Kelli was always late to work no matter how much she tried to be on time, or how many times her boss reprimanded her. She just could not wake up on time. Her boss informed her that she would fire if her tardiness did not stop. Kelli decided to seek the advice of her doctor. He prescribed her some medication and told her to take one pill before going to bed. She did, and she woke up before the alarm clock sounded and headed into work feeling well rested. Kelli told her boss about the doctor�s prescription and how well it worked. Her boss said, �That�s great Kelli, but where were you yesterday?� Time is an interesting phenomenon. Each of us are given the same 24-hours in a day which equates to 1,464 minutes or 86, 400 seconds. Let�s use this analogy using your 86,400 seconds. Imagine that your bank credits your checking account each morning with $86,400. However, it carries over no balance from day to day (each evening your bank deletes whatever amount is remaining in your checking account that was not used, bring you to a �0� balance). So, what would you do each day prior to the bank closing? Draw out every cent, of course! It is the same with the time you are given each day. Each day that moves forward writes off, as lost, whatever time you have failed to invest to good purpose. Your day carries over no time balance and allows no overdraft. If you fail to use today�s time deposits, you suffer the loss. You cannot go back and capture what is gone, and today, there is no drawing against the �tomorrow�. As the clock ticks forward, you must invest your time as to get the utmost out of your efforts in securing your wellbeing, joy, and success. Using the logic stated above, strengthing your presentation skills as an owner/operator, manager, supervisor or business associate can be achieved through the proper use of proper time management. Making the most of your presentations preparation time is essential to delivering an interesting and valued presentation. To follow is a list of proven time management tips that are critical to the �presentation planning process�.

• 1-Hour of presentation = 6 to 8 hours of prep time. Using this formula, if a presenter is conducting a two-hour session, twelve to sixteen hours should be committed to outlining, researching, and designing the content to be delivered to the audience. One should begin working on a presentation 30-days prior to the actual talk.
• Never wing-it. Be smart and research your audience. Schedule time conducting phone interviews with audience members researching their expectations about your presentation. What is it that they are expecting to take back from their time spent with you. You want to customize the presentation to meet the needs, wants and expectations of those in attendance. Prior to arriving at your program, you should have a good idea of who is in the audience and what they are looking before you speak word one.
• Always have more content than time allows, just in case. Due to nervous energy, some presenters speak faster than normal and end their presentations too soon. Now what? Therefore, practicing one�s presentation before hand is critical. Be conscious of your speaking rhythm. If you find yourself out of breath at the end of sentences, you are speaking too fast. Slow your pace and begin asking more specific, open-ended, rebound and redirect questions to the audience.
• Rehearsal the presentation 6 to 8 times before delivering it in public. Practice does not make perfect. Practicing the perfect makes perfect. You should have a good feel for how long each segment topic will take to properly present. Make a time notation on your presentation notes so you can make needed adjustments. Multiple rehearsals will help present content in a smoother, natural flow. Also watch your body language for subliminal messaging. Words and movements should complement one another.
• Be prepared, have a back up plan just in case. Should you be asked to cut your presentation time due to a presenter prior to you going over their time, you must be prepared to deliver. Always have a back up plan to deliver a �nice to know� and �need to know� presentation. You should know which content is the most important to share with your audience so that they will see value in what you had to offer, no matter what the time limit was. The key will be to deliver less information (but filled with quality) while not making the audience feel affronted.
• Yes, break times are needed. General rule of thumb: if the audience is seated in theatre style, a break is warranted every 60 minutes. Classroom style ever75 minutes, and NEVER more than 90 minutes without a stretch. Times can fluctuate depending on the quality of the chairs the audience are sitting in. Remember, the mind can only absorb what the seat can endure.
• After break time, restart on time For those who show you respect as the presenter and are back on time, begin on time. If possible display a timer with the exact countdown, so that there are no questions about the �actual� begin time.
• No matter how late you started, stop on time. Ending late show disrespect to the audience. Be prepared, when you say, �in conclusion�, to wrap with your closing remarks in 30-60 seconds.

Time is valuable, use your wisely on their things that matter and are of value. Adapted from Time Management Tips, L Stack. Remember that time waits for no one. Yesterday is history.�Tomorrow is mystery.�Today is a gift. That�s why it�s called the present!