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Is your Christmas present shopping done yet? No? Me neither! If you are still looking for clever and stylish presents for the women in your life, I will share with you the results of my research of the best ideas to give to Mom, grandma, to sisters, aunts and cousins alike.

The first idea for a gift that will be appreciated and welcomed by 100% of females is a gift of flowers, plants or a gift basket. There are so many options and variations for the perfect custom Christmas gift basket that you can easily and quickly buy online or on the phone for all the women in your life.

For me, I love to send Christmas centerpieces especially when I know the person, such as my mom, loves to entertain and will proudly display her centerpiece during the whole Christmas season. Centerpieces can last from 1 to 3 weeks! So can Christmas plants…

A poinsettia is the classic Christmas plant of course but did you see what your local florist can do in the way of twisting the tradition to include candy cane poinsettias, burgundy sparkly poinsettias in arrangements with white chrysanthemum, frosty branches, pine cones, berries and big bows.

All I’m saying is that you can’t get florist quality and style in a large department store. And for the person who doesn’t like fresh flowers (is that possible?) or for the allergic woman in your life, just get her a gift basket. There are as many gift basket ideas as there are stars in the sky….ok, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit but you get the picture….

From fruit baskets, gourmet baskets, tea & coffee baskets, chocolate baskets, fruit & cracker baskets to pamper me please baskets, lavender and vanilla beauty product baskets and chef’s baskets, the possibilities are endless… You can order flowers, plants and gift baskets online easily and get your order delivered in the next few days in the city of your choice. Of course, if you are rushed for time and like visiting local businesses personally, you can also order these items at your local flower shop.

The other obvious gift idea for the special woman in your life, is jewelry. What woman wouldn’t like a new pair of earrings, a necklace or a bracelet? If this is a special year and you want to get a gift that will be treasured daily for years to come, get your Mom, your grandma or your sister a birthstone ring. Just determine if she wears gold or silver and order a precious keepsake customized to her birth month.

Finally, for the book lover, the reader in your life, the ideal gift is an e-reader. This is a perfect gadget for the woman in your life who likes to keep up with the times, who travels or who just plain old loves reading. I was always thinking it was better to have paper books until this past summer. Don’t get me wrong…I still love the feel, the smell and the sensations that come from devouring a new book!

Just before my trip to Nashville this year my whole book bag got soaked before leaving (I won’t go into the details, let’s just say it involved a tap dripping…) Anyways, let’s just say I don’t have the problem of bloated and discolored books anymore nor will I have the problem of lugging heavy books now that I have an e-reader. If the women in your life already has one, you can get them a gift certificate for buying more books, if not, get them an e-reader. They are getting very affordable now and go from simple and inexpensive to high tech and inexpensive so it’s a win win situation.

What skills do you employ when trying to resolve conflicts? The answer should be, the same skills you use when negotiating.

Conflict resolution is a subset of negotiation and thus, the better you are at negotiating, the better you’ll be at resolving conflicts. The information that follows gives insight into how you can enhance your negotiation and conflict resolution efforts.

1. Listening:

a. In any negotiation, when attempting to resolve conflicts, really understand the other person’s perspective and assess the basis for the conflict.

b. Consider the source of the other person’s motivation that stimulates his beliefs, thoughts, and desires for the outcome he’s striving to achieve. Seek to understand his perspective at an intellectual and emotional level. Ask open-ended questions (i.e. questions that require more than a yes or no response) to solicit insight as to why he holds such beliefs to be valid.

c. Ascertain who and/or what the source of his beliefs, thoughts, and desires are that’s generating the outcome he seeks. If you determine that there’s a vast conflict between the position you hold and his, cite sources from references that he believes to be credible, in an attempt to sway his viewpoint.

2. Patience:

a. Prior to responding with a rebuttal, be sure you understand the gist of the other person’s position. Let him talk. The more he talks, the greater the opportunity to glean additional insight and information about his mindset.

b. Watch rhetoric, yours and the other individual. Words have meanings and some words may convey thoughts that are different from the intent you meant. Be sure to use words that the other person understands and applies in the same manner as you intended for him to perceive.

c. If you are slow to respond to questions, you give the impression that you’re reflective. Answer a question too quickly and you could give the impression that you’re being flippant. Strike a balance between the two modes, based on the situation at hand.

