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How to Loop a GIF Background in PowerPoint 2013

Posted on by Rick E

Animation can easily capture audience interest, especially if they’re engaging and interactive. Backing up your pitch with well-designed motion graphics encourages the crowd to listen. Include motion graphics as backgrounds with PowerPoint to spice up your business presentation.

In this post, we’ll focus on using an animated GIF (Graphic Interchange Format) and how to use it as a background with the help of PowerPoint 2013’s customization options.

Loop a GIF in PowerPoint 2013

Before doing this, you’ll need to have an animated GIF image ready.

Once you have your file ready, here’s how you can place it on your slide:

1. Click the Design tab and then to the far right, select Format Background under the Customize group. You’ll notice the Format Background options appear at the right windowpane within the slide area.

Loop a gif background tips: New

2. In this window, choose the Picture or Texture Fill from the options.

Loop a gif background tips: picture or texture fill

3. Within the same window, click File to insert the GIF from your downloaded or saved files and then choose your desired GIF file.

Loop a gif background tips: choose file

4. Preview your current slide to see if the GIF plays. Under the Slide Show tab, click From Current Slide in the Start Slide Show group, or simply press Shift+F5 to preview the current slide you’re working on. The GIF will automatically loop at the start of the slide.

Loop a gif background tips: gif

Some Important Reminders

1. Click on Apply to All so that your GIF will play in the background of all your slides.

Loop a gif background tips: apply to all

2. You can see this button at the bottom of the Format Background window pane which can be accessed in the rightmost area of the Design tab.

Loop a gif background tips: format background

3. You can also choose other GIFs as backgrounds to invoke different reactions from your audience. This option stretches the image to fill the background, so choose a high-quality GIF so that it won’t look pixelated when expanded.

4. Last, but not the least, not all GIFs can loop properly when played in older versions of PowerPoint. Focus on your presentation’s content in case your animation fails to load.

5. The steps outlined in this article are distinctly different from just dragging a GIF into the slide area. You can’t resize or drag the GIF around once it’s applied as a background. This feature helps reduce the amount of slide elements in your deck and keeps the background firmly in place.

Background Animation

With PowerPoint’s capability to customize slides, you can add animation to pique the interest of your audience.

The ability to loop a GIF background can enhance your design and vary up your presentation’s look. A moving background can catch the attention of the audience, which can help them focus on the foreground elements afterwards. An animated design also helps differentiate your slide elements for visual contrast. This lets you deliver a memorable PowerPoint presentation.

Create a more dynamic and engaging deck with animation. SlideGenius experts can assist you and offer you a free quote!

 

Reference:

Menezes, Ryan. “How to Use Looping Backgrounds in PowerPoint.” Business & Entrepreneurship. n.d. yourbusiness.azcentral.com/use-looping-backgrounds-powerpoint-1766.html

Improve Your Deck with Interactive PowerPoint Presentations

Posted on by Rick E

The goal of any presentation is to engage its audience. There are a number of rhetoric techniques to achieve this, such as appeals to emotion and reason. However, you can also apply these techniques on your deck.

Aside from tapping into basic design principles that make your PowerPoint more eye-catching, current innovations in the presentation program have made it possible for an interactive presentation.

Find out how you can create a winning deck using three of PowerPoint’s interactive features:

1. Interactive Feed

One of the biggest breakthroughs of our time is the rise of social media. It has brought people closer and allowed new connections to form across geographical and cultural boundaries. Among the leading social platforms online, Twitter lets you interact directly with your audience and gain insight on their thoughts when you display a live feed on your slides.

Tap into the power of social media during your presentation, and encourage people to bring out their phones so they can tweet about your pitch.

Make use of a hashtag specific to your event, and look it up using a Twitter wall. Web sites like Tweet Beam let you view live tweets about specific events or hashtags and show them to your audience for added credibility, according to its founder, Pim Stuurman.

Import the live feed onto your deck by clicking Insert > Web Page. Copy the URL from the Twitter wall and paste it on the dialogue box that will open.

Unfortunately, LiveWeb is only available in PowerPoint 97 to 2010. You can download the LiveWeb add-in for PowerPoint to display your live feed for a more interesting and engaging deck. You can also add Web pages in PowerPoint 2013 onward through free add-ins like Office Mix.

2. Animation

If you prefer not to put up an interactive feed on your deck, attract and hold the viewer’s gaze with animation.

