When you want to show progress or ratings using stars, circles, or other shapes, don’t use the shapes in PowerPoint. Use the characters in the font I show in this video. It is much easier to get everything aligned and it is easy to change color. The information in this video is an example of…
Category: Slide Creation & Editing
Arrange icons/images and related text neatly on a PowerPoint slide; Step-by-step tutorial
When you want to align icons or images with the descriptive text that goes along with each one, follow the steps in this video to get it done quickly and know that they are all perfectly aligned. The information in this video is an example of the practical advice I share in my live in-person…
Advanced alignment techniques for shapes in PowerPoint; Step-by-step tutorial
The alignment tools in PowerPoint can save you a lot of time arranging objects on your slides. This video shows you how to take your skills even further with advanced techniques that allow you to go beyond what the built-in features allow. The information in this video is an example of the practical advice I…
How many PowerPoint slides should you have for a job interview presentation?
You’ve recently been laid off from your corporate job. Your job search has already landed you an interview for a new position that includes a short presentation to demonstrate your communication ability. How many slides should you prepare? You may have heard about a certain number of slides per minute. I suggest you ignore those…
Three ways to use PowerPoint’s built-in content to make a job interview presentation more visual & more effective
If you have a job interview for a position in HR, operations, finance, customer service, or another area, you may be asked to prepare a ten-minute presentation to test your communication ability. Here are three ways you can use PowerPoint’s built-in content to make your presentation more visual & more effective.
5 Tips for working on PowerPoint slides as a group that will save time pulling the final presentation together
I have been delivering sessions to Master’s level programs at the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University for a number of years. After a recent session a student asked a question that is common to many students and business professionals. The students are assigned a group presentation where each person will be creating a…
Add design flair to sequence diagrams in PowerPoint using shape techniques
In my customized training courses I suggest that business professionals should create diagrams in PowerPoint using shapes instead of using SmartArt. One reason SmartArt is so popular is that it is quick and easy to add. The problem is that SmartArt is not very flexible and it takes control of what the visual will look…
Less time creating slides, more time outside; Issue #466 June 9, 2020
The weather has finally gotten warm enough here to spend a large part of this past weekend outside. We had our first meals this year out on the deck and patio. When the weather is so nice, you don’t want to spend any more time inside creating slides than you have to. In this newsletter…
PowerPoint Presentation Best Practices Audit; Issue #455 January 7 2020
The start of a new year is a common time to evaluate where you are and what you want to improve to make this year better than the previous year. If you are looking to make more effective PowerPoint presentations in 2020, I suggest you start with my Effective PowerPoint Presentation Audit. In this audit…
Highlighting an area with a mask; Issue #451 October 29 2019
Sometimes you have a complex image, maybe a process diagram, chemical structure, or detailed schematic. You want to focus on one area to explain your message and you want the viewer to have context of where that one area fits into the overall picture. In this article I show you how using a semi-transparent mask…