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Electronic Presentations
by Rebecca L. Morgan, CSP, CMC
Why use electronic presentations?
Recently, presentations shown through a computer have become the rage.
Just like anything, there are pros and cons to doing it.
I've been using electronic presentations since 1993. I was one of the
first among my professional colleagues to make the switch. Here's why.
A large part of my income is from making presentations. I wanted a presentation
tool that was high quality, could be changed instantly, and would be stimulating
for my audience. Although slides were high quality, they didn't offer
the speed of change that I wanted. Overheads were easily changed, but
in a room of 500, they lost some of the impact I wanted. So electronic
presentations seemed the perfect solution. Here's why I moved to electronic
presentations.
Keeps your audiences stimulated
The ability to have interesting transitions between visuals, have words
and objects "fly in," play video or sound clips, all contribute
to audiences staying with you. Unfortunately, no matter how interesting
your material, or how good a speaker you are, people's minds drift. We
all need ways to keep them coming back to us.
Higher quality than many visuals used in presentations
Presentations are rife with poor visuals, too-small lettering, crammed
charts-you've seen them all, haven't you? So have I. Presentation software
offers templates so that even those who are taste-impaired can produce
attractive visuals easily.
Instantly adaptable
Does this ever happen to you: You were told you have 30 minutes to speak,
but 10 minutes before it's your turn, you're told you only have 20. What
to do? Talk faster? Skip the last slides? Don't spend as much time on
each one?
Unfortunately, this scenario happens to me often. Now, I can easily look
at my visuals, move them around, and eliminate some.
And something I really love is being able to quickly create a slide and
add a quote from a previous speaker that day, or even one of the audience
members.
Some software allows you to have a "hidden slide" which you
prepare beforehand and insert in your presentation, but only access if
that issue comes up. If you don't get asked the question, you skip right
by it and no one even knows you skipped it!
Easily reusable
Another thing I love is being able to reuse the visuals I've created.
Now, of course, you could reuse overheads and slides, but what if you
want to change something small, like the title? With electronic visuals
you can reuse most of the visual, and easily change the title. The real
beauty of this is the next point-
Once you have the software and hardware, there's no
additional hard cost
With overheads and slides, there is a cost each time the visual is printed.
Even with black and white overheads there is still a cost, even if it's
small. But with electronic presentations there is NO cost! Zip. Nada.
Nothing. You can change anything you want, as many times as you want,
and there's no output cost!
Helps increase your credibility and status
I've seen data on how visuals help increase your credibility. I don't
know the statistics, but I believe electronic presentations increase your
credibility even more. Your audience members perceive you as current.
I believe they give your information more weight.
What are the downsides?
As with most everything in our lives, there are pros and cons. Let's look
at what could be the cons of electronic presentations.
Initial cost
Of course, you have costs. You need a computer to run your presentation,
the software, some way to project the images, and the time to learn how
to use everything so it runs smoothly.
Hardware
You (or your organization) probably already own a computer that will work
for electronic presentations. I find a laptop computer works great, and
I've seen people use a desktop model. Obviously, the latter is bulkier
so more trouble to move around. Since I make my presentations all over
the country, I use my laptop. If you work for an organization that has
you make presentations at many sites, you could take your presentation
on a diskette, a Zip disk, a CD-ROM, or you could carry a hard drive with
you.
To project your visuals you'll need to connect the computer to an LCD
panel, projector, or TV. If your presentation is for only a handful of
people, you could even show your visuals on a large computer monitor.
Software
There are many easy-to-use software programs for presentations. Ask around
and see what your colleagues are using, what they like about it and what
they don't like.
Learning curve
Learning anything new takes some time. The software programs now available
seem pretty straightforward and easy to use. But to speed your learning
curve, I'd suggest you take a class. Then you can learn shortcuts that
you might have to dig far to find in the manual.
Equipment doesn't always work
I've been told that there are people who make electronic presentations
and never have equipment malfunction. This is not my experience. Since
I make my living making presentations, it's important that I always look
smooth and professional.
For that reason, I always carry a set of bare bones back up overheads
(not the whole set of visuals). You could have back up slides, instead.
If the visual is important to enhance what I'm discussing, then I carry
it with me.
I also get in the room early to make sure that we can get what I need
to make it work. Often I find the connector is missing that goes from
my computer to the projection unit. Now I carry my own. I also carry my
own power strip extension cord so I can set up my computer where it's
comfortable for me.
You can be seduced to continually tweak.
I still wrestle with this issue. I can spend hours and hours trying to
make my visuals look better. Often, the improvements are so small no one
else would notice. So now I try to limit the amount of time I spend just
to make them look a little better.
Traditional outputs
There are various ways you can print your visuals.
