Three PowerPoint 2007 Tips

Ready to move your PowerPoint presentations into the 21st century? Here are three ways to leave that pre-Millenium slide show behind.

1. Apply the 10, 20, 30 rule.
No more than 10 slides.

No more than 20 words per slide.
Use at least a 30 point font size.

But, you say, “My information is more than the 10 and 20.”

Not to worry—give the audience a break every ten slides by providing music (PowerPoint 2007 comes with at least two sound clips.), having them take a short stand up break, fiddling with the program while profusely apologizing, etc.

2. Use animation sparingly, if at all. Although fun to put in the presentation while sitting at your desk, it can create a zombie-like reaction in an audience who must sit through things that are dissolving, zooming around the screen, flashing on and off, etc. if you must have animation, strive for no more than two per slide and use the same one(s) throughout.

3. Move beyond bullets (dots, squares, numbers, etc.) in your list. This can be done by employing Microsoft PowerPoint 2007s Smart Art. It is found by clicking the Insert tab. The following Smart Art example is one where its color scheme can be changed, an image can be inserted into the circle, and text placed in the rectangle.

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