Every presentation needs variety. Without variety the speaker risks losing his or her audience. Humor is one of the best ways to retain audience attention. Because I’m an experienced speaker, I know this. Still, I struggled to find ways to insert humor into a workshop about growing from grief.

Why did I want to add humor? One reason was the healing power of laughter. Laughter relieves tension and can energize us. I also think people who are grieving need to give themselves permission to laugh. Laughter lightens the mood and helps us to believe in the future again. When people laugh together they come together.

So I reviewed my workshop outline and looked for places to add funny stories. This process made me think of the actor Eddie Albert, who was a close friend of my father-in-law’s. Dad and Eddie were both Minnesota “boys” and attended the University of Minnesota together. Years ago, Eddie called to thank me for a book I had sent him.

During our conversation he mentioned he was giving a talk that afternoon. He said his talk was done, but he hadn’t added humor yet. “You have to entertain in order to educate,” he explained. I have thought of his comment many times.

Adding humor to a talk can be tricky because humor varies from region to region. I am originally from Long Island, New York, and have a New York sense of humor. Would this humor appeal to my audience? The only way to know was to add some funny stories and give the talk.

First, I brainstormed on potential stories I could tell. Second, I made sure the stories fit the points I was making. Third, I reviewed the words I would use to tell the stories — action verbs, unusual word choices, and some of my favorite words. Fourth and finally, I practiced the talk with the stories and determined if the stories added energy.

As Edward P. Bailey, Jr. writes in his book, A Practical Guide for Business Speaking, boosting the speaker’s energy can boost audience energy. “Just act within your own personality,” he advises, and how you behave then you really care.

The first time I gave the talk I gave it to a group of grief professionals. They loved the stories and laughed when I hoped they would. The next time I gave the talk I shorted one story and impulsively added another. Again, the audience members “got” my humor and the stories lightened the mood. Humor can’t be added to all of your talks, but I think it can be added to most.

Business entails a lot of marketing strategies. Business marketing implies any plan and activity that is associated to the acquisition of sales over and above the invested money or capital. And this is what we call as profit, which serves as the core of every business endeavor.

The present generation has a transition when it comes to marketing application in every business. Since internet has been widely used, most businessmen have practiced the so-called ‘online marketing.’ The question now is: how does this marketing strategy realizes the promise of every business profit which is to amass profit for the business owner? The answer is emphasized one by one in the following elucidations:

1. The use of internet implies greater market to hit. Based on the recent survey of the United Nations, there are already more than 2 billion people worldwide who are hooked to use this World Wide Web. The reasons of usage are numerous, from communication to finding friends and new acquaintances. With this figure at hand, it might be legitimate to consider that internet could be an effective medium to hit the greater number of people for a particular business.

2. The presence of social networking sites plays a vital role not just for socialization purpose but also for economic drive. Today, people are addicted in Facebook, Twitter and Google +. Try to imagine a figure that constitutes hundreds of millions of people who are using FB alone in the whole wide world. Hence, applying social media strategies in relation to internet marketing might bring a substantial impact to business.

3. The popularity of search engine optimization (SEO) contributes positive benefits for most businessmen worldwide. Here’s the thing. When internet had surfaced several years back, different business websites have been created to showcase products and services online. Then, SEO has co-existed to aid the businessmen to rank their websites in the search engines like Google and Yahoo.

4. Online writing plays an important role in promoting the business products and services in the internet. Both off-page and on-page articles have become popular to push business online. In addition, people have learned to write blogs favorable to specific business websites. And when there’s a need to produce newsworthy articles, some writers are tasked to write and submit press releases with focus on business launching and promotion via online.

5. The usefulness of communication online tools like e-mail has a greater value in business. Today, all businessmen use email as a way to relay communications to other partners and clients. This brings positive impact as the communication is done instantaneously.

6. Most people have reckoned the internet as a source of workable remedies. The consumers and users of products and services would tend to use for instance the search engines when they’re in need for something.

The trajectory is going towards an upward direction. As the number of internet users increases, the feasibility of every business that employs internet marketing also increases.Simply put, online marketing is the king of all business marketing strategies at present.

If you are thinking of giving a gift to somebody who is an avid player of golf, it’s a good idea to look for some unique golf gifts to give. The person will certainly be delighted to receive such a special present from you. So here’s a list of four unique gifts to give to somebody who loves the game of golf.

• Set of golf-themed stationery

If you are giving the gift to a golfer who loves to write letters and jot down notes, then a set of golf-themed stationery is the most unique gift to give. This is one of the most unique golf gifts to give to someone who is an avid fan of the sport. It clearly represents one’s passion for golf and it is very useful as well.

