Time for an analogy:

Training can loosely be split into 2 types:

• Trainer led/lecture style
• Interactive/workshop style

Think back to the training you've had try to remember which ones you got most out of and you'll see that they of course fall into the second category. In simple terms, the more you put in, the more you get out...

Being involved is a much more powerful way of learning...so how can you use this technique with your next presentation?

When to do it

The use of an interactive presentation can be far and wide but we're going to look at three main situations where it is extremely useful:

1. The traditional – you in front of other people.
2. The up and coming – remote presenting.
3. The take away presentation.

So why do it?

Taking our 3 situations in order let's look at the benefits of being interactive.

The Traditional

Any experienced presenter knows that no two presentations go the same. A lot of this is down to the way in which we as people learn to improve by doing things more but also it should be because we "tailor" our presentations to the audience in front of us at that time.

Normally you roll with the punches and modify what you say when a new turn or question presents itself – but it can be so more powerful to visualise what you are talking about. This can ensure that your message is delivered AND remembered.

By doing this you are also getting your audience more involved in the presentation and we all know this is an essential ingredient of any successful presentation.

The Up And Coming

Presenting remotely can be tough as you lose two of your best weapons – eye contact & body language. You can, however, counteract this effectively with an interactive presentation.

The technology available nowadays means you can have people posting questions or areas for further discussion while you present. You can then receive this information – real time – and push your information towards your audience's requirements.

As an example take a look at one of Eyeful's partners, PresenterNet.  This service provides some very powerful options to the online presenter to help ensure the audience's questions and comments are fully addressed. 
 
The Take Away

This type of presentation has always been a tough nut to crack – people just don't like reading PowerPoint slides on their own.

By making the slides interactive you give the reader the opportunity to be part of the delivery, hence more involved and therefore more open to the information.  For more information on creating hyperlinks, check our our March 2006 newsletter here.

With this technique it is essential to send the presentation through as a PowerPoint show (.pps) file as the reader then gets a "website" feel but on a much more personal level.

At the heart of an interactive presentation is the desire to give your audience a more relevant and interesting presentation. By doing that you are ensuring that they take far more information away.

PowerPoint is not simply a linear tool to be used in a single way. It is far more advanced and flexible and demands to be used in more complex and engaging ways. Just as you as a presenter need to adapt to your audience and situation – so should your presentation.

To see just how powerful an interactive presentation can be, you can view Eyeful's marketing presentation here.

In summary, now is the time to be driving PowerPoint harder to give your audience more...

Want to add links to other slides from a graph, diagram or picture without using a text hyperlink?

It's easily done.

1. In the slide you want to use click slide show, action buttons and then select the first icon (an empty box).
2. You will now be able to draw a rectangle over the position you would like the action button to be.
3. Once drawn you then get the option to add a hyperlink – select slide from the drop down box and then select the slide you want to link to.
4. All that's left now is to format the button to transparent so it doesn't interfere with your graphic by right clicking and selecting format auto shape.
5. Within the colors and lines part you can make the transparency 100%.

And now you have some very interactive buttons within your graphics! 

Need to make sure your pick up certain common spelling problems within your presentations?

Never fear, autocorrect is here!

1. Simply click on the Tools menu and select Autocorrect options.
2. Within the box that appears you will see a set of two boxes with replace and with.
3. You are now free to add in any words (particularly useful for organisations with difficult names) that you want to (you can similarly delete any that PowerPoint has that irritate you!).

More tips to follow next month. If you can't wait that long then call us on 0845 056 8528 or send an e-mail to info@eyefulpresentations.co.uk