PowerPoint gives you lots of ways to enhance or even change the way you deliver your presentation.
How do you reach a viewer, for instance, who isn't there with you?
How about hundreds of viewers, scattered across the country?
That's where I find myself today—getting ready to present my slide show online, so
viewers can watch it remotely.
All you and your audience need is an internet connection.
To get started, go to the Slide Show tab… then choose Present Online.
Click the Connect button in the dialog box… and PowerPoint will start preparing your presentation.
This step can take a couple minutes depending on your internet connection.
The result is a link.
You can copy this link or send it to your viewers in an email.
When they click the link, a broadcast of your slides will open in a new window.
When you're ready to begin, go ahead and click Start Presentation… then just give your
presentation like you normally would.
Anyone who joins via the link will have the same view as you, so they can follow along
as you advance the slides.
In our experience, this feature doesn't always work the first time, so it's a good idea to
test it with a friend or coworker first.
Also, be aware that there's no live audio when presenting online.
In order to communicate with the audience, you'll need to record your narration in advance,
or (even better) plan to convene on something like a conference call.
Let's skip ahead to the end of the slide show.
When you're finished giving your presentation, all you have to do is press Esc on your keyboard…
then click the button that says End Online Presentation.
Once you confirm, this will disconnect any remote viewers that are still using the link.
An alternative to presenting online is to save your slide show as a video, so viewers
can watch it any time.
These videos can be shared on the web, in an email, or even burned to a DVD.
To get started, navigate to the Backstage View… click the Export option… and then
choose Create a Video.
Click the drop-down arrow here… and you can easily select the size and quality of
your video.
When making a selection, consider how you'll be posting or sharing the final product.
If you plan to attach it to an email, for example, the large file size of Presentation
Quality may be too big to send.
Internet Quality would be a better choice because it has a more manageable file size.
Next, decide if you want to use recorded timings and narration.
This really only applies if you've already recorded one or both.
If you don't want to use them… you'll just need to set the amount of time the video should
spend before advancing to the next slide.
When you're ready, click the Create Video button… and then click Save.
You can keep an eye on the progress of your video using the status bar at the bottom of
the screen.
When the bar is completely full, your video will be ready to send, view, or upload.
The last thing I'd like to show you is how to tailor your presentation to different audiences.
You can do this from the Slide Show tab using the Custom Slide Show command.
This feature can come in handy if you have to give your presentation to more than one
group.
Creating different versions can help you adapt to things like having less time to present
or each group having different needs and expectations.
Just choose Custom Shows from the menu… then click New to create one for the first
time.
Next, go ahead and give the show a name.
We'll type "Short Version."
Identify the slides you want to include in your custom show by selecting them on the
list.
To add them, just click the Add button.
You can even change the order of the slides using the arrows here.
When you're done, click OK.
You can choose Show to see your custom show right away, or click Close to exit.
From videos to remote slide shows, PowerPoint gives you many ways to share your presentation.
With these tools, you can meet the needs of any audience, including the viewers at home.