Sharing them on the Internet establishes your expertise, shows how you think, spreads your brand and provides yummy link juice. Here are eight ways you can squeeze more out of your hard work in creating your beautiful bullet-free presentation.

1. Record your presentation. With so many digital cameras and technologies readily available for low prices today, it’s easier to record your presentation. Having a video or audio of your presentation will show people what you’re like as a presenter. It could lead to more speaking opportunities or landing a gig.
2. Post the presentation online. Put it in on presentation sharing sites like Slideboom.com and Slideshare.net. For YouTube, you will need to convert your PowerPoint into a video before uploading it. Search the Internet on how to convert PowerPoint to video to get plenty of advice and software suggestions.
3. Blog about the presentation. Not the presentation itself, but the topic. Then you can link to your online presentation slides, video and audio files (if you have them).
4. Provide a script or captions. Go the extra mile to include general notes of what you said or caption your video. It’ll help you reach more people.
5. Tweet your presentation. Include a brief description that applies “what’s in it for me” (WIIFM) thinking. If your presentation talks about how to give better presentations, then tweet something like “Here are 5 tips to ensure your next presentation produces results [add link].” (Just don’t Tweet about your own material too often otherwise people will stop following you.)
6. Write an article. You already have all the content from the work you put into your presentation. Use it to write an article or even a series of articles. Many web sites accept guest writers or bloggers. Make sure you look for the one targeting the audience that would benefit most from your content.
7. Mention your presentation in your profiles. Post a link to the presentation or a short summary on your About page, your LinkedIn profile and everywhere your bio shows up. Again, it represents you and your brand. It may be worth mentioning the event in which you gave your presentation.
8. Turn the presentation into a freebie. A great way to build relationships and your mailing list is to offer the presentation as a download or turn it into a free course. You can break up the presentation into bite-sized emails as a free course. This keeps your name out there in the customers’ minds.

How have you made the most of your presentations?

The book’s approach fits BBP like two well-crafted puzzle pieces meant for each other. Asher’s formula for creating a pitch contains three acts, just like in the BBP approach. Asher introduces and explains five fundamentals to produce an outstanding presentation using a flowy and easy-going writing style.

This is not another book focusing on body language. Instead, he addresses the things so many businesses forget to do when trying to win a contract. For one, they don’t tell clients what’s in it for them, or at least, clearly present a problem-solution. What keeps your clients up at night? If you can answer that in your presentation, you’ll have fulfilled the first fundamental. Plus, Asher gives real-life examples how companies have achieved this.

The next fundamental states that you should focus on three key points. Some presentations make so many points that the audience doesn’t remember one thing. BBP and Asher believe people best remember three points and that’s what businesses need to focus on when creating a presentation.

Asher has never heard one client admit they selected a contractor because he had nice slides. Nonetheless, he offers plenty of good advice in working with PowerPoint the right way.

Passion is the third fundamental. Think of a favorite phrase. Imagine one person delivering it in a monotone and the other with energy. It’s obvious which one will win you over. This part delves a little into the body language and vocal part of presentation giving. At least, it’s only one fundamental and not taking up a quarter of the book. He goes so far to suggest how you should present yourself when seated.

The fourth fundamental is interactivity. If your prospect never asks questions or waits to speak up until the end, then it’s likely you haven’t done the best job possible in pitching. Do you really want to pay someone $100,000 without having in-depth conversations? Asher’s tips help you ensure and encourage interactivity during your presentation.

Finally, the fifth fundamental is to practice, practice, practice even though you may not be trying to get to Carnegie Hall. You may know your business, product, service or whatever very well that you don’t think you need to rehearse. Think again.

Structured presentations work differently than informal conversations with clients and colleagues. Again, Asher comes through with shining ideas and examples on how to make rehearsals work. It’s not about memorizing the material, but about telling your story in a smooth, friendly way. Some businesses give presentations in teams and he has that nicely covered, too.

Blend BBP with How to Win a Pitch and you’re on your way to winning more business than you can handle. That is, if you follow the advice and apply Joey’s ideas as suggested. Presenters, sales and anyone who wants to sell an idea will benefit from How to Win a Pitch.

