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Introduction to PowerPoint

This introductory course is designed for people who have little to no experience with any version of the PowerPoint software program. It begins with instructions for the absolutely essential steps of creating a functional presentation, continues with some tools for creating a pleasing and professional appearance and concludes with saving the presentation as a slide show.

We will be working with PowerPoint 2002 (Windows) or PowerPoint v.X (MacOS) for this workshop, however, the majority of the instructions should work for previous versions of the program.

In addition to the exercises in this document, meant to be completed while following the instructor, there are further practice exercises that expand upon this basic knowledge available in the Introduction to PowerPoint Exercises document.

The Bare Bones

In this first section, we will learn the essential steps toward creating a basic PowerPoint presentation. You will learn to start the program and get an introduction to the way the parts of the screen in the program. You will then learn the steps involved in creating and organizing basic slides and saving your presentation.

Of course, having slides in a presentation is only part of the process. By the end of this section, you will have learned one way to show your presentation to an audience.

Getting Started

1. Start the PowerPoint program, using any method you like
2. (Mac OS only) You may see the Project Gallery.
   If you do, choose "PowerPoint Presentation" and click the "OK" button, if necessary

New Slides/Slide Layout

Slide layouts are predesigned layouts that you can use to give your presentation a consistent look. There are 24+ to choose from, each containing a collection of title and placeholders for text, charts, tables, pictures, and movies. Each time you create a new slide, you are given a choice of preferred layout. One choice is a blank slide so that you can create any kind of custom layout that you want.

To create your first slide:

1. (Mac OS only) When you start PowerPoint, you may see the New Slide dialog box immediately. Choose the slide layout that you want for your first slide and click the "OK" button. FOR WORKSHOP: Choose the "Title Slide"
2. Click in the text placeholder where you see the words "Click to add title". This selects the box for editing
3. Type your title. FOR WORKSHOP: type "My First Presentation"
4. Click in the text placeholder where you see the words "Click to add subtitle"
5. Type your subtitle. FOR WORKSHOP: type your name

To add a new slide:

1. From the menu bar, choose "Insert"
2. From the Insert menu, choose "New Slide".
   
   (MacOS) You may see a screen with 12 layouts similar to this:
   
   
   (Windows) The Slide Layout panel will appear to the right side of your display:
   
   
   
3. Use the scrollbar to see more options, if necessary
4. Click on an Slide Layout to choose it. (MacOS) A brief description of the slide type appears under each picture. (Windows) If you slide your mouse cursor over a layout, you should see a brief description after a moment. FOR WORKSHOP: Choose the Bulleted List
5. (MacOS) Click the "OK" button to complete the process

Note: you can modify a layout after you have chosen it. See the section on "Moving, Adding and Resizing Boxes" below for more information.

Screen Overview

Menu bar

Located at the very top of the window, this contains many of the items you are familiar with from other programs. When I give step-by-step instructions, I usually give the instructions using the menu bar. Why? Because it is static. I know that when you sit down with these instructions, you will be able to find the menus and the drop-down items in order to perform the steps.

Many of the instructions can be done with fewer steps using the toolbars. However, the toolbars are customizable, so they may be different on your computer than they are in the workshop. Feel free to use whatever methods work best for you in daily practice.

Tool bars

PowerPoint has a rich assortment of toolbars, which you can tailor to the way you work with PowerPoint.

To change what toolbars you are currently using:

1. From the menu bar, choose "View"
2. From the view menu, choose "Toolbars"
3. To the right, you will see a list of toolbars available in PowerPoint. The currently active items have a checkmark to the left of them. To activate or deactivate a toolbar, click on it. FOR WORKSHOP: (Mac OS) leave these two toolbars active: Standard and Drawing. (Windows) leave four toolbars active: Standard, Formatting, Drawing, and Task Bar.

Outline

In the main part of the screen, you'll notice a section to the left with one slide on it. This is the outline view of your presentation. As you add slides and fill in information, this will grow.

Windows users have the option of switching between viewing the outline there or viewing thumbnails of their slides.

Slide

In the main part of the screen is the slide on which you are working. Once you have filled in the placeholders for the slide, the working area looks the way it will when you present your slide show.

Notes

In the section below the slide, you have a place to write your speaker's notes. These do not appear when you present your show, but you can include them in a printout for use during your presentation.

