PowerPoint Tips Blog » webinar

Discover 3 reasons most presentations fail and 3 easy ways to fix them

Ellen — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 02:36:11 +0000

I did a webinar for Brainshark.com and mybrainshark.com, a presentation-sharing website. It was called “3 reasons most presentations fail and 3 ways to fix them.” Over 500 people attended!

The 1-hour webinar included makeovers of slides that attendees submitted. You can watch the presentation for free here. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment!

Ellen Finkelstein can train you or the presenters in your organization to create high-impact, engaging, professional presentations for training, sales, business, or education. For more information, please click here.

Why you need to get your presentations on the Internet–and how

Ellen — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 15:50:09 +0000

Get your presentation on the Web? Why and how?

I’ve come up with 4 reasons to put your presentations on the Internet and 6 ways to do it.

Why #1–as a handout for your audience at a live presentation

Let’s say you’ve given your presentation live and–

Some important audience members couldn’t attend
People who did attend would like to have your presentation as a handout
You want people to have continued access to your presentation so they can review it and learn more from it

STOP! Don’t print out your slides! If you used the Tell ‘n’ Show^SM Method (see “How to design more effective slides with the Tell ‘n’ Show(SM) method“), most of what you say isn’t on the slides in text, so people who get your slides won’t know what you said. (If you need to send your slides, I recommend putting the text of your presentation in the Notes pane in PowerPoint and sending Notes pages or using the Send to Word feature, which can also include the notes.) Printing also uses lots of ink and paper–why not post your presentation instead?

Why #2–for marketing–to spread your message to the world!

Would you like a larger audience? Sure! Unless you get paid to speak and don’t want your talk available for free everywhere, or your presentation is confidential/for a select audience, you probably would like more people to hear you. Some scenarios:

You gave a sales presentation and would like to expand your reach to more people
You spoke about an important idea and want the world to hear it
You want to use your presentation to let many people learn more about you

Why #3–to collaborate with colleagues

Do you need to work with others to develop your presentation? Why not post it so everyone can work on it together!

How much better is that than e-mailing back and forth incessantly and losing track of which version is the latest–and who has it!

Why #4–for training or reaching far-flung audiences

I often give presentations via webinar. I also post webinar recordings and short tutorial presentations on my website. In these ways, you can use the Internet to train people who can’t be in the same room as you.

You can put presentations on the Internet in many ways.

How #1–Upload to a slide-sharing site

Slide-sharing sites let you upload presentations for the world to view, although you can also keep them private if you want. The most commonly used slide-sharing sites are:

Check out each one, because their capabilities vary. Some support narration and animation much better than others.

How #2–Post on YouTube

You can convert your presentation to a video and post it on YouTube. YouTube is the #2 search engine and will give you the greatest exposure. The easiest way to convert your presentation to a YouTube-ready format is to convert it to video in PowerPoint 2010.

You’ll want to add narration first, however. Silent films went away a long time ago! You’ll also need to add automatic timing, so that the presentation runs itself. The video will then include both the narration and the timing.

How #3–Embed in a blog or webpage

Once you post your presentation on a slide-sharing site or YouTube, you can get Embed code and use it to post your presentation on your blog or on a webpage.

How #4–Display in a browser

Several sites let you create presentations online or upload presentations you’ve created on your computer. You can then display them in a browser and give people the URL. Examples are Office Web Apps, Google Docs and Zoho. Some that specialize in online creation are SlideRocket and Prezi. Office Web Apps offers Embed code so that you can post your presentation on your website.

How #5–Make available for download

You can just upload the presentation to a web server and give people the URL so they can download the presentation file. Again, make sure that you include the text of what you said in the Notes pane or offer a handout, rather than just the presentation file, for download.

How #6–Share during a webinar

Webinar services let you either upload slides or share your desktop so that people can view your slides and hear you speaking live. Most also record the webinar so that you can post the recording. I use GoToWebinar, but others are Webex and LiveMeeting. A current trend is to include live video. Adobe Connect and Instant Presenter are the most well-known for live video, but you’ll pay more for this feature.