Just last year, Microsoft released an add-in that makes it possible to craft seamless basic animation that elevates the quality of your slides: PowerPoint Morph. This comes with an Office 365 subscription for PowerPoint 2016, but once installed, it creates unprompted effects that look like convincing basic animation.

Morph is found under the Transitions tab, and it gives you the option to animate objects, words, or characters. Just move your selected slide element in the path you want it to move after choosing the Morph option. Without needing any clicks, it will move in your desired path once you play the slide show.

This lets you discuss your pitch and interact with your audience further with your animation as a supplement.

3. Hyperlink

Take your pitch outside the slide with hyperlinks. This can be as simple as hyperlinking a specific word or phrase on your deck or to designing shapes or buttons that will help you navigate through your slides. For specific details on making the latter, check out our previous tutorial on hyperlinks.

Whichever object you choose, right click on your chosen slide element and select Hyperlink. A dialogue box will appear, where you can either insert a site URL or direct to another slide on your deck. Unlike the previous two options, this will require some work on your part as you go over your pitch.

You’ll need to click on the hyperlinks every time you want to move around your deck, but this is a relatively easier method than sifting through slides or opening a new window and loading a page.

Conclusion

An interactive PowerPoint can boost your audience engagement and successfully pique people’s interest faster.

Tap into social media and display a live feed on your wall. Find out what your listeners feel about your presentation and address their concerns in real time. Attract attention with effortless animation. Install the PowerPoint Morph add-in to achieve self-presenting animation on your deck. For easier navigation across and outside slides, add hyperlinks on selected slide objects. It’s designed to help your pitch move along smoothly by removing the hassle of manual backtracking, so strategically place them throughout your slides.

If you’re still having trouble with your presentation design needs, contact our SlideGenius experts today for a free quote!

 

References:

Pillai, Shyam. “LiveWeb – Insert and Update Web Pages Real-time in PowerPoint.” OfficeTips. n.d. www.skp.mvps.org/liveweb.htm
Stuurman, Pim. “How Do You Display a Live Twitter Feed in a PowerPoint Presentation?” TweetBeam. February 10, 2015. www.tweetbeam.com/blog/twitter-feed-powerpoint
“Using the Morph Transition in PowerPoint 2016.” Office Blogs. n.d. support.office.com/en-us/article/Using-the-Morph-transition-in-PowerPoint-2016-8dd1c7b2-b935-44f5-a74c-741d8d9244ea

 

Featured Image: “Interactive Interactive – Laura” by Dan Zen on flickr.com

How to Open the .ODP Format Using PowerPoint 2013

Posted on by Rick E

The OpenOffice program’s OpenDocument Presentation (.odp) format is mostly used by professionals as a “lighter” alternative to Microsoft PowerPoint. The free software suite is an open-source program used for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, and other business endeavors, much like its paid counterpart. OpenOffice can also store lecture materials, documents, and business presentations.

While this may save costs for investing in the “heavier” Office Suite, the main issue is the .odp file format’s several incompatibilities with the Office Suite.

PowerPoint’s flexibility lets you open OpenDocument Presentation (.odp) files without a need to set up any tools or programs on your desktop or laptop. Just open the document as it is and view it from inside the program.

Some features of PowerPoint, such as SmartArt and transition sounds, aren’t supported by the OpenDocument Presentation format. So a PowerPoint user might have to make several accommodations for an OpenOffice user and vice versa, which takes time.

However, compatibility issues don’t make it impossible to open .odp in PowerPoint.

How to Open the .ODP Format Using PowerPoint 2013

1. Open Microsoft PowerPoint 2013.

open PPT 20132. Click the File tab and you’ll be taken to the Backstage view. Click on Open in the vertical ribbon.

click File3. Select the Computer icon and choose Browse. A dialog box named Open will appear.

choose Browse4. Make it easier to find your file by filtering your documents to only show “.odp” files. You can do this by clicking on the dropdown menu named All PowerPoint Presentations in the bottom right corner of the dialog box named Open.

Click on the dropdown menu named All PowerPoint Presentations5. Select OpenDocument Presentation from the dropdown menu.

Select OpenDocument Presentation6. Now, open your OpenDocument Presentation file.Open OpenDocument Presentation file

Important Information about the .ODP Format

Opening an OpenDocument Presentation might show up differently in PowerPoint 2013 because both programs don’t have all of each other’s supported features. Take a look at this list from Office.com to see which features of .odp are supported in PowerPoint.

