Prezi vs. Powerpoint Module 3 SLP Analysis

PREZI vs. POWERPOINT Module 3 SLP Analysis by Comparison and Contrast of PowerPoint vs. Prezi Prezi vs. PowerPoint: Anticipated equipment upgrade The presentation software Prezi is one of the most popular up-and-coming alternatives to PowerPoint. Unlike PowerPoint, it deploys a non-linear format. Prezi allows the presenter to 'zoom in' on various features of the presentation. " Sometimes known as the zooming presentation tool…it's the best tool for those who need to constantly jump from one part of their presentation to another" (Glickman 2010).

With Prezi, the different components of the presentation are displayed at the same time, and the presenter can jump from one section to another with great ease. When giving a presentation on an anticipated equipment upgrade, for example, the presenter could very easily start with the section on how the upgrade would affect employees and then, prompted by a question, skip to a section which explained in more detail why the new equipment was being adopted.

Prezi is useful for general, informative presentations in which different issues may arise at different times during a back-in-forth discussion. Given that the intended purpose of the presentation is to prepare individuals for what they will experience and to give them knowledge about how to change their work habits in relation to the new equipment, the interactivity facilitated by Prezi would be extremely useful. It should be noted that "some have complained that Prezi gave them some motion sickness" (Glickman 2010).

Also, many presenters find the familiarity of PowerPoint easier, given the ready accessibility of speaker's notes and its more straightforward format. "PowerPoint is much easier to use," said one user, "It is much easier to organize yourself with PowerPoint, a trait which I prefer when presenting. When I used Prezi, it was hard to organize my notes when I was presenting" (Brown 2013). There is no doubt: Prezi places more responsibility on the shoulders of the presenter.

However, given the need to engage people with visually interesting material, combined with the greater interactivity of Prezi, the ease of PowerPoint in this instance should be sacrificed for the visual acuity of Prezi. "Prezi allows for slight animations that seem sleeker and subtler transitions from point to point in a presentation" (Brown 2013). To appeal to members of the millennial generation, there are also enhanced abilities to use Internet-based sources and to easily create more visually-oriented presentations.

"It also has features where you can search for an image straight from the Internet to use on your presentation and Prezi tells you whether it's Fair Use or not. Video integration is also extremely easy. PowerPoint, while effective, doesn't provide the creativity that Prezi does, and it just seems old fashioned to me at this point" (Brown 2013).

While the security of easily-readable PowerPoint notes might be difficult to forego, given that the information in the presentation may be less-than-stimulating it is essential to find ways to grab the attention of listeners. A PowerPoint presentation on the subject might be factually correct.