Animated pictures and films can make your PowerPoint presentations more varied and help maintain your audience’s attention. In this article we show you how to use and add movies in a presentation!

Contents:

• Movies in PowerPoint presentations – File Types

• Add Movie from File

• Movie Settings

• Playing movies in one or more slides

Movies in a presentation

You can add movies, animated GIF files or Flash files in PowerPoint to create moving pictures. This can be useful if you want to highlight a message to a group of listeners.

Movies

Movies are video files with formats such as AVI or MPEG, and extensions such as avi, mov, mpg and mpeg.

A typical movie can be the company’s new commercial. You can use a movie for educational purposes or to perform a demonstration.

Animated GIF files

An animated GIF file contains motion and has the file extension:gif. Although animated GIF files are not technically films, they contain several images that continuously create an animation effect.

They are often used to highlight a design or a website. GIF files are categorized as film clips by the functionMultimedia clip in Microsoft Office, but are in reality not digital video, and therefore, it is not all movie settings that are available for animated GIF files.

FlashFiles

Flash files are typically used for graphic animations on websites. The advantage of Flash is, that you can use the same image multiple times.

If you have animated graphics created by using Adobe Macromedia Flash and saved it as a Shockwave file with the file extensionswf, you can play the file in a PowerPoint presentation by using the ActiveX objectcalled Shockwave Flash Object and Adobe Macromedia Flash Player.
Add movie from file

You can add movies from a file via Insert | Media clips | Movie | Movie from file… In the dialog box Insert movieyou select the desired movie and then click OK.

When you add a movie on a slide, you must decide how you want to start the playing in the slideshow. You can either choose to play the movie Automatically when the slide appears or When Clicked on the movie itself.

Movie files are always linked to the presentation and not integrated into it.

When you add a linked movie file, a link is created to the current location of the movie file. If you later move the movie file to a different location, PowerPoint cannot find it when the file is played.

TIP: It is a good idea to copy the movies to the same folder as the presentation before you add them.

A link is created to the movie file, and PowerPoint can find the movie file if it is kept in the presentation folder, even if you move or copy the folder to another computer.

You can also make sure that the linked files are in the same folder as the presentation by using the function Package for CD.Read more in the module Import and export.

Movie settings

After you have added a movie in the presentation and the movie is selected, an additional contextual tab Movie Tools is shown. Here you can specify some different options for how the movie is to be played in the presentation.

Hide during slideshow

Only use this option if you have set the movie to play automatically or if you have created another kind of control, for example a trigger that must be clicked to play the movie.

Play movie

When you add a movie, you must specify whether the sound has to play Automatically or When Clicked. If you subsequently want to change this, do this via Play Movie.

Play full screen

This setting means that the movie will be played in full screen. When the movie has played it returns to its original size.

Note that movies should be optimized to be displayed in full screen, otherwise you risk that the quality will be poor and blurred, when made larger.

To play a movie continuously for a single slide

A movie will play once, which is standard for movies in PowerPoint. If you want the movie to be repeated i.e. when the movie finishes playing, it automatically starts again, you can select Looped Until Stopped via Movie Tools. This means that the movie is repeated until you click on the slide or use your keyboard.

Playing a movie over several slides

The option Play across slides means that the film continues even though you navigate back and forth in the presentation.

When have you felt the pressure of giving a presentation? Was it a “make it or break it” situation? How well you do on this presentation will determine your career, income, and future. I’ve been working with a client that had to face one such presentation.

Carmen Kraft, the creator of the DoctorMe Book, had entered a contest to have her product sold on QVC and presented on Oprah! She had to give a 10 minute presentation on why her product is a right fit for QVC and why America needs it. Talk about pressure!

Carmen came to me understandably nervous. This is a big presentation, a one shot deal. Her anxiety and nervousness were apparent and I knew the first thing I had to do was calm her down.

The first time I went through the presentation with Shari, I was nervous and upset. I didn’t know why this seemed so hard. After a few preliminary questions and outlines, it was time for her homework. I told Carmen that she needed to take time every day to visualize the presentation. “It has to be a dynamic visualization,” I told her. Walk into the room. How big is it? How many people are there? How are they dressed? How is the room set up? Is it a panel of judges or just one person? Notice, how do you feel? What are you wearing? What do you have in your hands? What do you hear? Etc.

