Before you think you will be wasting your time, consider this. Your prospect is likely to be searching for information that your article contains. While the information may be the same from article to article on the same subject, the way that you present can have a vast impact on article readership. If you can present information in a creative manner or in ways that have been proven to work, then it is likely that your article will be read from top to bottom and read by many as well.

Writing a good article doesn’t have to be strenuous and painful exercise. Once you get the hang of it, writing articles can be fun and easy to produce. Of course, it is preferable that you are knowledgeable about the topic that you are writing about. Without sufficient knowledge, it is hard to make your articles creative and interesting.

Here are 7 sure fire ways to ensure that your articles get read:

1) Use short paragraphs. Short paragraphs makes the article easy to read. When there is hardly any paragraphing, the article appears lengthy. This tends to put off a prospective reader.

2) Make use of numbers or bullets. It has been shown that readers like to read bulleted lists. Readers like tips presented in a short succint manner, so that they are easy to follow.

3) Use sub-headings to break your article into sections. This makes it easy for the reader to recognise that you have moved from one point to the next.

4) Provide a good attention-grabbing title or header. An enticing title attracts a prospective reader. Use keywords in the titles to help draw his or her attention. For instance, a title like “7 easy ways to look 10 years younger” for an anti-aging article sounds appealing.

5) Keep your reader interested from the start to the finish. You want to make the reading experience pleasurable and enjoyable. This can be achieved by using examples, real life situations, similes and vivid descriptions. You want to ensure that your reader reads to the bottom of the article where the author’s resource box is.

6) Utilize figures when necessary and not just ordinary and general statements. Using specific facts and figures give your article more weight and makes your reader sit up in attention.

7) Project a positive or a call-to-action tone in your article. No one likes to read an article that has no zest. If you get your reader excited and wanting to find out more, he or she will get to the bottom of the article and click through the hyerperlink to your site. Then, that will be mission accomplished!

Evelyn Lim is a writer and an online market strategist. Her article directory site is a growing database of content on health, business, internet marketing, finance, home, etc . To submit your articles, please visit ArticleMapdotcom rightaway!

Get Ready

The first step is to prepare yourself mentally. Make a conscious decision to remember all the names of the people you are about to meet.

Listen

When you’re about to be introduced to someone, listen carefully and CONCENTRATE! How often does it go in one ear and out the other because we’re not really listening or our thoughts are elsewhere?

Repeat

If you miss it, ask them to repeat it. When you first hear someone’s name, repeat it straight away, “Good to meet you John” and try to use it three times during your conversation, “So, tell me John …” and when you leave, “Thank-you, John, it was good to meet you … If you realise you’ve forgotten their name by the time you come to end the conversation – politely ask them again? This will help reinforce their name in your mind. If it’s an unusual name ask how it’s spelled.

Association

The easiest way to remember someone’s name is by association.

* Do they remind you of anyone? A friend, relative, work colleague, actor or well-known person, living or dead?

* Do they have the same first name as someone you know? Does their first name or surname create an image in your mind?

* What type of person do they look like – a lawyer, an accountant, a typical …salesman, teacher … (what’s typical to you will be different from someone else, use your association)?

* Does their name link directly to an occupation in which case the image is easier to form – Baker, Gardner, Porter etc.

Create a picture

Now create an image with as many of the elements as possible – the person who they remind you of, a location, the image of their surname and the person you know with the same first name. Make it as visual, colourful, bizarre and as detailed as possible.

For example Michael White – reminds you of an accountant, visualise him with a massive ‘white’ calculator, pouring over a pile of papers and account books, surrounded by large, colourful numbers.

David Brooks reminds you of Woody Allen and has the same name as your Uncle David – visualise your Uncle David in ‘Manhattan’ dancing around in a ‘brook’ that meanders between the buildings.

Another obvious association is between someone’s name and a physical feature or trait. The shape of their face, a distinguishing part such as eyes, ears, chin, nose, hair colour etc. Alan Blackburn has big black sideburns (does that translate?). So emphasis the image – see your friend Alan (also called Alan) with big black sideburns or a large ‘allen’ key with great big Black sideburns.

The first thing you think of is the strongest association – use this, it will make it easier to recall later.

Practice

This might sound like a very long-winded and lengthy approach but the brain is amazingly fast, efficient and brilliant at recognising images. The more you practice, the faster you will get at making associations and the easier it will become. The brain works more effectively with images and the more bizarre they are the more likely you are to recall the information.

Try not to link the image to their clothing or something they are wearing such as jewellery, especially if you are likely to meet them again. They are highly unlikely to be wearing the same thing when/if you next meet them.

If you’re with a group of people for a whole day, linking to clothing can work while you get to know them better. It helps to keep recalling their names throughout the day and using their name when in conversation with them.

OK, my examples may not do it for you but hopefully you get the idea.

If you get introduced to more than one person at a time, for instance in a group, take your time, scan each face and find the association. The more you do it the faster you’ll become and the easier the associations will be to find.

Review

Another important key to remembering names and faces is to review them regularly. When you’re at a meeting or social event, you can briefly scan the faces in the room and recall the names. The more often you do this, the more likely you are to remember them. When you get home, recall their face. If you have their business card, recall their face linked to their card and if possible do the same the following day and a week later to get it into longer-term memory.

The more often you associate the face with the name, the more likely you are to remember them the next time you meet them. You know how good it feels when someone actually remembers your name and people are always flattered when you do.

Use these ideas and with a little practice you need never forget a name again.

Copyright 2006: Clare Evans

Clare Evans works with busy, stressed individuals and small business owners to help them plan and organise their time more effectively. Contact her today for more details and a free consultation. clareevans.co.uk

Usually the pieces for the game come with the backgammon board. These come as sets and can be found in any board game aisle. They are not expensive and make great gifts for any child or even adult that is new to the game. You can also find almost any of the pieces for sale on the Internet.

If you are looking to give someone who has been playing the game for a while, the gift of backgammon, then maybe you want something a little more special. If you want to do this, then look into special pieces for their backgammon game.

You can purchase beautiful pieces or chips made with unique metals and colors. Some are hand made or carved by craftsmen. A serious backgammon player would love the quality that is put into the manufacturing of these hand made creations. This would be the perfect surprise for any board game lover.

Along with the pieces, you can even find special backgammon boards or sets. There are compact sets that can be used for traveling or even at work. There are also handcrafted boards made from wood. These have beautiful details and are so unique that you can be sure that the receiver does not have one already. What a great gift for the backgammon lover.

A wonderful touch to any backgammon gift would be for it to be personalized. Have their name or a special date engraved on the board or box for the game. This makes any gift more special and more memorable.

If you are wandering where to find unique pieces or sets for backgammon, it is very simple to find. If you are having no luck with stores, you can always turn to the Internet. Ordering online is very simple and almost everyone had done it at least once.

If you do not want to use the Internet, then there are catalogs that specialize in this kind of thing. You can usually find backgammon set there and you can always have them personalized later.

It really makes no difference what the pieces to your backgammon game are made of, or decorated with, just as long as they play the game.