Want more detail about the ways to get your presentations on the Internet? My recommendations for the best tools? My webinar recording on this topic includes that information as well as how to add narration and automatic timing to a presentation. Learn more…

5 new webinars in June! Get high-value training in presentation skills

Ellen — Wed, 25 May 2011 02:42:37 +0000

I invite you to join me for 5 Wednesdays in June, when I’ll do live training webinars on high-interest topics:

June 1: How to Use Animation for High-Impact Communication
June 8: How to Create Clear, Professional Charts and Diagrams
June 15: 19 Steps to Prepare for a Successful Presentation
June 22: How to Get Your Presentation on the Web–and Reach the World
June 29: How to Format Images and Shapes for Stunning, Irresistible Slides

All webinars will start at 11am PT, 12 noon MT, 1pm CT, and 2pm ET. They will last 1-1/2 hours. For other locations, click here for the time.

Webinar structure

I’ve planned an exciting structure that will give you solid training, demos and makeovers, and plenty of time to ask questions and get answers.

1 hour of training
15 minutes of demonstrations and makeovers
15 minutes of Questions & Answers

What you’ll get

The live webinar
A handout with all the instructions
My presentation or another handout (depending on the webinar)
Access to the recording for 1 week

Price structure

$59 per 1-1/2 hour webinar
$78 (an extra $19) for permanent access to the recording–you can download it and own it
$236 for all 5 webinars (7-1/2 hours of training). That’s 5 for the price of 4 and reduces the price to $47.20 per webinar. This was the most popular option the last time I did a webinar series.
$312 for all 5 webinars with permanent access to the recordings. That’s 5 for the price of 4 and reduces the price to $67.20. You’ll get a permanent library of 7-1/2 hours of training.

Read about the upcoming webinar on animation for high-impact communication. From there, you’ll find links to the other webinars.

I look forward to having you join me at the webinars! If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the Comments section.

Update

Here are some comments I’ve received from webinar participants:

“I find these very valuable and filled with information that I never knew.” -J.D.

“I want to tell you that that was the best training session I’ve ever experienced. Thank you! ” – Sherri Mellinkoff

“Ellen, I wanted to email you with some feedback I got just today from a presentation I prepared last week for someone here in my office. I started working with PowerPoint about three months ago and I have your website to thank for getting me started in the right direction. I invested in the latest Webinar series and I actually used a couple of new things I learned in the first one (June 1). This is where accolades put the rubber to the road – my skills are helping to generate money for my firm by making professional and interesting presentations and I’m a big part of that – thanks to you! ‘I have to particularly acknowledge Maril for awesome PowerPoint design under a tight deadline — it was very professional and gave a good impression.’ This was like music to my ears. Thank you, Ellen, for your website, books and all that you provide to help make us better.” -Maril R.

Rick Altman starts off Outstanding Presentations Workshop with a bang!

Ellen — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 17:07:40 +0000

Awesome awesome awesome – Elaine

Just wanted you to know that yesterday’s webinar was to the point, gave me specific methods to improve, was professionally presented and enjoyable. But you already knew all that. Stayed up last night to re-do and greatly improve my Powerpoint presentation for an upcoming New York State Science Olympiad Coaches Workshop. I am now proud of the revised presentation. – Mark

Rick’s presentation yesterday was outstanding, and I very much appreciate your work in facilitating this great series. I’d love for my boss to be able to see it, too. – Jim

Thank you for offering such a great series of webinars on better presentations. If Rick’s is an indication of the quality/caliber then I can’t wait for the next one. – Helene

Many thanks to you and Rick for a terrific, enlightening, and very well presented webinar. I look forward to more. Very helpful, and very engaging. – Marjorie

Need I say more? Find out what people are raving about at www.outstandingpresentationsworkshop.com.

Amazing free webinar series! Outstanding Presentations Workshop

Ellen — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:53:34 +0000

I’m excited to announce an unprecedented opportunity for you to hear top presentation experts present on what they know best: How to create outstanding presentations! Never before have so many famous presenters come together to speak to you, people who present day in and day out.

It’s called “Outstanding Presentations Workshop.” Click the link and complete the simple sign-up form on that page. You’ll need to confirm your registration. It’s 8 free webinars, starting on Wednesday, September 15th and going through Wednesday, November 10th. The time is 1pm PT/4pm ET.

If you’ve been following my posts over the last few years, you know that I’ve been beating the drum for effective presenting. Specifically, I’ve been searching for ways to reach more people. This is it!

I strongly encourage everyone reading this to sign up, if you’re interested in learning what the best presenters and designers in the world are saying. Then, spread the word. I’m sure you know of people who need to hear this message. You might even want to organize a group to watch together each week where you work.

