Are you really using PowerPoint effectively?

In a world of change, it’s time to try something new. Most computers have an amazing, underutilized program sitting on their hard drives. PowerPoint. Yes. PowerPoint. We’ve been using it for over 25 years and have found some amazing uses for it. Here’s our Top10 list but it’s not exhaustive. Reply in the comments with what you use PowerPoint for. We’d love to hear from you.

1. Edit a video: PowerPoint can be used as a video editor. Yes really. Simply insert the same video on multiple slides, trim the different videos to the parts you want and then export the whole PowerPoint as a new video. Learn more by watching this video and then learning how to export your presentation as video.

2. Animate a logo: Your logo or brand is a critical part of your communication. So why put it in the corner of your slides? Your logo or brand should be displayed front and centre at the start of your presentation and well animated to convey the essence of your brand. Your logo style and colors should then be reflected in the presentation template you are using. Take a look at these examples:

3. Display 3D Models: 3D models are a more natural fit with the 3 dimensional space we live in. It creates a sense of volume, space, distance and perspective which is pleasing to the eye and the brain. Used in the right way it can enhance your presentations and take them to the next level! Using 3D models in PowerPoint will give you the wow factor you have been looking for. Checkout these examples.

4. Add live translation: Transcribe your words as you present and display them on-screen as captions in the same language you are speaking, or as subtitles translated to another language. Imagine speaking in one language and live translating to another langue whilst presenting – your audience will love it! For best results, we highly recommend using a headset microphone connected to the device running PowerPoint. Read more about this here.

5. Make your presentation Interactive: Presentations are getting shorter. Average pitch decks are now just 10-15 slides so how can you get more interaction with your audience in the same time? Interactivity that’s how! Use Zoom for PowerPoint to bring your presentation to life. When you create a Zoom in PowerPoint, you can jump to and from specific slides, sections, and portions of your presentation in an order you decide while you're presenting. And with the increase usage of touchscreen laptops this will make for a very interactive sales meeting. Find out more here.

6. Create Digital Signage: Digital signage is the way of the future. Traditional signs are expensive and can only display one message. Digital signage costs less than traditional signs and the message can change as often as you want. Digital Signage is used typically to inform or advertise. There are major benefits for digital signs over traditional static signs, including the ability to update content remotely over the web, adapt the screens to your viewers and even interact with your local audience. Now you can have a digital signage system that is authored in PowerPoint so anyone can easily update it. Below is a real-time weather example: Read more about this here.

7. Create a Timeline: How long have you been doing what you’re doing? What services do you offer & over what period have you been doing this? Audiences love to see a visual representation of the time you’ve invested in your solution. Timeline slides can be animated or interactive – touch a year on the timeline ribbon to go to that year. Here’s a few examples.

8. Create Infographics: Still using bullet points? Come on – be bulletproof! There’s enough bullets in the world and nothing says amateur than reading a screen full of bullets. We recommend replacing the bullets with infographics and if possible, animating them. Checkout these examples.

9. Desktop publish a document: Most people use PowerPoint as a live presentation tool displaying it onscreen in a widescreen 16:9 format. However PowerPoint can be formatted to be A4 size and used as a document to communicate to potential suppliers. Text, imagery, tables, charts, infographics, URLs, 3D objects and video can all be contained in one simple document which will easily pass through most company firewalls as it’s a PowerPoint file! Below is an example of such a file.?

10. Visualize Data: Did you know that humans have created more data in the past 5 years than in the past 5000 years combined! The goal of data visualization is to communicate data quickly and effectively so that informed decisions can be made. The increasing wave of data coupled with reduced attention spans means that it is more vital than ever to not just present numbers, but the story of those numbers—and to do it visually. PowerPoint is a perfect vehicle for this but to do it effectively you need to consider being trained on the subject. Read more about this here.

These are just 10 ideas on how you could use PowerPoint more effectively - Get in touch if you'd like more information.

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