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The first thing you should know if you want to learn how to conjugate Spanish verbs in the present progressive tense is that you need two things, the verb estar (to be) for any pronoun in the present tense and the present participle of a verb. For verbs ending in -AR, the present participle is formed by dropping the ending and adding -ANDO. If the regular verb ends in -ER or -IR you add -IENDO. The present participle is the same for all pronouns. Only the verb estar is conjugated according to the pronoun. See example below.

yo estoy viajando – I am traveling
tú estás viajando – you are traveling
él/ella está viajando – he/she is traveling
usted está viajando – you are traveling (formal)
nosotros estamos viajando – we are traveling
ustedes están viajando – you are traveling (plural)
ellos/ellas están viajando – they are traveling (masculine or feminine)

Verbs ending in -IR that change the stem in present tense continue to change the stem for the present participle. Review the following:

1. Verbs changing the stem vowel from e to ie in present tense change the vowel to i for the present particle (ie → i ). Therefore preferir (to prefer) and sentir (to feel) become prefiriendo, and sintiendo respectively.

2. Verbs changing the stem vowel from e to i in present tense also change the vowel to i for the present particle (e → i ). Thus pedir (to ask for) and servir (to serve) become pidiendo and sirviendo respectively.

3. Verbs changing the stem vowel from o to ue in present tense change the vowel to u for the present particle (ue → u). Thus dormir (to sleep) and morir (to die) become durmiendo, and muriendo, respectively.

There are some irregular present participles for verbs such as caer (to fall), creer (to believe), leer (to read), proveer (to provide), and traer (to bring). The present participle ending for these verbs is -YENDO. Their present participles are cayendo, creyendo, leyendo, proveyendo, and trayendo, respectively.

If you are using the Verbarrator Spanish Verb conjugation software to learn this verb tense (and I do recommend that you use the Verbarrator for learning how to conjugate this and other Spanish verb tenses), instead of the “present progressive verb tense,” the Verbarator calls this tense is “estar PLUS gerund.”

Now you know how to conjugate Spanish verbs in the present progressive tense. Be sure to practice daily so that conjugating Spanish verbs becomes easier for you.

So what are the best ways to approach a negotiation? Well there are essentially four steps to most negotiations; preparing, setting up, negotiating and closing.

So if you’re negotiating with your client, here are a few tips for each stage of the process:

1. Preparing

• Take time to familiarise yourself with all the details of the deal to help build your confidence during the negotiation
• Decide three things before going into the deal: a) what your ideal outcome is b) what you’d be happy with and c) the point at which you’ll abandon the deal
• Work out what the ‘worst case scenario’ impact (financial or otherwise) would be to you/your business
• If possible, try to get an idea of what’s important to the other side and even try to test their position before you go into the negotiation itself (knowledge represents the upper hand)
• Always aim realistically high and hold this position as long as you can. You can always come down but you won’t be able to push it back up
• Be prepared to justify your starting position and also be prepared to say no
• Prepare what you have to ‘trade’ with – and prioritize these things in order of value to you.
• Remember that what you decide during this negotiation will set a precedent for what happens in the future i.e. once you make ‘allowances’ for no reason, expect your client to ask for similar concessions in the future – you’re making a rod for your own back if you do!

2. Setting up

• Try not to be intimidated by the other side’s demeanour, data, facts, stats etc. but try to anticipate what they will begin with and what you’ll respond with
• Lay out the agenda for the negotiation but try not to be the one who reveals a starting position first
• Be inquisitive and use intelligent questions to garner more information. Don’t try to convince the other side to come round to your way of thinking and don’t be over-emotional
• Sound ‘sure’ when you state your position and have the confidence to request clearly what you’re looking for.
• Anticipate that the other side will be challenging your position/pricing
• Decide that you will stay strong if the other side decides to play power games such as ‘good cop bad cop’ or aggression to force their position

3. Negotiating

• Never give something without asking for something in return. Take your time and don’t be too quick to change your position when the other side pushes.
• If you lower your price then the scope of what you are providing for that fee should change in accordance e.g. “if you’d like to reduce the overall cost, we can replace the X element with X (i.e. a cheaper component)’ or “how about we only allow for one round of amendments rather than two, which will reduce the overall cost by X” etc.
• If a question or point comes up that you haven’t anticipated, don’t feel pressured to decide on your response then and there, take time to think before you answer.
• Don’t be inflexible, aim to be as co-operative as possible throughout the negotiation
• Ask questions “What is important to you about… ?” “What if we gave you X and you gave us Y in return”? “What is most valuable for you/your company?”
• Don’t undervalue your position by agreeing to split the difference
• Focus on the value you bring, not the price (find out what the other side values)

4. Closing

• The end of the negotiation is where most concessions are made, stay logical and don’t be fooled by ‘last minute’ tactics to throw the negotiation off course
• Aim for a win/win position but at least ensure the other side feels they have gained something valuable from the negotiation
• Don’t be forced into a bad deal. It’s better to walk away than accept something that hasn’t been thought through properly

Have you founds these points useful? What other negotiation tips would you offer to someone who you’ve found helpful?

Competence in presentation skills is a definite asset. Not only will these skills help you advance as an employee (great presentations help win deals!) they’re also a reliable source of steady income as a freelancer. Indeed, many today who need something extra aside from their regular 9 to 5 job, find moonlighting as a speaker a great way to make ends meet.

If you want to be a great presenter, and consequently get that speaking career off the ground, what are the presentation skills that you should master?

Content Design

Delivering a talk begins with designing a great program or speech. If you’re presenting a learning workshop, you would need to ground your presentation on the learning objectives of the course or training program. If you’re delivering short keynote speeches, you would need to anchor your speech on an overarching theme or central message. A speaker able to structure their speeches strategically are more effective in reaching their audience.

Designing great content relies on two sub skills: research and critical thinking. If you want your audience to leave the auditorium feeling like they spent their time well, make sure you share something useful in your talk. You can prepare quality content by researching books, academic journals and formal company literature; or you may draw from your experience or ability to dissect ideas. Critical thinking helps you lay your ideas with logical flow in mind.

Public Speaking Skills

Content design is for behind the scenes, but what about presentation skills for the day of the talk itself? To deliver a talk effectively, you would need to be a good communicator. Start with the clarity of your verbal communication; make sure you know how to project your voice well, enunciate properly, and vary the inflection in your voice so that you don’t sound monotonous. Non-verbal presentation skills are also critical; you must be able to exude confidence as you talk.

Public Speaking presentation skills also involve effective use of presentation aids, such as audio-visual aids, hand-outs and even actual samples for the audience’s review. These aids should enhance a presentation, and illustrate concepts and ideas that can’t be effectively described by merely using words. Care must be given so that they don’t distract your audience from what you are saying.

Facilitation Skills

If you have the opportunity, it’s great to make your presentation interactive. You can ask the audience some guide questions, solicit their ideas, or constantly verify understanding of what you are discussing. All these require facilitation skills. Facilitation skills include, but is not limited to, encouraging audience involvement, linking similar responses, brainstorming techniques, and throwing back questions to the group. A speaker who can not just deliver talks, but actually facilitate a group-centered discussion is a more dynamic speaker.

Evaluation Skills

Lastly, if you want to hone your presentation skills, you must know how to gather and use feedback. Evaluation is usually a neglected aspect of the presentation giving process, but it’s critical to not just a program’s growth, but the speakers’ as well. Handing out evaluation questionnaires, soliciting the opinion of randomly selected audience members, and getting peers to critique a presentation are just some of the ways speakers can evaluate their work.