These tips apply to MS PowerPoint versions 97/2000/2001/2002/OSX, both with Windows and Macintosh.

Tip 1. Removing a Slide Master background graphic from one slide in a presentation

When you select a template for your presentation or create your own presentation style using the Slide Master feature, sometimes you’ll have a slide that would look better without the background graphic that appears on every slide. There is a way to remove that background for individual slides without affecting the entire presentation. Typically, presentations are made in the Slide view or the Sorter view, which is also where

you make changes to an individual slide. In Slide or Sorter views, navigate to the slide you want to change, chose “Format,” then “Background.”

This will open the Background dialog box. Select “omit background graphics from master.” Then click “Apply” so the graphic is only omitted from the slide you are currently on. You can preview the effect before pressing "Apply" if you like.

The background is omitted but the background’s color scheme remains. You can change the color using the same Background dialog, and it will only affect the one slide.

Tip 2. Starting your presentation like a professional

Have you been to presentations where the first thing the audience sees when the speaker begins is the “backstage” view in PowerPoint, the cluttered screen where the presentation was created?

The next thing the speaker does is press the Slide Show button, which is where he or she wanted to begin in the first place.

The solution to starting a presentation in the Slide Show mode is simple. Instead of opening the presentation file (PPT), a PowerPoint Show file (PPS) should be opened. If you’d like to create a PPS file, simply save your presentation the usual way, then save it again as a PowerPoint Show.

Then, when you begin your presentation, just click on the PowerPoint Show file. The presentation will automatically open up and display the first slide in the Slide Show mode, giving your presentation an efficient and more impressive start.

Tip 3. Blanking the screen during a presentation

Good presenters know when a slide is helping the audience understand a point or just distracting them. If, for example, you’ve decided to answer an unexpected question, and you want your audience to focus on you and not the screen, just press the “B” on the keyboard. The screen will go black. Press it again and the screen image will reappear.

If you prefer, you can press “W” and the screen will go white instead. This will only work in Slide Show mode. Remember, if you accidentally left your computer’s screen or energy-saving routines active during your presentation, you may get confused as to what is blanking the screen. Make sure those routines are tuned off before you begin your presentation.