I just came across AVS Video Converter at Download.com. I am often tasked to convert internal DVD content and have had problems with various tools on the market. The main problem has been audio not synching with video in the converted file. Today I found what seems to be a good solution so far. This program comes from Online Media Technologies and is only $29.95 USD. The trial version did exactly what I needed it to do and I bought it. The only thing I haven’t found yet is the ability to rip a designated time period. That option saves some editing time but I can live without it for the money. I’ll get into it more during the next couple of weeks. Local copyright laws apply for commercial DVD content. I hope it’s the handy all around format converter I’ve been looking for. Check it out.
Posted by Todd Dunn, CTS at 3:55 PM .
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The argument for and against PowerPoint (mostly against) goes on. Many have picked up on thoughts expressed by Edward Tufte in his essay “The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint”. Regardless of where you stand on the debate created by this essay, it is important to understand that Tufte’s essay is opinion… not science. There are no studies that show PowerPoint is “making us stupid”, or that we should not trust presenters who rely on it or that projected visuals should be thrown out in favor of handouts. It is also very popular these days to decry the widespread use of the ubiquitous Bullet Slide. Keep in mind that to date, Presentation Facts has found no empirical evidence that the much maligned Bullet Slide is significantly more or less effective than any other type of visual. (It may or may not be better, or worse than other visuals, we just haven’t reviewed studies yet that clearly answer this question).
We have however found clear evidence that what happens before… and after visuals are created can significantly impact the persuasive effect of a presentation.
Dr. James McCroskey is a Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at West Virginia University. For 25 years (1972-1997) he served as chair of that department. McCroskey has studied attitude change and persuasion for many years. In 1969, he published the results of a study entitled: The Effects of Disorganisation and Nonfluency on Attitude Change and Source Credibility.
This well-designed study demonstrated that the presence of either serious disorganization or extensive nonfluences in a speech was sufficient to significantly reduce the amount of attitude change produced by a speaker. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Robert Befus at 7:25 PM .
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Having coined the phrase “death by PowerPoint”, Dilbert hasn’t been shy regarding his feelings about business presentations. However, as evidenced in this strip from late August, it looks like he found the light and has embraced the use of dynamic, memorable images to support his message.
Posted by Lee Potts at 7:55 PM .
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I’m sorry… but I just couldn’t resist. This has nothing to do with presentations (that I can think of at the moment) but it answers a question I know you have all thought about. What happens if you start digging in your basement (if you have a basement) and just keep diggin until you come out the other side of the world? Where would you end up?
Find the answer right here!
Posted by Robert Befus at 6:27 PM .
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Here’s a link to the article on the PDC web site that shows screenshots of the the new Office User Interface including PowerPoint. On first blush PPT looks like it’s devoured Visio.
Posted by Tom Bunzel at 4:23 PM .
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For some time I have been predicting that the big winner in the next convergence will be the mobile phone.
iTunes for the ROKR is another small example of this process. I think before too long, a lot of content now delivered through other technologies will be delivered predominantly to mobile phones…. including presentations of many kinds.
Previous posts related to this topic here and here.
Note – I am not saying that iTunes for the Motorola ROKR is a great solution – just that it is another example of mobile convergence.
Posted by Robert Befus at 12:57 PM .
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“Technology is a tool…. it’s not your job.”
-Jaron Rothkop , Industrial Designer, Lear Corp.
Posted by Robert Befus at 12:42 PM .
1 Comment »
This past June, Nancy Duarte gave a wonderful talk on presentation design at the ICIA SuperTuesday session in Las Vegas. Those of you who were there might remember that she spent some time talking about grids and how her designers used them in developing presentation visuals.
Here is an interesting 5-part series I ran across today providing some in-depth information on grid systems. Although technically focused on Web development, there are many parts of this discussion presentation designers might find interesting.
Posted by Robert Befus at 9:50 AM .
