June 2014

Power Up Your Presentations: Unleashing the Best Android Office Apps for On-the-Go PowerPoint Mastery

Posted on June 12, 2014April 21, 2024 by Rick E

In a previous post, we featured five great presentation apps to help you prepare slides right on your iPad. This time, we’ll

This time, we’ll run down the best Office apps for your Android devices. Aside from helping you create and edit PowerPoint presentations, you can also use these Office apps to access Word, Excel, and PDF files. After you finish your slides, you can review your speech and source materials on the go.

Microsoft Office Mobile

The Microsoft Office Mobile app for Android allows you to access, edit, and create new PowerPoint, Word, and Excel files just like you would on your PC. Because it’s from Microsoft itself, this is our top choice for opening any MS files you have.

You might think that scaling down your PowerPoint slides to a mobile screen will mess up its layout, but Office Mobile keeps formatting intact. If you want an experience that mirrors what you’ve been used to on the PC, this app is your sure bet.

You can download the Microsoft Office Mobile for free but requires an Office 365 subscription for the full experience.

Quickoffice

Developed by Google, Quickoffice is an option for those looking to functionally use an office app without having to pay for premiums or add-ons. You can create and edit all of the same file types just as you would in the Office Mobile, plus view PDF files.

Best of all, Quickoffice syncs right to your Google account. This removes the hassle of uploading your files through several steps by letting you easily share your PowerPoint files through your Google Account, or attach them to emails.

Kingsoft Office

Creating and editing presentations on Kingsoft Office is a breeze. It allows you almost the same functionalities you would have on the PC.

This free office app also makes sharing your slide a whole lot easier. The Shareplay function allows you to share your PowerPoint presentation to others’ Android devices, as long as they’re logged in on the same local area network.

Polaris Office

Polaris Office automatically saves the files you access from your cloud to your device, so you can continue working even without an Internet connection.

Similarly, if you’re editing a PowerPoint presentation—or any other files—on the go, the changes you make are automatically saved. It also will give your different editing choices for your presentations, plus the ability to add notes and time your slideshow.

Polaris Office is free, and the premium add-ons aren’t necessary for a basic, functional experience. Some of the latest Android versions also come free with Polaris, so you won’t need to download it into your mobile device anymore.

Use any one of these apps for a more mobile PowerPoint presentation experience. Bring your slides with you wherever you go, and don’t be caught unprepared.

Handy Dandy: PowerPoint, Keynote and Other Great Presentation Apps for the iPad

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Rick E

Sometimes, you’re going to have to prep for presentations without much notice. You might even have to do it while you’re on the go. When that happens, don’t panic. Don’t they always say that there’s an app for every problem?

In this case, there are plenty.

You can design great presentations as long as you have your iPad on hand. Here’s a quick rundown of some presentation apps available on iOS.

PowerPoint

Let’s start with the classic: PowerPoint for iPad. This app is part of the recently released Office suite for the iPad. It’s the perfect choice for users who are used to running PowerPoint in the desktop, and would like to have the same experience in their choice of presentation apps. It has all the features you’ve grown accustomed to in a streamlined interface.

You can get it for free at the App Store, although you’ll have to subscribe to Office 365 to experience it in full. You can get Office 365 at different prices. It’ll be a good investment if you prefer using the MS Office programs.

CloudOn

If you’d rather skip on the Office 365 subscription, CloudOn is a great alternative.

Technically, it’s more than just a presentation app. It allows you to access MS Office files saved on your Dropbox or Google Drive. You can also create new PowerPoint, Word, or Excel files.

When making your slides, you’ll be taken to an interface that looks and works exactly like the desktop version of the classic PowerPoint 2010.

You can get CloudOn for free, although some features are only available as in-app purchases.

Keynote

If you’re the proud owner of several Apple devices, Keynote is still your best bet. It allows you to sync your presentations through iCloud, meaning you can edit what you started on your Mac. Plus, it’s easy to use. Keynote takes full advantage of the swipe-and-slide technology that makes the iPad super convenient.

Keynote costs $9.99, but you can get it for free on any brand new iOS7 device.

Prezi

Prezi is unlike most presentation apps. It offers a little more room for creativity. You can choose from 15 templates that are different from the usual slide title + bullet points layout. You can also use photos from your Camera Roll or take new pictures while you work.

Best of all, Prezi is free at the App Store.

Haiku Deck

Similar to Prezi, Haiku Deck is another app that allows for plenty of creativity. It holds a huge collection of stock images and backgrounds that you can easily access through a search function.

Bonus: For the presentation itself, you can use your iPhone as a remote control or a mini teleprompter.

