The presentation of presentations has evolved radically and rapidly since flipcharts and 35mm slides.
The Presentation Trends to Excite and Unite is a fun and graphical presentation highlights some emerging trends, technologies, and techniques in the presentation industry and how you can be prepared with better design and strategy.
4. PRESENTATION DESIGN & TRAININGWWW.PRESENTATIONTEAM.COM
Webinars and Online Presentations
take Center Stage
5. PRESENTATION DESIGN & TRAININGWWW.PRESENTATIONTEAM.COM
“People are becoming
more comfortable with
webinars and recorded
presentations.”
Ken Molay
WWW.WSUCCESS.COM
38. PRESENTATION DESIGN & TRAININGWWW.PRESENTATIONTEAM.COM
Shorter is Better
Span
Across
Pages
39. PRESENTATION DESIGN & TRAININGWWW.PRESENTATIONTEAM.COM
“Create a large canvas where
you can build zoom points.”
Robert Swanwick
SPEAKERINTERACTIVE.COM
40. PRESENTATION DESIGN & TRAININGWWW.PRESENTATIONTEAM.COM
Tag Clouds Gaining Popularity
41. PRESENTATION DESIGN & TRAININGWWW.PRESENTATIONTEAM.COM
Microprojectors
LED
AC & Battery
SD & USB Readers
From $150
Welcome to this webcast of Presentation Trends to Excite and Unite.
The presentation of presentations has evolved radically and rapidly. Ten years ago, overhead transparencies and 35mm slides were the trendy tools.
More recently, projectors and computer-based presentations have taken center-stage.
But the most exciting presentation products are on the horizon, as increased bandwidth, more powerful and compact technologies, and a more technically-savvy consumer merge to pave a path for clearer communications. I’m Kevin Lerner of The Presentation Team. Over the next 10 minutes we’ll be exploring some emerging technologies,techniques, and Presentation Trends to Excite and Unite.
Budgets for company conferences and regional meetings are being slashed universally, as budget-conscious managers turn to the Webinar as a fast and economical method for presenting information. Even the terms webinar and webcast has become interchangeable with presentation: "I need to give a webinar.“Thanks to faster graphics cards, more powerful processors, and greater bandwidth capable of displaying a PowerPoint presentation plus a live video of a speaker and high quality audio, webinars are taking center stage.
Future webcasts will likely bridge the gap between reality and virtual reality, as the size and resolution of display monitors increase, providing for greater involvement and virtual integration of audiences. High definition video, 3D rendering, and a more robust and integrated Web 2.0 will eventually provide for a more dimensional and involved presentation experience ...bringing the world to their audience…and delivering greater results and success.
Despite the popularity and appeal of webcasts and webinars, many managers and professionals still view the web-based presentation as novelty. I’ve coined the term web-castaways…These are folks who call for the return of reality meetings. Theysay there's simply no substitute for a presentation delivered face-to-face to a live and engaged audience.
Experts say that face-to-face networking is also sacrificed in webcasts. Participants at live conferences have the opportunity to connect with others with common interests and similar backgrounds...for mentoring, strategies, commerce, or simply friendship.
Management is recognizing the value of webcasts, but also the inherent limitations. Despite the technological triumphs of webcasts, most experts agree that the live meeting will experience a renaissance and resurgence.
The 16:9 aspect ratio has wide appeal. Every new computer for sale on the market today- Mac or PC – can display at the high-definition widescreen format. People lovewidescreen! And yet the average PowerPoint presentation is still being developed at the more square 4:3 aspect ratio. So the next time you need to give a presentation, consider going wide!
With a few quick edits in PowerPoint or Keynote - or by starting these presentations off in the widescreen format- presenters are giving their presentations wide appeal.
More and more people are using their Blackberries, iPhones, and Smartphones as presentation tools. Videos and PowerPoint presentations reformatted for the small screen are empowering presenters to share their message wherever and whenever.
The convenience of a brief presentation, formatted for the a smart phone that fits in the palm of your hand can be can be very powerful to make your message more memorable when you need to inform, inspire or motivate. Whether the presentation is stored locally, or streamed from a website, the smartphone is another new weapon for making a mark in the presentation industry.
Ah yes, the greatiPad! Apple's new iPad has transformed the way the world presents...overnight. Simply presenting from an iPad sends a message of technological savvy and sophistication...affluence, and hipness. Apple's Keynote software already has a perceived edge over PowerPoint for effects, power, and elegant simplicity.
A well-designed presentation with text, graphics, video, audio, and interactivity- is sure to win new clients and close more sales.
