******************************************************************* Dave Paradi's PowerPoint Tip     Issue #160 May 27, 2008 Published & Copyright by Dave Paradi of ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com Circulation over 8,400 ******************************************************************* Please forward this newsletter to executives and professionals who want to create PowerPoint presentations that sell their ideas, products or services more effectively.  If this newsletter has been sent to you by a friend, sign up to get your own copy at http://www.ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com/newsletter.htm . ******************************************************************* In this issue: New $1.99 "How-to" videos now available Will you join The Visual Slide Revolution? PowerPoint Tip - Distributing your presentation in PDF format Best of the Blog - When stories don't work in a presentation Dave's Travel Schedule ******************************************************************* New $1.99 "How-To" Videos now available I've been adding to the short "how-to" videos at http://www.thinkoutsidetheslide.com/ppthowtovideos.htm : - How to play a Quicktime movie in a PowerPoint slide - 4 videos on inserting and using video clips - Videos on aligning and distributing objects on a slide - Great video on cleaning up the default graph in PowerPoint - 2 videos on handouts: formatting and printing, including hidden slides Don't see the one you need? E-mail me and I'll see if it can be added.  More are added regularly, so check back every week. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Will you join The Visual Slide Revolution? Are you a presenter who wants to transform the overloaded text slides you are using into persuasive visuals?  Don't know how to start?  The solution you have been waiting for is here.  I've just released my latest book, The Visual Slide Revolution, and it explains my five-step KWICK method that I use to create persuasive presentations for my clients.  Read chapter 2 and order your copy at http://www.ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com/vsr.htm . ------------------------------------------------------------------- PowerPoint Tip: Distributing your presentation in PDF format More and more presentations or handouts are being distributed in PDF format so that they can be viewed on any system and look the same. I always provide my clients with a PDF handout so that when they print it, I know it will look the same as when I created it.  Those who receive the PDF file can then easily e-mail it to others who did not attend the presentation. Today's tip gives you four ideas on how you can make a PDF copy of your presentation be more than a simple printout of your slides. Note that these ideas require you to have a full copy of Adobe Acrobat, not just the free Reader application.  But if you are going to create PDF documents, you probably have the full Acrobat already. If you want to have your audience (and I use the term audience to mean anyone who is opening the PDF file to review it) look at more information on a web site, add a hyperlink to a slide.  There are two steps to this.  First, on your slide, incorporate a hyperlink to a shape or text and add text that gives an indication that a hyperlink is there.  Second, in Acrobat, use the Link tool to add a rectangular hyperlink area to the shape or text on that slide.  Now, when the audience wants to use the hyperlink, they can see that the slide indicates that there is a hyperlink and they can click on it in Acrobat to be taken to the web page with more information. One great advantage to creating a distributable version of your presentation in PDF format is that you can combine a printout of your slides with other documents that are in PDF format.  These documents could be detailed spec sheets, performance data or financial information.  Multiple PDF documents can be combined using the Insert Pages feature to create a single presentation package that you can e-mail out. If you do decide to create a combined document PDF file, one concern is that the page numbering won't be consistent, since each printout will number its own pages starting at page 1.  You can solve this problem by not adding page numbers in each source document.  Then, in Acrobat, use the Add Headers and Footers feature to add page numbers, copyright information and any other text you want to each and every page.  The page numbers start at 1 and flow throughout the document regardless of the source document. The final idea is to attach reference files to the PDF document that you think people might want to use or refer to.  You can use the Attach a File feature in Acrobat to attach pretty much any type of file as part of the PDF file.  If you have a spreadsheet that you want them to fill out in order to see the magnitude of an issue, attach it and create an instructions page so they know how to find the attachment and use it.  This increases the usefulness of the presentation for each person who opens the PDF file. When you have to distribute your presentation, use these ideas to create a PDF version of your presentation that is much more than just a slide printout.  It can be a consistently branded document that links to relevant information on the web and contains interactive components that make it more valuable. If you want to explore the idea of hyperlinking in your presentations, there are two resources you should be aware of.  The first is the "Guide to Advanced PowerPoint Techniques" which contains information on linking to external files during your presentation as well as other advanced techniques.  Details are at http://www.ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com/guidetoadvppt.htm .  If you just need to know how to create a hyperlink in PowerPoint, check out the video at http://www.thinkoutsidetheslide.com/ppthowtovideos.htm . ------------------------------------------------------------------- Best of the Blog - When stories don't work in a presentation  Earlier this week I attended a full-day conference with a number of speakers on the agenda. I advocate using stories, but not the way two of the speakers did so at the conference. Both of the speakers started their presentation with a story - not a bad idea. But each of the stories lasted at least seven minutes and were mostly about how great they are. We didn't see a hint of content in the first seven minutes. They were only speaking for 45 minutes each, so they spent the first 15% of their time telling us how great they were. Not a good way to connect with the audience. One of the speakers continued to use stories, but started a few by saying, "This happened in the 80's." Telling your audience that your illustration comes from over 20 years ago does not inspire confidence. Is it because the ideas only worked once so the speaker doesn't have any more recent examples? Is it because the ideas no longer work today? I'm not sure, and so I discounted that point. And it gave me cause to be concerned about the other points as well. Stories are a great way to illustrate your point, but make sure they are focused properly. Use recent examples that everyone can relate to and see that it is relevant to today's world. Use examples of similar situations that they might find themselves in so they can relate to what you are saying. And remember that the presentation is all about the audience, not about you the presenter. If you need the audience to know about your credentials, put it in your introduction, not the opening 15% of your presentation. Other recent blog posts at http://pptideas.blogspot.com : PowerPoint Myths  ------------------------------------------------------------------- Dave's Travel Schedule I work with business presenters who want to transform their overloaded text slides into persuasive presentations that effectively sell ideas, products and services to decision-makers. My research based PowerPoint Presentation Effectiveness System helps my clients achieve greater productivity and deliver presentations that close more sales.  You can save money by booking me to speak to your organization or conference when I am close to your area for other clients.  Here's where I will be in the next few months: June 6 - Woodbridge, ON June 23 - Toronto, ON July 22 - Ottawa, ON (tentative) August 1-5 - New York City August 22 - Toronto, ON September 5-6 - Kansas City, MO September 21-24 - San Diego, CA September 26 - Cincinnati, OH E-mail me at Dave@ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com to discuss how my Think Outside The Slide(tm) sessions can help your organization be more productive and improve communication throughout the organization. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Privacy Policy: I will never sell or distribute your e-mail or information to anyone. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Need articles for your newsletter?  Check out my many articles at: http://www.ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the books, e-books and other learning tools at: http://www.ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com/resources.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------- If you want to read back issues of this newsletter, click on the following link to go to the Archives: http://www.ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com/archives.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------- Microsoft, PowerPoint, Windows and other terms are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.  Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation.  All books, products and seminars are independent publications and are not affiliated with, nor have they been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation.