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An easy and simple way to immediately add humor to your presentation is to include it in your introduction. This way you can potentially have your audience laughing even before you set foot on stage, this is not a bad thing. Now, when I say you can use jokes to open a presentation you do not necessarily have to use a street joke.

If you are not clear on the term, a street joke is a joke you get told by a friend or work colleague in a social situation. Such as the “man walks into a bar…” type jokes. More often than not these do not have an authorship.

But you do not have to use those. You can simply create your own presentation introduction jokes, but harnessing your own sense of humor. Can you think of something humorous, and relevant to your presentation which the person introducing you can read out? Quick tip; if you do make sure it is appropriate for the environment you are speaking in.

Is there a way that you can find a witty quote, or inside joke that connects well with your presentation as well as with your audience?

You can use street jokes, but I would provide two warnings if you do so. The first is if you use a street joke I would edit it so that it was in my words and I would personalise it. Secondly, be very careful if you find a street joke online or in a book. There is a very high chance that someone else may be using the same joke. If they are on the same bill as you it could be dangerous. Or if you are the only speaker, you might have someone coming up to you afterwards and telling you that they had heard the joke before.

Also, many presenters waste valuable audience connection time by having their introduction packed with biographical information. You know the type, “our next speaker as an MBA, BBC and NBC…” who cares?

Remember that your audience is always going to be thinking: “what is in it for me?” So why not tell them right off the bat? Inform your audience exactly what they will get out of listening to you. What is their take away? Will they learn a specific set of tools? Are you giving them an action plan?

By telling them what they can expect to get out of your presentation before you even begin, you can help grab their interest before you even walk out in front of them. So not only are you connecting with your audience through the power of laughter by using jokes to open a presentation, but you are also relaying the benefits they will get.

The next step is using jokes to open a presentation once you are on the speaking platform. Again, you want to make it relevant to your content. You could also find a way to make it relevant to something that is immediately noticeable, like the backdrop. Be careful with this one though, mocking the backdrop or something else that you share the platform with, might seem as though you are biting the hand that feeds you.

You can also open and immediately connect with your audience by referring back to something that got a laugh by a previous speaker. Find a way to slightly re-phrase that person’s comment. Your audience will love you for it because it shows that you are in the moment, you are paying attention and your presentation is alive and fresh just for them.

Do not spend too long being funny in your opening though, remember you have to carry on and deliver your overall message. Unless of course, your whole speech is humorous then that is a whole other ballgame as you will want to continue being humorous.

Remember, if you say that you are going to provide them with definite take-ways, actually provide them with those take-aways. Do not fail to deliver on your promise. Always strive to over-deliver on your promise.

We all know that every dad is different, so obviously every Fathers Day present should be different to match their individual personality. So I thought it might be useful to come up with a handful of characteristics and make suggestions for suitable gift ideas. Here goes…

Is he funny and enjoys a joke? What about framing a silly picture of him as a present? It shows you’ve gone to that bit of extra trouble and is completely personal to him. There are of course no end of gag gifts you can buy to accompany this, which will have him rolling around with laughter on Fathers Day.

Is he the outdoors type? Take him out for the day or arrange some outdoor activity you can enjoy together. What better way is there to show your love than by spending time with him? He’ll really appreciate that.

Is he a tele addict? You can get him all kinds of novelty presents, such as TV dinner trays, plates in the shape of a pizza slice or even a TV table, all of which are perfect for nights in, in front of the box. Compliment that with a DVD you can watch together and you’ve got yourself a brilliant Father’s Day package.

Is he greenfingered? There really are all kinds of gardening products you can get dad for Fathers Day. From mugs decorated with gardening phrases, to candles for his potting shed or even a kneeling pad for when he’s tending to his plot.

Is he narcissistic? There’s nothing wrong with being appearance proud and if you’re dad likes to take care of the way he looks, a shoe shine box for taking care of his footwear or even a new item of clothing will certainly be appreciated, particularly if you know the style he likes.