Haiku Deck is free, and you can buy extra photos in the App Store.

Public Speaking Anxiety: Facts, Stats, and Methods to Beat It

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Rick E

If you’re suffering from glossophobia, the fear of public speaking, take comfort in the fact that you’re not alone. An estimated 75% of the world population suffers from some degree of public speaking anxiety.

Don’t worry. Public speaking anxiety doesn’t have to hold back your career.

Most people cope with their anxiety through avoidance. But since public speaking and presentations are important in most work environments, this isn’t a viable option. Your career might require you to step up to the podium, and it doesn’t have to become the dreaded scenario you’ve imagined.

Deal with the symptoms

Public speaking anxiety manifests itself through different physical symptoms, some of which are listed below:

breathlessness
fast heart rate
shaking or trembling
cold sweat

These are caused by your body’s ‘fight or flight’ response. Calm your body down through some relaxation methods.

The easiest thing you can do is to take slow, deep breaths until you feel your heart rate slow down.

Prepare as much as you can

With your “fight or flight” response triggered, you’re sure to encounter problems concentrating. When you feel your mind has gone blank, you’re more likely to stammer thoughtlessly through your presentation.

Most people identify this as the main cause of their public speaking anxiety. Prepare for your upcoming presentation as much as you can to avoid being swept away by your nervousness.

Your preparations should include creating a script and memorizing its general structure. Don’t write down everything you want to say and memorize it word for word. Your delivery might become stiff and lifeless. Worse, you might forget what comes next.

Practice your speech consistently. Do it in front of a mirror until it feels like second nature. If you can, gather a small group of people you trust and have them sit through your rehearsal. Ask them for any pointers or advice for improvement.

Maintain a positive outlook

Focusing on negative thoughts can make your public speaking anxiety worse. It’ll be hard to completely eradicate your concerns, but try to frame them into a more positive outlook.

Identify your concerns and listen to the negative thoughts that feed them. Ask yourself why you might feel this way, and give yourself some positive reinforcement.

For example: You’re anxious that the audience will be dismissive of your presentation and judge your authority or knowledge on the topic at hand.

Instead of questioning your ability to deliver, remind yourself of the research and preparation that went into your presentation. If they bring up anything you’ve missed, don’t take it as a personal attack but a helpful criticism you can use to improve your work.

The Takeaway: Acknowledge your fear

People with public speaking anxiety often fight to hide their fears from their audience. This will only aggravate your nervousness by giving you one more thing to worry about.

As the statistics in the infographic suggests, your public speaking anxiety is perfectly normal. It’s even likely that someone from the audience has the same fears that you do.

Once you’ve smoothened out the edges, having a well-designed PowerPoint presentation should match your winning pitch. But most importantly, it’ll help you connect with your audience better.

Despite your anxiety, remember that you’re not just addressing an auditorium of faceless people. You’re speaking to people with their own ideas on what they find interesting. If your audience is engaged and at ease, you’ll be able to relax and move forward with your presentation.

References

Glossophobia. Accessed June 11, 2014.
“10 Relaxation Techniques That Zap Stress Fast.” WebMD. Accessed June 11, 2014.

4 Steps to Mastering the Elevator Pitch

Posted on June 10, 2014 by Rick E

The idea behind the elevator pitch is said to have originated from businessmen who needed to pitch proposals to prospective investors as quickly as possible.

Incidentally, it also gives the investors a chance to turn down ideas promptly (especially those that are not that good or do not match their investment profile). The fast paced delivery indeed works well for both parties. If you have a plan to acquire funds from a potential investor, mastering the art of the elevator pitch will definitely work to your advantage.

In his Forbes article, Rick Frasch already provides the eight mistakes entrepreneurs need to avoid in their elevator pitch. Now here are four tips from us on how to get it right:

1. Establish your story

Set aside a time to write your story, preferably without interruptions. When you write, visualize that you’re telling the story to a family member or a close friend. This can help you put your mind at ease.

Write anything relevant to your ideas. Don’t forget to silence your inner critic and not edit just yet.

2. Let it sit for some time

Once you are done with your pitch’s rough draft, go and do something else. You may want to go for a walk or drive around the neighborhood.

The idea is to let the story sit for a day or two so you’ll have a fresh perspective when you read and work on it again.

3. Polish your hook

Start editing down your story to its barest essential. Your goal is to craft a killer 60-second elevator pitch. While you’re at it, think about adding a good hook.

The hook is the part that will let you jumpstart your pitch. It should be about 15 seconds long. This is important because those 15 seconds are your only chance to convince your prospect to listen to the rest of the pitch.

