Using the Slide Show Menu Tools

PowerPoint also provides some other features that you will find very useful when you are running your slide show. For example, you can turn the mouse pointer into a pen (such as a ballpoint pen or a highlighter) that enables you to draw on a particular slide, enabling you to quickly emphasize a particular point visually. Other features include the ability to add speaking notes on the fly as you view the presentation. You can also blank out the current slide to a black or white screen, allowing you to pause for a moment and answer audience questions or comments.

These tools are accessed by clicking on the icons that appear on the bottom left of your presentation slides as you show the presentation. There is an icon for the pen feature and a second icon that brings up a menu that allows you to access screen settings and a Go To feature that allows you to quickly go to a particular slide in the presentation. We discuss the use of the pen, speaker notes, and the Go to feature in the sections that follow.

Access the Slide Show Icons If you move the mouse over a slide being shown in the Slide Show window, a series of buttons appear on the bottom left side of the slide pane.

Drawing with a Pen

An extremely useful tool is the pen, which enables you to draw on a particular slide. This is great for highlighting information on a slide to emphasize a particular point.

To use the pen during the slide show, follow these steps:

1. With the slide show running, click on the Pen icon that appears on the bottom left of the current slide.

2. On the menu that appears, select one of the pen types such as the Ball Point Pen . The mouse pointer becomes a ball point pen. (You can also choose to use a felt tip pen or a highlighter.)

3. Click the left mouse button and draw on the slide as needed (see Figure 12.4).

   Figure 12.4. The pen provides you with an easy way to highlight a particular item on a slide.

   

4. After you've finished working with the pen, you can return to the arrow pointer. Click the Pen icon. Select Arrow on the menu that appears. You can now use the mouse to advance to the next slide.

You can also choose the pen color that you use to draw on the slides. After clicking on the Pen icon, point at Ink Color , and then select the pen color you want to use from the color palette that appears.

Taking Speaker Notes

Another useful tool that you can take advantage of while showing your slide presentation is the Speaker Notes feature. It enables you to quickly take notes related to the discussion or to audience comments made during your presentation.

To use the Speaker Notes feature, follow these steps:

1. With the slide show running, point at the Menu icon on the bottom left of the current slide (it is the third icon from the left).

2. On the menu that appears, point at Screen and then select Speaker Notes . The Speaker Notes dialog box opens (see Figure 12.5.)

   Figure 12.5. The Speaker Notes box allows you to record notes related to the current slide.

   

3. Type your notes into the Speaker Notes dialog box.

4. When you have finished adding notes, click the Close button to close the dialog box.

Finding a Particular Slide During the Show

As you reach the end of a presentation, you might be asked to reshow a particular slide or subset of slides that you included in your slide show. The easiest way to go to a particular slide when you are in the Slide Show view is to use the Go to Slide command on the Slide Show menu.

To go to a particular slide in the presentation, follow these steps:

1. With the slide show running, click the Menu button on the bottom left of the current slide.

2. On the menu that appears, point at Go to Slide . A submenu will appear showing all the slides (titles) in the presentation (see Figure 12.6).

   Figure 12.6. You can quickly go to any slide in the presentation.

   

3. To move to a particular slide, click the slide's title on the submenu. PowerPoint takes you to the selected slide.