Palettes

Both MacOS and Windows versions have palettes available. By default, these appear on the right side of the screen.

The two versions of PowerPoint have different palettes, however, both of them contain collections of frequently used tools.

Arranging Slides

Inevitably, you will be working on a presentation and realize that you want to change the order of some of your slides. You can do that in one of two ways: from the outline section or in the slide sorter view.

To rearrange slides in the outline view:

1. Click on the icon of the slide you want to move. It becomes highlighted, and the cursor changes into the four-arrows symbol
2. Drag the slide to its new location
3. Release your mouse button

To rearrange slides in the slide sorter:

1. From the menu bar, choose "View"
2. From the view menu, choose "Slide Sorter"
3. Click on the slide you want to move. You can tell that it is selected when it develops a colored or bold border
4. Drag the slide to its new position.
5. Release the mouse, and the slide snaps into place

To switch back to normal view:

1. From the menu bar, choose "View"
2. From the view menu, choose "Normal"

Deleting Slides

You can easily delete a slide in either the outline or in the slide sorter.

1. Click on the slide (in Slide Sorter) or the slide icon (in the outline)
2. From the menu bar, choose "Edit"
3. From the edit menu, choose "Delete Slide"

Save Presentation

To save your presentation:

1. From the menu bar, choose "File"
2. From the file menu, choose "Save"
3. If this is the first time you have saved your presentation, it will ask you for the location and to name the file

Show the Show

1. From the menu bar, choose "Slide Show"
2. From the slide show menu, choose "View Show"

While viewing the show, you can use some keys to navigate:

• You can advance to the next slide by pressing the right arrow key, the space bar, or the "Page Down" key
• Back up to the previous slide by pressing the left arrow key or the "Page Up" key
• Cancel the show by pressing the "Esc" key
• Cut to a black screen by typing the letter "b" or to a white screen by typing the letter "w". (Typing a "b" or "w" respectively will return you to your presentation.

Dressing It Up

Once you know how to do a basic presentation, you can add information and interest. There are many ways to incorporate pictures, color, and sound into your PowerPoint slides, we will cover some commonly used methods here and encourage you to explore a few others in the accompanying exercise.

Moving and Resizing Boxes

When working at changing the look of your presentation, you will often move and resize boxes of various types. To do this, you must first select the box. Then you can move or reshape the box as you need.

To select a box:

1. Locate a slide with a text box or text placeholder on it
2. Click somewhere on the text in the box. You will see a box surrounding the text with 8 small squares in the edges (these are called handles)

To move a selected box (without resizing it):

1. Move your cursor over the edge of the box until it turns into a (Mac OS) hand or (Windows) arrow-headed cross
2. While the cursor is a hand or a cross, click and drag the box to its new position
3. Release the mouse button

To resize a selected box:

1. Move your cursor over the handle on a side or a corner of the box. It will turn into a double-headed arrow
2. While the cursor is a double-headed arrow, click and drag the box to its new shape. If you drag a corner handle, you reshape the box in two directions. If you drag a side handle, you reshape the box only in one direction
3. When the box is in the shape you want, release the mouse button

Pictures

There are two main ways to get graphics into your presentation: use the clip art that comes with PowerPoint or gather graphics files from other sources for use in your presentations.

PowerPoint Clip Art

To create a slide with clip art (MacOS):

1. Create a new slide, choosing a Slide Layout with clip art. FOR WORKSHOP: Choose the "Text & Clip Art" layout
2. Double-click in the clip art placeholder
3. After a moment, you will see the "Clip Gallery" dialog box
4. Click on a category to see the clip art available
5. Click on the clip art piece that you want
6. Click the "Insert" button

To create a slide with clip art (Windows):

1. Create a new slide, choosing a slide layout with "content" in its type indicator. FOR WORKSHOP: Choose the "Title, Text and Content" layout
2. In the content place holder, click the clip art icon, which looks like a person
3. After a moment, you will see the "Select Picture" dialog box
4. Click on the clip art piece that you want
5. Click the "OK" button

Pictures from Files

To create a slide with a picture from a file of your own (MacOS):

1. Create a new slide, choosing n Slide Layout with a picture. FOR WORKSHOP: Choose the "Text & Picture" layout
2. Double-click in the picture placeholder
3. After a moment, you will see the "Choose a Picture" dialog box
4. Locate and choose the picture you want to include
5. Click the "Insert" button