What Comes in the Package

The Papershow package consists of a dongle (like a USB stick), pen and pad. The pen uses the readily available AAA battery. These don’t add much weight to a briefcase or laptop bag. The set up, however, takes a bit of work on one computer and breezes on another. In plugging the dongle, nothing happens on the computer. It recognizes new hardware, but the built-in application never pops up. Just open Papershow’s dongle files through Windows Explorer like you would a CD or DVD as the next photo shows.

The pen is about the size of a whiteboard marker that’s a little longer. The pad has several pen thickness and color options so you can change them to suit your needs. The pen can transmit from six meters, almost 20 feet, away from the dongle. Papershow saves all work on the 256MB USB, so you can borrow someone’s computer and not worry about leaving any files behind.

Starting Papershow

The other computer knows exactly what to do as the application pops up asking to open the pen so the dongle can find it. Once done, the software is ready to go to work as a white board or a presentation. When Papershow starts up correctly, it’s an easy set up. The next image shows the start up window.

Playing with Papershow

In opening a presentation that I had already converted to Papershow, the application tells me I am not using the right paper (the A4 paper that comes in the kit), but I am. It turns out that I selected the wrong paper in using Paper Show for the first time. I picked A4 paper because that’s the size of the included big tablet. U.S. customers need to pick letterhead despite using the A4 tablet (it works with both). Papershow needs to have these instructions in its Quick Start package otherwise it’s hard to fix the problem.

The kit comes with printer paper for printing your slides before the presentation. You can change ink color, draw perfect squares and circles, move forward and back a slide, change the pen thickness and undo the last move. This part works beautifully and I feel like a kid playing in a sandbox — fun!

A presenter can create an interactive presentation using Papershow. For instance, post a blank slide and use it as an opportunity to ask the audience a question. Pass around the pen and pad for the audience to fill in their answers or walk around the room capturing the answers or creating drawings to emphasize a point. While PowerPoint has a feature that lets you add notes, it keeps you tied to your computer or keyboard. Papershow adds portability fiddling with anything.

The next two images show the notes and how they look on the screen. Ignore the extra notes about brainstorms — that was more experimenting.

You can print an imported PowerPoint presentation on Papershow paper (one or four slides per page) and the slides correspond with their presentation counterpart. If you tap on slide two with the pen, slide two also appears on the computer screen. The following image shows the previous presentation printed and with added notes.

Papershow can export files into PowerPoint, send as an email and create an Adobe PDF formatted file. These features work fine and give you a way to share your work with others.

Final Thoughts

Despite the application’s inconsistent cooperation (I did check the web site for troubleshooting and found no answers); it works great when it plays nice. Canson, the company behind the product, might want to consider adding features to the software that allow users to use the mouse and keyboard to interact with the Papershow document.

Papershow retails for $199.99 and you can find it at Staples. Additional notepads sell for $14.99 and 200 pages of printer paper for $19.99.

Good: Many features on special paper including shapes and lines. No installing software on computer. Bluetooth dongle works well. Printed slides’ interaction with imported PowerPoint slides. Works with most color printers.

Bad: Requires buying paper refills. Can’t use mouse or keyboard. Can’t change paper size on dongle.

If that’s the case, you may want to try Anoto penPresenter, which comes with a digital pen and special paper to help you get started drawing on your presentations.

After you print your slides on the drawing paper, the system allows the presenter to write on the paper slides while your actions appear on the PowerPoint screen as you highlight items, point to a specific part of the page and move forward and back in the presentation without touching the computer or mouse.

The neat thing about this package is that the paper works with its associated slide in PowerPoint. So if you write on page two, the presentation goes to page two, which prevents you from writing information on the wrong slide.

The Anoto software loads a 10-page blank copyboard to use as a whiteboard and adds a new menu in PowerPoint as the next image shows.

The menu sets up the printer to print your slides so you can write on them as you give the presentation — it can do one slide per page or six slides on one page.

In the next image, I used one of the slides from a BBP presentation and sketched the needle indicating the limitations of short-term memory (I’m not an artist as you can see). Not pretty, but effective.

I can see the potential of this product for those who have the right printer. Though the list of compatible printers is short, the company is working on growing the list.

