Presentation Software

The software revolution of the 90’s has provided a wonderful tool for lawyers to communicate their ideas to an audience. This tool is generally known as presentation software.

Presentation software has greatly improved since the early days. I remember using GEM Draw and Harvard Graphics in the late 80’s. They did a great job with the features at the time but modern computer power has enabled a plethora of software packages to greatly expand on the capability of these early pioneers.

Among the packages currently on the market are Presentations, PowerPoint, Print Shop Deluxe, and FreeLance Graphics. The intuitive nature of these products allow even inexperienced users to make impressive, professional quality presentations after only a few hours of training. The only real limitation is your own creative ability.

Let us use our six questions to help use analyze whether we should be interested in this type of software.

What is presentation software?

Why do I need it?

Who needs it?

Where should I implement it?

When should I implement it?

How do I implement it?

What is presentation software?

Presentation software creates an electronic version of the old slide shows that were in vogue before video cameras were invented. Of course, the electronic version has a many additional features.

Electronic slides can utilize sound, still pictures, photos, video, or any combination of these. It can also animate these items by adding movement. It allows spreadsheets, charts, and flowcharts to be placed into a slide. Even hyperlinks (those blue words that you see on the World Wide Web) can be imbedded into a presentation.

The electronic slides are shown simultaneously with an oral presentation by the speaker. The speaker will elaborate on the key points depicted on the slides. The idea is that the audience will likely forget much of the content of the oral presentation but will remember many of the key points electronically displayed on the screen.

Do not be afraid to use graphics in place of words in a presentation. As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Anything that you would use as an exhibit can be scanned and embedded into the slide as a graphic. Any sound on a cassette or video on a videotape that you wish to place into evidence can be embedded into a slide as part of an overall presentation.

In fact, one of the best ways to decide what to put into your slide show is to rehearse your presentation using the paper alternatives. If you would display a photo or play a sound, then place it into the slide show in that order. If you would normally write out key points on an easel pad, then place it into the slide show as well.

Generally, a presentation is used to focus the attention of the audience on the key points chosen by the speaker. Consequently, the slides should not contain too much content. Too much content will overload the audience and they will tune out the electronic content leaving only the oral presentation. The beneficial effects of the electronic slides are then lost. A good approach is to create an outline and then use it to create the slides. Less is more when it comes to creating a presentation.

The creation of the slide itself is very simple. There are many background designs from which to choose. These provide professional looking backgrounds without requiring any effort on the part of the user. There are also a number of preset slide layouts which cover most of the basic possibilities. Any or all of these can be further customized or changed at any time. The flexibility to make these types of changes has greatly improved the usability of this type of software.

Another feature is the ability to easily add movement and sound to the text and graphics contained on the slide. There is a number of preset animation choices available. These can be applied on a slide by slide basis or applied to an entire set of slides. If this does not suffice, customized animation is available on a slide by slide basis to provide specialized effects with specific items.

Why do I need it?

It will make you more effective and it will cost you less while doing it.

Who needs this type of software?

Generally, the lawyers need to have it before anyone else. Especially if the main purpose of using it is for litigation. I greatly caution against the typical attorney tendency to let the staff be the expert and only learning “the minimum”. This will eventually lead to an embarrassing and potentially costly (pronounced malpractice) circumstance.

However, the staff can provide great assistance on the intangibles of the presentation (if we will let them) as well as performing the bulk of the work in most of the other uses of the software. Both of the major office suites contain a version of this software, however, be careful when purchasing the Microsoft Office Small Business Edition. It eliminates the PowerPoint presentation software and replaces it with a virtually useless financial module. Request the Microsoft Office Standard or Professional version of the suite instead.

Where should I implement it?

There are many ways and places we can utilize this technology. The courtroom, the office, and even the World Wide Web to name a few. Lets review some of the typical uses for a law office.