Slides
You can take or send a diskette of your visuals to a service bureau that
will print them onto 35mm slides. Or you can send your file via modem
to a service bureau. The one we use (Imagers) will then print them overnight
and FedEx them back to you within 48 hours.
Overheads
You have the same options as with slides. Additionally, you can print
them from a color printer, which now costs less than $500 for an adequate
one. I print my visuals on my HP DeskWriter when I don't have a color
background. When the background is color, it takes forever to print and
eats up color cartridges quickly. I've decided it's less expensive and
more convenient to send my color-background slides to a service bureau.
When I do send my overheads to the service bureau, I've found the colors
to be a bit darker than what I see on the computer screen, so I purposely
lighten them up before sending them via my modem.
Handouts
You can print hard copy of visuals in various formats: one per page, 2
per page, 3 down the left side of the page so the audience can take notes
on the right, 6 per page, and who knows what other formats. You can also
print one visual on the top half of the page with the bottom half with
text you provide, or blank for note taking.
Speaker notes
For your own notes, you can print one visual on the top half of the page
with the bottom half filled with your notes.
Electronic outputs
Electronic outputs are when you don't print anything out; you show your
visuals through various methods.
TV with encoder
An encoder (also called a scan converter) hooks from the computer to the
TV. Mine is about as big as a videotape, so it is easy to carry. By using
an encoder, it allows me to show my presentation anywhere (almost) that
has a TV. (Remember the downside I mentioned above, that the equipment
doesn't always work? I was speaking at a small manufacturing firm in Kansas
and their old TV didn't have a way for me to connect, even though we tried
all the attachments I had.)
Showing your presentation on a TV is an easy, inexpensive way to have
an electronic presentation. I find it works well for a group of up to
35 or so, depending on how large the TV screen is.
LCD panel/projector
An LCD panel sits on top of an overhead projector which has a high-lumen
(usually over 4000 lumen) bulb. Although the image is much larger than
that shown on a TV, I find the visuals seem washed out, even with the
lights over the screen dimmed.
A projector allows you to show the images even larger than an LCD panel,
and these don't get washed out. Projectors are either free-standing units
about the size of a slide projector, or are units you may see hanging
from an auditorium ceiling. It projects the image very large and with
good quality.
Video
A friend of mine attaches his VCR to his computer, and records the visual
portion of his presentation as he talks through it. That way he can move
on to the next slide with the appropriate timing. He shows it to his audiences
through a VCR and monitor or videoprojector.
I haven't tried it, but I've been tempted. It would be much easier to
travel with a videotape, rather than a computer, encoder, cables and connectors.
The big reason I've not done it is because I love the capacity to edit
my visuals instantly.
Diskette
Some people give their presentation visuals to others to view on their
own. They do this by passing their file via diskette or through the Internet.
If the receiver doesn't own the software, there is a small version of
the program called a "player" which will allow the visuals to
be seen, but not modified. If you're sending your visuals to someone,
ask if they need the player.
Photo CD-ROM
A friend has his visuals put onto a photo CD-ROM. He shows them similarly
to the other friend who has put his visuals onto video.
Tips for successful presentations:
Learn your hardware
When I first began showing my presentation visuals from my computer, I was
sweating heavily because I wasn't confident I would remember the sequence
I had to go through to make it all work
When you are first learning, make a list of the sequence you need to
go through. Don't try to remember whether your computer should be started
at the beginning or end of the sequence-write it down. Write down if you
have to reset anything with the software. It will make your mind more
at ease, so you can focus on what you're going to say during the presentation.
Know how to troubleshoot
If something goes wrong, you need to know how to troubleshoot. There won't
always be an audio/visual technician available, or close by. I've had
trouble before, and the technician was all the way across the convention
center. It took 15 minutes before he arrived. Then if he needed a new
connector, it took him another 15 minutes to return. Although I get to
my presentation room early, I don't always have that kind of time. You
may not either.
Adjust the lights
Many people think you have to have the room nearly dark to see electronic
visuals. Not so. I've found I can have the room lights at about 80% full
before losing significant quality of readability. However, you need to
turn off the lights directly over the screen whenever possible.
I've noticed I've had to darken the room slightly more when using a LCD
panel vs. a projection unit. But do not be tempted to turn all the lights
off. That's the kiss of death and you'll be soon interrupted by the loud
snoring of your audience members!
Always have a Plan B
You always want a back up plan, just in case the unthinkable happens.
What if the bulb burns out on your projector and the back up is burnt
out too? (This has happened to me.) What if your computer were to die
while you were discussing a key point?
Carry those back up overheads or slides I mentioned earlier. And remember,
your visuals should always augment your presentation, not be the focus
of your presentation. You should be able to do a competent job even if
everything around you has failed.
