Chapter 2. Putting a Chart on a Slide

In This Chapter

  • Looking at the different parts of a chart

  • Creating a chart

  • Examining the different types of charts

  • Entering chart data in an Excel worksheet

  • Changing the appearance of charts

  • Saving a customized chart as a template so that you can use it again

  • Exploring some fancy‐schmancy chart tricks

  • Converting old MS Graph charts to PowerPoint 2007

  • Fixing common problems with charts

Nothing is more persuasive than a chart. The bars, pie slices, or columns instantaneously show the audience that production is up or down, that cats are better than dogs or dogs better than cats, or that catsup tastes better than ketchup. Fans of charts and graphs will be glad to know that putting a chart on a PowerPoint slide is fairly easy.

This chapter explains how to create a chart for a PowerPoint slide. It looks at which charts are best for presenting different kinds of data, how to change charts' appearance, and how to save charts in a template that you can use again. You discover some nice chart tricks, including how to make a picture the backdrop for a chart and how to annotate a chart. This chapter explains how to turn old charts made with MS Graph into spanking‐new PowerPoint charts. It also addresses common chart problems.

A Mercifully Brief Anatomy Lesson

Throughout this chapter, I show you many ways to tinker with charts, but before you can begin tinkering, you need to know what you're tinkering with. In other words, you have to know what the different ...

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