Mississauga, Ontario May 25, 2008 -- Businesses all over North America are cutting back on both auto and air travel due to soaring prices at the pump and surcharges being levied by airlines. But the need to meet with customers has never been greater in a slowing economy. Increasingly, virtual meetings conducted over the Internet are being used to substitute for face-to-face meetings. Many meetings include presentations, but presenters don't always understand what needs to change when designing and delivering a presentation over the Internet instead of in person.

"When you are presenting in person, you can see the audience's reaction and adjust your delivery based on what is happening in the room. Over the Internet, you lose that ability and you need to adjust your presentation accordingly," says Dave Paradi, author of "The Visual Slide Revolution" and a veteran of web-based presentations.

He suggests that the three biggest differences between in-person and Internet presentations are: a need to use callouts on your slides to point out the important spot since you won't be able to physically point to a spot on the screen; the need for more interaction by asking questions of understanding because you can't see if they have a puzzled look on their face; and the need to use a second computer connected as a participant so you can see exactly what the other person is seeing in case there are delays or interruptions in the connection.

Dave Paradi is the author of "The Visual Slide Revolution" and co-author of two "Guide to PowerPoint" books from Prentice Hall. He is also a speaker, consultant and producer of a video podcast series and bi-weekly newsletter that is read world wide. He can be reached by phone at 905-510-4911 or by e-mail at Dave@ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com.