Presenting over the Web, instead of in person, can offer many benefits – reduced travel costs and increased convenience for participants, just to name a few.  But, effectively conveying information to a remote audience can be a challenge for even the most seasoned presenters.  What works well in face-to-face sessions may be ineffective in a Web venue, and you must alter your presentation style accordingly.

Presenting over the web can offer many benefits.

Here are some sure-fire ways to deliver a great Web presentation:

1. Keep It Short
When you’re presenting in person, you’ve got a captive audience.  But, Webcast participants are either at home or in their offices, leaving room for many distractions like ringing phones, knocks at the door, or the temptation to perform other work while they’re listening to you speak.  Therefore, your discussion should be shorter than usual, 30 minutes maximum plus time for questions and answers, to avoid potential interruptions.

2. Use Stronger Voice Inflections
Remember, your audience can’t see you.  You won’t be able to use hand gestures, facial expressions, or body language for emphasis.  All you’ve got is your voice.  So, use a stronger tone and more prominent inflections than you normally would, to make sure key points get across.

3. Keep It Interactive
It’s harder to keep your audience engaged when everyone is scattered across multiple remote locations, so speaking non-stop for a half hour, then saving Q&A until the end may not be the best approach.  Take polls or surveys, ask questions, or solicit input at various points throughout the presentation.  This type of ongoing interaction will keep attendees interested until the end of your session. Watch how author Cliff Atkinson engages attendees using Twitter in his presentation, The Backchannel.

4.  Eliminate Background Noises
Your cell phone rings.  An email or pending appointment alert sets off a loud chime.  A colleague enters your office, without knocking, and begins speaking.  Day-to-day background noise in your office can be annoying and distracting to your audience – and your microphone will pick up all of it.  Be sure to turn of any phones, intercoms, alerts, or other noise-making mechanisms, and hang a “do not disturb” sign on your door, before you start presenting.

5. Check Your Equipment Ahead of Time
If your equipment fails while you’re presenting in person, you’ve got other ways to communicate.  But when you’re hosting a Webcast, your options are limited in the event of a technical disaster.  That’s why its so important to do a “test run” of your presentation several hours before your session, to ensure that your slides have uploaded properly, and that your microphone and other equipment are all in working order. If necessary arrange to have a backup set of equipment on hand to ensure your presentation can continue.

Want more valuable tips on effective presentation creation and delivery?  Review our archive of presentation tips and check back every week for new posts.

Hopefully you’ve heard that SlideRocket is the official online presentation partner for the upcoming SXSW Interactive Festival, March 12-16, 2010 in Austin, Texas.

Are you presenting this year? If you are, we are providing you with a free Business Edition account. Sign up to claim yours today, and we’ll be excited to help you get started in SlideRocket!

As the official online presentation partner of the event, we are thrilled with the opportunity to work with those of you presenting at SXSW to maximize the impact, effectiveness and lifetime value of your presentation. And good news for SXSW attendees- SlideRocket now becomes your go-to resource for event content – since our presentations are embeddable, SXSW will be able to share them on their site post-event, and the presenters can also do so on their own blogs or websites.

An incubator of cutting-edge technologies, the SXSW Interactive Festival brings together the world’s most creative web developers, designers, bloggers, wireless innovators, content producers, programmers, widget inventors and new media entrepreneurs. Until SlideRocket, presentations have been limited to flat, static slides built with antiquated technology. SlideRocket’s application changes the way people think about presentations – now, they are completely interactive, engaging and collaborative.

If you are presenting at SXSW this year, we would love the opportunity to work with you on your presentation.

Let’s get started with our top 10 tips for presenting:

1. Engage your audience

Check out our recent seminar, “The Backchannel: Presenter’s Nightmare or Dream Come True?” and learn how to make your presentation a two-way experience for you and your audience using social media tools such as Twitter.

2. Know your audience and interact with them

Take time to gather insight about the people you’ll be presenting to and ensure that your presentation packs a punch. Take polls or surveys, ask questions, or solicit input at various points throughout the presentation.  Here are some things you should know to keep attendees interested.

