Tech Bytes

When creating a presentation – you must always keep your audience in mind. What can you as the presenter do to keep them engaged and actively learning? When using PowerPoint you have many options to include. Let’s start with video. Video is a simple way to give your audience a break and to present information in a different way. YouTube is an excellent resource for useful free videos. A simple way to include a YouTube video in your presentation is to create a link to that video. You can create a hyperlink in PowerPoint by doing the following: 1)       Go to YouTube and search for a video you would like to use. 2)   Once you have found the video, go to the address bar, right click, and the click copy. 3)       Go to your PowerPoint presentation. 4)       Type in the text you would like your audience to see.   For example, I have found a humorous video about realtor negotiations, so I type in the following text “The Negotiation Process”. 5)    Highlight the text, right click, and then c

As stated in the previous blog it is important to know why you are creating a PowerPoint presentation. Once you have decided the point of the presentation, who your audience will be, and if it is a live presentation or not, you are ready to begin creating the storyboard. Storyboards are graphic organizers that allow you the opportunity to layout your presentation visually. For example, for each slide you would decide what information you need and ideas for chunking the material. The planning stage allows you an opportunity to think through the process. There are many different ways to create a storyboard. You could hand draw and write a storyboard, you could use Word and create an outline, or you could use a template (there are many online). I have created my storyboard using PowerPoint which works well for my creative process. In PowerPoint you have the option of using the Notes Pane at the bottom of the screen. This pane is useful for storing ideas and information you would like to s

Planning Stage We have all had to sit through the boring PowerPoint presentations with too many charts, silly pictures, and text that goes on forever. But what if I told you there is a better way. PowerPoint is a powerful multimedia tool that is beneficial, even to those with mad technology skills However, before we can make the most of PowerPoint, we have to know what and why we are creating a presentation. So, let’s begin with the planning stage. You must ask yourself the following questions: 1.       What is the goal, the point? a.        If you don’t know where you are going, how will you know when you get there? b.       If you don’t know what your goal is, how can you expect your audience to know? c.        Your goal should be specific, not vague. For example:                                                               i.       Vague – to share information.                                                             ii.       Specific – to share year end revenue gains and ways