Even as recently as 2018, the future of presentations was being discussed as something yet to happen. Virtual platforms, enhanced audience interaction, and the use of “hi-tech” holograms (to mention one feature) as a way of zapping audiences in almost-cinematic sci-fi style!
Come 2020, we know just how rapidly those changes have come about – and how invaluable they proved in this all-too remarkable year.
In other words, the future is now.
When the pandemic began, everyone hurried to upgrade and upskill, becoming experts overnight in areas that might otherwise have been considered unthinkable or simply unnecessary.
Technology played a big part in all of this new learning. On this blog alone, we offered several posts with insights on how to get the basics right, how to reimagine and rethink presentations online, how not to get intimidated by the unknown.
Now that we’re over that bump, and are in fact fairly coasting along, at ease with the intricacies of online sharing and presenting, what are some of the doubts that remain?
We thought we’d list some of the questions we’ve been asking ourselves:
One: Is technology the be-all and end-all?
We don’t think it is. However much we may seem overly dependent on it, the clincher for those in the business of communicating is still very much about the power of the content, its originality, clarity, and focus. It’s still the human capacity to think, rearrange, and reach out that matters most. Technology, no matter how advanced, needs the creative variable that only human intelligence and imagination can add.
Two: Is the offline world a write-off?
Again, we choose to remain hopeful that the future will bring hybrid solutions that will enable us to bridge the gaps in ways that are still not entirely satisfactorily addressed by virtual platforms. There is a lot of thought being given to the manner in which we can re-convene in the brick-and-mortar world, and we believe that what we have learned during this purely online phase will add new layers of competence and communication possibilities to the offline mode.
Three: Is there room for the real?
Undoubtedly, yes! While VR, augmented reality, 3D modelling and other such advancements bring an incredible amount of tangible experience to presentations and business interactions, nothing can ever replace the real one-on-one connect that is the foundation of all communication. It is our human desire to connect that leads to new inventions that simulate reality – they can never replace it.
On that thoughtful and upbeat note, we leave you for now – with the hope and belief that the future of presentations is as bright, as human, as creative as you choose to make it!