PowerPoint presentations can be informative and eye-catching, conveying information in a unique and memorable way. Unfortunately, most PowerPoint presentations are also very large files that can cause major sending, storage and bandwidth issues.

PowerPoint compression tools offer a way to more easily distribute large PowerPoint presentations without sacrificing image quality or content. But in how many ways can a compressed PowerPoint presentation be used? Consider that most offices in every industry use the Microsoft Windows operating systems as an integral part of their day-to-day operations. The Windows operating system package includes Microsoft Office, of which PowerPoint is a part. PowerPoint is most commonly used to create presentations which introduce a new product, explain a company’s method or spark a brainstorming session.

Shortly after 1997 when the internet went mainstream, many companies adopted an online presence with the goal of reaching all corners of the world. Learning institutes are a good example, as online courses became the norm. Today, instructors can upload their course overviews, assignments and more to their institute’s web site for eager students to download and browse from the comfort of home.

Healthcare has also benefited from the advent of the internet. A PowerPoint presentation can be emailed and shared with doctors worldwide. Because they are of such small size, compressed PowerPoint presentations can be shared quickly. This can increase the efficiency of diagnoses; improve the clarity of communication, and alert physicians about newly-discovered illnesses or symptoms.

Compressed PowerPoint presentations allow Retail corporations to communicate with offices in distant cities, making the synchronized release of a product seemingly instantaneous. When a new idea for an existing product is discovered, all company teams benefit from the quick downloading of information, whether they receive it on a PC, mobile phone or PDA. Military organizations serving in countries overseas often have internet connections that are slow and/or unreliable.

Compressed PowerPoint presentations can ensure that the information they need, such as maps, vital statistics or a secure location can be transferred quickly and easily. This provides troops with the time they need to locate specific landmarks, learn about their surroundings or safely depart from an area.

Government agencies can also make use of compressed PowerPoint presentations. Building plans, team restructuring, crucial election information – all can be placed in clear, easy-to-read presentations and compressed for the timely transfer of information. Almost every public and commercial sector today can be found using PowerPoint to communicate important information that, 10 years ago had to be delivered by regular mail. Today’s PowerPoint compression technology can save a company time, energy, space and money. How will you use it to your benefit?

When the government wishes to promote a new project or social program to the American people it must be very careful to be able to clearly and concisely explain it. The program must be based or bathed in reality and containing a good portion of common sense. Of course the most important thing is it must be simple and easy to understand so that everyone can get the concept.

There must also be a secondary set of facts and figures for those who wish to check out the program and see if it is doable to help them better rationalize the viability of the project or program. It is not easy to present a new government project to the American people because the American people are inherently suspicious of new government programs, which will cost taxpayers money.

In fact, although most people trust the American government there are a large group of folks who didst trust the government and will immediately called any new program into question because of perceived past launched programs, which were botched. You can not please all the people all the time, but you must help the American people understand what it is that you are trying to do.

Additionally there should be a third set of scientific data and research to back up your program. And it must pass the smell test of common sense for the average citizen, as well as peer reviewed research. Please consider all this in 2006.

Getting house warming presents was not always about getting gifts, and loads of food. It actually started out as different symbolic gestures, to wish the newcomers well.

There are many different kinds of symbolic gifts, and none of them were toaster ovens from what I can recall. No one really knows when it started, just that as the years went on, and the times became more modern, the gifts reached a new level, and lost most of their truth symbolic meaning.

There are 5 main symbolic house warming presents:

- a gift of candles; which means that you will always have a light in your house.
- a coin, or gift of money meant they were wishing you good fortune, and a long and prosperous life.
- wine would mean that you will never have to go without drink of any kind, never to go thirsty.
- bread, or good of some kind, was a subtle way of hoping you never have to go hungry.
- olive oil was a gift of marital bliss; wishing you a long and happy together. Usually, this was reserved for couples, as I am sure it would have been pretty awkward to give to a single man, living alone now don’t you think?

These gifts had meaning at one point in time, however, I think it is lost on most people, and there has been plenty of times where I am sure people would get the same gift over and over again, with no real thought behind it at all.

