Do you make presentations to your customers to share the features and benefits of your products and or services? How about to communicate and train employees? Many businesses do and they have relied upon Microsoft PowerPoint for these presentations since it was introduced in 1990.
No one can deny that PowerPoint is a great tool to have in your electronic toolbox. Its straight forward user experience makes it easy to master and its simple linear slide (or deck if you prefer the updated terminology) configuration keeps information flowing for the viewer.
However, over the last 26 years, we have all become a little numb when it comes to that same old slide show and the last thing you want when presenting your information is a numb audience. Here are some suggestions for shaking up your presentations and keeping your audience on their toes:
You may already be familiar with Prezi. It is rated one of the top alternatives to PowerPoint on many of the review sites and blogs. The reason it is so popular is because, quite simply, it is really cool!
Prezi was developed with our sensory perception in mind (pun intended). According to the “scientist” behind Prezi’s design, “It takes the human brain ¼ of a second to recognize and attach meaning to a symbol.” That is less than 1/6th the amount of time it took you to read and process this sentence.
The formatting of a Prezi presentation allows the viewer to fly and dive through imagery that is not in the slightest, linear. Important data points and statistics are surprise nuggets of information that can be hidden and then revealed with a flourish instead of dealt out to the viewer like a deck of cards.
Emaze is sort-of a combination of the PowerPoint slide deck and Prezi’s animated transitions. The easy to use templates incorporate 3-D visuals, video backgrounds and music, turning your presentation into a more dynamic “movie” like production. This particular application only allows social media sharing and downloads after a subscription has been initiated but you have 14 days to try it before you buy it.
https://www.emaze.com/@AIORWZWT/presentation-name
Powtoons:
Powtoons is another subscription based presentation tool but this one offers a metric ton of cute animated characters and clips to help bring your ideas together into a dynamic and entertaining format that will liven up your audience instead of putting them to sleep.
The applications mentioned here are but a mere sampling of the applications available to anyone willing to experiment with the tools. With each of these, there is a free or trial version as well as a monthly subscription. Additionally these are all web enabled applications which means you can access them anywhere you can find an internet connection.
Many work with tablets and cell phones making it possible to ditch the projector and laptop. Send a link to each of your audience members at the time of your presentation and they can follow along on their smart phones. Then afterwards, upload the presentations into your YouTube channel and embed them into your website to improve your SEO.
Manning Media’s marketing staff are experts in customer engagement. Call Manning Media in Frederick, 301-620-7700 or in Hagerstown, 301-733-4500 or fill out our online request form by clicking HERE and let them help you connect with your audience.