Everything is negotiable as long as people have the charm and persuasion to make things happen their way. In business, there is a pressure to get the most out of relationships and get the most value possible out of deals. Understanding the art of negotiation will increase the chance of a favorable outcome for the company.

Being prepared is the most important part of negotiating well. Going in without a plan and thinking it will be like the movies where characters simply wing it will only backfire. It is important to know the audience, what they want, and what questions they could ask. Understand what is driving the party the company is negotiating against where their priorities lie.

Having a response custom tailored for the audience is very helpful in negotiation. Like the previous point, figure out what type of people the company is dealing with and speak in a language the recognize. This is how to push their buttons. There are four kind of basic people to deal with when negotiating.

First is the formal, precise individual who is analytical and needs mass data before a decision can be made. Second is the purposeful, demanding person who is more competitive and intuitive. Third are the caring, relaxed, and patient people who do not rush things. Fourth are the persuasive people who are warm, expressive, and sociable.

Adapting the approach is easier when the businessman understands the different categories of people. The first person needs lots of information. The second just want a summary. The third and fourth types need stories or diagrams. The person negotiating needs to understand themselves as well so they do not butt heads with people of their own kind.

Believe it or not, listening is an important negotiation factor. Conduct an initial face-to-face meeting before going into specifics. At this meeting, ask the other party what they want out of the negotiation. The more the negotiator says, the more they will give away. This gives the other negotiating party leverage.

Confidence and being mentally prepared before initial meetings is key. 55% of how people communicate is through body language. If the negotiator feels subordinate, the other party will pick up on it and use it against them in negotiation.

Understand that everyone negotiating needs each other. Know the value of the offer and how it helps the other party. This will give enough confidence to clear the head and be in control, taking the lead in questioning.

Avoid being a salesperson. Discussion is key to negotiation as it is how parties reach a mutually agreeable outcome. Instead of saying how much the company can do for the other party, discuss what the company does and offers and ask how it can help the party. Identifying things that are low cost to the company is important to have prepared in case of a trade-off.

Do not be afraid to take a break during negotiations. This time is often needed to collect thoughts and get the negotiator’s head back in the game. This time is also used to reconsider the offers on the table. The only time this is not okay is if the negotiator is on an absolute fixed deadline.

Lastly, it is good to understand the company’s position and the negotiating party’s position as well. Know what the company can get away with (usually the opening bid), what the company expects to get based on market knowledge, and what the deal breakers are.

If the relationship with the other party continues after the negotiation, everyone needs to win. Since future meetings are sure to happen with company relationships, being rude or undercutting the other negotiating party will only lead to bad deals and feelings in future business.

Even though it is the stuff that makes us tear up in movies and television shows, giving a puppy as a Christmas present is rarely a good idea. Despite all of your best intentions, adding a furry family member needs very careful consideration.

The holidays are a stressful time for most people. There is a ton of hustle and bustle about the home every day. There may be family traveling in, or you may need to travel to them. There are presents to wrap and food to cook. Now, add an 8 week old puppy to the mix and someone is going to howl for sure!

Having a new puppy is, well, expensive. There are the costs of acquiring the puppy, plus all the “must-haves” that need to be purchased. There are the expenses for Veterinary care and puppy-proofing the home. Not too mention, replacing anything that little Marmaduke happens to chew on with those baby teeth. Christmas is probably not the best time of year to add on a list of expenses.

Then, there is the little-known issue of whether or not the puppy will be healthy. See, most reputable breeders actually will refuse to sell puppies at Christmas, for fear they will not be accepted or cared for properly. Or, the fact that someone may end up allergic and that would break everyone’s heart. Unfortunately, puppy mills breed their dogs to make money around the holidays. It seems that pet stores make a lot of money and most of it is off of puppies bred solely for profit. The saddest part here is that many are in-bred and come to their new homes with genetic defects, illnesses and many other ailments. And, way too many times, they end up at shelters.

So, before purchasing a puppy as a gift this Christmas here are some ideas that should help:

• Check with your local shelter about a gift certificate-then, go AFTER the holidays are over.
• Buy a few books on dogs—fun and interesting for the children to read. This way, they can learn about how to raise a puppy and get ready for the big day.
• Pet-sit for a day. Borrow a friend’s dog for the day. This will allow the children to have all the fun of playing with a friendly dog, but not necessarily the hard work of it all. Just be sure the dog is kid-friendly
• Plan for the puppy. Make a calendar of when you plan to go look at puppies. Discuss shelters vs. breeders with the family. Figure out where he or she will sleep, what they will eat, etc. Make it a family affair!
• Visit your local Veterinarian. Get to know the doctor who will be taking care of your pet. This way, the children get to ask questions, maybe even see some animals, and the whole family is comfortable with their puppy’s new doctor.

These are just some basic ideas. Try to remember that bringing home a pet is almost as important as bringing home a baby. With children, we get 9 months or so to prepare. For your new puppy, at least take a month or two to prepare. In the long run, your holidays will go smoother and everyone will end up with a family member that is loved and cherished for many Christmas’ to come.

Almost anything that is worth doing will be worth doing right. That is certainly true for succeeding at improving your presentation skills. Planning carefully beforehand, getting advice and following it, might make a major difference in your chances for achievement or failure. If you don’t do it right, the end results tend to be very disastrous. You could wind up embarrassing yourself, and in many cases cutting short your career advancement.

Allow me to share three great tips to avert that kind of failure, and succeed.

First of all, you need to understand presentation structure.

You will need to create a strong introduction, body paragraphs and powerful conclusion because it aids in preventing confusion on the part of the audience. Neglecting to get this done may make your presentation impossible to follow. You want to give the audience a road map of where you are in the presentation. Please avoid the error of disregarding or slighting this important step!

Secondly, you want to limit public speaking fear and nervousness.

Almost as essential as needing to understand presentation structure while you’re attempting to succeed at presentation skills will likely be you want to limit public speaking fear and nervousness. I’m letting you know, this is not something to overlook. It can help to make your presentation go from being mediocre and slightly boring to powerful and exciting, and everyone involved in presentation skills wants that.

Lastly, you want to concentrate on improving your body language. By some estimates, 65% of a message is transmitted by body language

And ultimately, when you’re dealing with presentation skills, just be sure to breath and learn to manage your own anxieties. This would assist with having a confident delivery, that’s an essential part of any effective presentation. Should you not, you could possibly come across as someone who is not an expert on the presentation topic — and I think we will agree that would not be a good thing!

As stated earlier, should you aspire to succeed at presentation skills, then you definitely will need to steer clear of the kinds of mistakes that might mean you wind up embarrassing yourself, or perhaps cutting short your career advancement. What you really want is to focus on your weakest area of the three areas mentioned above. You can easily attain presentation mastery by carefully pursuing the three steps outlined above.