Powerpoint presentations can make or break a sales pitch, and for this reason, many companies devote a decent amount of time to the way their Powerpoint presentations are made. The Microsoft presentation program has become so important to sales presentations that an entire industry has grown up around powerpoint design. Although Powerpoint is not used exclusively by business people, it was rebranded as Microsoft Office PowerPoint to highlight its role within the office suite. The program has come a long way since its beginnings in the 1980s, as this article details.
The first version of what we now know as Powerpoint was created by Dennis Austin and Thomas Rudkin of the company Forethought, Inc. The initial product was called ‘Presenter’, but was renamed to ‘PowerPoint’ in 1987 because of trademark related issues. Microsoft purchased the software for $14 million dollars in the same year. Perhaps the most noteworthy change in the product came with PowerPoint 97. Before then, presentations were always linear, moving from one slide to the next. Powerpoint 97 allowed users to use transitions and effects in a non-linear, film like style without needing any programming skills. Powerpoint 2000 introduced a clipboard that could hold many objects at one time, and relegated Office Assistant, which some users had found more intrusive than useful, to a more minor role.
Powerpoint presentations present a number of advantages over more traditional ways of relaying information. The ease of use of its presentation software can save a great deal of time for those who might have otherwise used other visual aids, such as flipcharts or overhead projectors. Its accessibility may even encourage people to make presentations, or encourage presenters to incorporate visual aids into their work, therefore making the average sales pitch somewhat more interesting for the audience. Still, making the most of this software does depend on proper use, and it is important not to assume that, just by using the program, a presenter can make his address more interesting than it would have been otherwise.
Indeed, careful thought should be given to powerpoint design if sales presentations are to be effective. The technology behind Powerpoint presentations has been continuously developed over the last 20 years to enable users to communicate their message in the clearest and most engaging way possible, so all they need to do is to make sure they understand how to get the best out of the program, and then get presenting!
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