Presenters Gift Guide

It’s Christmas.

With no shortage of gift ideas in every place you could possibly shop, it can be overwhelming if not stressful to think of and find a gift that someone truly needs. And if you’re like me (which means left all the shopping to the last day), you’re probably hoping for some inspiration to strike you lucky – to avoid the need to browse stores in the chaos that is Christmas Eve. Just get to where you need to go, purchase what you need to purchase, get it wrapped for free, and get out, fast.

Here’s an idea – why not buy your professional partner, relative, colleague, or friend, something to help them boost their performance and potential in 2016? Sounds useful, but what exactly? Well, chances are that if they became much better speakers and presenters, they would excel in whatever field they are in, or even help them get into a new position to drive their careers forward. Now that’s a pretty awesome gift.

Below is a gift guide for the aspiring presenter or speaker, organised by your budget. Just google these to find what stores you can pick these up from and get in and out, fast. Online shopping is a great idea, but you’ve probably missed the last Santa postal delivery.

Free

• A subscription to my blog! Just send the person an email with a link to the URL of this page. Below is a sign-up form. It’s still FREE! Oh, and if you want to give yourself a gift, why not signup too!

  Sign-up for more articles and tips delivered straight to your inbox…

  YES! GIVE ME MORE

  Congratulations. You're In! Be sure to check all your Inbox folders, for ongoing great FREE content from the Million Dollar Presenter.

• A 1 hour online training session on effective presenting. On the right hand side of this page, there is another sign-up form for FREE training, delivered as an online video, allowing anyone to learn how to become an effective presenter in the comfort of their own home, and at their own pace.

Under Twenty Dollars

• Index Cards – the best aid for a presenter’s notes. Stop reading from slides or holding large sheets of paper when presenting. These cards allow the presenter to freely move around whilst maintaining the safety net of having key notes at their fingertips.
• USB Flash Drive – even the lower storage capacity flash drives are good enough for a presenter to carry a spare copy of their presentation slides. Don’t let a presentation fail because of a network or hard-drive failure at the start of during your presentation.
• Flipchart Markers – flipcharts are a great aid for engaging an audience, but one needs to use the right type of pen when writing on flipchart paper. Permanent markers tend to bleed through the paper, and whiteboard markers don’t write as well. Get the right tool for the job. You can buy an assorted pack of 4 colours to add emphasis to those pages.
• Laser Pointer – whether highlighting an important point or refocusing everyone in the audience, laser pointers are a slide presenter’s friend, allowing the presenter to move more freely around their presentation stage and not be tied to the laptop or screen.

More than Twenty Dollars

• Full license to Mind Mapping Software – mind map software allows presenters to prepare in digital space, capturing and organising their ideas, before working on the finer details of what they want to say and show. There are plenty of mind map software applications out there. Some of the popular ones include iMindMap, ConceptDraw, and XmInd.
• Smartphone tripod – practice makes progress and is the best way any presenter can gain confidence before delivering an important presentation. Video and audio recording yourself in practice is a fantastic way to assess your full package – what you say, how you say it, what you do with your body, and all visual aids. A tripod makes a presenters smartphone device an effective self-recorder.
• Lumolift – this nifty gadget senses when a presenter slouches into poor posture, gently sending them a vibrating alert. Great posture not only is good for a presenter’s health and wellbeing, it allows them to project their voices more easily, and maintain a confident position in front of their audience.

What did I miss? Please gift (aka share) your additional gift ideas in the comments.

Finally, to one and all, have a Happy and Safe festive period, and I look forward to connecting with you prosperously in the New Year.