Introduction
Presentations form a way of passing information from one person to the other, from one group to another, and/or from one person to a group. Different groups have so far adopted presentations by fashioning them in a way that would serve their purpose. They have been used in classrooms and lecture halls.
They have come in handy in business forums and meetings as well as in offices. The best presentations that have captured the attention of many people have been computer presentations. In this case, the most common ones include the PowerPoint presentation and the most recent prezi presentation. The question therefore rests in the determination the better of the two modes.
Prezi vs. PowerPoint
David Wicks and Phil Bird have taken the debate on the difference and relationship between prezi and PowerPoint to the next level. They have come out to write about the two ways of making presentations. Their findings are simply a comparison tool for an individual to use in his or her choice of a presentation mode.
According to Wicks, both presentation modes are good to use depending on what the individual presenter wants to present based on his or her choice of format. However, this case does not take away the fact that prezi has come out as the most interesting to use between the two modes. Wicks finds that PowerPoint was the only and main presentation tool for a long time in that many people were so satisfied with it such that they never thought about other software presentations for a long time.
PowerPoint as a presentation tool has enjoyed popularity due to it being the first such computer-based presentation tool. For a long time, it had no rival on this matter. PowerPoint software is under the ownership of the Microsoft computer company, which uses it as part of the Microsoft software operating system. Thus, it is limited to use in Microsoft operating computers only. PowerPoint also operates on the Mac OS versions. Hence, it can be said to be compatible with two of the most popular operating systems.
As Bird finds out, the PowerPoint presentation comes in the form of slides that one has to prepare beforehand. Therefore, slides constitute the main feature of PowerPoint from where an individual is supposed to write and present the story. Once a presentation has been prepared on the PowerPoint system, it will have to be presented the way it is because it cannot allow many changes to be made. Any changes made can only be made on the already made slides.
PowerPoint comes out as a linear presentation, which allows an individual to make presentations by following a certain order on the slides. It therefore calls for one to organize his or her work sequentially for giving it coherence. The slides on a PowerPoint presentation follow a strict order. However, the presenter has control over the speed at which the slides are to appear.
On the other hand, prezi can be described as the latest presentation method on the market. The difference between prezi and PowerPoint is that, whereas PowerPoint is desktop-based, prezi is online-based. Thus, it is possible for one to download and use it with any operating system of choice.
Wicks states that the moment a person who has been using PowerPoint comes across prezi, he or she will tend to like it immediately due to its superiority in features. As an online tool, prezi allows anyone to log in, do his or her work, and then save it for future presentation. The advantage of the online tool is that anyone can work with it anywhere by simply tapping the presentations from the cloud storage.
In the case of PowerPoint, one needs to prepare the slides well in advance and store them on the computer or on a portable device for use on another computer. According to Wicks, prezi has the advantage of zoom-in and zooming out thus allowing presenters to show relationships in the different points that they wish to present. On the contrary, PowerPoint does not have the zoom-in effects that prezi has.
Thus, the presenter has limited options in his or her presentation. In this case, some points being presented on the PowerPoint might escape the audience depending on how the presenter does the presentation. The advantage that prezi has in this case is that it can integrate different features to give out a better understanding of a presentation because it allows the use of still pictures and animations, as well as videos.
Functionality
In making presentations, the choice of presentation software to be used will be dictated by the amount of information the presenter wishes to pass to the audience, as well as the format of data the presenter wishes to put across. Simple presentations will call for simple application software to be used and vice versa.
Considering a scenario that needs a presentation about equipment upgrade, a sophisticated application needs to be used so that the presentation captures all aspects of the changes that are to be expected. Between prezi and PowerPoint, one has to make a choice in accordance with the information he or she wishes to deliver as well as the amount and quality of information he or she the audience to know.
Theoretical information will require the simplest mode of presentation, which in this case will be the PowerPoint presentation while complex and intricate presentations will attract the use of applications such as prezi. At the same time, the applications can be used interchangeably depending on the users’ opinion of what is best. The advantage that comes with the use of prezi and PowerPoint is that they can marry into each other and come out with a presentation mix that brings the best out of the presentation.
In the case of a presentation for an equipment upgrade, the best recommendation would be the marrying of the two and coming up with the best presentation. Portions of a presentation will be made in PowerPoint as well as in prezi, although prezi being the superior application in this case will take the leading role due to the advantages that it has as a succeeding application.
An anticipated equipment upgrade will require diagrams and sketches to be used to indicate how the upgrade will take place and/or what changes will take place at particular instances. The advantages that come with the use of prezi are that prezi allows a more detailed presentation on anything with different effects. This therefore provides a mini demonstration that is able to capture the imagination of the audiences while at the same time convincing them on the point being made.
An equipment upgrade in the first hand will require changes on the plan of the workshop floor in that the layout of the workshop as it is will be shown out. Where the changes need to be done will be pointed out. This goal can be attained by the use of either PowerPoint where only sketchers are needed as a map out for the floor plan, or by the use of prezi where sketches of the machines in three dimensions are being presented.
Prezi stands out as the best application for this presentation because of the many features it has such as video and animation. The two features come in handy for this presentation because the presenter is able to show a video of the machines that are expected to come, the manner they operate as a way of training would-be users, and as a mode of demonstrating why the upgrade is so necessary.
The choice of demonstration software should be informed by the functions to be demonstrated together with the abilities of the software. Wrong choice of software can easily lead to the presentation not meeting its intended purpose because it might fail to capture the important moments of the presentation. The seamless nature that prezi provides when moving from one point to the other can be used in this case to explain the action chain that will be expected.
The use of PowerPoint at this point will not be advisable due to its limited display nature. Prezi allows the user to make the presentation in a continuous form such as a movie. The three dimensions allow the presenter to make an almost real life demonstration. Prezi therefore gives one a virtual tour of the expected changes, which constitute a good way of presenting an expected change. Prezi can be used for training due to its multifaceted nature.
The zoom-in and zoom-out effects that come with it are good enough to explain and demonstrate a point. If the presenter needs to explain a bigger picture, all he or she needs to do is to zoom-out so that the whole picture comes out. With that possibility, they can connect different parts of the presentation in any explanation. The zoom-in effect allows the presenter to point out specific components of the layout of either the machines they are going to bring or the layout of how the workshop is going to appear.
In doing other human resource explanations such as how jobs are going to be affected, the presenter can employ the use of slides because they offer a straightforward explanation that does not need any demonstrations. Thus, PowerPoint slides can be brought in and be incorporated in the prezi presentation. The complexity of the presentation to be made informs the choice of application to be used. In this case, prezi comes out as the more comprehensive application.
Conclusion
The comparison between PowerPoint and the prezi presentations is a debate that can last a very long time. The advantage that prezi developers had over PowerPoint is that prezi was simply an improvement of the PowerPoint presentation in that the developers studied the weaknesses of PowerPoint and then decided to come up with a presentation tool that would beat such weaknesses. PowerPoint had been the choice tool for presentations for a longtime.
However, with the development of prezi, a new window for development of presentation tools has been opened because new developers will now start working on new systems that will be an improvement of the two systems. Overall, the two systems have both their advantages and disadvantages. At the end of the day, an individual user will make a choice on the most appropriate system he or she requires for any work.
Reference List
Bird, P. (2011). Prezi vs. PowerPoint. Web.
Wicks, D. (2011). Prezi vs. PowerPoint. Web.