Using Microsoft PowerPoint Beginners Guide

Creating a Presentation with PowerPoint

Presentation software like PowerPoint helps you communicate your ideas to an audience, whether it's an audience of one in your own office or an audience of mil­lions on the World Wide Web. When you first start PowerPoint, it offers you three ways to proceed: AutoContent Wizard, Design Template, or Blank Presentation.

Using the AutoContent Wizard

The easiest way to create a presentation is with AutoContent Wizard, which lets you choose a look that appeals to you and even suggests content for several com­mon types of presentations. To use AutoContent Wizard, either select its radio but­ton from the start-up screen, or choose File > New, click the General tab in the New Presentation dialog box, and then double-click AutoContent Wizard. From the ini­tial screen of the wizard, click Next.

From the second screen, choose a presentation type. Click All to see all of the types of presentations AutoContent Wizard can help you create, or click General, Corporate, Projects, Sales/Marketing or Carnegie Coach to see just the presenta­tions filed under those subject headings. (Carnegie Coach presentations are designed to help you hone your presentation and public speaking abilities.) Highlight the presentation type you want, and then click Next.

Next, choose the method you will use to make your presentation (e.g., on a com­puter, on the Web, as 35mm slides, etc); then, in the final screen, enter a title for your presentation and any text you'd like to use as a footer on each slide, and select other presentation options. Finally, click Finish. AutoContent Wizard creates a presentation based on your guidelines (see Figure 1-11). You'll have to enter your own text and graphics to complete the presentation, but your basic design is in place.

Introducing the PowerPoint Interface