The pad has a private feature that takes your presentation offline so you can make changes without anyone looking over your shoulder. The pen comes with one plastic stylus, which helps if you make  so many changes that you can’t read what’s on the paper. While you can’t see what you’re writing with the stylus, you can view it on the presentation.

Installing the software doesn’t go as smoothly as it could, especially if the computer doesn’t already have Bluetooth. For me, it’s no problem because I am used to dealing with hardware changes and updates. But some people may need to call for help. The one-page instructions clearly explains what to do whether or not you have Bluetooth — a good thing or else users might not think to crack open the manual to go through the specific steps.

A dongle comes with the package to connect with the pen using Bluetooth. It’s about the size of a quarter, which helps mobile presenters using a laptop. They won’t have to remove it since it doesn’t stick out. But do take care if you remove the dongle from the USB port as it’s easy to lose.

Anoto penPresenter, available on Amazon, retails for $299.99. The package includes a digital pen, USB dongle for use with PCs that don’t have built-in Bluetooth, ten A4 copy boards, three ink refills, one plastic stylus and one AAA battery. Though the cost is higher than other similar products, this one lets you print your own slides instead of having to buy paper refills.

Unless you don’t have a compatible printer, Anoto penPresenter gives businesses the tools to do whiteboard work and create interactive meetings or presentations without the expense of an electronic white board, which has zero portability. Since the package can do more than just work with presentations, businesses might find it a worthy investment.

Good: Plays nice with PowerPoint. Print interactive sheets. Highlighting and private features. Small dongle that won’t stick out of laptops.

Bad: Difficult to install when computer doesn’t have Bluetooth. Limited printer compatibility.

The event is called an “un-conference” because it’s completely run by the people who show up on the day of the event - whoever wants to present has 1 minute to make a pitch, and then the group decides on the schedule of the day based on consensus.

People with a wide range of skills are coming from as close as the Hollywood Hills to as far away as New Zealand to collaborate, teach and learn from one another, at the unbelievably low registration fee of only $10 that goes toward facility expenses.

 To learn more about the event, see who’s attending, or to register, visit the PresentationCampLA wiki here.

This 23-page PDF story by Jake Greene and Scott Schwertly looks like a cross between a comic book and Roy Lichtenstein pop art. It tells the story of David, who needs to give a presentation to his team in 13 hours. His presentation has all the hallmarks of a dull one: clip art, transition effects, animated bullets, lots of text on slides.

Jen attempts to straighten out David’s presentation and offers powerful advice. The authors tell the story using the same effects people should give presentations: fast-paced and by telling a story. They add the pop culture to give it pop in the same way that pictures can slam dunk a slide.

The story doesn’t show a presentation getting an overhaul, but shares the thoughts of two people: one tired and disappointed in his presentation and the other who points out everything wrong with it and how to make it better. Slidemagnet has a wealth of information and example presentations that reflect the kind of presentation Deck ‘Em! encourages creating.

Download and view the first four pages to get an idea of what to expect from the ebook. The ebook retails for $4.99. It only takes 30 minutes to read and feel empowered to open PowerPoint and scratch out all the cliché presentation features and create a bold one that shakes people awake.

The free version of his BBP Toolbox is an Add-In for Microsoft Word 2007 that will take care of reformatting your story template so you can manually import it into PowerPoint.

The paid version of the BBP Toolbox is an Add-In for Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 that:

• Imports your unformatted story template from Word
• Applies custom layouts to the new slides according to their location in the story template
• Allows you to scale to time from 45 to 15 to 5 minute versions of your presentation at only the click of a button.

You can take a tour of the BBP Toolbox tools at this website.  Alexis joined me for a member webinar last week to demonstrate the tool - you can view the video here.

If you try out the tool let me know how it goes!

A tennis magazine tells the story of a tennis player who got hurt and couldn’t play for a long time. The tennis player relied on visualization to prevent him from falling behind in his game. He visualized the court, the wind, the weather, the movements, how the movements felt and so on. He put himself in the picture using all of his senses. When he returned to the tennis courts, he picked up right where he left off.

Before you start visualization exercises for your presentations, practice your delivery and know your material. You didn’t write down everything word for word, did you? That increases your chances of relying too much on reading and less on delivery. As soon as you know your material — but not too well — do the following activities to start your visualization process.

