If you are pitching for business or looking for investment, there are other, cooler, tools than PowerPoint to help you land the deal.
PowerPoint is the most popular presentation tool in the world. It’s likely to be the first application that springs to mind when people have a pitch or presentation to put together. However, a small tide is turning against PowerPoint. There are alternatives that are faster, easier to use, more detailed and less boring. If you want your presentation to stand out from the crowd, why not try one of these alternative options.
Prezi
First up is Prezi. Prezi is known as the ‘zooming’ presentation tool. It has a subscription fee, but there is also a free version available. How Prezi differs from PowerPoint is that it effectively lays out your presentation on one big canvas. Rather than having a boring, old-fashioned linear slide you can take your audience on a journey. Audio can be included, and Prezi delivers a somewhat smooth cinematic experience when compared with PowerPoint. If you’re looking for a fresh alternative to PowerPoint, Prezi certainly provides.
Canva
One of the most useful resources ThinkBusiness has come across. If you haven’t checked out Canva yet, you’re missing out. Canva is essentially an online graphic design platform. One of its most exciting features is that anyone can become a graphic designer in minutes, it’s that good. Canva also offers image editing capabilities. There are sophisticated layouts and design elements, and it is incredibly easy to use. The free version is among the most comprehensive we have used.
HaikuDeck
Designed as an app and dubbed the “Instagram” of presentation software, Haiku Deck is a very practical alternative to PowerPoint, especially if creating image slide decks is your priority. Haiku has the added value of storing your presentations in the cloud so you can access them from anywhere. A free alternative to PowerPoint, Haiku Deck, is similar enough to Canva in that even a novice is only a few clicks away from creating a beautiful graphically-appealing presentation. Also, its primary function is an app so you can also create or present on the go.
SlideDog
While not a PowerPoint alternative per se, SlideDog deserves a place on this list for its sheer convenience. If you want to switch between a YouTube video, a web page or a slide deck, SlideDog allows you to integrate all of these seamlessly. The company describes the product as more of a presentation launcher than a regular slide deck. It can take all of your presentations, documents, pictures and videos, put them on a playlist, and the display will appear as a continuous document. If need to combine PowerPoint slides, PDFs and Prezi files in a playlist, SlideDog has you covered.
Emaze
If you’re looking for a presentation to “Emaze” your audience then you’re in the right place. One of the first things you will notice is that the templates are thoughtfully categorised, so it’s a lot easier to get your presentation off the ground. There is a very useful interactive tutorial which will transform you from a novice to a pro in minutes. Effects and 3D templates can be added to your presentations, and they integrate well with graphics and text.