To create a slide with a picture from a file of your own (Windows):

1. Create a new slide, choosing a slide layout with "content" in its type indicator. FOR WORKSHOP: Choose the "Title, Text and Content" layout
2. In the content place holder, click the picture icon, which looks like a landscape photo
3. After a moment, you will see the "Insert Picture" dialog box
4. Locate and choose the piece that you want
5. Click the "Insert" button

To add a picture or clip art to an existing slide:

1. Pick a slide to modify
2. From the "Insert" menu, choose "Picture"
3. From the "Picture" menu, choose either "Clip Art" or "From File"
4. Follow steps for inserting clip art or a picture from file above

Tables

Tables are easy to add into a PowerPoint presentation and make a neat way to organize your information.

1. From the menu bar, choose "Insert"
2. From the insert menu, choose "New Slide"
3. From the slide layouts, choose a layout containing a table (Mac OS) or content (Windows)
4. (Mac OS) Double-click on the table placeholder. (Windows) Click the table icon
5. In the "Insert Table" dialog box, choose the number of columns and rows you want
6. Click the "OK" button
7. Resize the table, if necessary
8. Click in a cell to get the cursor positioned
9. Type your text
10. Repeat steps 8 and 9 for the rest of the table cells

Formatting Text

We will talk about using design templates in the next section. These set consistent styles for the background images and fonts. When you want to make a change to ALL of the text on ALL (or most) of your slides, make the change to the design template using the instructions in the section "Staying Consistent."

However there are occasions when you need to change the formatting of a section of text on a single slide. When that is the case, follow these instructions:

1. Select or highlight the text that you want to change
2. From the menu bar, choose "Format"
3. From the format menu, choose "Font". You will see a dialog box similar to this:
   
   
   
4. Choose the settings you want to apply to this section of text. You can use the "Preview" button to apply your changes temporarily to the text
5. Click the "OK" button

Staying Consistent

You have already seen how the Slide Layout feature can help your presentations maintain a uniform look while incorporating many different items. In this section, we will look at how design templates work with the slide layouts to add color and style to a presentation. We will also look at using headers and footers to put consistent information on each slide.

Design Templates

Design templates contain color schemes, slide and title masters with custom formatting, and styled fonts, all designed to create a particular look. They are applied to an entire presentation - giving a unified look to the whole. Many pre-defined templates come with PowerPoint for your use, and they are easy to apply to a presentation at any point in the editing process.

Generally, however, you will apply a design template when you create a new presentation.

To create a new presentation, using a design template (Mac OS):

1. From the menu bar, choose "File"
2. From the file menu, choose "New Presentation"
3. Choose the slide layout for the first slide, if applicable
4. From the menu bar, choose "Format"
5. From the format menu, choose "Slide Design"
6. In the "Choose a Side Design" dialog box, choose a design template. You should see a preview appear automatically
7. When you find the design you want, choose to "Apply to all slides" or "Apply to the current slide" and click the "Apply" button

To create a new presentation, using a design template (Windows)

1. From the menu bar, choose "File"
2. From the file menu, choose "New"
3. From the "New Presentation" palette, choose "From Design Template"
4. You will see thumbnails of available templates, click the one you want to apply it

Note: not every template will project well in your presentation environment. Check them out ahead of time for clarity and readability!

Speaker's Notes

To help you stay consistent as you practice and give your presentation, you can enter speaker's notes as you develop your presentation:

1. Locate the slide where you want to position your speaker's notes
2. In the notes section, below the slide, type your notes

Speaker's notes do not appear when you give your presentation, but they can be printed out for use during practice or as reminders while running the show.

Headers and Footers

Another item that can give your presentation a professional appearance is the use of headers or footers.

To include a header or footer on each slide:

1. From the menu bar, choose "View"
2. From the view menu, choose "Header and Footer"
3. You will get a dialog window similar to this:
   
   
   
4. Select the items you want of date and time, slide number, and footer. The preview window to the lower right will show you the positioning of the checked items
5. For some of the choices, you may also type the information you want to appear or whether or not it will update automatically
6. Choose whether or not you want the header and/or footer information to appear on the title slide.
7. Click "Apply to All" if you want your header and/or footer to appear on all slides (except, perhaps the title slide) or "Apply" if you only want these choices to apply to the currently selected slide

Note: the positioning and formatting of these items is determined by the slide master of the design template you've chosen. These settings can be changed.

