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Negotiators give hidden clues per what’s really on their minds by the words and gestures they use to convey their thoughts. To win more negotiations, unlock your awareness of hidden clues, and increase your level of awareness per what’s said, how it’s said, and the body language accompanying thoughts introduced during the negotiation.

Those hidden clues will give you the sense of direction to adopt for the negotiation, along with peeks of insights into the opposing negotiator’s strategy. Consider the following:

Speech Delivery:

Pace: Be aware of the pace at which the other negotiator speaks. In particular, be mindful of when he accelerates and deaccelerates his speech. Therein will lie clues to the deliberateness he applied to the offers and counteroffers he makes, which will also give you clues to his initial strategy per how he planned to engage in the negotiation.

Word Choice: Be mindful of the words used by the other negotiator and the meaning of those words per how he’s using them. Since the same word can have a different meaning to people, you must understand the intent being implied based on the words used by the other negotiator. You should also be mindful per how he’s measuring his words (e.g. pain can be implied by saying, “I’m experiencing discomfort with your offer”, or “that doesn’t agree with me” while touching his stomach (i.e. expressing his thoughts through kinesthetic).

Word Absence: Be very aware of what’s not said. The omission of words can conceal thoughts that have a huge impact on the negotiation. If you sense the absence of a word(s)/thoughts, you might consider posing the word/thought yourself to the other negotiator. Then, observe the response per delivery (i.e. slow could imply contemplation, fast might imply no great concern and/or something that he doesn’t want to deal with), word choices used to respond (e.g. I never thought of that (while being reflective)), and demeanor (i.e. sad, happy, disturbed, etc.) Such insights could expose conjectures. Be prepared to take advantage of them.

Nonverbal Body Language:

Nervous Gestures: To detect nervousness, observe fidgeting, shifting in chair, perspiration occurring at specific times in the negotiation, and excessive rubbing of hands/eyes/arms/legs. The latter are comfort gestures indicating that the opposing negotiator is attempting to calm himself.

Confident Gestures: Steepled hands (e.g. Church steeple), normal and consistent breathing, along with non-jerky movements all indicate/projects self-assuredness. When observing these gestures note the time they last and at what point in the negotiation that they occur.

Intuition per Awareness: When experiencing intuition, our brain is signaling that it senses something that may require more attention. Since we’re bombarded by millions of minute nuances of information on a daily basis, our brain takes shortcuts to weed out information it deems unnecessary of our full attention. As such, we may not be 100% focused on auxiliary occurrences that happen around us. That’s because such sensations occur on a subliminal/subconscious level.

When we have such sensations, even though we’re not fully aware of what we’re sensing, such signals should be given more credence because they contain insights per what we’re experiencing.

As with any negotiation, the more you’re aware per what’s occurring in your environment, the more opportunities you’ll see. To increase your negotiation win rate, raise your level of awareness per the insights cited above… and everything will be right with the world.

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

It’s that time again…the monthly meeting. You break out in
a cold sweat just thinking about it. Whether you present to
your managers or your employees you are saying to
yourself:

What if I mess up?

What if I repeat myself?

What if the audience doesn’t like what I say?

What if I forget a part of my speech?

What if I look nervous?

It’s okay! You’re not the only one feeling this way. The
Book of Lists states that the #1 fear is speaking in public.
This fear is greater than the fear of death.

Well, I have the answers to your fears and can help you
become an outstanding presenter. These 10 tips will help
you become more confident making presentations that
achieve results.

1. Start with an End in Mind

Ask yourself, “Why am I speaking?” “What do I want the
audience to do after listening to my speech?” This will help
you focus on the message you want to share with your
audience. It will help you focus on who is your audience,
the key points, and what you want your audience to do after
listening to you.

2. Keep It Simple

Keep your presentation simple by learning to “speak to
express instead of speaking to impress.” What I mean by
speaking to impress is when you see speakers using $5
words for $2 situations during speeches and they look
uncomfortable doing it. Another example of this is when
presenters overuse PowerPoint. Your audience will soon
lose interest in what you are saying.

Also keep it simple with the structure of your speech. An
opening, body with tree major points, and a closing will help
you connect with your audience.
Just be sincere, concise, and simple in your presentation and
you will always connect with your audience.

3. Practice, Practice, Practice

Master your presentation by practicing. Here’s the secret to
practicing…first read your speech to yourself 2-3 times. This
allows you to work out the majority of the rough spots in
your presentation before you start rehearsing.

Then rehearse in front of a mirror or even better a video
camera or tape player. Also try to rehearse in front of
someone whose opinion you value.

Then practice as close as possible to your speaking
environment as possible. For example, if you will be
speaking behind a lectern, practice with your notes on an
ironing board.

4. Visualize Success

Before going to sleep the night before a presentation I take
time to visualize the success of the presentation. The key to
making visualization work for you is involving as many
senses (sound, touch, sight, smell, etc.) as possible in your
visualization. Have you ever had a dream where it seemed so
real you awoke in a cold sweat (You don’t need to tell me
what the dream was)? It was because you used all your
senses and that dream became so real to you that you
needed to escape from it.

Visualize yourself giving a successful presentation where
you see yourself as a confident presenter, hear yourself
handling questions, etc. Visualize successful presentations
so that it becomes real.

5. Eat the Elephant

I ask the timeless question, “How do you eat an elephant?”
Piece by piece. The same answer applies to presenting to a
group. How do you present to a group? Person to person.
Break the group into individuals.

“How do I present to a large group?” is one of the biggest
questions people have when giving presentations. Get
personal. Whenever possible, I will make sure I arrive early
to the room I’m presenting in and plant myself by the
entrance. I will then greet as many people as possible that
walk through the door. I will shake their hands and let them
know I am glad they came. Here’s a tip for guaranteeing a
positive audience:

* As you greet, look for pleasant, upbeat people. Then say
something like, “I’m especially glad you made it today. As a
matter of fact there’s a sit in the front row with your name on
it. Please enjoy!”

