Software for Great Presentations

At some point in the market there is a tipping point of dominance when an individual  product such as Kleenex or Band-aids, changes from being one product to the brand name used to describe all the products in that category.  No one ever says “Pass me a bandage.”  They say “Pass me a Band-aid.”

The same classification happens when talking about presentation tools.  Most people refer to their slides or presentation as a PowerPoint presentation regardless of whether they are using PowerPoint software or not.  Hands down PowerPoint by Microsoft is the software that most of us know as the dominant product when it comes to giving an effective and powerful presentation.  There are however, other tools, (some of them free) that you may want to consider for future presentations.

In 2015, the range of choices is greater than ever before, and functionality like file type export, free images bundled or cloud functionality are needed to avoid falling behind. Let’s look at some of the software recently ranked by tech insiders as some of the better presentation tools you can use.

• Microsofts PowerPoint –Undoubtedly, one of the top presentation tools still in 2015.  With new collaboration features it is easier than ever to share and work with coworkers on presentations. PowerPoint offers more than your standard presentation features such as: extensive libraries of visual effects, 40-plus presentation templates, over 30 customizable slide transitions, extensive clip art library, and excellent editing tools for your media. Check out PowerPoint
  
• Prezi – Prezi presentation software claims “Present Anywhere, Anytime.”  Prezi is cloud-based, meaning you can present from your browser, desktop, iPad, iPhone, or Android device and always have the latest version of your work at your fingertips. Create or edit on the go, then auto-sync across all your devices with ease.  Prezi is free to use, but all your presentations will be visible to the public as it’s all stored on public cloud. That’s not so great if you’re using it for proprietary or confidential data, so if that’s you you’ll probably want to check out the premium service which offers storage for files, offline editing and, most importantly, privacy. Prezi is known for being best for non-linear presentations that don’t need the slideshow concept. Check out Prezi.

• Keynote – Keynote is part of Apple’s iWork suite of productivity tools. (Picture the famous Steve Jobs presenting in front of a giant screen in his jeans and black turtleneck.) Keynote is now web based, free and works on iCloud.  Making presentations right at your fingertips is simple with Keynote.  According to their own advertising, “Powerful tools and dazzling effects bring your ideas to life. You can work seamlessly between Mac and iOS devices. And work effortlessly with people who use Microsoft PowerPoint.” Check out Keynote

• SlideDog – SlideDog is a presentation tool that comes packed with features. Creating slides from a mix of sources is fairly simple with SlideDog. An additional benefit is the ability to share presentations live online, meaning the audience can follow your slides on their tablets simultaneously. Live polls and quizzes can also be added to the SlideDog playlist, and is answered by the audience from their tablets or smart phones. Check out SlideDog

Categorised in: Blog, Presentations