PPT - Powerful Presentation Techniques

PPT - Powerful Presentation Techniques Resource Guide Rev 10 Released

I've updated the PPT - Powerful Presentation Techniques Resource Guide listing to include several new books, blogs, web sites and article links that I've come across or that have been submitted to me.  The Resource Guide is now in its 10th version.  You can download and share the Guide -  Download PPT-PowerfulPresentationTechniquesResourceGuideRev10

If you have additions or changes that should be made to the listing, please send me an e-mail.  

If I can be of any help in assessing your team's current level of presentation or PowerPoint skills or assist you with your training needs, please let me know.

Paul J Gibler. MBA
the Web Chef
ConnectingDots
pgibler@connectingdots.com
(608) 255 4092

Twitter more fully integrated into PPT - Powerful Presentation Techiques

I haven't been posting to this blog as frequently as I like due to spending more time with Twitter.  I've found that Twitter allows me to quickly share articles and resources that I've come across without spending quite as much time writing and researching for a more thoughtful post here on my Typepad blog. 

I've moved the Twitter feed up to a more prominent location on this blog so that you can see some of the topics that I'm covering there.  I've also updated the footer on this blog to allow for you to re-tweet a post that you find interesting.  Typepad has integrated this widget into their footer options making it far easier to have a default footer that allows re-tweeting via Twitter.

I'll be developing a couple more in depth postings to share with you here on PPT over the next couple of weeks.  I'm also busy updating the PPT-Powerful Presentation Techniques Reference Guide eliminating inactive links and adding new resources and links that you might find interesting.

Remember that you can follow me on Twitter:

• thepptchef for PowerPoint and Presentation Skills postings
• thewebchef for e-business, marketing, social media and communications nuggets

Paul J. Gibler

A dramatic reading from one of the books in the PPT Reference Listing

Photo Editing Tools - Alternatives to Photoshop

As presenters, we're often using photographs in our presentations.  There are many free and fee tools to enhance or modify our photographs to better convey our message or engage our audience. 

Read Write Web had an article reviewing 7 free alternatives to the pricey Photoshop.  The tools reviewed include both web and desktop based applications:

1. PhotoFiltre
2. Paint.net
3. Gimp
4. Aviary
5. Splashup
6. flauntR
7. FotoFlexer

Aviary was also recently reviewed in the Richmond BizSense where it was called "Photoshop for kindergarteners".  

I decided to test out FotoFlexer, one of the online tools, with a picture I had taken in New Zealand when  I was there over Christmas last year.  Here's the results of a couple of quick photo edits that I did - the first to convert the image to a cartoon style and the second was done with a neon effect and photo corners.

 

How Twitter is Being Used at Conferences

09_edumedia

Presentation Skills - avoiding talkaholicism

Related to this video are two recent postings on the Examiner.com by Lenn Milbower "True confessions of a talkaholic, part one" and "True confessions of a talkaholic, part two" that define the problem and offer suggestions for the various symptoms associated with talkaholicism.

New Article at IBMadison - Advancing by Retweeting

Are you interested in learning how to use Twitter as part of your social media strategy?

If so, you might find my new blog posting at IBMadison -"Advancing by Retweeting" interesting.  The posting gives you 12 key steps to get going with Twitter.  It also analyzes some of the local, national and international businesses in Madison, Wisconsin that are using Twitter and briefly looks at some of the credit unions around the United States that are using Twitter.

Still confused about Twitter terminology? 

See this very informative post "The Non-Fanatical Guide to Twitter" from Deanna Zandt, that defines a tweet, retweet, #hashtags, followers, following, direct messaging, etc.  For additional resources related to Twitter see Scott Williams' blog posting "105 Twitter Tools".on BigIsTheNewSmall and for ideas on how to use Twitter in business, see Meryl Evans posting "62 Ways to Use Twitter for Business" at Web Worker Daily.

Happy tweeting!

Paul J Gibler, MBA
the Web Chef
@thewebchef

Office 2010 Movie Trailer

Enjoying this blog? You can follow me on Twitter @thewebchef

Are you enjoying this blog?
 
If so, you might be interested in some of my more immediate postings on Twitter.  

I cover a range of presentation, social media, communications, branding and e-marketing topics with new tweets throughout most of the day.

Paul J Gibler
@thewebchef

PPT Abuse, Misuse for Effective Decision Making

The Armed Forces Journal has an opinion piece by T.X. Hammes on how PowerPoint negatively impacts decision making.  In the essay, cleverly titled "Dum Dum Bullets", the author argues that PowerPoint "is actively hostile to thoughtful decision making".  The author argues that before PPT, decision briefings were made with 2 - 3 pages of thoughtful points that could be read, pondered and analyzed.  Post-PPT, briefings are "damaging [due to] the reduction of complex issues to bullet points".  He also argues about how PowerPoint briefing presentations are doomed due to too much information with some slides having "charts with 20 items of information portrayed in complex graphics".

The author does suggest that PowerPoint has utility for information briefings and in briefings where a decision is needed immediately.

What do you think?

Screen Capture Software - Free and Fee

It is often useful for marketers and presenters to show a web page or some other visual representation in their PowerPoint slide show, training manual, white paper, etc.  One tool that helps facilitate this is a screen capture program.  Most of these tools allow you to capture an image; edit, enhance, annotate or modify the image and generate output in multiple formats for your intended use.  

I use Techsmith's SnagIt, but there are also various other software packages and online services that you might consider for this task. 

Among the other tools that are out there are the following:

• Balesio TurboDemo
• Hyperionics HyperSnap
• Inbit FullShot
• MoodySoft SPX Instant Screen Capture
• !Quick Screen Capture
• ScreenToaster
• Solid Capture
• Techsmith SnagIt
• Wisdom ScreenHunter
  

Update
LifeHacker has reviews of two other free Windows compatible screen capturing software packages including PicPick (review) and SiteShoter (review).  Others that have been identified include FastStone Capture, MWSnap and Gadwin PrintScreen.