Carry out a TED style presentation with a little help

33 year- old Jordan Pring from Adelaide is not your normal paramedic, he is one of the 15 aspiring storytellers who won a place to attend this year’s TED + Logitech Spotlight Presentation Academy in New York.

The 15 selected participants from across the world worked with Bryn Freedman, Editorial Director and Curator of the TED Institute, through a curriculum that included storytelling immersion and structure. Armed with Logitech’s Spotlight Presentation Remote — a next-generation remote gifted to all the attendees, participants even tried their hand at sharing an idea on the stage at TED’s New York headquarters! Here are some insights from Jordan on why you may need the Spotlight remote for your next presentation.

Let there be (spot)light

As a veteran paramedic, Jordan is responsible for presenting weekly clinical education to keep 200 of his fellow paramedics in the region abreast of updates in the practice. He finds the Spotlight Remote to be very handy. “The advanced pointer system is the big win here as the old laser pointers do not work with some screens anymore,” Jordan explains, “I have found having the ability to use a spotlight and magnify important medical information and images live on screen can be life-changing with the work I do.”

Stay put

Gone are the days of presenters pacing back and forth in front of the screen to point their laser pointers and distracting their audience. “Spotlight has a wireless range of 30m and an onscreen cursor, which means you don’t have to go anywhere near the laptop or keyboard – just keep presenting!” says Jordan.

Dual connectivity

“You can connect your Spotlight with your computer via a USB receiver or Bluetooth. No need to fiddle around with USB dongle either, connect straight to your computer with a bluetooth connection.”

Timing is key

As cliché as it may sound, Jordan believes time management is everything on stage, “One of the common mistakes in presenting is going on for too long on particular slides which can lose the audience’s interest. You can configure your Spotlight to send a vibration alert which reminds you it’s time to move onto the next slide, so you can keep your presentations succinct and to the point.”

Make it personal

We all love a personal touch on the things we often use, be it a monogrammed business card holder or a presentation remote. “The built-in software of Spotlight allows you to adjust all of the awesome functions above and customise the remote to exactly what you need for that big presentation. It really is a game changer,” Jordan says.