Google has blurred the lines between presentation software, screen recording software, and video conferencing software by adding new recording functionality directly into Slides.
A new recording option in the Google Slides toolbar allows presenters to record a little bubble of themselves talking over their slides.
The company expects the new capability to be suitable for a wide range of use cases, including employee and educational environments.
Presentation recording comes to Google Slides
“From webinars to employee training and lessons for your classroom, slide recording lets you effortlessly record visual and engaging presentations without ever leaving Slides,” a Google Workspace update blog post announcement of the news noted.
While the concept is nothing new, Google Slides’ support means fewer workers will have to rely on screen recording software to get the job done, saving companies money but pushing rival companies out of the market.
A recorded presentation is then saved to Google Drive, where it can be shared with colleagues and clients.
Video conferencing platform Zoom recently announced a similar tool. Zoom Clips allows employees to record messages and share them with others via video voicemail.
The idea is that employees can spend less time on unproductive phone calls and choose when to engage with the content. Hybrid working appears to be here to stay, with more and more reports of videoconferencing fatigue emerging. Sharing pre-recorded slides is one way to address this.
Google’s rollout has already begun, but Scheduled Release domains may have to wait until mid-January 2024 for the changes to take effect.
Google Workspace Business Standard/Plus, Enterprise Starter/Essentials/Essentials Plus/Standard/Plus, and Education Plus accounts will see the change, meaning many business and personal users will effectively be excluded from the new feature.