In the present world of technology, there is an emergence of different strategies companies and business people can use to effectively deliver messages. The technology has been with us for some time and is mainly used by business persons to sell their goods as well as advertising to attract clients. The messages are conveyed through media such as live videos and slide presentations. Gone are the days where the messages were presented through written reports. Business people and other organizations are quickly embracing presentation technology to help them create powerful reports or messages for their audience.
A presenter, with the help of computer software, can incorporate images, films, charts, and into his/her presentation. These elements enhance the presenter in driving the point home and help the audience to understand the topic. Since the presentation is usually live, the audience can directly get clarification on the point they have not wholly understood. Preparation of the presentation may be time-consuming, as the presenter has to source the information, create films, charts, and audios to perfection before taking it to the audience. A poorly constructed presentation can be a disaster and your audience may fail to get your message. They are several advantages and disadvantages of presentation technology as discussed below;
With a presentation, you can interact with your audience face to face. Presentation allows you to meet with your current and prospective customers or clients. Face to face interactions helps in building trust and strong the relationship between the business people and their clients. You are also to gauge the reaction of the audience, if they are not happy you can immediately alter your presentation to their like.
With a presentation, it becomes easier to engage your audience. Attractive images will captivate the audience’s mind thus capturing their attention. You can also display your points in a more enhanced way, like using bullet points or summary text to help your audience follow the logic of your presentation. With this kind of engagement, you are sure to get your message across to the audience. With graphs, charts, and films used, you are sure to create a greater impact than a person trying to deliver the same message by a written report or by just talking.
Flexibility is another benefit of presentations as you can easily alter the contents or modify a presentation to suit different audiences. Each group of your audience could have a different taste and understanding as what attracts a audience up may not be so to an old audience. Since the presentation can easily be modified, it makes it more flexible than printed materials, whereby to modify them would be quite expensive. The standard presentation will ensure that different individuals within an organization communicate/relay information in a consistent way/manner.
You can use presentations in a manner of ways, as they are versatile. On one side, you can use them in a meeting with two or three individuals using a laptop or tablet to view the contents and on the, you can use the same presentation in a large meeting where you use a projector and screen. Besides, you can upload the same presentation on the internet for viewers to watch it online or it can also be viewed during web conferences.
Technical problems can ruin or delay your presentation as technology can fail. Your presentation may fail to run, and this may leave your audience bored as you take time to get it up and working.
When using presentation technology such powerpoint, you rely on it too much to point of not focusing on your audience. To explain your point, you are constantly forced to face the projector rather than facing your audience and talking directly to them. This makes the audience feel disconnected from you, as you are not fully engaging them. Also, you may spend your entire time on the computer screen and mouse instead of using your time to walk around the conferencing room as you emphasize your points as well as having eye contact with them.
Presentation technology may lead to distraction on the audience’s side. Including slides with heavy texts in your presentation may divert the audience’s attention from you, as they will concentrate more on reading rather than listening to your message. When presentation technology is not used effectively, it can take the focus away from the speaker and transfer it to the technology itself. Some presenters may lose the audience’s attention, as they may prefer to ask the questions at the end of the presentation. This might not go well as the audience may switch off and forget the intended question by the time you are done with the presentation.
Presentation technologies are not always necessary and sometime they may be harmful rather than useful to the audience. A computer-based presentation with no real substance can lead to a negative impact. Listing key words on slides is not necessary as it leaves the audience confused instead of helping them.
When presenting you be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of presentation techniques regardless of the software used. You must thoroughly understand the scope of the topic you intend to present as well as having the needs of your audience at heart before deciding on the most appropriate method to present their content. A point to note is that each group of individuals has different needs and you must address this before putting together your presentation. One method of presentation may be acceptable to one group of your clients but not to another group. When using images, charts and other illustrations they have to be precise and clear to the audience so that they can to easily understand your message. To take the concept across to the audience, some messages may require only talking, while others will require images to complement it.
