Visually Speaking

Clip art images, if filled with many details, can actually become a distraction when the visual stays in view too long. Read more… →

Reviewing electronic communication may be a function of fatigue on the eyes. Many people will briefly examine at a text-intensive document on a computer, but will opt for printing the document for complete reading. This is noticed in universities (such as NYU) where students are offered electronic books, course handouts, and other online references; yet, most students will PRINT these online items, before reading or studying. Why do this? Read more… →

If you already maximized the efficiency of your slide show viewing options (see Slide-Viewing Options) you can still display a MENU of actions while running a PowerPoint presentation. A simple FUNCTION KEY does the trick! Read more… →

Let’s say you are in a PowerPoint presentation and you decide that you want to quickly navigate to a different visual by choosing from a list of all the slides in your presentation. There is a simple shortcut to do this! Read more… →

You are giving a PowerPoint presentation and you are currently on slide 20. An audience member asks a question. To help clarify your response you would like to bring back the supporting data that appeared as part of slide 14. What will you do to display that visual once again? Read more… →

In PowerPoint, the default Slide Show viewing options (installed with the software) are less than optimal when it comes to delivering a presentation. Fortunately, by un-checking a few boxes, you can make all of your presentations run smoothly. Read more… →

There are two ways to offer an audience an opportunity to have “notes” on your presentation. You can create note-GIVING handouts that already contain key information; or, you can design handouts that leave some area or space for note-TAKING by the audience. Read more… →

In any version of PowerPoint, one of the slide show SET UP options allows you to set a given presentation so that it does not jump back to the PC interface (desktop) after ending. Read more… →

If you decide to give handouts, the content becomes an important issue. The handouts should always be “different” from the presentation.

Don’t fall into the trap of printing out a hard copy of your visuals for the audience to take away with them. This presents a problem, especially when the presentation is designed conceptually. Read more… →

The templates you find in most graphic software programs offer a variety of graphic elements, geometric shapes, and other interesting components to carry a design theme throughout the presentation.

When you work with templates, check to see if the design is generic or specific. Read more… →