Add an element of curiosity to your hook. You may choose to start with engaging phrases such as “What if…” or “Picture this…” At this point, you should have you prospect intrigued.

4. Explain what’s in it for them

Now that you have the attention of your prospective investor, it’s time to key in on engaging the audience. Persuade your listeners into actually investing by explaining how your idea can bring in profits. P

Prove that there’s a market for it and that your solution is something that customers would be willing to pay for. Close your pitch by creating a sense of urgency.

Whether your product is only available during the Holidays or you’re racing with a rival in filing a patent, use urgency to motivate, not force people to invest.

The Final Word

Spend enough time practicing your pitch. Time yourself as your practice. Make sure that you can say whatever you need to say within the 60-second limit.

The key to a great elevator pitch is not just to pitch in a rapid-fire approach. Even if you can’t deliver a mile a minute speech, you would still be able to impress your audience.

And most importantly, memorize your lines. If you’re using a PowerPoint presentation, do not read from the slides. Investors can sense if you’re not ready and just winging it, so practice extensively to perfect that pitch.

Reference

Frasch, Rick. “8 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Pitching To Investors.” Forbes. Accessed June 10, 2014.

The Best Medicine: 5 Tips on How You Can Give Humorous Presentations

Posted on June 10, 2014 by Jon B

The best way to connect with your audience is to elicit an emotional response. That doesn’t mean you have to move them to tears — laughter is just as profound. Humor is a powerful tool that can make your presentations engaging and memorable.

Don’t get us wrong—your entire speech doesn’t need to be funny. This isn’t a stand-up routine, after all. But light, humorous moments strategically placed throughout your presentation make for a pleasant audience experience.

You don’t have to be a professional comedian to do this, either. You just need to keep these tips in mind if you’d like to start giving humorous presentations.

Act Natural

cat in front of computer — Image: Itchmo.com

Go about preparing for your presentation like you normally would. Write your speech without thinking about the jokes you have to make.

When you’re done, that’s the only time you can inject jokes appropriate to your content.

Just Be Yourself

It’s awkward to watch someone try to be funny when the joke feels forced. Different types of humor work for different types of people.

Think of the things that make you laugh and try to figure out what you find funny about them. Your favorite things to laugh at is a good starting point in figuring out what type of humor works for you.

Similarly, you can also think about previous occasions when other people found you funny. Others’ feedback is a good way to gauge your efficiency.

Tread the Trend

An easy way to get your audience laughing is to reference current trends. You can refer to characters from the latest blockbuster movie, or a scene in the highest rating TV show that’s everyone familiar with.

You can also add a bit of humor to your PowerPoint slides by flashing popular Internet memes that are related to what you’re trying to say. At the same time, remember the occasion you’re presenting in and the people you’re presenting to. Some references may be inappropriate or irrelevant depending on the setting.

Think About Your Audience

Knock-Knock_o_96471 — Image: MemeCenter.com

Generic ‘knock, knock’ jokes are sure to end in stumped silence. Tailor-fit your humor to your audience by thinking about what might make them laugh.

Jokes that are relevant to your audience are more likely to tickle their funny bone.

Deliver Well

Practice your speech and figure out the best way to deliver your jokes.

Communications guru Jennifer Flachman explains that the power of your voice can influence the way your audience perceives you. Remember that tone, inflection, and body language can easily alter the meaning behind what you’re saying.

Reference

Flachman, Jennifer. “The Body Language of Voice: Use Your Voice to Your Advantage.” BurrellesLuce Fresh Ideas. September 16, 2013. Accessed June 10, 2014.

Featured Image: Ellen DeGeneres by ronpaulrevolt2008 on flickr.com

Basic Preparation Techniques for a Successful Presentation

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Rick E

Preparation is the key to a great presentation. Being prepared wouldn’t just help you deliver your message in exactly the way that you planned it.

This can also boost your confidence as you stand in front of a live audience. To help you out, you may want to follow these three basic preparation techniques for a successful presentation:

Consider Your Audience

As you prepare your material, don’t forget to take your prospective audience into account. According to software expert, Wendy Russell, tailoring your presentation to your audience can make it easy for you to build rapport with them. Apart from the age, gender, and professional background, here are the things that you should consider:

The schedule of the presentation – Will you be presenting during work hours or their free time?
Their familiarity with your topic – Do they know anything about your subject matter or is this the first time they are hearing about it?
Your general purpose and tone – Are you going to educate, inform, or inspire? Would it be alright to use humor or will they find it inappropriate?

Thinking about these things can also help you write your speech better.

Memorize and Time Your Speech

Reading from your notes the whole time will make you sound boring and insincere. Use your notes (and to some extent, the slides) to guide you, but don’t rely on them as a crutch.

