Introduction

IF WE HAD TO PICK the top software packages that are globally recognized in every corporation, association, and educational institution, PowerPoint would head the list. PowerPoint has become synonymous with presentations and when used to its full potential, it is a powerful and effective tool for delivering information, yet most people have never been properly trained to use its rich features.

Usually it’s a trial-by-fire situation—you have a presentation due at the end of the week, and either you modify a presentation that has already been delivered or you plod your way through an overused sample template provided with the software, haphazardly adding bullet points and titles. Maybe co-workers can point you in the right direction, or maybe they are in the same predicament that you’re in. It’s also possible that you’ve worked with PowerPoint for 10 years, have a fairly adequate groove, and have never deviated. If a presentation is built based on any of these scenarios, chances are it’s not the best that it could be.

We’ve written this book to help propel your presentations to new heights with all the new features available in PowerPoint 2007. This completely reworked release has taken graphic design and the ability to customize just about everything to new levels. Haven’t switched yet? Don’t worry, most of the principles here will also apply to prior releases of PowerPoint, but you will need the current software to access projects on the CD-ROM.

We’ve noticed that most presenters have a general knowledge of how to use PowerPoint, but are missing some of the principles and techniques that can truly make their presentation educate, engage, and inspire. This book will give you the edge that you need to wow your audience. Our goal is to get right to the heart of making your slides look better and helping you communicate more effectively. Additionally, we realize that most presentations don’t happen in the comfort of your workspace, so we’ve added steps to prep your presentations for multimedia delivery and travel.

Why Do I Need This Book?

You have a big presentation due and you want it to knock the socks off your audience. You have an idea of how to navigate in PowerPoint, but you need something better, and you need it now! We’ve written this book with you in mind. Often, we’ve found ourselves with less than adequate prep time and limited assets to prepare for high-profile presentations. We’ve taken these experiences (good and bad) and applied the latest release of PowerPoint to them to show you how you can get up and running as quickly as possible.

You’ll be able to understand our theories and principles at a glance and follow our step-by-step tutorials in minutes, not hours. We’ve incorporated all of our project files on the enclosed CD-ROM, as well as other, extra goodies so that you can work with the same files that you’ll see in the full-color pages of How to Wow with PowerPoint.

How to Use This Book

Let’s be honest: chances are that you’re already in the middle of developing a presentation and you have a specific problem that you would like to solve. Go ahead and skip over to that chapter and find the help you need. However, to really get the most out of this book it’s best to go through the chapters in order and experiment with all of the concepts and techniques that are available. Make sure to copy each chapter-specific project folder to your computer from the enclosed CD-ROM so that you’ll navigate through the book with us and save your progress.

We’ve referred mostly to menu commands throughout the book, but always keep in mind that there are shortcut keys to accomplish many of the menu-command tasks. You’ll also discover that you can accomplish things faster by right-clicking your mouse rather than always moving your cursor to and from the Ribbon. As you work through the pages of this book, experiment with different ways to access the commands that you want to activate and decide what is most comfortable for you.

Our Goal

We hope that you will read through this book and follow along with the lessons and topics that we cover. After you’ve improved your PowerPoint skills, keep the book close at hand as a reference tool for a specific technique or principle to help polish your presentations. With a thorough knowledge of what works for you and your organization, you’ll see a dramatic improvement in how quickly and easily you can create and modify your presentations and also in how they are received by your audience.

We didn’t write this book for technical wizards or PowerPoint gurus, but for our friends, colleagues, and peers. We know that most of you have already created a PowerPoint presentation but want more for your efforts. Here we’ve attempted to package sound design practices and real-world experience into a friendly format that’s easy to use. It would be great for everyone to have a graphic design department at their disposal for each presentation, and with this book you’ll have everything you need to make it look like you did.