Have you ever faced this dilemma on how to make presentations more engaging? Recently, I gave a 20-minute presentation via video conference (Zoom). I had given a similar presentation at an in-person event and had used a few slides as illustrations along the way. However, I purposely avoided making the presentation slide-heavy. The slides were the garnish, not the main meal. The speech was well received, and attendees were engaged. Great – that is what I was hoping to create.
Now, being asked to present on Zoom, I faced a dilemma. Slides or no slides? Traditionally, when the speaker uses screen share to show slides, the speaker him/herself is seen in a small window on the side. Now, the speaker is the garnish, and the slides are the main meal. I decided to skip the slides. The feedback was good, yet, at least one person said they would have loved to see a couple of images alongside my speech.
A Trial Run And a Vision In The Making
How can we show slides when we speak virtually without losing the connection to our audience by being shown stamp-size on the screen?
Thanks to a Toastmasters friend I became aware of Prezi. It turns out we can have the best of both worlds, even in a remote setting – seeing the speaker and having visuals that further illustrate the point.
In the video below, I show my first trial run of using Prezi for an immersive way to present. I imported my PowerPoint slides into Prezi, and gave it a go. Take a look.
A few remarks:
- You can import Google slides or PowerPoint slides.
- You can build the presentation in Prezi to start with.
- You can use templates and animations.
- You can record your presentation or present it over Zoom or other video conferencing platforms.
- I can see using this tool for recording video lessons of your brilliance! It can be a powerful alternative to Zoom plus screen share, Loom recordings, or perhaps even OBS.
- I have only scratched the surface of what is possible with this tool (but you know me, implement fast and learn more as you do it).
Enjoy!
I’m Curious
Have you ever used Prezi? Or, if not, is it time to try it out?
P.S.: I appreciate you commenting and sharing this with others. Thank you!
