An Escape from Death by Powerpoint OR More of the Same?

We've all had that feeling- the drain of the brain cell caused by Powerpoint after Powerpoint presentation used in education or the workplace.  So, the new (er) kid on the block, Prezi is apparently a serious contender for the relief of the yawning, switching off, fidgeting in the seat symptomology of Powerpoint overdose.....

So, lets look at it in more detail.  I'll be blogging about Powerpoint as part of the Microsoft package later so I'm not going to tell you lots about that (lets face it, you probably already know- yawn!)  But to put my cards on the table, I'm a Powerpoint fan so Prezi is going to have to work pretty hard for me to take the plunge and change my existing presentation security blanket.  Prezi is seen as the grander version of Powerpoint, although the interface is completely different.  For starters, it is a flash based program which begins as one blank canvas, as opposed to several blank slides.  Prezi works in a non- linear fashion, and therefore allows for the presentation of information in a non-linear fashion, ideal for those who like to jump around a presentation, as opposed to presenting sequential slides (although you can hyperlink Powerpoint slides- read the other blog if that is something that interests you).  This style of presentation may also be more appealing to the audience, as it comes across as somewhat less predictable, and, considering the way in which you present can often be more important than the information than you're actually presenting, this may give Prezi a distinct edge. There is no doubt that the zoom function is impressive, it means that the information can be displayed in a unique and creative way.  When you wish to speak about a particular topic, you simply zoom in to the part of the canvas containing that information.  The smooth transition between each zoom area means that the sometimes awkward fumbling through slides is a thing of the past- even if you aren't zooming in on the right area, it looks like you know what you're doing and it's so quick, the audience doesn't have a chance to doubt you......

Prezi is also very portable, being a free (yes, free) web-based program, you don't have the hassle of carrying around a flash drive or being anchored to a particular computer, Prezi is good to go from any computer (providing its connected to the internet) making for an ease of delivery and eliminates the dreaded moment when you realise that your Powerpoint hasn't saved to the stick (we have all been there).  In this way, you save time as the necessity to email your presentation to yourself, your friends, your neighbour's cat and everyone you have ever met as a back up before a big presentation is no longer, well, a necessity.  Indeed, because Prezi is web-based, the presentation can be easily embedded into blogs and webpages.  If you like to make your presentation particularly visual (something we teachers like to do in order to accommodate our students' learning styles) then images can be easily inserted into Prezi at any angle you wish- horizontal, vertical, slightly off kilter, depending upon your preference.    The design options offered by Prezi are also particularly refreshing, with the ability to present information as though it is in a magazine or newspaper article, something which may come in particularly handy on a Monday afternoon when your audience has had lunch and just wants to sleep it off.

So far so good.  But what are some of the negatives of Prezi?  Well, surprise surprise, there are some. The interface is so different from what we are used to it can be a little overwhelming when we initially try to put together a presentation.  If you're pushed for time, starting a Prezi presentation from scratch with no experience of it is probably not a good idea.  From an audience perspective, there have been some rumblings of individuals becoming dizzy or having headaches due to the zooming in and out (see, everything has a downside) and unlike Powerpoint, you can't print out copies of the presentation for the audience to take with them.  This I see as a distinct disadvantage where I teach, I like to put my Powerpoint slides on Moodle in advance of the lecture so students may print them out and write notes on them.  In this way, they don't feel the need to write everything down but may rather focus upon what is being said (or at least I hope this is the case!).  I personally felt that Prezi didn't look quite as professional as Powerpoint and felt the functionality was a bit gimmicky, but then I don't tend to like change so have a look for yourself.

Taking all of this in to account, the only conclusion to draw really is that the presentation software you use is down to your own personal preference.  For my part, despite my reservations, I will be using Prezi in the coming semester if for nothing other than some relief of the boring tedium of Powerpoint probably felt by my students.  I think that over time, we may be best using a combination of presentation software to keep the audience interested.  On balance, Prezi is, to an extent an escape from death by Powerpoint but only because it is novel.  Should we adopt the use of Prezi completely, we will eventually have the same complaints.  In this way, the responsibility comes back to the presenter to choose the presentation software appropriate to their audience.

Have a look for yourself by clicking this link to Prezi........