Microsoft PowerPoint® 2000 tips and tricks were submitted by Office
users.
Quick-Start Your PowerPoint Slide Show
From Bradleigh Young, United Kingdom
Want a quick and easy way to launch a PowerPoint presentation? Save it
as a PowerPoint slide show file, and when you double-click it, it opens
right up in slide show view. No need to fumble around inside PowerPoint
when you just want to give a presentation, not create one.
To save your presentation as a slide show file:
1. Open the presentation you want to save as a slide show.
2. On the File menu, click Save As.
3. In the Save as type list, click PowerPoint Show. Your slide show file
will be saved with a .pps file extension.
When you open this file from your desktop, it will automatically start
your presentation in slide show view. When you’re done, PowerPoint
automatically closes and you return to the desktop. If you want to edit
the slide show file, you can always open it from PowerPoint by clicking
Open on the File menu.
More Ways To Quickly Start A PowerPoint Slide Show
In response to Bradleigh Young’s tip (above), several others wrote in
with even more ways to quickly start a PowerPoint slide show.
From Sandy Bennett, Phoenix, Arizona
In Microsoft Windows® Explorer, simply right-click any PowerPoint
presentation and then click Show to start the show.
Right-click your PowerPoint presentation to start the show
From Giovanna Martini, Waterfront, South Africa
A quick and easy way to turn a PowerPoint presentation into a slide show
file is to simply rename the file extension from .ppt to .pps in Windows
Explorer. Now you can launch it in one click!
Tweak the Layout of PowerPoint Slides
From Jeff Branzburg, New York, New York
When I need to fine-tune the placement of a graphic or text box on a
PowerPoint slide, I use the arrow keys. Here’s how you do it:
First select the graphic, then simply press the UP, DOWN, LEFT, or RIGHT
arrow keys to move the graphic in the desired direction.
Tweak the Placement of a Graphic in PowerPoint, Part Two
From Evelyn Moriarty, Blackwood, New Jersey
Here’s a way to move things in even smaller increments:
1. Select the graphic or text box.
2. Press and hold down the CTRL key.
3. Use the arrow keys to move graphic or text up, down, right, or left.
You will notice that you have more precise control over how far the
image moves.
Take a Break During a PowerPoint Slide Show
From Joanne Briggs, Sunnyvale, California
Here’s an easy yet very useful tip for those who give presentations
using PowerPoint slide shows.
When you want to stop for a break in your presentation without losing
your place in the slide show, just press the lowercase B key or press
the PERIOD (.). This will make the screen go black, and if it is a
self-running presentation, it will pause. When you are ready to resume
the show, press either key again, and you will start right where you
left off.
Ten Favorite PowerPoint Shortcuts
From Tiago de Moraes, Fairborn, Ohio
Here are some easy ways to make your PowerPoint slide show go smoothly:
TO PRESS
Advance to the next slide
N, ENTER, PAGE DOWN, RIGHT ARROW, DOWN ARROW, or the SPACEBAR (or click
the mouse)
Return to the previous slide P, PAGE UP, LEFT ARROW, UP ARROW, or
BACKSPACE
End a slide show
ESC or HYPHEN
Stop or restart an automatic slide show
S or PLUS SIGN
Go to slide
+ENTER
Display a black screen, or return to the slide show from a black screen
B or PERIOD
Display a white screen, or return to the slide show from a white screen
W or COMMA
Hide the pointer
CTRL+H
Redisplay hidden pointer and/or change the pointer to an arrow
CTRL+A
Return to the first slide Both mouse buttons for 2 seconds
Apply Transition Effects to Multiple PowerPoint Slides
From Bev Davis, Lake Oswego, Oregon
Here’s a shortcut that enables you to apply the same transition effect
to multiple slides at once:
1. On the View menu, click Slide Sorter.
2. Select the slides you want to apply the transition effects to by
clicking one slide, and then holding down the CTRL key while you click
each additional slide.
3. On the Slide Show menu, click Slide Transition.
4. In the Effect box, click the transition you want, and then select any
other options you want.
5. Click Apply.
Now your slide show has a consistent, seamless look.
Creating a Summary Slide in PowerPoint
From Rick Borzymowski, Ann Arbor, Michigan
You’ve just created a quick PowerPoint presentation, but you haven’t
added an introduction, agenda, or conclusion. PowerPoint provides a
quick method of adding a Summary Slide to your existing presentation.
This slide can be renamed Introduction or Agenda, or you can copy it to
the end of your presentation and rename it Conclusion or Review.
To create a summary slide from the titles of other slides:
1. Open the completed presentation you want to add a summary slide to.
2. On the View menu, click Slide Sorter.
3. In slide sorter view, select the slides with the titles you want to
use. To select multiple slides, hold down CTRL and click the slides you
want. (Be sure to select the slides that will best summarize your
presentation.)
4. On the Slide Sorter toolbar, click Summary Slide. A new slide, titled
“Summary Slide,” with bulleted titles from the selected slides, appears
in front of the first selected slide.
5. Double-click the new slide to edit it. You can change the title, edit
existing bullets, or add new ones.
Display Shortcuts During a Slide Show
From Iman, Jakarta, Indonesia
If you need quick access to keyboard shortcuts during your PowerPoint
slide show, press F1 (or SHIFT+?) and Slide Show Help will display
automatically.
Slide Show Help menu in Microsoft PowerPoint®
Keep Track of Action Items During a Slide Show
From Jennifer Phinney, Falmouth, Maine
When giving a presentation, have you ever needed to make a list of
ideas, comments, suggestions, or action items? Instead of using a flip
chart, use PowerPoint. Here’s how:
1. In Slide Show view, right-click anywhere in the slide, and then, on
the shortcut menu, click Meeting Minder.
2. Click the Action Items tab.
3. Type your information into the Description, Assigned To, and Due Date
boxes, and then click Add.
4. Repeat step 3 if you want to add more action items, and then click OK.
Your items appear on a new slide at the end of your slide show. You can
use this slide as a way to review the ideas or suggestions that came up
during the slide show or as a reminder of the action items that need to
be addressed.
Meeting Minder dialog box with assigned action items
Editor’s Note: You can export your action item list to Word or Outlook.
Here’s how:
1. On the Tools menu in PowerPoint, click Meeting Minder.
2. In the Meeting Minder dialog box, click Export.
3. To create a new Word document that contains your list of ideas or
action items, select the Send meeting minutes and action items to
Microsoft Word check box.
4. To place them on your task list in Outlook (and assign each task to
the appropriate person later), select the Post action items to Microsoft
Outlook check box.
5. Then, click Export Now.