I told her this is critical. Giving yourself a chance to be in the situation many times before you even get there will keep you calm and cool. By the time you walk into the presentation, you will feel in control and confident.

For Carmen, each visualization was different. You see, Carmen and I weren’t sure what the “audition” would be like. So, she visualized small intimate settings and she visualized a ballroom full of people. She visualized a panel full of bored judges and she visualized a single person across a table. This way no matter what they threw at her, she was prepared.

Each time I visualized a different scenario, I had a new question for Shari. What if it’s like this, then what should I do? What if I run into this, what should I do? But with each question I had, Shari gave me an answer. Because of working with Shari, I went into the presentation fully confident that I was prepared and had a killer presentation. What could have been a high anxiety situation was fun and exciting! It went great!

So next time you’re faced with a pressure presentation, walk yourself through the presentation. Go through many different scenarios, especially your worst case scenario. Then visualize how you’ll combat any obstacles. This way your mind is fully prepared for whatever comes your way.

As you venture into the stationery stores shopping for presentation folders, there is one thing you can’t fail to notice if you are keen enough: that the prices of these folders vary greatly. Upon further research, you come to realize that some of these folders are justifiably more expensive, whereas some don’t really have anything to justify the extra prices they are sold for. In other words, there are some folders worth paying more for, just as there are some that aren’t really worth paying more for. We venture to look at four types of those presentation folders that are truly worth paying more for. As it turns out, the folders worth paying more for include:

1. The folders that come with edge reinforcements: thanks to the edge reinforcements, these folders tend to last substantially longer than the folders which don’t come with them (the reinforcements). Moreover, thanks to these reinforcements, the folders in question tend to look substantially classier than folders that don’t come with the reinforcements. Simply put, the edge reinforcements make a lot of difference, and are worth paying more for.

2. The folders that come with extra (document) capacity: this is a question of how many papers the presentation folder is capable of holding. It emerges that there are some folders that can hold more paper, and to the extent that you can lay your hands on one of these, you would be so much better off (as you can’t know the scope of your future presentations). Actually, some of these folders with capacity for more papers are sold at the same prices as ordinary presentation folders. But even where some cost more than ordinary folders, the higher prices charged for them are definitely worth paying, because in this case, you will be seeing the extra value that you will be getting for your money.

3. The folders that come in truly unique designs: this is a question of aesthetics. You come to realize that these presentation folders are, as their name suggests, presentation accessories. You also come to realize that the impressions you make in presentations matter a great deal, in influencing your audience towards the direction you desire. It is on this account that you are well advised to go for the classiest-looking, more aesthetically appealing presentation folders you can get. To be sure, many of these folders that come across as classy (thanks, mainly, to their unique designs) will tend to cost more than the duller folders. But the higher prices associated with these types of presentation folders are definitely worth paying, as you get extra value in exchange for them.

4. The folders that come with extra (useful) features: you come to realize, for instance, that some folders come with slots for insertion of CDs and DVDs, slots for insertion of business cards… and so on. Some of the folders that come with these features don’t cost more than others. But even where they do cost more, their higher prices are still worth paying, as they give you access to extra value (in terms of these extra features).

How do you give an Effective Presentation?  What makes the difference between an average presentation and an effective presentation? This is Part 3 of 5 focusing on The Room.

There are five main components of an effective business presentation. The acronym OSRAM should help you to remember them and help you to light up your audience. The five components are:

• The Objective
• The Speaker 
• The Room 
• The Audience
• The Message

You should consider each of these components in turn to maximise the effectiveness of your presentation. Neglecting any individual component can ruin an otherwise successful presentation. Put them together correctly and you will turn on a light in people’s heads; brighten up their lives; get your audience to see and understand things, about which they were previously in the dark.

This series of articles looks at each of these components in turn and discover what needs to be done to ensure the success of that component.

The Room

Presentations take place in all types and sizes of rooms. They may not even happen in a room at all. The space and the facilities the room provides can make a huge difference to the effectiveness of any presentation.

I have 3 simple rules about the room you are using for your presentation.

1. Arrive early

You should always arrive early so that you can become accustomed to the room itself and check it over before your audience arrive. Arriving just before you are about to present, means there is no time to fix any problems that you may find and no time to grow accustomed to your surroundings.

