PowerPoint and Presenting Stuff

Focus on SlideSix: Sharing Presentations

We just read TechCrunch‘s coverage on SlideSix, a new presentation sharing site that lets you upload and share your PowerPoint presentations and other file formats such as ODP (OpenOffice), PDF, QuickTime MOV, etc.

At first glance, this looks like an interesting site, not too different from other presentation sharing sites like SlideShare, authorSTREAM, and SlideBoom. But SlideSix’s Todd Sharp says there’s a difference. He adds: “Simplicity and identity are keystones of our presentation sharing community. Social networks, more often then not, are utilized by people looking to create a unique web identity. The motivation for the desire to create such an identity varies. Some people use social networks for personal reasons – to keep in touch with friends and relatives or reconnect with others with whom they may have lost touch. Others use them for business reasons – to create an online presence for a company or product. Often, folks use them for a combination of business and personal reasons. SlideSix is a social presentation sharing community that caters to everyone.”

Filed Under: Companion Programs
Tagged as: Online Presentations, PowerPoint

Tuval Software Releases SpeechOver Plus 3.0

Tuval Software announced the new 3.0 release of SpeechOver Plus, a joint offering of Tuval and Acapela Group, producers of premium text-to-speech (TTS) voices.

Here’s a list of the updates, provided by Joel Harband of Tuval Software:

Bundled Premium TTS Voices

In addition to SpeechOver, a software for generating narration in PowerPoint presentations with text-to-speech voices, customers receive a high-quality, natural-sounding text-to-speech voice that is automatically installed for immediate use with SpeechOver. This is a marked improvement over the regular version of SpeechOver, which comes only with the basic quality text-to-speech voices provided free by Microsoft.

Low-Cost Commercial License

The Acapela TTS voices in Speech-Over Plus come with a commercial license that allows you to produce narrated presentations for internal business requirements such as corporate education and training, e-learning, and marketing presentations—and you can put the material on an internal corporate network. For the price, this is an excellent value and can help businesses save costs in these difficult economic times.

Additional Voices and Languages

Acapela Group produces 50 premium TTS voices in 25 languages. Right now, US English and Danish versions of SpeechOver Plus are available, and different language versions are being added all the time. A basic language version includes one TTS voice in that language (for example, the US English version includes Heather), and TTS voices in the same language or in different languages can be purchased and added to the basic version. In fact, any vendor voice can be added as long as it is SAPI-compatible.

More info and free trials can be found on the SpeechOver site.

Filed Under: Add-ins
Tagged as: Add-in, Joel Harband, Narration, PowerPoint, Sounds

Happy Holidays from Indezine

This is to wish happy holidays to all of our subscribers and readers from the team at Indezine—wish you an amazing new year.

Filed Under: Templates
Tagged as: PowerPoint, Templates

People Animation in PowerPoint with Motion Paths

This sample presentation shows you how you can use motion path animations in PowerPoint on ungrouped vector objects to create a very effective introduction or section slide.

Animate people silhouettes using fade and motion path animations.

Filed Under: Microsoft Office
Tagged as: Animation, Motion Path, PowerPoint, Presentation Samples

InfoComm International Annual Presentations Professional Survey 2008

Every year, Lisa Lindgren coordinates with the media for this professional survey on presentations for InfoComm — and this year too, she sent me these details. All participants will receive a free survey report. Make sure you participate.

Are you a Presentation Professional?

Compare yourself with your peers in InfoComm International’s annual Presentation Professional survey. This year it’s shorter, easier, and faster to complete. Whether you’re one of many in a corporate setting or a one-person shop wearing all the hats, see how you compare in the skills you have and the challenges you face.

To thank you for sharing your opinions and experiences, you will receive a free survey report by email.

This survey is completely confidential and anonymous. All data will be consolidated with other participants and will not be available to anyone as individual responses.

To participate, click here.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous
Tagged as: Infocomm, Opinion, PowerPoint, Survey