Tag: PowerPoint tip

3 Ways to Live Stream Your PowerPoint Presentation

live stream

powerpoint presentation

PowerPoint tip

powerpoint tutorial

Rick Enrico

SlideGenius

Sep 25, 2017

Distance shouldn’t be a barrier between you and your audience. Bring your pitch out of the boardroom and into the Web. Reach a wider audience with your deck without compromising your presence. Live-stream your PowerPoint in three ways:

In his article on the digital video hub Field59, Michael Worringer provides his readers with a step-by-step guide on how to broadcast a PowerPoint 2010 or 2013 presentation by sharing it as a link. For the purpose of this tutorial, we’ll be using PowerPoint 2013. Unlike its 2010 version, whose Broadcast Slide Show option is found in the Slide Show tab, PowerPoint 2013 lets you live-stream your presentation through the Share option in the File tab . A dialog box will appear with your presentation’s custom URL once you click Present Online. Copy the link or send it via email to your audience. After they’ve received the link, click Start Presentation. Now you’ll be able to guide your viewers through each slide in real time at your own pace. Below, you’ll find how Presenter View will appear on your screen. However, your audience will only see your slide show as you present it. Once you’re done, exit the slide show mode and select End Online Presentation in the Present Online tab. The slight downside to this broadcast method is that while you’re free to share your PowerPoint, some of your original deck’s features may be compromised. All transitions will be set to ‘fade’ from the audience’s view, and a file size may be imposed on your upload, depending on your broadcast service .A compact and concise deck is more advisable for this PowerPoint live-stream technique to minimize the lag in your loading times.

2. Use Office Mix

If you’re using PowerPoint 2013 and are subscribed to Office 365, live streaming becomes even easier with the downloadable free add-in Office Mix. Unlike the previous method, Office Mix is more accommodating with your slide contents. You’re free to add audio, video, polls, and quizzes to your slides. This is especially helpful for educators who want to track their students’ progress outside the classroom and for presenters who want to maximize audience engagement using their deck. These are all available in the Quizzes Video Apps found in the Mix tab that will appear once you’ve downloaded it. Source: There’s also live digital inking, a more hands-on approach to presentation that lets you guide students through your slides in real-time using video, audio, and illustrations.Source: Office Mix has its own site dedicated to helping users navigate through this handy feature. First-timers can benefit from its tutorials that show Mix at work. Similar to the Broadcast Slide Show in PowerPoint 2010, Office Mix requires an Internet connection to share your presentation with a selected audience. However, another unique option of this add-in lets your audience review and play back your slides to their own pace even after you’ve exited your slide show. True to its name, Mix crosses the boundaries between the Microsoft Office programs. Import viewers’ data and feedback on your deck for a more in-depth analysis.

3. Upload to Online Platforms

The third route to live-streaming your PowerPoint doesn’t let you interact with your audience as much, but it may be the easiest yet. If you don’t have the last two PowerPoint features, you can upload and design your presentation using a private account to online platforms made for deck hosting, such as SlideShare.Publishing your slides on online platforms is meant to improve the reach to a wider audience. Although you can configure your uploaded deck’s settings to selected viewers, following the default settings leaves your deck open for public viewing. You can add tags to make your PowerPoint easily searchable online, further reinforcing its inclination towards mass sharing. At the same time, this technique can be considered a combination of the previous two PowerPoint live-streaming methods. It has a file size limitation like PowerPoint 2010, but it lets your audience enjoy your presentation at their pace, like Office Mix. Making use of online platforms requires compressing your slide contents into a file size that you can manually upload to the website.

Conclusion

Your deck is an important part of your presentation. Don’t let the distance between you and your audience deter you. Broadcast your slide deck using three different methods, depending on the type of program available to you and on your intended audience. Share your PowerPoint with a link and broadcast it live with PowerPoint 2010 and 2013. Interact with your viewers in real time with Office Mix. However, if neither of these are available to you, you can always upload your presentation to an online platform like SlideShare.There are a number of ways to make your presentation accessible. Just reach out to the one that works best for you.