3. Use color

Evoke emotion and reactions, garner attention and influence the mood of your audience by reading our tips on using color in your presentation here.

4. Consider your angle

Point of view is everything. Stephanie Silverman of SilvermanSpeechConsulting has a great guest post on our blog, outlining 10 things to think about as you create and deliver presentations.

5. Use body language to enhance delivery

While what you say is very important, most often it’s the non-verbal cues you give that will determine how the audience responds to your presentation. Here are some great tips on our blog.

6. Maximize your presentations to achieve success

It can be difficult to promote yourself with a clear message, in a compelling and engaging manner so prospects understand and relate to the value of your product or service. Take a look at our newly updated Customer Page to get an idea of how SlideRocket users are meeting their business goals.

7. Record Audio

Creating pre-recorded content is a perfect way for allowing your presentation to live on after you are done speaking. Here are some best practices for recording audio.

8. Structuring your slides for maximum visual impact

The way you display information on your slides can make or break your presentation. Check out our tips, which include ideas on font selection, image selection and color usage.

9. Know how to use charts and diagrams

As research proves that visuals increase information clarity and retention, charts and diagrams continue to play a prominent role in presentations.  Learn the right way – and a wrong way – to structure and use them.

10. Effectively use presentation handouts

- Handouts are a great way to enhance your presentation, serving as a valuable reference tool.  Avoid rendering your handouts useless with these tips.

While what you say is very important, most often it’s the non-verbal cues you give that will determine how the audience responds to your presentation.  Your body language, the subtle movements and gestures you make as you speak, is crucial.  The right body language can help you build a rapport with your audience, and add impact to your content.  But, the wrong body language can make your presentation less effective.

Here are a few important tips to keep in mind whenever you’re giving a presentation:

1. Keep Your Eyes on the Audience

Nothing conveys confidence and authority more than direct eye contact.  Failure to look at the people you’re presenting to may give the impression that you’re insecure, or even worse, dishonest.  What’s the key to maintaining eye contact throughout your presentation?  Preparation!  Know your content well, so you can look at your audience instead of your notes or slides.

2. Avoid “Blocking”

Certain gestures – like crossing your arms, putting your hands in your pockets, or standing behind a podium or laptop – can make you appear standoffish or unfriendly, and hinder your ability to connect with your audience.   This type of body language is known as “blocking”, and should be avoided at all costs. Instead, walk around the room and try to use deliberate hand gestures to emphasize what you’re saying.

3.  Smiles and Other Facial Expressions

While all types of facial expressions can help you stress key points, and should be used for emphasis wherever possible, the most powerful one in your arsenal is your smile.  Nothing relaxes an audience and builds rapport faster.  Unless the content of your presentation is somber in nature, which would make smiling inappropriate, smile as often as possible.  This is particularly important when presenting over the Web – believe it or not, those listening really will hear it in your voice.

4. Be Aware of Your Posture

Presenters need to be commanding, and demonstrate an air of authority in order to gain credibility with their audience.  Therefore, slouching, leaning, and shifting your weight from one leg to another is not the ideal way to stand as you speak.  Keeping your back straight and your shoulders up will convey your confidence to attendees.

5.  Your Attire Really Does Matter

Whether it is more appropriate to dress in formal wear, or business casual attire is debatable, and depends greatly on who your audience is.  But, whatever outfit you choose, make sure your clothing is not distracting.  Avoid bright colors, busy patterns, noisy jewelry, and other items that may draw the eye, or make it difficult for the audience to hear you as you’re speaking.

Want more valuable tips on effective presentation creation and delivery?  Check out our archive of presentation tips and check back every week for new posts.

Color is a very powerful presentation tool.  In fact, some studies show that effective use of color can enhance learning and retention by as much as 75 percent, and promote up to 80 percent more interaction and participation.  And, according to the Board Report of Graphic Artists, color, when used properly, can garner attention and influence moods. But, colors can be overused, or used incorrectly, which can serve to distract more than enhance.

