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Deliver your PowerPoint 2003 Presentation on Two Monitors September 1, 2009

Posted by computertrainer in PowerPoint Tips.
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Using Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003 and Microsoft Windows 2000 with Service Pack 3 (or later) or Microsoft Windows XP, you can run your presentation from one monitor and let the audience view it on another monitor. This allows you to keep other programs running that the audience won’t see, plus you have access to presenter view, which offers a variety of tools for making it easier to present.

In presenter view, icons and buttons are large enough to navigate easily, even when you are using an unfamiliar keyboard or mouse. Presenter view features the following:

  • You can use the thumbnails to select slides out of sequence, creating a customized show for a given audience.
  • Preview text (“Up Next”) shows you what your next click will add to the screen, whether it’s a new slide or the next bullet item.
  • Speaker’s notes are shown in large, clear type so that you can use them as a script for the presentation.
  • You can black out the screen during a presentation, and then resume the presentation where you left off.

Set up the Display for 2 monitors:

  1. If Control Panel is not already visible, click the Start menu, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click the Display icon.
  2. On the Settings tab, select the monitor icon for the presenter’s monitor (usually 1), and then select the Use this device as the primary monitor check box.   If this check box is selected and unavailable, the monitor is already designated as the primary monitor. Only one monitor can be selected as the primary monitor at a time. When you select a different monitor icon and complete step 2, this setting for the previous monitor is automatically cleared and becomes accessible again.
  3. Select the secondary monitor icon, and then select the Extend my Windows Desktop onto this monitor check box.

NOTES

  •   You can only show the presenter view on one monitor and run the slide show from the other monitor.
  •   Your computer may have the capability to support multiple monitors, but PowerPoint supports the use of two for a slide show.
  •   You can turn off dual monitor support by selecting the second monitor and then clearing the Extend my Windows Desktop onto this monitor check box.

Once you have your monitors set up, open the presentation that you want to show.

  1. On the Slide Show menu, click Set Up Show.
  2. In the Display slide show on list, click the monitor you want the show to appear on (for instance, the projector or large monitor, rather than the presenter’s monitor or laptop).
  3. Select the Show Presenter View check box.
  4. Click OK.
  5. To start the slide show, press F5 or click the Slide Show icon on the lower left of the window.

NOTE  If you are not using the presenter view, clear the Show Presenter View check box in the Set Up Show dialog box, and run the show as you would on a single monitor, clicking to advance the slides.

  1. To move between slides or trigger the next animation , click the arrow buttons. To show a slide out of sequence, click a slide in the thumbnail list.
  2. To end the show, click the End Show button.

Deliver your PowerPoint 2007 Presentation on Two Monitors September 1, 2009

Posted by computertrainer in Office 2007 Tips, PowerPoint Tips.
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Presenter view

By using two monitors, you can run your Office PowerPoint 2007 presentation from one monitor (at a podium, for example) while your audience views it on the second monitor. Presenter view offers the following tools to make it easier for you to present information:

  • You can use thumbnails to select slides out of sequence and create a customized presentation for your audience.
  • Preview text shows you what your next click will add to the screen, such as a new slide or the next bullet in a list.
  • Speaker’s notes are shown in large, clear type so that you can use them as a script for your presentation.
  • You can black out the screen during your presentation and then resume where you left off. For example, you might not want to display the slide content during a break or a question and answer period. 

Configure PowerPoint to use Presenter view

  1. On the Slide Show tab, in the Monitors group, click Use Presenter View.    NOTE:   The Display Settings dialog box from Windows Control Panel may appear.  If it does not, see Microsoft Windows Help to locate your Windows Display Settings.
  2. In the Display Settings dialog box, on the Monitor tab, click the monitor icon that you want to use to view your speaker notes, and then select the This is my main monitor check box.  If the This is my main monitor check box is selected and unavailable, the monitor is already designated as the primary monitor.  You can select only one primary monitor at a time.  If you click a different monitor icon, the This is my main monitor check box is cleared and made available again.
  3. Click the monitor icon for the second monitor that the audience will view, select the Extend my Windows Desktop onto this monitor check box, and then click OK.
  4. On the Slide Show tab, in the Set Up group, click Set Up Slide Show.
  5. In the Set Up Show dialog box, choose the options that you want, and then click OK.
  6. To begin delivering your presentation, on the View tab, in the Presentation Views group, click Slide Show.

