Has Presentation Design Passed You By?

Presentation design has changed a lot over the past few years. We think it's important that businesses stay updated about new trends and developments pertaining to the topic. Here's one that's sure to have affected many businesses.

Every few years, Microsoft Office rolls out a new update or version of Office. Sometimes the changes are minor and sometimes they're extreme. They often deal with the layout and usability of Office programs.

PowerPoint has probably changed more than any other Microsoft Office program. It all really depends on which version you're upgrading to and which version you're leaving. If there are a few updates in between, the transition will likely be more difficult. 

Remember all the commotion that the end support of Windows XP caused? A lot of those businesses who never upgraded from XP were probably still working with Microsoft Office 2003. The 2003 programs were fine, but they had a much different layout in comparison to the new ones. 

A recent Business Management Daily article describes the transition from older vision of Microsoft Office to newer versions. The article suggests that businesses inform themselves about the new programs before they actually use them:

"If you missed transitioning through Office 2007 or Office 2010, Office 2013 may be a culture shock. Before embarking on PowerPoint particulars, it’s best to become familiar with the new geography and vernacular of all your Office 2013 applications, namely: tab, group, and button."

Presentation design is different on PowerPoint 2013 than it was on PowerPoint 2003. Especially when users are actually creating and editing the presentation. 

It's important that businesses learn about the new versions of office before significant presentations or meetings. The last thing they want is a malfunction due to a different feature or new keyboard shortcut. 

If you would like to talk to us about presentation design, contact us today. Thanks.

3 Killer Apps to Boost Your Presentation Development

Professional presentations take time, organization, and engaging content to be effective. You know you've gotten it right when you get audience interaction, and signs that you've reached people with your message. One way to get people's attention is to change things up a little. Try something that looks a little different to what they're used to. Here are five online presentation apps that may be just the thing you need to shake things up a little.

1. Prezi. A Web-based app focusing on the aesthetic aspect of presentations, Prezi provides a unique way to deliver messages visually and make your audience sit up and take notice. Instead of slides, Prezi has you put all of your content on a giant virtual canvas. When it comes time to present, Prezi flies the audience over your canvas, rotating and zooming to show the next chunk of content. It's a bit hard to explain, but easy to understand once you see it in action. I suggest you check out some sample prezi's to get the idea. You can download the app, or create and edit presentations from virtually anywhere you have internet access, since Prezi is cloud-based.  

One of the sample presentation son the Prezi site.

2. Present.me. This web-service lets you build presentations that include you. It lets you present your ideas "face-to-face" even when you're not there to present them in person. You can think of it as a presentation you deliver on demand. It's a clever way to shake up the way people watch recorded presentations, and worth a look if you ever have to send your presentations to people unaccompanied.

Slides and video of presenter are always in sync so viewer can switch back and forth at their leisure.

3. PhotoSnack. Create artful and clean photo slideshows simply by logging into your Google, Facebook or Twitter account. Next, select and upload photos from your computer, or from photo sharing services like Flickr and Instagram. Photosnack helps you arrange your photos in themed presentation templates for a quick, easy, well designed presentation. The free version creates a small watermark on each picture in a presentation, while the paid version is watermark-free.

PhotoShack is a quick and easy way to create a photo-based presentation.

Beware the Dreaded “Frankendeck”

A mob of angry men stride purposefully through the dark wielding torches that flicker menacingly as they bob to and fro. It’s an all too familiar scene. Only this time they’re not after the monster in the castle.This time, they’re after you!

Sure, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but today is Halloween so it seems a fitting way to revisit the evil monster that continues to threaten conference rooms across the nation — the dreaded Frankendeck.

Are you guilty of releasing Frankendecks on your audiences? You know the ones. Presentations that look like they were assembled from unrelated parts — parts that just don’t belong together.

These monsters are often born in the rush to assemble a new presentation from slides purloined from other decks you or your team created for other purposes. Or they might result from having too many cooks in the kitchen while the deck is being brewed.  

Either way, the result is the same. An abomination that nobody wants to see.

So how do you avoid them? It all starts with a story. Think you’re not a natural story teller? Don’t be so sure.  I’ll bet that when you’re relaxing with your friends, you tell all kinds of stories that keep people engaged, entertained, and informed. But how do you apply story telling to fend off a Frankendeck? Not so obvious. Fortunately, there’s help. 

Check out Cliff Atkinson’s Beyond Bullet Points method, or the Slides that Rock techniques, and you’ll find that you can craft a story for your next PowerPoint presentation. All it takes it spending a bit more time at the outset, before you start creating and assembling slides. The first time you do it, it’ll probably feel like you’re wasting time, but stick with it. I promise you it’s worth the effort. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you’ll be the envy of the office. Here are some of the benefits you’ll enjoy:

1. You’ll need fewer slides to get your message across
2. Your audience will stay awake, and even pay attention to your presentation
3. You will become a celebrity and have adoring fans far and wide

Ok, maybe I’m over selling things a bit with that last point, but I promise you that if you make an effort to learn about telling stories with your presentations, you’ll be very happy you did. And so will the people you present to.  

So after you’ve made the rounds of your neighborhood tonight and had your fill of candy, why not take a vow never to create another Frankendeck. 

