The document serves as a survival guide for effectively using PowerPoint, providing tips on file management, running slide shows, and disaster recovery techniques. It emphasizes the importance of preparation, such as practicing navigation and familiarizing oneself with troubleshooting methods for technical difficulties. Additionally, the guide advises on design principles for creating effective slides that enhance, rather than detract from, the presentation experience.

1. More than just training
PowerPoint Survival Guide
A View from Impact Factory
Robin Chandler and Jo Ellen Grzyb
Impact Factory Copyright ©2010

2. Things to know
PowerPoint is simple to use, but like anything else unless you are confident of your ability to handle
whatever comes up, it can be quite daunting.
The following few pages will help you learn to “drive” your presentation like a veteran and be able to
do disaster recovery without breaking into a sweat.
I strongly recommend that you practise everything you read here.
Finding and opening a PowerPoint file
A PowerPoint file usually has the suffix “ .ppt “ after its name and a
little PowerPoint icon to its left.
Wherever you find a PowerPoint file, you can start PowerPoint by
double clicking on it. You can look for your file using Windows
Explorer.
Double clicking on the file name will open your PowerPoint file.
If you can’t find a file you know should be on the computer, the way to find it is to click on the start
button at the bottom left of the screen and choose “Search”. Click on “All files and folders”. In the
box called “All or part of the file name” you type any portion of the name of the file preceded an
*and followed by “*.ppt”.
For instance if you think your presentation is called something like “Markham Estates Proposal For
the Millennium”, you might type in “*Markham*.ppt”. Type in “*.ppt” and you will find all the
PowerPoint files on the computer.
A file can be run from the A drive (USB) or the C drive
(Hard disk), however the USB maybe slower.
The most effective way is to copy the file from the A drive
directly onto the desktop.
This means that you will have a PowerPoint icon with the
name of your presentation visible on your desktop every time you switch the computer on. This as
you will see later can be very helpful
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3. Running a Slide Show
When PowerPoint is opened you will find the “ Slide Show “
button in the bottom right hand corner of your screen. It
looks like a small screen on legs (circled here in red). If you
position the mouse arrow on it the words “ Slide Show “ will
appear. Click once on this button and your Slide Show will
start.
If you are using the keyboard “Alt v” followed by “w” will
bring up the dropdown menu followed by the Slide Show.
F4 or F5 will bring up the Slide Show immediately
Alternatively if you right-click the PowerPoint icon on your desktop and chose “show" from the
dropdown menu, you will go straight into the slideshow only.
To go forward through your show one slide at a time:
Click your left mouse button once
Push the space bar once
Push the return key “ ↵ “ once
Push “ Page Down “ key once
Push the “ “ or “ ” key once
To go backwards one slide at a time:
Click your right mouse button once
(In PowerPoint 7 you will need to click on the command “Previous”)
Push “ Page Up ” key once
Push the “ “ or “” key once
To go to the beginning of the Slide Show, push the “ Home “ key
To go to the end of the Slide Show, push the “ End “ key
Push the “B” key and the screen will go blank. Push it again to get your Slide Show back.
A prompt for all these keystrokes and more will appear if you push the “F1” key.
When running there will always be a delay between slides. This delay increases with the complexity
of the slide or multimedia (Video or Audio) being used. It is not uncommon for this delay to be as
long as 5 seconds! When you are presenting this can seem like an eternity. The most common
mistake when running PowerPoint is to press the advance button twice or three times in your desire
to see the next slide appear. This temptation is very strong if you are holding the mouse while you
present. Learning to use the keyboard to run your Slide Show will give you much greater flexibility.
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4. through
Navigation through a Slide Show
Typing the number of a slide say “ 14 “ followed by the return key “ ↵ “ will take you directly to that
slide.
This enables you to navigate by jumping backwards or forwards through your presentation.
You can for instance skip over a slide, or skip to any slide in the presentation, if you know its
number.
You can create a Slide Show with false endings. The benefit of this is that you can expand or contract
your Slide Show to fit the circumstances.
For instance 12 slides for a simple presentation followed by an end slide number 13. This can then
be followed by 6 more slides and another end slide. This means that you can change your mind as
you get to slide number 12, type in “14” followed by the return key “ ↵ “ thereby skipping the first
end slide number 13 and nobody is any the wiser.
This method of navigating also means you can use slides specifically for question and answer
sessions. After your end slide you can place several slides that pertain to questions you know are
likely to be asked. Make a note of the numbers and keep this with your notes. Then when a
question is asked you type in the number of the relevant slide followed by the return key “ ↵ “ and
you look very slick indeed.
Knowing the number of your end slide means you can skip to the end slide of your presentation at
any time.
The “ Esc “ key (top left on the keyboard) will take you out of your Slide Show or out of any
multimedia segment. This is particularly useful if you are playing a five minute Audio visual sequence
that you want to skip, or if you somehow find yourself repeating that sequence (it can happen) and
you don’t want to sit through it all again!
