Relational Presentation methods use structures known as Presentation Networks, which resemble Web sites except they are PowerPoint-based. A presenter can jump around inside the networks at will, in effect transforming PowerPoint into an extension of his or her thoughts. Choices are made continually. In subtle ways, the message is customized to listeners’ contexts. Relational methods give the speaker complete control over what slides come next, creating a dynamic, conversational feel that is impossible with traditional slide shows.

To get a sense of what using Relational Presentation might be like, imagine the following scenario: You are standing before an audience with a perfectly ordinary-looking PowerPoint slide. You know (but your audience has no way of knowing) this is no ordinary slide. It actually connects you to thousands of other slides, all available within two or three clicks—at any time, from anywhere, in any order. For the moment, you advance through your slide show in a normal linear way, all the while aware that a massive visual database is available if needed.

Sometimes, indeed, you dive off into that material, to answer a random audience question or to illustrate a thought that just occurred. Partway into the talk, you realize time is passing more quickly than expected and you decide to secretly skip a few slides. At the same time you remind yourself conclusion slides are always a mere click away, regardless of what slide you happen to be on at the moment.

While showing a graph you decide to drill down into the slide’s hidden detail because an audience member requests clarification. In fact his question indicates you may have underestimated the experience level of this group. So you decide to adjust the focus of your message on-the-fly, including a few optional concepts and examples you might otherwise have skipped. Doing so is not a problem because you allotted time, when planning the original talk, for just such message tailoring.

Finally, at the end of the talk, enough time remains to show a couple of optional slides from your Resources section, an area containing hundreds of on-demand pictures, quotes, video clips, and other supporting materials. With two minutes left you jump to your conclusion slides and end right on time.

The above scene may well have involved 10, 20, or 50 different slide shows, all linked together and mutually accessible. Presenting this way, as one might imagine, is quite different than normal performances —and the results are different too. Visually interactive delivery has positive effects on both listeners and speakers, increasing audience engagement, understanding, and retention of information, while improving presenter confidence and enjoyment. It also is a cost-saving way of organizing and reusing presentation materials. Presentation Networks are composed of modular content that can be accessed again and again, eliminating the remodeling of entire slide shows. Best of all, Relational Presentation is surprisingly easy to master, reliable, and fully expandable without limits.