This is the print version of this page. All content is copyright Indezine.com 2000-2026.
Thoughts and impressions of happenings in the world of PowerPoint and presentations, continuously updated since 2003.
See Also:
PowerPoint and Presenting Notes
PowerPoint and Presenting Glossary
There are twelve default slide Background Styles available in PowerPoint 2010. Beyond that, you can always change the default background to a solid color, a gradient, a pattern or texture, or even a pattern. In this tutorial, you will learn how to change the default slide background in PowerPoint.
Filed Under:
PowerPoint 2010
Tagged as: Background, PowerPoint 2010, Tutorials
Comments Off on Learn PowerPoint 2010: Format Slide Background
By Kevin Lerner
Taking the time to translate your talk into more mediums will increase your online audience, authority, and revenue.
Speakers take their speaking seriously. Their speeches are often the result of relentless research, writing, and word wrestling. Some speakers spend days–even weeks whittling their words with their potent pens to get it right. And then … the delivery! The applause. The accolades, praise and critique. And then it’s over. A great speech relegated to the trash heap of history. But for those of us who want to add longevity to our letters…and credence to our creativity, there are solutions.
First, it’s valuable to as “Why bother?” I’ve spent all this time writing this speech … and now you’re saying to take even more time to convert it into all other mediums. If you’re looking to maximum the mileage of your message, taking the time to translate your talk into more mediums will increase your online audience and prominence, give you greater authority and credibility, and maybe even bring you fame and fortune.
Here are 5 ways to adapt your speech for other uses:
Amplify your words with graphics in PowerPoint, Keynote, SlideRocket, or SlideShare.
This article originated as a speech. And because I wanted to get more mileage out of it and put the concept to the test, I adapted it into a PowerPoint presentation. If you’ve got a great speech, it can easily be adapted into a graphically compelling presentation in PowerPoint, Keynote. Or put in on the web with narration and music with SlideRocket, or SlideShare. These presentation tools might actually help craft the speech’s core messages more effectively and efficiently.
Studies show … People remember 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see, but 50% of what they hear and see in combination.
If your speech is well-written and compelling, try submitting it to a few magazines or trade publications. Online media may be a fast and easy way to get your message seen, but print media is still regarded as a testament to credibility and authority. There are still plenty of magazines hungry for fresh new content.
Print publications provide authority.
If your speech is well-written and compelling, try submitting it to a few magazines or trade publications. There are still plenty of magazines hungry for fresh new content. Get a book in print on your topic and then watch your rankings rise.
The world’s third most-visited website wants you.
The third use of speech is to create a video and post it on YouTube. The fast and easy way is to set up a camera at your seminar, event, or Toastmasters meeting, record your talk, and just and upload it to YouTube.
Another efficient and effective approach is to combine the presentation with a screen capture tool like Camtasia Studio, and narrate it as you play the presentation.
The approach I like to use is to export a PowerPoint presentation as a series of JPG images. I then record the narration in an audio editing tool, and use a video editing tool like Adobe Premiere or After Effects to piece it together. This may take a bit more time, but the end result is a professional video.
And YouTube gets noticed; an average of 3 billion videos are viewed a day. And hundreds of people in their partner program are making 6-figure-incomes. Convert your speech to a video and suddenly you’re talking to a whole other market!
Spread your word…for fun or profit.
If you’re serious about writing or sharing your opinion, it’s helpful to have a website…your own “blog” or digital forum to share your ideas, insights and images. Your speech can be re-purposed with a few tweaks to find a friendly new home on your website. (Or maybe your speech started as an article on your website).
Repurpose with a level of objectivity can increase authority.
Transforming your topic into a objectively-written story can help elevate your website rankings, and help get your name out there as an expert in your field. Facebook remains the second-most visited website. Great for light and consumer-friendly-topics. LinkedIn has a many social forums and groups for publishing helpful content.
Convert your talk and impact the entire planet.
Ultimately what makes a good speech are the same elements that will make a great video, article, or blog entry is good rich content. Words with meaning and purpose that we can all connect with.
This topic was born out of a desire for a short speech. By converting your speech and its message into various mediums, your gain new audiences, new appeal, and new power. If it sticks, you can move forward in various venues and watch your influence as a writer/speaker and expert in your field grow.
Ultimately the quality of any medium is a result of the quality of the content. Find your favorite talk and put it out. There is a multitude of media for the world to see, hear, and experience. And five uses for one speech will have an impact on the entire planet.
Kevin Lerner is a leading expert on presentation design, content and delivery. Since founding The Presentation Team in 1995, Kevin and his team have developed presentations for clients including Oracle, Motorola, ADT, Tyco, Comcast Cable, Office Depot, Ryder, UBS Financial. Kevin lives in the Miami, Florida area and enjoys travel, photography, and working to help the world connect.
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: Guest Post, Kevin Lerner, PowerPoint
All SmartArt layouts include text boxes — you can click within these text boxes, and start typing to add text. You may not need not know much about some related concepts to follow this tutorial — but just in case, we have already showed how you can insert SmartArt and convert bulleted text to SmartArt. Having said that, let us now explore the ways to format text within SmartArt graphics.
Learn how to format the text in SmartArt graphics in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac.
Filed Under:
PowerPoint 2011
Tagged as: Graphics, PowerPoint 2011, SmartArt, Tutorials
Comments Off on Learn PowerPoint 2011 for Mac: Format SmartArt Text
By Laura Foley
PowerPoint makes it easy to use bright, vibrant colors in a presentation, which can either be good or very, very bad. Used correctly, color can draw attention to important parts of a slide, elicit a desired emotional response, or reinforce a company’s brand identity. But poor color choices can be distracting in ways you might not even be aware of. And any time your audience’s attention is focused where it shouldn’t be, they’re missing your main message.
Some of the most common results of bad color choices in PowerPoint are illegibility, unintentional associations, unclear charts, and the creation of slides that are just plain ugly!
Filed Under:
Guest Posts
Tagged as: Guest Post, Laura Foley, Opinion, PowerPoint
One of the reasons why PowerPoint’s implementation of the SmartArt feature is considered so good is because customizations are so doable. We have already shown you how to change colors of the entire SmartArt graphic, or apply cool SmartArt styles. In addition, you can format at the individual shape level within the SmartArt graphic — change individual shapes or move them within the area occupied by the SmartArt.
Filed Under:
PowerPoint 2011
Tagged as: Graphics, PowerPoint 2011, SmartArt, Tutorials
Comments Off on Learn PowerPoint 2011 for Mac: Resize Shapes Within SmartArt
Microsoft and the Office logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.