Taking the Show on the Road

Once you have your presentation content settled, you can add some bells and whistles to make it really shine.

Slide transitions and text animations, when used sparingly, can add a level of professionalism to your show when you present it, and they are essential to creating a self-running show that you can set up and let run at a conference or demonstration.

You may also want to consider printing your slides to create handouts for your audience to use for making notes during your presentation.

Slide Transitions

One of the "cool" things about PowerPoint is - admittedly - the way you can transition from slide to another with special effects. This adds interest to your presentation and can help "wake up" your audience. So, let's put in some "razzle dazzle" to our slide show!

With slide transitions, you may choose whether or not a transition applies to all of the slides or just to one. If you plan to apply a particular transition between two slides position your cursor on the slide you want this effect to transition into.

1. Position your cursor on the appropriate slide, if necessary
2. From the menu bar, choose "Slide Show"
3. From the slide show menu, choose "Slide Transition"
4. (Mac OS) In the "Slide Transition" dialog box, choose the transition settings. (Windows) From the right side pallet, choose the transition settings
5. Click the "Apply to All" button if you want this to apply to every slide transition in this presentation. Click "Apply" if you want this transition to take place between the previous slide and the currently selected one

Notes:

• Leave the "Advance" choice as "On mouse click" when you will be speaking along with your presentation. If you have it advance automatically, you may be surprised with a question and lose your timing!
• Set "Advance" to "Automatically after" when you set up a self-running show. (The numbers are in minutes and seconds.)
• Use sound sparingly. It can become very annoying quickly

Animations

In addition to using special effects to transition between slides, you can also make the text or objects for a given slide move onto the slide. You can use this in situations where you want each sentence on a slide to "come in" when you are ready to talk about it - but not have it on the screen distracting your audience in the meantime.

To create a slide with animation:

1. Select the slide you want to animate
2. Click on the text or picture you want to animate (MacOS)
3. From the menu bar, choose "Slide Show"
4. From the slide show menu, choose (Mac OS) "Animations" or (Windows) "Animation Schemes"
5. Choose an animation to apply

Note: with the MacOS version, the animation chosen applies to the item you selected. With animation schemes in the Windows version, the scheme applies to the whole slide.

Saving the Slide Show

Up to this point, we have been saving the presentation as a presentation and showing it from inside of the edit mode of PowerPoint.

Once you are done with your editing, you can get a more professional effect if you save the presentation as a show. When you present a show, you do not see the PowerPoint editing window at the beginning and end of your presentation.

To save a show:

1. From the menu bar, choose "File"
2. From the file menu, choose "Save As"
3. You will get the dialog box that asks you to name a file. This time, you need to specify the type of the file
4. Click the arrow beside the (Mac OS) "Format" field (Windows) "Save as type:" field. You will get a list of choices, and you may need to scroll down to see all of them
5. Choose "PowerPoint Show (*.pps)"
6. Change the file name, if desired
7. Click the "Save" button

Note: this saves a copy of the presentation as a show. The original presentation remains. Either one can be edited, but I recommend that you always edit the presentation (.ppt). Save the presentation as a show (.pps) when your presentation is complete and ready to be shown.

To present a show:

1. Locate the PowerPoint Show you want to display
2. Double-click the file icon to start the show

Printing Options

When you are ready to give your presentation, you may want to print your slides to use either as notes for yourself or as handouts for your audience.

To start the printing process:

1. From the menu bar, choose "File"
2. From the file menu, choose "Print"

The majority the dialog box contains the usual print dialog questions, where you can choose the printer, the range of slides to print, and the number of copies. (Mac OS) You can also choose to save as PDF.

(Windows only) In addition you have choices that are unique to printing in PowerPoint.

In the "Print what:" field, you can choose from:

• Slides - one slide per page
• Handouts - several choices about the number of slides per page and how they are ordered
• Notes Pages - one slide per page with your notes printed in the bottom half of the page
• Outline View - outline similar to what you see in the online window on the screen

Note: if you are using slides with color, you may want to choose to print using the "Pure black and white" option rather than the "Grayscale" to improve readability of the printouts.