When you know your speech by heart, you will be able to exude confidence and leave a better impression. It also opens up an opportunity for you to ad lib and create a more spontaneous and relaxed atmosphere.

It helps to know how long you have to present. Remember that not all people can maintain concentration in a meeting that takes too long to finish.

Apart from making it interesting, keep your presentation concise and structured. Keynote speaker Guy Kawasaki recommends that speakers present for only 20 minutes and use 10 slides at the most. If you are able to wrap up your speech with still a few minutes to spare, use it for a quick Q and A.

Get the Feel of the Place

Try gathering as much information as possible about the place where you’re going to make your presentation. If time permits, arrange to see the place before the actual event.

This will allow you to familiarize yourself with the surroundings. Visualizing the place can help subdue any anxieties or edginess that you’ll feel.

This also provides you with the opportunity to practice your speech and test the room’s acoustics. While you’re at it, you may also want to check some technical details such as the availability of microphones, the quality of the projector, etc.

These are just some of the preparation techniques that you can do to ensure a successful presentation. Whatever you do, just keep in mind that if you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.

References

“The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint.” Guy Kawasaki. December 30, 2005. Accessed June 9, 2014.
Russell, Wendy. “Who Is Your Audience? Did You Bother to Check?“ About.com Tech. Accessed June 9, 2014.

About SlideGenius

SlideGenius.com is your business PowerPoint guru. Based in San Diego, California, SlideGenius has enhanced the presentations of more than 500 clients all over the world, including J.P. Morgan, Harley-Davidson, Pfizer, Verizon, and Reebok. Let SlideGenius help you with your presentation needs! Call us at 1.858.217.5144 today.

What Your PowerPoint Presentation Says About You

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Rick E

Using a PowerPoint presentation in pitches, meetings, conferences, etc. is a great way to explain a concept.

The thing is, have you been using it properly? Whether you’re using it correctly or not, your presentation says a lot about you as a presenter.

Overreliance on Templates

Microsoft PowerPoint comes with templates ready for your presentation. Aside from these, there are also online templates you can download to the program.

These templates offer you the advantage of creating slides with consistent designs requiring minimal effort. All you have to do is copy-paste the information that you want to present.

With these benefits, it may seem like using ready-made templates makes more sense than resorting to unique, personalized ones. Well, if you’re a person who prefers to take shortcuts, then indeed it does. But if you are the type who won’t settle for less, then you know that cookie cutter templates don’t create as much of a lasting impact.

Too Much Text

The thing about slides is that they help presenters describe their ideas – visually. Using too much text to do so kind of defeats the idea.

Filling you slides with texts would leave your audience thinking either of these things: You are too lazy to sort out the most important details of your topic or, as speech trainer George Torok says, you plan to read from them. Both of which aren’t exactly putting you in a good light.

As much as your slides should be able to speak for themselves, there should be room left for your own voice. Allow yourself to explain your key points. Leave out details that you can say verbally. Your listeners will appreciate it more than seeing you read from a wordy slide.

Poor Choice of Images

Imagery can make it easier for you to explain your points. Be very careful, however, on your choice of images. Make sure that you only use high-quality photos that won’t become blurred or pixelated when projected on a large screen. Avoid using clip art as well.

Sure, images are extremely useful. But they also need to be relevant and of professional quality. You can’t use just about any image that you find using Google search.

It gives the impression that you don’t care enough about the quality of your presentation and by extension, your audience. Instead, invest in stock images from sites that provide them for free. You can find a quality image that fits your pitch much better there.

Conclusion

Your PowerPoint presentation is an awesome tool. It provides you with a way to not just explain your message clearly but also to assert your professionalism and credibility.

This means you need to pay attention to the way you prepare your slide decks.

Otherwise, you’ll end leaving a not-so-good impression on your audience, which leaves the potential of a winning presentation untapped.

Reference

“Annoy Your Audience: Read Your PowerPoint Presentation Slides.” Torok. Accessed June 09, 2014.

Featured image by eye-socket from DeviantArt

Dilbert on PowerPoint: Serious PowerPoint Lessons from a Comic Strip

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Rick E

Dilbert creator Scott Adams is one of those people who was able to take a personal setback and turned it into something awesome: he turned the inanity of his workplace experiences into a successful career. Currently, the Dilbert comic strip runs in 2,000 newspapers in 65 countries and printed in 25 languages. Adams has also published several books compiling the strips and a number of actual business books that feature his characters. Not bad for a former bank teller.

