PowerPoint Hints & Tips

This example file gives you some examples of good and bad

practice plus problem-solving tips

Accessibility

When creating a show, you need to think about your audience and cater for those sitting at the back and those who have a visual impairment.

For a good presentation, you need:• Clear slides – easy to read, for everyone in the room• Limited information on each slide – use bullet points

to remind you of what you need to say

Choosing Fonts

Choose simple, clear fonts for your presentation – sans-serif fonts are best.

An Unsuitable FontA Good Font

CHOOSING A THEME

The background makes this slide very difficult to read, especially where light in colour

Try some different themes (on the Design tab) to see which are and which aren’t suitable

1. Press <Esc> to stop the show2. Go to the Design tab and try out some of the other

themes3. Resume the show by pressing <Shift F5>

University Templates

For official University presentations (lectures, conference papers etc) staff should be using the templates provided by the Design & Print Studio

Bulleted Lists

It’s better not to have everything shown all at once:• First point• Second• Third• Fourth• Fifth

Bulleted Lists

Instead, apply animation so they appear and then fade:• First point• Second• Third• Fourth• Fifth

Or Add Callouts

You can add any extra information

here

And further information here

Adding Callouts

Try adding your own callout to this slide:

1. Press <Esc> to stop the show2. Go to the Insert tab and click on [Shapes]3. Select one of the callout shapes4. Using the mouse, drag out the shape – you can easily

modify this later if necessary5. Type the text into the callout6. Move to the Animations tab and click on [Appear] 7. Run the slide – press <Shift F5>

Replacing Text

If you have a lot to say, you can replace one box of text with another. This is also useful for a question and answer slide:

What is the English translation of the Greek:

Πώς σε λένεΤο ονομά μου είναι …

Answer:

What is your name?My name is …

To achieve this effect, the second text box must have a solid fill, which blocks out the original text.

This paragraph is about to be zoomed so that people at the back of the class can read it more easily.

Zooming

If you have a lot to say or want to emphasize something, consider zooming in/out:

Transitions

Can make your presentation look very professional

Choose what you want from those provided on the Transitions tab

Transitions

• That was a sensible transition

Transitions

• That was a bit flashy

Transitions

• That was NOT a sensible transition

Selecting Items

• Click on a placeholder then press <Esc> to select it

• Press <Tab> to jump between items

Try it yourself on this slide:

1. Press <Esc> to stop the show2. Click inside the slide’s heading3. Press <Esc> - note that the placeholder’s handles now appear4. Press <Tab> to see what happens5. See if you can discover a hidden shape – if you do, go to the Format tab

and click on the arrow next to [Bring Forward] and then Bring to Front 6. Press <Shift F5> to resume the show

Guides

Viewing the Ruler and Guides help you place items precisely. To check whether the blue rectangle below is properly centred:1. Press <Esc> then go to the View tab and turn on the Guides2. Click on the rectangle then use the arrow keys to move it, if

necessary then press <Shift F5> to resume the show

Lining up Objects

When you draw shapes, you may want to space them evenly or line them up. First you need to select them:1. Press <Esc> to suspend the show2. Using the mouse, drag a rectangle over the circles – the

handles appear (you can also <Shift click> to select them)3. Go to the Format tab and click on [Align]4. Choose Align Top then click again to Distribute Horizontally5. Resume the show – press <Shift F5>

Hidden Slides

Sometimes, it’s useful to have extra, hidden, slides. You can then show them if:• Someone asks a particular question• If you find you have time to expand on a

subjectThe next slide is hidden. If you press <Enter> or click with the mouse, you will miss it. To see it you have to press <h>.

Moving Around

Sometimes, you may be asked to go back a slide if you moved on too quickly. To move back press:

<p> or use <left-arrow> or <up-arrow>To move on, click with the mouse or press:

<Enter> or <n> or <right-arrow> or <down-arrow>You can also move to a particular slide by typing in its number then pressing <Enter>. Pressing <End> moves you to the last slide (<Home> to the first).

Moving Around

You can also right click on a slide to display a pop-up menu, including Go to Slide but this isn’t so professional.Try moving to the hidden slide:Either: Type 20 and press <Enter>Or: Right click, Go to Slide and choose slide 20Then:Either: Type 22 and press <Enter>Or: Right click, Go to Slide and choose slide 22

Action Buttons

An Action Button allows you to do something (eg go back a slide or load a program like Excel) simply by moving over it or by clicking on it. This particular slide has a hidden Action Button which takes you to the next slide. The button is placed in the top left corner of the slide:1. Move the mouse into the top left corner and see

what happens

Action Buttons

To create an Action Button:1. Press <Esc> to suspend the show2. In the Insert tab, click on [Shapes]3. Choose the blank Action Button (bottom right)4. Drag out a (blue) rectangle in the top right corner5. Set the Action to Hyperlink to: Last Slide Viewed6. On the Format tab set [Shape Fill] to No Fill7. Also, set [Shape Outline] to No Outline8. Finally, press <Shift F5> then click in the top right

Action Buttons and Master Slides

Ideally, the Action Button should be on the Slide Master (so it is available on all slides). Sadly, the instructions below disappear when you go to the Slide Master so take a note of them first:1. Press <Esc> to suspend the show2. Move to the View tab and choose [Slide Master]3. Select the master at the top of the list on the left4. Add the Action Button exactly as before5. Click on [Close Master View] then press <Shift F5>6. Type 2 and press <Enter> to go to slide 2 then click on the

hidden action button to return to this slide

Adding Annotations

You can write on slides using a pen or highlighter. At the end of the show, you can choose whether or not to keep the annotations. Try this here:1. Press <Ctrl p> for a pen and use the mouse to

annotate this slide2. Press <Ctrl a> to return the mouse to normalYou can also right click to get to these facilities and also to change the pen colour or choose a highlighter.

The End

I hope you found this presentation useful and that you will be encouraged to use some of the tips in your own presentations.

For further help with PowerPoint:• Make use of our advanced notes online• Come to a drop-in session for one-to-one

tuition or help with a particular problem• Go to the web sites listed in the notes