These topics have been covered so far:

Part 1 – From the start of the presentation to standard help functions

• Using shortcuts before and during the presentation
• The help menu can be accessed with the F1 key.
• Notes on the "hidden" dialog menu and the context menu
• Switch programs during the presentation
• Working correctly with hyperlinks
• Use interactive buttons

Part 2 – Creating your own navigation menu and a break slide

• Create your own navigation menus
• Effective use of the slide master in the navigation menu
• Displaying a "pause image" at any time

In this article:

Part 3 – Orientation for the speaker and the audience

• Incorporation of section slides to orient the audience.
• Keep your agenda “always in view”
• Do you work with two monitors?

The next post:

Part 4 – Presenter View and other features of PowerPoint 2013/16

• Using the presenter view in PPT 2013/16
• What's new or different in the new versions?
• More tips & tricks

10) Incorporation of section slides to orient the audience

Section slides, also called interlude slides, are slides placed between two topics in your presentation. They serve to orient all participants. A moment of pause between sections allows everyone to prepare for the next topic. This "pause for reflection" benefits both the presenter and the audience. These slides are suitable for reiterating the key points of the previous topic or, for example, for briefly working on a flip chart.

These foils are also easy to use,

• to prepare the audience for the next topic (e.g., repeating or displaying the agenda and/or text or image elements related to the next topic).
• to display photos that could not be shown on the individual content slides, filling the entire slide, or to attract attention through combinations of photos and large, striking letters that point to the following topic.
• to create suspense with animations on the upcoming topic.

Here are some examples of what that could look like:

Often, large, informative photos cannot be shown on the content slides. Instead, for example, include (different) photos on each section slide to hint at the next topic.

To increase attention, you can also display individual letters of the next chapter title in large print. Unusual presentations stimulate the eye and capture attention.

In the example shown above, you can further enhance attention by animating the large letters and having them fly in from above, slightly delayed. Since the first letter of each word is initially missing, every viewer will first have to guess what the words might be and wait for what happens next.

But you can also achieve interesting effects by displaying the agenda. In the next example, the agenda has been arranged "around" the heading of the next topic. As for the design, you can let your imagination run wild.

It would also be possible to simply repeat the agenda and highlight the next topic with a different color. Sometimes it makes sense to push agenda items that are not currently relevant even further into the background, since this image is only for informational purposes.

To create a clearer separation between the next heading and the agenda, it might suffice to place a smaller version of the agenda in a corner and only highlight the relevant item. This way, the viewer can see where they are in the presentation.

TIP: When topics change, it often happens that questions about previous topics arise from the audience. If you have placed the entire agenda on one slide, it is helpful to hyperlink each agenda item so that you can click on the relevant item and answer any questions more easily.

If you are proficient with PowerPoint, you can incorporate effective animations that run alongside the next topic on the section slide. In this case, two gears rotate into each other, visualizing the concept of "collaboration," which you can then use as an introduction to your topic.

The precise alignment of two gears can further point to individual aspects of the following topic, for example, the collaboration between two company divisions or the interlocking of processes, which can be specifically incorporated into the animation.

11) Keep your agenda “always in view”

If there are a large number of slides for a single section, the viewer might lose track ("What topic are we even on right now?"). In this case, it's very helpful if the viewer can see the agenda on each slide.

It is essential to ensure you have enough space on the slide for this display, as this aid is only useful if the viewer can read the text of each agenda item. An overly long agenda is therefore unsuitable, as it would have to be significantly reduced in size to fit the available space.

However, if you only have a few agenda items or are using a selection, you can display a small version of your agenda on the slides.

Therefore, first minimize your agenda (boxes) as much as possible. Here are some ways to reduce the size of your agenda.

A) Here you can see the four agenda items in their original size.

B) Now the text boxes have been made slightly smaller on the side (from the right). However, you will already see the first problems at point three: two lines become three.

C) If you shorten the texts in terms of content and therefore length, you can make the fields even smaller.

D) Depending on the topic chosen, it is often sufficient to use keywords for the individual points. This eliminates any space constraints. You can also potentially improve readability by adjusting font size and style.

What do you do now?

• Only perform this entire process once you have completely finished your regular content slides. Otherwise, you may have to postpone or even change the agenda again.
• After initially resizing some shapes and reducing text, copy all elements.
• Switch to > View > Slide Master .
• Select the slide design for the master slides on which your small program will appear, for example, using Master > Title Only Layout for the title slide(s). A)
• Insert your agenda from the clipboard as an image. B)
• Reduce the size of the graphic and move it to its final position on the slide. C)
• Then close the master view.
• On all slides assigned to this layout, you will now immediately see your inserted agenda.
• Now go through all the slides and check whether the agenda conflicts with the content of your slides. You may need to adjust the position of the agenda slightly, or in the worst case, even change its format.

TIP: Depending on the size of the agenda, space on the individual slides, etc., it sometimes makes sense to work with different agenda layouts on multiple master slides.

Now some "sweat work" begins, because you now have to insert a marker on each slide indicating the topic of the respective slide and place it over the agenda text.

In the first example, a colored frame was drawn around the current topic.