References

Worringer, Michael. “How to Broadcast a PowerPoint Presentation with a Live Stream.” Field59 Inc. April 21, 2015. www.field59.com/broadcast-powerpoint-presentation-live-stream”What Is Office Mix.” Office Mix for Teachers. www.mixforteachers.com/what-is-office-mix.htmlFeatured Image: “Man Holding Laptop Computer Typing While Dog Watches” by Image Catalog on flickr.com

Improve Your Deck with Interactive PowerPoint Presentations

PowerPoint interactive features

powerpoint presentations

PowerPoint tip

Rick Enrico

SlideGenius

Twitter wall

Jul 25, 2016

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.htmStuurman, 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

Protect Your Slides in PowerPoint 2013

powerpoint 2013

powerpoint presentation

PowerPoint tip

Protect PowerPoint file

Rick Enrico

SlideGenius

May 04, 2016

Protecting your PowerPoint slides is essential, especially if you are sharing your presentation with colleagues, clients, or collaborators and want to prevent unauthorized changes, edits, or access. PowerPoint 2013 offers several methods to protect your presentation, from basic password protection to restricting editing permissions.Here are some methods to protect your slides in PowerPoint 2013:

1. Password-Protect Your Presentation

One of the most secure ways to protect your PowerPoint file is by adding a password to prevent unauthorized users from opening or editing it. PowerPoint allows you to set different passwords for viewing and editing the presentation.How to Do It:

  • Open your PowerPoint presentation.
  • Click on the File tab and select Info.
  • Click on Protect Presentation and choose Encrypt with Password.
  • Enter a password for the file and confirm it. Once applied, users will need to enter this password to open the presentation.

Example: For confidential corporate presentations, use a password to restrict access and ensure that only authorized personnel can view or edit the slides.

2. Mark Your Presentation as Final

If you want to prevent further edits to your presentation, you can mark the file as final. This action informs others that the presentation is complete and shouldn’t be edited. Although this method doesn’t provide full security, it discourages changes.How to Do It:

  • Open the presentation and click on the File tab.
  • Select Info, then click on Protect Presentation.
  • Choose Mark as Final. PowerPoint will display a notification that the presentation is marked as final, and editing will be restricted.

Example: Use this feature after completing your final version of a pitch deck to indicate that no further changes should be made.

3. Restrict Editing

You can restrict users from editing specific aspects of your presentation, such as preventing changes to the text or design. This is useful when sharing presentations with collaborators who should only review the content, not modify it.How to Do It:

  • Click on File > Info.
  • Under Protect Presentation, select Restrict Access.
  • Choose from the available options to restrict formatting, design, or editing changes while allowing the presentation to be viewed.

Example: Restrict editing for a presentation you’re sharing with a client, allowing them to review the content without making modifications to the design.

4. Save the Presentation as a PDF

If you only need the recipient to view the presentation without making any changes, consider saving the file as a PDF. This format is secure, as it prevents edits to the content while maintaining the visual layout of the slides.How to Do It:

  • Open your presentation and click File > Save As.
  • Choose PDF from the list of formats and save the file. The PDF will retain the design and content but will not allow for editing.

Example: When sharing a finalized presentation with external clients, save the file as a PDF to maintain design integrity and prevent alterations.

5. Use Digital Signatures

PowerPoint 2013 supports the use of digital signatures, which can certify the authenticity of a presentation and verify the identity of the author. This feature is ideal for presentations that require a higher level of security and authenticity.How to Do It:

  • Click on File > Info.
  • Select Protect Presentation and choose Add a Digital Signature.
  • Follow the steps to create and attach your digital signature, which will indicate that the file has not been tampered with since the signature was added.

Example: Add a digital signature to presentations that are legally binding or require proof of authorship, such as financial reports or formal business proposals.

6. Remove Personal Information

If you’re sharing a PowerPoint presentation with others, it’s a good idea to remove any personal information, such as author details or editing history, to protect your privacy.How to Do It:

  • Click on File > Info.
  • Select Check for Issues and click on Inspect Document.
  • In the Document Inspector window, check for personal information, and remove it before sharing the file.

Example: Before sending your presentation to clients or external parties, remove personal metadata to maintain professionalism and protect sensitive information.

Final Thoughts

PowerPoint 2013 offers several ways to protect your slides, from adding passwords to restricting editing and converting your presentation to a PDF. By applying these protection methods, you can safeguard your work, prevent unauthorized modifications, and ensure that your presentation is shared securely.

Choosing the Right Template for Your Presentation Type

powerpoint templates

PowerPoint tip

powerpoint tutorial

presentation design

Rick Enrico

SlideGenius

template colors

Apr 18, 2016

Your PowerPoint is your presentation visual aid. That’s why it should reflect your character as an organization or individual, from the deck’s content all the way down to the design. However, some presenters tend to overlook this aspect of PowerPoint and craft a deck that doesn’t match the message they want to convey.If you want slides that will win your audience over, it’s best to have customized PowerPoint templates created specifically for your brand. However, if you’re pressed for time and budget, using templates with premade layouts can still do the trick, but that doesn’t mean choosing a generic design, though.Choose the right PowerPoint template for your pitch by keeping three things in mind:

