5 Tips to Making a Great Prezi Presentation

Prezi is an online presentation tool that allows for more creativity and layout options than PowerPoint can provide. The key benefit of the software is the ability to present information in a non-linear format. This is great because this is how our brains work when organizing our thoughts, and can lead to some very engaging presentations.
 
In addition to reimagining the way we present, Prezi is also unique in its ability to create, share, and embed presentations online. It is a web-based solution for an always-connected world. With all of the layout tools and animations, it’s easy to go overboard with your first Prezi. Like most good things it’s best to approach it with moderation in mind. Below are five easy tips to get the most out of your Prezi presentation:
 

1. Write down every high level topic you want to cover.

Just because it’s a new way of building and displaying your presentation doesn’t mean you shouldn’t approach it with a game plan. Prezi allows you to build and display a presentation in a non-linear format, but having a basic understanding of what you want to cover is still going to be helpful in the long run. Write it all down, even if it’s just the high level topics you want to address.
 
Don’t worry about organizing it until later; that’s what Prezi is great at, giving you the flexibility to create your hierarchy and tell your story as you build. Starting to build the presentation with a solid outline will be valuable as you continue to add more content, it helps reinforce the purpose of your presentation.
 

2. Map out all of your ideas into a hierarchy.

The visual nature of Prezi allows you to present a multi-level hierarchy of your ideas, and further zoom into these areas as the presentation progresses. With a conceptual hierarchy of your presentation ready to go, you will have an easier time translating it into a visual representation in Prezi.
 
Start at a large scale to give your audience an idea of what your presentation is about. Smaller, more detailed thoughts can be revealed as you zoom into them throughout the presentation. This large overview is the reference point for your audience. It gives them a great opportunity to understand the ‘why’ of your presentation.
 

3. Think about your audience.

As is true with most presentations, it’s all about your audience. Put yourself in their shoes. Does the order of your content make sense? Do you have a solid understanding of the goals of the presentation? Are you boring them by just reading what's on the screen to them? Do you know what’s coming next? Your visual presentation is not a verbatim reading of your verbal presentation, but should compliment it. We have all seen presentations that are just reading what's on the slides, and I think we can agree they are not the most engaging.

By continuing to offer context to your audience you can remind them what the takeaways are, plus they know how much more of the presentation remains. The latter might seem unimportant, but it is very helpful in keeping their focus and not dozing off. Zooming out at various points to reveal the whole picture is a great way to keep them engaged.
 

4. Incorporate multimedia.

One of the major benefits of choosing Prezi over Powerpoint is the much better seamless integration of multimedia content. You can easily embed videos and other items right into the presentation, so you never need to leave your presentation to share an important piece of content again. Simple embedding tools and options are sure to captivate your audience.
 

5. Show restraint.

Not going overboard with all of the multimedia and movement options that Prezi provides is key, as they should never overshadow your actual content and presentation goals. Sometimes too many interactive elements can be overkill, so proceed with caution.
 
Don’t zoom in too much and try to avoid the pull to ‘spin’ your presentation – it can really distract people. (Spinning is a part of Prezi's animations options that allow you to create paths to move between your frames). Animating between frames that are far away from one another in your presentation can kill the momentum. Luckily it’s easy to declutter your Prezi of elements by using invisible frames to direct your movements.
 

Start creating!

There are so many opportunities to create incredible, media rich, and engaging presentations with Prezi. With over 50 million Prezi users, it’s now a real competitor to the boring old Powerpoint presentations we are all accustomed to. Opportunities to tell a great story are endless with this platform, and with simple remote viewing options, it can follow you wherever you go. Take a spin for yourself!  

View this article as a Prezi here and see what all the fuss is about.