Depending on the size, text, and color scheme, it can sometimes be helpful to briefly animate the frame before verbally continuing with the actual content of the slide. Attentive viewers will notice this animation and be prepared for the next topic. Depending on the shape and size of the frame, the "Wheel" or "1 Spoke" effect is a good choice. However, the "Swipe " effect, for example, can also be effective, depending on the type of marker. This visually reinforces your current position in the slide.

There are other ways to mark things, but these should always be chosen with the following questions in mind:

• How much space is available on the slide for the entire agenda?
• Is it still legible?
• Is a different representation more appropriate?
• Are the colors of the marking too strong or too weak?

The next example shows a few different ways to mark a product:

A) Instead of a frame, a transparent area has been used. Make sure the color is transparent enough, otherwise the text may no longer be readable.

B) Underlining may be sufficient.

C) Or use a circle drawn around the bullet point or around the entire line as an ellipse.

D) A simple arrow also indicates the respective agenda item. However, since this arrow should be placed to the left or right of the agenda, the question arises with this option: Is there actually enough space for the arrow?

To show you the variety of possible markings, here are a few more examples:

A) Only the first agenda item is clearly visible here. All remaining agenda items are shown faded.

B) Only one point is shown. However, this point is in the "correct" position, so that the viewer knows approximately where they are.

C) As in example B), but the text is highlighted with color to draw attention to it.

D) In ​​this example, only one agenda item is given, but all the remaining numbers can be seen.

If you have designed your agenda slide very elaborately with photos or other graphic elements, you will most likely have to change the graphic so that it remains recognizable in the reduced form.

A) On the left you see two agenda examples in (almost) original size. Photos have been inserted next to the numbers in the top image, while a large photo has been placed in the background of the bottom image.

B) To the right of each image, you will see smaller versions where legibility is sometimes borderline. Depending on how much space you have available on the content slides for the small agenda, you will need to adjust the presentation and make it clearer.

Another option is to show only the relevant agenda item at the bottom of the slide. Again, you will need to test the space required for each slide.

Of course, it's also possible to present only a few parts of the agenda in this way. This approach is useful if you have a large number of agenda items or want to show the subcategories as well. In any case, you should then consider highlighting the current agenda item with color.

Sometimes, however, you simply don't have enough space on the slide to insert the agenda (or parts thereof) in a meaningful and legible way. In that case, you should use an animation. After each slide change, your agenda, or parts of it, should appear first (following an animation path) from the bottom as an overview for the viewer. Depending on the text size and length, you can make it disappear again after a certain time.

TIP: This trick can of course also be applied to all other agenda presentations described here. This version has another advantage: The agenda items are not included in a printout! They only serve as a guide during the presentation and are rather distracting on printed slides.

Every presenter structures their presentation differently – so you might also consider the following option: In previous blog posts, you learned how to place an "invisible" rectangle on the slide or slide master. Assign a trigger function to this rectangle, meaning that when you click on it, the agenda will appear from the side. You can then display the minimized agenda as needed, for example, when...

• You are at a section slide and explicitly refer to the agenda or
• You need the agenda at a specific time that is not known in advance, or
• Viewers specifically request this overview.

This requires some finesse, as the viewer doesn't always see the agenda and you have to assess when this is necessary.

TIP: If the agenda is a very comprehensive overview that may also contain numerous sub-items, then you should consider whether you should create a small presentation using only these elements and then jump to them as needed via the invisible rectangle.

12) Work with two monitors

During your presentation, you might find yourself unsure about something and need to refer to your notes or other files. This is where the presenter view comes in handy. You can also use presenter view as a navigation tool. Essentially, it allows you, as the presenter, to view features on your laptop while the audience continues to follow the presentation. This means you can, for example, run other applications during your presentation without the audience noticing.

In the ribbon, go to the > Slide Show tab and in the right-hand pane you will see the checkbox for > Presenter View , which you should activate. If you do not (yet) have a second monitor connected, an error message will appear to inform you.

If you have connected a second monitor/projector to your laptop, you may need to... Change the setting from > Double (normal projector display) to > Extended .

Normally, you will see the Windows display menu. It usually looks like this, but there may be slight variations in your case.

If you have enabled the advanced setting for two screens, this will be displayed in the screen.

A) You will see next to the > Recognize that two screens are being shown at this point.

B) Here too, two output devices are listed. Select one as your main screen.

C) Then check this box. If you haven't already, also check the box for Presenter View in PowerPoint and start your presentation.

As a presenter, you will see the following view on your screen.

A) On the left side, you see the image that the audience sees. Below the image, you also have the option to control the presentation, use the pen, or access the context menu, which you are familiar with from normal mouse use.

B) You can read your notes in the right-hand section.

C) The advantage here is that you can use these two buttons to control the size of the text and therefore be able to read your explanations even when standing in front of the laptop.

D) Here you can see the number of the current slide and how many slides exist in this presentation.

E) You can also view the elapsed time of your presentation.

F) The current time is also not insignificant in this context.

G) In the bottom bar, the current slide is highlighted in color, and you can see upcoming and already shown slides in the image preview.

H) It is also convenient that you can now access the taskbar at the bottom and work in other applications.

DANGER:

• When you end the presentation, the projector will display your normal desktop image!
• After you have finished your presentation, please remember that you need to reset the settings for your presentation type, as this does not happen automatically.

We hope you enjoy trying it out!