Who uses presentation software?
Many people make use of presentation software to support them when they have to give a presentation
to others. Here are a few examples:
Sales people often have to give presentations to customers, clients or managers.
They need to be able to present facts and figures perhaps to let managers know sales performances or
perhaps to show customers their latest products.
Most medium to large sized companies have a human resource department who will be involved in
training new employees or providing training schemes for existing employees.
Presentation software is regularly used as a training tool.
Teachers often use presentations so that students have a concise set of notes to copy from the board.
Students are also regularly asked to create presentations about a topic they have been studying. They
may be asked to show their presentations to the rest of the class.
Presentation software is regularly used during conferences. Speakers will project their key points onto a
large screen whilst they talk about the subject.
Features of presentation software
What is it about presentation software that has made it such a popular choice?
The software is incredibily easy to use. Even a novice can produce a reasonably good looking
presentation with only a few minutes training.
The software comes with a large range of ready prepared templates. The text simply needs to be typed
onto the page.
There are also a huge number of professionally designed templates available to purchase fairly cheaply
from the Internet.
There are a large selection of different layouts available. Each slide can have a different layout. One
slide can have bullet points to the left of an image, another slide can have a main title and bullet points
underneath, another one can have a graph or a hierarchy diagram.
A 'master slide' is available so that you can set up things which you wish to appear on every page such
as a footer or page numbers or a title.
You can choose text styles to apply throughout your presentation on the master slide.
The software comes with many different animation effects which can be used to add emphasis to
presentations.
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It also has a large selection of slide transition effects that can be used when changing from one slide to
the next.
Using multimedia in presentations
Another reason why the software is so popular is its ability to let you use multimedia to enhance your
presentation.
Text
Sticking to text allows the speaker to keep the audiences' attention on them rather than distracting the
audience with what is happening on the screen.
The bullet points act as a prompt for what they need to talk about and enable the audience to keep
track of what is being covered.
Images
As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Images can add visual impact to a presentation. They can also help to illustrate the point that you are
trying to make.
They help to break up a lot of monotonous text and give the audience something to focus their attention
on.
Video
Video can be a powerful tool in presentations. It can be used to attract the audiences' attention or to
show them something that could not easily be described just using words.
You can use existing footage from company archives, videotape libraries or personal collections or you
can film your own. If you choose to use existing footage, keep in mind that copyright issues may apply.
Sound
Sound can be incorporated into a presentation in many different ways.
You can have quiet music playing in the background throughout the presentation. Appropriate music or
sounds can be played at a key point in the presentation such as the sound of a cow mooing whilst you
are talking about the benefits of dairy farming. Voice narration can be used during the whole
presentation or for certain parts.
Sound can add a different dimension to a presentation. However, it is important not to allow the sound
to distract the audiences' attention from the main speaker.
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Advantages
Presentation software is incredibly easy to learn how to use.
It is supplied with a large library of background templates and custom layouts
Multimedia can easily be added to the presentation
Presentations are easy to edit
Presentations can be easily output to different formats e.g. interactive whiteboard, digital projector,
handouts
Excellent for summarising facts
Great for showing graphs/charts/diagrams to an audience
Can create a set of handouts for people to write on whilst presentation being given
Allows you to face your audience and make eye contact rather than facing the screen.
Disadvantages
It is difficult for the audience to take notes while the presentation is taking place, otherwise they lose
concentration
Audiences are often happy to sit placidly and not interact with the presenter
Not good for presenting certain kinds of information such as complex maths equations
It is all too easy to make a very bad presentation with too many animation effects and too much text,
images
Presenters often just read from the presentation which is boring for the audience.
SAFETY ISSUES
The workplace can be a dangerous place.
Some precautions which can be taken to reduce the risk of accidents are:
Ensure there are no trailing wires across or around the room which people could trip on
Electrical sockets should not be overloaded
Electrical equipment should be safety tested at least once a year
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There should be adequate space around desks for people to move
Bags and obstacles should be stored out of the way so that people can't trip over them
Food and drink should not be placed near a machine
Heating and ventilation should be suitable for the working environment
Work desks should be strong enough to support computers and equipment
Staff should follow the safety regulations
Fire extinguishers should be available, including specialist ones to deal with electrical fires.
Fire exits should be clearly marked and free from clutter
Social networking
A social network site allows you to post messages, upload pictures and stories on to your own personal
page. You can include favourite videos clips along with your 'likes'.
Friends, family and colleagues can then visit your page to see what is going on.
They can also post comments and messages on your page and you can do the same to their page.
As soon as you make a change to your page, that can be sent as 'news' to your friends' page.
Some of the sites also provide blogs, forums, automatic links to your favourite music artists, online
games and other 'Apps'.
This constant exchange of personal information, gossip and news is what social networking is all about.
Twitter is a little different in that you can only post very short 140 character comments, but it is an
amazingly effective way of keeping up with gossip and news from people with similar interests.
To join a social network, you have to provide some personal information. This is called your 'personal
profile'.
Advantages of social networking
There is a reason why social networks are so popular - they fill a gap that other kinds of sites do not do
so well. Here are some advantages
You do not need particular technical skill to create a personal page
It is usually free
Very easy to keep in contact with people of similar interests
Very easy to contact potential new friends
The site makes it simpler to get in touch with long-lost friends
You can post interesting things about yourself and your achievements online.
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Disadvantages of social networks
Everything that is an advantage about social networking can also be a disadvantage in that you lose your
privacy - after all, you have volunteered personal information that is now online.
Every site allows you to set privacy settings. These can be changed from their default settings to limit
what other people can see and read about you. For example, you could set your pages to be only viewed
by friends. Other parts could be made public. Other parts could be set to family only.
Some disadvantages are
You lose some privacy compared to not being on a social network
You may later regret posting pictures or comments that you thought funny at the time
Online bullying can be a problem if someone posts unkind or untrue things about you
Some people may use a fake profile - just because they say they are 15 years old does not mean
that is true. Be careful when you choose to be friends with someone you have never met in real
life
They can be a real distraction and time waster, some people spend many hours on social
networking rather than be working or studying. For example, constantly checking their twitter
feeds.
Take everything you see with a pinch of salt - people do like to boast and exaggerate (just like
they do in real life!)
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