POWERPOINT

By Peter Mkandawire

PowerPoint is one of the applications in MS Office package, specifically meant for creating
presentations in form of slideshow. Traditionally, a slide show is a way of presenting a series of
still images or photographs using a slide projector. However, a slide does not have to be a still
image; using PowerPointit can also be an audio or video clip as well as text in an outline of ideas.

TERMINOLOGY

Slide:Each Page/screen of a presentation

Slideshow: A presentation view of the collection of slides

Template: A pre-formulated presentation from which a new presentation can be created

Theme : A set of different design elements which provide a defined appearance for a
presentation.

INTODUCTION

The PowerPoint Ribbon contains several categories for formatting the design and elements of your
presentation. These include: Home, Insert, Design, Transitions, Animations, Slide Show, Review
and View.

• The Home tab

This has features that allow you to edit Slides, Fonts, Paragraph, Drawing and Editing.
• The Insert tab
This has features that allow you to add Tables, Images, Illustrations, Links, WordArt, and
Media Clips.
• The Design tab
This allows you to edit how your presentation will look. It includes features such as Page
Setup, Themes, and Background Styles.
• The Transitions tab
This allows you to edit Slide Transitions, Effects, and Transition Timing.
• The Animations tab
This allows you to add custom animations to your presentation. You can select from Preview,
Animations, Advance Animation, and Animation timing.
• The Slide Show tab
 This has features that allow you to select how your presentation will be displayed. From
here, you can start your Slide Show, Set Up your Slide Show, and Adjust Monitor Settings.
• The Review tab
This allows you to Proofread, Translate Languages, Comment Slides, and Compare your
Presentation.
• The View tab This has features that allow you to set the View of your Presentation, Create
Master Views, Show/Hide Features, Zoom, Switch from Color to Gray scale, Adjust
Windows, and Add Macros.

CREATING PRESENTATIONS

MS Office Button >>New -- New Presentation window opens up

• The MS Office Button is located in the top left corner of the Word 2007 Window
• To start a new file from scratch:
• Choose “Blank Document” and press “Create”.
• There are templates available on the left panel for creating a presentation of a specific
type (i.e. photo album or calendar).
• Text can then be inserted in the designated fields on the individual slides, fitting the
titles, subtitles and other text
• Other objects such as images, shapes, charts and hyperlinks can also be inserted into the
slides through the insert menu

TRANSITION EFFECTS AND TEXT PRESET ANIMATIONS

The transition effects from one slide to another and the text preset animations (which determine
how the text will arrive on each slide) have been set at random for the demonstration. Normally
you would not want to use so many different styles since it might distract from the impact you are
trying to make.

Creating custom animation effects for objects

• Animation Tab >>Animations >>Custom Animation
• Custom Animation panel appears on the right-hand side of the current slide.
• Select the object you wish to apply animation
• Click the Add Effect button and choose the animation style.
• Frequently-used effects are found in "Entrance" styles in the menu
• Click the Play button to preview the animation.
Modifying animation effects

Animations effects are specific to objects on the slides i.e. they determine the motion and
behavior of objects e.g. text and images.

• Customize animation effects under Modify in Custom Animation panel. The panel has the
following futures

 Start -- how to start the animation

 Direction -- direction of animation
 Speed -- speed of animation

Changing order of animated objects

Order of objects refer to the sequence in which object appear on slides during presentation. This
is usually in relation to other objects as well as the entire slide.

• Select the object in the list under Modify

• Hold on the mouse and bring up or down to change the order of objects

Creating a slide transition

Slide transitions are animation effects that appear between slides. Transitions therefore apply to
the slide itself, regardless of the animations applied to the objects on the slide itself.

Animation Tabs >> Animations >> Transition to This Slide

• Mover the cursor over the transition buttons to preview the effects.
• Click on the Transition effect button to apply the slide transition effect.
• Click on Transition Sound button to apply sound effect for transition.
• Click on Transition Speed button to adjust the speed.
• Click on Apply to All to apply the same transition effect to all the slides.

CHANGING THE ORDER OF SLIDES

Order of slides refers to the sequence in which slides appear during presentations. The rational
imperative in ordering slides is to adhere to the sequence and logic of the content being
presented.

• View Tab >> Presentation Views >> Slide Sorter

• You can easily change the order, if you have a lot of slides.
 • Or, select Slides tab in the left frame in the Normal View. You can see thumbnails of the
slides in the presentation.
• Click on a slide thumbnail and drag up and down to change the order.

MAKING NOTES

Write notes in the bottom frame in Normal view to help you recall aspects as you edit or revise
the presentation. The notes do not appear during presentation (in the slideshow mode).

