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The next edition of the Present to Succeed conference is taking place on 28 April 2023 and will be our first hybrid event. If we learned something in the past couple of years of unimaginable time and place shifting at work, it’s that we must lean into a new era of 360° flexibility. The opportunity to organise and manage your tasks from anywhere and still be present in both live and virtual realities is what’s called hybrid work.
This is what Vice President of Product for PowerPoint, Shawn Villaron, talked about at the 2022 Present to Succeed sessions. He told us how PowerPoint is adapting to the requirements of hybrid work and what features they’ve developed to facilitate our transition to a fully flexible work mode.
In this article we’re breaking down the three main PowerPoint features that are already blending the boundaries of virtual and in-person presentations.
The PowerPoint Cameo feature
The Cameo feature allows you to embed your live camera feed into your PowerPoint slides which immediately livens up the audience experience. Instead of them switching from looking at the slides to looking at you, you can simply go to Insert > Cameo and let the audience see both you and the visual content. The great thing about Cameo is that it’s native to PowerPoint and you can format it any way you want, says Shawn. And if you know what the Morph transition is, yes, you can even morph yourself from slide to slide! Crazy, huh?

The PowerPoint Recording studio
The revised Recording studio (it’s always been there but was switched off by default) has two main benefits.
First, it enables users to make a video of a presentation, which is super helpful when you want to rehearse and check how you come across. You still have access to your notes and all the controls that help you colour, highlight or point at things on your slides, while the recording only captures what the audience sees. (Relax, you still can go back to the Presenter view if you feel like it).
Second, you can record yourself presenting and send it over via email for somewhat to watch it later, i.e., asynchronous presenting. In our shift towards the new normal, the hybrid working mode, being able to present asynchronously is a key ability and PowerPoint has all takes to facilitate this transition.
Teams integration and shareability
The power of the features mentioned above is when you’re unable to attend a meeting but still want to create an immersive experience for your audience. Shawn goes on to explain how PowerPoint is constantly being developed to meet the requirements for synchronous interaction (the Present in Teams option) and asynchronous presentation (the Recording studio).
Do you want to learn how to become one with the content of your presentation? Make sure you watch the full session, where you will also hear about the ways in which you can collaborate with your team on a presentation. Maybe you know about the PowerPoint Live feature in Teams? Well, if you don’t, this is just one of the things you will learn if you watch the recording.

In his second session at Present to Succeed Shawn Villaron introduced us to the ways PowerPoint is evolving to meet the needs of remote work. Hybrid presentations are now our reality and at 356labs we’re trying to keep you up to date with all the features that will help you put yourself fully on, no matter the time or place. Why don’t you get all the complete session recordings for more hybrid presentation tricks or simply join us at our upcoming event which will be all about hybrid communication and hybrid presenting? Shawn himself will be there to tell us about how PowerPoint has been reinventing itself to adapt to the demands of hybrid.
Join Present to Succeed - the biggest presentation skills conference in the world
Whether you are part of an organization or running a business, how your slides look will always factor in your success. Learn how to become an influential speaker by joining our 20+ industry-leading speakers’ sessions.
Start engaging your audience better and influencing them to embrace your concepts, hire you, or buy your products. Now is the best moment to get your ticket!
Join Present to Succeed - the biggest presentation skills conference in the world
Whether you are part of an organisation or running a business, how your slides look will always factor in your success. Learn how to become an influential speaker by joining our 20+ industry-leading speakers’ sessions.
Start engaging your audience better and learn how to influence them to embrace your concepts, hire you, or buy your products. Get your ticket now!