Copy presentation to disk
In case your computer does die, have a back up of your presentation on
diskette. That way you can slip the diskette into another computer and
be on your way. (I also carry a copy of my presentation software's "viewer"
which I can easily install on another computer, allowing me to show my
visuals.)
I once forgot the power supply to my laptop computer. It wouldn't let
me connect a projection unit without this. Luckily, I had my presentation
on diskette, and I could show it with another computer.
The audience never has to know
Whatever goes wrong, work to make it as seamless as possible. Don't tell
the audience what went wrong, if you can avoid it. I've found that they
often have no idea there was a glitch unless they're told.
Stretch your creativity if it will enhance the presentation
There are many ways to add creative touches when building your visuals.
A few of these are:
- Sound effects
- Music
- Animation
- Video clips
- Graphics
- Clip art line drawing
- Clip art photos
- Scans
Work to make it interesting, not only for your audience, but for yourself.
Make sure you observe copyright laws before adding any of the above listed
suggestions to your presentation. There are disks of copyright free music,
video clips, sound effects, etc., available. Also, search on your online
service.
Make sure your visuals support your message
Whatever enhancements you make, be certain they support your message,
and don't detract from it. Sometimes cutesy clip art is more distracting
than no graphic because people are focusing on how dumb it looks.
Make your lettering large
One of the biggest abuses I see with presentation visuals, is the lettering
is too small. Try out your visuals in a room similar in size to the one
you'll be presenting in. Ask someone unfamiliar with your presentation
to stand in the back of the room and say if they can easily read your
visuals. If not, go to the master page of your presentation and enlarge
your lettering. My rule of thumb is to make the smallest lettering at
least 36 point.
It's okay to change things in the moment or right before
As I mentioned before, this is one of my favorite things about electronic
presentations-you can change things right before you get up to speak.
You can quote something that was just said, or point out something that
just happened.
Don't let the technology detract from you
It's easy to get so carried away with the whiz-bang cool stuff, that your
visuals can detract from your message. I saw a presenter who used animation
on every visual. We got so focused on watching the animation, we didn't
hear what he was saying.
The same can be true for the transitions between slides. Transitions
include dissolves, wipes, or other visual effects that show when changing
from one visual to another. My rule-of-thumb is to use only three (or
fewer) different transitions in a presentation.
Ditto for builds. A build allows you to only show part of the visual
at a time. When used with an overhead, we call this the "revelation"
method because only part of the visual is revealed at a time. You can
discuss a point, then progress to the next point on the visual.
You could use a different kind of build on every visual. You could have
some words fly in from the right, others from the left, some from the
bottom, and, you guessed it, some from the top. After a while your audience
members are trying to guess where the words will be coming from, rather
than focusing on your message.
Use a wireless remote
A remote-control device will help you advance your visuals seamlessly.
Some simple ones are no larger than a credit card. Others give you the
ability to bring down menu choices and other mouse-like moves. These are
called wireless or remote mouses (not mice).
Presentation program examples
- Astound-800/465-3375, www.astoundinc.com.
- SPC Harvard Graphics (DOS/Windows)
- Lotus Freelance Graphics (DOS/Windows only)-617/577-8500.
- Adobe Persuasion-206/470-7000.
- Microsoft PowerPoint-800/426-9400.
Resources:
- Remote control devices-ProPresenter, Presentation Electronics, 800/576-9281;
Mindpath Remote Control, 800/736-6830, www.mindpath.com.
- Service bureau (a company that will make slides or overheads for you
from your files)-Genigraphics, 800/790-4001.
- Encoder/scan converter-Focus Enhancements, 708/291-1616, and Umax,
510/651-4000, www.supermac.com.
- Electronic projector-In Focus Systems, 503/685-8888, www.infs.com;
nView, 804/873-1354, and Sharp, 201/529-8731, www.sharp-usa.com.
- Inside PowerPoint monthly newsletter- The Cobb Group, 800/223-8720.
- The Presentation Design Book, by Margaret Rabb, Ventana Press, $24.95.
- Presentations Magazine, 800/328-4329.
© 1996 Morgan Seminar Group
_______________________
Rebecca L. Morgan,
CSP, is a dynamic speaker and seminarist. She is the author of four
books, TurboTime: Maximizing Your Results Through Technology, Calming
Upset Customers, Life's Lessons: Insights and Information for a Richer
Life, and Professional Selling. For information on her speaking services,
books, and tapes contact her at 1440 Newport Ave., San Jose, CA 95125,
408/998-7977, 800/247-9662, fax: 408/998-1742, rebecca@RebeccaMorgan.com,
www.RebeccaMorgan.com.
Please contact Rebecca for permission to reprint or repost this item.
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