Since compatibility is a major concern between the two programs, it’s best not to use advanced animations and complex transitions, especially those with sounds from PowerPoint. These won’t be able to show up in an OpenDocument Presentation.

Another step you should take is to check your .pptx file before forwarding it to your colleague or client. When you send the presentation as an .odp file, see if it looks the same when viewed in OpenOffice.

To make sure your formatted objects made from PowerPoint appear in OpenOffice, convert the formatted elements into an image in your PowerPoint file so that it can be viewed in an OpenOffice Presentation. Take note that when you save your charts or shapes as an image, you won’t be able to edit it afterwards.

Yes, PowerPoint Can Definitely Open .ODP!

Make sure to follow each step above to help you open this file format. Don’t forget to consult the list from Microsoft Office for concerns on compatibility.

To help you with your presentation needs, our PowerPoint professionals can help you out with a free quote!

 

References:

Bennet, Kirk. “How to Open .Odp Files on PowerPoint.” Business & Entrepreneurship. n.d. yourbusiness.azcentral.com/open-odp-files-powerpoint-4304.html
“Supported Features in OpenDocument Presentation (.odp) Format.” Office. n.d. support.office.com/en-us/article/Supported-features-in-OpenDocument-presentation-odp-format-f6d5b015-a417-4096-bf61-a5c3f58d125f
“Use PowerPoint to Open or save a Presentation in the OpenDocument Presentation (.odp) Format.” Office. n.d. support.office.com/en-us/article/Use-PowerPoint-to-open-or-save-a-presentation-in-the-OpenDocument-Presentation-odp-format-e32d52a1-a793-49a3-aa2a-6bb1420fab60

3 Tips to Avoid Being Late to Your Own Presentation

Posted on by Rick E

Time is an essential factor in most professional presentations.

It’s important to keep yourself on a schedule not only before your speech, but after it as well. However, even with the precautions against poor time management, people still end up showing late to meetings and presentations.

As a listener, tardiness is slightly forgivable. As a speaker, however, being late could cost you your credibility and your listeners.

If you’ve been late to your own presentation before, repeating your mistake definitely sends out the wrong message. People might stop attending your talks once you’ve become associated with tardiness. It doesn’t matter if it’s five or thirty minutes. People will remember.

Be on time by following three tips:

Don’t Stall

Lateness is often associated with laziness. According to management consultant Diana DeLonzor in her book, Never Be Late Again, this image is countered by a type of tardiness that’s caused by wanting to cram too many things in too short a time. In trying to get everything done at once, you might lose track of time and forget to get going.

If you find yourself identifying as a crammer, don’t let it get in the way of proper planning. Keeping a timetable to track your progress avoids procrastination. The definite outline of a set schedule prevents you from squeezing in any extra last-minute activities.

Know what time your presentation is going to start and plan your agenda around that. Give yourself a five-minute allowance for any unexpected complications you may encounter mid-preparation. Having spent all your time, gather all the materials you need and leave.

Don’t stall with extra activities. Get up and go.

Prepare for Downtime

Studies show that late people are really afraid of being early. Being punctual may trigger a deep-seated fear of not knowing what to do.

For presenters, arriving before the audience causes anxiety while waiting for the room to fill up. In such cases, learn to plan for the downtime. You don’t have to sit idly and let your stage fright consume you. There are a number of helpful activities you can do before your presentation. You can start doing warm-up drills that can improve your body language. It’s also possible to do some breathing exercises to ease your nerves. Simple things like stretching and taking deep breaths will keep you preoccupied long enough.

Once you’ve established that you have something to do with the spare time, you’ll find it easier to come on time.

Be Mindful

The most effective way to combat lateness is to be mindful. Check the time every now and then to see if you’re still on track. You may lose yourself in preparation and forget about doing the other things you need to do.

Another timetable comes in handy here. Being aware of how much time you spend on a task lets you improve your pace. However, this isn’t limited to pre-presentation. You can also apply this to your actual speech. Monitor yourself as you speak and make sure to end on time. Keeping your audience longer than the allotted span will also frustrate them and make them zone out on you.

Conclusion

Learn to overcome your tardiness.

Don’t stall during your preparation. Once you’re done, head out the door. If you arrive early and get anxious with the long wait, prepare activities to keep you busy during the downtime. Be mindful of the time you spend on everything to avoid upsetting your audience.