It’s called Cloudware…software and applications not on your local computer, but on the internet. And in increasing numbers people are using cloudware to present. Google doc’s Presentations and SlideShare are tools I use frequently.
Another product with big financial backing is a SlideRocket, a web-based presentation design tool that touts its simplicity and power to design and present incredible presentations with easy, economy, and analytics.
From our earliest days as infants, we have been captivated by movement. Our eyes fixate on items in motion. As business presenters search for secrets to capture their audience's attention and make a greater impact, the need for amped-up animation is increasing.
Be on the lookout for video background templates, the next big wave to hit PowerPoint in the coming months. Rumor has it that the new version of PowerPoint 2010 and Keynote will support (and include) motion backgrounds. Presentation visuals will likely adapt motion and imagery similar to a newscast's images. Elegant but animated flying titles will become the in-thing as presenters strive to maintain their audiences' attention.
In recent years, people have rebelled against clip art, that vector-based cartoonish illustrations (like the gravestone on the left)- opting instead for the more sleek and stylish stock photo (like that on the right) for added have helped raise the bar for trendy presentation design, delivering contemporary photographic images that inspire and delight.
Still, illustrative art is far from dead, as avatars, icons, and comic-book-style action characters make a resurgence. On the right is Digi…a 3D cartoon character who I recently used in a presentation for Cox Communications. Digi was developed as a friendly androgynous character whose role was to simply and friendly communicate key messages home to the audience.
With the increased popularity of digital cameras and smartphones, anyone can take a photo and integrate it into a presentation to help drive the message home. With a little work in a photo editing tool like Photoshop or Google’s Picasa, it’s easier than ever to create a great looking presentation that connects.
When I first started creating presentations in the early 1990s, I read articles and saw examples of slides with light white text dark set against blue gradient backgrounds. Scientific studies emphasized that the human mind can comprehend information easier if its set against dark background. Moreover, the projection technology of the time (35mm slides and first-generation 3-color video projectors) showcased the sleek appeal and striking contrast of a presentation with a dark background.
But in recent years, the trend has turned and presenters are getting a bright idea, by using a lighter background with darker text. Presenters and designers say the lighter look is fresher, relaxed, and newer, sending a subconscious message of openness, ease, and flow. Additionally, a light textured background also works easier when a presentation needs to be printed, as no colors need to be converted; the background can be just turned off. The bottom line: projection technology has advanced considerably. When designing a presentation, feel the mood and explore the impact that the audience or event is meant to be conveying.
In more recent times, companies like Apple have been pushing the beautiful brilliance of simplicity in presentation design. And it's working. An increasing number of presentations are indeed appearing shorter and succinct. Small headlines. Brief bullets….(Next page:Graphics that tell the story)
Graphics that tell a simple story.
We've all seen our share of horrible slides crammed with bullet points. Speakers dump their entire speech onto a few pages...and then read it to their audience.
Take it from someone who is 5’4: Shorter is better. Perhaps it's tools like Twitter that's awakening people to the power of a short focused headline. Perhaps it's the realization that more slides doesn't always mean more time or money and it's okay to span (or divide) bullet points across multiple pages. Perhaps it's simply the web working to share the gospel of a good presentation design.
He says that tag clouds - a weighted list in visual design - are making their way into presentations as a more accepted and non-linear navigation and communication.
Another emerging presentation trend is Mircoprojectors. These are compact, lightweight and supermobile.TheseLED-driven devices offer full VGA resolution connectivity. Some are even battery operated They don’t even have to be connected to a computer…they can simply display a series of photos or slides from a thumbdrive or SD card.
Prices and size continue to drop for DLP and LCD projectors, as their functionality and brightness continues to climb. HD projectors are increasingly visible, delivering theater-like quality in a shoebox size powerhouse. Brighter and sharper output are making the future of presentations powerful and potent.
One big trend that is finally becoming popular: people are awakening to the reality that a presentation is really all about the presenter. In my opinion, far to many people hide behind their PowerPoint when they should be the star of the show. But people are still nervous when it comes to speaking. Thankfully there are people and groups who can help.
One great organization who’s all about helping people become better speakers and stronger leaders is Toastmasters International. Their website is packed with resources and information and a list of helpful chapters all around the world.
And since 1995, The Presentation Team has been delivering world-class presentation design services, speaker coaching and training, and resources through our expert team of professional communicators. We’ve helped thousands of companies and individuals to inspire and deliver success.
Thanks for tuning into this webcast of Presentation Trends to Excite and Unite, and thanks to the team at SlideRocket for all their great work on this terrific product. I’m Kevin Lerner of The Presentation Team, reminding you to make it a great presentation!