The problem with presenting a PDF in Zoom When you present a PDF report that you or your organization has created, don’t make the mistake I see too many presenters make. Too often they open the PDF in a PDF viewer like Adobe Acrobat and share that portrait sized window in Zoom. Then they start…
Author: Dave Paradi
Dave Paradi has over twenty-two years of experience delivering customized training workshops to help business professionals improve their presentations. He has written ten books and over 600 articles on the topic of effective presentations and his ideas have appeared in publications around the world. His focus is on helping corporate professionals visually communicate the messages in their data so they don't overwhelm and confuse executives. Dave is one of fewer than ten people in North America recognized by Microsoft with the Most Valuable Professional Award for his contributions to the Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams communities. His articles and videos on virtual presenting have been viewed over 4.8 million times and liked over 17,000 times on YouTube.
8 Principles of Effective Data Visuals
In a January 2025 webinar for the Smith Business School at Queens University, I shared an overview of my 8 principles for effective data visuals. This video is my section of the webinar as seen by the participants.
Communicating Effectively with Data (Toronto) (November 3, 4 2025)
Data is becoming more important in business and government decision-making at all levels to inform strategies, improve operations and evaluate results. However, data is often presented poorly leading to delayed or suboptimal decisions. This program goes beyond communication or presentation training to address the use of data to tell a compelling story that supports any…
Sort values and separate above/below target; Automatically updates; Excel Chart Tutorial
If you have to report performance against a target or goal, this video will show you a good way to create a data visual chart that orders the results and separates those below the target and those above the target. The chart and all the text automatically update when the data changes next month, saving…
Hybrid presenting breakthrough! Share slides, see notes & virtual attendees; OREI SplitExtend
As a presenter in the room for a hybrid meeting, you face the challenge of seeing the attendees and your presentation at the same time. Now you have a new option, the OREI SplitExtend display adapter. It allows you to use full PowerPoint Presenter View so you can see your speaking notes and allows you…
Use video beside slides for hybrid presenting
Last week I delivered a 3.5 hour training session to a group remotely using Zoom. I was in my office and they were all in a room at their location watching on a big screen. I tested a delivery method that revealed a lesson for those who deliver presentations in a hybrid meeting. I started…
Communicating Effectively with Data (Toronto) (April 23, 24 2025)
Data is becoming more important in business and government decision-making at all levels to inform strategies, improve operations and evaluate results. However, data is often presented poorly leading to delayed or suboptimal decisions. This program goes beyond communication or presentation training to address the use of data to tell a compelling story that supports any…
Use Symbol Characters in PowerPoint Instead of Shapes for Progress/Rating; Step-by-step tutorial
When you want to show progress or ratings using stars, circles, or other shapes, don’t use the shapes in PowerPoint. Use the characters in the font I show in this video. It is much easier to get everything aligned and it is easy to change color. The information in this video is an example of…
Arrange icons/images and related text neatly on a PowerPoint slide; Step-by-step tutorial
When you want to align icons or images with the descriptive text that goes along with each one, follow the steps in this video to get it done quickly and know that they are all perfectly aligned. The information in this video is an example of the practical advice I share in my live in-person…
Reveal the correct answer for a multiple-choice question in PowerPoint; Step-by-step tutorial
When you ask the audience a multiple-choice question to engage them in discussion, use the technique in this video to reveal the correct answer by covering up the incorrect answers using inking in PowerPoint. This gives you the opportunity to discuss each incorrect answer and deepen the learning for the audience. The information in this…