You do not have to give a gift of any symbolic meaning, however, I would really put some good thought into what you want to get your new neighbor. Get something unique, something that will be remembered, and they might actually want to use.

There is nothing worse than giving a gift that has no feeling behind it. Sure, it’s easy to just go and quickly grab something off the shelve and thrust it into their hands, but I gather, this is not the kind of person you are, is it? So, put more thought into your gift, make it as unique as possible, you will be remembered if you do.

If you are reading this article, you probably already know that video marketing is a great way to drive traffic to your websites, to build relationships with thousands of people almost automatically, and to brand yourself as a valuable leader to potential prospects. The question is how should you structure a video that will best accomplish these goals? While there are many opinions on the elements of an effective video marketing presentation, here are a few things that you definitely want to keep in mind:

• Keep it Short and Sweet: Do not make videos that are longer than 5 minutes long. The goal of the video is to attract prospects, but most people will not sit and watch a long video presentation, so make sure you stay on the topic and get to the point.
• Give KILLER content: Make sure you deliver great information on in your messages, and be enthusiastic in your delivery so that the video is interesting and entertaining. The KEY to giving content is showing that even though what you covered is valuable and useful, every answer leads to more questions. For example, if you make a video about funded proposal marketing, even if you explain exactly what funded proposal marketing entails, there is still the question of how do I set up the necessary elements such as capture pages and auto-responders that will make the funded proposal marketing system work. Leave the viewer with additional questions. That’s a good thing.
• Tell the viewer how to get additional answers: As I said, leaving the viewers with questions is a very good thing. This is because it gives you an opportunity to tell them that they can get additional answers by visiting your website for FREE information. Get it? It is the viewer’s desire to get additional information about a specific business or marketing topic that drives them to your website from your marketing presentation. In this way, you turn these viewers into TARGETED leads for your business, which is obviously very important.

So now you know the basic blueprint to use in order to structure your marketing videos. What are you waiting for? Get started, the more videos that you make and post online, the more traffic and exposure you will gain. Good luck in your marketing, and I wish you much success in your business.

So you’re not a professional speaker. That’s no excuse for NOT giving a professional presentation.

You have a great product or service! You’ve put together an awesome presentation with great content!

You really know your stuff! You’re an expert! None of this matters if you don’t have public speaking skills.

If you don’t speak like a pro, you won’t get the results you want.

1. Introduction Bring a typed introduction and ask your introducer to read it verbatim. This will give you credibility and give the audience a reason to listen to you.

2. Audience Speak in front of an audience that can benefit from your service and can hire you.

3. Opening You only have 30 seconds to grab your audience’s attention otherwise you may lose them forever. Open with a story, a question, a song, etc. that is relative to your speech or at least to the audience.

4. Body Give enough information that they will remember and want more. A common mistake for many is that they give way too much information. Leave your audience feeling good not overwhelmed.

5. Closing A good movie with a bad or disappointing ending will ruin the impact of the movie. Same with your presentation. Be sure to have a strong close in order to have impact on your audience.

6. Stories Tell personal stories in order to make your points. People remember stories more than anything else. 7. Humor Make your audience smile, chuckle, or laugh. When people have fun they remember more and will stay attentive to you.

8. Attention There are many ways to keep your audience’s attention. Many are mentioned in this article. The more attention you have, the more results you will get.

9. Authenticity Be yourself. When you are sincere and show the audience who you really are, you will have more of an impact.

10. Confidence So you’re nervous sometimes. So what. You don’t have to let others know. Act confident and you will appear and feel confident.

11. Preparation The more you’re prepared, the more confidence you will have, and the better job you will do. Know your material!

12. Pausing This is a great attention getter. After saying something that you want your audience to remember, pause, be silent, and give it time to sink in. Pause instead of using ah or um. Pause when you forget what you were going to say next. It’s o.k. to pause and re-collect your thoughts. 13. Vocal Variety Have your voice match what you are saying. Be expressive and show it in your voice.

14. Body Language Have your body match what you are saying. If you are telling a story about someone talking on the phone, use your hand as a fake phone and pretend you are talking into it.

