Picture This: PowerPoint made really, really simple

[First of all, a big thanks to those of you who have already contacted me about your interest in starting this conversation about training, and keeping it going. We hope more of you will join in by leaving comments or sending me your own tips to share. -- Barbara Jean Walsh, ProBoat E-Training manager]

As some of you know, I’ve long been an advocate of keeping presentations of any kind simple. Several years ago, I came across a book “Why Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes” which you can still download and read. That was my introduction to good PowerPoint: slides intended to illustrate key points. In short, “Show the Picture, Tell the Story.” 

When you look at PowerPoint, I know you are tempted by all the pretty templates with swirls and curls and more. But ask yourself, do those images help your students or trainees focus? Or are they distractions?

If you are using PowerPoint to publish a print document, you may find that the added color and style is a plus, but if you are presenting – either in person or online – you should not put anything on the screen that detracts from your message. And when you do add images, you’ll want them to fill the screen as much as possible.

Personally, I like presentations that have three distinct components: The Pictures (Visual), The Story (Audible), and The Rest of the Stuff (Tactile: notes, handouts, takeaways). This week, I want to give you a tip for packing your presentation with pictures, the easy way.

So! Suppose you want to create a step-by-step guide for a certain procedure, or maybe offer a safety tour of the yard? If you have worked with PowerPoint in the past, you may be dreading the painful process of turning the images into slides, one by one by one, especially if you are even a teeny bit obsessive about making them fill the frame just right. 

Forget about all that! There's a much simpler way to get this job done.

First, I suggest that you outline what you want to say, and then gather all the images you need into one folder, organizing them by topic. Keep in mind that the images are there to illustrate your spoken words, whether you plan to record the narration or make the presentation in person. Think old-time slide show.

Here’s what you do:

·       Open PowerPoint.

·       Create a new presentation

·       Right-click on the first slide (or go to FORMAT)

·       Select SLIDE LAYOUT and click on the “blank” format

Now you’re ready to import all those photos that you have already tucked into a nicely labeled folder.

·       Go to INSERT

·       Select PICTURE

·       Select NEW PHOTO ALBUM

What do you see? It should look something like this, depending on what version of PowerPoint you have:

Now you can go to “Insert picture from File/Disk” and open your folder. I have recommended that you create that folder first so you can simply “inhale” all the photos in it, but you can also pick and choose.

Note that I’ve set my Album Layout to “Fit to slide” and “Rectangle” so I don’t have to spend any valuable time tweaking each slide's appearance. PowerPoint will do it for me. How cool is that?

Give it a try! I’ve been able to insert as many as 300 pictures in seconds using this method.

Yes, it does require some pre-planning, but you still have the option to rearrange slides after they are imported, and you also have the opportunity to add text boxes and additional slides as you go along.

If any of this is not clear, please leave a comment, and I will give you more detail. I'd also like you to let us know how you use PowerPoint, and if this simple tip in any way works for you. Also, if you'd like me to critique a PowerPoint that you use for training, and are willing to let me share the before-and-after results here, please contact me. (Barbara Jean Walsh, proboattraining@proboat.com)

Next time, I’ll describe how to add your voice to your images. (SPOILER ALERT: It’s not as hard as you think.)