Jul 23 2008 8:25AM GMT
Posted by: William Peterson
Business,
Business presentations,
Review,
Solutions,
Technology,
Tips,
Tutorials,
Web
Whatever how people called it, Web presentation, online presentation or Webcasting; whatever who made it, Zoho, Adobe or Google, Web presentation tools and technologies have deeply integrated into all businessmen’s IT lives. The old Mini-Guide by Robin Good’s has generally presented the fact a year ago. The new technology defeated the traditional presentation which held in a conference room, and has been favored by most businessmen nowadays. However, presenting from a distance has too many uncertain factors. I am not meant to dampen the usefulness of Web presentation as the trend and future, but people really need to keep some ideas in mind when taking it, and make it work effectively.
1. The Internet will limit what you can do.
Web presentation is based on the Internet, and definitely would be limited by the Internet. That means, some rich media contents, such as embedded high resolution graphics or video clips will be loaded slowly or unsuccessfully because of bandwidth limitations or browser incompatibilities. As a result, participants may be annoyed with these issues. There’s no such solution except you must consider these potentials when making presentations.
2. Your audience is multitasking.
You’ve done a great job when presenting, but your audience might not know you’re a such good presenter. Because people can do other activities while you’re presenting - such as checking e-mails, reading news or cracking snacks. You can not send a warning or forbid them to do so. Making the audience far far away focused on the Web presentation is based on how you think over the audiences would do while presenting.
3. Graphics need more explanation.
Certainly the Web presentations need more graphics than traditional ways as words can’t be the attractive contents when the presenter is not really “presenting” in front of. But graphics also mixed up other contents when the presenter can not point on the exact position on screen. Adding explanatory arrows and callout text could make it clear what you are referring. Graphics are good components in slides, but don’t abuse your freedom.
Knowing these points just makes you presenting smart next time. And you can explore more tips like those above through standing in other’s shoes. If you can meet the needs of the participants wherever they may be, your Web presentation can double the efficiency as you want, doesn’t it?
William Peterson
Presentation Veteran
Reference:
Presenting from a Distance: Webcasting Tips, By Dave Paradi
http://www.presentations.com/msg/content_display/sales/e3i78e076c5490e1313478b4b3ec6950ed3
Jul 20 2008 9:02AM GMT
Posted by: William Peterson
Business,
Enterprise,
Google Docs,
Corporate,
Online Apps,
OpenOffice,
Microsoft,
Office,
Learning,
Business presentations,
IT professional,
Review,
Solutions,
Technology
Yesterday I read the an article “Do I Need to Buy Microsoft Office?” at Ask a Geek of latest Popular Science. As the its result of “Our geek weighs the options and finds Office might not be the best bet”, I agree that Microsoft Office’s rivals are really powerful and nice, such as Google Docs, OpenOffice or Corel’s WordPerfect Office suite. On my personal side, I would rather choose Google Docs, whether Google would charge me some fees or not in the future. But most businesses nowadays must have the Microsoft Office suite installed, while IBM extremely loves his Lotus Notes software as exception.
In the future, desktop software will be completely replaced with Web applications without doubts. So Microsoft Office is certainly the product for current days. But we can not rush to the future without it because of its popularity in the past. Because a lot of people are working with it now, and will work with it in the future for a long time. In order to avoid any bad incompatibility, our business must have and manage it. Just think about, you partner sent you a document in DOCX format, but you cannot read the contents properly with your OpenOffice, and you will ask for another PDF copy? That’s also why a huge enterprise IBM can not abandon its ever popurlar used Lotus Notes easily.
William Peterson
Presentation Veteran
Jul 20 2008 8:46AM GMT
Posted by: William Peterson
Business,
Enterprise,
Flash Video,
Corporate,
YouTube,
Flash,
Microsoft,
PowerPoint,
Business presentations,
IT professional,
Review,
Technology
Let us think of more useful ways to wake up the popularity to make and judge the old business presentations. Nobody can ignore the incredible power from the best-ever online community YouTube, even Obama wants his final presidential victory. Not in your business style for YouTube? Just remember, every firm is a potential IT-based organization in this Internet era.
It’s not any “YouTube+PowerPoint” ways like SlideShare, which can not beat up any points with the real YouTube community. “Hi buddy, you cannot upload your presentations to YouTube, whatever they’re PowerPoint files or Flash animations!” This verdict is like saying that all presentations must be in PowerPoint or Flash formats. Actually, video presentations have been favored by millions of peoples before the PowerPoint and Flash were born. Just put all your old presentations to the front stage. Some tools might be practical this time. TechSmith’s Camtasia Studio (you must know the great one tool) can completely recording and publishing PowerPoint presentations, or some handy manual enables you to create YouTube contents with nothing other than PowerPoint and Windows Movie Maker. Besides, any trends-hunter has made the exact kit for this requirement: PPT2YouTube.
You may say “it’s totally not business way”, but it would never be bad to do so whatever the people in YouTube watch and comment your presentations. Business should not waste such great online resources to make up the gap or create more new opportunities.