15. Nervous Fidgeting Pacing back and forth, hands in your pockets, and rocking are all distractions. Be aware of your own nervous habits and stop doing them.

16. Eye Contact Look at your audience. Move your eyes from one side of the audience, to the middle to the other side in a smooth motion.

17. Time Stick to your allotted time and be prepared for your time to be cut short.

18. Connect with the audience. Find something that they can relate to you with.

19. Control You are in command of the room. Do not talk over people if others are talking among themselves.

20. Stay on Track If someone asks a question that is not relevant, tell them you will be happy to answer that question after the session. 21. Notes It’s o.k. to use notes. Have them be your handouts, your flipcharts, your power point, etc.

22. Visualization Imagine yourself the way you would like to be perceived when presenting, then act that way.

23. Hand Outs Try to always have hand outs and be sure they have your contact information on them. This way you have given people a way to get in touch with you.

24. Dress Wear something that makes you feel like a million bucks and you will act and appear like a million bucks.

25. Record and/or video tape your presentations. You will learn a great deal from them.

26. Give A Ways If you have a product for sale, give a few away as prizes. This lets the audience know you’ve got stuff without having to give a sales pitch.

27. Listen Get your audience to open up and listen carefully. You may gather valuable information for your next presentation.

Selling a product or a service is the most critical process of a business as it provides the life-blood for business survival. The most profitable businesses have highly trained and effective sales people which are essential for survival in a competitive marketplace. If you are a part of that team, here are few tips to give a good sales presentation.

Learn product/service background: You should learn every detail of your product or service. Learn about the features, benefits, costs and expenses. Find out about the common complaints and objections during sales process. What do the competitors offer and what is your unique selling proposition? Some products are complex and you may not have the knowledge to learn or answers all questions. Nevertheless, you should be able to direct a prospective customer to someone who has the knowledge to answer their queries.

Research Audience: After you learn about the product, do a research on your target audience. This will be much easier if it is a corporate environment because many organizations have their details on the internet. If you are selling to regular end-users, find out their psychological and emotional needs. These details can also be found on the internet; however you should also consider that these needs may change from various factors such as country, city, ethnicity and religious beliefs etc. If your presentation is given to a small group of people with similar interests, you may be able to find information from that niche related associations.

Practice Your Presentation: We all have heard the phrase ‘practice makes perfect’. That phrase has been around for so long because it is true. To give a perfect sales presentation, you must practice really well. Practice your words, tone and volume. Respect the time of your prospects and finish the presentation on time.

More than one great speaker has fallen flat because they didn’t modify their speaking style to match their large audience size. Here are 10 points you should consider when giving talks to large audiences.

Large audience talks take special preparation. You want your entire audience to feel you touched them individually, even with 500 or more present. You might not be able to apply all 10 guidelines but just knowing them will help you prepare.

1. Know Your Audience.

First and foremost, know your audience. What do they expect to hear? What are their special interests? What are the unique or key language terms in their profession? What do they read? Is your message centered on delivering a listener-centered message?

2. KISS.

Don’t complicate the message. Use Power Point, pictures, examples, displays, models. Keep it simple and interesting. Keep the factoids to a MINIMUM. Have a strong opening sentence and a strong closing sentence.

3. Use stories.

Use stories to keep it personal. Use stories they can relate to. If it’s a technical topic, use technical stories. If it’s a social topic, use social stories, etc. Connect by examples and stories they would be used to telling in their field. When you move their heart, you’ll move their head. Quote their guru’s and visionaries.

4. Use a little humor.

Don’t overdo the comedy routine. Entertain and educate. Use humor more as a wakeup call for your audience.

5. Practice.

Know your slides. Don’t read from your notes. Know how to use the equipment you’ll be using in your presentation. I know I am ready when I can give my presentation as well backwards as forward.

6. Use quality pictures or videos in your power point slides.

Don’t skimp on using good pictures. Don’t use cheap icons. Remember that people respond to color, shape, size, and ‘punch’. Punch is the wow factor. Remember to keep your titles large, simple, and clear so everyone can read them.

