An iPad a Day Through December 24th!

To participate in our iPad giveaway, all you need to do is install SlideRocket in Google Chrome, sign in to provision your account (just click on the SlideRocket icon), and include the #sliderocket tag in any tweet on twitter. You can be creative with your tweet or re-tweet our message. We’ll announce the winner each day on twitter, so don’t forget to follow @sliderocket to find out if you’ve won. No purchase required – just a SlideRocket/Chrome account.

(more…)

Looking for inspiration, guidance and tips on how to develop good presentation skills?  We’ve provided ample presentation resources to put you on course. But we heard from the presentation community that we should have included presentation books. So, here are the 7 we recommend you explore to get the critical help you sometimes need and perhaps find your long lost presentation skills coach.

What would a post about improving your presentation skills be without an actual presentation? View this creative presentation to learn more about the books we recommend. If you’re a SlideRocket customer we’re happy to share it into your account to use as inspiration or a template for you own presentations. Just follow the instructions on slide #9.

These books challenge the conventional approaches to creating a presentation. They span the creation and delivery of presentations, realizing the connection between thought, visualization and communication. Doing it right is a complex undertaking. But these books from the best presentation coaches excel at breaking down good presentation skills for us. (more…)




Dramastic! Yeah, we made up the word – sort of accidentally – but the more we used it the more it made sense. Dramastic means dramatic, fantastic, and even a little bit of drastic. So here they are – Dramastic Presentations of the Decade. From climate change to Google search to credit crisis to tweeting from outer space – there’s a presentation for that.

What was the most Dramastic Presentation of the Decade? Watch the slideshow and vote at the end. We’ll announce the Most Dramastic Presentation of the Decade on December 31st.

UPDATE (12/17) – Based on community feedback, we’ve added two more presentations, one from a rock star and one from a stand-up comedian. Enjoy and keep your votes coming!

Last week, SlideRocket launched in the Google Chrome Web Store. It’s been a remarkable 7 days with 5,000 people a day signing up for SlideRocket through the Google Chrome Web Store. I want to congratulate the Chrome team and share our thoughts about this news.

First, I’m convinced the Chrome OS could change the future of computing. I am counting the days until I can pick up any device and instantly have everything I need to run my business at my fingertips. Working in the cloud is about simplicity and personalization anytime and anywhere. That’s the Chrome OS vision – anywhere access to your content,  applications, and web experience. Google’s vision is accelerated through the Chrome Web store, which is tightly integrated with the Chrome OS, Chrome browser, and Google Accounts. For instance, you can sign on to SlideRocket and start building, viewing and sharing presentations in a single click.

We’re honored that SlideRocket is the #1 Staff Pick, among the most popular apps, and has been installed 33,961 times from the store so far.  The response and feedback from our new Chrome users has been amazing, please keep your comments and reviews coming.

It’s just the beginning, and people love Chrome and the ability to easily install and use their favorite web apps. Again, huge congratulations to the Chrome team and also to our team here at SlideRocket.  And most of all, a big welcome to all our new Chrome users.  We’re very happy to have you on board.

SlideRocket in the Google Chrome Web Store

Who knew the serendipitous meeting of a new prospect in the coffee shop or conference would lead to much more than leaving your card? Now you can leave them impressed, with a great iPad presentation software. But any inspiring presentation calls for solid planning and you’ve got to plan around the unique aspects of the iPad channel, venue, and audience.

Here are 4 tips to keep in mind for successful iPad presentations:

• Get an iPad presentation software app.

Before you can present on an iPad, you’ll need an iPad presentation software app. Keynote and SlideRocket are your best bets. Delivering a PowerPoint presentation on an iPad is possible. But it requires that you first change it to a picture or video format. You can’t actually present using PowerPoint itself.

• Seating is very limited.

Design your presentation with the venue in mind. You’ll be able to have three or four people max view the iPad’s 9-inch screen. Plan for this. Otherwise you’ll leave those who can’t really see annoyed. In addition to spontaneous opportunities, many professionals are finding great use of the iPad in making presentations as part of their sales and marketing appointments. But again, it works best for small audiences.