Color can enhance learning and retention.

What are some of the best ways to use color in your presentations?

1. Color Versions

You may choose to have two versions of your presentation, one with a light background and one with a dark background. There are a couple of reasons for this. The first and most important one is readability. If you’re presenting in a dark room then a dark background like navy blue or black with lighter colored foreground elements like white or yellow will be easier for your audience to view with the lighter colored elements “popping” off the slide. In an environment with plenty of light, the reverse is true and you’ll probably want to choose a white background with darker type and slide elements. Another reason for having two background versions is printing. Darker backgrounds will use a lot more printer toner while white backgrounds will use less.

2. Choose Your Colors Wisely

Studies show that certain colors will generate different reactions from audience members.  For example, black promotes authority and strength, while blue conveys reliability and trustworthiness (which is why so many companies use it in their corporate logos).  Red excites people, prompting them to be more innovative and take more risks.  Orange demonstrates a combination of confidence and playfulness.  So, you’ll want to select colors carefully, based on the emotions you are seeking to evoke, or the perceptions you are trying to create.

3. Use Certain Colors Sparingly

While colors like red or purple can be rather effective in certain scenarios, when used too liberally, the presenter – and his or her delivery – can be viewed as overly aggressive.  The opposite is true for colors like white, gray, or pastels, which create a perception of passivity or weakness.  These colors should be used as highlight or accent colors only – as opposed to key colors within the presentation’s design.

4. Be Wary of Color Combinations

While certain colors may work well alone, when used in combination with other hues, they can fall flat. Of course, the most obvious color combination to avoid is red and green – you never know how many color blind people may be sitting in your audience.  Studies show that orange and blue together can actually agitate or distress attendees, because of the “vibrations” the eye picks up when they are placed next to each other.  And, red and blue don’t provide enough of a contrast, making it difficult to distinguish between slide elements.

5.  Busy Patterns are Always a No-No

While you want your presentation to be eye-popping, you don’t want it to be distracting.  Busy patterns and designs really won’t enhance the content of your slides.  Sounds obvious, right?  But, you’d be surprised how many presenters fill in their charts with stripes, or use a polka dotted backdrop.  These will only create a sense of confusion, and prevent your audience members from fully grasping what you’re saying.

Understanding color can be a great way to create reactions or solicit emotions from your audience. Here are some other resources for you to draw from when broadening your presentation palette.

• Color in Motion – an interactive tutorial by Claudia Cortes (very fun)
• Color Theory Presentation by The Owl at Purdue
• Learning to Use Color a CreativePro article
• Color Matters a web site all about color
• ColorLovers a community of artists and designers who share color inspiration

Want more valuable tips on effective presentation creation and delivery?  Check out our archive of presentation tips and check back every week for new posts.

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

This week we have a guest post from Stephanie Silverman of SilvermanSpeechConsulting. Stephanie outlines 10 things for us to think about as we create and deliver presentations and some offers some great reminders for business communications and public speaking in general.

1. People Want You To Be Interesting

Though it may be hard to believe sometimes, it’s true:  people want you to be interesting.  It’s a popular misconception that others want to see you fail (it’s also a form of emotional quicksand).

2. Fear Is Like Excitement & It Can Be Harnessed

Some professional public speakers and performers feel fear before and during every presentation – they’ve just learned how to harness that energy to serve them.

3. Relaxation is a Skill

Relaxation must be practiced, just like everything else, if you want to reap the benefits.  The time it takes to “center” yourself shortens dramatically once you’re body has been properly trained.

4. Criticism Doesn’t Have To Hurt

No successful person (success-by-birth excluded) has ever reached full potential without having to take some criticism.  Knowledge is power:  Once you know something needs work, you can begin making improvements.  If you don’t know, you can’t grow.

5. Communication Is A Gift

The more you give, the more you get.  When you approach communication as something that you’re giving to others, as opposed to something to which you are being subjected, self-consciousness begins to vanish and you appear more confident (because you are.)