When you are one of a series of presenters, it is often best to practise your entrance.  How will you get up to your speaking position? What does it feel like standing there? Where will I put my notes? A word of warning if you are using cue cards or notes, do not leave them on a lectern, keep them with you. It is all too easy for the previous speaker or the MC to pick up your notes along with theirs, leaving you helpless.

Make a note of where people come in. Will late comers be able to join without interrupting your flow?

2. Make it tidy

You should minimise the number and level of distractions, so that the audience pays attention to you. All too often presentations are made in an internal office room where various debris has been left behind by the previous occupant, including: writing on the white board or flipchart, books and papers left on desks or window sills, pieces of computer equipment that are not currently in use. All these things work as distractions from your presentation and should be tidied up before your audience arrive.

Close the blinds on any windows in the room so that you audience are not distracted by what is going on outside.

Make sure everyone can see you and the screen or flipchart (assuming you are using one). Try sitting in the back row to check that you can read the content of your slides. While you are there look around the room and make a note of anything that you can see that you do not need for the presentation and then remove those items.

3. Make sure that you know how to operate all the equipment. 

Now, I know you wouldn’t normally try giving a presentation if you didn’t know the basics of how any technology you are using works, but have you really thought through all the things that could happen during your presentation.

Do not forget to turn off your mobile phone and the screensaver on your laptop. During rehearsals you will never spend more than 5 minutes on any one slide but in an actual presentation it is not unusual for some one to ask a question and you can be on the same slide for 15 minutes or so, which is when your screen saver will pop up. No matter how politically correct your screen saver is, it is very unlikely that it was intended to form part of the presentation.  

These days many other background tasks running on a PC can also interrupt your presentation such as “You have mail” messages, Instant Messaging text, anti-virus scans etc. try to turn all these things off before the presentation. Test the pens to make sure they all work, if you are going to use a flipchart or whiteboard. To make sure people can hear you, ask a friend or colleague to sit in the back row during the presentation, they can then signal to you if your voice is too quiet.

When you are using a microphone, make sure you know how to turn it on, and do not forget to turn it off when you leave the stage. You do not want your private conversations being broadcast to the whole room. While I’m on the subject of microphones, don’t be tempted to tap it or shout “testing, one, two, three” to see if it working, it will make you look very unprofessional.

With modern projection equipment, you should not need to turn the lights down for people to see the screen; however, it is always wise to check that there are no awkward reflections, which might interfere with people’s vision.

“I do not object to people looking at their watches when I am speaking. But I strongly object when they start shaking them to make sure they are still going!” –Lord Birkett

OK. You have been working in the company for a few years now and, through hard work and enthusiasm, have risen up the ranks to a responsible middle-management position. You know your job backwards and are confident that you could rise to any challenge.

One day your Chief Executive asks to see you. You know you have kept your nose clean of late so this can only be good news. No doubt he has a job that needs doing and has looked no further than you. A good choice!

He sits you down and, after a little polite chat, he says:

“As you know, our company is looking to develop its services into other sectors and an opportunity has arisen to raise our profile at a national conference. If we can make our name there it could be the best thing that has happened to us in years. I need someone that I can trust to pull this off and I have been keeping an eye on you for some time. I would like you to make a presentation about our company at the conference.”

What would your reaction be? Perhaps:

* I have never spoken in public before

* Everybody will be looking at me!

* I am sure that I will forget what I have to say!

* I may get asked a difficult question!

* What happens if I screw up!

But it does not have to be so frightening. In fact, it can be immensely stimulating and rewarding. There is no other feeling like standing on a platform in front of people, with them hanging on your every word. You can see by their rapt attention that you have them in the palm of your hand. And afterwards they come up to you and say how much they have enjoyed your presentation.

You don’t believe me! Well, read on and believe how even you could PRESENT LIKE A PRO by applying my Ten Ways to WOW Your Audience

Step 1 – Understand Your Audience

“Some speakers electrify their listeners, others only gas them”
Sidney Smith

The first lesson you must learn is that your presentation must be geared towards your audience’s needs, not yours.

Your audience will respond to your approach, based broadly upon their:

- educational background

- culture

- existing knowledge of the subject

- technical expertise

- position within the organisation

- enthusiasm for the subject and event

- expectation of the experience

Ask yourself the following questions:

o How much does my audience already know about the subject?

o What do they expect from me?

o What interests them in the subject area of my presentation?

o What is their likely attitude towards me and my subject?

o Are there any ‘hidden agendas’?

o Is there any internal politics or inter-group tensions I should be aware of?

o What ‘language’ do they speak?

o Do they want to be at the event? Were they pressed to attend?

o What is the age range?

o What is their educational and social background?

o What is their cultural or ethnic background?

o Could religion and/or politics influence their reception to my presentation?

o What positions do they hold in the organisation? Is there a mix of grades present?

o What presentation style are they most likely to relate to?