The audience member will usually chuckle and you started
the personalization process. Also this allows you to stack all
the friendly audience members in the front rows. It’s always
nice to see friendly faces in the front row.

Remember, when giving a presentation, it’s not about your
needs or concerns. It’s about the audience’s needs or
concerns. Make it personal and eat the elephant!

6. Nail Your Opening

It’s the first words your audience hears. Know your opening
like the back of your hand. Know exactly what you are going
to say. Once you get started and gain some momentum you
will start to gain confidence for the rest of your speech.

It helps to pause for 3-5 seconds before you are about to
start your presentation so that can focus on what you are
about to say.

7. Nail Your Ending

It’s the last words your audience hears and reminder about
you. You can have a great opening and body and have a
bad ending and your audience your always remember how
you ended.

Ask your audience to take action, think about an idea, etc. so
that they understand why they are there.

8. Backup if You Forget

If you forget what you are about to say or lose your place in
the presentation do the following:

* Stop speaking. Take two steps backward. Then take a deep breath. Collect your thoughts. Smile. Take two steps forward and proceed with your presentation.

* Go back and repeat the last sentence. That will help trigger what comes next in your presentation.

* If you really go blank, ask an audience member what was the last sentence you said. Also, if they have handouts of your speech, you can ask the audience what is the next subject we will discuss. You will be surprised how many people will volunteer this information to help you. This will give you time to collect your thoughts, involve the audience, and go forward with your presentation.

Note: If you forget a piece of information, collect yourself,
and then go forward. Never say, “I’m sorry.” Unless the
audience has a copy of every single word of your speech
they will never know you forgot something.

9. Realize Nervousness is the Tool of Great Presenters
Believe it or not, all presenters, whether professional or
occasional, are nervous when presenting. The difference is
the best presenters use nervousness to their advantage by
turning nervousness into positive energy. Here are some
tips to control nervousness:

* Whenever possible walk from the back of the room to burn some of the nervous energy.

* Slow your breathing

* Stretch

10. Get Excited

Get excited so that the audience is excited about hearing
your presentation.

Some of the ways you can become excited is:

* Remember what you say is important and can make a difference for your audience.

* Every opportunity to present is a chance for you to succeed.

* Every time you speak you become better than the last time.

* Presenting will expose me to countless opportunities I wouldn’t have by not presenting.

So the next time you have the opportunity to present apply
the above techniques. You will have fun while presenting on
a whole new level.

Most of us would agree that having humor in our lives increases rapport, strengthens our relationships and overcomes communication barriers. People who work in a positive, often playful environment are more likely to stay. Productivity and creativity increase while stress is reduced. We just feel better after a good laugh. Think funny!

1. Open with a humorous story.. I remember the time the lights when out and I fell off the stage. I wasn’t hurt and quickly said, Now I will take questions from the floor. I’m at my best when taking questions in the dark. Before you can be funny, you must learn to see funny. Find the humor around you, in your life every day. The lady who takes an aisle seat rather tan sit next to the window… doesn’t want to mess up her hair. Practice telling the story out loud, and cut out any parts that aren’t crucial. As Shakespeare so wisely said, “Brevity is the soul of wit.”

2. Use props (candy bars, hats, funny faces, etc.) Props can be used as a metaphor or an analogy for a point you are introducing. They get your creative juices working while providing an anchor for your audience to focus on.

3. Cartoons use your own or others a picture saves a 1000 words. Put cartoons on an overhead or use as part of a PowerPoint presentation.

4. Humor – should be relevant to your topic. Tom Peters said, I deeply believe in humor; not in jokes. Humor is spectacular. Humor relieves anxiety and tension, serves as outlet for hostility and anger, and provides a healthy escape from reality. It lightens heaviness related to critical illness, trauma, disfigurement, and death. It comes as no surprise that many people are utilizing humor to deal with the trying times. But is the humor timely? Is it appropriate?

Do not use ethnic, racist, political or religious jokes. Include a joke that helps bring back the attention of the audience or as a way to lighten up your remarks. We all can use a good laugh from a well timed, funny joke.

5. Self effacing humor- it is better to admit you made a mistake than to admit that you are one. One of my lines as a mother of five is: For someone who isn’t Catholic, I sure did my share for the pope! Phyllis Diller is in the Guinness Book of World Records as having the most laughs per minute. A laugh is measured by:

5 points if everyone is laughing and applauding
-4 points if everyone is laughing and there’s a smattering of applause
-3 points if everyone laughs but there’s no applause
-2 points if some people are laughing
-1 point for a titter or giggle

6. Mime- Marcel Marceau makes us laugh and moves us. Charlie Chaplin was an all time great without using the spoken word.

7. Move Your Body -Try lifting your nose, look off to the side, jut out the bottom of your jaw, and notice how you become arrogant or aloof, Take a wide stance, shift your hips forward, and now you’ve just gained 50 pounds. The use of body movements will help to visually enhance your remarks.

8. Repetitive oral recitation- (repeat after me, Remember, if you can see funny, you can be funny. Repeat a particular sentence throughout your presentation to encourage audience retention.

9. Use taped music for a stretch break. Get the audience to sing a funny song. Pass out words to a song. Lighten up your attendees have some fun and your audience retention will increase. Don’t be afraid to be theatrical or silly. It’s why we pay actors the big bucks; and your audiences won’t forget you. Be outrageous. It’s the only place that isn’t crowded.

10. Group exercise a fun way to conclude your presentation is to use a group exercise. Use the football huddle to get the group to repeat a cheer or an affirmation to take some action.