Tips for Using Media in Your PowerPoint Presentation

All presentations should tell a story. Storytelling with PowerPoint requires different elements than writing prose or scripting a video. The text in your presentation isn important, but has to be clear and concise. If you want to write an essay, choose another medium. 

Who says PowerPoint has to be boring? By paying special attention to the interplay of all the media  PowerPoint makes available to you -- graphics, images, type, sound, and motion -- you can weave together a powerful, compelling story. 

Text

Use text sparingly. The ideas is to capture key points in your message, and not to deliver every detail. Always use short bulleted paragraphs. People digest information much better when it’s presented in small chunks. If you feel you need to have long paragraphs on your slides, step back and reevaluate what you’re trying to day. There is always a way to convey the essentials without turning your slide into a page of text.

Images

Photography has become a popular way to add visual interest to slides. The two watchwords to keep in mind here are: big and hight-quality. Never “borrow” images from other places on the web unless you have explicit permission to use the. Images are copyrighted, and using them without permission could leave you open to legal action. So where should you get your images from? If you’re a good photographer, consider using your own. If photography isn’t your cup of tea -- of if you’re pressed for time -- don’t worry. There are plenty of high-quality, legal images available to you. 

Royalty-free images are an easy to find, and affordable option. Check out istockphoto.com, shutterstock.com, and pond5.com to get an idea of the range of images available, and what they cost. 

Another alternative is photo stock offered under the creative commons license. Depending on which creative commons license the photographer has applied, you can generally use these images for free, as long as you give attribution and provide a link to the original photo. You can find these on Flickr.com and other photo sites, but a great way to search for them and get the right attribution and links all in one place is photopin.com

Typography

A good way to add a little style and visual interest to your next PowerPoint presentation is to try a different font. Choosing the right font can change the entire feel of a presentation. Some fonts bring a friendly, casual look to your slides. Others convey a more business-like quality. Choosing the right font is an art in itself, but do yourself a favor and experiment a little with your next deck.

There are plenty of high-quality, professional fonts available from traditional type foundries like Adobe Type, Linotype, and Monotype.

There are plenty of lower cost, and free fonts available too. Sites like FontShop.com, Fonts.com, Google Fonts are good places to get started. 

You should know that if you’re not going to be presenting from your own computer, the font you choose may not be available and PowerPoint will substitute an available font. This will change the entire look of your slides.  

Animation & Transitions

Putting your presentation in motion can be very effective, but too much can be more of a distraction than an attention grabber. PowerPoint provides a wide range of slide transitions, and animation effects for elements within a slide. However, you shouldn’t let the fact that there are dozens to choose from lead you to think you should use them all. Stick to one or two subtle transitions, and use them for the whole deck. And animate slide objects only when the animation adds to the clarity of the points being made. 

Movement for movement’s sake is not the path to effective message delivery. I like to think that animation is to PowerPoint as spices are to cooking. Choosing the right ones, and applying them in judiciously gives better results than a ham-fisted approach. 

Sound

PowerPoint is truly a multi-media tool, but most people overlook the use of sound. Except for special applications -- like self-running canned presentations for something like a museum display -- you should probably use sound sparingly. Avoid the temptation to use zany, cartoony sound effects to a business presentation. But if you’re careful, you can use sound effects to bring attention to a sound byte, play background music, or use sounds to illicit a laugh from your audience.

photo credit: Saad Faruque via photopin cc

5 Tips to Create an Engaging PowerPoint Presentation

Sitting through a boring PowerPoint presentation is agony. Any business presentation is meant to inform, motivate and deliver some kind of call to action. Here are some things you can do to make your next PowerPoint presentation a bit more engaging.

• Use it as a tool - Don't forget PowerPoint is a tool for making visual presentations. It is not a place just to dump your data or a word processing program. As you prepare your slides, think of yourself as a presenter not a writer. A presenter mind set give your presentation a more natural flow, and make you someone the audience wants to engage with.
• Keep it simple - An unfettered look works best for your presentation. While this is clearly a generalization, using simple, but powerful messages and images is usually a good way to stir emotion. And despite what people like to think, emotion is what spurs people to act.
• Don't tell, show - This old adage is especially true when it comes to presentations. Talking on and on is a great way to lose your crowd. It is true that "a picture is worth a thousand words.” Whenever possible, use images to deliver your message. Your autience wants to "see" your talk, not read it.
• Surprise them - Does it seem like someone wrote a template and everyone follows it when give a business presentation? To stand out and really engage your meeting, do the unexpected. Surprise your audience. Challenge the beliefs. Tell stories to keep them engaged. Create a little mystery in your stories, and watch as people pay close attention to see how the mystery gets resolved.
• Don't read it - The constant drone of someone reading their presentation will have their entire gathering nodding and bobbing. Talks like this are torture for an audience to sit through. Learn your messages, practice beforehand, and you’ll deliver a talk that people want to hear. Make eye contact with your audience. Vary your speech and voice patters. You want to sound normal and natural.

Make It Fun

Using these PowerPoint presentation tips should help you deliver a fun and engaging talk. Keep your audience paying attention to what you are saying by being as natural as you can be. They surely don't want to sit through another boring PowerPoint presentation. Be engaging and your audience will be engaged!

photo credit: Kris Krug via photopin cc