Another major difference is that visual information in a relational context often has multiple purposes. A picture might communicate information to the audience on one level, yet have an entirely different meaning or purpose to the presenter, perhaps serving as the basis for a hyperlink to hidden information.

Relational strategies do more than simply transfer knowledge. They encourage interactivity and allow a speaker to tailor messages to specific environments. Back to Top

Once the initial core development is complete, expansion becomes quite efficient because there is no need to rebuild components that already are included in the network. For instance, perhaps you have an important talk coming up in a couple of weeks. Rather than building a 50-slide slide show for that performance alone, you see that 45 of the needed slides already exist as a permanent (reusable) part of your network. So it’s merely a matter of building the five new slides required and adding them to appropriate sections. Back to Top

Is Relational Presentation complicated or difficult to learn? Overall, Relational Presentation techniques are not difficult. They are based on PowerPoint, one of the easiest to use and understandable software applications ever created. At the same time, realize that some aspects of visually interactive strategy can be quite challenging. Most people, for example, find the process of organizing content in a network more perplexing than expected. Probably the most difficult task of all is being willing to set aside old ways of thinking and explore new approaches.

Recognize, too, that the amount of skill required will depend upon whether you intend to be a designer, a presenter, or both. Being a designer is a bit more involved. Designers must master PowerPoint design skills at a deeper level than presenters. Designers may also wish to learn other media production skills. Back to Top

With the Relational Presentation process, does a presenter have to know content really well? This is true. For a live, interactive performance to be smooth and professional, the speaker should feel very comfortable and natural with available content. At the same time, the process of remembering and navigating to potential content is easier than one might think, for two reasons:

Visual Clues in a Presentation Network act as constant reminders of available content, even if no actual presenter notes are used. Every time a switchboard is displayed, its links shout out reminders of where to go next.

The reusable nature of Presentation Networks means a speaker tends to use the same slides over and over again, in different situations and contexts. After awhile, familiarity with content happens naturally. Using main portions of the network often is as easy as simply talking. Back to Top

Can you do this with Web pages instead of PowerPoint? Theoretically, yes. However, if you value your sanity, we recommend sticking with presentation software. PowerPoint is a thousand times easier to use for designing presentation networks.

Keep in mind, also, that PowerPoint is built for presentation—full-screen display of information without needing a browser window. PowerPoint does what it does extremely well. In terms of flexibly presenting information in a live context, it is more versatile and much easier to use than any Web design software. Also remember that if you need to make changes at the last minute and for some reason don’t have access to your normal computer, finding a computer with PowerPoint installed is relatively easy. Few would want the hassle of trying to modify html under such circumstances. Back to Top

Does Relational Presentation work for Web-based presentation? Considering that a majority of Aspire's live training activities occur via the Web, the obvious answer is yes. Using a presentation network for Web-based presentation works exceptionally well and is a wonderful way to carry on virtual conversations or to conduct training. However, the following caveats are noted:

• There are two primary kinds of Web-based presentation platforms—screen sharing-based and non-screen sharing-based. For Relational Presentation to work in a Web environment, you MUST use a screen sharing-based platform. We use and like GoToMeeting.
• Presentations given over the Web, whether relational or not, always should contain optimized graphics (the smallest file size possible that still looks good when presented). Optimizing your graphics also helps you keep the overall size of the network manageable.
• All participants (and, of course, the presenter) must have high-speed Internet for best results—in other words, real-time display.
• As yet, video doesn't project well via Web broadcast. No doubt this issue will be addressed in the near future as technology improves. Back to Top

What does Relational Presentation look like to the audience? What the audience sees during an interactive performance looks similar to a normal linear slide show. Slides appear and disappear as usual. What's different is that the presenter frequently may click navigation components to select content dynamically, as if moving around within a Web site. These navigation components have many different designs and use a variety of strategies for accomplishing their purposes.

Sometimes navigation occurs between slides in a single show. In this case, transitions look exactly like simply scrolling to the next slide. When navigation moves between separate slide shows (which is quite common), there may be a short delay of one or two seconds as PowerPoint opens the other shows. Presenting with a fast computer minimizes this delay. Back to Top

What is a Visual Clue? A Visual Clue is any aspect of presentation network design that helps a presenter orient himself to know where he is in the network or to find information. There are at least nine different categories of Visual Clues. A Visual Clue can be as simple as a text link. For example, a link that says HOME is a very obvious indicator to the presenter to where this link will lead.

One of the most effective and common types of Visual Clues is a thumbnail image that gives a tiny visual preview of available slide content. A realtor might have a switchboard containing small images of featured properties. Clicking the small image opens a slide filled with the same property image, full screen.

We often take a screenshot of slides and downsize that image to make a thumbnail link. By looking at a grouping of such thumbnails, we can choose which slides to show, in any order, before actually navigating. Back to Top

What is a Picture Story? Stories tap deeply into our cultural and psychological roots. They are essential to good communication. They are equally vital to effective presentation. PowerPoint and Relational Presentation concepts can augment the usefulness of stories even more by creating what are known as picture stories.

A picture story is a short (usually 1 to 7 slides) linear slide show that sequentially and VISUALLY tells a story. The slides in these shows normally contain full-screen pictures that progressively show a story while it is being told. These miniature visual stories typically are organized by category in a presentation network, so that a speaker can say something to the effect of, “That reminds me of a project we worked on last year,” or “Let me show you the difference between their process/product and ours.” The idea is to quickly pull up any of these stories during normal interactions, show them (a process that may take 60-90 seconds), and then return to the previous content.

Picture stories often follow simple formulas. A common formula in a sales or proposal context, for example, is, “Here was the situation/problem, here’s what we did about it, and here was the result.” Picture stories are enormously helpful for handling objections. Back to Top