3 ways to simplify your PowerPoint presentations

Microsoft Office PowerPoint is a terrific medium because it allows you to reinforce your message with visual prompts. But too often, the power of PowerPoint is lost because the speaker doesn't use it to help viewers focus on the message. Instead, PowerPoint itself becomes the focus.

If you want to feel more relaxed and confident the next time you're using PowerPoint to deliver a presentation, try these three tips to maintain the focus on your topic—not the medium.

Be consistent on all pages by using the Master View

If you're tired of typing the date, presentation title, or page number on every page in your presentation—or changing bullet styles and indentations—listen up. PowerPoint will do this for you! The Master View feature allows you to enter information once on either the title page or an interior slide page. Once entered, the information is used consistently throughout the presentation, and remains there until you change it.

I use this feature in every presentation I create. It makes my life a little easier to know that each page will be consistent without much effort on my part. Let's take a look specifically at how PowerPoint can automatically take care of the date, footer, and page numbers for you.

From anywhere within your presentation, go to the View menu, click Master, and then click Slide Master. You will now be in the Master View mode, as shown here.

Note four key areas in this view, which shows you the presentation's title page.

1. On the slide itself are two large boxes that allow you to edit the Master title and subtitle styles.

   Less obvious are three remaining areas, which I've circled in red.

2. In the left navigation bar, you will see two thumbnail slides. One is the Title Slide view, and above it is the slide view for the rest of the interior slides. In the example above, you can see that I have selected the Title Slide.

3. A small, useful toolbar called Slide Master View appears as well. In this article we use only Close Master View.

4. Finally, note the bottom portion of the slide. It shows the date, footer, and number areas.

To include the date from the Master title page:

1. In the Date Area box, highlight and enter the date you wish to use.

2. Click Close Master View on the toolbar.

You should now see the date automatically noted on your title page, as shown below.

To make similar changes on slide pages that follow the title page, simply select the slide page thumbnail on the left within the Master View. You can then make changes to the bullet styles and indentations PowerPoint automatically sets up for you. Don't like a bullet color? Select the interior slide Master View and change it to the color you want. The example below shows some of the items you can change on the Master slide.

Tip Page numbers are added by default. However, if you want to remove page numbers from your presentation, remove <#> from the Number Area.

Note If you want a date to appear on both your title and interior slide pages, you must edit each page type from within the Master View.

Reinforce your message with automated charts and graphs

You've probably seen presenters who have very cool graphs and charts within their presentation. You can import these from other programs such as Microsoft Office Excel, but did you know you can perk up your slides without importing from those programs?

People retain information in different ways—by reading text, by seeing graphical representations, and by listening to what you say. So, if you want your audience to really remember your message, it's important to learn to create at least simple charts or graphs in PowerPoint. With the automated formats it provides, you have literally dozens of ways to build a unique presentation and make your message memorable.

To insert a chart or graph in your presentation:

1. Go to the Insert menu, and click Chart. PowerPoint will drop in a preformatted basic chart for you. If you like the format it chose, simply type in the text you need in the datasheet box provided for vertical and horizontal axis. Click anywhere on the slide and your chart will appear on the slide with your information. That's it!

   

2. To change the format, right-click within the chart. In the example shown, you would right-click the area outside the colored bars, but still within the chart—not in the datasheet box. You'll know you've clicked the correct spot because you will see the menu below pop up. If you don't, move your cursor to a different spot and keep trying until you see this menu.

   

3. On the menu that appears, click Chart Type to choose from 34 different chart options such as bar, pie, and bubble.

   Note You can choose from Standard or Custom Types.

4. Once you have selected a Chart type and option, choose a Chart sub-type you like. (Each chart option offers several different color and visual styles.) Want to see the style in a larger view? Select Press and Hold to View Sample.

   Note Custom Type charts do not have this viewing option.

   

5. Once you have made your selection, click OK.

6. Type in the text you need in the datasheet box provided for vertical and horizontal axes. Click anywhere on the slide and your chart will appear on the slide with your information.

   

Jump easily between pages

If you didn't know how to use a hyperlink, you wouldn't be reading this online article. You may already use hyperlinks for quick and easy access to the Web if you are connected to the Internet while making your presentation. Too often, however, a cool way to use hyperlinks within a presentation is overlooked. It happens when presenters include additional information at the back of a presentation as "back up" slides and then never refer to them because it's too difficult to navigate to the end and return to the main portion of the presentation. But if the information is important enough to reference in back up, why ignore it?

With PowerPoint hyperlinks, you don't have to because it's easy to jump between slides.

To insert hyperlinks between slides in your presentation:

1. Locate the first slide you will be on when you want to briefly jump to another slide. On this slide, highlight the word or phrase that is the most obvious descriptor of the second slide. On the Insert menu, click Hyperlink.

   

2. In the Insert Hyperlinks dialog box, under Link to, click Place in This Document.

3. Under Select a place in this document, click the slide to which you want to jump. Use the Slide Preview to ensure that you are selecting the correct page. Click OK. Your hyperlink is now in place on the text and page you selected.

   Note Trying to check whether your link works? Hyperlinks can only be used in the View Show mode.

   

4. The final step in this process is to go to the second slide you selected (in this example, page 3) and insert another hyperlink that allows you to jump back to the first slide. Follow steps 1-3 to do this. Once complete, you now have two hyperlinks within your presentation that allow you to move back and forth between slides like a pro.