Presentations in Prezi or PowerPoint — Which one to use?

07–06–2018

Before getting into the battle between Prezi and PowerPoint, and before you choose which one to use for your next presentation, we’re going to explain more clearly the numbers surrounding the world’s two most popular presentation software. Then we’ll analyse the advantages and disadvantages of each of them so we can help you make an informed decision.

PowerPoint doesn’t need much in the way of introduction, but it is important to know that it is a programme created in 1990 by Microsoft that serves to create, edit and display graphic presentations. We were not able to obtain exact numbers on how many persons use PowerPoint today, but we know that this software is installed in over one billion computers all around the world and the BBC tells us that every day over 30 million presentations are being created in PowerPoint. These are impressive numbers.

Then we have the Prezi, also well known, which according to what we find on Wikipedia is a software developed in HTML5 that operates on the cloud and serves to create non-linear presentations.

Now, let’s analyse in greater detail the advantages and disadvantages of each of these programmes.

Advantages of PowerPoint

• Ease of Use — At school we are taught how to work with Microsoft Office tools and PowerPoint is one of them. It’s familiar to us, and therefore, it’s easy to use right from the start.
• Highly Customizable — PowerPoint has an immense number of font types, colours, formats, backgrounds, animations and options for transitioning between slides, which a person can choose when using this programme.
• Links and Incorporations — The software allows the insertion of links to internet pages or to different parts of the presentation itself. It also allows the direct incorporation of videos stored on our computer or on the cloud.
• Tables and graphics — There is a wide variety of tables and graphics, and it is possible to directly link to data we have in Excel, facilitating the automatic updating of numbers.
• Animations — It allows us to make very complex animations that are similar to animations in video, without the need to actually create a video.
• Online Publishing — It allows online publishing in various formats and on various platforms, such as: SlideShare. So, it aids in the sharing of information.

Disadvantages of PowerPoint

• Presentations are very similar — Due to the recurrent use of pre-defined layouts, many times we end up seeing presentations that are almost always alike, with little effort being spent on the preparation of each slide.
• Very large file — If we create a presentation with many slides, and especially if we insert a video, audio and high-quality images, the final result is a very heavy file.
• It’s difficult to use its full potential without specific training — PowerPoint is a very powerful tool that enables making animations and very interesting and appealing effects, but a person without specific training in PowerPoint normally doesn’t know about them and can’t do them on their own, so ends up using only the most basic effects, which greatly detracts from the presentations.
• Paid Software — Yes, we normally tend to ignore this fact, but to use PowerPoint, at some time we had to pay to use Windows Office.

Advantages of Prezi

• Fluid Presentation — Any person, even someone without much knowledge of the platform itself, can build a presentation with dynamic animations in a simple manner. That’s because the animations and sequences are already pre-defined.
• Easy to Share — The presenter can share presentations online with up to 10 persons of his or her choosing, making work as a team or the sharing of information much easier.
• Free of charge — Prezi allows any person to make a presentation without having to purchase any software licence.

Disadvantages of Prezi

• Being free means sharing — Of course, not everything is a bed of roses, and to be able to use the software at no cost, you will have to allow your presentation to be available on the Prezi website (But if you pay, you can always keep your presentation private.)
• Difficult to Update — Prezi is not easy to edit. In other words, when you make the first presentation and then need to change texts, graphics, numbers… these small alterations can become a nightmare on Prezi.
• Limited options — As opposed to PowerPoint, which has an enormous panel of options for backgrounds, shapes, images… Prezi offers a small number of background types which can be used, and each of them already has colours and types of letters assigned to it.
• Dizziness — When presenters exaggerate in using the zoom function, the audience may become more confused than enlightened and even begin to feel nauseous or dizzy.
• Not optimised for printing — Unlike PowerPoint, the Prezi “slides” are not easy to print.
• Must be online — If you want to work on your presentation on the airplane or train without internet, this will not be possible (unless you download the paid version on your computer).

So, which one should we choose?

To be totally honest, there isn’t a right answer. It all depends.

Prezi is the ideal software for someone who wants to give a more dynamic presentation without a lot of content and who does not want to spend a lot of time creating a good PowerPoint. That’s because on Prezi it’s much easier to achieve a dynamic and fluid presentation without professional help.

However, in the corporate world, it is preferable to work in PowerPoint and with the help of a good presentation design agency, if the person is not totally comfortable with the software. We recommend PowerPoint, first, because the potential of this tool is far greater than that of Prezi, in terms of animations, transitions and the inclusion of other elements. Secondly, because PowerPoint enables editing at any time by the presenter, in a simple, quick manner. Thirdly, because you can easily print your presentation to practice or to share with the audience.

In the end, we can create and present an excellent presentation with one software as well as with the other. But it is important to note that it is not the software that makes a presentation good or bad; it’s the structure, the story, and the presenter.

Originally published at slidelab.pt on June 7, 2018.