When you’re choosing a driving present, although it’s a generous gift and everyone likes fast rally cars, you want to make sure you get the present they want the most!

So you’ve got to think (it’s the thought counts – awww!) about what driving level the person you’re buying the rally driving present for is at? If they’ve never been rallying before, you want to go for the beginners courses which are in “slower” rally cars, that are much easier and the person you’re buying it for will probably get more satisfaction out of, rather than being slightly frightened at the adrenalin rush of trying to go as fast as possible round trees and rocks!

If they’ve done some rallying / racing before then you might want to go for a more advanced rally driving present where they get to drive faster cars! Or they might be an experienced driver who does a lot of driving for example like someone who always drives a van in the day or maybe even a truck driver, and so they know some basics already. They might also be interested in rallying so you could ask them; “what’s your all time favourite rally car?” If they answer Ford Escort Mark 2, Subaru Impreza or Mitsubishi Evo (which is likely!) then choose a present that has that car to drive in it. They’ll be delighted, because some people never get the privilege of doing the incredibly exciting thing of driving your all time dream rally car!

Perhaps they / you own a 4 x 4, or live in a place where 4 x 4′s are useful or maybe even someone who has come off the road at some point (especially in the extreme snowy climate we must all remember right now!) and they want some training in off road driving. Most rally schools have 4 x 4′s like Land Rovers for example and highly trained and experienced instructors to go with them, so it’s a safe bet to buy a 4 x 4 driving present for someone who is in some way interested in 4 x 4′s. 4 x 4 driving presents are mostly cheaper than the rally ones anyway, and they can be considered more “beginner” activities because they are slower, but they can also be more challenging on the advanced courses.

Either way, your loved one / friend or you will have the ride of your life when you purchase a rally driving present! Life’s too fast, so don’t let it pass you by booking today to get a highly valuable skill that can save lives and accidents, and build huge assuring confidence!

Please check out the website right now for some top tips and where to find the right rally driving present by clicking here rally driving present, you’re going to love it.

Human Psychology has always been a subject that has fascinated sociologists and anthropologists for a very long time. Understanding the intricate dynamics of our behavior patterns, value systems and instincts for flourishing has always been the subject of intense scientific study for decades. Some people have the incredible ability to memorize things almost photographically. Others can calculate equations and algorithms a lot easier than most people. People also vary immensely based on what type of personality they might be. Some are very laid back and calm while others can be focused and driven. And then there are the rare few – the few whose traits don’t quite fall under conventional categories of human diversity in abilities and appeal. Some people would say that these rare few have what is generally called, ‘charisma’ or ‘chutzpah’. But even those words don’t do justice to the traits that these people have. These rare people have what is intangibly yet unanimously called, ‘the X factor’. These people, while they may be as normal as you or I, seem to have the ability to command one’s attention, assume authority or leadership roles with ease and in general have no problem in getting people to comply with their ideas or visions for something. People just seem to like being around them and give them their undivided attention. This is the effect of the enigmatic ‘X Factor’! But not only do these rare few have the ‘factor’ but they also know how to or put it to good use. People with the ‘X Factor’ have naturally good presentation skills.

While not everyone may have this intangible quality, there are certain aspects of it that can be successfully simulated to create the impression of actually having it. And when practiced long enough, it can actually become a part of one’s own aura. And learning to wield it well in your own presentation skills will certainly almost always make people to sit up and pay attention to what you have to say! Lets examine a few of these aspects of the ‘X Factor’:

1. Kinesics or Body Language – After the 1960 presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, psychologists discovered an interesting phenomenon. People who watched the debate on TV were convinced that JFK won the debate while those who listened to the debate live on radio felt that Nixon had won the debate. Psychologists concluded that it didn’t matter ‘what’ the candidates were actually saying about their own convictions or policies but instead it was their non-verbal communication that people instantly picked up on. The human brain has the ability to pick up faint, non-verbal cues that a person may exude just as well as the words it hears. Good presenters know the importance of exploiting this well. Standing up straight, making eye contact with listeners and smiling while looking relaxed all do well in exuding confidence and a sense that you know what you’re doing. This makes your listeners more likely to be receptive to what you have to say.
2. Voice Modulation – Sometimes a presenter may look the complete picture of confidence visually but may sound unconvincing if he or she sounds weak or unsure. Confidence can just as well be exuded in the volume, tones and fluctuations of the voice during a presentation. A well-paced, well-spaced verbal delivery with optimal volume and clarity makes for a clear, audible and convincing presentation. This subconsciously gives the listeners the impression that you really believe in what you are saying and sound confident talking about it too. It will make them want to listen to what you have to say.
3. Clear Presentation - Finally, of course, is the actual presentation of the content itself. Often presentations can look like ‘information overload‘ with tons of numbers, stats, graphs and charts. After a barrage of details and information, the listeners can often be left overwhelmed and ambiguous about what exactly was said. Presentations, whether presented as slides, notes or bullet-points must be clear, concise and to the point while avoiding unnecessary details and verbal ornamentation. Hence, we recommend having one central objective or theme that guides the presentation and not more than three key ideas that the presenter wants the audience to take-away from the presentation. This is the crux of a good presentation!

Presentation Skills Training is a vital aspect of teaching employees the significance of efficient human communication dynamics. Learning to understand how the human brain works in relation to the five senses is an important and useful aspect of effective presentation skills.