The presenters are:

Rick Altman, Author of Why Most PowerPoint Presentations Suck and organizer of the Presentation Summit (PowerPoint Live) conference
Nancy Duarte, Author of Slide:ology and the upcoming Resonate, designer of the slides in Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth
Olivia Mitchell, Presentation trainer based in Wellington, New Zealand and blogger at Speaking about Presenting
Robert Lane, Author of Relational Presenting and founder of Aspire Communications
Dana Bristol-Smith, Author of Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking and founder of Speak for Success
Jim Endicott, President of Distinction Communication
Scott Schwertly, Author of How to be a Presentation God and CEO of Ethos3
and me!

You won’t want to miss this. Note that GoToWebinar, the webinar service, allows only 1,000 registrants to enter a webinar, and we think we’ll certainly exceed that number. So register now (and be sure to sign in a little early each week).

Here’s the link again: www.outstandingpresentationsworkshop.com.

Buy Microsoft Office 2007 now and get 2010 free later

Ellen — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:48:01 +0000

Amazon.com has an offer to help you upgrade now. You buy Office 2007 now and you can then upgrade to 2010 for free. The reason for this is that 2010 is coming out soon and you would otherwise want to wait.

If you’re using Office 2003, why upgrade now? Using 2007 even for a couple of months will help you get used to the new ribbon interface and learn many of the new tools. If you go from 2003 to 2010, the learning curve will be huge.

Transparency gradients-an update

Ellen — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:40:41 +0000

I’m working on my upcoming webinar, High-Impact Slide Design for Non-Designers, and one technique that I’m covering is transparency gradients. I’m explaining how to use them for a simple bottom bar on a slide and also how to create belly bands. (What, you don’t know what belly bands are?)

I realized that my tip on transparency gradients was never updated for PowerPoint 2007, so I thought I’d make this technique available to everyone. The tip shows different types of examples than the ones I’m using in the webinar, but you can use the technique in many ways.

Because I’m offering a complimentary slide makeover to everyone, I have to limit enrollment to 30. Only 6 places left to fill before Wednesday! Those makeovers will take some time so I can’t do an infinite number! As Barbara Dolan wrote me, ““Personally I think the price is amazingly low for what’s included.”

She’s right, but I think that the price is workable for anyone and that’s been why people have been willing to pay for my training webinars. If you think your slides need some work and would like the bonus free slide makeover, read more about what you’ll learn and get.

New webinar coming up; previous one available as a recording

Ellen — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:14:31 +0000

The next webinar is Slide Design for Non-Designers. I love this topic, because it’s close to my heart—I’m definitely not a designer. Yet I can create stunning slides (or so people tell me).

My story is that my slides used to look awful. After some painful feedback, I read books and studied slides that I thought looked great, noting the techniques and layouts they used. I’ve learned from some of the top designers in the country at the PowerPoint Live conference. This webinar will put everything together for you, giving you techniques that you can put to use right away.

The webinar comes with a crazy bonus. Thinking about it now, I can’t believe I did this. I’m offering a free slide makeover for everyone who submits a slide to me. Where will I find the time? But I decided not to back out on this one.

Everyone who has to design his or her own slides and who isn’t artistically inclined should take this course. How many people like that do you know? Share the news! Here’s the URL: http://www.ellenfinkelstein.com/estore/training_webinar_slide_design_non-designers.html.

Meanwhile the last webinar, “Presenting to Teach & Inform: PowerPoint for Education & Training,” was a great success! The recording is now available.

Recording available for the training webinar: Animation and Video in PowerPoint—Advanced Techniques

Ellen — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:21:36 +0000

If you missed it, we had a great webinar last week on Animation and Video in PowerPoint—Advanced Techniques. It was jam packed with 10 techniques and attendees also got a 14-page handout with detailed instructions and the presentation itself, containing all the techniques!

You can now purchase the recording for $24.95, or buy all 5 webinars for the price of 4 for only $98. If you buy all 5, you’ll get the recording (plus the instructions and presentation) and access to the rest of the training webinars live.

Read more about the webinar. Scroll down to the bottom to find the Buy Now button for the 5 for the price of 4 option.

Write up of training webinar on presenting interactively

Ellen — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:14:00 +0000

Thanks to Vikas Joshi for his write up of my training webinar on presenting interactively. His blog, The World of Interactivity, offers ideas for making Web sites, presentations, and applications more interactive. For example, he has ideas on how to make your site sticky, so that visitors become engaged.