negotiating.

The Negotiation Tips Are…

• To assess the genuineness of disgust in your negotiation, note what has led to the display of the emotion and observe the signs that highlight the genuine emotion displayed through disgust.

• To control the flow of a negotiation, only address emotions that are bona fide to the negotiation.

• Mirror disgust to stake out a position indicating you’re as repulsed as the other negotiator. Do so with caution, so as not to get into a one-upmanship with the other negotiator.