Business communications continue to evolve, and your ability to adapt may not only make for an effective presentation but may also separate you from the pack in a volatile job climate. Most executives learned early on that a key to their success within their organization was to teach themselves how to communicate succinctly and give effective presentations. Before the internet, executives only had to worry about communicating and presenting in person or occasionally on the phone. Today, however, the medium, the software, and the platforms have evolved due in large part to budget cuts and the integration of internet, voice, video, and data communications infrastructure. The Medium Forward-thinking middle managers and executives alike realize the importance of the medium: face-to-face, telephone, and online video presentations. The reach of even small business is now global, and the idea of flying across the country for a handshake meeting is often cost-prohibitive.
In short, being comfortable and communicating clearly and effectively in an online demonstration is, arguably, more important than one-on-one telephone calls. The Presentation In terms of the software presentations are created in PowerPoint continues to be the ingrained killer app, by a wide margin. However, in “presentationville,” Keynote by Apple, Google Docs Presentations, OpenOffice Impress/Sun StarOffice, ThinkFree Show, and Zoho Show are also in the mix. The Platform Similarly, do not overlook the importance of familiarizing yourself with web presentation platforms such as Webex, LiveMeeting, GoToMeeting, and ConnectNow. These platforms have high adoption rates and your familiarity and level of presentation comfort with at least one of them will soon be as important as your ability to manage your Inbox efficiently.
Lastly, video conferencing is here and much closer to the standard operating procedure than exclusively reserved for the Fortune 500. You can expect the proliferation of video conferencing, in particular, to continue at a swift pace as more companies embrace unified communications models and integrate video with VoIP, instant messaging, email, document collaboration, and even CRM. Preparation and repetition will always be the recipe for effective presentations. The more you embrace new technologies in this pursuit, the better off you and your teams will be. Ultimately, successful presenters recognize the importance of presentations, value listeners’ time, and work hard to communicate effectively no matter the medium, the software, or the platform.