Latest posts

Below are the most recent articles or resources I’ve published. If you are looking for help on a specific topics, it would best to look at the topics in my Articles archive as I have grouped my recent and best articles by topic there.

  • Make text quotes more visual on PowerPoint slides; Step-by-step tutorial

    When you have quotes to share with your audience, don’t use bullet points. Instead, make the text more visual using callout shapes as I show in this video. The information in this video is an example of the practical advice I share in my live in-person or virtual training that helps teams improve the effectiveness…… Continue reading

  • 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…… Continue reading

  • Video Beside Slides Built into Zoom Sharing! New Feature January 2024!

    Finally! The feature Zoom users have been requesting for over 3 years has now been released. You can now put your video beside your slides (or any shared content). In this video I’ll show you how this works and how to customize it so you can create the experience you want the audience to have. Continue reading

  • A lesson from Arthur Newman on cropping images in PowerPoint presentations

    This past weekend we went to the Art Gallery of Ontario to see an exhibit of photos from renowned photographer Arthur Newman. His photos are well known because of his unique style of portraits that were commissioned by magazines from the 1940s to the 1980s. He carefully constructed the setting for each person based on…… Continue reading

  • Creating custom iPhone wallpaper images using PowerPoint

    iPhones allow you to use any image as the wallpaper for the lock screen and icon background on your phone. I’ve always wanted to create my own background image, combining favorite family photos instead of just a single photo that usually gets cropped. I’ve figured out how to do that using PowerPoint. Set PowerPoint to…… Continue reading

  • Accurate Timeline Visual to Replace PowerPoint Designer Options

    The Problem with Timelines from PowerPoint Designer When preparing slide makeovers for a recent client workshop I saw a number of slides that used some of the new timeline SmartArt that Designer in PowerPoint suggests if you enter a text slide with dates. The ones I’m referring to are the ones that look like these…… Continue reading

  • Excel Chart Hacks from Excel Virtually Global 2023 conference session

    Recently I presented a session at the Excel Virtually Global conference on five of my favorite Excel chart hacks. I separated the content into five videos, one for each hack. In each video below, I share the hack as I presented it during the conference session, then I share some additional tips or resources to…… Continue reading

  • How to add a custom background for a Teams meeting November 2023

    Using a custom background image with your branding is easy in a Zoom meeting but less intuitive in a Teams meeting. Here’s how you can use a custom background image in a Teams meeting. Create/Save the background image If your organization has provided a background image, save it to a location on your computer. If…… Continue reading

  • Let AI create bullet points from paragraphs of text on PowerPoint slides with Copilot in Edge

    Turn paragraphs of text on PowerPoint slides into clear bullet points using the Copilot AI in the Edge browser. It is free, easy to use, and can save you a lot of time. I’ll show you the exact prompts in this video. Continue reading

  • Use an iPad as a second screen for a laptop using HDMI – no app required!

    Now that iPadOS 17 has been released, you can easily use your newer iPad (one that has a USB-C connector instead of a lightning connector) as a second screen for your Windows laptop (or desktop) without needing an app on your computer or iPad. In the past, you needed an app, such as Duet Display,…… Continue reading