Step 2 – Set Your Objectives

“Men never plan to be failures; they simply fail to plan to be successful”
William A Ward

The key to planning a powerful presentation is to determine its objectives. Again, these should be largely formed with the audience in mind. For example, they may be to:

* pass on pure information: the results of some recent market research, perhaps

* improve the work performance of members of the audience by imparting new skills or knowledge to them

* change the attitude of the audience towards factors that they have recently faced, or will be facing in the future

* persuade key decision-makers to use a product or service your organisation offers

* introduce new working policies or procedures

* entertain and amuse

Step 3 – Structure Your Presentation

“A speech should be like a lady’s dress: long enough to cover the essentials, but short enough to be interesting”
Anon

Have you ever heard anyone complaining that a presentation was too short? No? I bet that you have heard the opposite, though! Your presentation should be structured into three distinct sections:

The opening (5% – 10% of total time) has three main functions:

1. To attract the audience’s attention as a means of starting the presentation on a positive note.

2. To explain the purpose of the presentation

3. To advise the audience of any ground rules

The main body (75% – 85% of total time) should be split into a number of main sections: from three to no more than six. This is where you aim to fulfil your main objectives, be they to pass on information; change attitudes; introduce new concepts; or to entertain.
Each section should be easily identified by the audience as being separate to that which proceeds or follows it. The use of bold visual aids with the title or description of the section (possibly numbered) will assist in differentiating each section.

The conclusion (5% – 10% of total time) is the most important section of the presentation because people tend to remember the last thing they hear.

The four purposes of the conclusion are to:

1. Recap the important points you made in the main body of the presentation – although do not be tempted merely to repeat them at length. Make them short and snappy.

2. Reinforce the main message – which could be the dire consequences of not taking the actions you have proposed.

3. Provide a springboard for action: in other words what you want the members to do after the presentation.

4. End on a high note. Do not let your presentation peter out to a feeble, forgettable end.

Step 4 Practice, Practice, Practice

“When other speakers present, we applaud. But when Demosthenes speaks, we arise and go to war!”

The above quotation refers to Demosthenes, a speaker in ancient Greece, who had a stutter, but who practiced his speeches so much, with pebbles in his mouth to counter his stutter, that he became famous for his passion and eloquence.

Do not try to ‘wing it’ – the only way to guarantee a successful presentation is to practice it until it becomes second nature. Doing so:

o Helps reduce the possibility of nerves on the day

o Improves the delivery of the presentation

o Determines the timing of it

o Allows you to refine the content

o Familiarises you with any aids you will be using

Step 5 – Arrive Early and Check

“There are risks and costs to a programme of action. But they are far less than the long-range risk and costs of comfortable inaction”
J F Kennedy

It is essential that you arrive in plenty of time in advance of your presentation, not least because it will allow you time to gather your thoughts, have a glass of water and a deep breath, and relax before you take the stage. Better still, visit the venue days in advance, thus allowing you to take any necessary actions or amendments to your plans.

The principle reason for arriving early is to check every aspect appertaining to your presentation. You need to check out the:

* Room

* Environment

* Equipment

Step 6 – Control Your Nerves

“The human brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops until you stand up to speak in public”
Anon

Let’s get one thing straight first: to some degree, everyone has butterflies in the stomach before having to speak to an audience. The key is to have the butterflies flying in formation.

Can you ever remember someone having difficulties when performing or speaking in public? I bet that you felt for him and his discomfort. I bet that you wanted to find some way to help him; to reduce his discomfort. Audiences are not evil; they do not want you to fail. And if things do get a little difficult for you they will want to assist you through it, rather than revel in your discomfort. They will wait patiently; suggest words; tell you that you have missed out a page of notes; or put the transparency on the OHP upside down. After all, it could be them up there having to make the presentation! So put your fears into perspective.