William Peterson
Presentation Veteran
Jul 14 2008 4:31AM GMT
Posted by: William Peterson
Rich Media,
Business,
Enterprise,
Learning,
Business presentations,
IT professional,
Review,
RIA,
Solutions,
Technology,
Web
I never conducted any experiments to compare the effectiveness and cost savings of integrating rich media presentations into the business of any organizations, but I dare to assure that it’s all evolution of traditional presentations. Because of the introducing of rich media technology in current business presentations, the communication of business environment becomes really better ever.
Whatever the administrative level or marketing frontline at any businesses, those presentations with rich media enhanced lead to the reduction of energy and paper consumption on more business trips. I can not count the exact issues that rich media presentations help on businesses, however, at least you can make good expressions with enrichments.
Just think about, adding related video clips, narrations, and other interactive elements to your prepared business presentation; aren’t those all of what you want to present? Regardless of your explanation as the key usages on any presentations, content is the king. Let content speck louder than words! I drafted this rule in the evolution of future business presentations.
William Peterson
Presentation Veteran
Jul 13 2008 4:56AM GMT
Posted by: William Peterson
Business,
Google,
CIO,
Development,
Adobe,
AJAX,
Flash,
Online Apps,
Silverlight,
Google Search,
Learning,
Business presentations,
IT professional,
Review,
RIA,
Solutions,
Technology,
Web
No needs to mention that the proudly announcement of Adobe’s that “Rich Media Search on the Web” on July; as we guess, Microsoft also teams its Silverlight technology up with the rich media content searchable trend. It’s really long long waiting to make this available after years of Flash technology booming. Like Neil Armstrong’s first words on the moon, “that’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind”.
Coming with Google’s “Flash indexing algorithm“, we know the SEOs (Search Engine Optimization) can not live standalone without the requirements from the market. The little thinking from me on search engine optimized rich media: business presentations over the Web now essentially catch up with the help of SEOed.
There’s much to admire about Adobe’s web technology initiatives over the past year or so, such as recent Adobe AIR, Acrobat.com. But this one, advanced RIA technology with SEO compliance inspires me indeed. As most developed Web apps take SEO as better user experience advantage over Rich Internet Apps, now for searchable Flash, I really recommend businesses to do in this way.
The last words to notify on this thinking, most traditional manufacturers of Flash authoring tools should rearrange the producing of Flash, to satisfy the SEOed Flash content better.
William Peterson
Presentation Veteran
Jul 7 2008 3:16AM GMT
Posted by: William Peterson
AIR,
Business,
Enterprise,
Google Docs,
CIO,
Adobe,
AJAX,
Flash,
Online Apps,
IT professional,
Review,
RIA,
Solutions,
Technology,
Tips,
Web
Like Photoshop Express’s photo sharing and photo editing, Adobe can’t help unveiling its complete online office solution to gear up file sharing and documents collaborating using Acrobat.com. From Adobe’s official description, it’s a set of online services - file sharing and storage, PDF converter, online word processor, and web conferencing.
Already one month after its rocket launch to enhance online documentation office upon the mastered Flash technology, Adobe pushed Acrobat all the ways to the de facto international standard. The final release of Acrobat 9 comes that, Adobe actually desires the online service as better component for its desktop apps. Even if the online solution not caught up as Acrobat Professional, but the support of source formats arranged from Word to PowerPoint is really inspired, and better than Google Docs.
That goes here, Google Docs versus Acrobat.com. By contrast, Google Docs has less enhanced editing, and less powerful conversion - not sophisticated in document contents/web conferencing as Adobe’s strength. But popped with Google’s account, the document collaborating, and file sharing is easy and flexible. More than these, Google’s AJAX structure is a little better than complete Flash core in browsers if we don’t get a faster connection.
Anyway, I encourage people to try more business in the online office, Google or Adobe, whatever you like. But it’s really great influences to improve efficiency, avoid complexity, and help environment. Finally, I recommend this AIR “Acrobat.com for My Desktop” to launch acrobat.com as AIR app from desktop.
William Peterson
Presentation Veteran
Jul 1 2008 11:30AM GMT
Posted by: William Peterson
Business,
Corporate,
PowerPoint,
Business presentations,
IT professional,
Tips
Corporate presentation is something significant for a team in any conferences to show up their power and confidence. However, presentations are not the most entertaining films to view, especially on sonorous afternoons in air conditioned and darkened rooms that lull you to sleep. To make any exceptions on the rule, some good tips are necessary, not tricks of business. Got some good points from Heather Johnson’s blog post “How to Spice Up a Presentation” on Jenna Sweeney’s Corporate Training & e-Learning Blog.
= Know your subject and know your audience
= Interaction to get your audience involved: ask and invite questions
= The shorter and more powerful the message
= Use your hands to complement your words and slides
= Talk eloquently without the use of too many “ahs” and “ums” and “likes”
= Know your slides thoroughly and never get them mixed up in the middle of a presentation
How to Spice Up a Presentation
More than these good tips above, I think too many words in slides would be huge mistake in any presentations. Just titled, narrated, multimedia added. Your words, smiles, gestures are superior to guide audiences live. Another, some reasonable silence with a nice face between sentences instead of “ahs” or “ums” could be better, I think.
William Peterson
Presentation Veteran