Make It Memorable

Compared to less strict occasions, presenting in a formal setup may call for a particular design. You’ll want to draw attention to your deck without being too loud or overly embellished. Experiment with various color schemes that will fit the essence of your pitch.A combination of warm colors can attract your viewers’ gaze. On the other hand, cool colors will put them at ease. Although using these colors can evoke certain emotions in the viewer, the best way to get the audience to associate your brand with your deck is to use your company colors in your slides.Select a template that already has your brand’s colors in it. If you can’t find one that exactly fits, you can change template colors without affecting the overall layout. PowerPoint provides an option under the Design tab that lets you do just that.For Office 2013 users, simply click Colors under Variants group. A dropdown of various color combinations will appear. Change the template’s hues by clicking on the color scheme you want.

Engage the Audience

The success of your pitch lies in your audience’s response. Choose a template that resonates with your prospects to generate positive reactions. For example, most people want a deck with prominent visuals instead of blocks of text. In that case, you’ll be inputting more pictures and visual representations of data. Refrain from using templates that have elements such as frames and pre-installed illustrations. These graphics can clutter up your slide and distract your audience from your main point.Leaving room for white space, or the absence of visible objects on your slide, relaxes the eyes and lets it focus on important points on your deck. Opt for cleaner slides you can overlap with big and bold images. If you’re planning to use images throughout your presentation, it’s best to do away with pre-installed graphics.But if you’ve selected a template with illustrations and only want to remove them on a specific slide, take them out by going back to the Design tab.Under Customize, click Format Background.Select Hide background graphics to hide any pre-installed elements on the current slide.

Account for the Venue

Where your presentation is held can affect people’s perception of your pitch. Survey the area before the actual date of your presentation to get a good feel of what type of deck would suit the setting.Consider things like lighting and the size of the place you’re presenting in. Your goal is to deliver your message in a readable and comprehensible deck. A template that’s already too bright in an open area may lose its visibility to any audience members sitting in the far back.Conversely, a place where you can dim the lights gives you more leeway on saturating your template. Check that your slide elements are distinguished from their background. After all, contrast factors in greatly when it comes to readability. A slide with well-contrasted objects is visible from afar compared to slides with objects that are hardly distinct from one another. Use dark text on a light background, or vice versa, to highlight the slide object.

In Conclusion: Templates Can Work, If Used Well

A good template is the first step to a great deck design. Bright colors will grab attention, while subtler ones will relax the eyes. Avoid templates with distracting designs that will steal attention away from your key points. Choose a readable template that has high contrast to make your deck more viewer-friendly.PowerPoint templates aren’t just a matter of playful design. Given the right template, you can interest and attract new clients. Make your pitch memorable with a deck that reflects your brand and fits the occasion.

References

Sibley, Amanda. “19 Reasons You Should Include Visual Content in Your Marketing [Data].” Hubspot. August 6, 2012. blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33423/19-Reasons-You-Should-Include-Visual-Content-in-Your-Marketing-Data.aspx#sm.0001frknxr3k3dlkqq22lsqtd9h7a”PowerPoint 2013: Modifying Themes.” GCFLearnFree.org. www.gcflearnfree.org/powerpoint2013/29Featured Image: “Choice” by zhouxuan12345678 on flickr.comwww.flickr.com/photos/53921113@N02/5453214046

How You Might Be Missing the Point in PowerPoint

powerpoint presentation

PowerPoint tip

Presentations

Rick Enrico

slide deck

SlideGenius

Apr 11, 2016

PowerPoint’s a must in the field of presentation. However, critics have raised several points against it, one of the most notorious being “Death by PowerPoint.”Under its premise, this phenomenon is when a presenter bores a reader with their lengthy and rather clunky slide deck. However, is it really the presentation tool’s fault, or does the speaker have a hand in the mishap?Find out how you might be misusing your slides:

It’s Not Your Crutch

Don’t fall into the trap of using your slide deck as a safety blanket.It’s still necessary to practice your public speaking skills even if you have a winning deck. Reading from your slides will only cut off the personal connection you need to establish between yourself and your audience. Be more natural in your presentation and drop the script. Rehearse your pitch in front of a mirror and try to incorporate things that will further engage the audience, like your body language and posture. Make sure to maintain eye contact as you speak to people so that you appear both conversational and professional in your delivery.

You Have Too Many Slides

This well-known phenomenon, “Death by PowerPoint,” occurs when an inexperienced presenter drowns the audience with a barrage of slides and innumerable bullet points.Remember that people can only process so much information at once, so it’s important to keep your presentation as short as possible. Leave out things from your slide that aren’t direct key points. Covering too many topics means you’ll be adding more slides to list them in. Business expert Guy Kawasaki formulated the 10-20-30 rule as a guide for presenters. Stick to 10 slides in 20 minutes, and don’t go below a 30-point font size. Your audience will only remember the highlights of your presentation, so don’t bombard them with too many slides that can distract their memory.