These are just ideas of course, but hopefully they provide you with some inspiration for what to buy dad this Fathers Day.

Should I go back to school? Get an MBA? Well, presentation skills training is often a much better investment of time, and people who invest in presentation coaching often increase their income significantly over a longer period of time and make themselves more valuable to their companies as well. Business leaders often comment on how important “communication skills” are to a person’s (or team’s) success, but in reality, what they are often looking for is someone who presents his/her ideas well to both other individuals and groups. In fact, as a person progresses up through the ranks of large companies, future personal growth often begins to depend less on their ability to do the day-to-day operations of the company and more on their ability to motive and direct others. For instance, Donald Thompson, the CEO of McDonald’s, is probably not the absolute best person in the company at making Big Macs. It is the same in every company. The higher a person moves within the organization, the more important his/her communication skills and presentation skills become. The most important role of most of these high-level people is to persuade and to motivate others.

When People Say “Communication Skills,” They Really Mean Presentation Skills

Think of the last time that you said (or heard someone say) “That person really needs better communication skills” or “That person really has great communication skills.” Chances are, the person was speaking to a group and trying to persuade the group. In reality, when we talk about communication, we really mean presentation skills or a person’s ability to persuade others. For example, years ago, just before the oil bust in the early 90′s, I worked for a big oil company that had over 300 people who worked on contracts, including me. I was new to the company and, in a staff meeting, our team was trying to solve a paperwork problem that we were continuing to have as we transferred leases to other companies. Because I had been one of the people on the front line dealing with this issue, I came up with a great solution. However, I was also brand new to the organization, so instead of telling the group my idea, I remained quiet. The woman to my left at the table, Mary, didn’t hesitate. She presented a similar idea to the group, the team agreed that the idea might work. I kicked myself for weeks, because I had the opportunity to speak up, but I missed it. Mary had the opportunity to speak up, and she became the hero. Incidentally, years later, after I had moved on to another career, I went back to this company to visit with old friends after I heard there had been a big layoff of personnel. Of the 300 people who were originally there, 270 had lost their jobs, 25 had been moved over to contractor status, and five were still employed in leadership positions over the contractors. One of those remaining five was Mary.

Great Presentation Skills Leads to More Income

The ability to speak in public is one of the absolute highest paid skills in the business world, because the person who speaks well in front of a group is often perceived as being the expert. When I first started my business, I attended a seminar at one of the local colleges for entrepreneurs, and the instructor had a guest speaker who owned a direct marketing company come in and show us some of the marketing campaigns that she had developed for her clients. A few months later, when I was organizing a direct mail campaign, and of course, I called this guest speaker, because, I assumed that if the teacher of the entrepreneur class believed in her, I could as well. I worked with her for a couple of years before I realized that her company was basically she and her husband working out of their garage. Because she was the guest speaker, I and the other class members saw her as the expert, and we all assumed that she owned a big, multi-gazzillion dollar company. (Just as an FYI, I still use her company.) Salespeople who communicate well sell more. Business owners who communicate well have more customers. Managers who communicate well have more efficient teams. Executives who communicate well command higher salaries. So when a person communicates well, a higher income often results.

When All Other Things Are Equal, Communication Skills Can Put One Person Over the Top

When all other things are equal between two people who are competing for a position within a company, the one who has a higher level of communications skills (presentation skills) will often be selected. For instance, if you are the boss, and you have two employees with the same certifications, who have been working for the company for about the same amount of time, and who each put out a similar effort doing their jobs, but one just gave a knockout presentation to the staff, then that person who gave the presentation will likely get the promotion. In fact, though, because communication skills are so important as a person progresses to the top of an organization, the person who gives the great presentation will often get the promotion even if he/she isn’t quite as good at the day-to-day operations of the department (see the first paragraph above).

So, are you looking for a way to become more valuable to your company? Additional education and certifications can always give you a boost, but improving your presentation skills will often give you a much bigger bang for your buck