7. Talk one on one.

Even though it’s a large group you are talking with, still you pick out one person at a time to address as you are talking. As you scan the room you always come back to looking someone in the eye as you speak.

8. Be the SME.

Be the Subject Matter Expert. Show your comprehension by engaging your audience with the topic. I like to walk away from the podium, or not use a podium at all, and stand in the middle of the stage before the group.

9. Be dynamic by being real.

Speak as you would normally speak if you were very interested in the topic. What would your pace be then? How would you gesture then? Don’t be too long on any given slide. How long should you be on a given slide? Try to keep your pace per slide between 10 seconds to 1 minute. If it is going to be longer than that, add another slide. Repeat anything that your audience says so everyone can hear what was said. Questions or statements that are not repeated get lost on some people. Have a microphone for your audience to use if they have questions.

10. Stay around after your talk ends.

When your talk ends, stay around up front by the stage to field further questions and socialize. If you have a product table in the back of the room, invite others come up and say hello, whether or not they purchase a product from you.

Have fun with your talk. You’ll be spectacular by just being yourself; prepared about your topic, happy to be there, enthusiastic to have the chance to share your message.

Feeling some nervousness before giving a speech is natural and healthy. It shows you care about doing well. But too much nervousness can be detrimental.

Here’s information I’ve adapted from Toastmasters (I’ve been a member since the 1990s) on how you can control your nervousness, and make effective, memorable, presentations:

1. Know the room. Be familiar with the place in which.you will speak. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area, and practice using the microphone and any visual aids. This is so very important for making you feel comfortable, and eliminates the terror you’ll feel if they room is totally different from what you had expected and visualized.

More comfortable = less nervous.

2. Know the audience. Greet some of the audience as they arrive. It’s easier to speak to a group of friends than to a group of strangers. You’re just having several one-on-one conversations.

3. Know your material. If you’re not familiar with your material or are uncomfortable with it, your nervousness will increase. Practice, Practice, Practice your speech and revise it if necessary. Knowing your material is half-the battle.

4. Relax. Ease tension by doing warm-up physical exercises. Don’t work up a sweat, just get loose.

5. Visualize yourself giving your speech. Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear, and assured. When you visualize yourself as successful, you will be successful.

6. Combine visualization with Affirmations-short positive statements about your giving the presentation. Mine is “I’m likable, entertaining, and dynamic.” An Affirmation combined with Visualization makes a powerful tool for reinforcing in your mind your ability to give a great presentation.

7. Realize that people want you to succeed. Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating, informative, and entertaining. They don’t want you to fail. Focus on this before and during your presentation.

8. Don’t apologize. If you mention your nervousness or apologize for any problems you think you have with your speech, you may be calling the audience’s attention to something they hadn’t noticed.

9. Concentrate on the message – not the medium. Focus your attention away from your own anxieties and outwardly toward your message and your audience. Focus on the Grand Purpose of your speech, how you’re helping people, making the world a better place, etc. Your nervousness will dissipate.

10. Turn nervousness into positive energy. Harness your nervous energy and transform it into vitality and enthusiasm. Purposeful movement (rather than standing in one place the whole time) can help channel this energy into something productive.

11. Gain experience. Experience builds confidence, which is the key to effective speaking. A Toastmasters club can provide the experience you need. But even if you can’t join Toastmasters, volunteer for every speaking opportunity you can.

There you have it-11 tips that will help you reduce nervousness! If you have questions or comments, let me know.

There have been many books written about Steve Jobs’ skill as a presenter. Jobs is widely acclaimed as the ‘gold standard’ of presenters. And he certainly was outstanding. But the Apple co-founder was only human, and he made mistakes and missed opportunities just like the rest of us. So before you try to make yourself over as the next Steve Jobs there are a few things you should know.

You’re not Steve Jobs. Jobs was a celebrity. He could deliver presentations to thousands of people while dressed in jeans, a black T-shirt, and sneakers. He was only one of a handful of people who could pull that off. Mark Zuckerberg can do it. Richard Branson can do it in a dress. But even Donald Trump wears a suit when speaking to a large group. You probably should, too.

