Issue #74 December 21, 2004

1. PPS Files Got a question from a subscriber recently on what the difference is between a PPT (normal PowerPoint) file and a PPS (PowerPoint Show) file and if the PPS file was secure from any changes. You will likely encounter PPS files if you get a presentation via e- mail or download it from…

Issue #73 December 7, 2004

1. Keeping PPT updated Recently, I have had a few questions from subscribers asking if PowerPoint has particular bugs that don’t allow certain graphics, audio, or video to play properly. These questions happen on a regular basis and my advice is always to first see if you have all the latest updates for PowerPoint. This…

Issue #72 November 23, 2004

1. How Many Slides? What would you think of a 35 minute presentation in which the presenter showed 115 slides? If you are like most people your reaction to that first sentence was something along the lines of “Oh my gosh! That must have been horrible!” Recently, I reviewed a videotape of this presentation for…

Issue #71 November 9, 2004

1. Presentation Coaching By now most of you have figured out that I am an expert on PowerPoint and using it to effectively communicate a message to an audience (that’s why a number of you have asked me to consult or do workshops). But I know enough to know that I am not an expert…

Issue #70 October 26, 2004

1. Clip Art License In a presentation I was at earlier this year the presenter stated that you cannot use Microsoft’s clip art in your slides or documents if you are charging money for them. This surprised me, so went to the Microsoft clip art site and here is the relevant part of what they…

Issue #69 October 12, 2004

1. Drawing Perfect Squares or Circles in PowerPoint In many cases, I want to draw a square or circle in PowerPoint and when I use the rectangle or oval drawing tool, I just can’t get it perfectly square or a perfect circle. I just can’t seem to get it just so. If you have had…

Issues #68 September 28, 2004

1. Turning Photos into a PowerPoint show A subscriber recently asked me if there was a way to easily create a PowerPoint show of the digital pictures from his daughter’s wedding. PowerPoint is a great way to share photos from any special occasion. Even funeral homes are starting to see families create self-running shows to…

Issue #67 September 14, 2004

1. PowerPoint backgrounds It seems today that there are many companies and web sites selling PowerPoint backgrounds or templates. Many have been created with wonderful graphics or designs, but I find many of them too busy or the colors do not offer enough contrast with common text colors. If you want to create your own…

Issue #66 August 31, 2004

1. High-resolution screen shots I have written before about ways to take snapshots of your screen and include them in PowerPoint presentations or documents (see the Aug 27, 2002 issue in the archives – archive link at the bottom of this newsletter). If you are using the screen shot for a presentation the resolution will…

Issue #65 August 17, 2004

1. Don’t put text at the bottom of your slides When you are designing your PowerPoint slides, leave the bottom 10-15% of the slide blank or for footer graphics or logos. Many room setups have the bottom of the screen so low that anyone past the front row can’t see the bottom 10-15% of the…