PRESENTING SLIDES

Generally, PowerPoint gives you 2 modes to work with; the edit mode and presentation mode. The
Edit mode allows you to create and modify the slides while the presentation mode (also known as
slideshow mode) is for making the actual presentation. The quickest way to get into presentation
mode is by pressing the F5 functional key. The other way is by using the slideshow tab in the
ribbon, or using the presentation icon found in the” View options and Zoom control”.

SOME KEY ISSUES WHEN WORKING WITH POWERPOINT

It is best to outline the entire presentation before working too much on the style and layout of
the presentation. When left to the end it is much less time consuming to work on the style and
format of the slides. Keep in mind the content of the presentation is the most important part of
it.

Maximize Legibility

• The legibility of a presentation is critical. The audience must be able to read the
presentation easily. If a presentation is too difficult to read, the audience will become
distracted and focus on trying to read the presentation instead of listening to the speaker.
• To maximize legibility, choose a theme which allows for high contrast between the
background color and the text color. Avoid themes with background colors of a medium
value which would limit the amount of contrast possible. Maximum legibility is achieved
through black text on a white background.
• Avoid themes with bright-colored backgrounds because these can be hard on the eye and
decrease legibility.
• Use High Contrast Colors. To ensure a presentation is legible, use high-contrast colors.
Dark text on a light background is ideal. However, if the presentation will be shown on a
 well-lit room, light text on a dark background can also work. Use high-contrast colors within
all aspects of a presentation, including within text boxes and shapes, and all other graphical
elements.

Use Keywords

Think of the slides in a PowerPoint presentation as visual note cards. Only the main ideas should be
shown in key word format. Avoid displaying complete thoughts in full-sentence format in a
presentation. Do use full sentences when displaying a quotation or if the presentation is meant to
function as a stand-alone tutorial, trade show presentation or the like. For slides with bullet
points, try to eliminate articles (a, an, the), pronouns that could be implied (you, we, they), and
verbs that could be implied. Keep the points short and straightforward. Points should be
complimentary to the oral presentation.

Minimum Words, Maximum Size Minimize

As a general guideline, try to limit the number of words per slide to 25. PowerPoint is a more visual
medium rather than a written medium. PowerPoint presentations should supplement speeches or
presentations, not replace them. Therefore, a concise slide should convey meaning while limiting
potential distractions for the audience. Increase the text size so that the slide looks full but not
cluttered. Every member of the audience should be able to read the presentation. As a general
guideline, display title text at 44 points and display standard text or bullet point text at 32
points.

However a good presentation should eliminate Orphans. In a presentation, when one line of text
wraps onto another line leaving only one word on the next line, that lone word is called an orphan.
Orphans look isolated and waste valuable screen space. Eliminate orphans by either editing the
text to one line or by moving two words onto the second line

Capitalize Correctly Follow the general capitalization guidelines used for typical formal
writing.

• Capitalize the first letter of the line.

• Capitalize proper nouns and other words if desired, but be consistent.
• Do not capitalize prepositions.

For sub-bullets:

• Do not capitalize the first letter of the line, unless it is a proper noun or starts a sentence.
• Capitalize other words only if they are proper nouns.
Images

Use Images Wisely. The right image can capture the attention of an audience. Most slides improve
with an image. However, images should not be used just for the sake of adding images. Images
should be of high quality, correspond to the content of the slide, and add visual interest or
meaning to the presentation. Generally, images should predominate over text. Photos should be
chosen over clip art. If clip art is used, it should be of very high quality. Have a purpose for every
element on a slide. The location and graphical treatment of each element should be intentional and
purposeful.

Keep Animations Simple

The common phrase “less is more” applies perfectly to the use of animation in PowerPoint
presentations. PowerPoint has the capacity to show a different animation type for every single
object within a presentation. However, a presentation with objects flying onto the screen in
different ways and at different times would distract and possibly overwhelm the audience.
Instead, limit the number of objects which animate to a maximum of two. Also, choose one
animation style and stick with it. Transitions between slides are a nice and easy way to spice up a
presentation. PowerPoint allows you to add a lot of distracting sounds and excessive animations to
the presentation. It is best to keep all animation as simple as possible and only use sounds if
absolutely necessary.

Presentation Skills

• Look the Part. Smart or formal is not always necessary, however make sure you fit into the
purpose and sometimes audience of the presentation.
• Be independent of the slides. A good presenter will avoid reading exact statement on the
slides with very flexible speech. One can also use/mention examples and illustrations which
are not necessarily depicted on the slides. The key rule here is to know the content you are
presenting, and this is achieved through preparation.
• Confidence

KEY RULE: DISREGARD ANY OF THESE DESIGN TIPS IF THERE IS A GOOD REASON TO
DO SO.