Make PowerPoint Dance!

PowerPoint presentations can, after a while, look a lot like lemmings: startlingly similar, very plain and not at all interesting. Be honest, you know that after a while all of that text begins to blur. Eventually words become meaningless, your eyes lose focus, you start thinking about the sandwich in the break room and at that point, nothing from the presentation is being absorbed.

Now, I know it's a blow to the ego to think about it, but someone somewhere is thinking of a presentation you did right now. Probably someone in your office, someone you know, is just as bored with your presentations as you are with other peoples. It's a sad fact we all have to come to terms with at some point in our careers. But we shall overcome this problem; rise above and create PowerPoint presentations that are interesting, visually appealing and dare I say it, fun to watch.

Before you roll your eyes, snort or click away to go read the latest celebrity gossip, hear me out. We can make a PowerPoint all of these things if we use the visual elements wisely. By adding pictures and videos to our presentations we can make people want to watch them. Before you think I'm just making this up, or being overly optimistic, I once gave a presentation to a group of teenage volunteers on the ins and outs of federal patient privacy law. If that can be made interesting, then, with a little work, anything can be fun.

So, without further ado, let's get to the "How To's."

How to Insert a Picture or Animated Gif File (not a video, but an animation):

• Go to the "Insert" menu at the top of the screen.

• Click on "Picture".

• A sub-menu will appear, choose "From File".

• Use the section labeled "Look In" (also sometime called "From" in some versions)

• Choose the file that you need from your hard drive.

• The click on "Insert".

How to insert a video or audio clip:

• Go to the "Insert" menu at the top of the screen.

• Click on "Movies and Sounds".

• Click on "From File".

• Choose your file.

• The file will play automatically in the slideshow view, but it will look like a still image while you are editing.

Just a few things to keep in mind before you make go putting in those files.

• Have your movie file pre-edited before you start putting the files into the presentation. There is no editing it inside the presentation.

• Video files should, in most cases, be alone on a slide with their header. This keeps distraction to a minimum.

• Animated Gif's should be used sparingly in order to keep the presentation professional (too many will look like a cartoon).

Of course, you have to use your best judgment when you are using these elements, but how many you use and where you put them is going to be a case-by-case decision. Now that you know how to make things interesting there should be no more yawn inducing, insomnia curing PowerPoint presentations coming off of your PC. Only fun, engaging ones!