Obviously, we can use it for opening and closing statements. Studies have shown that humans respond favorably to audiovisual stimulation as compared to reading text on paper. It enhances retention and understanding in most cases. Consequently, electronic presentations generally have a greater impact on the typical person than paper alternatives. This benefit alone is worth the cost and time involved in using it.

We can also use it to make settlement packages prior to trial. Most of these software packages have a viewer component which makes this very cost effective compared to the paper alternative. This allows you to send a well crafted presentation to an adverse party for their viewing even if they don’t have the software on their system. Not only is this more effective but it also has the added benefit of demonstrating how the same graphics will be presented to a jury. This can provide added incentive for reaching a settlement prior to trial.

And there are still other ways that these programs can work for us.

One of these is to use the software to create advertisements. Although you may not have realized it, many businesses use this type of software to create television commercials. Print ads can also be easily created for newspapers, magazines, or direct mail.

Another use of this software is to create a visual firm brochure that can be displayed on a screen in the waiting area. This gives the client something interesting to do while waiting to see an attorney. This presentation should be fairly long and provide a wide range of information to convince the client that they made, or will make, a good choice in retaining your firm.

This information can then be easily moved to a website when the firm is ready. This allows you to edit the content of the brochure for both locations at the same time.

Another advantage is the reduced cost in preparing exhibits. Blowing up photos, mounting exhibits to backing boards, etc. can add up over time. Other than the one time cost of a scanner, the only cost is the time to create the presentation. Something that has to be done anyway.

Another advantage is that the slide can serve as an outline for the speaker as well as the audience. Occasionally, we can draw a blank during a transition in a presentation. Some use index cards, others write outlines on their palms, some keep an outline at the counsel table or podium. The presentation provides this for us simply by altering the timing of the slide. If you forget the next lead-in, simply click for the next slide and read the next outline topic off of the slide.

As you can see, there are a number of uses for this type of software in the average law firm. Once you begin to use it for the obvious ones, I’ll wager you will find even more ways to make it work for you.

When should I implement it?

First, avoid the impulse to put it into action next week for the big trial you’ve been working on for the last three months. It’s too late. Prepare yourself now for the next big case. This will eliminate much of the time pressure so you can learn the program in a more relaxed atmosphere.

Use it for the first few times when the situation really doesn’t warrant it. This will give you real world practice when a mistake will not cause any harm. Minor glitches can be ironed out and the process perfected before implementation in a pressure situation.

How should I implement it?

Make sure that you have a plan before you attempt it. Obtain concrete answers to the following questions. When is my next trial or intended use of the software? Do I have time to schedule training? Do I have all of the tools I need to use it properly?

Failure to allow time for training is the biggest mistake made by most lawyers. While this is true of many computer programs, it becomes critical when using presentation software at trial.

If the presentation goes smoothly then the benefits are tangible, however, floundering if things go wrong will leave a negative impression that is not easily reversed. Make sure that you understand all aspects of the presentation hardware and software or bring along someone who does.

Failure to test the equipment in the specific context in which it will be used is another typical mistake. Every courtroom, conference room or exhibit hall is different. Ask the presiding authority for permission to setup and test your equipment the evening before use.

Ambient lighting will affect the display. Colors will be brighter and richer on screen than when projected. These procedural details are just as important as all other preparation details. Delegate this one to responsible staff members so the attorney can focus on substantive matters.

Conclusion

We have just reviewed many of the ways that presentation software can be used to assist the law firm. Considering how easy it is to create a snappy presentation, this would seem to make a clear case for using the technology. Unfortunately, many lawyers feel intimidated by computers and shy away from using the software.

While this is understandable in other contexts, you should not allow this to deter you in this case. Even a computer novice can learn how to wring out the majority of the features of this software with three to four hours of professional training. If you learn quickly, this can be done in even less time.

Once you decide to take the plunge, the term ‘intuitive software’ will have new meaning for you. In fact, the only down side to using presentation software is that it will cause you to wonder why the rest of your software programs can’t be as easy to use.