PowerPoint Tip: Capturing screens and using on slides

Last week I was presenting to a conference of educators in Washington, DC and the topic of screen captures came up. Some of the sample slides they sent for my workshop makeovers contained screen shots that could be improved, so today I’ll share some tips on capturing the screen and using it on your slides. This is helpful when demonstrating a web site, showing how to complete a form in Word, or any other application you need to show during your presentation.

There are at least four ways to actually capture the screen, depending on what software you have. The first two methods work in any version of Windows. By pressing the PrintScreen key (sometimes abbreviated to PrtScrn or something similar), Windows captures the entire screen and copies the image to the Windows clipboard, allowing you to paste it on your slide. If you want to capture only the current application, say your browser without seeing other applications or the taskbar at the bottom of the screen, hold down the Alt key and press the PrintScreen key. If you are using Windows Vista, it includes a Snipping Tool application under the Accessories list that allows you to draw a rectangle around the information you want to capture on your screen. The gold standard, in my opinion, which gives you endless options, is a commercial program called SnagIt from TechSmith. It gives you a host of options on capturing your screen and editing it before placing it on the clipboard. If the first three methods won’t do exactly what you need, I suggest you invest in this software at www.SnagIt.com.

Once you have the screen capture on the clipboard, switch back to your PowerPoint slide and paste the image on the slide. It appears like any other image and allows you to apply the same editing as a picture would. I suggest you first crop the image so that only the important parts are showing. Don’t distract the audience with parts of the screen capture that are not critical to your point. Then, size the resulting image to fill the available slide area as much as possible. This makes it easier to see for the audience.

After the image in on the slide and looking good, there’s one more step. You need to make sure that the audience knows what area of the screen shot you want them to focus on. In my book, The Visual Slide Revolution, this is step four of the KWICK method, making the visual Crystal Clear. Add a callout that consists of a graphic highlight, such as an arrow or rectangle to show the audience where you want them to focus. Add callout text that explains why this one spot is important. Now you have a screen shot that is meaningful to the audience.

If you’d like more detailed instruction on using screen shots, including how to make sections zoom out for even greater clarity, check out my Training Video on Working With Screen Capture Images at www.CreatingVisuals.com.

Content vs. Sizzle in your PowerPoint presentation

This recent article in The Onion is a funny take on how too many presenters focus on the wrong area when developing their presentation (the article is at http://www.theonion.com/content/news/wow_factor_added_to_corporate and remember that The Onion is a site that creates humorous fictitious news items).

Most of us have seen the presentations where the presenter has obviously spent hours getting just the right animation effect for the flying text or spinning clip art. We groan and resign ourselves to spending the next 20 minutes sitting through a demonstration of how “cool” the presenter thinks they are. We walk away without a clue of what they wanted us to remember because the “fancy stuff” was distracting.

I’m not against using the features in PowerPoint. But I want presenters to use them wisely. Use animation when there is a purpose, such as building ideas so they can be discussed individually or moving the attention to a certain spot on the slide. Don’t use random slide transitions, in fact, use only a simple fade if you use any at all (I don’t use slide transitions at all). Keep elements such as bullet points simple and clean, don’t get “cute” with logo or clip art bullet points. Use audio or video only when it is more powerful, such as for testimonials. Use simple, clean backgrounds, not busy distracting ones. And the list could go on.

Here’s the bottom line. Keep it simple, focus on your message and don’t get caught up in what PowerPoint can offer. Your audience came to hear your message, not see how much you know about the program.

PowerPoint Slide Makeover - Comparing Data to an Average

Just a quick note to let you know that a new Slide Makeover Video Podcast based on the ideas in "The Visual Slide Revolution" is available for your viewing through the iTunes Store, online or through my YouTube channel. When you compare measured values to an average or standard, make sure that the chart delivers the correct message. This makeover transforms a column chart that is easily misinterpreted and makes it clear for the audience.

This slide was submitted by one of the participants in a workshop - someone just like you who is looking for a way to make their presentations more effective. If you want to submit some of your slides to be considered for a future slide makeover, e-mail them to me at Dave@ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com.

