Presentations are essential, particularly for the business and communication ecosystem. It allows individuals to illustrate their ideas or message in a compelling, engaging, and informative way. You can’t imagine pitching a new startup, selling a business product, or training new employees today without a presentation. Moreover, the quality of your presentation can affect your business or your success.
Knowing the importance of presentations in the modern world, aren’t you curious to know how it has evolved over the years? This post will show you the difference between today’s presentations and what presentations look like in the past.
Presentations today
- Projectors
Almost all business conference rooms have projectors, which they use during meetings and training to present more interactively and engagingly. A projector allows the presenter to project images, animations, and videos and even share the computer screen.
Most projectors are installed on the ceiling to save space and secure the projector. You can click here to see what projector ceiling mount offices use for better image positioning and secure installation. - Displays
There are many display options available for presentations in business settings. Each type comes with unique capabilities that can meet your needs. For instance, a portable monitor is a go-to option for one-on-one meetings. Meanwhile, interactive flat-panel displays are now the standard in huge enterprises.
Presentations before
- Cave paintings
In ancient times, people used cave paintings as a visual tool to share their personal experiences and tell stories. This way, their descendants remembered their stories by looking at the cave walls. It is said that the first art in history is the Neanderthal cave paintings in Ardales, La Pasiega, and Maltravieso caves in Spain. - Stained glass windows of gothic cathedrals
Another ancient presentation style is found in the windows of old Gothic cathedrals. During the middle ages, these cathedrals had grand, colourful stained glass windows with images that presented the life of Jesus and Bible stories. Buddhist temples also have walls painted with their teachings. Each wall or window of these ancient presentations is like presentation slides. - Chalkboards and whiteboards
Education is the initial purpose of presentations. For hundreds of years, teachers have utilized chalkboards as their visual tools. Many generations of teachers either prepare their lessons on the board beforehand or write as they teach. Either way, it still delivers the visual message.
On the other hand, whiteboards are still used in most classrooms worldwide. Many presentation software also has their whiteboard and chalkboard presentation templates. - Paper flip charts
Flip charts are also among the common presentation materials used in classrooms before. You can notice its similarity to how presentation software shows one slide to another. Flip charts are printed visual tools attached using metal fasteners. To present, the presenter will manually flip over each poster to explain its content.
Similar to modern presentations, you can use flip charts repeatedly. For example, school libraries in the past often had flip charts, which teachers could access from time to time.
Conclusion
To summarize, presentations have evolved in the most beneficial way. From cave paintings to slide presentations, people have shown their love to tell stories, share experiences, and illustrate ideas from one person to another.