Use the INDIRECT function to create similar charts in Excel quickly and easily

Recently I’ve been sharing a technique in my client training that increases the payoff for making the effort to create a meaningful chart in Excel. Often we have results for different locations, regions, products, or scenarios to show. We don’t have to compare them to each other, but, for example, each region needs to report…

Summer 2022 in-person and hybrid presentation setup: bringing virtual presentation advantages to hybrid and in-person meetings

I recently delivered my first in-person training sessions in two-and-a-half years. When I was planning the delivery I chose to incorporate the advantages of virtual presentations by using a new setup with equipment I had not used before. In this article and video I will review my current setup and the decisions I made. Use…

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…

Annotations on shared content is coming to Teams

Microsoft announced in mid-July 2022 that annotating a shared screen is now available in Teams Public Preview and will be coming to all Teams tenants in the future. You can read more about how to turn on and use Teams annotations in their article here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-annotation-while-sharing-your-screen-in-teams-876ba527-7112-437e-b410-5aec7363c473. Here’s an example of how it looks in action.…

Use Windows Magnifier to help people see your screen when demonstrating software or code

If you have to demonstrate software, like PowerPoint, Excel, or Word, or show code when presenting, the Windows Magnifier can make your live or virtual presentation better. The Windows Magnifier allows you to enlarge the portion of the screen under your cursor so the audience can see the user interface, formulas, or code much larger.…

Use a 2nd laptop as a cheater monitor to see PowerPoint slides & speaker notes (in-person & hybrid)

When presenting in person or in a hybrid meeting you will typically connect your laptop to the screen in the room and use Presenter View to show the slides on the screen and see your notes on your laptop. When you are standing to present you may find that the speaker notes are too small…