6. Rehearsal Required

A great performance is one where the work has been done ahead of time.  No one wants to see a play where the actors are grappling with the script after the curtain goes up.  Likewise, it’s a huge mistake to work out your speech while you’re giving it.  Rehearsal is the time to work it out.  Skip this step at your peril!

7. What’s The Angle?

Point of view is everything.  No matter the topic, always have one.  It will make you more interesting to listen to and it will be more enjoyable for you – and enjoyment is contagious.  Besides, if they wanted cold hard facts, they’d just read about it.

8. Find The Hook

Find the “hook.”  Something about what you’re saying must interest you or you will not be interesting to your listeners.  If you look carefully, you will always find something.

9. Be Human

Don’t deny yourself basic human needs.  So many speakers suffer needlessly. If you’re thirsty, drink some water.  People will wait.  If you need your glasses, pause to put them on.  Think ahead and use the restroom just before you have to speak.  Few things are more distracting and uncomfortable than watching someone try to work around these basic needs.

10. Repeat After Me: “I Don’t Know”

In a Q & A situation, if you really do not know the answer, say so.  Commend the asker for the quality of the question, tell them you are intrigued by it, and let them know you’ll look into it and get back to them.  Then be sure you do.  This is by far the more dignified way to respond than to try to make something up.  People can generally tell when you’re faking it and that can destroy the credibility of all you said before.

If you have presentation tips you’d like to contribute to the SlideRocket blog please send them to marketing@sliderocket.com. If we post it on the blog we’ll credit you as a guest blogger and send you a SlideRocket T-Shirt. Check the blog each week for a new tip on making, managing and delivering great presentations.

Presenting over the Web, instead of in person, can offer many benefits – reduced travel costs and increased convenience for participants, just to name a few.  But, effectively conveying information to a remote audience can be a challenge for even the most seasoned presenters.  What works well in face-to-face sessions may be ineffective in a Web venue and you should think about altering your presentation style accordingly.

Great online presentations.

Here are some things to consider when delivering presentations to an online audience.

1. Keep it Short and Sweet

When you’re presenting in person, you’ve got a captive audience.  But, Webcast participants are either at home or in their offices, leaving room for many distractions like ringing phones, knocks at the door, or the temptation to perform other work while they’re listening to you speak.  Therefore, your discussion should be shorter than usual, 30 minutes maximum plus time for questions and answers, to avoid potential interruptions. If you find you can’t cut down your presentation then think about employing some of these other techniques to keep your audience engaged.

2. Use Stronger Voice Inflections

Remember, your audience can’t see you.  You won’t be able to use hand gestures, facial expressions, or body language for emphasis.  All you’ve got is your voice.  So, use a stronger tone and more prominent inflections than you normally would, to make sure key points get across.

3. Keep It Interactive

It’s harder to keep your audience engaged when everyone is scattered across multiple remote locations, so speaking non-stop for a half hour, then saving Q&A until the end may not be the best approach.  Take polls or surveys, ask questions, or solicit input at various points throughout the presentation.  This type of ongoing interaction will keep attendees interested until the end of your session.

4.  Eliminate Background Noises

Your cell phone rings.  An email or pending appointment alert sets off a loud chime.  A colleague enters your office, without knocking, and begins speaking.  Day-to-day background noise in your office can be annoying and distracting to your audience – and your microphone will pick up all of it.  Be sure to turn of any phones, intercoms, alerts, or other noise-making mechanisms, and hang a “do not disturb” sign on your door, before you start presenting.

5. Check Your Equipment Ahead of Time

If your equipment fails while you’re presenting in person, you’ve got other ways to communicate.  But when you’re hosting a Webcast, your options are limited in the event of a technical disaster.  That’s why its so important to do a “test run” of your presentation several hours before your session, to ensure that your slides have uploaded properly, and that your microphone and other equipment are all in working order.

Want more valuable tips on effective presentation creation and delivery?  Visit our Web site at www.sliderocket.com.

