The difference between a PowerPoint Presentation and Slide Document is subtle. Determining which one you need to use becomes clear after you take a look at a couple of differences between them.
Your Presence Makes All the Difference
A Presentation is often something that is meant to be heard AND seen. The basic purpose of a presentation is to communicate information and media through a series of slides alongside and supplementary to a speaker’s notes. Along with regular text, your slides can contain numerous types of content such as tables, images, drawings, charts, links, word art, videos, audio and even embedded add-ins from Microsoft. All three of the main presentation softwares (PowerPoint, Keynote, Google Slides) come with the ability for the add speakers notes, and have split screen for the audience and the host. A presentation is just that; presented to an audience. Think the classic visualization of the orator standing behind a lectern on stage, showing picture after picture with a few words or points to go with each slide.
Information Made Visual
Slide presentations are wonderful things, but so are the slides. A slide document is similar to a presentation in that both are created using presentation software, where visuals and words unite to illustrate one clear point per page. but there is one main difference: Slide documents are meant to be printed or distributed instead of presented. They are multi-page documents created using presentation software to encompass the entire message without the need to actually be projected to an audience. When printed out, these are long-form versions of their presentation counterparts. The result is a medium that can be read more quickly than a document, saving valuable time on things such as onboarding new employees or getting the information about your product or services out to your clients.
A slide Document might be the choice for you if;
- You have information to convey but you can’t be around to explain it
- You need more to leave the audience something they can read before or receive as a hand-out after the presentation
- You need to break content into more consumable pieces to help people understand the information
- You need to get people up to speed before a meeting so you can use the time together to move forward with business solutions
Slide documents can be a fantastic alternative to slide presentations. When you need to highlight certain points to a heavy text document, consider contacting Wild Slide to help digest that into something more presentable: whether you present it or not. By showcasing your message in an easy-to-digest format, you will be sure to convey your ideas clearly and effectively, without sacrificing the professionalism that you need.
Related: 4 Best Free Resources for Presentation Design
Cheers,
Chelsea