Why don’t people get better at public speaking just by speaking in public? Same reason golfers don’t get better just by playing golf. But both could make giant strides if they just understood how Talent actually works. It is understandable, it is systemized, and it can be replicated. I’d like to show you how…

I have a long and detailed presentation on Talent, but here is the simple version. Talent is neither inborn nor genetic. To develop Talent – in anything – you need all of the constituent parts in this formula:

TALENT = Yearning + Input + Deliberate Practice, Sustained.

That’s it; the whole enchilada. And it applies to anything.

This formula is the result of decades of international study into the topic of Talent, and is admirably explored in Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers, and Geoff Colvin’s Talent is Overrated.

The Talent Equation:

Let’s start with Yearning. You have to want to learn. If you have no desire to improve, the other factors will remain irrelevant, in a ‘horse to the water’ sort of way. But if you do have even the slightest inkling for betterment, you’re already at a distinct advantage over those who do not. Now you will need the next factor: Input.

Input is any form of teaching or coaching. Simply put, you need someone to show you how. If you have yearning but no input, your development can only progress so far, and it will be slow.

It’s important to note that self-teaching is not nearly as effective as having another person coach you, particularly in the early stages of developing proficiency in a new field. Master practitioners may know enough about their fields to coach themselves, but starting out, we don’t know what we don’t know.

The Most Important Ingredient:

The next factor is the most important of all: Deliberate Practice. This is vastly different to what most people consider to be practice. Deliberate Practice occurs when you break a thing down to its constituent parts, and then work on getting better at each part in isolation. You achieve this only through mind-numbing amounts of repetition, with a focus on improving each element.

It explains why some people can put in the fabled 10 000 hours of practice playing golf, and not improve one jot, while others will soar to the professional ranks with the same amount of time. The difference lies in how they practice.

An average golfer, for instance, will spend x amount of time playing a round of golf. There may be yearning, but there is no outside input, and no deliberate practice. Just generic golfing. Hence, his time teaches him almost nothing.

A great golfer, however, will spend the same number of hours practicing precisely how to get a ball out of a sand bunker. He focuses on just this one element, and does it over and over, thus improving one constituent part of his total game. He then moves on to another part. And that is Deliberate Practice. He may even do it in conjunction with the input of a coach, which would greatly enhance his efficacy.

And that’s why most people will never get better at Public Speaking, despite a lifetime of giving presentations at work. They are not improving the constituent parts of their speaking abilities. Moreover, they receive little to no coaching or constructive feedback.

They are merely ‘playing a game of golf.’ Furthermore, they are generally traumatized by each instance, which reduces their capacity for the very first element in the Talent equation: yearning. Because they fear it, they don’t want to learn how to do it better.

How to Apply the Talent Equation to Public Speaking:

So, armed with this knowledge, how exactly do you break Public Speaking down into its bits and pieces; it’s constituent nuts ‘n bolts?

I have an exercise that I use when training executives, and you can try it for yourself. Initially, it looks and feels rather ridiculous. But the more time we spend doing it, the more the benefit becomes apparent to my trainees.

I get them to stand in front of a room, as though poised to deliver a speech. But that’s where things get abstract: Instead of speaking, they have to count. They have to count using different emotions, and at different speeds and volumes, as though they were giving the greatest oratory performance in the history of public speaking, with every shade and nuance of feeling, even though all they are saying is, “1, 2, 3, 4, 5… !”

Why?

Because it allows them to practice the parts without having to think about the words. I take intellectual content out of the equation, I take fear of speaking out of the equation, and I get them to focus only on the rhythms and physical movements of speaking. This way they can work on what to do with their hands; how to stand and move; how to use their voices; how to create emphasis and emotion, pausing, playing with facial expressions, etc.

It’s like a musician practicing scales on a piano. In fact, I call it ‘the scales of public speaking.’

Having coached them through this process, I then assign homework. My delegates must spend a certain amount of time in front of a mirror at home (preferably in private; families have a way of doubling over with laughter), and simply ‘going through the motions,’ over and over, until they like the rhythms and patterns they see in the mirror.

Then, once they are back in front of a live audience and they replace the numbers with content, the deeply ingrained muscle-memory kicks in, and the grace is naturally there.

Deliberate Practice. Break down and rebuild. It’s the single greatest distinction between amateurs and super-performers.

Danger Zone!

Here is an interesting and counter-intuitive point about Talent. When it starts coming naturally and automatically, you have hit your first Talent Cap; your first developmental ceiling.

This happens in a very obvious way with driving. When your average driver gets to the point where it ‘comes without thinking,’ he has hit his performance potential and will generally not improve further over the course of a lifetime. Sometimes, he will even get slightly worse, year by year.

So, is it possible to break through such a performance barrier, and achieve the next level of performance? Yes. But only consciously. You have to identify the ceiling – realize that you have reached a level of automatic proficiency – and then overcome it by design. Otherwise, it will simply never happen.

Using the car example, once you’ve reached automatic proficiency and realized it, you might then do an advanced driving course, which pushes you beyond your comfort zone, or perhaps learn some new, daring stunts involving a car (just not in my neighbourhood, please).

This forces you to think about your craft again, and to learn by conscious design instead of repeating apathetically.

If you identify and use this simple principle, your performance potential – in any sphere – will be leagues ahead of most.

Happy counting!