Effective presentations are evaluated by two criteria: how effectively they are organized and how well the audience loves them. In light of this, selecting a presentation tool is essential because the features determine efficacy and content quality. For students, creating presentations can be a challenging task.
The top three difficulties encountered when creating a presentation, according to users of presentation software, are: (1) constructing an engaging storyline; (2) building a unique design; and (3) locating and utilizing excellent visuals.
Furthermore, it is essential to choose a presentation tool that will empower the delivery of an understandable, well-structured, and visually engaging presentation.
Presentation Tools—What Are They?
Anything enabling users to produce slides in a presentation qualifies as a tool. Most of us think of PowerPoint presentations right away. Still, other tools with features let us design and customize slides, add images and graphics, and present our information however we want.
Tools for making visual presentations of ideas or information are known as presentation tools. These presentations are provided in a slide-show format using a combination of text, graphics, and other graphic components.
Presentation software is widely used to introduce new products or services, pitch business ideas to investors, present proposals to clients, train staff on new procedures, and explain complex topics to students.
AI Presentation Tools: How Can They Help?
a. You can type text into their feature or platform, and they will quickly make designs for you.
b. An AI can help you tell a story by putting your presentation slides in order.
c. These tools have in-built templates and access to image and video resources to enhance the appeal of your presentation.
d. You can add your brand’s logo, colors, and fonts to your presentation in a matter of seconds, giving it a consistent look.
e. Teams can work together on a single platform to improve a presentation further before it is delivered.
f. Professionals can add these presentation tools to apps like Slack and Microsoft Teams that they use at work.
g. An AI can fix or change things when you add or remove things from a presentation slide.
Evaluation Criteria for Presentation Tools
- Price and Cost
After evaluating usability, we should take cost into account. Consider the price of each presentation program before making your decision. You only need a Google account to access free presentation tools like Google Slides. Free presentation software with the WPS Office is comparable to Microsoft PowerPoint.
The majority of presenting tools provide you with a free trial period. It indicates that you only have a little time to use the software. Some presentation software offers a free version with a few functions, but once you subscribe to a subscription plan, all the features and functionality become available. You must also check the pricing because it typically includes annual and monthly expenses billed.
The price would be higher if you planned to pay monthly instead of annually. Additionally, practically all presentation software is available at a special educational discount, and some even provide it free of charge to qualified students.
- User-friendliness
User-friendliness is noteworthy since it reflects how satisfied a user is with the efficiency and efficacy of the tool. Time is required to download the program before use is another indicator of its effectiveness. Therefore, it is one of the primary aspects to consider when choosing the ideal presentation tool.
- Cross-Platform Support
If you also use school organization apps, your presentation software should be compatible with many devices to make transferring material for your presentations easier. Because not all devices utilize the same operating system, software that works across platforms is preferable.
The various operating systems for personal computers (macOS, Windows, Linux), and those for mobile devices (iOS, Android), are essential to consider when selecting a presentation tool because they can bring limited effects.
Accessing all of the application’s functions regardless of which device you’re using is important, as is knowing whether or not your presentation will look presentable on various gadgets (desktop, laptop, tablet, and mobile phone).
- Level of Support
When deciding on a presenting tool, it’s important to consider the level of customer service offered. Be mindful while evaluating this component because some presentation software offers free plans but may need to provide quality assistance.
When support is offered, the poor service quality may leave you with a headache rather than a feeling of contentment. It would be beneficial to study reviews and comments from other users.
- Customizability
The ability to design something unique is the next factor to think about. Slideware and canvas-based presentation tools are the two main categories.
Its use of a linear flow characterizes Slideware, and its typical features include text editing, multimedia insertion, and the formatting of displays. Examples of presenting technologies that adhere to a linear presentation flow include Keynote, Canva, PowerPoint presentations, and Google Slides.
On the other hand, presenting tools based on canvases can be built to have either a linear or non-linear flow, depending on the user’s preferences. In contrast to slideware, the elements of canvas-based presentations are placed within a single large canvas.
- Design Software
Your presentation software should include the essential capabilities to guarantee audience attention. See if it’s simple for you to add audio, videos, and movie clips. Verify the accessible media types in the graphic assets library. Media-rich presentation tools are desirable.
You should also look at recent user reviews to see if the graphic assets are consistently updated; otherwise, you risk using presentation software with an out-of-date design library.
- Real-time Collaboration
Students usually work in small groups when presenting. Since the pandemic has made most classroom meetings virtual, choosing presentation software that allows real-time collaboration is vital. Collaboration within a team is essential to both the learning process and the preparation of presentations.
Presenting data in real-time is made possible by using a web-based presentation tool. It might be helpful when one student is unfamiliar with a topic, and the other is knowledgeable, such as the electoral college.
Also known as browser-based or server-based programs, a web server executes web-based ones. Google Slides is one example of a web-based presentation tool. PowerPoint used to only work on computers, but now there is also a web-based version that doesn’t have all the features of the computer-based version. You can create presentations and save them in your browser if it is web-based. Access to the internet and a device are all required to use a web-based presenting tool.
- Presentation Flow
It would be best if you are looking for presentation software to assist you in achieving a full-circle approach to whatever you are presenting. It suggests you should finish where you started. In conventional presentations, slides are shown one at a time and in a specified order, following a linear flow. The only difference is that your colleagues and clients can now collaborate with your presentation using modern software.
When using some presentation software, your internal and external contacts can leave questions or feedback on your slides. When comments, changes, or suggestions are made to your slides, everyone working on them will be notified (primarily by email). This feature benefits business owners, partners, teammates, and clients who work from different places. It makes it easier for everyone to work together.
