Anyone who’s ever given the same PowerPoint presentation more than once has probably asked themselves the question: ‘Why couldn’t you just record this presentation once and then put it online so you could send it out to anybody and everybody you wanted to see it?’

Anyone who’s ever had to see a PowerPoint presentation at a day, time, or place that want’ convenient for them has probably asked themselves the question: ‘Why couldn’t they have just recorded this presentation and put it online so I could have seen it whenever or wherever I wanted to see it?’

The Talk-Deck Presentation Publishing Platform provides the answer to both those questions – quickly, easily and inexpensively. Talk-Deck is a cloud-based presentation creation, playback, hosting, and distribution platform that enables anyone to easily and inexpensively create high-quality 2-Screen dynamically interactive presentations for online distribution from just a PowerPoint presentation and a recorded video. Think YouTube and Slideshare combined into one, controlled by precise interactive control.

Here are a few more answers to questions you may have about Talk-Deck. We’ve tried to answer the most frequently asked questions we’ve received but there’s always one more question. If you have that question you don’t see an answer for, email us at support@talk-deck.com and thank you in advance for asking it.

Q: How do I create a Talk-Deck
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All you need to create a Talk-Deck is your existing PowerPoint presentation and a video of your presenter. First, record a video of your next presentation. Second, upload your video and your slides (as a PowerPoint file). Third, using the online assembler, synchronize your video and your slides. Then publish your page to your user page and copy the embed codes provided to embed your presentation on your web site or any website. It’s simple and easy and right now you can try it out for free during our introductory Beta program.

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Q: What Equipment is Required to Shoot a Talk-Deck Video?
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Yes you can hire a videographer for your Talk-Deck presentation. And, if you can afford to, you should.

There are, however, lots of times where just shooting using your phone makes a lot of sense. Here are some links to articles about how to get the best results with that little device you have in your pocket.

The three big takeaways?

#1. Steady. A little tripod for your phone will cost a few dollars on Ebay or $10 at the drugstore. If you don??t have a tripod a stack of books will do the job. The point is the phone camera needs to be steady.

#2. Light. The last thing you want is a murky, yellowed out video. That mean lots of light. Shooting in natural light is ideal but direct sunlight may be too much. Close a blind. If you are using artificial light try to have lots of it. Remember that where there is less light there will be a shadow. Having a three point lighting arrangement with one main light high and two side lights lower will kill most of the shadows.

#3 Audio. Phones have ok microphones. Another few dollars on Ebay or at the drugstore can get you a good mic which plugs right into the phone. Check the levels before you shoot. You need to be able to hear every word.

Here are some great links to improve your phone video:

The equipment required to shoot a Talk-Deck video is minimal: you can do it quite easily using a WebCam, or even a cellphone (just be sure to use a tripod like it says above). All you would need to add is a simple video editing program such as Cyberlink Power Director (Windows), which you can download for $60, to edit the final cut. There are similar programs for Macs if that??s what you use.

However, if you intend to shoot Talk-Decks on a regular basis, we suggest getting a dedicated consumer-level video camera such as the Canon VIXIA HF R72 (US$450/C$535) (The Canon consumer cameras allow you to plug in an external microphone. For some inexplicable reason many other consumer video cameras do not let you do this and its critical if you want to use a separate mic, which you should.)

For a few hundred dollars more you can get yourself:

  • Lavaliere microphone – $50 on Amazon
  • Camera tripod(s) – $15-50
  • PromptSmart iPad app – $10 a very inexpensive but very sophisticated voice controlled Teleprompter system for the iPad. Mount it on a tripod with an IPad tripod adapter ($20)
  • Additional Lighting – the Vixia camera should work well if you’ve got adequate room lighting, but if not you can get additional lighting for $100-200 on Amazon.

For less than $1,000 you’ve got all the equipment to start shooting the videos you need to produce high-quality, 2-screen interactive online Talk-Deck presentations. Then you can start creating and sharing Talk-Deck presentations with anyone and everyone you choose and they can start watching them whenever and wherever they choose.

Q: Why should I make a Talk-Deck?
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Because it can turn your next presentation into an elegant online story teller, a Talk-Deck that can be seen by tens, hundreds, even thousands of people and used for weeks, even months, to tell your story again and again, updating past presentees and informing new ones.

Talk-Deck offers something unique – an online presentation publishing platform that enables anyone to simply, quickly and inexpensively record any presentation on video, then upload it, along with their slides, to create an online Talk-Deck presentation that can then be posted on any website, sent out in an email, or posted to any social media platform.

 

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Q: Talk-Deck looks similar to a Webex, Citrix or other kind of webinar. What's the difference?
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There are no other products/services out there quite like Talk-Deck, though there are many online webinar and presentation services that provide similar or related online presentation capability of some form or another, including YouTube, Slideshare, Webex, Citrix, and many others. However, most webinar services are real-time streaming services, the main function of which is to provide online meeting capability.

Talk-Deck’s intention is not to try to compete in this very big market with its big and powerful competitors. Instead, Talk-Deck intends to create and focus on its own niche market by offering an online presentation publishing platform that will enable anyone to simply, quickly and inexpensively record any presentation on video, then upload it, along with their slides, to create an online Talk-Deck presentation that can then be posted on any website, sent out in an email, or posted to any social media platform.

There are a number of other differences.

  • Webinars usually start out online. The webinar is then recorded and left online. Talk-Decks start as live PowerPoint presentations and then they are put online.
  • Webinars usually have to be arranged, need a number of people to be involved, and as a result, have to be paid for.
  • Talk-Decks feature presenter and presented material in two separate, specially-designed screens, along with precise user-controlled interactivity so viewers always feel in control.

And very importantly, most webinars are high-tech and designed for pure communications. Talk-Decks are elegant, high-touch, and designed to showcase the presenter and the presentation. Talk-Decks look so real, it’s like giving your audience members an interactive ring-side seat to watch your presentation.

Q: Why is Talk-Deck Such a Powerful New Communications Medium?
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The Talk-Deck Presentation Publishing Platform was designed with the goal of replicating the experience of actually being there at the live presentation. Talk-Deck provides anyone who for whatever reason wasn’t or won’t be able to see the live presentation with the opportunity to see that presentations at the most convenient time and location for them, and with interactive control that lets them control the presentation and see any part of the presentation again and again till they understand it to their satisfaction. That’s a very powerful communications tool!

In fact, the precise interactive control component which enables viewers to go backward and forward through a Talk-Deck, to skip portions and replay others that they are interested in, actually means that in some ways watching a Talk-Deck is better than being at the live presentation. Talk-Deck is a brand-new online communication medium that offers any corporate communications professional a powerful and persuasive communications tool.

 

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