If you have already subscribed through iTunes or another podcatcher, the new podcast should be automatically downloaded when you next run the program.

To subscribe via the iTunes Store, click here.
To view online or get the RSS file for other podcatchers, click here.
You can also watch all the podcasts on my YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/ThinkOutsideTheSlide

If you have subscribed via iTunes or YouTube, please provide your positive feedback on the videos in the Comments and Ratings areas of the service so others know the value you get from the videos.



To get your own copy of "The Visual Slide Revolution", click here.
To access quick "how-to" videos for only $1.99 each, click here.

NCAA Football program uses PowerPoint

I found this article (at http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090715/SPORTS/307159955) that shares how the University of Tennessee football players find that they have been able to absorb their playbook quicker because of the PowerPoint slides that the coaches have used. I haven’t seen these slides, but I think we can probably make a couple of observations.

First, PowerPoint is only one tool to use when teaching a new skill. It is quite obvious in football that practicing what is taught is essential. It is the same with any skill in business. People need to have time to practice what you are teaching or sharing. Make sure that your presentation is not just PowerPoint, but interactive as well when you are teaching.

Second, I am guessing that the PowerPoint slides being used to show football plays include animation showing the movement of the different players. There are great ways to use animation on slides to demonstrate movement. But it doesn’t mean that animation should be used to make text and shapes fly all over the slide. I have always said in my workshops that movement is useful when it has a purpose, not when it is used to entertain. Use animation wisely.

PowerPoint Tip: Time savers when editing slides

We all want to be as efficient as possible, so today’s tip shows you three ways I use to save time when creating and editing my workshop and conference PowerPoint slides. They might be new ways to use features that you already know or features you didn’t know PowerPoint had. Read, enjoy and use them to create your next presentation in less time.

Format Painter - This tool allows you to format a series of objects, whether they are text boxes or shapes, using the same attributes such as font face, font size, fill color and a number of other attributes. Here’s how it works. Format one of the objects exactly how you want it to look. Select this object. Click on the Format Painter toolbar button that looks like a paintbrush. It is on the default Standard toolbar in PowerPoint 2003 and on the Home ribbon in PowerPoint 2007. Then, to apply this format to another object, click on that object, even if it is on another slide. If you have a lot of items to reformat, double-click on the Format Painter toolbar button after selecting the properly formatted item and then you can click on each object to apply the formatting; press Esc to exit format painter mode. When you have to format a series of shapes or text boxes with the same attributes, this saves a lot of time.

Copy objects and their animation - This is a tip that Julie Terberg shared at PowerPoint Live last year (P.S. If you are thinking of attending the only conference for PowerPoint users in the world, check out their great “bring a colleague” special running over the summer at www.pptlive.com). Julie showed us that a quick way to animate similar shapes or text on a slide is to first draw and animate the first shape. Then, copy and paste that shape. The shape will not only have the same colors and other attributes, but it will have the same animation as well. If you are building a diagram with many similar shapes that you want to build one-by-one when presenting, this tip can save you a lot of time.

Re-use instead of Re-creating - If you have created a similar slide in the past to one you want to use in this presentation, just copy and paste it from the previous presentation. This tip is taken to the next level when you plan the re-use in advance by creating a slide library. A slide library is a single PowerPoint file that has the common slides that make up usually 70-80% of the slides in most of your presentations. When you want to build a new presentation, you start by copying the slides you need from your library file and then all you need to do is add in those slides specific to this presentation. I create all of my workshop and conference presentation files this way and it has saved me countless hours over the years. A slide library also allows the key messages to be presented consistently, especially when multiple presenters are using the same library.

We are all asked to do more with less these days, so every efficiency we can use helps. If you are looking for just-in-time training on some key PowerPoint techniques, check out my short how-to videos at www.PPtHowToVideos.com or my longer training videos at www.CreatingVisuals.com. These videos are an efficient way to learn because you can download them when you need to know that skill, each video is focused on only one area, and you can watch them again as a refresher.

