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What Makes Us Happy?

A while back I wrote a 3 separate papers on one “specific” topic. What makes us happy?

This leads me to Malcolm Gladwell. I first thought it was peculiar how the author of Blink and The Tipping Point, could give me an answer to my question. But without a doubt he did. In his TED Talk, under the topic (which is named the same) What makes us happy?, I found he had the perfect answer.

At one point he says “People don’t know what makes them happy.” Then he proceeds to explain that we never really know until we’ve experienced it. Oddly he relates it to pasta sauce.

Also, watch Stefan Sagmeister who explains Happiness through design. I think happiness and less stress in everyones life would make a good change. Stress really doesn’t do any one, any good.

Presentations a How To

Photo by bonedad

  • Being a college kid, and having a focus on International Business, presentations are a huge part of my college life and my business life. Many times the common presenter overlooks the benefits of simplicity in presentations. I have composed a few presentations for school that grabbed attention and held it throughout the whole time. The key to keeping focus during presentation is to keep the information coming and to make it easy for the audience to pay attention.
  • A picture is worth 1000 words
    • Sometimes presenters get a little too picture happy with their presentations. Try your best to use only relevant graphics, whether the graphic is a graph, chart or photograph, make sure it is useful and can assist in describing the overall point of your presentation.
  • Hard hitting facts and support
    • Use your facts often and make them support your overall purpose. When you present the fact on your slide, if you put a graphic along with the slide, make sure it is non intrusive. For example:Shift Happens
  • Simplicity Sells (To take a TED Title)
    • Simplicity in the presentation will very well be your key to attention. Keep the amount of information on the slide to a minimum, and allow most of the explanation to come from your own words rather than letting people read from the slide. If they wanted to read the slides, you wouldn’t be there.
      Take a look at the TED talks, specifically Stefan Sagmeister, Hans Rosling and Guy Kawasaki’s 10/20/30 Rule for presentations which can be found Here.

Focus carefully on your presentations, Slide Share is basically a YouTube of Presentations and PowerPoints.

Keep in mind also, that with everything else, you’re trying to sell yourself, so think, What point am I trying to get across? How am I getting the audience’s attention? What is my goal with this presentation? How do I present it?

Design Carefully, keep the presentation easy on the eyes, and load it with facts.

You’re on your way to a proper Presentation!

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