Delivering a good presentation involves improving all aspects of your performance, including your time management.

Need help with your presentation? Contact our SlideGenius experts today and get a free quote!

 

References:

Durayappah, Adoree. “The Real Reason Some of Us Are Chronically Late.” Psychology Today. November 14, 2014. www.psychologytoday.com/blog/thriving101/201411/the-real-reason-some-us-are-chronically-late
“Here’s How You Can Stop Being Late All the Time.” Time. May 22, 2014. www.time.com/106815/stop-being-late

 

Featured Image: “Time” by Moyan Brenn on flickr.com

How to Align Slide Objects in PowerPoint 2013

Posted on by Rick E

Each slide has its own elements, such as text, charts, images, and shapes—all easy to arrange in PowerPoint. A clean, even layout leaves space that lets the eyes focus on more important slide objects. Simply aligning them with each other provides a great deal of order and sophistication into any layout.

We’ve already learned how to group slide objects to help you rearrange many objects in one go. This enables you to move an entire selection of objects, but you might find it inconvenient having to constantly group and ungroup them to access each element separately.

The ability to align objects is especially vital for comprehensive decks that may contain sales figures, which can end up with lots of elements on screen. There are also several ways you can align your objects so you can speed up your process.

We’ll focus on aligning different objects on your slide deck to save you time in managing your own slide workspace.

Align Slide Objects in PowerPoint 2013

In PowerPoint, there are guides that help you adjust your spacing and keep objects lined up. Luckily, you can simply drag an object around, and a floating guide helps you snap objects in place. The temporary guide usually shows up as an orange dotted line.

Screenshots1-01

This is an already helpful feature in itself. Here’s how you can align objects en masse while still retaining individual control of each element:

1. Select what particular object on the slide you wish to arrange. If you want to select several objects at the same time, hold down Shift and then click on the slide objects.

Screenshots2-01

If you want to align multiple objects, click on an empty slide corner and drag your mouse around the chosen items to select each of them. To make sure you don’t leave any object unselected, you can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+A.

2. Click on the Drawing Tools Format tab that will appear once you select the item or items.

Screenshots3-01

3. Select the Align dropdown menu in the Arrange group and then choose one from the six selections: Align Left, Align Center, Align Right, Align Top, Align Middle, and Align Bottom.

Screenshots4-01

4. You’ll notice that the slide objects selected will be aligned according to your choice.

Screenshots5-01

Specific Alignments

There are other align options, namely Distribute Horizontally, Distribute Vertically, Align to Slide, and Align Selected Objects.

Your slide objects will line up horizontally or vertically as the command implies. However, these alignment behaviors will be different if you pick Align to Slide or Align Selected Objects. When you select the former, all the scattered objects outside the slide area will be distributed within the slide area. As a further example, if you select all your images to Align Center, all the slide objects will be located at the center of the slide.

Choose Align Selected Objects and Align Center and all your slide objects will line up but not at the center of the slide area or within the slide limits.

Control where you want your slide objects to be with the help of the Align function.

Get Organized

You may be thinking that aligning objects is a simple task. It’s indeed simple and easy! PowerPoint just goes the extra mile to make sure that your slide elements are aligned according to your exact needs. Whether you’re working on a deck that requires detailed content, such as graphs, tables, and charts, using this feature can help you accomplish your task with ease.

The Align PowerPoint feature can help you polish your presentation into a more organized and professional-looking layout, keeping you from placing each element randomly and untidily.

To deliver a more dynamic and engaging PowerPoint presentation, SlideGenius experts can assist you and offer you a free quote!

 

References:

Reynolds, Garr. Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery. Berkeley, CA: New Riders Pub., 2008.
“Align or arrange a picture, shape, text box, SmartArt graphic, or WordArt.” Office, n.d. support.office.com/en-us/article/Align-or-arrange-a-picture-shape-text-box-SmartArt-graphic-or-WordArt-bfd91078-2078-4b35-8672-f6270690b3b8
“PowerPoint 2013: Arranging Objects.” GCFLearnFree.org. n.d. www.gcflearnfree.org/powerpoint2013/19

Microsoft Innovations: A Bigger Office in a Small Briefcase

Posted on by Rick E

Presentation software has advanced at an incredible rate. Only last year, Microsoft has released Sway, a new application that lets people tell stories with embedded content. The company has also been updating its Office every year to improve its customers’ experience by developing even more innovative features.