Your Design Might Need Tweaking

Some design choices can be detrimental to your overall slide deck. Since PowerPoint is primarily a visual tool, the way its aesthetics contribute to your core message affect people’s reception of it.Take a step back and reconsider your deck’s design. Tap into its different aspects, like color and layout. Different colors evoke different emotions in people, so use the appropriate hues for your deck to get the right attention. Make use of white space to draw attention to important elements on your slides and let your audience’s eyes relax at the same time.

Conclusion

As the presenter, make sure that it’s not your own design choices that are holding you back from delivering a good pitch and presenting a well-made deck.A deck isn’t an excuse to slack on your speech, so make sure to treat it only as a visual aid reserved for your key points. Cut back on the amount of slides you have and leave room for you to expound and explain each part of your presentation. Tweak your design to evoke the right response from people.If you want a deck ready for your brand to use without the added hassle, contact our SlideGenius experts today for a free quote! 

References

Hedges, Kristi. “Six Ways to Avoid Death by PowerPoint.” Forbes. November 14, 2014. www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2014/11/14/six-ways-to-avoid-death-by-powerpointKawasaki, Guy. “The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint.” Guy Kawasaki. December 30, 2005. http://guykawasaki.com/the_102030_rule”Understanding Information Overload.” Infogineering. www.infogineering.net/understanding-information-overload.htm Featured Image: “Confused” by CollegeDegrees360 on flickr.com

View Notes During Your Presentation for PowerPoint 2013

powerpoint 2013

powerpoint notes page

powerpoint presentation

PowerPoint tip

powerpoint tutorial

Rick Enrico

SlideGenius

view notes

Apr 01, 2016

Presenter notes in PowerPoint 2013 are an essential tool that allows you to have additional information at your fingertips while delivering your presentation. These notes act as a script or reference, helping you stay on track without displaying them to your audience. PowerPoint’s Presenter View enables you to see your slides, notes, and upcoming content all at once on your monitor, while your audience only sees the slides.Here’s how to set up and use Presenter View to view your notes during your presentation in PowerPoint 2013:

1. Enabling Presenter View

Presenter View allows you to display your notes on one screen (your laptop or desktop monitor) while projecting the slides onto a second screen (such as a projector or external display).How to Enable It:

  1. Connect Your External Display or Projector: Plug in your second monitor or projector.
  2. Go to the “Slide Show” Tab: Click on the Slide Show tab in the PowerPoint ribbon.
  3. Check “Use Presenter View”: Under the Monitors group, make sure Use Presenter View is checked.
  4. Select the Correct Display: Next to the Use Presenter View checkbox, select which monitor will show the Presenter View (usually your laptop screen) and which one will display the slides (external display or projector).

2. Adding Notes to Your Slides

Before using Presenter View, ensure your notes are added to each slide. These notes will be visible to you while you present.How to Add Notes:

  1. Select a Slide: Click on the slide where you want to add notes.
  2. Open the Notes Section: At the bottom of your PowerPoint window, you’ll see a panel labeled Notes. If it’s not visible, click the Notes button at the bottom right of the PowerPoint window.
  3. Type Your Notes: Type any information or talking points you want to reference during your presentation in the Notes pane.

3. Using Presenter View During the Presentation

When in Presenter View, you’ll be able to see:

  • Current Slide: The slide currently being displayed to your audience.
  • Next Slide: A preview of the upcoming slide.
  • Presenter Notes: A section showing the notes you’ve written for the current slide.
  • Timer and Clock: A timer to keep track of how long you’ve been presenting, and a clock to help manage your time.

How to Access Presenter View:

  1. Start the Slide Show: Go to the Slide Show tab and click From Beginning or From Current Slide.
  2. Presenter View Appears: Once the slide show begins, Presenter View will automatically appear on your primary screen, and the slides will be displayed on the external display or projector.
  3. Navigate with Confidence: Use the arrows in Presenter View to move between slides while reading your notes without the audience seeing them.

4. Adjusting the Notes During the Presentation

If you need to adjust or edit your notes during the presentation, you can click the Notes section in Presenter View and type changes directly. This is especially useful for adapting or updating content as you go.

Final Thoughts

Presenter View in PowerPoint 2013 is a valuable tool for anyone looking to deliver a more polished and organized presentation. By keeping your notes and key points visible to you, but hidden from your audience, you can stay focused, confident, and on track throughout your presentation.