PowerPoint and Presenting Stuff

Create a Gantt Chart in empower for PowerPoint

empower Charts is a PowerPoint add-in that simplifies the creation of a broad range of chart types, including bar charts, pie charts, and line graphs, while ensuring alignment with brand guidelines. In addition to standard charting capabilities, the tool supports project management visualizations such as Gantt charts. This feature allows users to build timeline-based graphics directly within PowerPoint, offering a practical alternative to external applications or manual formatting.

Learn how to create Gantt charts using empower in PowerPoint.

Filed Under: Charts and Diagrams
Tagged as: Add-in, Charting, Empower, Gantt Charts, PowerPoint, Tutorials

PowerPoint and Presenting News: January 20, 2026

This issue explores how tools and perspective reshape your presentations. We begin with a look at PPTXtreme add-ins — powerful extensions that unlock new creative and productivity possibilities in PowerPoint. Then we take a step back to examine presentation advice inspired by the iPhone, reminding us that simplicity, focus, and user experience matter just as much as technical polish. Finally, our conversation with Lux Narayan of StreamAlive highlights how livestreaming and real-time engagement are redefining audience connection. Together, these stories show that whether you’re enhancing slides with add-ons, borrowing design wisdom from everyday tech, or expanding into live formats, great communication evolves with both innovation and intention.

Stay updated with the latest tutorials, tips, and news on PowerPoint and presentation techniques.

Filed Under: Ezine
Tagged as: Ezine, Indezine, News, PowerPoint

Presentation Advice from the iPhone

By Jerry Weissman

The colossal success of the iPhone and its big brother, the iPad, are due in large part to their superior technical functionality. But equal credit must go to the high-concept design of Apple products—and even to Apple packaging—driven by Steve Jobs and his chief designer Jony Ive. While Ive left Apple after 27 years to start his own company LoveFrom (take a moment and check out the comma on the homepage of their website), I was privileged to be in the audience for one of his last presentations in which he described his attention to detail on the look and feel of every product that bears the Apple logo. Ive provided even further insight about his approach in a Wall Street Journal interview about LoveFrom, explaining that one of his first hires was a full-time writer: “to help conjure into words the ideas that his team of graphic designers, architects, sound engineers and industrial designers come up with for its collaborations.”

Image: Yay Images

I discussed Apple’s excellence with veteran Silicon Valley CEO and Board member Bill Portelli, who observed that there are three basic qualities of their design that could be applied to crafting a story:

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Filed Under: Guest Posts
Tagged as: Apple, Guest Post, iPhone, Jerry Weissman, Presentation Design

PowerPoint and Presenting News: January 13, 2026

This issue is all about making your slides work harder for you — from powerful add-ins to simple built-in skills. We start with an in-depth conversation about ToolsToo Pro v12 with Gil Segal, exploring how thoughtful automation can save time and elevate design precision in PowerPoint. Then we zoom in on a foundational skill: inserting new slides in Microsoft 365, the building block of any presentation. Together, these pieces remind us that great slide decks aren’t just about ideas — they’re about using the right tools and mastering the basics so your workflow stays smooth and your message stays strong.

Stay updated with the latest tutorials, tips, and news on PowerPoint and presentation techniques.

Filed Under: Ezine
Tagged as: Ezine, Indezine, News, PowerPoint

StreamAlive: Conversation with Lux Narayan

  Lux Narayan is a co-founder and the CEO at StreamAlive, the audience engagement platform that makes live sessions come alive, especially on PowerPoint in Zoom and Teams. A serial tech entrepreneur, he previously co-founded Unmetric, a company that was acquired by Cision.

Lux enjoys presenting and his talk at the TED main stage on “lessons from 2,000 obituaries” has been watched by millions. A lifelong comedy fan, he has performed at the Comedy Cellar, NYC. He also enjoys writing and is the author of Name Place Animal Thing, an inspiring fable for grown-ups about hope, positivity, and living one’s best life.

In this interview, Lux talks about StreamAlive.

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Filed Under: Interviews
Tagged as: Add-in, Companion Programs, Interviews, Lux Narayan, StreamAlive