PGi Survey Reveals that Workers are Fed Up with Long, Soul-Sucking Presentations

ATLANTA, Nov. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Presentations are the go-to method for meetings, but today's knowledge worker wants a presentation that goes beyond the traditional slide deck, according to a recent customer survey by PGi (NYSE: PGi), a global leader in collaboration and virtual meetings for more than 20 years.

The survey revealed that workers are tired of the one-hour presentation, citing that they have checked email, texted, instant messaged, left early and even fallen asleep during a presentation.

Keep those slide decks brief: The perfect presentation length, according to the survey, is 15-30 minutes. No surprise that PGi's survey respondents said that Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation software is used in 97% of presentations.

The survey results sparked PGi to release its second eBook dedicated to equipping today's workers with fun presentation ideas that help them stand out in a sea of slides. The Presentation Playbook: The Xs and Os of Winning Presentations is available for free download at http://experts.pgi.com/fun-presentation-ideas-playbook.

"Presentations are vital to our professional success, helping us spark invention, educate colleagues, sell products and even propel our own careers. But with today's advancements in social media and technologies like interactive web conferencing and slide presentations, workers are tired of the same-old boring presentation with a slide deck and talking head. They want multimedia presentations that keep them engaged and inspired," said J. Scott Tapp, PGi EVP Sales & Marketing.

PGi survey respondents said that multimedia presentations—both in-person and in online meetings—and meeting management were vital to keeping them engaged and in their seats.

• 51% use videos in presentations
• 77% use slides or visual aids
• 77% attend 1-5 presentations, and 72% cite that those include online formats (webinars, web conferences, video conferences)
• 72% said they left early because the presentation went longer than scheduled, and 63% because the subject wasn't relevant to their job

As "extra credit," PGi asked respondents how speakers make their presentations memorable. Out-of-the-box presentation ideas were the top answers, including using video, web conferencing tools with screen share and webcam video, tablet and smartphone devices, live multi-media demos and unique interactive elements, such as humor, polling and live audience interaction.

For the full survey results, visit http://experts.pgi.com/presentation-ideas-survey.

About Premiere Global Services, Inc. │ PGi
PGi has been a global leader in collaboration and virtual meetings for over 20 years. Our cloud-based solutions deliver multi-point, real-time virtual collaboration using video, voice, mobile, web streaming and file sharing technologies. PGi solutions are available via desktops, tablets and mobile devices, helping businesses worldwide be more productive, mobile and environmentally responsible. PGi has a global presence in 25 countries and an established base of over 40,000 enterprise customers, including 75% of the Fortune 100^™. In the last five years, we have hosted nearly one billion people from 137 countries in over 200 million virtual meetings. For more information, visit PGi at www.pgi.com.

PowerPoint is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation, registered in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Statements made in this press release, other than those concerning historical information, should be considered forward-looking and subject to various risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are made based on management's current expectations or beliefs as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. A variety of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in Premiere Global Services, Inc.'s forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following factors: competitive pressures, including pricing pressures; technological changes and the development of alternatives to our services; market acceptance of our cloud-based, virtual meeting solutions, including our iMeet^® and GlobalMeet^® solutions; our ability to attract new customers and to retain and further penetrate our existing customers; our ability to establish and maintain strategic reseller relationships; risks associated with challenging global economic conditions; price increases from our telecommunications service providers; service interruptions and network downtime; technological obsolescence and our ability to upgrade our equipment or increase our network capacity; concerns regarding the security and privacy of our customer's confidential information; future write-downs of goodwill or other intangible assets; greater than anticipated tax and regulatory liabilities; restructuring and cost reduction initiatives and the market reaction thereto; our level of indebtedness; risks associated with acquisitions and divestitures; indemnification claims from the sale of our PGiSend business; our ability to protect our intellectual property rights, including possible adverse results of litigation or infringement claims; regulatory or legislative changes, including further government regulations applicable to traditional telecommunications service providers and data privacy; risks associated with international operations and market expansion, including fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; and other factors described from time to time in our press releases, reports and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the "Risk Factors" section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or a person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. We do not undertake any obligation to update or to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements contained in this press release to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release or the date of the statement, if a different date, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Media Contact:

Blakely Thomas-Aguilar
404-262-8429
[email protected]

Related Links
Download the free Presentation Playbook today.

Image with caption: "A recent PGi survey revealed that 80% of workers check email during meetings and presentations, sparking the global collaboration leader to release a new eBook, the Presentation Playbook, to help businesses and employees give winning and engaging presentations." Image available at: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131118/MM19380-a

Image with caption: "In the eBook, PGi outlines presentation ideas and public speaking tips to help workers advance their ideas through engaging, succinct and memorable presentations and meetings. Download the free eBook at experts.pgi.com/fun-presentation-ideas-playbook." Image available at: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131118/MM19380-b

Image with caption: "PGi's presentation expertise has been featured in Mashable, CNNMoney, FoxNews, TechCrunch and more. To view the results of the survey and learn how to get better at giving presentations - and even land that next job promotion - download the free eBook." Image available at: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131118/MM19380-c

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SOURCE PGi