• Think large.

With the iPad’s small screen, keep the visual elements of your presentation simple. Use larger, basic design components for clearly communicating your message. The same goes for text. Keep it down to as few words as possible.

Keep a good balance of visuals and text. Don’t let one overpower the other. And, try to keep the presentation to the least number of slides possible. Last, if you design the presentation on a desktop, make sure the pixel variation on the iPad still clearly conveys the images.

• It’s a conversation.

If you’re designing an iPad presentation for the unplanned, chance encounter with a prospect, remember some important points about your audience. From their perspective, this is a completely unexpected, spontaneous event. And while they may welcome your presentation, the nature of the communication will be quite different than in a traditional presentation. Plan on conversation. Don’t simply read from the slides. That’s always boring. But it will be especially so with an iPad presentation. Instead, you have an opportunity to present in a manner that encourages questions and conversation. Design your presentation with that in mind.

Let us know your iPad presentation tips and how you’ve used iPad presentation software to take advantage of “spontaneous” presentation opportunities.

Find more great tips and resources at the Presentation Skills Launch Pad.

Today Google announced their Chrome Web Store and we announced that SlideRocket is one of the first apps to join and the first to bring stunning presentation software to over 70 million Google Chrome users. Here’s what you need to know:

Welcome To Your New Office, The Browser
Today much of our personal lives are enhanced with interactions via online services. We send and receive emails and may visit and use upwards of 10 or more different web based applications a day. Increasingly business interactions are moving to the web and Google has created the Chrome Web Store to let you find and manage all you web apps in one one logical place.

One-Click Access / Single Sign-On
With Google’s Chrome Web Store you can install SlideRocket into your app tab in one click. Once installed SlideRocket is available to you at the top of every new browser tab you open in the new app section. One more click will launch SlideRocket and log you using the credentials you choose. After entering the your credentials the first time you won’t need to log in again and single sign-on will be enabled.

Log-in to SlideRocket with your Google Apps or Google ID
As part of our Chrome Web Store integration we’ve employed Open ID to let you use single click log-in with your existing SlideRocket credentials as well as your Google email id or your Google Apps id. This makes the jump from your Chrome browser to SlideRocket almost instantaneous.

Google is in the process of doing some account consolidation around their ID’s so if you encounter any problems please contact our support team via support at sliderocket dot com and we’ll help you figure it out. If you’re a Google Apps user you may also wan to consult with your Google Apps account admin.

Fast Account Provisioning
If you don’t have an account already, SlideRocket will provision a new Lite account for you on the fly. You may want to update your password and account details once your account is created but getting a new account started in SlideRocket will be very quick and easy.

Communicate and Connect
SlideRocket’s is bringing our award winning, web based presentation software to Google Chrome to help you create stunning presentations that engage your audience and deliver convincing communications. We show you how your presentations can engage your audience to produce successful outcomes and quantifiable results while streamlining your business and addressing workflow and redundancy problems that exist in today’s desktop solutions. We connect you to your customers, your co-workers and a wide world of online resources to help you present your best.

Take Action
Watch the presentation news release (PNR)
Read the SlideRocket press release
Download Google’s Chrome browser
Go to the Chrome Web Store
Find out more…

Do you use Google Chrome? Leave a comment below and tell us what you think about the new web store.

You may adore the snazzy Flickr, iStock and Getty presentation images that make your slides so beautiful. But it’s really the Magic Lantern you should be thanking. Not only did the magic lantern mark the invention of the slide show, but also it led to the creation of a vast stock of free and very unique slide images waiting for you to explore.

Magic lantern slide images have a singular, soft appeal with a distinctive depth that holds your attention. And most are historical black and whites so you quickly appreciate how they can add emotion and mood to your presentations.

This list provides links to online libraries where truly surprising magic lantern presentation images can be found. Because they tend to be old, they are largely in the public domain, so most are free for you to use:

Top 5 Collections of Lantern Slide Images

1. Library of Congress
2. Brooklyn Museum
3. UC Berkeley
4. Bryn Mawr
5. Yale University

A Painless History of Lantern Presentation Images

The Magic Lantern revolutionized the delivery of presentation images by using light to project on the wall transparent images that were developed on glass slides. This turned out to be a great alternative to the existing paper method, particularly in sharing presentation images with larger groups. This served the early magic lantern entrepreneurs well as they sought to deliver entertaining slide shows that would bring in the crowds and make them a lot of money – and it worked!