Consider letting a co-presenter or colleague run your Slide Show for you. This has the twin
advantages of relieving you of the responsibility so that you can concentrate on presenting and it
forces you to make your show interactive (you’ll have to talk to your partner).
Hyperlinks
Navigation can also be done using hyperlinks. Anywhere in your Slide Show you can insert one or
more hyperlinks like this one:
Jump to Disaster Recovery
Clicking on a hyperlink will take you directly to the slide in question, in this case the next section of
this document called Disaster Recovery where you will see another hyperlink to jump back here.
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5. Hyperlinks are inserted by placing your cursor where
you want your hyperlink to be, you then click on
“Insert” in the dropdown menu and chose “Hyperlink”.
This will give you the “Insert Hyperlink” screen below.
Click on the second box down on
the left-hand side called “Place in
This Document” and a list of
places you can link to in your
Slide Show will appear.
Select the one you require, click
“ok” and the hyperlink will
appear in your slide.
Using hyperlinks you can create
slides with a choice of slides to jump to, thereby making your Slide Show flexible, non-linear (linear is
boring and predictable) and even interactive.
Disaster Recovery
Jump back to Hyperlinks
At most events there will be a technical person to assist you, but remember, it always looks bad if you
appear not to have mastered the technology you’re using to present.
All computers have glitches and you can expect that at some point your PowerPoint show won’t run
as it should. The most important skill you can master is the restarting of a Slide Show.
If you get really stuck or lost, close PowerPoint and re open it. This will essentially put you back at
the beginning of your presentation.
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6. To close you need to come out of your Slide Show
by pushing the “Esc” key. Then click the close
folder icon at the bottom left of the screen.
To re-open PowerPoint you follow the same
procedure as set out at the beginning of this document.
Should you get really stuck and the system seems to be locked up, hold down the “Ctrl” and “Alt” keys
together and the push The “Delete” key once. When the “Close Program” box appears repeat the
“Ctrl” “Alt” “Delete” keystrokes and the computer will restart. Should even this prove unsuccessful,
switch the computer off, wait five seconds and switch it on again.
Windows will restart automatically. This action will almost certainly get you a few error messages,
which you can safely ignore. As soon as Windows reopens, restart PowerPoint using the same
procedure as set out at the beginning of this document.
Disaster recovery is something you won’t want to do unpractised. If you try it for the first time in a
crisis you’ll almost certainly fail. Make it part of your preparation to practise closing and re-opening
PowerPoint, re-booting your computer using “Ctrl” “Alt” “Delete” and switching off and on as above.
One of the most common difficulties occurs when you plug in a projector to a laptop. They are both
on and connected but there is no signal or picture.
Most laptops manage their power by not powering the external output socket unless it detects a
switched on projector at power up. Some laptops have a keystroke that lets you switch on the power
to the external socket, however the safest way, as always, is to switch it all off, make sure the
projector is connected and powered up and then switch the laptop on.
What to be aware of when briefing someone to create a Slide Show for you
Keep the information graphical rather than textual. People grasp graphics much quicker than words.
Ask for uncluttered slides. If you cannot grasp the broad picture of a slide immediately then it is too
complex.
Be aware that “Build” slides, though they may look good, limit your flexibility and keep you tied to
your computer endlessly pushing buttons.
Using too many graphics will slow down many computers and may make your Slide Show too big to
transfer onto a floppy disk.
Using backgrounds for your slides will also greatly increase your PowerPoint file size.
The minimum point size for legible writing is 24!
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7. This looks far too big in a document and a little big on a computer screen, but it’s only just big
enough when being read on a fuzzy projector from the back of the room.
Clean typefaces (Arial) read better than fancy ones (Monotype Corsiva).
Use extra slides rather than trying to fit too much onto one slide.
Interpreting the slide is your job as a presenter. If the slide can be read and understood entirely
without your help, then it is too complex and belongs in a handout document.
Be ruthless in cutting down detail.
If your slides are a series of headings to prompt you to speak, then print them out and use them as
notes to speak from, because that is what they are. Go back to the drawing board for something
more interesting or challenging than bullet points.
Your PowerPoint Slide Show should not be the same as your takeaway document; they both perform
different functions. The takeaway needs written interpretation of data and graphics; the Slide Show
should allow you the presenter to do the interpretation.
A final word
Always remember you are more important than the Slide Show. No matter how good the show in
the end it is always you they buy. If this weren’t true we would just send people a copy of our
wonderful Slide Show and wait for them to call. You make a presentation; the Slide Show backs you
up.
If you are interested in talking to us further about our work on dealing with technology,
eplease phone: 020 7226 1877 or e-mail: enquiries@impactfactory.com
http://www.impactfactory.com/
+44 (0) 20 7226 1877
Copyright 2010
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More than just training