Among Microsoft’s most useful tools, PowerPoint has been around for quite some time, and it seems like it’s here to stay with its added features.

Here are some of the things you can expect from PowerPoint this year:

Enhanced Interactivity

A common complaint against PowerPoint is its one-sidedness. It’s a static visual aid that needs to be explained by a speaker on all occasions.

However, the presentation aid is now more interactive with additional functions like video and audio narration and live digital inking, which allows you to walk your audience through your presentation in real time. Similar to broadcasting your presentations in PowerPoint 2010, once you upload your file online and start your slideshow, your audience will follow your pace as you go through each slide.

While these functions don’t replace your physical presence, it’s bridged the gap between presenters and their audience from different locations and time zones by letting them pitch and collaborate anytime, anywhere.

You can also upload and share your slides online so people can access it easily without needing to pitch it personally. This especially works for the benefit of clients who missed your presentation the first time.

More User-Friendly

PowerPoint has always been an easily usable tool. It lets users create a visually appealing presentation with just a few clicks. If you’re not confident with your design skills, you can tap into any of the program’s templates, which come with pre-set layouts.

Microsoft has managed to create an even more user-friendly aid for those who have difficulty with their flagship presentation program.

On July 2015, Microsoft released Sway, a presentation app that makes presentation design a breeze for first-timers or for anyone who has a hard time choosing their own layout. Instead of slides, Sway presents the user with cards they can group together or rearrange to create a narrative around their pitch.

As far as audience conviction goes, that’s a pretty good strategy. Decks that tell a story appeal to people’s emotions more, swaying them in favor of your pitch.

Storytelling is one of the key methods in getting your audience’s attention, and Sway does just that for its user—without the added hassle.

Better Design

As a visual aid, your deck should live up to its name and be visually appealing. Microsoft understands this need, so it’s developed add-ons that can improve your layout experience.

In late 2015, Microsoft released Designer and Morph, two tools to innovate slide design.

Once you upload an image to PowerPoint, Designer suggests a color scheme to match your images and keep you consistent. It also offers a vast amount of layout options that are suited to your content, thanks to its smart image analysis. On the other hand, Morph lets you create basic animation with fluid effects without seeming too out of place on your deck. After clicking the Morph option on your Transitions tab, simply drag the element you want to animate in the path you want it to go. Once the slideshow plays, the animated object will move on its own without need for prompts or clicks.

These two additional design game-changers are a big help to presenters everywhere who want to come up with a good deck on their own.

What’s In Store for Us?

The future of PowerPoint is here—and it’s looking good. Microsoft innovations like this program provides optimal user experience with increased accessibility.

Tap into PowerPoint’s enhanced interactivity to share your slides and pitch to your audience anywhere you are. If you aren’t much of a PowerPoint person, try out Microsoft’s latest presentation app, Sway, for decks that tell good stories. If you’re up to play around with your slide design, PowerPoint Designer and Morph have just made it easier to layout content and arrange basic images into a fluid animation.

References:

Kedmey, Dan. “Microsoft’s New App Is PowerPoint for People Who Hate PowerPoint.” Time. August 5, 2015. www.time.com/3984284/microsoft-sway-powerpoint-release
Koenigsbauer, Kirk. “The evolution of PowerPoint—introducing Designer and Morph – Office Blogs.” Office Blogs. November 13, 2015. blogs.office.com/2015/11/13/the-evolution-of-powerpoint-introducing-designer-and-morph/
“Broadcast Your PowerPoint Presentation to a Remote Audience.” Office. n.d. support.office.com/en-us/article/Broadcast-your-PowerPoint-presentation-to-a-remote-audience-25330108-518e-44be-a281-e3d85f784fee

Featured Image: “P83A8911” by jdholmes on flickr.com

How to Optimize and Embed Audio in PowerPoint 2013

Posted on by Rick E

Emailing a PowerPoint presentation isn’t as simple as it seems. You need to consider if your file is compressed enough for easy e-mail attachment.

There are other important factors to consider. You can’t be there to supervise how your deck is to be viewed, and your deck will be shown on a different computer. There may also be some formatting or compatibility issues you won’t detect.

Issues with audio playback failure and unmanageable audio file size are some of the common problems that viewers and presenters face. Address this common problem with a simple solution. Embed your audio clips and optimize your audio to save yourself the hassle.