Step 7 – Build Initial Rapport With Your Audience

“A speaker who does not strike oil in ten minutes should stop boring”
Louis Nizer

You have researched your audience (Step 1) so you know a lot about them. Hence, you have all the information you need to build an immediate rapport with them. One-size-fits-all may apply to socks but it does not apply to audiences. You must understand what their ‘hot buttons’ are and be prepared to press them from the outset. The over-riding objective must be to get them on your side.

Try out these ideas to build an initial rapport:

o Boost their personal egos.

o Stress the importance of their roles, however menial they believe them to be.

o Talk their language.

o Dress the part.

o Establish your credibility.

o Use examples and anecdotes they will relate to.

o Stress that you understand the challenges they face.

Step 8 – Deliver with a Passion

“We communicate with passion – and passion persuades”
Anita Roddick

Once you have built an initial rapport with your audience, you must maintain it throughout your presentation. People will have come to hear you speak with some preconceptions and expectations. They may initially have been negative but you have worked hard in your initial five to ten minutes to grab the audience’s attention and raise expectations for the remainder of your presentation. It is your job now to meet, or even exceed, their high expectations. You must stand and deliver!

There is nothing more engaging in a speaker than for her to give the impression that she is really enjoying the presentation herself. It may be that she has given that very speech a hundred times but the audience feels and believes that this is the first time and that they are being given special attention. Yes, it is about the professionalism of the delivery, but it is also about the enthusiasm behind the delivery – the passion. Speakers must make their audience believe that they, the speaker, are as interested in, and committed to, the subject as they hope their audience will be.

Step 9 – Tell Them a Story

“Once you get people laughing, they’re listening and you can tell them almost anything” –Herbert Gardner

People have been using stories as a means of passing on information and messages since time began. People would sit around a fire and exchange experiences and these stories would be passed on from generation to generation. People love to hear stories – they hold our interest as they take us from level to level, from incident to incident, building up our curiosity until all is revealed at the ending. Our love of stories begins in early childhood and never leaves us. The camp fire may have been replaced by the bar counter or the dining room table but the fascination remains. Effective speakers understand the power of storytelling and use it to good, even dramatic, effect in their presentations. Stories add variety and can be used to illustrate and emphasise messages.

Step 10 – Use Visual Aids and Props

“Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it”.
Joseph Pulitzer

Visual aids are used to add interest for your audience, and there is a wide range of such, including:

* Slides (OHP or PowerPoint)

* Video

* Flipcharts

* Slide projectors

* Props, models, jigsaws, Lego pieces etc

* Graphs, charts

* Demonstrations

* Cartoons

* Photographs

* Handouts

Props. Even novice speakers should consider using props as well as visual aids. Props are particularly good at adding interest and humour to a presentation. Here are some props that I and fellow speakers have used to good effect:

o A giant toy telephone to reinforce points about telephone selling.

o Throwing small toy dinosaurs or ostriches into the audience when talking about people’s resistance to change.

o Simple magic tricks.

o Wearing costumes – from complete clown outfits to a simple baseball hat.

o Toy bombs or machine guns to grab the audience’s attention through noise.

o Aerosol sprays to invoke the sense of smell associated with a story, perhaps.

Copyright Alan Cutler 2005

Permission is given for this article to be copied and used in any way so long as it is not changed in any way.

A negotiation is a dialogue between two parties in which both are seeking something from each other. The negotiation is the process of reaching agreement. You want what you want and they want what they want. The best outcome all round is that you both get what you want. The level of success you achieve over time depends very much on how you approach the task and how much you follow your real intent. So many negotiations break down and lead to a lose lose as people get personal and start to battle for victories that are nothing to do with the original intent of the negotiation.

It sounds simple but the most important step in a negotiation is to know exactly what it is you want to achieve. There is usually a range of acceptable outcomes. You get everything and they get nothing is one that usually sets you up for future failure with the other party. A level of compromise acceptable to both giving both of you more than the minimum acceptable to each is the middle outcome. Both getting everything you want is the dream ticket. Write down what it is you want and give some measure to the range of outcomes acceptable to you. Keep this written objective with you throughout your negotiation. When you get distracted by rivalries and emotions you will need to keep referring back to this and check in that you are still seeking what you want.

An equally important step is to understand as clearly what the other party wants out of the negotiation. You should also write this down and even clarify it with them so you can be as clear as possible about what they are after. Before getting in to the process of give and take that leads to a good negotiated settlement you now need to consider how much of the other parties needs you can meet at no cost to you. It is so powerful if you can give them what they want at no cost to you and will position you for success with your needs if you meet theirs first. It is more common that there are trade offs and there will be some costs to giving them what you want. Understand what they are and know which ones you can afford to pay. Also understand which ones you will pay for in return for more of what you want.

