PowerPoint and Presenting Stuff

PowerPoint and Presenting News: July 26, 2016

Another wrong picture choice? Not again. Jullietta Stoencheva of Pickit discusses how you can choose the right picture for your slides.

PowerPoint 2016 and 2013 for Windows users can learn about the new Screen Recording feature. We also explore other features for PowerPoint 2013 such as Inspect Document, Check Accessibility, and Check Compatibility. Finally, do not miss the new press releases and templates of this week.

Read Indezine’s PowerPoint and Presenting News.

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

Recovering New Unsaved Presentations Manually in PowerPoint 2013 for Windows

Have you ever created a new presentation in PowerPoint and then closed it without saving it for even once? This scenario seems to be little strange and impossible since even if you accidentally close your presentation, PowerPoint prompts you whether you want to save your presentation. Yet, you can be in a similar scenario if you lose all your file changes to a system or PowerPoint crash. Fortunately, there are chances that your unsaved presentation is safe in some state! Most of the time, PowerPoint will salvage your file and offer to open it for you the next time you launch the program. Alternatively, even if you don’t see any files being offered for recovery, you can set the process in action manually.

Learn to recover new, unsaved presentations manually in PowerPoint 2013 for Windows.

Filed Under: PowerPoint 2013
Tagged as: Microsoft Windows, Office 2013, PowerPoint 2013, Recovery, Save, Tutorials

Check Compatibility in PowerPoint 2013 for Windows

You might have experienced this scenario: you have created a presentation within PowerPoint 2013, but you are not sure whether your client, boss, friend, or colleague, who has an earlier version of PowerPoint will be able to view and edit this presentation using the same options that you have used? And, if you save this presentation as a file compatible with an earlier version of PowerPoint, there are chances that you could lose some attributes of the presentation that are not available in previous versions. Or worse, your editable content could just change to flat, non-editable pictures!

Learn to check compatibility with other versions in PowerPoint 2013 for Windows.

Filed Under: PowerPoint 2013
Tagged as: Compatibility, Microsoft Windows, Office 2013, PowerPoint 2013, Tutorials

Check Accessibility in PowerPoint 2013 for Windows

An understanding has grown over the years to make all kinds of computer-generated content available to people with disabilities. PowerPoint is no stranger to this accessibility concept, and has many options up its sleeve that help your slides be more relevant to those with accessibility impairments. Similar to how PowerPoint’s spell checker alerts you to potential spelling errors, the built-in Accessibility Checker highlights potential accessibility issues in your presentation so that you can fix these potential problems and make your content accessible to everyone.

Check accessibility options available in PowerPoint 2013 for Windows.

Filed Under: PowerPoint 2013
Tagged as: Accessibility, Microsoft Windows, Office 2013, PowerPoint 2013, Tutorials

Choosing the Right Picture for your Slides

By Jullietta Stoencheva

You’ve probably heard that a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, the same goes for presentation photos. Whether it’s using PowerPoint, Sway, or one of those old-school overhead projectors (ok, so we might be wrong about that last one), images make messages stronger.

But why?

Well, without getting all geeky about it, research shows that the human brain processes information more easily when supported by pictures. In fact, we remember slides with visual cues 55% better. Pictures just linger in our minds longer than words. So, adding a nice-looking shot to that slide full of bullet points might just help them do their job better.

Like it or not, we’re all visual learners

That said, don’t go overboard. Images need to illustrate your point, not compete with it. Nor should they just be used for decoration. See, because they’re so memorable, it’s crucial that the images you use actually support your topic, otherwise, your audience will be remembering the wrong thing, and that would be a little annoying.

© Skitterphoto/Pickit.com

Skip the cliché cogs and archery targets

Instead, go for images that illustrate genuine emotions that connect with your audience on a more personal level. Emotion-evoking presentations increase engagement, so support your message with shots that shock, surprise or make people laugh.

© Skitterphoto/Pickit.com

Show them something they haven’t seen

Memes and classic images may be recognizable, but chances are that your listeners will switch off. Worse still, they might associate them with another context where they’ve seen them and not with your presentation. All of a sudden, your photo is distracting and detracting from your message instead of supporting it. As for that handshake photo on your introduction slide – your audience has seen that one too many times. Give them something fresh to make them smile instead.

© Skitterphoto/Pickit.com

Make the right point with the right metaphor

For example, if your slide is a call-to-action, make sure the picture illustrates the same action. Be bold, be creative, and have fun when choosing your visuals.

Lastly, don’t forget about quality and style

Here are a few things to avoid:

• Small, pixelated, or grainy images
• Overly saturated, flashy image colors
• Images that don’t match the rest of your color palette
• Pictures that are hard to look at or steal all the attention.

    Jullietta Stoencheva is a Media Psychology graduate from the University of Cologne, Germany. Jullietta manages the content and community of Pickit.com, a marketplace for presentation images. In addition, she is responsible for PR and media inquiries, as well as social media management of the company. Outside of work, Jullietta is a photo enthusiast, passionate about reading, literature, and meeting new people.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog post or content are those of the authors or the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company.

Filed Under: Guest Posts
Tagged as: Graphics, Guest Post, Images, Jullietta Stoencheva, Opinion, Pickit, Pictures, PowerPoint