Viewing the Presentation

Viewing your presentation is the easy part, but deciding which option to use can be a bit more difficult. Although there are several ways to view a presentation, you'll learn just two options in this chapter:

• Starting the slide show in PowerPoint

• Saving a presentation so that it always starts as a slide show

Starting the Slide Show in PowerPoint

During the initial presentation design, you need to start and view your presentation in PowerPoint. Doing so gives you the opportunity to fine-tune your presentation and add timings, transitions, and any other finishing touches to your show. To start a slide show in PowerPoint, you have four main options:

• Choose View, Slide Show from the menu

• Choose Slide Show, View Show from the menu

• Choose Slide Show, Rehearse Timings from the menu

• Click the Slide Show View button

Each option gives you basically the same result, with a few minor differences. You can view the entire presentation from start to finish, clicking the mouse to advance to the next slide. The Rehearse Timings option gives you the opportunity to rehearse your presentation. While you are rehearsing, PowerPoint will keep track of the amount of time spent on each slide, and the total amount of time for the entire presentation. Figure 26.1 demonstrates PowerPoint Rehearsal toolbar during such a rehearsal.

Figure 26.1. Use the Rehearsal toolbar option to view and rehearse your slide show while recording timings for each slide.

The Rehearsal toolbar displays to show you the time spent on each slide. You can click the Next button to advance to the next slide. There is even a Repeat button if you want to start over on a particular slide. The Pause button enables you to pause the presentation, say to take an important phone call, and then you can resume the rehearsal without having to start all over again.

When you click the Slide Show View button, you usually start the slide show from the currently displayed or active slide. If you want to start the presentation from the beginning, go to the first slide before going into Slide Show view.

To create a shortcut on your desktop, follow these steps:

1. Find the file by using My Computer.

2. Right-click the file and drag it to your desktop.

3. Release the mouse button and select Create Shortcut(s) Here.

4. To run the show, simply double-click the icon.

Setting and Using the Slide Show Settings

When you view a slide show, you have several options for its display, most of which are available in the Set Up Show dialog box (see Figure 26.2). From this dialog box, you can choose whether the show is going to be presented by a speaker, browsed by an individual, or run at a kiosk. You can also determine which slides or custom shows to display, how the slides should advance, and the default pen color (explained in the following section, "Using the Pen").

Figure 26.2. The Set Up Show dialog box determines how the slide show will be displayed.

To change any show settings, follow these steps:

1. Choose Slide Show, Set Up Show to display the Set Up Show dialog box.

2. Change any options needed.

3. Click the OK button.

If you have a laptop and will be using a projector to display your presentation, PowerPoint has a Projector Wizard to help with the setup of the projector. Simply click the Projector Wizard button in the Set Up Show dialog box, and follow the instructions. PowerPoint will attempt to detect your projector and configure everything for you.

Using the Pen

When you're viewing a presentation, you have the capability to temporarily annotate each slide by turning your mouse pointer into a pen. This is a great feature when you have audience participation. To display the pen during a slide show, select one of the following options:

If you plan on annotating a slide show, it's usually best to manually advance each slide.

• Press Ctrl+P.

  or

• Right-click and select Pointer Options, Pen from the Menu.

• To use the pen, simply hold down the left mouse button and write or draw annotations by moving the mouse. The annotations you make during the slide show aren't permanent, so they disappear for the next show.

It's a good idea to get some practice using the pen before the actual slide show. Sometimes your annotations can end up as illegible handwriting. Typically, the pen is used to underline or emphasize a specific point during your presentation. A good trick to use to draw straight lines is to hold down the Shift key while you're drawing lines. This keeps your lines straight.

To change the pen back to the pointer arrow, use one of these methods :

• Press Ctrl+A.

  or

• Right-click and select Pointer Options, Arrow from the menu.