At times, a PowerPoint presentation may actually be shown without a live presenter. Perhaps the show was emailed to you and you are watching it at your own office. Well, if you have questions about the content of the presentation, it is helpful to be able to email the author with your questions.

To that end, the presenter may have added an email link to the presentation and you can simply click on this link to create an email with your questions. What makes this really easy for you, as the viewer, is that the email address and the subject are already filled in for you.

Use this same idea for your own presentations. Here is how to Create an Email Link in a PowerPoint Show.

More on Hyperlinking in PowerPoint
• Seamlessly Open Another Presentation
• Add Hyperlinks to PowerPoint Presentations
• Image Maps and Hotspots in PowerPoint

Recently I was asked: "I can't find animation schemes anywhere in PowerPoint 2007. Did they remove them and if so, why?"

Well I can't speak for Microsoft as to why animation schemes are a thing of the past. They only lasted for one version of PowerPoint -- that being PowerPoint 2003. It was a quick way to get a unified look to your presentation, so that you can spend more time on the quality of the content.

I have to say I kind of liked the animation schemes, for the simple reason that when you spend your day as a teacher, and students get introduced to animations, well -- you have lost them then. They are all excited to jazz up their presentations and now every slide has things flying in from all directions. An animation scheme allows for some consistency, but alas students rarely appreciate that feature. (Tip for teachers -- save the introduction to animations for last!).

Back to PowerPoint 2007. Well, it seems that Microsoft didn't really like this feature so they removed it in PowerPoint 2007. The good news is that you can easily (and quickly) achieve the same effects. Read more about how you can create the equivalent of an animation scheme in PowerPoint 2007.

Related
• Animation Schemes in PowerPoint 2003
• Slide Masters in PowerPoint 2007

I get emails quite regularly from people who have received a PowerPoint slide show (filename.pps), rather than a PowerPoint presentation file (filename.ppt). The slide show begins immediately when they double click on the file icon. The presentation is filled with lovely music, but they can't figure out how to get the embedded music out of the slide show to keep on their computer. So, how do you do this?

Converting the slide show to HTML format will extract all the objects that are embedded in the show. This article will quickly show you the steps. Extract Sounds Embedded in PowerPoint Slide Shows

Related
• Music and Sound Problems in PowerPoint
• Save PowerPoint Presentations as Web Pages

There are times during a presentation when the presenter would like to add some emphasis to one of his points or an object on the slide to point out something specific. The option is to underline or highlight a word or draw on the slide. Using the tools in PowerPoint to annotate the slides makes this an easy assignment. Read more on How to Write on PowerPoint Slides During a Slide Show.

More Slide Show Tips
• 12 Tips About PowerPoint Slide Shows
• Loop a PowerPoint Slide Show
• PowerPoint in Quarter Screen

Story writing is a skill that begins in the earliest elementary grades. Why not make it a fun experience for kids?

I have created blank story templates to download, for students to create simple stories. Clip art and pictures are added to the upper part of the slide, which tells the story. The lower portion is the area for the students to build their writing skills to reflect the pictures above. Older grades can go further by adding sounds and animations to their stories.

Sample stories have been created for you to download as well. These simple stories will help you integrate literacy and technology into your classroom -- and -- all the while the kids are having fun while they learn.
Thanksgiving Stories Using PowerPoint Story Writing Templates

More Classroom Resources

• The Virtual Amazing Race - Webquest and Web Page Design
• The Ergonomic Computer Workstation Setup
• Create Multiple Choice Quizzes Using PowerPoint
• Tips for Students - Classroom Presentations Worthy of an "A"
• Thanksgiving Lessons and Activities

_{image © Ballyscanlon/Getty Images}

A reader recently asked:
"I use custom animations a lot, and I find myself almost always wanting to change the start "on click" option to start "after previous". This is getting tiresome, so I was wondering if there is a way to change the default itself, from "on click" to "after previous" (if not for all new documents, which would be great, at least for a given presentation?)."

I have to admit that the title of this blog entry is a little misleading. I couldn't find anywhere in PowerPoint 2007 to change the default settings for animations. However, I did find a work-around that addresses the above scenario. Read more on how to change the default animation settings to "after previous".

More on PowerPoint Animations
• Apply Custom Animations in PowerPoint 2007
• Use Motion Paths to Animate PowerPoint Graphics
• B & W to Color Animations in PowerPoint

November 11 is known by all of these different names around the world. At the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month of each year, people around the world stop and pay tribute to all the hundreds of thousands of men and woman who gave their lives for their countries, in all of the wars around the world.

Assemblies will take place in many schools to recognize the importance of this day. Teachers can help their students be part of that learning experience by creating slide shows containing pictures, songs and information about these brave soldiers. This is one small way to share the knowledge and stories - Lest we forget.

• Remembrance Day Story Templates

Most of you have probably seen a PowerPoint presentation that contained music or sound. But, have you ever seen one that played sound, but also showed the sound icon on the slide(s)? I imagine you have. To me, this would indicate that the presenter was new to the role.

Well it is a very quick task to avoid this issue. You can simply choose to not show the sound icon on the slide, but the music will play during the slide show anyway. Here are three methods to Hide the Sound Icon on PowerPoint Slides.

More Presentation Tips
• 12 Tips about PowerPoint Slide Shows
• Deliver a Knockout Business Presentation
• The 10 Most Common Presentation Mistakes

Do you ever need to see two different presentations, side by side? Maybe you are making a similar presentation, or just want to compare this new presentation to an older version. Whatever your reason, it is just a couple of clicks of the mouse to view two (or more) presentations at the same time. PowerPoint can split your screen into equal portions to show you both working copies.

Check out how to easily View Two Presentations at the Same Time

More PowerPoint Quick Tips
• Copy PowerPoint Slides to Another Presentation
• Copy a Design Template to Another PowerPoint Presentation
• Hidden Slides in PowerPoint

Why Use a Header or Footer?

Headers and/or footers are used on PowerPoint 2007 notes or slide(s) to include important information about the slides. This can be information for the presenter (or audience), such as the date this presentation was created or delivered, to brand the slides with your company name or simply to automatically place a slide number on each slide. Read more on how to quickly Add Headers and Footers to PowerPoint 2007 Presentations.

More PowerPoint 2007 Tips
• Create a Default PowerPoint 2007 Presentation
• Change Line Spacing in PowerPoint 2007
• Locate PowerPoint 2007 Properties