You are now ready to negotiate. The more you can focus on giving the other party what they want first either as a good will gesture or as a trade for what you want the more you will succeed. A good will approach is very powerful. If you give someone something for nothing it often creates an obligation on them to give you something back. There is risk in this but if it is worth taking do it as you will get much more than if you go for a straight trade. This is particularly true if you have to negotiate often with the other party.

Whenever it gets tough pull out your piece of paper with what you want and what they want written down on it. Get the negotiation back on to this and more often than not you will get what you want out of the negotiation.

In my university negotiations class I was voted the most effective and the best prepared out of around 150 students during spring quarter.(I am not saying this to toot my own horn just to give a little credibility) The information and experience that I gleaned from the class was awesome. I had never been a negotiating type of person. I just shopped around until I found the right price then I bought. Persuasion and communication have always fascinated me, the art, the style, the technique, the power, when used for good of course. Every class period we were assigned a “role” and a position to “play” from. In reality the students had nothing to lose so they should have held their ground. I mean why not, it was just role playing. I held mine and made out like a bandit come voting time.

Being a real estate agent I work on my negotiating skills and use them often. But negotiating with other real estate agents can be just like class, easy. Sometimes they are so removed from the situation, or just want to earn their commission that they don’t hold their ground for their clients either. Now I wouldn’t recommend a home owner trying to negotiate the sale or purchase of their home either. Emotion and too much at stake can be such a deal killer. What you need is an agent that is willing to work for you, but that is not what we are going to talk about today.

There are three basic techniques of negotiation that I would like to explain: Puffery, the Hidden Table, and of course Silence. I recently sold an old car that we weren’t using anymore, private party, no agents acting for principles. Now there was some real negotiation.

Puffery

Ah yes the sticker price. Most people think of negotiation as finding common ground, the middle between two points. This is often the case, so if you are going to sell something set the price high and the middle ground will be near what you actually what for the item, and hey who knows maybe you’ll make a little extra. So for the 1995 Infiniti J30 that blue books for 3200 and we wanted 3000. We started out at 4200. We placed ads on craigslist and Autotrader, the usual places to find buyers for a car. Nuthin, Nada, zilch, we received absolutely no response. It was awful, three weeks we waited. OK so we lowered the price to 3500. A few bites but when asked about the condition of the car, we lost ‘em. We weren’t out to trick anyone or misrepresent the car. It had some cosmetic issues, but ran great, what do you expect for a 12 year old car. OK so the sticker prices on most cars at the lot are high but the advertisements in the papers are for low prices. In today’s technology driven world we weren’t the only 12 year old car on craigslist. People weren’t calling because other cars were priced lower and why call on an over priced car when there are cheaper options available.

So we lowered the price to 3000 and Bam! My phone rang off the hook, people wanted this car. But of course the negotiations were just getting started. The first words out of most of the callers mouths was what is your bottom line, no really how much is the car, what is my price, how much for cash, like I would take anything else. My immediate response was

The Hidden Table

When you’re at a dealership and you make an offer to the salesperson, their response is “Let me check with my sales manager?” And of course your offer is a little low and they counter with a higher price. Now how come the sales manager is always somewhere else and never comes to talk with you? They are playing the hidden table; the salesperson is still your friend that has asked about your kids and what you do for fun on the weekends, while the absent manager is the one who wants more of the green in your wallet. In real estate negotiations I use the seller or buyer as it maybe.

For me it was my wife. I would say that it was my wife’s car and she needed to get 3000 for it. I couldn’t negotiate over the phone but if they wanted to come and test drive the car then we could talk. I would say that this weeded out half of the prospective buyers, but that saved me the time of showing the car to someone who wasn’t even slightly willing to pay 3000. The hidden table saved me time and kept the price firm at 3000, and I was still able to be a “nice guy” when talking on the phone.

I bet I showed the car to 5 or 6 different people. Here is where I used what can be the most effective negotiation technique ever realized.

