Presentation Skills

"Presentation Skills," says my web-design guy," When you're posting about presentational skills, you must include that phrase as a link to your site where you have content on the presentational subject matter. That linked to page must also have correct meta information and headings which match the phrase. This is the way to increase rankings on search engines for your chosen subject matter you wish to enhance." But I suppose I'm just too purist and simply don't like self-promotion in a typically British way. I love building the business by recommendation because that's rather flattering, but selling - well it's a bit below the salt, eh what?

However, it's a sign of the times that everyone suddenly seems to be expanding their "Linked-In" network in the hunt for turnover. Suddenly I have almost as many "connections" as there are "Bob Harveys" in Linked-in. In my search for increased visibility I also decided to have Google Alerts for my name so that wherever my name was mentioned I would have receive a notification from Google. It's a free service and it works well for the "Tork and Grunt" alert I've been watching for a few months but alas, there are just too many BH's out there, from the mayor of Waitakere in New Zealand to the founder of the band "Jefferson Airplane." There's been nothing much to report from either of those recently, unless you're interested in surf life-saving.

Goodness knows, we need some good news in the press right now. My own blogs seem to reflect the general note of despair and the world feels a loss of direction and purpose. The demise of MFI (how did they resist the might of IKEA for so long?) and the collapse of Woolies leaves us without two iconic symbols of UK retailing. Who next?

So it's time to think positive - and it's no wonder that "The Secret" and all its offspring publications, CDs, DVDs and ra-ra seminars have swept across the world. I simply loathe the saccharin-sweetness of the message and the constant intrusion of angel choirs, ethnic chants and inevitable pan-pipes in the sound-track. What makes it even more infuriating is that if you can survive the dross of the packaging, the core message is truly priceless. We do determine our own future; we are in charge of our destiny, and in the words of my own high-achieving and successful son: "If you think you can, you can!"

We've talked ourselves into depression. We can talk ourselves out of it. We are creatures of habit and we can turn it all around if we change the mindset. At the momentall the official messages from those on high are simply the pain of Death by PowerPoint. What it needs is the right presentation, good professional training. Ah yes, must remember to mention the key words: presentation, PowerPoint, training.