Other Presentation Software Options

Alternatives to PowerPoint Presentation Software

Presentation software is a computer software package used to display information, normally in the form of a slide show. The software typically includes three major functions:

• an editor that allows text to be inserted and formatted;
• a method for inserting and manipulating graphic images, and;
• a slide-show system to display the content.

Microsoft PowerPoint dominates the market with 95% of the presentation software market share. However, there are other presentation graphic programs with different features and approaches. Some of the alternatives to PowerPoint include:

Mind Maps You can use mind maps to plan and modify your presentation. Mind Maps break away from the linear format of PowerPoint by using graphic symbols to show connections between different ideas, allowing the presenter to show a top level map and then drill down to show details for different connecting ideas. For presentation slides, you can start with a general, top level map and then create additional slides to drill down to the subtopics. You can summarize the sub points and then go back to the main, top-level mind map to show the connection to the whole.

SlideRocket is an online presentation platform that lets users create, manage, share and measure presentations. SlideRocket is provided via a monthly SaaS model or an annual subscription plan. You can also import your PowerPoint presentations or Google Presenter presentations into SlideRocket.

Users initially sign up for a free 14-day trial then decide which plan to subscribe to. Users can also use a free, basic version of the software. In addition, SlideRocket premiered the presentation resume with a variety of templates for users to promote themselves to different companies.

Prezi is a free application which allows you to create visual presentations by zooming in, out and around your visual workspace.Instead of individual slides, these ZUI's (zoom user interface) are based on one infinite canvas on which all content is presented. This allows for non-linear presentations, richer detail of content, and a better overview of complex visual messages.

Impress is an Openoffice.org tool used to create presentations. Impress can handle both Microsoft's PowerPoint format (ppt) as well as its own open document presentation format (odp).

Google Docs is now a part of Google Drive's "software as a service" office suite. The free service includes it own presentation software that can be exported in open office format as well as Microsoft Office. Google Docs are automatically saved to a Google server, which prevents loss while also offering"anytime, anywhere" access.

Internet based collaboration

Another option with all these different packages is internet based collaboration. Using this method, several people revise content or review the changes as they are made by others.