How Can I ‘Wow’ My Audience with Prezi?
Here’s an email we received recently (edited to remove any private information):
“I am preparing for a presentation for state directors who work with Binational Migrant Students and will be sharing with them some training modules I am preparing along with instructional strategies and a matrix of innovative educational technology. I have the content in place and want to present it in a style that is engaging and lively and energetic and thus my interest in PREZI – any thoughts and ideas would be helpful.”
Prezi is emerging as the go-to tool for people, companies and organisations to differentiate themselves and appear fresh, vibrant and, dare I say it, cool. So what strategies can we use to make an extra special presentation in Prezi? My first response might surprise you when I say: as little as possible!
Trying to cram all of the bells and whistles Prezi offers into one presentation usually makes it worse, not better. It leads to too much panning, flashing, and zooming which makes the audience feel nauseous and completely confused about what they’re seeing.
Think Message First
Always remember why you are creating a presentation in the first place. When complete, your Prezi should complement your main message and not distract from or confuse it! With this in mind, write out the key points you want to pass on in your presentation. In our subscriber’s email, they have the content organised, but in our experience there is almost always more in there than necessary. Trim out what doesn’t directly support or drive your message. For more help with writing your speech click here.
Now Think Layout
You can now consider how you would like your Prezi to look and work. Prezi layouts can get hectic and confusing very quickly. The blank canvas you begin with provides no structure, and although one of the appeals of Prezi is that it allows you to have non-linear, organic designs, you need to impose structure for your layout to work. Here are a few pointers to help you…
- Keep your design simple and uncluttered
- Think visual rather than text
- Decide if you will start ‘in’ and zoom ‘out’ or vice versa – a simple and effective idea is to reveal that the presentation has all been inside a larger relevant image or logo
- Lay out your key points in relevant groupings and limit your zooms and pans to these areas (eg Introduction, Act 1, Act 2, Act 3 and Conclusion)
- Zoom back to your Big Picture/Message between groupings to help your audience to stay engaged
- Animate content (have it appear when you want it to) to control what your audience is concentrating on and add interest
Your planning at this stage will save much time and editing later. For more help with Prezi Design.
‘Wow’ Your Audience with Prezi!
The key to a ‘wow’ Prezi is simplicity; a clear message, supported by a simple, structured and engaging Prezi design. Make use of Prezi’s features, but remember to exercise restraint!
To find out about the various Prezi training course we offer, click here.
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