Here’s why embedding can assist your PowerPoint:

What about Embedding?

In previous versions of PowerPoint, you had the choice between linking and embedding your audio. The latter is more appropriate for storing audio clips within your presentation. Linking requires access to files on your hard drive. If the recipient of your presentation has no copy of the linked audio, it will be flagged as missing, and the music won’t play.

That’s why it’s recommended to embed sounds into your PowerPoint file. By default, only .wav files under 100KB each can be embedded.

If you’re planning to increase the size of the embedded sound, a maximum of 50MB is acceptable—but it may noticeably slow your presentation down.

In PowerPoint 2013, there’s no clear limit to how much audio you can embed in a deck. Your main concern is how to send your file once it exceeds your e-mail attachment limitation. For example, Google has a 25MB file limit for email attachments.

Google drive 25mb attachment capacityIt might be inconvenient for your recipient if you redirect them to Google Drive to download your file. Since uploading or downloading large files might take longer, you need to keep your PowerPoint file under a manageable size so that your recipient will get your file without any problem.

How Embedding Works

This tutorial uses the Windows 10 operating system. Let’s embed audio in PowerPoint 2013 by first making sure you have your speakers or headphones plugged in. Without a way to listen to sound, you’ll get an error message that will prevent you from inserting audio:

How embedding works: Embed audio in PowerPoint 2013Once you’ve plugged in your headphones or speakers, the program will now allow you to insert an audio file.

SlideGenius Tip:
Pay attention to what View you’re using. You won’t be able to insert audio from the Slide Sorter View, Notes Page View, Reading View, Handout Master View, and Notes Master View. Let’s use Normal View for this tutorial.

1. Go to the Insert.

Embed audio in PowerPoint 2013: Insert2. Click on the Audio icon under the Media group at the far right.

Embed audio in PowerPoint 2013: insert audio3. A dropdown menu will reveal two options. Choose “Audio on my PC…”.

Embed audio in PowerPoint 2013: insert audio on my pc4. A window called Insert Audio will appear. Choose the audio file you want to embed.

Embed audio in PowerPoint 2013: select audio filePowerPoint 2013 can embed audio files with the following extensions: (AIFF Audio file) .aiff, (AU Audio file) .au, (MIDI file) .mid or .midi, (MP3 Audio file) .mp3, (Windows Audio file) .wav, and (Windows Media Audio file) .wma. Only versions of PowerPoint 2013 and later can support (Advanced Audio Coding – MPEG-4 Audio file) .m4a and .mp4. The Microsoft Office page provides these details and more.

5. Once you’ve made your choice, click Insert in the lower right corner of the window.

Embed audio in PowerPoint 20136. Your audio file will now appear on your slide with a sound icon.

Embed audio in PowerPoint 2013: audo iconOptimize your Audio File

This version of PowerPoint has improved the use of audio in presentations. It now has two new features: optimization and compression.

Because embedded audios can now be optimized, files can be smaller using the Advanced Audio Coding technique. This leaves you free from worrying about audio quality.

To optimize audio clips, click on the File menu and go to the Info page, then select Optimize Compatibility in the Optimize Media Compatibility group. If this option can’t be found, the audio has either already been optimized or can’t be optimized for whatever reason.

Embed audio in PowerPoint 2013: optimize media compatibilityYour clips can also be compressed to reduce your deck’s file size. Click on the File menu and go to Info. Under the Media Size and Performance group, click on Compress Media. There are three quality options: Presentation Quality, Internet Quality, and Low Quality.

Embed audio in PowerPoint 2013: media size and performanceJust be aware that the more you compress a file, the more its quality gets reduced.

Other Methods of Embedding Audio Files

Click the Audio icon from the Media group under the Insert tab. Select “Record Audio…” from the list. A small recording menu named Record Sound will appear.

Embed audio in PowerPoint 2013: record audioPress the red button to start recording, and the blue square when you’re finished. A sound icon will appear on the slide with recorded audio.

Embed audio in PowerPoint 2013: recorded soundConclusion

Sharing and uploading presentations online can be less of a chore with our tips on embedding and optimizing your file.

Similar to live speeches, you may also encounter unexpected technical problems that can undermine your credibility. Sidestep the audio playback issues by embedding them straight into your PowerPoint file.

