When presenting data or analysis to senior executives or committees it’s obvious that if they don’t understand your message then they won’t your concept. But something equally important is the issue of actually understanding the presenter e.g. the speed at which you talk, the way you pronounce words, or a strong regional accent can all influence the clarity of your message. One easy way to fix this problem is to articulate every word.

I’ve presented at a small conference – 90 people – the presenter before me was a Doctor. She was presenting some very important research about the need to use sustainable materials in the construction of public sector housing. A very important message; Al Gore, after-all, got a Nobel Prize for work on a similar theme.

But she mumbled her way through the presentation, mostly with her back to the audience reading her slides. Despite having a microphone the audience struggled to hear or understand what she was saying. Amongst her worst faults were dropping the ends of her words, especially when the letters, T or D, or ING were involved. This had the effect of making her mumble even more difficult to understand. And then when she noticed that the audience were losing interest she started to rush, which made comprehension even worse.

If she’d asked here’s the advice I would have given her: ANNUNCIATE! Specifically, pronounce every single word properly. The effect it has is to:

1. Slow you down so that you are better understood by your audience
2. Allow you to breath properly because you have slowed down, hence you don’t swallow your words
3. Allow you to think, so you can go off-script and really react to your audience
4. Make your facial muscles congruent with what you are saying.

Don’t underestimate the power of proper pronunciation it can have a dramatic effect on your presentation. Here’s how you do it.

The minute you close this article go to your nearest bookshop and buy “The Cat in the Hat” by Dr Seuss. Read it out loud for at least three consecutive nights before a presentation. Re-read it again just before your presentation. Then marvel at how much more time you seem to have and how much better your audience rates to what you say.

Remember if they can’t understand you, they won’t buy your ideas.

The real secret to giving a good presentation is for the presenter to be “up” and have a great deal of energy. Under the best of circumstances, this can be a challenge to do, if you’ve had a really bad day it can appear to be darn near impossible.

So what’s a presenter to do? Fran Capo is a motivational speaker / comedian who has had to face these types of situations. Ultimately it’s all mental – you’ve got to get yourself into the right frame of mind. Sounds easy doesn’t it? In reality if you don’t know how to do this, it can be quite hard.

Fran has a number of suggestions for how we can gather our wits about ourselves on the worst days of our lives and still deliver a knockout presentation:

1. Breathe Correctly: when things start to go bad for us we screw up our breathing – we take many short breaths. Realize this and stop, take a moment to focus on your breath, and take a few deep, long breaths. This will start to calm you down.
2. Adjust Your Attitude: How you choose to view a situation is entirely up to you. No matter how bad the day has been so far, you are in control of how the rest of it turns out. Realizing this and forcing yourself to think positively is the key to making your presentation come off perfectly.
3. Put It In A Box: I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten bad news just before I was to go on and give a presentation. In order to prevent life’s little hand grenades from destroying your presentation, you need to learn to put your negative emotions in a box and slam it shut when you don’t have time to worry about them. However, be sure to open it later on and process your emotions when you have the time.

We can’t prevent life from handing us lemons before, during, or after our presentations. However, with a little care and some understanding of how we deal with bad news, the show can still go on.

Outstanding student loan debt is a major problem for many graduates. It is possible to negotiate with your creditors and possibly reduce or even eliminate your student loan debt. If you’re not up to the negotiations yourself, you can hire a company to negotiate with creditors on your behalf. However, if you fully intend and have the ability to pay your debt, it’s usually better to contact your creditors yourself. If you reach the stage where you can’t keep up with the repayments, it’s vital that you contact your creditors as soon as possible and explain your situation.

It will help your situation greatly if you manage to contact your creditors before they contact you. Professional debt negotiating programs offer plans, similar to debt consolidation services: They negotiate with your creditors provided you have saved the minimum balance to settle the debt. Before signing on with a debt negotiation or consolidation service, you might want to check and ensure your creditors are willing to work with the agency you plan to choose. Consider using agencies that offer actual counseling and education, instead of simply enrolling all clients in a debt management program.

Debt negotiation is a process where you negotiate with your creditors to pay off your debts at a reduced amount – for example, if your student loan was for $16,000, you can negotiate a payoff of $7,500. Creditors will report accounts that have been reduced, and it will stay on your credit history for seven years. Note that creditors have no requirement to negotiate with you or a debt negotiation company and that they will often play “hard-ball” at the beginning of the negotiation process.

The very fact that you have appointed a debt negotiator on your behalf is a sign that you are a bad risk. Most creditors will settle for cash now as opposed to the balance over the next 10 years or so. Beware of debt elimination scams that insist consumers are not under obligation to repay their debts because creditors charge illegal interest rates. This is simply not true.

No matter what the state of your finances, there are positive solutions for both you and your creditors. Explain to them right up front what your situation is and how you believe that things can be worked out so that everyone will benefit.

By aggressively taking matters into your own hands, your creditors will know that you mean business and are motivated to seek remedy. Yes, asking your creditors to simply forgive some of your debt is always one option and is a good starting point when negotiating your student loan. Don’t expect your creditors to roll-over, however! But it does show them that you expect some action.

Consolidation versus Forgiveness

Debt consolidation is the better of the two when it comes to influencing your credit score. If you choose a debt consolidation company, your creditors may report delayed payment. When searching for a debt negotiation company, one of the best places to start is with debt consolidation lenders.

While credit counseling and debt consolidation are both pretty straightforward services, many people have trouble understanding the difference between debt negotiation and debt management. Many debt consolidation lenders provide detailed information about student loan debt, student loan debt consolidation and more.

Your financial situation may allow you to take out a debt consolidation loan. A debt consolidation loan helps manage your debt because the loan is usually over a longer period of time and possibly at a lower interest rate than your existing debt. It is a more aggressive approach to getting out of debt than making minimum payments, using credit counseling, or trying to negotiate with your creditors. If possible, consider borrowing from a friend or relative as the interest paid can be far less than from a financial institution. Please know however, that a debt consolidation loan is nothing more than a way of putting off the inevitable: The loan will eventually have to be paid off.

When your monthly bills become too much for you to handle, it makes sense to use debt consolidation or debt negotiation for solving debt and credit problems. If bills and other heavy payments are bogging you down, take action sooner than later to find solutions to your problem. Continued financial stress and burden can ruin everything in it’s path, not to mention permanently damaging your credit. If a student loan is at the heart of the problem, debt negotiation and/or consolidation can help you get back on track and out of debt.