More Tips for PowerPoint Users

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

Tip 1.  Create flexible flowcharts and organizational charts with Connectors

You can easily create flowcharts or other connected-object schemes using PowerPoint's Connectors feature. This feature lets you connect AutoShapes, text boxes, WordArt, and clip art.  First insert, modify, and position at least two objects the way you want them to appear on your slide.

Next, display the Drawing toolbar (if it isn't displayed already) by right-clicking on any open toolbar and selecting “Drawing” from the resulting shortcut menu. To connect two objects, choose “AutoShapes,” then “Connectors” from the Drawing toolbar. Select the connector tool you'd like to use, then position the pointer over one of the objects you'd like to connect.

When you do, the pointer changes to a connector icon, and the object's connector handles are displayed in blue. Place the mouse pointer over the connector handle from which you'd like to connect, and then click once. Now, place the mouse pointer over the connector handle of the object to which you'd like to connect, then click again.

PowerPoint will then insert a connector line between the objects' connector handles. If you decide you'd like to rearrange the location of the connected objects, simply drag them to the desired location—the connectors stay in place and adjust their paths accordingly.

 

Tip 2.  Quickly set the default text styles

If you plan to use one font for the majority of your text throughout a presentation, you can easily set this font to be your default for the active presentation only. To do this, open the presentation you want to change in PowerPoint and choose “Format,” then “Font” from the menu bar.

 

In the resulting Font dialog box, change the Font, Font Style, and Size to reflect the defaults you want to maintain for the presentation, and then click the box “Default for new objects,” then “OK.”

Finally, save your presentation. Now, whenever you return to this presentation and create a new text box, the settings you chose in the Font dialog box will automatically be applied. However, if you launch a new presentation, the original font defaults will still be in effect.