Powering Up: A Case for Energizing Your Presentation with PowerPoint®
Poor PowerPoint®. The ubiquitous Microsoft presentation program has been on the wrong-end of too many so-called sales and marketing "experts" tongue and type lashings for several years now. Some have blasted the format for its lack of creativity, birthing a generation of lazy presenters (the "who needs visual crutches?" bunch), and all manner of other perceived shortcomings.
Despite the beatings. PowerPoint survives, in fact, we would venture to say it that it thrives. That's not just because the software is bundled with Microsoft's other products. Fact is, it's flat out good... at least in our opinion.
Following are a 10 reasons that we like to use PowerPoint for client and RMC presentations. (If you have an idea or application to share, we'd love to read what you have to write. Send your suggestions or comments, and we may post them.)
1. It's proven. Let's face it folks: this presentation software has been around for awhile, and many of the glitches have been worked out. When the chips are down, it works.
2. You can make changes on the fly. Unlike some programs, its easy to update your PowerPoint presentation right up until showtime. Good luck with alternatives like Flash (rhymes with "crash").
3. In the same vein, we can design presentations that our customers are able to fine-tune or update. No need to call us every week to make minor changes (though that's OK too). This makes clients happy, which makes me happy.
4. With PowerPoint, we can incorporate video, animations, charts, pictures, and other bells and whistles without too much trouble. The clever minds in Redmond, Washington just keep adding useful features to the software.
5. PowerPoint can be used for much more than the upcoming vacation highlights show that you'll be unveiling at the Moose Lodge. It's a handy tool for setting up a meeting outline (an application expertly applied by ATI Wah Chang VP Parry Walborn), then adding notes, making modifications, and recording commitments - all live. Best of all, you don't need to copy scribble from a whiteboard and can actually read what's being discussed even without a set of binoculars.
6. It's standard overseas, which means that you can probably use another computer to make that presentation if your laptop suddenly dies. You can find PowerPoint on machines in many countries (if you look hard enough). We haven't tried Fiji, but are willing to give it a go if someone will cover our airfare. We'll meet you halfway and foot the food and beverage bill.
7. Like Visa, it's accepted almost everywhere. Audiences know what to expect with a PowerPoint show (heck, many use it themselves): a professional looking presentation. After that, it's up to the speaker to venture outside the bullets and tell the story.
8. Contrary to what some believe, more than a few of us like to make use of more than our ears when absorbing information. We prefer to deposit what a presenter has to say and display in our brains using two senses. That way, we can start processing the information and making connections. Visuals keep us engaged.
9. When the presentation is over, you can email it to contacts or post it on your web site as a refresher (certainly not novel, but worth mentioning). It's probable that most members of your audience will have it installed on their computers, enabling them to access your brilliant points long after the curtains go down.
10. The need for speed. With the right input (canned text, pictures, and video), you and/or your agency can quickly build an acceptable presentation for that upcoming Board Meeting. Of course, taking your show to the next level may require a bit more effort, but you can still have it built from scratch within a reasonable timeframe.
We could go on all day, but you get the picture. PowerPoint is only boring if you make it boring. Spend a little time learning how to use it and maybe even look for a little help with construction of the initial presentation, and you'll have a powerful communications tool at your finger tips. From there, delivering the message is up to you (a topic we will touch on in a future post).
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