1 Comment »
Presentation Professionals add value only to the extent that their work enhances the ability of presenters to communicate. Early studies we have looked at demonstrate that visuals can positively influence persuasion. We have also seen that if used improperly, (as in the improper use of transitions), visuals can actually impede a presenter’s ability to communicate. It is important to remember however, that there is probably a fairly limited range of enhancement that visual support can provide to a speaker.
This is a personal opinion, not a fact, and I say it for two reasons. First, as I have poured over many studies in the last few months, the impact seen with visuals, while often statistically significant, is usually only marginally so. I don’t see dramatic and overwhelming improvements by using visuals (contrary to the past claims of many in our industry). Secondly, I know anecdotally from personal experience that some of the most powerful presentations I have heard did not use any visual support at all.
This doesn’t mean that what we do is unimportant… it means that we have to keep in mind that our presentation support materials are only a part, (maybe only a small part), of the very complex process of communication… and that the most important visual of all is the presenter him or herself.
Shelly Chaiken is a Professor of Psychology at New York University. In 1979, while at the University of Toronto, she published a very interesting paper on a study she conducted called “Communicator Physical Attractiveness and Persuasion”. The paper was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Volume 37, Number 8. In this well designed and well conducted research, Chaiken proved that physical attractiveness can significantly enhance communicator persuasiveness. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Robert Befus at 1:11 PM .
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“Condense some daily experience into a glowing symbol, and an audience is electrified.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882)
Posted by Lee Potts at 9:56 PM .
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We make a lot of image-intensive presentations. As these are often produced to be printed at poster size – as well as displayed on-screen – we have to retain a high image resolution in our master copy, often resulting in a file size in excess of 80 megabytes.
Copies are made for on-screen display or for e-mailing to clients by using the image compression/cropping tool in PowerPoint {Format Picture > Compress}. Once done, this operation cannot be undone, so ‘Saving As…’ is critical. But how many times has someone inadvertently saved a low-resolution copy over the master? – too many in my experience!
Enter PowerShrink 2.0, a clever piece of software from Germany that can reduce the size of PowerPoint files dramatically, without losing any onscreen resolution – and you don’t even need PowerPoint installed on your Windows PC to use it. Better still, it automatically saves its compression as a copy of the original, ensuring that your valuable high resolution copy is unchanged.
We ‘ve used it a few times and it seems very effective. You can download a free trial – which allows 20 presentation compressions – from the PowerShrink website.
Posted by Roy Hammans at 7:30 AM .
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I love design… even though, (or maybe because) I am not a designer. I love the design process.
Unlike the view that is often portrayed on TV… (remember the old shows featuring ad agencies like Thirty Something where people sit around shooting hoops with nerf basketballs until they suddenly have the perfect idea)…. true creativity is really a matter of hard work.
I ran across this depiction of the process of designing a CD cover at 2pt3.com. The journey towards a design is often more interesting (or at least as interesting) as the design itself.
Would love to see this same kind of progression and description from presentation designers.
Posted by Robert Befus at 9:51 AM .
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There are two people I know that really use the Notes Page in Power Point (myself & Ms. Mary Waldera)….So I wanted to share the benefits of the Notes Page with our group.
When using the Notes Page, minimize the Slide Area to about 1/2 of what the default is, and increase the Notes Area.
In the Notes Master, make your font size either 16 or 18.
When you are typing in your notes, double space the information….it will be easier to read, similar to a teleprompter.
When you are printing out your notes, print them duplex, Top-Bottom. This way when you turn your pages, you can see what is coming up next.
Take your print outs to KINKO’s or hopefully there is another printing or bindery place that you can go to other than them….but if they are the only ones…then….you have no choice.
INSIST on having the Notes bound at the TOP, not the sides….They will question you and, confirm that they are going to have to trim off the plastic binding or cut the coils.
The logic on this is you will not have to turn the pages from Right to left. And your clothing will not have to shift and cover a mic. Your eye contact with your audience will be easier as well with the notes bound at the top.
Also, if you have other information on the podium with you, your notes are taking up as much room, if you had them bound on the side.
Please share any additional Notes usages…I’d love to hear them.
Posted by Julie Marie Irvin at 3:41 PM .
1 Comment »
