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The simplest way to get started is using the AutoContent Wizard (see Figure 1). Simply make sure the radio button to the left of "AutoContent wizard" is marked, and then click on the "OK" button. |
| Figure 1 Creating a New Presentation Using Microsoft PowerPoint® | |
| The wizard will ask you some questions in order to help you determine
the best format for your presentation (see Figure 2). The type of
presentation you will choose is guided by your purpose.
For
example, you may be recommending a strategy, reporting on the progress
of a project, providing a project overview, or whatever. Of course,
it is impossible for any software to foresee all of the possibilities,
but you may find that some of the pre-formatted presentation types will
fit more than one circumstance.
Of course, as you learn more about technical communication and oral presentations, you can also customize slides to suit your own tastes and needs. |
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| Figure 2 Choosing a Presentation Type to Suit Your Purpose in Microsoft PowerPoint® | |
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The next dialog box will ask you to give information about the occasion for your oral presentation (see Figure 3). For example, you may be facilitating a meeting, introducing a speaker, or (most likely for this class) presenting a technical report. Choose the appropriate type. Remember, of course, that these are only suggestions--you may want to customize your presentation to suit the rhetorical situation, your own tastes, and the specific information you are presenting. |
| Figure 3 Selecting the Type of Presentation to Suit the Occasion in Microsoft PowerPoint® | |
| Creating PowerPoint slides to use in an oral presentation is itself, of course, a consideration of medium. However, you may also use PowerPoint to create transparencies to be shown with overhead projectors or to create slides or downloadable presentations on the World Wide Web. Or, you may want to use PowerPoint to help you design printed handouts (in black and white or in color) to give to audience members. These considerations of medium are important to your design configurations. Figure 4 shows the PowerPoint dialog box where you can make these choices. |  |
| Figure 4 Choosing the Medium for your Presentation Materials in Microsoft PowerPoint® | |
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You can now edit the text of your slides and preview them in thumbnail
image or choose to see a slide show. You can also edit the colors,
layout, and other features of the slides, import graphics, hyperlinks,
sound files, animation--the choices are many. However, make sure
you organize your presentation as appropriate for the rhetorical situation.
The Carnegie Coach presentation included in the PowerPoint package offers
some helpful suggestions. You can also get more information on designing
effective oral presentations on the WWW at
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