- Analytics
Analytics is a fundamental tool for any business, as you may have frequently heard. Analytics will tell you, just like evaluating your campaigns, which slides went over well and which ones people skipped. With this feature, you can assess the information you’ve shared and make a presentation that your audience will enjoy.
Some presentation software includes analytics capabilities such as time spent on each slide when your presentation was last viewed, total views, and the completion rate of your production.
- Shareable Features
Older presentation software doesn’t have this feature. You may share your presentation link via social media or email, or embed it on your website using modern techniques, eliminating the need to send file attachments for each update.
Shareability is a game-changer for your presentation, whether you’re making changes to your business proposal at the last minute or updating your record of how many credits you need for a bachelor’s degree. It makes it easier for everyone involved in the presentation to talk about updates and works to get everyone to work together.
- Built-in Features
Transitions and Animations
While transitions and animations give your presentation liveliness, you shouldn’t use them excessively. When comparing presentation software, go for the one that delivers subtle but impactful animations. It could be as simple as animations for the start, end, and main points as long as your slides keep people interested.
You don’t want to give your audience motion sickness. So, make sure you can change the speed, order, style, and timing of the slides in your presentation. Choose between overlapping, sequential, simultaneous, and no animation with care.
Templates and Layouts
It’s necessary to evaluate presentation software with standard templates and layouts that can still be customizable.
Select software that lets you modify colors, fonts, and text sizes. A mix of text, video animations, images, music, and links should all be incorporated into your slides. Presentation and innovative slide templates are readily available in various programs found online. Just pick the ones that fit with the way you want your brand to be seen.
- Interactive
One of the best things about presentation software in the modern world is its interactive features. Modern cloud-based presentation tool has hotspots for live presentations, in-page scrolling, importing files from Sketch or Adobe XD, and data backup and recovery solutions. Some software also has a “one size fits all” format that makes your presentation look good on a tablet, computer, and phone screens.
7 Good Reasons to Use Presentation Tools
- User-Friendly
The majority of best presentation tools are straightforward to use and learn. It resembles how a typical presenter would display their slides; with time, they have grown more user-friendly.
New presenters may be overwhelmed by their many customization options. However, each product typically features a sizable help section, a reachable customer service team, and communities of other presenters who are prepared to help with any problems to combat that.
- Engaging Visual Tools
Text-heavy slides are a thing of the past; graphics are the new way to present.
Presentation software gives you a lot of ways to show what you’re talking about with pictures, such as:
a. Images
b. Color
c. Animations
d. Slides transition
e. Backgrounds
f. Graphs
For traditional presenters, this selection is a goldmine. They can help you get your audience’s attention while giving a presentation and are great tools for telling a good story.
- Interactive
In an interactive presentation, the presenter can ask questions, and the audience can answer them. It creates a two-way conversation between the presenter and the audience.
Most attendees will watch the presentation while using their phones to respond to questions. The responses to these queries, which can take the shape of a poll, word cloud, Q&A, or something else, will be displayed for everyone to view.
- Well-designed Templates
Presenting tools usually come with several ready-to-use templates these days. Most of the time, these templates consist of a few well-designed slides that look great. You have to change the text and add your pictures.
You won’t have to start from scratch to make presentation templates, and you won’t have to spend nights worrying about every part of your presentation.
- Online Work
Imagine if you needed to have presentation software and had to show something to people worldwide. You could only hold your A4 slides up to the camera and hope everyone could read what was on them.
Presentation software makes it much easier to show your slides to an online audience. You share your screen and use the software to display your presentation. The entire room will be able to see you and your presentation during your speech, just like in real life.
With some presentation software, anyone can read the slides and advance to the next one without the presenter present. It’s an excellent way for folks to receive the customary “presentation handouts” no matter where they are.
- Multimedia
The ability to incorporate multimedia into our presentations makes them extremely interesting for you and your audience, in addition to being visually beautiful.
Three things can take your presentation to a whole new level are:
a. Video presentations
b. Videos Audio
c. GIFs
While trying to get into your flow, you won’t have to switch between platforms because each slide is included within the presentation. They assist in engaging the listeners and keeping them focused on what the speaker is saying.
- Built-in Collaborative Tools
An efficient remote work environment is made possible by the collaborative nature of more advanced presentation software.
They allow several persons to work on a presentation simultaneously and enable individual members to provide representations to each other for editing at their convenience.
Additionally, you can work with your moderator on some interactive presentation platforms so that they can make sure the questions you receive during a Q&A are appropriate.
Presentation tools may now make better team presentations with built-in collaborative tools.
FAQs
What’s An Interactive Presentation?
A dynamic presentation style called an interactive presentation encourages audience participation and interaction. It includes using interactive features to give your audience a more intimate and exciting experience.
There are many interactive tools and ways to present information in live and pre-recorded presentations. Adding audio and video to your basic presentations could be all it takes. Alternatively, your presentation could include graphs, surveys, navigation, transitions, hyperlinks, hotspots, and other features.
Why Use Presentation Tools to Collaborate?
Less time spent on a presentation would be ideal. It is just one part of your presentation; other components are more important than this one. So, it would be best if you made your presentation as effective as possible.
You must work together to save time if your team is tasked with creating a presentation. You avoid sending out emails with several drafts, which frequently must be clarified among your staff.
Your team needs the best free presentation software that enables distant team members to work together. Software that allows continuous project work is essential to keep your team informed whenever your presentation changes.
Final Thoughts
Everyone wants to use the best presentation tool for the task, but all presentation skills are similar. It makes sense to remain where you are if you are familiar with one. Yet even with all the similarities, it can take time to learn a software structure.
Suppose you’re limited and frustrated or using presentation software for the first time. In that case, you can look at these criteria as your guide for evaluating online presentation tools to find presentation software solutions that fit your needs.
