It could be a specific data point on a chart or a number in a table.  I have a laser pointer inside my presentation remote, the Kensington33374 Wireless Presenter with Laser Pointer, and “occasionally” I use the built-in laser pointer.

If you like to use a laser pointer when presenting, you should do it with a bit of care and follow these two tips:

• Make sure you limit the movements to the bare minimum, and turn off the laser pointer after you have indicated the item you want to highlight.  Presenters who insist on circling around and around the items on the screen and move the pointer all over the slide think they are focusing the audience’s attention, but in fact they may cause everyone’s head and eyes to spin and get distracted.  Some speakers even forget they have the laser turned on and move their hand while dangerously pointing the laser beam everywhere.
• If you hand shakes too much,  maybe because you are a bit nervous, it might be better to find an alternative way of highlighting items on the screen, for example by

1. using arrows and different colors directly within the PowerPoint presentation
2. enlarging the font size to increase readability
3. breaking the information into multiple slides or  building a specific slide for each point you want to highlight

The same problems can happen during a webcast, this time it’s not the laser pointer but the mouse pointer.  Try to limit the mouse movements when you are recording or presenting to a live Internet audience.  Here as well too many movements can be very distracting.

Can they also be used in presentations?

Here are my five suggestions for presenters, trainers, teachers and speakers who want to start using their own QR Codes:

1. Insert a QR Code on the last slide of your presentation which includes a link to your contact information (a Vcard) or Linkedin profile
2. Insert a QR Code on a slide with a link to the current presentation on Slideshare or to your profile on Slideshare
3. Insert a QR Code on a slide that links to a special offer or bonus materials only for participants
4. Add value to the course participant handouts by inserting QR Codes with links to specific multimedia resources
5. Insert a QR Code on a slide or handout pointing to a feeback form or participant survey.

QR codes are easy to make and easy to read,  but it’s important that any internet content they point to is appropriate for viewing on a mobile device.

Have you come across any other ways of using QR codes in presentations?

If you don’t have a Smartphone but wish to see what appears on an iPhone when you read the QR Code above,  here is the screen capture of the link to my Linkedin profile:

But what if your computer fails or breaks?

Most presenters also carry a USB flash drive (also called pen drives or USB sticks) with a backup copy of the presentation. An excellent idea. This of course assumes there will be another pc available (with the same operating system as yours)  that can be connected to the projection system.

Should you feel safe with a backup copy of your slides on a USB stick?

I have found that this is not always sufficient.

Carrying your PowerPoint presentation on a memory stick may not be enough to recreate the presentation “system” that you have on your laptop.  Your laptop is configured to correctly show videos of different types (Windows Media, Quicktime, …) , play DVDs, and has a copy of your presentation software that is aligned with your presentation.  Someone else’s pc may not be configured to play the QuickTime videos you want to show, or the DVDs, or may not have PowerPoint installed. Classrooms frequently have old notebook pc’s  connected to the projection system, with older operating systems that may not have the features you have on your pc.

Luckily some programs can be quickly installed.

This is the case with the Apple QuickTime Player and the Microsoft PowerPoint viewer.

But… have you ever considered that the pc you might be using for the emergency may not have administrative rights, and therefore it will not allow software installation? What happens then?  Will you find a technical support person in time to change access rights to the pc and allow you to do this?  Probably not, if it’s an emergency situation. I have seen this happen, so you need to be prepared.

I have recently coached a customer who needed to prepare PowerPoint presentations and who also wished to travel only with a USB flash drive, but be ready for all kinds of emergencies. The solution I developed for him consisted in customizing his USB drive with portable programs. Here are two useful programs that run from your flash drive:

1. VLCPortable

VLC is a well-known media player that comes in a portable version.It supports various audio and video formats (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, XviD, WMV, mp3, ogg, …) as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols.

2. PowerPoint Viewer

Microsoft offers free PowerPoint viewers for versions 2003, 2007 and 2010. The 2010 Microsft PowerPoint Viewer can also view presentations created with previous versions.  Unfortunately though the viewer cannot be installed to a portable drive. It must be installed to a target pc and requires around 270MB of hard disk space.  There is a work-around for this, if you have a version of PowerPoint on your pc (which you should, if it’s your presentation software): use the “Package to CD” command.  The resulting installation also has the advantage of taking much, much less space (approximately 6 MB).

There are many other programs that can be run from flash drives.  PortableApps.com is an open and free platform with many programs designed to be installed on USB memory sticks or other portable memory devices.  It even has a menu system to make them easily accessible. It’s worth taking a look!  A program to unzip files, an antivirus program and a personalized browser could also come in handy.

To avoid other types of technical problems when presenting, take a look at my free checklist: “Eight Secrets for Impeccable Presentations.” No registration is required.

If you have other tips or know of alternative portable software that can be used to survive presentation emergencies, for both Mac or Windows platforms, add a comment below.

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photo credit: amonja

The result was this:

1. the audience automatically disconnected from the presenter to read ahead the text that appeared on the slide
2. the audience read faster than the presenter talked
3. the audience couldn’t wait for the presenter to move on to the next topic.

A better slide would have had the image at full size, the title, and nothing else. This would have allowed the presenter to get the full attention of the public and the slide would have served its purpose as a “visual” aid to enhance the message.

With no speech on the slide, the presenter needs to rehearse  before the event  But communication improves as the eyes of the audience stay on the presenter (unless he watches the screen).

Could you do with a second opinion on the quality of your slide presentation?  Get in touch with me.

A good speaker, a good topic, a large and interested audience, but… the speaker frequently turned to look at the slides projected on the large screen behind him, effectively turning his back on much of the audience.

This was not necessary because:

1. The stage was fitted with a couple of screens on the floor on each side facing the presenter, so he could have easily avoided turning his head away from the audience.
2. He had a presentation remote, so he could have moved freely on the stage.

Next time you are up on stage, remember to keep your eyes on the audience as much as possible. Your presentation will be better.