Deliver your presentation on two monitors

  1. On the Slide Show tab, in the Set Up group, click Set Up Slide Show.
  2. In the Set Up Show dialog box, choose the options that you want, and then click OK.
  3. To begin delivering your presentation, on the View tab, in the Presentation Views group, click Slide Show.

Add an ‘Action Button’ to a Slide August 24, 2009

Posted by computertrainer in Office 2007 Tips, PowerPoint Tips.
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Action buttons are built-in button shapes that you can add to your presentation and then assign an action to occur upon the click of a mouse or when someone ‘mouses over’ the button.  I would not recommend the ‘mouse over’ method.

When you deliver your presentation, you can click an action button to:

  • Go to the next slide, the previous slide, the first slide, the last slide, the most recent slide viewed, a specific slide number that you specify. a different PowerPoint presentation, or a Web page
  • Run a program
  • Run a macro
  • Play a sound

     PPT Action Buttons

I often place an Action Button on a ‘hidden’ slide.  If I need to go to the hidden slide during the presentation, then I can click the Action Button to take me back to the slide I had been on.  The setting used is “Hyperlink to:  Last Slide Viewed.”  I always place an Action Buttons on the lower right corner of the slide and make it as small as possible, changing the color of the button so it blends in with the slide background.

PowerPoint 2000 – 2003

Insert an action button on a single slide

  1. Select the slide you want to place a button on.
  2. On the Slide Show menu, point to Action Buttons, and then select the button you want— for example, Home, Back or Previous, Forward or Next, Beginning, End, or Return.
  3. Click the slide.
  4. Make sure that Hyperlink to is selected. Click OK to accept the proposed hyperlink in the Hyperlink to list, or click the arrow and select the link you want.

PowerPoint 2007

Add an action button and assign an action

  1. On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click Shapes, and then under Action Buttons, click the button that you want to add.
  2. Click a location on the slide, and then drag to draw the shape for the button.
  3. In the Action Settings dialog box, do one of the following:
    ►  To choose the behavior of the action button when you click it in Slide Show view, click the Mouse Click tab.
    ►   To choose the behavior of the action button when you move the pointer over it in Slide Show view, click the Mouse Over tab.  (I do not recommend this method!)
  4. To choose the action that will take place when you click or move the pointer over the action button, do one of the following:
    ►  To use the shape without a corresponding action, click None.
    ►  To create a hyperlink, click Hyperlink to, and then select the destination (for example, the next slide, the previous slide, the last slide, or another PowerPoint presentation) that you want the hyperlink action to go to.NOTE:  To link to a file created by another program, such as a Microsoft Word or Excel file, in the Hyperlink to list, click Other File.►  To run a program, click Run program, click Browse, and then locate the program that you want to run.
    ►  If you want the shape that you chose as an action button to perform an action, click Object action, and then select the action that you want it to perform.
    ►  To play a sound, select the Play sound check box, and then select the sound that you want to play.
  5. Click OK.

Save Text as a Graphic to Manipulate It’s Size August 17, 2009

Posted by computertrainer in PowerPoint Tips, Word Tips.
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Have you ever needed to change the height of certain text and the only way to do that was to change the font size, which also changed the width of the text?  Below is a simple solution.

  1. Type the text on a PPT slide or in a Word document.
  2. Apply the font you want to adjust, and choose a font size that represents the final width you want for your text.
  3. Select the text box in PPT or the text in Word.
  4. Copy by pressing CTRL + C or right-mouse click the selected text box/text.
  5. Choose Edit, Paste Special to launch the Paste Special dialog box.
    In 2007, click the triangle below the Paste Icon on the Home Ribbon.
  6. Make sure Paste is selected (as opposed to Paste Link), choose Picture (Enhanced Metafile) in the As window, and click OK.

