The yuletide is nearing and that can only mean one thing. Okay, it means a lot of things. Eggnog and pumpkin pie, cinnamon spices, snowflake and flashing light festive displays. Oh, and of course-presents! Who here likes presents? I am pretty sure we all do.

And, while your cat or dog may not admit it to your face, the fact of the matter is they do too. Coming in to a beloved family pet chewing into the freshly wrapped present from or for grandma might cause a slight chuckle, but it usually causes us to be upset. Our pets do not want to upset us, though. And, we do not want to be upset by our pets. So, there are a number of tricks you can use to train your pets not to unwrap presents.

The first and easiest method is also used with small children. Out of sight, out of mind. This is not so much training your pet to not unwrap Christmas presents as it is simply preventing them, but it is effective. Keep presents locked up and away from your pets, and they will not be able to unwrap them.

Some might use technological devices such as mats that cause discomfort and items that causes an annoying sound that can be heard by cats and dogs to keep them at bay. This is the same basic concept. It is not really training the animal, but is it keeping our presents nice and neatly wrapped.

As with any training, you need to start early with your pets. Teach them early on that chewing on a toy is not acceptable. Reward them for being near a present and not chewing on it. Discipline them when they do chew on a present. Provide them with a toy or other distraction that will keep their attention away from the present.

Our pets need to be trained to respect our area and our property. We share our homes, our families, and our lives, but there are some things that are ours. Children learn this early on. It is okay to play with their toys on the floor, but the lamp needs to stay on the table. The same basic concept works with animals. You need to teach them that it is okay to chew on their bone and not presents.

It will take some practice and the easy way out is definitely preventing the animal from getting near the presents. But, if you really want to train your pet not to unwrap presents, it is possible.

Often you will hear that you should not assume, and what it makes of “you” and “me.” However, all of us form assumptions, and in actuality they are an important part of negotiations. When entering a negotiation, we should review our own assumptions and anticipate the assumptions of the other party.

There is nothing wrong with making assumptions. The problem is when one thinks and acts as if the assumption is the absolute fact. If you know you are making an assumption, you can prepare for the unexpected and will be less likely to assert your position dogmatically. If your assumption is proved wrong, it will be less likely that you will be hurt by such an assumption when you realize from the beginning that the assumption may be proved false. Unfortunately, many of our beliefs are based on unconscious, hidden assumptions. These are not as easy to bring out in the open and we often fail to recognize their existence.

When I say, “I saw a begger walking out of the ladies’ room,” what is your first thought? Are you shocked? Why might you be shocked? Did you immediately think the begger was a man? I did not say the begger was a man, but many people have a hidden assumption upon hearing that term that it refers to a male. Hidden assumptions can lead us away from the facts and can be very difficult to recognize and correct.

During negotiations, you must remember that what you assume is only a guess or a probability. If you fail to understand the immediate situation because of a hidden assumption, you may be stuck with the assumption as a fact throughout the negotiation. This can lead to disaster. I was reading “The Complete Negotiator” by Gerard I. Nierenberg as research for this column, and he shared an example where assuming could have proved disastrous. During a conference regarding an important and complicated lease, one attorney handed the opposition the lease and stated, “Here is the standard Real Estate Board Form Lease. You undoubtedly know it by heart, practicing as long as you have.” In actuality, these “standard” forms contain a mass of conditions in fine print and it would be extremely difficult for anyone to remember the significance of each and every item in the forms. However, the remark forced the one attorney to assume a role, and instead of analyzing the lease as it applied to the present situation, he dispensed with reading the standard printed form. He assumed that examining it would show his ignorance. He acted out the role of having to know every word of the “standard” lease. The hidden assumption had been used strategically to his disadvantage.

Nierenberg lists three categories of hidden assumptions that are useful in negotiating: first, those regarding the extensional world, the physical world which exists outside the mind of a human being; second, those concerning the intensional world, the world which exists within the mind of each of us; third, the other person’s intensional world. The first category contains the largest and broadest area of hidden assumptions such as those that concern the environment, time and space in which we live. We verify, the best we can, the “facts” of the world around us. Many of the views we hold regarding the outside world are based on assumptions, and we subject them to continued verification. We just need to be careful about believing in absolutes that require no further verification when our absolute may in fact still be an assumption.

Our intensional world is a picture of the outside world, and we must realize that ideas to not have the same meaning for other people that they may have for us. It can be very beneficial to anticipate the other’s assumptions correctly during negotiations. However, it can also put us at a disadvantage to make assumptions about other people’s motivations and actions. We need to realize that our view of the world, along with our value judgments and moral concepts are personal and valid for us alone. If we fail to recognize this, and do not listen to our opposition, we may deprive ourselves of valuable information.

Assumptions are a natural part of life and the negotiation process. There are times when they can be useful in negotiation situations, and other times when they may be detrimental to your success. Hidden assumptions also play a part in various phases of negotiations. When entering a negotiation, we must remember to review our own assumptions and attempt to anticipate the assumptions of the other party. By doing this, and recognizing the role assumptions have in the process, the successful negotiator will better be able to utilize both agreed upon facts and assumptions to negotiate solutions.

Public speaking is the act of speaking in front of a group of individuals in an open forum, private conference or in a well-defined manner for the intention of informing, teaching, influencing, advising or entertaining the audience.

In this article, I’ll be sharing with you the ten (10) public speaking tips you’ll want to keep in mind on how to overcome your fear of public speaking as well as deliver an impactful and powerful speech and presentation.

The first thing to take into consideration will be, knowing that the people want you to succeed. The audience does not want you to let them down, listeners want you to be appealing, inspiring, educative, and entertaining, meaning they are on your side.

Second, familiarize yourself with the place; meaning know the place in which you will speak in. Reach the place early enough, stroll around the speaking arena at the same time exercise using the microphone as well as any visual items.

Third, familiarize yourself with the audience. Acknowledge some of the audience as they turn up to the place, in that it is easier to have a word to a crowd of pals than to a group of unfamiliar persons.

Fourth, create in your mind yourself giving yourself a speech. That is to say operate from your individual brand, visualize yourself communicating, your tone of voice deafening, audible, and confident, when imaging yourself as victorious, you will be automatically successful.

Fifth, understand your material; put into practice your speech and rework as much as possible. If you have not recognize your material or you are unsure with them, it increases apprehension which is bad for public forum.

Sixth, give attention to the message – not the medium. Move your concentration away from your own nervousness and externally towards your own points and your audience, thus uneasiness will fritter away.

Seventh point, relax; ease worrying by doing workouts.

Eighth, gain experience. Fluency creates self-assurance, which every one knows is the key to successful speaking, for instance, clubs can make available the practice you need.

Ninth point, revolve tenseness into optimistic energy. Strap up your nervous force and convert it into strength and passion for talking to the public.

The tenth and final point for delivering a successful speech is – DO NOT apologize. If you talking about your uneasiness or asking for forgiveness for any tribulations of speaking you think you got with your speech, you might be bringing the listeners’ attention to a point they were not aware of.

In conclusion, for you to overcome your fear of public speaking you need to be the boss, the head, the entertainer as well as the listener to succeed.

Again, we found out that audience does not want you to let them down, listeners want you to be appealing, inspiring, educative and with all this you got to use oratory in your speech, the use of gestures in a speech, be in command of your voice (inflection), nice use of vocabulary, register good command of grammar, word choice speaking notes, pitches of using humor and the last one in public speaking workshop is to develop a rapport with the listeners