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BASICS OF MS POWERPOINT

Discussed below are a few questions that one must be aware of while discussing the basics of MS PowerPoint. Once this is understood, using the program and analyzing how to use it more creatively shall become easier.

Question: What is MS PowerPoint?

Answer: PowerPoint (PPT) is a powerful, easy-to-use presentation graphics software program that allows you to create professional-looking electronic slide shows.

The image given below shows the main page of MS PowerPoint, where a person lands when the program is opened on a computer system:

Question: How to open MS PowerPoint on a personal computer?

Answer: Follow the steps below to open MS PowerPoint on a personal computer:

1. Click on the start button

2. Then choose “All Programs”

3. Next step is to select “MS Office”

4. Under MS Office, click on the “MS PowerPoint”

A blank presentation is open on the screen. According to the requirement, a person can modify the template for a presentation and start using the program.

Question: What is a PowerPoint presentation or PPT?

Answer: A combination of various slides depicting a graphical and visual interpretation of data, to present information in a more creative and interactive manner is called a PowerPoint presentation or PPT.

Question: What is a slide show in a PowerPoint presentation?

Answer: When all the slides of a PowerPoint presentation are set in series and then presented to a group of people, where each slide appears one after the other, is a set pattern, this is known as a PowerPoint slide show.

Question: What all elements can be added to a slide?

Answer: The following elements can be added to a PowerPoint slide:

1. Clip Art

2. Graphs

3. Tables

4. Photographs

5. Charts

6. Media Clips

7. Videos

All these elements are mainly used to enhance presentation skills and make the slide more interactive.

To learn more about the Fundamentals of Computer, visit the linked article.

For a better understanding of the Microsoft PowerPoint and its operations, functions and usage, refer to the video given below:

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Features of MS PowerPoint

There are multiple features that are available in MS PowerPoint which can customize and optimize a presentation. The same have been discussed below.

• Slide Layout

Multiple options and layouts are available based on which a presentation can be created. This option is available under the “Home” section and one can select from the multiple layout options provided.

The image below shows the different slide layout options which are available for use:

• Insert – Clipart, Video, Audio, etc.

Under the “Insert” category, multiple options are available where one can choose what feature they want to insert in their presentation. This may include images, audio, video, header, footer, symbols, shapes, etc.

The image below shows the features which can be inserted:

• Slide Design

MS PowerPoint has various themes using which background color and designs or textures can be added to a slide. This makes the presentation more colourful and attracts the attention of the people looking at it.

This feature can be added using the “Design” category mentioned on the homepage of MS PowerPoint. Although there are existing design templates available, in case someone wants to add some new texture or color, the option to customize the design is also available. Apart from this, slide designs can also be downloaded online.

Refer to the below for slide design:

• Animations

During the slide show, the slides appear on the screen one after the other. In case, one wants to add some animations to the way in which a slide presents itself, they can refer to the “Animations” category.

The different animation styles available on PowerPoint are:

Apart from all these options, font size, font style, font color, word art, date and time, etc. can also be added to a PPT.

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Uses of PowerPoint Presentation

PowerPoint presentations are useful for both personal and professional usage. Given below are a few of the major fields where PPT is extremely useful:

• Education – With e-learning and smart classes being chosen as a common mode of education today, PowerPoint presentations can help in making education more interactive and attract students towards the modified version of studying

• Marketing – In the field of marketing, PowerPoint presentations can be extremely important. Using graphs and charts, numbers can be shown more evidently and clearly which may be ignored by the viewer if being read

• Business – To invite investors or to show the increase or decrease in profits, MS PowerPoint can be used

• Creating Resumes – Digital resumes can be formed using MS PowerPoint. Different patterns, photograph, etc. can be added to the resume

• Depicting Growth – Since both graphics and text can be added in a presentation, depicting the growth of a company, business, student’s marks, etc. is easier using PPT

Choose a theme

When you open PowerPoint, you’ll see some built-in themes and templates. A theme is a slide design that contains matching colors, fonts, and special effects like shadows, reflections, and more.

1. On the File tab of the Ribbon, select New, and then choose a theme.
   PowerPoint shows you a preview of the theme, with four color variations to choose from on the right side.

2. Click Create or pick a color variation and then click Create.

Insert a new slide

• On the Home tab, click the bottom half of New Slide, and pick a slide layout.

Read more: Add, rearrange, and delete slides.

Save your presentation

1. On the File tab, choose Save.

2. Pick or browse to a folder.

3. In the File name box, type a name for your presentation, and then choose Save.

Note: If you frequently save files to a certain folder, you can ‘pin’ the path so that it is always available (as shown below).

Tip: Save your work as you go. Press CTRL's often or save the file to OneDrive and let AutoSave take care of it for you.

Add text

Select a text placeholder and begin typing.

Format your text

1. Select the text.

2. Under Drawing Tools, choose Format.

3. Do one of the following:

   • To change the color of your text, choose Text Fill, and then choose a color.

   • To change the outline color of your text, choose Text Outline, and then choose a color.

   • To apply a shadow, reflection, glow, bevel, 3-D rotation, a transform, choose Text Effects, and then choose the effect you want.

Add pictures

On the Insert tab, do one of the following:

• To insert a picture that is saved on your local drive or an internal server, choose Pictures, browse for the picture, and then choose Insert.

• To insert a picture from the web, choose Online Pictures, and use the search box to find a picture.
  Choose a picture, and then click Insert.

Add shapes

You can add shapes to illustrate your slide.

1. On the Insert tab, select Shapes, and then select a shape from the menu that appears.

2. In the slide area, click and drag to draw the shape.

3. Select the Format or Shape Format tab on the ribbon. Open the Shape Styles gallery to quickly add a color and style (including shading) to the selected shape.

Add speaker notes

Slides are best when you don’t cram in too much information. You can put helpful facts and notes in the speaker notes and refer to them as you present.

To open the notes pane, at the bottom of the window, click Notes.

1. Click inside the Notes pane below the slide, and begin typing your notes.

On the Slide Show tab, do one of the following:

• To start the presentation at the first slide, in the Start Slide Show group, click From Beginning.

• If you’re not at the first slide and want to start from where you are, click From Current Slide.

• If you need to present to people who are not where you are, click Present Online to set up a presentation on the web, and then choose one of the following options:

Get out of Slide Show view

To get out of Slide Show view at any time, on the keyboard, press Esc.

TIPS FOR CREATING AN EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION

Consider the following tips to keep your audience interested.

Minimize the number of slides

To maintain a clear message and to keep your audience attentive and interested, keep the number of slides in your presentation to a minimum.

Choose an audience-friendly font size

The audience must be able to read your slides from a distance. Generally speaking, a font size smaller than 30 might be too difficult for the audience to see.

Keep your slide text simple

You want your audience to listen to you present your information, instead of reading the screen. Use bullets or short sentences, and try to keep each item to one line.

Some projectors crop slides at the edges, so that long sentences might be cropped.

Use visuals to help express your message

Pictures, charts, graphs, and SmartArt graphics provide visual cues for your audience to remember. Add meaningful art to complement the text and messaging on your slides.

As with text, however, avoid including too many visual aids on your slide.

Make labels for charts and graphs understandable

Use only enough text to make label elements in a chart or graph comprehensible.

Apply subtle, consistent slide backgrounds

Choose an appealing, consistent template or theme that is not too eye-catching. You don't want the background or design to detract from your message.

However, you also want to provide a contrast between the background color and text color. The built-in themes in PowerPoint set the contrast between a light background with dark colored text or dark background with light colored text.