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Smart & Easy Software Tips: Transitions & Timers
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Smart & Easy Software Tips, Tricks & Techniques
2006 - Issue 3, Volume 3
Publisher: Dawn Bjork Buzbee mailto:Dawn@SoftwarePro.com
The Software Pro(R), Certified Microsoft Office Expert
http://www.SoftwarePro.com

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In This Issue: PowerPoint Transitions & Timers
* What are slide transitions?
* How to add transitions
* Tips for transitions in a presentation
* Timers for speeches, training, and other presentations
* Timer How To Lesson

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Thanks for asking
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Thank you for the email messages and phone calls wondering about the next issue of this e-zine. There haven't been as many issues recently due to a busy schedule of speaking engagements, training programs, and back-to-back projects plus some exciting tools I will tell you more about later. Expect a return to a "normal" mailing about once a month with bonus issues when possible. Thanks-it's always great to hear from you.

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What are slide transitions?
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Rather than animating elements within an individual slide, a transition in a PowerPoint presentation is simply animation between slides. Transitions add movement (and sometimes sound) between the end of one slide and the start of the next slide.

When presentation transitions are used well, they signal a change to the audience and smoothly switch to the next slide. Used poorly, transitions are just another way to add annoying clutter to a presentation.

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How to add transitions
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Although transitions can be added from a number of different PowerPoint views, the easiest way to apply useful movement is from the Slide Sorter View.

1. Choose View > Slide Sorter or choose the Slide Sorter icon from the view buttons near the PowerPoint status bar.
2. Next, pick Slide Show > Slide Transition which opens the Task Pane for Slide Transition.
3. Select the slide or slides you want to apply a transition to. To highlight multiple slides from the Slide Sorter View, hold [Shift] and then click on each slide.
4. From the Task Pane, choose a transition style, pick a speed for the animation, and associate a sound if desired (use carefully if at all).
5. Pick the option to advance the slides with a mouse click and/or a set period of time. Additional options include applying the transition to all slides or to the master.
6. Once a slide is formatted with a transition or other animation, a faint star displays in the bottom-left corner of the slide in the Slide Sorter view. Click on this star at any time to play the animations.

To remove a transition, repeat the steps above and select the style of "No Transition."

These steps are also provided for you at:
http://www.softwarepro.com/howto/ppt_transitions.htm

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Tips for transitions in a presentation
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When you add transitions to a PowerPoint presentation, keep these tips in mind:
* Choose no more than 3-4 transitions within one presentation; use only 2 different choices when you first get started.
* Test transitions to ensure the action is appropriate for the slides it bridges.
* As with any other animation effect in PowerPoint, do not use transitions for every slide; they are most effective when balanced with slides that do not have transitions.

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Timers for speeches, training, and other presentations
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One of the valuable uses of PowerPoint transitions is adding repetitive timings between slides. That is, the presentation automatically moves to the next slide after a set period of time. This is a handy approach with unattended presentations displayed during exhibits or conferences, as a break in a training session, or any time a presenter is not directly delivering the slide show.

I often use timed portions of a presentation to display technology cartoons as an audience is settling into a conference room where I am speaking. Another popular tool I have is an automatic timer I run during training breaks to clearly click off the number of minutes remaining for the break.

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Timer How To Lesson
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As a gift to my subscribers, I'm offering a copy of the timer I use. To learn more about how this timer presentation was created or to find out how to build your own:

http://www.softwarepro.com/howto/ppt_timers.htm

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Add slide transitions and timings to enhance presentations and to create countdown timers for more effective speaking and training.
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Please pass this along to others who may appreciate it!
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Geek Speak Becomes People Friendly(tm)

Dawn Bjork Buzbee
The Software Pro(R)
11675 Bent Oaks Street, Suite 200
Parker, CO 80138 USA
(303) 699-6868, Fax (303) 766-0886
mailto:Dawn@SoftwarePro.com
http://www.SoftwarePro.com