Introduction to Presentation Software

Introduction to Presentations

• A presentation involves conveying information to an audience
• The individual delivering the presentation is known as the presenter
• Presentations serve various purposes, including informing, educating, and persuading audiences
• Modern presentations are often created and delivered using computers and specialized software
• Presentation software enables presenters to integrate text, graphics, audio, video, and animations for effective communication

Popular Presentation Software

• Microsoft PowerPoint is a widely used presentation software
• Keynote is Apple's presentation software
• Google Slides is a web-based presentation software
• Prezi is a presentation tool known for its zooming interface
• Corel Presentation is another option for creating presentations

Features of Presentation Software

• The Title Bar indicates the title of the current document; PowerPoint defaults to names like "Presentation1," "Presentation2," etc
• The Office Button/File Menu allows users to create, open, and save files, along with other tasks
• The Quick Access Toolbar offers one-click access to frequently used commands like Save, Undo, and Redo
• The Ribbon houses multiple tabs, each containing related command groups; a Dialog Box Launcher provides access to additional commands
• A Slide provides the space for adding text, images, sound, video, animations, and links
• Slide Note provides presenter-specific notes during the presentation, not visible to the audience
• Slide Master is where the overall formatting and layout of a presentation are defined, affecting all slides
• Animation refers to motion effects applied to objects within a slide, triggered by time or user action
• Transition is the animation effect seen when moving from one slide to the next
• Slide Selection Pane displays slides as thumbnails for easy navigation
• Slide Pane is the main area for editing the current slide
• Note Pane is the section below the slide where presenters can write notes
• Status Bar displays information such as slide number, total slides, view options, zoom slider, and language
• View Option allows switching between Normal, Slide Sorter, and Slide Show views

Running a Presentation

• Presentations are typically designed in Normal View
• Presentations can be started via the Slide Show tab, choosing "From Beginning" to start from the first slide
• Pressing F5 also starts the presentation from the first slide
• The "From Current Slide" option under the Slide Show tab starts the presentation from the current slide
• Clicking the Slide Show view button on the status bar also starts from the current slide
• Navigation between slides can be done using the mouse or arrow keys

Organizing Slides

• Switch to Slide Sorter view to get an overview of all slides for quick organization
• To delete a slide, select it and press the Delete key
• Slides can be moved by selecting and dragging them to the desired position
• Duplicate slides by selecting and pressing Ctrl + D

Printing a Presentation

• Print presentations via Office button > Print or by pressing Ctrl + P
• Slides print one slide per page
• Handouts print multiple slides per page
• Notes Pages print one slide per page with presenter's notes
• Outline View prints titles and main text

Designing Effective Presentations

• Use strong contrast between text and background for readability
• Avoid excessive colors to maintain focus on important content
• Maintain a consistent design across slides
• Ensure objects are properly aligned
• Use images that enhance the message

Presentation Best Practices

• Keep the information concise and focused
• Ensure sufficient spacing between elements to avoid crowding
• The 10/20/30 rule suggests no more than 10 slides, a maximum of 20 minutes, and a minimum 30-point font size
• PechaKucha 20x20 involves exactly 20 slides displayed for 20 seconds each, totaling six minutes and 40 seconds
• Use animations only to enhance key points, avoiding unnecessary distractions
• Avoid constant use of sound during slide transitions, as it can disrupt the audience
• Avoid overuse of transition and animation effects

Enhancing Presentations with Multimedia

• Multimedia presentations combine various media types like images, video, and audio
• Adding images can be done by copying and pasting or via the Insert menu for more control and options
• PowerPoint has built-in tools to edit images without needing external software; found under Picture Tools > Format

PowerPoint Picture Tools

• Cropping can remove portions of an image
• Background removal can isolate logos with solid backgrounds

Working with Audio in PowerPoint

• Audio, like MP3 or WAV files, can be added to presentations via Insert > Audio > Audio on My PC
• A speaker icon appears on the slide, which you can hover over and play
• PowerPoint's Audio Tools, found under Playback, allow minor audio edits

PowerPoint Audio Tools

• Trim Audio reduces the audio file to a selected portion
• The Start option can be changed from "On Click" to "Automatically"

Working with Video in PowerPoint

• Video can be added from a computer using Insert > Video > Video on My PC or by linking to online videos via Insert > Video > Online Video

PowerPoint Video Playback Options

• Access key settings to control the video via Video Tools > Playback
• The Start option can be changed from "On Click" to "Automatically"
• "Play Full Screen" expands the video to cover the entire screen
• "Trim Video" reduces the video to specific segments

Animation in PowerPoint

• Animation displays multiple objects in a sequence to create motion
• Animations are used to emphasize points, control information flow, and add life
• Animations can be applied to text and graphics or when transitioning between slides
• Add animation by selecting the object, going to Animations tab > Custom Animation, and choosing an effect

Animation Effects

• Entrance animations apply when the object appears
• Emphasis animations apply to objects already visible
• Exit animations apply when the object disappears
• Motion Paths animate the object along a specified path
• Animation effects can be modified with options like Start (On click, With Previous, After Previous), Direction, and Speed

Slide Transitions

• Slide transitions are motion effects that occur when moving between slides in presentation view

Saving in Other Formats

• Presentations can be saved as PowerPoint Shows to run automatically, often used in public displays
• PowerPoint presentations can be saved in graphic formats like GIF, JPEG, PNG, and TIFF, with options to save all or single slides

Hyperlinks in PowerPoint

• Hyperlinks are similar to website links
• Hyperlinks make presentations non-linear, connecting to other slides, documents, or web pages

Hyperlinking Objects

• PowerPoint objects like text, text boxes, shapes, SmartArt, and pictures can have hyperlinks assigned
• Add a hyperlink by selecting an object, going to the Insert tab, and clicking the Link button
• Options include linking to another slide, existing documents, web pages, new documents, or email addresses

Types of Hyperlinks

• To link to another slide: Choose the slide in the presentation under "Place in this Document"
• To link to an existing document or webpage: Select "Existing File or Web Page"
• To link to a new document: Select "Create New Document" and specify the file name and desired editing time
• To link to an email: Select "E-mail Address" and specify the email address and subject

Slide Master Feature

• The Slide Master applies a uniform design to every slide
• It controls the appearance of text and multimedia objects
• The Slide Master saves time, particularly when design changes are needed across multiple slides

Modifying the Slide Master

• Go to View tab > Slide Master to modify it
• Select the top slide from the Slide Selection Pane
• Changes to the top slide affect all slides
• Changes to slides below the Slide Master affect only respective slide layouts
• Click "Close Master View" to return to normal view

Charts

• Charts visually present data, and making it easier to understand
• To create a chart: Select data, click the insert tab, and select your desired chart
• Available Tools such as "Chart Styles" and "Chart Elements" enable you to customize it Visually

Interacting with Charts

• Chart data can be updated by selecting "Edit Data" from the "Chart Tools" menu, which opens an Excel-like spreadsheet

Google Slides

• Google Slides is one of Google's productivity tools available for free with a Google account.
• Access Google Slides by logging in to your Google account and navigating to Google Drive and selecting "Google Slides"
• This tool allows those that have access to editing to make changes at any time
• Sharing permissions include, editors, commenters, and viewers

Google Slides Access

• Editors have full access to add, edit or delete content
• Commenters can view the presentation and provide feed back but cannot make changes
• Viewers have limited access and can only view the presentation and are restricted to making edits or comments