Image Credit: Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.
Linking back to last week’s post on Online Workshops I thought I’d take a look at PowerPoint in more detail. I used PowerPoint a lot in the late 1980s/early 1990s and then forgot all about it until Zoom came into my working life.
Zoom is a presentation tool. So is PowerPoint. They suit each other and I am now back to using PowerPoint regularly, which is something I hadn’t anticipated. It is not often something “comes back” when it comes to writing tools, technology etc. Usually something is overtaken by developments.
It didn’t take me long to get back into using PowerPoint. It also didn’t take me long to get to grips with Zoom.
What is PowerPoint?
PowerPoint is a slideshow tool offered by Microsoft and is specifically designed for presentation work. You can combine text, photos, videos (depending on which version of PowerPoint you have. Mine is an old but free version and is fine for what I do but it doesn’t like video files. I might need to upgrade at some point but don’t need this now). You can also insert charts, graphs etc.
As such it makes an ideal aid for tutors. It’s even better if you combine it with Zoom which you can record. When you end the meeting with yourself Zoom will convert your file for you. I usually opt for the video file (mp4) (but you can have audio too as an mp3). This also saves the need to have printed handouts as long as you’re happy to share the file.
You also have a wide range of designs on the PowerPoint program so you can be creative here. Just to flag up there are tutorials for PowerPoint on YouTube here. Worth looking up if you want to know more.
Making the Most of PowerPoint
I’ve found the following tips useful:-
Don’t cram in information on one slide. Think about how each slide will look. You want each slide to be a joy to read.
Do use larger font sizes. If your presentation will end up being put on to an screen, say at a conference, you want people at the back to be able to read it easily. This helps too even if you are just sharing it on Zoom.
With the above in mind, do remember you can’t have too many slides. You are better off having thirty slides, which are easy to read, rather than fifteen which are crammed.
Use bullet points. They catch the eye.
Use a mixture of text and images (but with the latter ensure they are either your own or copyright free). PowerPoint does come with its own ClipArt which I use from time to time. With that, you can put in a search box the type of images you are looking for. Avoid any images which have a watermark on them – you are likely to have to pay a fee to use these.
You can put hyperlinks into your text here. This is useful if you share the file with others. Makes it easy for them to find links to refer back to later.
You can share the link for your PowerPoint into your website and other media. I often share something I’ve prepared for the Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction group via their Facebook page given I know not everyone can make the meeting. I know how handy it is to have something to refer back to later on. I love PowerPoint as it is so easy to flick through slides to find a nugget of information you’re after.
I like to break up slides which are mainly text with a picture or two, then have more slides with text, more pictures etc. I am thinking about how the whole presentation will look. I want it to be eye catching. I want to break up the text. Too much can look overwhelming. PowerPoint encourages brevity of information (which you can expand on in further slides but nobody is going to just want all text for the whole thing).
I like to use PowerPoint to share notes. I can and do expand on those notes when talking directly with an audience. Especially if I share the PowerPoint later, I want it to act as an aide memoire for those who were at my presentation. For those who couldn’t be there, I want it to act as advertising. Next time I will catch the lady’s presentation live etc. (It works).
I like to mix up the kind of slides I use in any one presentation. I mix up the Title and Content slides with the picture ones. The latter are useful as I have caption boxes to go with those. They make a great way to share the odd line or two of additional information. They look good on screen too.
Other Thoughts
As with any writing, I outline what I want to put into a presentation. That outline helps to keep me on track. Often other ideas to strengthen my topic come in as I draft my outline and so those go into. There is something about the act of writing something down which triggers other creative thought. I welcome this!
I also work out how I am going to end my presentation so I have a straight A to B route to work towards. I find that helpful. I also record my draft presentations on Zoom so I can play back my recordings. I can hear how I sound. I can then practice more. I also know my timing for my presentation and make adjustments to allow for taking questions etc.
It is a funny thing but on playing back a recording, I then sometimes hear gaps and realise a piece of information I had meant to put in, I had forgotten. So I revise accordingly. Also on playing it back, you are taking in the presentation as your audience would.
You can work out if you are speaking too slowly or too fast (the latter is something I have to watch but I am aware of it so that helps. Playing talks back is what made me aware!). I also find it so useful to have a rehearsal. It helps steady the nerves a bit when it comes to presenting the talk for real.
Conclusion
I’m not a believer in dumping things just because you can. I found PowerPoint useful before. I am glad to be finding it useful again. The world has changed so much since the pandemic (and due to it) but I am glad Zoom and other video conferencing facilities have become readily available. They are great tools for reaching out to other writers and PowerPoint has a good part to play in making such video conferences more interesting.
As with so many things the acronym KISS applies here though I like to think of it as meaning Keep It Simple, Sensible (One). This goes for presentations. PowerPoint encourages simplicity and for a presenter to think about how they will get information across in the most useful and entertaining ways possible, making the most of images, text, text boxes, clips etc.
I use PowerPoint most months for my Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction group meetings. I also use it for other talks I give (and will be using it again for The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick in August). I love watching presentations by others using this fabulous tool and it is remarkably easy to use too. I am glad it is playing a major part in my writing life now.
Related Posts:-
Read interviews with Chandler’s Ford writer Allison Symes: Part 1 and Part 2.
Read blog posts by Allison Symes published on Chandler’s Ford Today.
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Sensible advice. I have seen slides with too much text, or text too small.
We use PowerPoint in our Zoom writing group.
Many thanks, June. PowerPoint is brilliant but it helps so much to think about how it looks from the viewer’s point of view. Make it easy for them to take it in. I don’t understand why people cram slides on PowerPoint and I’ve seen it done too.