Participant webcams; shared documents; slides Recordings; participant feedback Recordings; participant feedback; assessment scores Unless I’ve missed something important, there seem to be three distinct uses for real-time online commmunications. The following table represents a first attempt at clarifying the discriminating characteristics of these three:  

It is a document camera. A document camera projects live video of what you place in the viewing area below the camera and can be used very effectively during a presentation to do a physical demonstration. Some audiences have become sceptical of recorded demonstrations or photos because they can be digitally altered. So the This week Google introduced it’s Nexus One smartphone and Nancy Duarte commented on the MSNBC reporters who had universally negative comments about the presentation that was done to introduce the phone ( see Nancy’s blog post here ). When you read her

Why not have a run-through and record yourself? Permission to make digital or hard copies of part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page or initial screen of the document. 15 Tips for Webinars: How to Add Impact When You Present Online By Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE July 7, 2009 Whenever you open your mouth, whether youre talking to one person or a thousand, you usually want to get a specific message across.

It stores hundreds of books and documents, so you can load it with some of the inspiring speaking books noted below, plus PDF or Word documents with your own speeches--then adjust the type size for readability, and have the device read your speech aloud so you can hear it as practice. You can make that easier with books like The Quotable Woman: The First 5,000 Years , a volume I've owned versions of since my college days; The Quotable Jewish Woman: Wisdom, Inspiration and Humor from the Mind and Heart ; or Stewart's Quotable African Women . Say It Plain: Live Recordings

look for the best places to ask questions, to record audience reactions on my flip chart, to break into pairs or groups, and to add any games or fun activities. It's a conversation that requires both parties to give it life. I bring my notes to the workshop and refer to them as necessary, using a document stand off to the side. I've heard many speakers say that they create their presentation at the last minute, don't practice, and basically wing it , all because they don't want to lose spontaneity. They're afraid that if they practice, they will sound rehearsed or worse, memorized.

I'll get the ball rolling with my own list of favorite items that you may find useful: An electronic document reader like the Kindle, Amazon's 6-inch wireless reading device , or the Kindle DX, Amazon's 9.7 They'd take up a lot of my hypothetical $1000 budget, but will let you make notes, import documents (like speeches and notes) and carry them all without fluttering any pages. ...what would you buy? I'm not talking about training, but about equipment, books, accessories or other aids to help you practice or perform better as a speaker.

Many even consider slides an official record of what was discussed.  If they do need handouts, providing them with a document after your presentation formatted specifically for reading.  You can put the necessary amount of content on this document and if you hand them out after your presentation, you can avoid competing for attention with your handouts. I’ve discussed this particular sacred cow before , but it bears repeating.  All too often, meeting organizers distribute copies of the slides ahead of time. 

If you need to record thoughts or decisions during a meeting, hyperlink out to a Word document where the group can record their discussion in a document that is agreed to in a group and easily distributed after the meeting. A recent article in the Armed Forces Journal (full article at [link] ) lists many problems with the way PowerPoint is used in the US Armed Forces. They cite issues such as too much text on the slides, too much time spent creating the slides and their position that PowerPoint is not a good decision support tool in briefings.

I thought I'd piggyback on his post to add some of my favorite tools that I've mentioned in the past. Countdown timer Document stand for notes Wireless presentation remote Digital voice recorder Flip Mino camcorder Table top easel pad Markers (I like these scented ones. Andrew Dlugan at Six Minutes posted an excellent list of Christmas gifts for speakers . Make sure to check it out for gift ideas for your favorite speaker -- or for yourself!

I'll be on the lookout for a suitable replacement and report back!) Technology Listen to your presentation after the fact with a digital voice recorder Videotape yourself (and -- why not? -- your audience) with this tiny Flip Mino camcorder Unhitch yourself from the laptop with a wireless presentation remote If you don't want to leave your technology to chance , invest in your own portable Super-Slim Data Projector Visuals Make your audience notes portable when you carry a lightweight table top easel pad Or if you're in the market for a reusable flip chart, try this