3. Use of language:

a. Once you understand the other negotiator’s perspective, assess the viability of his beliefs, based on the verbiage he uses. Some words, such as, “I believe” versus “I know” or “I’m sure of”, conveys the degree to which he believes his thoughts to be accurate. In observing the manner in which he uses words, you’ll be able to peer into his beliefs and begin to determine the level of commitment he has for the outcome he seeks.

b. If you cannot oblige the outcome the other person seeks, explain in language that he can understand (use words he uses) why you can’t oblige him.

c. Avoid using inflammatory language. An ill word cast at an inappropriate time, will deflate the conversation and most likely, create a more negative environment.

4. Tone and pace of voice:

a. Align the tone and pace of your voice to the situation and strategy you’ve adopted. If the situation calls for a display of empathy, display it. If on the other hand, it’s more appropriate to allow the timbre of your voice to convey a more steadfast position, display that demeanor. Unless it’s part of your strategy, don’t be backed into a position you can’t, or don’t want to defend.

b. Keep in mind, a good thought/plan delivered with the appropriate demeanor can soften rejection, or enhance acceptance.

c. Try not to interrupt the other person when he’s speaking. Take note of how long he delivers his position and be aware of when he starts to repeat himself. Regardless of whether the other person starts to pontificate, don’t over talk him.

Just because you silence a man doesn’t mean you’ve converted him. In order to gain benefits from the resolution of a conflict, you must delve deep enough into the psychological mind of the other individual to emotionally and intellectually understand his perspective. You must know what holds sway with him; in order to do so, you have to experience his reality. Once you’re able to comprehend his perspective, you’ll be prepared to offer a solution to his situation. If the intersection between what you’re capable of delivering and what he needs intersects, success will lie at that junction… and everything will be right with the world. Remember, you’re always negotiating.

The Negotiation Tips Are…

• A conflict is nothing more than disparate positions. Never become mentally burdened as the result of a conflict. Understand the source of it before attempting to address it.

• In our everyday lives, we participate in conflict resolutions. If you take note and utilize some of the same tactics and strategies you employ in your negotiations, you’ll enhance your ability to resolve conflicts.

• Resolve in your mind that you’ll reduce tension in your personal and business life, by enhancing your communications with those you encounter. Become more adept at conflict resolution.

If you’ve decided to use slides in your presentation because you believe they will help your presentation, it’s crucial to think about what to include in your slides.

Resist the temptation to write your script out in the slides. Not only is that boring for the audience to see slides full of complete sentences, but they can read faster to themselves than you can read out loud so they will finish reading the slide before you do.

Instead, use fewer words and provide the voiceover that gives meaning to those words. Even better, use graphs, charts, spreadsheets, photos or images that will visually explain your points.

Graphs, Charts and Spreadsheets

Use graphs, charts and spreadsheets if the information they contain will help the audience understand your message.

Avoid putting up a chart or graph and saying, “I know you can’t read this.” (When I hear this, I am tempted to shout, “then why are you showing it to us?!”) Make sure it’s legible and that the colors are easy to distinguish.

And rather than just showing the whole chart or spreadsheet, highlight and zoom in on one section of it. So, first show the overview and then on the next slide, show a bigger version of an excerpt, for example, just the 2010 numbers or just the line that shows customer growth over the past three years. Having just one section on the screen makes it easier for the audience to see, read and understand what you are focusing on.

Also use your words to highlight the important points. Orient them to what they’re looking at and then focus in on what’s important. For example, say, “What you’re looking at is a graph showing 2010 sales. On the x-axis, you’ll see the months. On the y-axis, you’ll see the sales, in millions of dollars. I’d like to draw your attention to the last bar, December, where you will see that sales are double any of the previous months.”

Use Photos or Images

You can also use high-quality photos or images in your slides to communicate a point.

Make sure they are clear, easy to understand and relevant. Use high-quality stock photos or take some photos of your own.

For example, if you are introducing your department and office location to clients who have never seen it, use your camera phone to take some photos of your office and co-workers and include them on the slides. If you’re presenting outside the country, include a map of your location so the audience can see where you are in relation to a city or landmark they are familiar with. Photos and images used in these ways can help you bridge the gap between you and your audience.

Use As Many Slides As You Need

I know that some companies have rules about how many slides people should have in their presentations. And I realize these rules are in place because the CEO doesn’t want everyone presenting to him or her with 300 slides that are going to take three hours to deliver.

However, I think these slide limits are arbitrary. I could give a one-hour presentation without slides (in fact, I would prefer it). I could also give a one-hour presentation using 20 slides, and I could give a one-hour presentation using 150 slides.

Content and time limit should be more important than the number of slides. Use as many slides as you need.

It shouldn’t matter how many slides you have, provided that the slides enhance your presentation and help you clearly communicate your message within the time limit.