How to Buy a Good Birthday Present

Buying a good birthday present need not be a big task however it can prove to be much more difficult than people think especially if they are not given any direction from the person they are buying it for. So how does one not spend a fortune but still deliver a gift that not only does the person like but also gets lots of enjoyment out of?

By addressing the issue of what is an adequate amount of money to spend on someone is generally a good place to start when it comes to buying a birthday gift as many people tend to believe (wrongly) that the more a gift costs the better the gift. Now for some people out there this is the case as they tend to define things by the price tag rather than the thought or the actual gift itself.

Surveys have shown that the actual cost does not make a big difference to a person so if one is operating under quite a tight budget do not be put off as there are plenty of good options out there to select from. Now a good amount of money to spend on a birthday gift for someone close is anything above forty pounds but below one hundred pounds.

Now if a person is blessed enough to be able to afford to spend more than one hundred pounds that is great and they can still take the advice off the gifts below but perhaps can spend extra on slightly more prestigious brands.

A gift that is absolutely ideal for a quality birthday gift that has been around for a while but is still a classic is a watch. Now this may not seem such a special idea but it really is as it is explained here. The main reason is there are many quality brands of watches out there on the market such as Fossil watches. These types of brands regularly produce new innovative and fashionable designs making them a good gift to go with a person’s wardrobe. Also these kinds of brands have lots of competition between themselves meaning that pricing is extremely competitive which gives a person plenty of options in terms of what they want to pay. Finally it is a gift that shows a lot of thought has gone into the idea and also it is a gift that a person cannot just use once or twice but use all the time for work events, work itself or social occasions.

Now if a person already has a good quality watch all is not lost as the term second watch is a very good idea. Normally a person will only have the one watch and it will either be formal or casual. Depending on what they have will determine which style of watch that is bought for them as their second watch. So if they have a casual watch for day time then one can buy them a formal design from Fossil watches that they can use for work and nights out.

Rapport – The Key to Any Great Presentation

Rapport can be defined as an intangible, invisible “link” that exists between a speaker and his audience. It is that comfort zone where both parties start to enjoy each others presence and a sense of trust develops. No matter how content-rich or persuasive one’s presentation is, a presenter would never succeed in communicating effectively with his audience without this presenter-audience relationship known as rapport.

So how do you tell whether rapport is lacking between you and your audience? The following would reveal some signs that things may not be going well during your presentation.

1) Excessive small talk among your audience members

2) People dozing off intermittently

3) Facial expressions of boredom

4) Languid body language

5)People excusing themselves repeatedly to leave the room

Conversely, when good rapport is established, communication between both parties would reach an optimum level. This is the point where you would notice your audience members giving you and your presentation full attention. Considerable eye contact is made and heads nod in agreement with the issues you raise. People would be laughing at your jokes appropriately or even applaud you for a valid point made. In fact, when questions start rolling from the audience, it may not always be a bad sign because audience members are participating in a fruitful dialogue with you or with other members, which shows that interest in your presentation topic is sustained.

But how does anyone create rapport with his audience?

The secret to this million-dollar question lies in subtle techniques that almost every great speaker or presenter employ whether consciously or sub-consciously. The number one trick-of-the-trade would be the effective use of humor. Everyone loves to be entertained and a presenter with a great sense of humor would often spark off rapport with witty one-liners or amusing life experiences. However, jokes should be threaded on carefully so as to ensure that they do not breach political, gender, cultural or racial boundaries.

Furthermore, considerable eye contact would help in creating rapport even without your audience knowing that this is a deliberate effort by you to do so. Why? Because eye contact with the audience conveys sincerity. Think about it. If someone goes up to you and strikes up a conversation without looking at your eyes and keeps glancing to the sides, how would you feel?

Get my point? It is logical, isn’t it?

However, do also take note that although a steady sequence of eye contacts would reveal your confidence in your subject, staring right at someone would definitely imply rudeness or hostility. This is merely a social skill taken into the context of public speaking. As a rule-of-thumb, a three-second eye contact with an individual would be more than sufficient.

Lastly, as a presenter or public speaker, you should use your body language to “win over” your audience. This means that one should first adopt a confident, open posture when presenting, since such a physical gesture would suggest self-assurance and optimism. No one would want to listen to a speaker who appears nonchalant and seems like he does not even believe in his subject matter. Thereafter, wear a smile regardless of situations since this is the most effortless tool in creating rapport. Not only is it the easiest but it is the most effective, especially when you open your presentation with it. In fact, we use more facial muscles frowning than smiling. So by conveying positivity to your audience members with a sincere smile, you would have instantly created preliminary rapport with them, thereby ensuring that you have won at least half your presentation battle.

Thus, building rapport is critical to any presentation and it is often this indefinable element that distinguishes a great presentation from an average one. Time and again, we tend to take such subtle techniques for granted as we focus excessively on our presentation content and material. However, by bringing these skills into our conscious minds, we would be able to communicate successfully with any audience.

The Ideal 21st Birthday Present

This coming September is my boyfriend’s 21st birthday. We’ve been together for 3 years and we both feel quite strongly about each other. I finished university this year and David finishes next year. Which is when we plan on working and travelling around South America. We’re both fairly adventurous types and have been on various charity and learning travels throughout our lives. For our South America trip he’s even taken Spanish as an additional module so he feels better prepared for our travel.

He’s such an accomplished person that I struggled to think what I could get him as a present for the big 2 1. Which was when the idea hit me. A watch! Simple, functional, stylish and most importantly I knew he was thinking of getting one after he’d lost his grandfather’s watch. I knew it wasn’t possible to replace it and besides I wanted to create my own memories with my present which was how I ended up looking at a range of Citizen, Rotary, Guess and Ice Watches. All of which looked incredibly impressive, but I felt it had to best suit David.

In the end I went with my gut, the watch that I thought had the most features that ticked off all the uses David would need from a watch. It even told the time!

I chose a Citizen’s Calibre 2100 Chronograph Eco Drive Watch. Quite a mouthful that packs an equal punch. It’s a stainless steel watch that’s water resistant, ideal for when he decides to go snorkelling or diving off Chile. It also comes with a 5 year guarantee that with Jim, I know would come in handy. The watch itself is perfect for Jim as it is multi purpose with several sub dials that can measure time in different ways including the basic stopwatch.

I think personally the best thing about it is that it looks timeless and could easily take him from day to night.

Conclusion

I can’t wait to give David his 21st birthday present. I know that he will be thrilled with his Citizen Watch and all the additional ‘toys’ within it. It’s the perfect gift as he turns 21 and it’s the perfect gift for when he’s travelling. If not to tell the time then at the very least to remember me by!

Martyn Bramley invites you to take some time out and think about treating yourself to a new watch!

Buying from Watch-Site is easy. We are official retailers for all of the brands listed on our site so you can be sure that each product is 100% genuine, competitively priced and comes with an approved manufacturers guarantee.