Amazingly, Magic Lantern slide images were popular from the time of their invention in 1849 until their decline in the 1950s – which was plenty of time for a huge stock of presentation images to be created. Because the images were placed on glass they survived longer than their paper brethren, and because they were expensive people tended to take good care of them. And in case you were wondering, it was the 2×2 slide and 35mm film that led to the demise of magic lantern slide images.

Find more great tips and resources at the Slide Design Launch Pad.

No matter how hard you try, the content of your presentation will sometimes be dry and boring.  And, it can be quite a challenge to keep your audience interested and engaged while you’re flipping through one slide, chart, or graph after another.  Sometimes, even pictures and videos aren’t enough to spice things up.

Everyone loves to laugh.

That’s why more and more presenters are seeking ways to add humor to their presentations.  Everyone loves to laugh, and nothing will grab the undivided attention of your audience more than something that makes them smile or chuckle.

What can you to do make your slide deck or speech more amusing?

1.  Set the Tone
Start your presentation off on a light-hearted note.  Give your audience a big smile, and let them know that you want them to not only learn, but to enjoy themselves as well.  They’ll immediately relax and take notice.  But be careful, experts warn that it may not be wise to open with a joke.  If it bombs, the rest of your session will suffer.

2. 101funjokes (www.101funjokes.com)
If you need a good joke, this is the place to go.  Dozens of categories – from jokes about celebrities, the Internet, kids, and the medical profession, to funny bumper stickers, limericks, quotes, and witticisms – make it easy to find whatever you need to incorporate some fun into your slide deck and give your audience a good giggle.

3.  Humor Writers
Let’s face it, some people lack a “funny bone”.  If you are one of those unfortunate souls, you may want to hire a professional writer to help incorporate humor into your slide deck.  They’ll be able to take your existing content, and make it more chuckle-worthy.  Check out the Comedy Writers Guild (http://www.comedywritersguild.com), or conduct a search on Google, Yahoo, or other popular search engine to find one in your area.

4.  Comedy Coaches
Comedy is about more than just “scripting” jokes and quips.  Delivery is also very important when you want to get the laughs.  Check out your local comedy clubs or theater groups.  Most of them will offer classes to help improve your comedic timing and execution.   Or, you can check your Yellow Pages for private comedy coaches who will work with you one-on-one.

5. Learn from Professional Comedians
Many professional comedians measure their success by evaluating one important metric – laughs per minute (LPM).  As you gain more experience adding humor to your sessions, you may want to use this indicator to gauge how effective you are.  How many LPMs should you strive for?  That depends on your content.  Some presentations may warrant several LPMs, while others that are more serious in nature may require just a handful of giggles throughout the entire slide deck to lighten the mood.

This is the continuation in a series of Incredible resources for presentations. If you have an idea for incredible resources or want to add one of your own just add a comment below this post. See the whole incredible presentations series here.

Find more great tips and resources at the Presentation Skills Launch Pad.

Introducing SlideRocket's HTML5 Player

We’re thrilled to introduce SlideRocket’s HTML5 player, enabling powerful presentations and on iPad and iPhone. Now you can present with panache whenever opportunity knocks.

• View the presentation (click this link on an iPad or iPhone!)
• Learn how to use SlideRocket’s HTML5 Player (click this link on an iPad or iPhone!)
• View a video demo

With SlideRocket’s HTML5 player, you’ll have beautiful animated builds, artistic transitions, even audio and fullscreen HD video wherever you or your viewers may be. Simply publish your presentation and view it on iPad or iPhone.

I’m looking forward to seeing SlideRocket presentations on iPads and iPhones at Ironside, my favorite lunch spot in the SOMA neighborhood of San Francisco. Where will you present next?

