Best tutorials for Powerpoint

[0iD]

I have a group of students, some of the 'mature' variety who all need to learn Powerpoint with some proficiency in a couple of weeks (and I don't have the time to tutor everyone). Suggestions for sites/tutorials/books?

[Moby-Dick]

probbaly a few CBT's online for it. If you teach them animated slides however I will hunt you down and remove all fonts apart form MS comic SANS from your Pc and turn your cursor into that yellow donisaur.

[kalniel]

probbaly a few CBT's online for it. If you teach them animated slides however I will hunt you down and remove all fonts apart form MS comic SANS from your Pc and turn your cursor into that yellow donisaur.

I like that dinosaur..

[Moby-Dick]

I like that dinosaur..

get
of
my
internet.

[0iD]

Any relevant suggestions??

[mycarsavw]

Slick and fairly recent - http://www.electricteacher.com/tutorial3.htm

Dated, easy to follow - http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed596/ppoint/pphome.htm

[Kate Lowe]

Hello there,

I hope your students are getting to grips with PowerPoint. Will they be presenting the finished product? Even if they are not, it is worth giving them some advice about PowerPoint presentation content (what works well, what to avoid etc). I work at Article 10, London's leading PowerPoint presentation design service and we often advise customers to stick to these five rules...

1) Don't try to say everything on screen. The fewer words on screen, the more your audience will be focussed on you and what you're saying.
Think about stripping out the words that you are actually going to say - and just use short, punchy bullet points coupled with relevant, thought-provoking imagery.
2) Try not to "prove it" within your slide content.
All too often we see slides that make a single point but are cluttered with loads and loads of supporting graphs and tables of information.
If the point that you want to make is that your market share is 26% - just say that. Your audience will typically believe you.
You can always include extra data as addendum slides at the end of the deck to be called on if really needed.
3) Try to make 1 key point per slide.
If you make more than 1 your message will become complicated and won't hit home. On the other hand, if your slide makes no point at all - delete it. You probably don't actually need it.
4) Set your stall out early. Your audience will appreciate knowing at the beginning what you are going to cover.
As your presentation progresses, keep referring back to your initial agenda using highlights to show where you are up to.
Then at the end, summarise what you've talked about. The evening news on TV is great at this. Their format is:
- Tell them what you're going to tell them
- Tell them
- Tell them again what you told them
Audiences remember content structured in this way.
5) If items 1 - 4 sound daunting and you don't know where to start, consider getting outside help. A professional writer or presentation expert can often see things you can't and give a totally new perspective on your project.
Overall, remember - less is often more when it comes to words on the slide.

I hope this helps!
Kate

[Biscuit]

Hello there,

I hope your students are getting to grips with PowerPoint. Will they be presenting the finished product? Even if they are not, it is worth giving them some advice about PowerPoint presentation content (what works well, what to avoid etc). I work at Article 10, London's leading PowerPoint presentation design service and we often advise customers to stick to these five rules...

1) Don't try to say everything on screen. The fewer words on screen, the more your audience will be focussed on you and what you're saying.
Think about stripping out the words that you are actually going to say - and just use short, punchy bullet points coupled with relevant, thought-provoking imagery.
2) Try not to "prove it" within your slide content.
All too often we see slides that make a single point but are cluttered with loads and loads of supporting graphs and tables of information.
If the point that you want to make is that your market share is 26% - just say that. Your audience will typically believe you.
You can always include extra data as addendum slides at the end of the deck to be called on if really needed.
3) Try to make 1 key point per slide.
If you make more than 1 your message will become complicated and won't hit home. On the other hand, if your slide makes no point at all - delete it. You probably don't actually need it.
4) Set your stall out early. Your audience will appreciate knowing at the beginning what you are going to cover.
As your presentation progresses, keep referring back to your initial agenda using highlights to show where you are up to.
Then at the end, summarise what you've talked about. The evening news on TV is great at this. Their format is:
- Tell them what you're going to tell them
- Tell them
- Tell them again what you told them
Audiences remember content structured in this way.
5) If items 1 - 4 sound daunting and you don't know where to start, consider getting outside help. A professional writer or presentation expert can often see things you can't and give a totally new perspective on your project.
Overall, remember - less is often more when it comes to words on the slide.

I hope this helps!
Kate

Probably one of the best first posts i have ever seen, great advice thanks!

[cookie365]

Good advice Kate

I'd also add:

1. Figure out what you want your audience to do differently after they've experienced your presentation
2. Ask what's stopping them from doing that already. Hint: it's very rarely a lack of facts
3. Think about your audience: do they like to see the big picture before drilling down into the detail, or do they like to start with detail and paint a picture around that?
4. End with a call to action