PowerPoint in the Pentagon

A recent article in the Armed Forces Journal (full article at http://www.armedforcesjournal.com/2009/07/4061641) lists many problems with the way PowerPoint is used in the US Armed Forces. They cite issues such as too much text on the slides, too much time spent creating the slides and their position that PowerPoint is not a good decision support tool in briefings. I’ve never sat through a Pentagon briefing presentation, but I’ve helped many presenters who have to help executives or customers make decisions after a presentation. Here are some thoughts on making these types of presentations better with PowerPoint.

If you need a lot of text as reference material after the meeting, create a separate handout in Word or use the hidden slide technique to create a PowerPoint file that contains all the text but doesn’t have you presenting a “wall of text”. This allows one file to remain the single vehicle for communication without boring the audience with text slides.

If you need to record thoughts or decisions during a meeting, hyperlink out to a Word document where the group can record their discussion in a document that is agreed to in a group and easily distributed after the meeting. I think many organizations could cut down on the length of meeting minutes or flip charts if they adopted this technique.

Increase your visual inventory by seeing what visuals are being used to communicate different ideas. You can view thirty slide makeover videos for free on my YouTube channel at www.YouTube.com/ThinkOutsideTheSlide and there are over twenty specific visuals explained in my book The Visual Slide Revolution. Look outside your own field to see how others are using visuals to communicate ideas.

I don’t agree with the conclusion that the writer makes that PowerPoint is only useful for informative presentations. I think it can be a good tool to support decisions, if used in the right way. Maybe some of the people creating the briefs just need a little training on how to make their slides and presentations more effective and things would improve.

PowerPoint Slide Makeover - Illustrate your point with an analogy

Just a quick note to let you know that a new Slide Makeover Video Podcast based on the ideas in "The Visual Slide Revolution" is available for your viewing through the iTunes Store, online or through my YouTube channel. Analogies are a great way to help your audience put your point in context because it relates your point to something they are familiar with. This makeover transforms a text bullet point into a visual analogy that makes the point much clearer.

This slide was submitted by one of the participants in a workshop - someone just like you who is looking for a way to make their presentations more effective. If you want to submit some of your slides to be considered for a future slide makeover, e-mail them to me at Dave@ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com.

If you have already subscribed through iTunes or another podcatcher, the new podcast should be automatically downloaded when you next run the program.
To subscribe via the iTunes Store, click here.
To view online or get the RSS file for other podcatchers, click here.
You can also watch all the podcasts on my YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/ThinkOutsideTheSlide

If you have subscribed via iTunes or YouTube, please provide your positive feedback on the videos in the Comments and Ratings areas of the service so others know the value you get from the videos.



To get your own copy of "The Visual Slide Revolution", click here.
To access quick "how-to" videos for only $1.99 each, click here.

Don’t complain to your audience

Last week at a conference I saw a speaker do something that I recommend never doing. She complained about the A/V setup to the audience. The room wasn’t the best room, I’ll give her that. It was what we refer to as a bowling alley room - very long and narrow, so the last row was quite a distance from the stage. The screen was set directly under a fluorescent light that couldn’t be turned off unless you darkened the entire front of the room. And the microphone was a wired lavaliere mic. All of these made for less than ideal conditions. But as a presenter, you need to work with what you are given.

Instead, she made a comment close to the start of the presentation about the fact that she was supposed to have a wireless lav mic and instead got this wired one that was less convenient. Later in the presentation she made a similar comment about the mic. She is a member of a professional speaking association and I sat there thinking to myself, “Even if you are thinking those thoughts in your head, never say them out loud!”

As presenters, our audiences expect us to focus on their needs. By complaining about the A/V or room setup out loud, you tell the audience that this is really all about you, the presenter, not about them. You need the right mic, the right type of room, etc. Hogwash! I’ve been in horrible rooms and used poor A/V but that is not the audience’s problem. As the presenter, it is up to me to still make the experience for the audience the best it can be. Take this lesson to heart. No matter what the setup is, your job is to deliver your message to that audience. No one said everything was always going to be perfect in life, so get over it and deliver anyway.