Silence

Either used when making an offer or when answering an offer, silence can get you to where you want to go. After test driving the car a prospective buyer offered 2500 all he had to spend on a car. I deadpanned him. Nothing, not a word came out of my mouth. 10, 20, 30 seconds past and he said how bout 2700. Can you believe it, all he had to spend? He moved towards my price by 200 dollars just in response to my silence. I then responded with 3000 not a budge from me. I lost him, 2700 really was his top. But that was OK I wanted 3000. The right buyer would come along. And he did, again I used the hidden table over the phone, and after test driving the car he offered 2600. Silence from me. How bout 200 dollars off the list price, he said. Not to be rude and overuse the silence technique I reverted back to the hidden table and restated that my wife needed to get 3000 for the car. He said OK and a deal was made.

Now I didn’t rip anybody off. Everyone got what they wanted. He a car and me 3000 bucks. But I was able to use three very valuable techniques of negotiation. Even though puffery in this situation didn’t work, it is still a commonly used and effective method. The hidden table is one that I use all the time. “Let me take your offer back to my clients and see what they have to say.” It is so powerful. And Silence, the power house of them all; who would have thought that just being still and not doing anything would work so well. Basically you’re using the motivation of your counterpart against them.

So now you know a few of the basic principles of negotiation. Give it a try You would be amazed at what you can negotiate, Phone Bills, Cars, Salary’s, Hotel Bills, even some entertainment venues. It just takes a little practice and it can be really fun, see what you can get.

Life is supposed to be fun, so Live it up.

Recently I was talking with some friends of mine who are planning on using the current depressed real estate market to “trade up” and get a bigger / better house. They were lamenting the fact that this process was going to require them to negotiate with the sellers . They had come to me because they knew that I teach others how to use negotiation to quickly close bigger deals.

What they wanted to do was use that ” win-win ” technique that they had heard others talking about and they wanted me to teach them how. Sigh. Nothing in life is ever as easy as it seems, but from this experience I thought there were a few key points that you might be interested in…

The Negotiating Pizza
When I started talking with my friends about the house that they wanted to buy, I kicked off the conversation by asking them what they wanted to get out of the negotiations that they knew would be required. They said that price meant everything to them – they could only afford to spend so much money.

Dear reader, clearly we were starting off on the wrong foot. The problem is that my friends were looking at the negotiations for the house that they wanted as a pizza. Assuming that that pizza had been cut into 10 slices, they wanted to make sure that they came out of the negotiations with at least 6 pieces and not 4 pieces. This is not win-win negotiating.

In their quest to get the house that they wanted at the lowest possible price, my friends were approaching the negotiations as a contest – a contest that would have a clear winner and a clear loser . No wonder they were nervous!

A Better Negotiating Pizza
Win-win negotiating has everything to do with how both sides of the table feel after the negotiators are done. If somebody feels as though they’ve come away with less pizza than the other side, then it wasn’t a win-win discussion.

What you need to do is to make the pizza BIGGER . That way it doesn’t become a matter of who gets how many pieces, because both sides actually walk away with more pizza.

In working with my house buying friends, I asked them where they had some flexibility – what else could we add to the negotiations besides just price. It turns out that they were flexible on when they could take possession – they didn’t need to move in immediately. Also, my friends are handy fixer-uppers and so they were willing to make changes to the house – the current owners didn’t have to actually have the work done.

Final Thoughts
In the end, these two additional negotiating points were what allowed my friends to successfully close the deal. The current owners had not yet picked where they wanted to move to so having more time to get out of the house was very important to them. Additionally, they had a lot of fancy furniture that they didn’t want to have to worry about covering while the house was being painted, etc. My friends got the house for a fair price and everyone went away with more than enough pizza.

Sales negotiators who learn how to make the pizza bigger for both sides of the table will be able to close better deals and close them quicker.

How do you calculate the intrinsic value of influence in a negotiation?

Recently I earned and received a very distinguished award from an association of which I’m a member. For years I’d looked at that distinction as a way that some assessed value per the value one possessed in the association, and I wasn’t going to play their game.

Since I have received awards of distinction from a governor and other political figures, CEO’s of major organizations, US Congress, and sat on major corporate boards, I did not appreciate the intrinsic value that this latest designation possessed. Do you make such mistakes when you’re negotiating (you’re always negotiating)? My perspective was, “I’m already good enough. I don’t have to change for you.”

Per your goals when negotiating, what intrinsic value do you possess per the influence such effects have as seen by the opposing negotiator? You should always consider that question when negotiating, because what matters to those you wish to influence is what matters to them!

