Doing makeovers of slides is such a satisfying task – maybe that is because removing the ugly and replacing it with near perfection is a reward in itself. Over the years, I have understood that the approach required to do any actual makeover is never the same – in the same way as the fingerprints of two humans don’t match, the approaches required to do various makeovers are dissimilar.
Suggesting makeover approaches is a large part of my work – that’s why I find it amusing to hear new schools of thought in the presentation sphere that promise to be a solution to all slide problems. These beliefs range from the no-bullet approach for slides to the total denouncement of slideware. Then there are opinions about keeping things simple and clean – and of providing more visual content. And there’s another school of thought that looks at creating diagrams, charts, and other info-graphic content in a way that’s more effective as is the debate between linear and linked presentations. Each of these approaches is unique and very useful in their own way – and properly applied, each of them may make a difference. But in the same way that a physician will not prescribe a drug for common cold to a patient suffering from body pain, the makeover artist will first examine the slides and then suggest an approach that may use, discard, or combine these approaches.
I love using SlideShare because it's a one-click process to upload and share my PowerPoints. However, SlideShare did lack the audio streams that make YouTube and iFilm so popular. And so people want to create YouTube movies from their PowerPoints. Not any more -- since SlideShare has added a cool new feature called SlideCasting.
SlideCasting is cool not just because it adds an audio stream to SlideShare's online presentations but because it does this in such a well implemented process:
First, the presentation upload and the audio feature are completely different -- so the ease of use remains for those who just want to upload a presentation without audio.
You can use any audio stream that has a URL -- for example an MP3 uploaded to your own site, or a podcast.
Then you mashup the uploaded presentation and audio together. You can do this (and sync the slide timings as well) through an intuitive interface that includes a view of the slides and the waveform of the linked audio stream.
And you can add audio to any of your uploads on SlideShare -- even the ones that were done before SlideShare added the SlideCast feature.
Jeff Brenman (pictured to the right) is a graduate from Northwestern University where he studied psychology and business. It was pretty early on in his college experience that he became disenchanted with the conventional presentation styles, and started to independently study the theory behind what makes great presentations great. It wasn't long before he was helping out professors and student leaders on campus with their slide decks, eventually having a position created for himself with the university as a presentation design consultant. He started a design firm called Apollo Ideas, based out of Chicago that specializes in presentation design and consulting.
Geetesh: Tell us more about Apollo Ideas, and the type of presentation related services you provide.
Jeff:Apollo Ideas was created from the collision of a huge demand in the market for innovative communication methods and my personal passion for creating and developing stories and presentations. I first started presentation design consulting while in college, working for professors and lecturers who were speaking at academic conferences and delivering grant proposals. After I graduated, I branched out from the academic market into the business markets, forming Apollo Ideas and building a team of people who share my passion. We're a storytelling company. Services range from taking an existing slide deck and restyling it (similar to what was done to Karl Fisch's original presentation for ShiftHappens), to a full consulting process in which we help generate the original content for the slides, working with the client to design the story from the ground up.
Geetesh: How did your prize winning entry in SlideShare's World's Best Presentation Contest evolve -- and what do you think set it apart from other entries in finally emerging as the winner.
Jeff: I came across Karl Fisch's "Did You Know" presentation online, and thought the content was fantastic. I had just finished reading The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman, so the globalization themes in Karl's presentation resonated hard with me. I decided to re-stylize the presentation as a challenge to myself, to re-make it how I'd like to see it. I am glad ShiftHappens has received so much attention through SlideShare because the reality of the 21st century is a subject we all ought to know about.
I think what set ShiftHappens apart from the other entries was its visual style and the power of its content. At over 50 slides the presentation contains a lot of information. It was a challenge creating a visual style that would be bold but still stay visually interesting in a stand-alone presentation with so much content.
Scott Schwertly (pictured to the right) Founder/CEO of Ethos3 has loved giving and hearing presentations since he gave his first big speech in the 7th grade. Scott has spent the last eight years working for television network affiliates helping them create story-telling visuals and doing marketing for both the private and public sector. He has a B.A. in Communications and an M.B.A. from Harding University. Helping others design and deliver captivating presentations is his passion.
Geetesh: Tell us more about Ethos3, and the type of PowerPoint work you do.
Scott:Ethos3 Communications is a presentation design and training company. We essentially help businesses and individuals with building, designing, and delivering better presentations. Therefore, our focus covers three main areas:
Content,
Design, and
Delivery.
This includes everything from theme development to slide design to non-verbal presentation tactics. Under our design services umbrella, we offer our clients services such as basic slide design, video production, audio enhancements, storyboarding techniques, and much more. Presentations can be delivered in any format and in as fast as 24 hours.
Geetesh: Your entry to the World's Best Presentation Contest on SlideShare won a prize -- tell us more about how this presentation was different from normal presentations, and what sort of planning and storyboarding went into developing the concept and slides.
Scott: Together, Cheree and I created the Meet Henry presentation.
The concept of Meet Henry was inspired by the need for a presentation revolution which happens to be the name of our Ethos3 Communications blog -- Presentation Revolution. Today we live in a business culture that abuses the art and science of presentations and public speaking every day. It is a sad reality when every presentation is an opportunity to make a difference, to make an impact, to change the world. Thus, Ethos3 believes that if we can help others change the way they present, then they will be empowered to present change to the world. This is the message we wanted to articulate through the characters of Henry and Erica.
All in all, creating Henry and Erica was very simple. All images were found via Google or iStockPhoto and the entire presentation was done in Apple's Keynote. After everything was gathered, we wanted to simply state the problem (Henry) and then offer a solution (Erica). Presentations are not about egos, fancy suits, or MBAs. Presentations are about hard work, diligence, and practice. If someone simply focuses on every facet of their presentation - content, design, and delivery... then they are set-up to succeed. This is the story we wanted to communicate.
About Cheree:
Cheree Moore, Creative Director, brings five years of professional experience to Ethos3 Communications. She has worked in several different types of companies, acquiring her skills as a graphic designer. Cheree's combination of knowledge, marketing and design experience will help make your presentation memorable. Cheree also heads up the design services that Ethos3 offers.
The results of World's Best Presentation Contest on SlideShare is now up on the site. Two of the three top presentations won in both the judges and people's choice award sections.
SlideShare.net's Jonathan Boutelle told me about this awesome contest they have on their site. It's called the "World's Best Presentation Contest", and all you need to do is upload your PowerPoint presentation to the SlideShare.net site.
Thereafter, a selection of judges comprising presentation gurus will decide the winners. The judges are Guy Kawasaki, Bert Decker, Garr Reynolds, and Jerry Weissman.
"The point of this contest is to shine a spotlight on well-designed presentations and to highlight the creative and effective use of PowerPoint. If you've got a killer slide deck, this might be your chance to make it big!" said Rashmi Sinha, CEO of SlideShare.