 PPT Paste Special dialog box - Enhanced Metafile option

Now, since it’s an inserted image, you can use the editing handles to stretch the height of your text without affecting the text width, as shown below.  Alternately, you can adjust the width of your text independent of the text height.  You can also apply any other editing techniques that are available in PowerPoint for altering inserted pictures.

PPT save font as picture

The text, which was saved as a picture (the bottom sample), has been made taller and narrower than the actual text (top 2 samples).

Nudge It a Little in PowerPoint August 3, 2009

Posted by computertrainer in Office 2007 Tips, PowerPoint Tips.
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I use the arrow keys all the time to move my objects; however, sometimes the nudge is a bit too much.  So I might turn off the Snap to Grid feature (instructions below).

But, even easier is to hold down CTRL and press the ARROW keys to nudge the freeform in 1-pixel increments.  This is one screen pixel.  What 1 screen pixel represents is relative to the document area depends on the zoom percentage.  When your document is zoomed in to 400%, 1 screen pixel is a relatively small nudge distance on the document.  When your document is zoomed out to 25%, 1 screen pixel is a relatively large nudge distance on the document.

 To Nudge:

  1. Select the object and then use the appropriate arrow key.
  2. Each key press will move the object approximately 1/12 of an inch.
    PowerPoint applies this predefined amount when the grid is enabled.

To Change or Disable Snap to Grid Settings:

Office 97 – 2003

  1. Click Draw on the Drawing toolbar and choose Grid And Guides.
  2. In the resulting dialog box, you can select or deselect the Snap Objects To Grid check box, adjust the grid spacing, and display the grid and/or drawing guides on your slides.

Office 2007

  1. Under SmartArt Tools, Drawing Tool, Picture Tools, Chart Tools, etc., on the Format tab, click Arrange, and then click Align.  If you are working with a Table, select the Layout tab in the Table Tools Ribbon.
  2. Click Grid settings, and then clear the Snap objects to grid check box or change the number in the Spacing box under Grid settings.
    If you do not see the SmartArt/Drawing/Picture Tools or Format tabs, make sure that you selected an object.

Remember, for a quick, small nudge is CTRL + ARROW key!

Add an Icon to your Toolbar May 29, 2009

Posted by computertrainer in Access Tips, Excel Tips, Outlook Tips, PowerPoint Tips, Publisher Tips, Visio Tips, Word Tips.
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Today during an Office 2007 class with employees at KaZak Composites in Woburn, MA, we discussed using the Filter feature in an Outlook calendar.  This is a multi-step process if you start from the menu.

Adding the Filter icon to a toolbar makes the process simpler.  Since that feature was not included in their book, I thought I would share the steps here so everyone can benefit from this shortcut.

NOTE:  You can add icons to other office applications using the same technique, however, Outlook 2007 is the only Office 2007 application that uses the toolbar.  So try this in Office 2000, XP, or 2003 for Excel, Word, etc.

  1. [RIGHT] click on any toolbar and select Customize.
    Right click a toolbar and select Customize
  2.  Make sure you can see the toolbar you want add an icon to. 
  3. Click the Commands tab.
  4. In the Categories box, click the View category.   (The Category will be the Menu that you would use to find the command.)
    customize toolbar 2
  5. Scroll on the Commands: until you find Filter … (or the command you want to add).
  6. Click on the Filter… command and drag it to the toolbar.
  7. Release the mouse button when it is placed in the location of your choice.
    NOTE:  You will see an “I beam” where it will be dropped.
  8. Click Close.
  9. Now when you want to filter simply click the icon, then go to the More Choices tab and click Categories to filter based on a category.
  10. When you want to remove the filter, click on the Filter icon and select Clear All.customize toolbar 3
     

PowerPoint Presentation Basics February 2, 2009

Posted by computertrainer in PowerPoint Tips.
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Sheryl Forkey of the Web Action Group (my website designers) has suggested the following tip.  I can’t help but agree with her!

  1. Tell them what you are going to tell them (Introduction)
  2. Tell Them (Body of presentation)
  3. Tell them what you told them (Conclusions)

Thanks, Sheryl!