Presentations are one of my great passions. Microsoft PowerPoint, however, has never really excited me. Apple does offer Keynote, which has advantages over PowerPoint, but even that does not necessarily wake up an audience.
Even during my time at Furtwangen University (2003–2007), I was driven by the idea of programming a presentation in Flash. The idea never left me, even though I was certainly no Flash expert. Thanks to some Java knowledge – ActionScript and Java are quite similar – and a lot of time, I actually managed to build a Flash presentation back then.
Presentations with Flash?
If I remember correctly, that presentation caused quite a stir among the audience and the professor. I do not want to withhold the experience, so here is the file to download:
With a little luck – and perhaps a little technical know-how – you may still be able to get the .swf/Flash file running, for example via Internet Explorer. The ZIP file must first be extracted.
Today I would no longer need to go to so much effort to captivate an audience with a Flash presentation. The Prezi web app has been around for several years. Prezi is an entirely different way of presenting and is genuinely easy to use. My first Prezi was the colloquium presentation in which I presented the results of my diploma thesis. The presentation was a complete success: I received the top grade.
Prezi Is Child’s Play
In the seminar Qualitative Methods of Communication Research at the University of Salzburg, I recently once again faced the task of putting together an attention-grabbing presentation.
You can see the result here. Press the “Play” button to start and then use the same button to move to the next “slides”. Alternatively, you can use the arrow keys on the keyboard.
Audiences Stay Awake
Prezi really is a great tool for designing presentations that keep the audience awake and engaged. I think that is because something is always moving in a Prezi. However, you should not overdo the animations, otherwise the audience may stop following what the presenter is saying.
Just give Prezi a try and see for yourself! Anyone with an email address from a university or college can get free access to Prezi.
Link to the Prezi homepage: www.prezi.com