• Breathe. Take deep breaths so you don’t feel rushed.
• Think about something relaxing. This ensures you stay calm and focused. It takes your mind off the audience.
• Feel good about yourself. Feelings are contagious. It’s like when you make yourself smile, you’ll feel uplifted and it carries in your voice.

Now it’s time to see yourself in action giving the presentation:

1. Look around the room. If you’ve never been there, you might consider checking it out. Of course, it may not be possible. But you can count on chairs and a presenter’s table. Maybe you can call ahead for a description.
2. Check your equipment. You want to do this upon early arrival to make sure it all works.
3. See the audience. Everyone is in chairs waiting to hear what you have to say. If this bothers you, try looking at the walls behind them, the chairs or the tops of their heads.
4. Walk to the presenter’s area. See yourself getting ready. Pull your notes. Prepare your computer.
5. Prepare posture. Stand straight with a smile on your face. Remember your movements and facial expressions are important. Be lively and not stiff.
6. Give the presentation. Pay attention to gestures, pauses (It’s OK to pause. It adds effect.), jargon-free words, connecting with the audience, changing up where you look, and interacting with visual aids.
7. Finish the speech: End strong. Look around the room again while gesturing the end of the speech (a nod or putting hands together). Smile and tell yourself you did a super job!

Visualize as much as you can about your presentation. If you don’t have enough details, get some. Have someone send you a photo of the room and equipment. Ask about the equipment and microphone.

Have you used visualization for a presentation? How did it go?

There is a website called pocketmod.com which allows you to make and print a very small notebook from a single sheet of A4 (letter-size) paper. You get 8 sections to put different designs on (grid, lines, schedule etc.) and one of the designs is a storyboard layout (within the “Writing Guides” folder).

So I almost exclusively use the storyboard template on all 8 pages. This gives me a small booklet with 8 pages (5 first slides and 3 key  points) each with space for a slide design and a few lines to write on, which I use to design my BBP presentations.

I gave it a try, and it took a few minutes to figure out how to fold it properly, but once I created the booklet it was a great little tool.  Have you tried something like this?  Let us know!

I decided to take a little last-minute trip Saturday to San Francisco to visit the PresentationCamp SF, and was I ever glad I did!

Based on the “foo camp” and “bar camp” style of un-conferences, 100 people registered for the event for $10 per person, gathering in the morning to describe topics they wanted to learn, to offer topics they wanted to teach, and to collaboratively decide on a schedule for the day.

Like PresentationCamps in other cities, the event was completely grassroots and peer-led, with decisions about session topics, length and schedule based on consensus.

The participants represented a wide cross-section of professions and interests, and included such luminaries as Michael Deutch of MindJet, Nat Robinson of SlideRocket, Scott Schwertly of Ethos3, Rick Altman of PowerPoint Live and Ric Bretschneider of Microsoft.

The event took place at the offices of SlideShare in SoMa - CEO Rashmi Sinha and her team were gracious and generous hosts, even offering participants extra-cool t-shirts as mementos of our great time at the camp.

Was all of this top-quality content for free??!  Yes, the entire ethos of the day was one of freely giving of information and empowering one another to present ourselves more effectively - with no strings attached, no obligations and no pressure to buy anything at all.

To get a flavor of the event, read the free flow of participants’ Twitter posts at this link.

I did a little original reporting, photography and commentary throughout the day - you can read my micro blog posts at this Twitter link (I’m @cliffatkinson on Twitter - all photos were taken by iPhone and directly uploaded via Tweetie, an iPhone application).

I was so inspired by the event, I thought we should get a little BarCamp going on down in my ‘hood - Hollywood and Los Angeles- where they know a little something about storytelling with words and pictures.

I’ve put down some preliminary thoughts in a Bar Camp wiki at PresentationCamp LA . The way this works is that you can edit the page, suggest ideas, edit proposals and volunteer for any part of organizing the event - this is very much a hands-on, volunteer, grassroots project - we’ll make it a fantastic success because we all are in it together! I hope you’ll join me in LA….

Twitter tags: #presocampsf  #prescampLA  #bbp