This is the transcript to our Prezi Vs. PowerPoint video.
I use both PowerPoint and Prezi for the hundreds of presentations I design each year. I often get asked which is the better tool; but they’re such different animals, choosing one over the other doesn’t do either justice.
I liken PowerPoint to a reliable estate car. Their designs are never ground-breaking – they’re practical. Both are reliable, and foolhardy.
If PowerPoint is the reliable estate car, Prezi is the sports car. A sports car makes the journey an experience, rather than just a way to get from a to b. Prezi isn’t designed to simply provide information, but to make presentations exciting and engaging.
But when you’re considering which to use for your next presentation, remember this: they’re both just tools. Whichever you choose, it will only add value to your presentation if it helps you to tell your story, express complex ideas simply, and link your key message to a memorable visual. Both PowerPoint and Prezi can help you to achieve these key aims.
So which should you use? It depends on the circumstances.
PowerPoint is a great tool for telling linear stories. You can use pictures to represent the main elements of your story. Use smart art and graphs to structure your information. And turn your ideas into memorable visuals.
PowerPoint has been designed to meet all of the needs of the average business presenter. And the fact that many dislike it has more to do with overuse and misuse, than any faults of the tool itself.
What is Prezi, and what difference can it make to your presentations?
It’s a whole new take on the concept of visual aids. It lets you shake off your PowerPoint shackles, and think visually, boundlessly, and organically. Instead of slides, Prezi gives you an unlimited canvas on which to lay out your ideas.
It lets you seamlessly integrate videos and animations.
It doesn’t have the same integrated tools for including graphs and flowcharts which we’re used to in PowerPoint. Prezi is more visual than technical.
You can imitate a PowerPoint by exploring ideas as a linear story, with the added ability to show relationships between ideas, and make your whole presentation work together. Or you can transform the way you present ideas. Put images at the heart of your presentation, and be more creative in the way that you use them. Prezi’s 3D feature can make images come alive, and the zoom function lets you smoothly combine text, and images, and break down chunks of information.
In the right hands, moving from rigid slides to a boundless canvas has huge potential. It allows us to explore ideas more naturally, and be more creative in the ways that we share information.
We can even move around the canvas independently, in the middle of a presentation. So you won’t be stuck the next time somebody asks you to refer back to something you showed earlier.
So which should you use – PowerPoint or Prezi? It depends on the presentation.
If you have limited time, or need to display ideas, facts and figures in a simple way, stick with PowerPoint. But if you want something more – an interactive experience or a bit of ‘wow’ factor, it’s worth giving Prezi a try.
Here’s my advice to you: develop skills in both. Then you can assess the purpose, audience and context of each presentation, and choose the tool which will do the job best. Have an estate car for week days, and a sports car for weekends.
Here’s how I can help.
My Prezi for Professionals eBook provides hundreds of tips for creating engaging, persuasive presentations in Prezi. Click the link below this video to find out more.
I provide training and coaching to both individuals and teams from many FSTE 100 companies. To find out how I can help you or your team to present more effectively, or for help designing your next Prezi, get in touch. Send me an email or pick up the phone.
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