Office 2013: The Missing Manual

Chapter 25. It’s Showtime! Giving a Presentation

And now, the moment you (and your audience) have been waiting for. This book can’t stand behind a podium for you, but this chapter can certainly help—it’s all about setting up, practicing, and delivering a slideshow.

If you’ve never given a PowerPoint presentation before, you’ll learn basics like launching the show, moving through its slides, and drawing the virtual curtain. But even if you’re a slideshow veteran, there’s plenty here to help avoid the dreaded Death by PowerPoint. For example: how to rehearse and check a presentation’s timing, how to record narration, and how to make sure your slides looks good on the big screen. And if you give different versions of the same talk to different groups, you’ll find out how to generate custom presentations from a single, master file.

You may also be surprised to learn how many options you have for delivering a slideshow that don’t require you to stand in front of a group of people. PowerPoint makes it easy to create a kiosk-style show that runs by itself or an interactive show that viewers play on their own, at their own pace. You can also broadcast your slideshow online or turn it into a video, which you can then put on a website or burn to a DVD. You’ve got tons of options, and this chapter covers them all.

Start, Navigate, End: Tips and Shortcuts

Before you find yourself in front of an audience, muttering about how to get your slideshow underway, make sure you’re familiar with how to launch ...