 

References:

Lipera, Roger. “Working with Sound in PowerPoint 2013.” Interactive Media Center. January 2014. titus.ulib.albany.edu/imc/pdf/WorkingWithSoundinPowerPoint2013.pdf
“Add Audio to Your Presentation.” Office. n.d. support.office.com/en-US/article/Add-audio-to-your-presentation-c3b2a9fd-2547-41d9-9182-3dfaa58f1316
“Compress the Media Files in Your Presentation.” Office. n.d. support.office.com/en-us/article/Compress-the-media-files-in-your-presentation-f0927964-25f3-460c-ac42-c6cc3308604c
“Video and Audio File Formats Supported in PowerPoint.” Office. n.d. support.office.com/en-US/article/Video-and-audio-file-formats-supported-in-PowerPoint-d8b12450-26db-4c7b-a5c1-593d3418fb59
“PowerPoint 2013: Improved Audio and Video Options.” TEL@Tees. February 3, 2015. blogs.tees.ac.uk/teltees/2015/02/03/powerpoint-2013-improved-audio-and-video-options

 

The Most Important Slides Your Pitch Deck Needs in a Sales Pitch

Posted on by Rick E

The number of slides in your presentation depends on two things: your audience and the type of presentation you’re delivering. For sales pitches, there are some things you need to keep standard, like your company background, what you’re selling, etc.

Want to know the information you need for your slide deck? We’ve taken advice from renowned entrepreneur Guy Kawasaki and listed down the most important slide content of a sales pitch.

Company Background

Before anything else, let your audience know who you are. Prospects will be less likely to listen or invest in you if you don’t provide your background information. Give them an overview of your job description, and company. This should include its name and a brief of its history.

Are You Looking for a Pitch Deck?
View Our Amazing Pitch Deck Examples!

This part of your pitch doesn’t have to be lengthy at all. It shouldn’t take more than one introductory slide. Use this as an opportunity to squeeze in your company contact details. Your goal is for potential customers to call you up after your pitch.

Value Proposition

Once you’ve gotten introductions out of the way, it’s time to go into your business plan. Describe the problem or opportunity and present your product as its solution. Don’t be vague about your descriptions. Discuss how your product solves the problem and highlight what sets you apart from others who offer similar services. Avoid wordy slides and lengthy speeches too. Diagrams and flowcharts will drive home your point faster. Also, take this as an opportunity to present a demo or a sample to give them an idea of what they’ll invest in.

People don’t just want to hear about how good you are. They want to see how effective your offer really is. Showing them your product at work can convince them of what you’re capable of doing.

Financial Projections and Current Status

While you’ll want to impress investors during your pitch, you should also stay factual and realistic. Run your audience through a feasible timeline of your project. Build up your journey from your current status to what you hope to accomplish, both in the long-term and the short-term. Prepare a financial forecast, possibly for the next three to five years. Include an outlook of what the near future looks like for other key metrics as well. Tell people how far you are in your timeline. Some updates you can include are how much funds you have and how you plan to allocate them to achieve your objectives.

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Once you have this information, explain the actions you’re taking to fulfill your forecast. Enumerate your present accomplishments, and expound on how they contribute to your business goals.

Assuring your listeners that you’re on your way increases the likelihood of them investing in you.

Seal the Deal

Your PowerPoint’s content should reflect all the key points to discuss with your audience. An introductory slide establishes who you are and where you stand. After establishing rapport, explain your product or service to people. Without being too technical, describe its value and how it differs from any competitors. Have diagrams and flowcharts replace complex data. If available, give a demo or a sample to concretize your point. Give a three-to-five-year forecast of your product’s progress, and keep the audience on track of where you currently are in your timeline. Cover all these points, to give investors a better perspective of your business.

Once you’re done fleshing out your presentation content, it’s time to figure out your design. Consult with our SlideGenius experts today for a free quote!

References:

Kawasaki, Guy. “The Only 10 Slides You Need in Your Pitch.” Guy Kawasaki. March 5, 2015. www.guykawasaki.com/the-only-10-slides-you-need-in-your-pitch
Markowitz, Eric. “7 Deadly Sins of Sales Pitching.” Inc. April 18, 2011. www.inc.com/ss/7-deadly-sins-sales-pitching
Okyle, Carly. “The Only 10 Slides Needed When Pitching Your Business (Infographic).” Entrepreneur. March 18 2015. www.entrepreneur.com/article/244098
“Key Performance Indicators.” Klipfolio. n.d. www.klipfolio.com/resources/kpi-examples

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