Hidden Slides
Hidden slides are useful when information in the presentation may not be presented every time. By creating hidden slides, this information is available if needed, but can easily be skipped .
Hidden slides show in the slide outline, in the slide sorter view and in the individual slide list during edit. However, the slide is skipped when the slide show is running. If the information is needed, the slide can be accessed via the right-click menu or via the slide number.
Slides are hidden by selecting the slide and then going to Slide Show ’ Hide Slide. Multiple slides can be hidden at once by using the Slide Sorter view and either Shift+Click to select multiple sequential slides or Ctrl+Click to select multiple non-sequential slides, and then setting them to be hidden.
In PowerPoint 2000 and earlier, there are two indications (during editing) a slide is hidden:
-
When viewing the Slide Show menu, the slide icon to the left of the words Hide Slide has a diagonal line through it.
-
When viewing the slides in Slide Sorter view, the slide number has a box around it and a diagonal line through the box and the number.
In PowerPoint 2002 and later versions, a more useful indicator has been added to the list. When viewing the slide in Normal view, the slide number on the slide list in the left pane has the same box and line as the slide number in Slide Sorter view. Unfortunately, this extra indicator was not carried over to outline view.
Hidden Slide Example: FAQ Slides
One great use for hidden slides is to add informational slides and frequently asked question slides to the end of the presentation. To implement the FAQ slides, create each slide as a simple question and answer slide, based on questions likely to come up during the presentation. Make sure the question is in the title placeholder.
Store these slides either at the end of the presentation or in a separate presentation. If the slides are stored in a separate presentation, be sure to use the same template as the main presentation so the movement to the hidden slides is as seamless as possible.
Next, create a summary slide of the FAQ slides. The easiest way to do this is with the summary slide option built into PowerPoint. This option creates a single slide with the title of each of the other slides in the presentation as its content, like a table of contents. Edit the text of this slide so only the FAQ slides are listed. Next , select each line of text and hyperlink it to the corresponding slide. Move this summary slide to the end of your main presentation.
The FAQs are now ready to be used. How to use them depends on whether this is a presenter driven presentation or a presentation without a presenter.
When the questions come up during the presenter driven presentation, have the presenter note the slide number of the current slide, then go to the keyboard and type the number 999 followed by the enter key. This set of actions takes you to the last slide in the presentation. Mouse to the presentation containing the answer (probably while saying something to the effect of "That's a great question, in fact, it's right here on the FAQ slide").
 |
Don't know how to tell what the number of the current slide is? Keep an index card next to the computer with the titles and slide numbers listed!
| |
For an even slicker method of going to the FAQ slide, make a button on the master slide with no fill or edges, and memorize where it's placed it. Do a quick mouse move and click, and the FAQ slide appears like magic.
When with the slide, ask the group if that answered the question, then type the slide number of the original slide followed by the enter key. This returns focus to the slide where the question was asked, so the presentation can be continued seamlessly.
For a presentation without a presenter, put a "Questions Answered Here" button on each slide. Do this quickly by putting it on the master slide. Link that button to the FAQ tide summary slide. Then the user can find the question on the page and click to go there. In this case, it is a good idea to put the FAQ title summary slide and the answer slides in a separate presentation. Then, place a note on each slide, again via the master, that says "Press escape to return to the presentation." When the user presses escape, the FAQ presentation closes and the original presentation appears.
FAQ slides for PowerPoint presentations can also be created thru the use of Custom Shows. Custom Shows are subsets of the slides in a single PowerPoint file that can be used as standalone presentations or linked to from within the current presentation.
