The art of online presentations has become an increasingly important skill. Remote work is the new normal for many industries. As employees continue to communicate via video call, they must be able to replicate the impact they would achieve in an in-person meeting. The distance imposed by a Zoom or Teams meeting certainly makes this a challenge, but presentation software can help to bridge the gap. If you’re a presentation creator looking for ways to make your next meeting more persuasive, consider the following platforms and features that can amplify your presentation’s professionalism.
What to Look For in Presentation Platforms
When conducting an online presentation, you want to command your audience’s attention and ensure they understand you. A few key features can transform your next video conference and help you achieve these goals.
1. Customization
When everybody logs onto Zoom with the same standard background, it can be easy to feel like you’re lost in the crowd. This is a significant concern if you’re the presenter and you need to stand out from other meeting attendees. Customizing your background is one of the quickest ways to identify yourself and make it easy for other meeting attendees to see you. It also allows you to add a personal touch to your video.
Customization tools are a significant asset for upgrading your Zoom or Teams feed with little effort. Some platforms offer a full suite of tools that users can leverage to customize their background and tailor to the meeting. With these customization tools, you can create a background with text, photos, and even slides you choose, improving your presentation and engaging your audience.
2. Ease of Use
A platform’s overall usability is yet another critical factor that you should take into account when you’re looking for the best online presenter platform. Even if a platform boasts the best options for customization, it’s essentially useless if it’s clunky and difficult to integrate. To gauge the user-friendliness of a platform, you can download it and try out a test run. Assess how smoothly it integrates with your video call app, and see whether it can be used efficiently during a presentation.
If you don’t want to download several new programs to pursue the right one, you can try looking at user reviews instead. Reviews from prior customers can give you a good idea of whether or not a platform is a good fit for the purpose you need it for. Even the top-rated platform might not be ideal, for example, if you’re trying to create an interactive presentation, and it can only edit a Zoom background.
Best Presentation Platforms to Try
The question remains — what are the best presentation platforms to try for aspiring Zoom aficionados? Several PowerPoint alternatives have emerged to offer an online slide presentation platform. The following two selections are the best options on the market.
1. Pizzazz
Pizzazz was introduced with the intent to fix boring presentations, and most users agree that it’s accomplished this goal quite effectively. The platform works by creating a virtual background for video call users and allowing users to present slides in the background. This eliminates the need to choose between sharing your screen and maintaining your camera feed. You can do both and ensure that your audience pays attention.
Pizzazz also comes out on top for both customization and usability.
In addition to choosing the presented slides, users can change the background they appear in front of, creating a customized effect for a presentation. The platform is straightforward to set up, too, as users must upload their slides, integrate the Pizzazz platform, and present confidently.
2. Zoom Virtual Office
The only platform that rivals Pizzazz is the Zoom Virtual Office program. Like Pizzazz, this app optimizes usability and customizability — but unlike Pizzazz, it gives users the ability to transform their virtual surroundings completely. Suppose you’ve ever wanted to appear as though you’re presenting in front of the Eiffel Tower, for example. In that case, Zoom Virtual Office allows you to choose a beautiful background depicting your favorite French destination.
Variety is thus the main strength of the Zoom Virtual Office platform. There are countless backgrounds to choose from, and each one can be further customized to reflect a user’s company by adding a logo or other text. Details like this are a great way to cultivate a professional appearance and connect with your audience more effectively — which is especially important when you’re presenting.
Discover why Zoom, Teams, and Meet users worldwide are investing in new virtual presentation platforms. Download one before your next presentation to enjoy a full suite of customization options.
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