Steve Jobs always had a friendly audience. Whether addressing an audience of Apple employees (friendly), a group of developers and techies at a product launch (friendly), or students at their university commencement (awestruck), Steve Jobs didn’t have to worry about hecklers or skeptics. His audiences were very receptive. You probably won’t be so lucky. Most of your audiences will be skeptical at best and hostile at worst. That’s business.

Steve Jobs made mistakes. While launching the iPhone, Jobs announced that Apple was introducing three products, in this order: a widescreen iPod with touch controls (loud applause), a revolutionary new mobile phone (wild applause), and an internet communicator (huh? – a smattering of subdued applause). Jobs should have mentioned the internet communicator second – always bury the weakest item in the middle. The phone should have been last, so he could have built up the anticipation and emotion to the max. It probably wouldn’t have made much difference because it was Steve Jobs and people were dying to get their hands on that phone, but the response would have been even stronger if he had saved the best for last.

Steve Jobs missed opportunities. One was when he introduced the world’s thinnest notebook computer, the MacBook Air. Jobs, always the showman, took the sleek new product out of an interoffice mail envelope and unveiled to the world it for the first time. The only problem was the image projected behind him was of an interoffice envelope. That made the grand reveal somewhat anticlimactic – people saw it coming. Here’s what he could have done:

Imagine Jobs is about to introduce the MacBook Air. Suddenly, a man in a familiar brown deliveryman’s uniform wanders onto the stage and interrupts him.

Deliveryman: “Excuse me, I’m looking for Steve Jobs….”

Jobs: Looks at audience in disbelief, as if there could be someone on the planet who doesn’t recognize him. Pregnant pause. “I’m Steve Jobs.”

Deliveryman: “OK, I need you to sign right here.”

Jobs: “I’m in the middle of an important presentation, can’t this wait?”

Deliveryman: “No sir, it’s urgent – I have to deliver this right now.”

Jobs: “Sigh. OK.” [signs for the envelope]

Deliveryman: “Thank you. Have a nice day.” [exits stage left]

Jobs: [opens envelope] “Introducing the new MacBook Air.” [super-crazy applause]

This may seem like nitpicking, whether to mention a particular thing second or third on a list, or whether the deliveryman gimmick would be better than just picking up an envelope yourself. But Steve Jobs had a much more forgiving audience than most of us will have. We have a tougher time standing out and getting our message across, so we have to nitpick.

Steve Jobs had a flair for the dramatic, but even he could have done better. So don’t worry if you’re not the best presenter. You can keep learning. You can learn a lot about presenting from Steve Jobs. Including this: There’s always room for improvement.

There are over 1,733,000,000 Internet users around the globe and over 235 million searches done on Google a day. The Internet has become rich pickings for companies wishing to market there products, services or ideas to a global audience. With so many businesses now online, it is a critical decision for the company, to be first found, and second to keep the user on the site long enough to capture there attention and get them to carry out a call to action, whether that be buy a product, sign up for a newsletter, or join a forum.

One of the most influential ways to capture a user, is through video and especially a web presenter. It has been proven that visitors to a website, normally have a very short attention span. Seven seconds to be exact. This means the website owner, has seven seconds to captivate there audience before they leave, or worse leave and purchase from a competitor. By the use of video on a site, the customer is naturally drawn to the image, and will pick up more than 30% more information than if they just read just content on a site.

Web Presenters Capture The Attention

One way to capture the customer is by the use of a walk on web presenter. Walk on web presenters are usually professional actors/actresses or for a special touch some webmaster will take the role of web presenter themselves. Usually all that is needed is for the web presenter to walk on from either the left or right hand of the screen and deliver a short welcome message and brief introduction of the site pointing out the key features.

Web Presenter Video Tour

Another idea is to use video as a marketing tool for a companies products and services. This can be either in the form of a direct advert about the company offering a walk through of the store, interviewing staff members and even the owner of the business or a instructional/how-to-video solving an every day problem, for example changing a car battery. This engages the user without it feeling like there forced into a sale.

This can be seen as a daunting and difficult task for the business owner, but it need not be. A video production company can outline the steps needed to product a successful video, and help with scripting, editing, filming, casting and more. Some will even distribute your video content.