• Stylish lamp with a golf player base

You will find a lot of stylish lamps being sold in the Internet these days, but one of the most stylish of them all, which a golfer would certainly love, is the lamp that comes with a golf player base. Such item is truly unique and is perfect for a golfer who loves to read before going to sleep at night. The lamp can be placed perfectly on a bedside table.

• Engraved golf balls

If you want your gift to have a personal touch, you can give a set of golf balls that were engraved with the recipient’s name or initials. There are so many of these balls online that you can buy now and the great thing is that they do not come with a hefty price tag. You can even save a whole lot more if you choose to purchase these unique golf gifts in bulk. Aside from giving it as a present to someone, you can also order these balls for company or wedding giveaways.

• A golf-themed shoe bag

Another unique and functional gift to give to any golfer is the shoe bag. The bag is certainly very useful because the golfer can use it to store his or her precious shoes and can be carried along during the game.

The bag comes with golf themed designs and imprints and anyone who loves golf will certainly be delighted to receive such unique golf gifts from you. You can find these bags in some golf supplies stores or if you want a convenient way of shopping, simply browse online.

Remember that you’ll have to consider a lot of things before you decide to buy a gift for your golfer friend. There are absolutely so many online stores that sell all sorts of golf gifts these days so do not be too overwhelmed by purchasing whatever it is that you find attractive.

You should first ask yourself if the person you are giving the gift too would love such gift. Moreover, you should also take into consideration your budget particularly since some online stores is going to charge you for additional fees if you choose to have the item customized. So always do your research when it comes to buying some unique golf gifts to give.

Timeline

Time in The Elder Scrolls universe is primarily divided into Eras. The Dawn era marks the birth of this fantasy universe and continues with the Mythic Era further advancing from the First Era to the fourth one.

TESO takes place in the Second Era, specifically in a period of time known as Interregnum. As its name suggests (between kingdoms), it was a time of political instability. It began with the end of the Second Empire, marked by the assassination of Savirien Chorak, the last Akaviri Potentate and lasted until Tiber Septim founded the Third Empire. While The Elder Scrolls Online is currently in beta stage, there is plenty of information concerning the game’s timeline, included in TESO guides available online, but not only.

Factions

The game has three major playable factions: the Aldmeri Dominion, the Daggerfall Covenant and the Ebonheart Pact.

The Aldmeri Dominion is an alliance formed by three different races to fight against Men (humans). The Altmer, also known as High Elves are the first one that colonized Tamriel. They see themselves as a superior race and their high level of civilization is shown through their impressive architecture and extensive libraries. The Altmer are also very skilled in battle and have powerful mage abilities, which is why they are the leaders of this alliance. The Bosmer or the Wood elves are an agile and curious race. There are known to be highly proficient hunters and guides. Thanks to their curiosity and swiftness, the Bosmer became adroit thieves and masters of stealth. The feline race of Khajiit, was significantly crippled during the Knahaten Flu outbreak. As the Altmerians offered great support for restoring the order in Khajiit’s territory they are now loyal to them and can be seen in the first lines of Aldmeri Dominion’s armies.

The Daggerfall Covenant includes the Bretons, the Redguards and the Orcs. These three races, which had been enemies for a long time, managed to unite mainly forced by harsh economic conditions caused by the chaos following the assassination of the last Akavi Potentate. The Breton race are leading this alliance as King Emeric, the ruler of Daggerfall Covenant is one of their own. The elven blood that still runs through the veins of Breton people shows in their inclination towards magic. However, Bretons are also known for their craftsmanship and merchant skills. The Redguards are desert warriors that highly value their traditions and survival abilities. Honor and dignity are the most important value for this race, and even if they have the utmost belief in the divine, magical things are seen as suspicious. Last, but not least the third race included in the Daggerfall Covenant is the Orcs. While other races see them as cruel beasts, the Orcs are noble warriors with a history forged in bloody battles carried across their mountain homelands with harsh climate. As the Orc nation fought its way to the present, they have learned to forge amazing weapons and armors and are some of the most skilled smiths.

The third major faction that will be playable in TESO universe is the Ebonheart Pact. This fragile alliance was formed during the second Akaviri Invasion when the Nords where fighting the Akaviri army and the Dunmer and the Argonians joined their cause for yet to be explained reasons. Nevertheless, these three races which previously considered each other enemies are now united as the Ebonheart Pact. The Nords are the leading nation of this alliance and they are seen as fierce warriors and conquerors. As highly capable diplomats, the Dunmer have repeatedly used this skill along with their strategic ability and subterfuges to defend against provincial invasions. During the long period spent as slaves of the Dunmer, the Argonians have become experts in guerrilla-style warfare and managed to defend their borders from significantly larger armies.