In PowerPoint 2010, SmartArt gives you the chance to communicate with your audience using
visuals instead of text, which can help you add more color, shape, and interest to parts
of your presentation.
I'd like to create a graphic that zeroes in on the Sales Team at my company to explain
their chain of command.
While you can right-click inside any text box to convert the contents to SmartArt…
I want a little more flexibility, so I'm going start from scratch by selecting a blank slide,
and then going to the Insert tab.
If you click the SmartArt command, a list of categories will appear… along with the
graphics you have to choose from… and a preview.
The type of SmartArt I'm looking for should be under Hierarchy.
Let's try this one.
Now, with the graphic selected, click the small arrow on the left to open up what we
call the task pane.
All you have to do here is start entering your text, and it appears in the SmartArt,
re-sized so it fits the shape perfectly.
You can also type into the shapes themselves - which is fine for a simple graphic like
this, but for something more complex, I do find it easier to stick to the task pane.
Now I'd like to point out the Format and Design tabs that appear whenever you have your SmartArt
selected.
From here, an easy way to add more shapes to your SmartArt is to select a shape near
the location you have in mind, then click the arrow next to Add Shape.
You can add one After or Before your selected shape (which will place them on the same level,
right next to each other); or add one Above or Below.
On second thought, I should have placed this one level higher, right under the Sales Chief.
That's okay - you can change the level of any shape using Demote to move it down…
or Promote to move it up.
That's perfect.
You can also manipulate these shapes from within the task pane - I'll use the same one
to demonstrate.
Press the Tab key to demote, then Backspace to promote it again.
Think of it as creating an outline with a multilevel, bulleted list.
You can even add bullets to the list by pressing Enter.
Now I'm going to go ahead and delete the shapes I'm not using by selecting both of these bullets,
then pressing Backspace or Delete on my keyboard.
Now my SmartArt is almost done - it's just a little bland.
The next thing I'd like to show you is how to change the look of your graphic using SmartArt
Styles.
Click the drop-down arrow here to see the full list of Styles, and, as always, mouse
over for a live preview.
I like this one.
I recommend taking a look at colors, too.
These come from whatever theme you're using, so they will vary depending on your theme
or color palette.
And it's never too late to change your layout.
Your choices can be found in the Layouts group.
I'd like to try something a little more out of the box.
Okay, how about this?
And if you want to change the appearance of individual shapes, all you have to do is select
one or more, switch to the Format tab, and take advantage of any of the options here.
For example, I'd like to change the color of the text in these shapes to really make
them stand out.
SmartArt is a great way to incorporate more visuals, and present something to your audience
that's eye-catching and easy for them to understand.