In my mind I was saying, “Don’t you know who I am? Don’t you know what I’ve achieved? Don’t you know the value I offer?” Through the actions of the association it said, no, nor do we care. It wasn’t until I received the designation that a light shined. I imagined it saying, “Look, he’s alive”.

As you know, value is perceptional. Thus, you have it based on the person/people with whom you’re negotiating.

Here are a few tips per how you can increase your perceived value and enhance the intrinsic value of influence when negotiating.

1. Set the stage by having those that have influence with the other negotiator state that you are influential.
2. Borrow influence per the perceived credibility you’re perceived as having by being seen with those that are influential per your negotiation target.
3. Write articles/post/videos on the subject(s) that’s important to the other negotiator in places that he’ll see them.
4. Obtain designations that are credibility builders as perceived by those with whom you negotiate.
5. After doing number 4, let your reputation speak for you, but be prepared to offer assistance if doing so will position you in a better light.

Tie body language into your persona (i.e. make actions match words).

1. Project the image that you wish to be perceived as and be consistent about it.
2. Learn how to use your body and body language like a walking billboard to project your persona (e.g. head held high or low (humble) when appropriate.
3. Remember, you’re always negotiating and that’s particularly important as related to body language. Some studies have indicated as much as 90% of our communication is conveyed via our body language. If you’ve been following my writings for a while, you know the body always attempts to convey the thoughts you believe to be the truth. Thus, if you feel weak, your body will convey such in the way you project yourself.
4. Be mindful of how you cast what might be perceived as swagger. Some negotiators make snap judgments about those that are too smooth, too graceful, too… (you fill in the blank). As such if you possess too much swagger, some people will place you in a, ‘Be cautious of him; he’s not like us’, category. That will squelch your prospects of having influence on/with that negotiator.

You can’t play big with a small mind. To the degree others see you in a particular light that doesn’t serve you and you fight it, you could be doing yourself harm as it relates to your goals in a negotiation. To that point, assess how important it is to compromise your values to display in actions the mindset that’s needed to influence others. Once you enhance their perception of you, you can begin to influence them per what you have of value to offer… and everything will be right with the world.

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

Have you ever felt too small to negotiate with an entity that’s larger than you are? We’ve all been there, not knowing what to do, when to do it, or how to do it. That may have left you feeling helpless or at least inadequate.

When negotiating, good negotiators attempt to use leverage to sway the other negotiator. In today’s environment, using social media as leverage will make you a better negotiator. The following are a few thoughts about how you can use social media as leverage in your negotiation to even the playing field.

When to use:

Social media can be a juggernaut tool you employ when negotiating with larger entities than yourself, but it can be less effective against someone that’s less than or your equal. That’s due to the fact that some people don’t care about someone smudging their reputation. Thus, you’ll waste time and effort using social media in such circumstances.

To make social media work on your behalf, use it against larger entities and those that care about their reputation. Weigh your efforts against the perception that they may have about the loss they’d incur as the result of you besmirching them and the harm that such might do.

What to consider:

Before using …

• You have to consider the likelihood of achieving your objectives. You should make such an assessment in any negotiation, but with social media, you add a dynamic of control that may not be as controllable as it would be in a non-social media environment.
• In making your assessment, you should consider what the long-term effects might be? Your comments, retorts, and interactions will stay in your social media profile for life. Thus, you’ll be splayed for others to do as they please with you in the future. In essence, you will have given them insight into how you might address a negotiation situation with them. From that insight, they can better create a counter negotiation strategy against you.

How to use:

Give consideration to…

• Timing: To gain more leverage, consider the happenings that are currently surrounding the target of your negotiation social media efforts. If the target is already under attack, your efforts can magnify their perspective of being besieged or hearing the sounds of the cavalry on the horizon. How you do so would be dependent on the outcome you seek. Thus, you can be a safe harbor in a storm or a more formidable foe for them to deal with. We’ve all heard of the straw that broke the camel’s back. Suffice it to say, seek a point of engagement that adds intensity to your efforts.

When negotiating, you have to maintain focus on the actions that will get you closer to your negotiation goals. When you engage the leverage of social media you can create distractions, add the impression of being more powerful, and present yourself as a more formidable combatant. That’s the real hidden value of using social media when negotiating. Use social media wisely in your negotiation efforts… and everything will be right with the world.

Remember, you’re always negotiating.