Prezi is to Presenters What Boxing Gloves Are to Surgeons

Prezi is a presentation tool for amateurs.

It is a tool used to cover for a bad presentation delivery.

It’s the red sports car for the horny 16 year old.

If you haven’t heard of Prezi before here’s the straight dope…

An alternative to PowerPoint, Prezi is a visual storytelling tool which uses panning, zooming in, and zooming out to reveal context or to focus on detail.

If you want to see it in action, check it out here: https://prezi.com

It’s impressive to see Prezi working, but it doesn’t look so impressive once it is paired with a real-life presenter.

When a presenter delivers using Prezi they look instantly uncomfortable.

Even the most natural presenters will become average.

Presenters who can usually hook an audience, and keep their attention all the way through a talk, suddenly go to water.

And here’s why:

The presenter is so focused on getting their timing right, it derails everything else. The simple act of remembering to click a button at the right time destroys what would otherwise be a great presentation.

Here’s an example:

Watch Chris Anderson from TED, an otherwise accomplished presenter, deliver a presentation with the “help” of Prezi. Watch with the sound off and take note of how uncomfortable he looks… hand on hip often, looking back at the screen, checking to ensure the Prezi is advancing as expected.

Bottom line? If you want to deliver a strong presentation, throw the boxing gloves away. You don’t need Prezi.

Use Keynote or PowerPoint, if necessary, otherwise go “stark naked” and just talk.

What do you think? Let’s chat below…