Have you ever tried to place a graphic object in just the precise place on a PowerPoint slide, but, just as you approach the spot where you want it to go -- it jumps to nearby spot on its own?

The easy fix for that is to use the arrow keys (found on the number keypad) to gently "nudge" the graphic object to the correct place. You don't always have to use the mouse. If that still does not do the job, you can change the default settings in PowerPoint to adjust or turn off the feature so that you have more control all the time... read more about Controlling Graphic Object Placement in PowerPoint

More PowerPoint Quick Tips

• Access a Shortcut Menu During a PowerPoint Slide Show
• 5 Tips About PowerPoint Slide Transitions
• Add Passwords to PowerPoint Presentations

Widescreen format is the norm in movies today and widescreen has become the most popular choice for new laptops. It only follows that PowerPoint presentations are now being created in widescreen format too.

It is simply a matter of a few clicks and your presentation will look like it is ready to be shown in the cinema. Even if your monitor or projector is not a widescreen model, PowerPoint will format your presentation for all the available space... read more about Widescreen in PowerPoint

More PowerPoint Tips

• 10 Font Tips for Presenters
• Hyperlinks in PowerPoint
• Add a Date and Time in PowerPoint2007

It's great to be able to learn a new software at your convenience. So, to that end I have created a few free online eCourses, for using PowerPoint (versions 2003 and earlier) and PowerPoint 2007.

When you sign up for an online eCourse, you will receive a newsletter in your email Inbox with the course material for that issue. The Absolute Beginner series is available either daily or weekly, whichever you choose. And, for those of you who have progressed past the beginner stage, there is a series to take you through some of the more advanced features of PowerPoint.

Now you are able to learn PowerPoint when the time is best for you -- and -- a little at a time. Enjoy!

• Free PowerPoint Online Email Courses

PowerPoint presentations contain photos most of the time. Often, the presenter has inserted a photo directly from the camera, or saved it to his computer and added it "as is" to his presentation. Unbeknownst to him, he has probably just added 7 MB or so to the file size of his presentation, just by inserting this one picture.

It is always a good idea to optimize your photos first, before inserting them into your presentation. However, there is still a safety net provided by PowerPoint if you are one of the many who has never heard of optimizing photos. You can compress an individual photo in your presentation, or all of them at once, after they have been inserted. Whew!

I did a sample test to see the actual difference in the file size of the end product. I created a digital photo album, a feature in PowerPoint since version 2002, containing 9 photos. Prior to compressing all the photos, the file size was 15 MB. A few quick clicks later, and the file size was down to 2.91 MB. Very impressive.

Find out how to do it -- and it really is simple.

• Compress Photos in PowerPoint 2007
  
  
• Compress Photos in PowerPoint 2003

See also ~

• Optimize Photos to Use in PowerPoint
• 9 Tips to Jazz Up Your Digital Photo Albums
• Troubleshoot PowerPoint Photo Albums

What is PDF format?

The acronym PDF stands for Portable Document Format and was invented by Adobe Systems over fifteen years ago. This format can be used for just about any type of document to -

• dramatically reduce the file size
• retain original formatting of document
• be able to be read by anyone, on any computer, by simply installing their free Adobe Reader

Now you can create PDF files of your PowerPoint 2007 presentations without using secondary software programs. This feature is a great resource for creating high quality print files of your slides or emailing the presentation to a colleague for review. Save PowerPoint 2007 Presentations as PDF Files

More PowerPoint 2007 Tips

• Change Options Settings in PowerPoint 2007
• How Do I Password Protect a PowerPoint 2007 Presentation?
• 10 Font Tips for Presenters

This PowerPoint video will show you the steps to make an interactive multiple choice quiz. This short video is great for those of you (like me) who are visual learners. You can get the audience involved and test their comprehension using these easy steps. An added bonus is that the complete transcript is printed below the video for you to print out and save. This format can be used as an ice breaker in a business meeting or as a fun way to get your students involved in learning.

For more detail on the steps to create your own multiple choice quiz, use the step-by-step tutorial below to take you through the complete process. This tutorial also includes a PowerPoint template of a sample quiz that I have created for you to download and edit for your own use.

• PowerPoint Video - Multiple Choice Quiz


• Create a Multiple Choice Quiz Using PowerPoint

Once the warm weather hits, photographers are out in full force. Maybe I should qualify that statement and say instead -- everyone with a camera is out there snapping away. Digital cameras are surely one of the greatest inventions of the past decade.

Whether you are getting great shots of the beautiful gardens around or the kids at play or the wedding of your niece, you end up with lots of digital pictures. So how can you organize them?

PowerPoint has a wonderful feature that makes it a snap (I couldn't resist) to create a digital photo album in no time. There is no limit to the number of photos you can add to your album or the number of albums you can create. (Just a hint though -- try to reduce the file size of your photos before adding them to your photo album).

• Digital Photo Albums in PowerPoint 2007


• Digital Photo Albums in PowerPoint 2003

I found a really neat tool on the web and it is free!

The most common complaint from audience members who are sitting through a presentation using PowerPoint, is that they can't read the text on the slides. And the reason for this is ...? The creator of the presentation did not use enough contrast between the background and text colors of the slides. What looks great on your office monitor may look very different when projected on a large screen, due to a variety of reasons -- most commonly being the amount of available ambient light in the room.

Dave Paradi, co-author of the book Guide to PowerPoint, (which I think every business presenter should have in his resource library), has created an online tool that will show you whether the color choices you have made for your slides will have enough contrast to be easily readable by the audience. You might be surprised at the results. I was.

Check out Dave's color contrast tool. He has also provided a handy-dandy guide on how to add this link right in your PowerPoint program for quick and easy access.

PowerPoint in Business
• 10 Tips for Creating Successful Business Presentations
• Deliver a Knockout Business Presentation
• PowerPoint - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Mother's Day is just two weeks away. Need a fun project for your kids -- at home or at school?

Have them write stories about their Mom and why she is special to them. I have created free downloadable templates that you can use and I have also included a sample Mother's Day story as an example. Then let them loose with the blank template to be creative on their own. Let them tell Mom why she is so special.

Mother's Day Story Templates

More Fun in the Classroom
• Create Story Maps Using PowerPoint
• Teach Math Using PowerPoint
• The Virtual Amazing Race

If you have a date with a presentation in the near future, your mind may be in a flurry about -

• What should I say in the presentation?
• Should I make a digital presentation to accompany my talk?
• How do I go about delivering the message to my audience?
• What do I need to know first?
• What makes a good -- and a bad -- presentation?
• Will I need a projector to take with me?

Presentation Tips for a Winning Presentation is a compilation of many of the tips I have written on planning, creating, delivering and presenting for you to pick and choose what suits your needs for this presentation.

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