The strong reading suggests that the surge in July that was reported in retail sales was not just a onetime event, and that the recovery reflected during the second quarter is still holding strong in the third quarter.

On Thursday the sales balance showed +35 for August and in July +33 which was well above the scores that economists predicted which were cast at about +20.  Clothing sales in particular were the highest they had even been since the survey started measuring sales in 1988.

UK economist for Societe Generale, Brian Hilliard, stated that the message from the high sales report is that July started out strong and continued to grow throughout August which reflects well for potential growth in the third quarter.

Retailers also expect to see growth continue to grow as they expect September to also reflect high growth sales of about +39.

The second reading of sales for August is due to be released today and will show a greater breakdown of each different sales market.

Government data for the month of July displayed a strong monthly sales rate that can be traced back to February when analysts expected to see the World Cup boost up sales overall across the marketplace.

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Although millions of PowerPoint presentations are delivered each day, many presenters still do not use slides effectively. According to m62,l two common mistakes are for the presenter to use the slides as cue cards by including too much text; or to include one large image per slide that does not help to explain the point being made.

The danger with using text on a slide is that the audience will read it instead of listening to the presenter, thus disengaging as they do not feel the need to pay attention. This remains true if the text is reduced to bullet points; the audience will still be able to understand each point before it is made, and thus may not deem it necessary to listen to the explanation.

While using a large background image to convey an idea is an improvement from using bullet points, it still does not guarantee audience attention. Unless the picture chosen is strictly relevant to the point being made, there is a risk that the audience will begin to think about the image rather than the message, and thus become lost in their own thoughts.

Instead, presenters should use diagrams, graphs and relevant images to illustrate their points, especially when the presentation is data heavy. PowerPoint slides can be designed to build on each point made, to ensure that emphasis is drawn to the correct point at the right time.

Nicholas Oulton, Founder of m62, commented: “There has been a shift in the way PowerPoint slides are used, and it has definitely been a shift for the better – yet the majority of presenters could still improve further. It is important for presenters to really think about their visual aids: why are they being used? How should the audience feel? If these questions are understood, a presenter’s slides will prove much more effective.”

m62 visualcommunications operates from offices in the UK, US and Singapore, and has produced almost 10,000 presentations for clients in a wide range of sectors, from medicine and education to finance and IT.  For more information about m62 visualcommunications, call +44 (0)151 259 6262 or visit m62.net.

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