My blog post last week about Netbooks and the future of Web Apps got me thinking about office ‘productivity’ suites. As we witness a computing revolution brought on by the Internet and cloud computing, can user adoption of Netbooks, Google Chrome OS and Web Apps beat out the more established rivals found in PCs, Windows OS and Microsoft Office? Many other questions come to mind in the contest of ‘Battle Cloud versus Desktop’ – who will reign supreme?

Why do people need or want office productivity suites?  By suites, I mean groups of applications which, while addressing very different use cases, are bundled together in one purchasing decision for some strange reason. Buying a suite of productivity applications like this really doesn’t make a lot of sense. Customers want choice. They want to choose what is best for their specific needs and encourage vendors to compete to make the best products.  Think about it, we do not buy our music or computer games in suites or watch television from only one network. Rather, we purchase the various music and games we like, watch television that interests us and see movies that we like. So why should desktop productivity suites be an exception, forcing users to purchase an entire package of programs that they may or may not use or even like? Instead, let the best application win. Let innovation win. Let costumer choice win.

You can probably guess that I stand firmly in support of ‘Team Cloud’. Why invest in bundled productivity suites such as Microsoft Office when the Internet offers customizable programs and applications aimed to work best for you and your business. Maybe you like Gmail for your email, SlideRocket for your presentations and Google Docs for word processing and spreadsheets.  Great! The truth is, how many of the features in Microsoft PowerPoint, Word and Excel do you really use.  And for most users the Microsoft suite is a group of silo’d programs with little to no interaction. It can’t be worth the cost when the alternatives online are turning out a phenomenal competition with revolutionary features.

A major factor in the battle is user adoption. While we see teams of people switching to ‘Team Cloud’, the battle has just begun. Here at SlideRocket we are working hard to get people to forget about firing up their static MSFT Office Suite and desktop presentation application. Instead, reach for the clouds and discover a whole new realm of functionality and the value of online presentations.

Companies like Google are making great strides, turning people on to web-based applications and productivity suites. As 2009 comes to an end and we move into 2010, I will be incredibly interested to see how the battle unfolds. Will products such as Chrome OS and Netbooks accelerate the pace of users turning away from their desktop OS  and software products? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this interesting debate.

Maximum visual impact

The way you display information on your slides can make or break your presentation, yet many presenters struggle to structure their slides in the most compelling manner possible.  It’s a delicate balance – if your slides are dull and boring, you may lose your audience along the way.  On the other hand, if they’re too busy – crammed with images or too much text – attendees may be too distracted to absorb what you’re saying.  The key to success lies somewhere in between.

1. Use a Simple Background

You want your text, diagrams, and images to “pop” off the screen.  But, they will disappear when placed up against an elaborate background, minimizing their ability to convey key concepts.  A clean, simple background will ensure that audience attention is focused on the main points and ideas of your speech.

2. Smart Font Selection

Your audience should not have to struggle to view the content contained on your slides.  Additionally, text needs to be easily readable on handouts.  Choose larger fonts, a minimum of 28 points if possible.  In situations where you need to make the font much smaller to fit all the information on the slide, try breaking the content up logically into multiple slides instead.  Additionally, keep fonts consistent throughout your entire slide set, and remember that certain typestyles, such as “sans serif” fonts, are much easier on the eyes than others.

3.  Keep It Brief

Many presenters try to cram as much information onto as few slides as possible.  But, slides that are packed with text are difficult to read, and may confuse audience members by highlighting too many ideas or thoughts at once.  As a rule of thumb, try to stick to no more than two or three key points per slide.  Bullets, as opposed to sentences or paragraphs, make it easier to grasp ideas “at a glance”.  And, consider using “builds” to bring in one point at a time.

4. Choose Images Over Text

Wherever possible, try to get your point across using visual aids – photos, clip art, charts, etc. – instead of plain text.  The average person cannot read and listen at the same time, so forcing them to peruse wordy slides as you speak will hinder information retention.  Additionally, graphics are far more memorable and interesting, so use them often to enhance the way you make the key points within your presentation.  For example, photography can add realism, while diagrams can simplify complex or hard-to-understand concepts.

