Adding an Organization Chart to Your Presentation

To add an organization chart, choose the Organization Chart option in the Diagram Gallery and click OK.

For a refresher on how to open this dialog box, see "Getting Started with Diagrams and Organization Charts " earlier in this chapter, p. 246 .

TIP

It's best to design your organization chart on paper first, particularly if you're not familiar with this application. This lets you focus on creating the chart rather than on content.

PowerPoint inserts the organization chart into your presentation and opens the Organization Chart and Drawing toolbars. The button image for each option on these toolbars shows you what its layout style looks like. The Organization Chart toolbar includes the following options:

• Insert Shape ” Either adds a subordinate box or, if you click the arrow at the end of the button, opens a menu of types of boxes to add. Choices include Subordinate, Co-worker, and Assistant. To add a box, first click the box in the chart to which you want to add a box. Then click the arrow at the end of Insert Shape and choose the kind of box to add. The box you chose appears on the chart.

  CAUTION

  If you've selected the top-level position in the organization, you can't add a co-worker. This option appears dimmed.

  
  

• Layout ” Displays a menu of layout options, including

  • Standard

  • Both Hanging

  • Left Hanging

  • Right Hanging

  • Fit Organization Chart to Contents

  • Expand Organization Chart

  • Scale Organization Chart

  • AutoLayout

• Select Lets you select a specific part of your organization chart so that you can format it. Options include Level, Branch, All Assistants, and All Connecting Lines.

• AutoFormat ” Opens the Organization Chart Style Gallery (see Figure 12.7), where you can choose from several styles for your organization chart. The box to the right previews the style you choose. Click Apply when you find the style that suits your presentation.

  Figure 12.7. Choose from a variety of style options for your organization chart.

  

CAUTION

The Organization Chart Style Gallery gives you a lot of flexibility and creativity. But be sure that your style choice keeps your chart readable and matches your overall presentation tone. It's easy to choose a style that looks cool in the preview, but makes the chart impossible to read because of your slide's design and other style settings.

Adding Text to Your Organization Chart

You can add text to your organization chart by clicking the Click to Add Text placeholder that appears in the boxes in your chart. Depending on the size of the box, you might not see this placeholder. If not, just click in the shape itself. Then type your text in the box. If the text doesn't fit, the box grows to fit it. You can format organization chart text just as you would any other text ”by changing fonts, applying bold and italics, resizing it, and so on.

For a refresher of text formatting techniques, see Chapter 3, "Working with Text," p. 63 .

Formatting Your Organization Chart

You can format an organization chart just as you format any other PowerPoint object. For example, you can reposition it, change its colors, modify line width, and so on. You'll primarily do this in the Format dialog box (right-click and choose Format AutoShape from the menu) or using the Drawing toolbar.

For more information about the Format dialog box and the Drawing toolbar, see Chapter 14, p. 281 .

You can also animate your organization chart for extra emphasis.

To learn more about animating organization charts, see Chapter 15, p. 319 .

CAUTION

Remember to consider readability and visual clarity when you modify an organization chart's defaults. Some formatting can enhance a chart's appearance, but too much formatting can make it confusing or ” worse ”unreadable.

Deleting an Organization Chart

To delete an organization chart, select it and press the Delete key. Either the content palette or placeholder appears, depending on which slide layout you chose. If you want to create another chart, you can start over again from here, accessing the Diagram Gallery by clicking the placeholder or the Insert Diagram or Organization Chart button on the palette. If you want to delete the chart entirely, select the frame around the palette or placeholder and press the Delete key again.

NOTE

If you delete a chart and a content palette or placeholder does not appear, you created the diagram by choosing Insert, Diagram.