The lights dim and the projection system fires up. As you settle down for a long afternoon, you realise that the person running the presentation has just discovered all the bells and whistles that the program has to offer: sounds, animations, flashing text, and a whole host of other special effects. It`s too bad, because you are so overwhelmed by the patchwork of effects and features that you have lost track of the presentation`s main topic.
No matter how great an idea or how striking a product, the pitch can mean the difference between success and failure. Persuading executives, partners, customers and colleagues requires a credible claim. Therefore, catching and keeping an audience`s attention is an imperative but far-from-easy task; not only must the presentation run smoothly, it has to stand out from the competition.
That is where presentation software comes in. And although it is still up to the presenter to do the actual presentation, the right software will help the presenter organise his thoughts and walk him through the process of delivering a great presentation.
Corporate presentations have become a reality in the cut-throat businesses market today.
Companies use Microsoft PowerPoint, or similar applications, because of its flexibility and ease of use. But it is this flexibility that results in different presentations by different individuals within a single organisation, ending up with a very dissimilar look and feel. Even with the implementation of PowerPoint templates within an organisation, the ability to modify and animate still lies with the presentation`s author.
It is this inconsistency that could lead to a dilution of the brand and often results in unprofessional looking presentations. This issue has forced many multinational organisations to go as far as banning the use of PowerPoint presentations within their organisations!
Hence the move back towards outsourced presentations - but now with back-end flexibility and functionality. These applications provide companies with a menu driven presentation library in which a large amount of content can be stored. It also provides a tool with which companies can customise and add to this vast amount of information according to their various needs, whilst maintaining full consistency within the presentation. Using this tool, these changes can be executed in a quick, simple and seamless manner.
I read somewhere that if there were a law of technology management it might be this: Every technological advance contains a step backward somewhere under the surface. Multimedia presentations today have gone full circle.
Companies used to outsource their presentations because they did not possess the skills or facilities to do it in-house. The result was, however, inflexible and rigid presentations that had to be completely redone every time a small change occurred within the company - at a heavy cost, of course.
The emergence of applications such as PowerPoint caused a revolution in the multimedia world, enabling almost anybody within the organisation to put together their own presentations. But all this flexibility had its consequences - it resulted in lost brand image and an unprofessional representation of the company, ultimately distracting from the particular message.
So back to outsourcing. But this time - to bridge the gap - with the flexibility afforded by the other applications.
Today`s systems are modular, allowing companies to make small changes and customise content quickly and seamlessly. For group companies or businesses with multiple divisions, this allows for cross marketing and selling.
A group presentation can be put together briefly covering the whole spectrum of company services with emphasis on any of its divisions if need be. When the need arises for a specific company or division to present a detailed presentation on its own, the content can be customised to only display what is relevant to the specific client. This customisation can go as far as integrating quotes, client specific recommendations, customisable reference lists, and almost any other elements to suit the presenter`s needs.
This presentation set-up not only empowers the different sales and marketing teams within an organisation with the knowledge needed to deliver an educated presentation, but also with the insight to talk about other products or services they wouldn`t ordinarily know much about.
In a rapidly evolving, competitive environment, knowledge diversity is king. Clients demand levels of service and solutions that can only be provided by a well informed sales-force with constantly-refreshed skills, making this presentation system an invaluable tool. Especially if the final presentation is expected to be flawless, polished and innovative.
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Graphic Image Technologies is a media focused company operating in the Digital Video, advanced Web and Multimedia environment.
The GIT Multimedia Bureau produces presentations, CDROM`s and kiosks. In addition, they develop web applications and provide database and e-commerce integration.
In the video arena, GIT is focused on offering a vast array of solutions, ranging from broadcasting video over satellite and ATM, to multicast applications for use in the corporate LAN and WAN and Internet streaming environments.
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