How to Make Non-Linear PowerPoint Presentations
By Dave Paradi, MBA, co-author of "Guide to PowerPoint"

One major knock against PowerPoint is that it only allows linear presentations. Detractors say there is no room for creativity or going in different directions during the presentation. They claim that PowerPoint only allows for presentations that move from one slide to the next in a forward manner with no deviations. And they are wrong.

PowerPoint can be used to make non-linear presentations if you know how to use its features to your advantage. Here are some ideas for using PowerPoint to make a presentation that can jump to whatever idea you need to present at the time.

1. Design Your Presentation in Modules
When you are creating your presentation, design modules that you can present in whatever order you need that day. For example, I have modules on outlining a presentation, selecting colors, selecting fonts, adding text, using pictures, using graphs and many more. I can go through a certain module and then decide what module would fit next based on the audience feedback. Then I can jump to the next module as if it was meant to be done that way all along. An advanced tip is to have a module introductory slide at the start of each module and a module summary slide at the end of each module so the presentation looks completely seamless when you present.

2. Jump to Any Slide
The key to moving between modules is to use PowerPoint's feature of easily moving between slides with only keystrokes. To jump to any slide, type in the slide number using the number keys on your keyboard and press the Enter key. To use this feature, have a list of the slide numbers of the first slide of each module in your presentation easily visible when you present. Then, at the end of each module, go to your laptop and type in the correct slide number for the module you want to present next. This makes the presentation look seamless to the audience.

3. Link to Other Programs
By using the Custom Action Buttons within PowerPoint, you can set up a link to another file, such as a Word document or an Excel spreadsheet. This means that you can add a segment of audience participation where you capture their ideas in a Word document that is then available for everyone after the presentation. This allows for many different directions to be taken when getting out of PowerPoint. Then, you can save and close the other program and continue with the presentation.

By using these techniques, you can make your PowerPoint presentation as linear or non-linear as you want. If you want to proceed straight through from slide 1 to the end, you can. If you want to jump between ideas as the audience directs, you can do that as well. All within PowerPoint by using the power that it already has.

©2005 Dave Paradi