5. Color, Color, and More Color

Effective use of color can really catch the eye of those you are presenting to.  Try using contrasting colors to draw attention to certain ideas, or to focus attention on certain elements of each slide.  And, select colors based on the image you want to convey, or the emotions you want to evoke.  For example, brown promotes feelings of friendliness and warmth, while purple creates the perception of sophistication

6. Proofread Thoroughly

Nothing will minimize the visual impact of your slides more than a misspelled word, misplaced image, or other erroneous error.  Spell check your slides and ask a friend to proof your slides carefully before you present.  Be sure to check your visuals and numbers, as well as your text.

7. X & Y

One thing that professional presentation designers spend a lot of time on is continuity. It may not seem like a big deal but if a title block or image “jumps” noticeably  from one slide to the next it can be distracting for the audience. There are two easy ways to manage this. Number one is don’t move the template items around on your slides. Number two is cut and paste an element from one slide to the next. Most presentation programs will place your item at the same coordinates on the next slide. The third more time consuming way to manage objects using an X & Y coordinate inspector to ensure your slide objects aren’t shifting across slides. This will let you drag or “tap” them (using arrow keys) into the right place.

SlideRocket Tips Are Go For Launch

It’s no secret that the best presenters are the ones who are most prepared.  A little advance legwork can go a very long way when it comes to delivering a compelling, memorable, high-impact presentation.

Here are the five key things you need to know before you present:

1. Know Your Audience

Want to make sure you presentation packs a punch?  Then, create it from the perspective of your audience.  Why is this topic important to them?  What are they looking to learn or take away from the session?  What points will they find most interesting or relevant?  By taking the time to gather a little insight about the people you’ll be presenting to, you can ensure that your content is as beneficial as possible to everyone who attends.

2. Know Your Material

If you aren’t familiar with the content you are presenting, you may lack confidence during your delivery, or end up reading directly from notes to avoid making mistakes.  This can cause your audience to question your credibility, or to become disengaged.  But, knowing your material thoroughly beforehand will help you speak with conviction, and present yourself as an authority on the topic you are covering.

3.  Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Don’t give into the temptation to try something new, just for the sake of “shaking things up”.  Stick to what your good at, and deliver your presentation in a way that plays up your proven strengths.  For example, if you don’t have a knack for comedic timing, avoid jokes and, instead, go with a more straight-forward delivery.  Of, if you’re particularly effective at soliciting audience participation, chose a format that promotes high levels of interaction.

4. Know Your Space

The forum will have a huge effect on how your presentation should be structured, so be sure to check out the room you’ll be presenting in before you put your slides together.    Will you have space to walk around, or will be stuck behind a podium?  Will the audience be sitting classroom-style, or around a boardroom table?  Is there room for a projector and large screen, or will you have to rely on handouts? It’s also very important to visit the room several hours before your scheduled speech, to make sure all equipment, such as microphones and projectors, are working properly.

5. Know What “Plan B” Is

Disaster can strike at any time before or during your presentation.  You’ll need to know – in advance – how you will handle certain catastrophes.  What happens if your A/V equipment breaks?  What will you do if only three people show up, when you were expecting 40?  How do you handle audience questions that you do not know the answer to?  Anticipating and preparing for situations like these can help keep things on track and running smoothly, no matter what happens.

Want more valuable tips on effective presentation creation and delivery?  Check back here every Tuesday morning for a new presentation tip.

Every once in a while you come across a great presentation. Like a great movie, a great presentation engages your senses, tugs at your emotions and leaves you wanting more. It ceases to exist as a presentation and crosses over into the realm of experience.

One of the masters at creating these kind of sensory adventures is Dan Marcolina. Using SlideRocket’s unique capabilities Dan pulls together beautiful design aesthetics, sublime rich media elements and stunning high definition visuals to create experiences that draw you in, capture your imagination and take you to another time and space.

On October 15th at 10am Pacific Dan will be taking us inside his creations and exposing some of the secrets for blurring the lines between presentation and experience. Sign up today for what promises to be an instructive and enlightening web seminar.