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To the uninitiated, Dilbert draws its humor from ordinary office situations. It pokes fun at the silliness of rank and file employees (at least in its own world) while throwing witty potshots at the self-importance and absurdity of the higher-ups.

One of the most common office-related topics that the comic strip has tacked is PowerPoint presentation. Some of the strips about it are actually funny. When you look beyond the ridiculousness, however, you will see that there are serious lessons in there somewhere. Here are just some examples:

Add Value to Your Slides (Make sure your audience will get something from them)

Make Your Slides Interesting (Or risk putting your audience to sleep)

Don’t Read From Your Slides (and avoid bullet points, if possible)

Impress the Audience with Visual Aids (Such as Pie Charts)

Use as Few Slides as Possible (But Don’t Over Do It)

There you have it. Comic strips can make your day as you sit back and read the morning papers. But when you think about it, they do more than just entertain. Just take these Dilbert strips. Hopefully, these samples would inspire you to create or design PowerPoint presentations that won’t put your audience to sleep or make them think of harsh things to do to you. When in doubt, you may just leave everything to the professionals.

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Dilbert on PowerPoint: Serious PowerPoint Lessons from a Silly Comic Strip

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Rick E

Dilbert creator Scott Adams is one of those people who was able to take a personal setback and turned it into something awesome – he turned the inanity of his workplace experiences into a successful professional career. Currently, the Dilbert comic strip runs in 2,000 newspapers in 65 countries and printed in 25 languages. Adams has also published several books compiling the strips and a number of actual business books that feature his characters. Not bad for a former bank teller and failed entrepreneur.

Add Value to Your Slides (Make sure your audience will get something from them)

Make Your Slides Interesting (Or risk putting your audience to sleep)

Don’t Read From Your Slides (and avoid bullet points, if possible)

Impress the Audience with Visual Aids (Such as Pie Charts)

Use as Few Slides as Possible (But Don’t Over Do It)

6 PowerPoint ‘Hacks’ for Confused First Timers

Posted on June 8, 2014 by Rick E

We talk a lot about helping you achieve the perfect PowerPoint presentations. Sometimes, these things are easier said than done. Microsoft PowerPoint can be tedious for many first timers.

You can use these PowerPoint hacks and shortcuts to help you through this new process. Hopefully, it’ll help lower your stress levels, too.

While making your presentation

1. Learn the Shortcuts

Holding down the CTRL key in combination with other keys will help you lessen the use of your mouse.

Copy something from a document you’ve written earlier by pressing CTRL + C and Paste it to your slide with CTRL + V. This might seem basic for long-time Microsoft users, but it’s so helpful that we can’t risk letting beginners miss out on it.

You can also hold down SHIFT if you want to avoid skewing images, or select multiple objects. Likewise, the FUNCTION keys at the very top of your keyboard can also prove to be a huge help. One of the most helpful keys in PowerPoint is F5, which is a quick way to start your slide show.

Read up on all of the useful PowerPoint shortcuts and over time, you’ll be able to memorize the ones that are most useful.

2. Use Grid and Guidelines

Misaligned images or text boxes can be distracting to some audience members. Avoid having to squint to make sure everything’s in perfect order by using PowerPoint’s Grid and Guidelines function.

Hit CTRL+G to display the Grid and Guidelines dialog box.

3. Edit Images to Manage the File Size

The images you use can bloat the file size of your PowerPoint presentation. It’ll be hard to share your presentation the size is too large. Fix this problem by selecting an image (or multiple images), then choosing the Compress Pictures option under the Format tab.

While in the Format tab, you can also edit the images by choosing Corrections, Color, and Artistic Effects. Just make sure that you have permission to alter the pictures you’re using.

During your presentation

4. Hide the Pointer

As we’ve tackled, audience members can be easily distracted by the smallest thing. Even a small, white pointer.

You can hide the pointer by pressing CTRL + H. Don’t worry, it’ll show up again if you press A.

5. Shift to a Black Screen

It’s important that you don’t let the slides do the talking for you. If you feel like you’re losing your audience to the screen, just press B or the period keys.

Go back to your presentation by pressing N to move on to the next slide, or P to come back to the previous one.

6. Skip to Any Slide

If anyone in the audience raises a point you discussed in a specific slide, you can skip to it by pressing the slide number then hitting enter.

For example, if Slide #5 holds the answer, just press 5, enter, and you’re there. This tip will be even more effective if you have handouts of your slides printed out with you.

Consider this guide a starting point to your PowerPoint efficiency. Remember that as with everything, being an effective PowerPoint user will take time. Just be patient!

Reference

“25 PowerPoint™ Tips.” Jolene Morris. Accessed June 08, 2014.

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