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Sick of PowerPoint? Say What?

I'm going to date myself and say that I've been using PowerPoint since the early 90's. 

 Just like kids are transitioning from the PC to mobile devices with very little effort, I transitioned from transparencies to PowerPoint in much the same manner. 

 It actually became a core competency of mine which is good when you are a management consultant. 

 We are now at a time where information is more pictures than words-- so much so that cloud services are increasing space size and companies catering to the photography generation are going out of business. 

 The irony is that you have to simplify the information as much as possible to get your point across and make your story that much more compelling.

 With this shift comes a whole  set of tools that give you instant gratification and new ways to tell your story outside of the PowerPoint templates of old. I'd recommend getting familiar with, if not immersing yourself in these tools. Otherwise, you'll be the one left holding the transparencies. 

  • Prezi - Probably my favorite. Allows you to zoom in and out. You can embed videos easily. Very easy to pick up, use, and create a solid presentation. 
  • Haiku Deck - Words and picture. Picture and words. Simple to use. There are probably startups that received millions of dollars of funding using Haiku Deck to pitch their stories.
  • Storehouse - Take pictures and video with your phone. Create a a storyboard. Add captions, titles, and text. Not so easy to pick up and use, but I think that once you get the hang of it, you could make a home video in a few quick minutes. 
  • Sway - Microsoft's PowerPoint killer (or compliment). This addresses the demographic under 30 that is probably PowerPoint averse. 

In big corporations, PowerPoint is a necessary evil. Executives and consultants have made a living by keeping the paper industry afloat with presentations measured by the pound. I know that I've made my contribution. 

But consider how your audience consumes information. Consider what you are trying to get across to or out of your audience. Then choose the right weapon. 

You'll find that you have a much larger arsenal than you think. 

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