We all want to tell an engaging story and captivate our audience with stunning slides. But it’s not always an easy thing to do, which is why we’re providing a free guide to creative presentation resources. Use these to get inspired, liven-up your presentation technique, and create fantastic visuals. Tell us about your favorite source for presentation help and we’ll include them in future editions!

Creative Stories and Anecdotes

Nothing will help your audience relate to you and your message more than stories and anecdotes. But sometimes it’s a challenge to find ones that relate to your topic and draw your audience in. Here are some creative presentation resources for developing anecdotes:

Awesome Stories – countless fictional and non-fictional stories in a variety of categories such as famous trials, biographies, movies, history, religion, and sports.

Anecdotage.Com – home to the largest collection of celebrity anecdotes and quotes on the Internet.

Story Arts – an educational Web site with stories to enhance speaking and facilitate improved listening.

Choosing Your Method

Many presenters, particularly novices, struggle to find a presentation style that works best for them. Use the methodology of these leaders as a presentation resource – Incredible Presentations – Presentation Methods. If you’re short on time, here is a summary of the 5 creative presentation methods:

The Takahashi Method calls for simplicity resulting in clarity and attention to the speaker—the use of very large type and few words, or a single image or photo with no accompanying words.

The Lessig Method calls for multiple slides (even hundreds)—each with only a brief quote, a short sentence—delivered in rapid-fire pace to prevent the audience from growing bored.

The Godin Method focuses on selecting striking accompanying visuals to enhance messages appropriately.

The Monta Method emulates the game show style of posing questions and hiding answers to build audience participation and engagement.

Visually Awesome Fonts

Tired of Arial, Times New Roman, and other boring, over-used type styles? Here’s a variety of Web sites and other helpful presentation resources devoted to the creation, sharing, distribution, and use of unique, visually appealing fonts.

Free Internet fonts at Dafont with over 10,000 free fonts matching themes and celebrating holidays; and 1001 Free Fonts is a primary source of free new fonts with more than 30,000 commercial fonts.

Fee-based Font Sites

1. Adobe Type Library
2. Bitstream
3. MyFonts
4. Ascender Corporation
5. FontMarketplace
6. FontSelector

Get the full scoop on fonts from this blog post: Incredible Presentations – Awesome Font Resources

Amazing Video

Many presenters look to audio to enhance their visuals and stimulate the senses. Music and a variety of sounds can help make a presentation memorable. Here are some great presentation resources for adding audio.

• Musicshake – allows users to easily create their own music clips using more than 80,000 copyright-free samples.
• Royalty-Free – other royalty-free audio presentation resources offering a wide variety of music and other audio include Royalty-Free Music, Presentation Magazine, Audio Micro, and Sound Ideas.
• Make Your Own Audio – create your own unique sound using any of several software apps, including Sony, Adobe Soundbooth, Dexster Audio Editor, FX Audio Editor, or Acoustica, which all run about $40 to $60 each. For studio quality sound, try Adobe Audition or Sony Vegas Pro which will cost you several hundred dollars. For free audio programs, try Aviary’s Myna, Audacity or Wavosaur.

Find more audio presentation resources at Incredible Presentations – 5 Amazing Audio Resources.

Getting Inspired

Visual communications, especially presentations, are an opportunity to distill complex information into digestible pieces. Here’s a collection of visual communication blogs to inspire your next great presentation.

Vision Jar – Johanna Rehnvall has a heck of a design eye and a knack for spotting innovative trends.

Duarte Blog – The best collection of storytelling and business communication tips out there.

Note and Point – If you are a presentation designer, you’ve got to check this site every day. The cream of the crop from the presentation world.

Presentation Zen – Garr Reynolds dishes out practical advice so that you can realize your presentation idea in its most beautiful form.

This is Indexed – When standard graphs, venn diagrams, and metaphors just won’t do, this delightful and witty collection of infographics is sure to inspire.

Presentation Tips

And finally, here are helpful presentation resources to leverage when it’s time to give a presentation. Use these to tailor your presentation to specific audiences:

Learn how to produce effective presentations for top management

Find out how to present to venture capitalists and other investors

How to give an amazing product demonstration

Find more great tips and resources at the Slide Design Launch Pad.