PPT - Powerful Presentation Techniques

Photo Resources - SnapVillage, PictureNation and PhotoShelter

I haven't posted on low cost online photography sources for awhile.  One of the newer ones is SnapVillage, a microstock photography company owned by privately held Corbis.  They allow the "amateur" photographer to upload images, select their selling price from $1 - $50 and go to town.  The site allows you to search by price, recency, snappyness and relevance.  Here's a fact sheet on the site.

Another photo resource that I've come across is PhotoShelter.  They also offer a marketplace, although their pricing is significantly higher than SnapVillage.  On a less costly note you can buy web quality photos at UK-based PictureNation on a subscription or per image basis.

I'll be adding SnapVillage to version 8 of my resource listing for presenters.  If you have other photography or presentation related resources that you feel should be part of this resource listing send them to me.

Note: this is one of my photographs taken at the Bean in Chicago last summer.

UPDATED - PowerPoint & Presentation Resource Listing (REV 7)

I've updated the PPT - Powerful Presentation Techniques Resource Listing to include several new books, web sites and article links that I've come across or have been submitted to me.  The Resource Listing is now in its seventh revision. 
Download PPT-PowerfulPresentationTechniquesResourceGuideRev7.pdf

If you have additions or changes that should be made to the listing, please send me an e-mail. 

If I can be of any help in assessing your team's current level of presentation or PowerPoint skills or assist you with your training needs, please let me know.

Paul Gibler
(608) 255 4092

Book Reviews - presentationzen

Elegant.

That's the word that I'd use for an overall descriptor of Garr Reynolds' new book "presentationzen - Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery".  The book is beautiful with a "zen sensibility", great graphics and lots of good examples of before and after or just plain good presentations.  The book is well organized into 5 major modules:

1. Introduction
2. Preparation
3. Design
4. Delivery
5. the Next Step

From its foreword by Guy Kawasaki, cleverly "written" using PowerPoint slide to its sharing of the top Slideshare show for 2007, he's got a winner in this book for those looking for a clean overview of what makes for creating and delivering good presentations.  If you're looking for a book on techniques to use PowerPoint 2003, 2007 or Keynote you'll need to look elsewhere.  This book is not software specific, a benefit if you're reading it while on the road as a passenger en route to Minneapolis which I did earlier this month. 

I like how he reminds the reader that presentations involve 3 tools - the slides, the speaker notes and the handouts.  While many people think of these as all of the same, he effectively deconstructs the role of each of them in making a presentation effective.

Another comment, I'd make is that while Garr is very big on the use of striking and memorable photography, something I generally agree with, the reality of corporate budgets, presentation topics and the nature of internal presentations often intrudes and makes these visually rich presentations difficult to pull off.   Plus, not every presenter has the technical knowledge or software to manipulate images in the way that the presenters showecased are able to do. 

Garr does direct the reader to iStockphoto, and includes a special offer for readers. 

All in all, I'd rate this book and his blog an A for your reading list and as an addition to your presentation skills library. 

UPDATED - PowerPoint & Presentation Resource Listing (REV 4)

I've developed an updated resource listing (Rev 4) for distribution in my Powerful Presentation Techniques courses and training sessions, that I thought readers might find useful.  It includes links to articles, blogs, web sites and a listing of books that presenters might find worthwhile.

Download PPT-PowerfulPresentationTechniquesResourceGuideRev4.pdf 

Send me links to other articles and resources that you feel should be added to the resource listing and I'll update it for Rev 5.0.

Free Stock Photography Search Engine

Yotophoto is a search engine for "free stock photography".  The search engine allows you to search by keyword or by color.  They reportedly have access to well over a million photographs.  The search engine searches "various sources for free imagery on the web including Flickr, Wikipedia, Stock.Xchng, Morguefile, Pixelperfect Digital and OpenPhoto." 

With regards to terms of use, the site states - "While some of the images are in the Public Domain, most are released under Creative Commons, GNU FDL or similar licenses. These licenses typically have some minor conditions of use (such as requiring that credit be given to the photographer)."  For example, this photograph has a by Creative Commons license.  It was taken by SuperFantastic on Flickr.

Webshots Photo

© SuperStock, Inc.

Sometimes a striking photograph can interject some humor into a presentation. This image from  Webshots caught my fancy due to the repeating patterns that are interrupted by an unexpected and unexplained image of a pair of mannequin legs hanging out the window. 

When I use images in a presentation, I like to select them to tie closely with my message, so while this one struck me as humorous it might be problematic to incorporate into a presentation unless it were relevant or somehow supported a point I was trying to make...   

Telling a story from A to ...

Cimetière Montparnasse
Originally uploaded by Claudecf.

If you are using a story flow for your presentation you might consider using alphabetical symbols in your presentation like this striking A and continue with other images for other letters of the alphabet. This can help organize your presentation in a typical flow while adding some visual impact to your slides.

Looking for just the right picture?

There have been various blog postings recently about where to get free or low cost images for your PowerPoint presentations.  Among a few that I've come across recently are the following:

• Design Education
• Photoshop Tutorial Blog
• Presentation Zen - Where Can You find Good Images
• Projectified: High Resolution Images

As the old saying goes a "picture is worth a thousand words".  Presenters including yours truly, the Web Chef, need to remember this as they develop their presentations.  Take a look at the Stock Photography Resources that I have on the ConnectingDots website.

I'm putting together a resource listing to share with my MBA students at Marquette University this fall. Once the listing is put together I'll be sure to share it with you.I'll be teaching another mini-course called Powerful Presentation Techniques.  This is the 4th year I've done this.  It is always a fun class since most of the students are working and bring in sample presentations for us to review. 

This image is from Shutterstock.