Ellen Finkelstein (pictured to the left) is the author
of How
To Do Everything with Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003 (and
2002) and a regular contributor to Presentations magazine, where
she writes for the Creative Techniques column.
Her company, Ellen Finkelstein, Inc. helps clients create presentations
that communicate clearly and achieve their goals. She maintains
a Web site at www.ellenfinkelstein.com that
offers PowerPoint tips and a selection of free backgrounds.
Geetesh:
Ellen:
Tell us more about yourself and how you got started
with using Microsoft PowerPoint.
I started using PowerPoint because I was an Employee Benefits
Manager and consultant and needed to create presentations
to explain complex medical and pension plans to employees.
Geetesh:
Ellen:
Tell us more about your book authoring experiences.
My first books were on AutoCAD, a computer drafting program.
My current AutoCAD book is in its 5th edition. Later, because
I knew PowerPoint, I was given the opportunity to write a
book on PowerPoint. That book is in its third edition, How
To Do Everything with Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003.
I've also written books on several other computer programs,
such as Macromedia Flash and OpenOffice.org. In addition,
I write articles on these subjects and have taught MBA courses
on creating Web sites. I'm quite involved in Web writing
and publishing.
Geetesh:
Ellen:
What do you like most about Microsoft PowerPoint?
Being a writer, I'm interested in communication and I like
its ability to add visual context to verbal presentation.
I also think its lots of fun to use.
Geetesh:
Ellen:
About creativity blocks - what are your solutions to
overcoming them?
I'm not sure what my experience would be if I were writing
novels! But when I write my computer books, the publisher
imposes strict deadlines, so there's no time for any blocks
in creativity. Also, in advance, I have to create a detailed
table of contents, so I follow that, plus the program itself
provides the source of the content.
Geetesh:
Ellen:
How important is it for a PowerPoint presentation creator to be aware
of design, color and symmetry?
The design and layout aspects of a presentation are very
important. I think that they should be subservient to the
content and its organization, but they can add to or distract
from the points you are making. As a result, a presentation
creator needs to consider design very seriously.
If you are not artistic, use a template or background created
by someone who is. We offer both free and custom-made backgrounds
and templates on our site at www.ellenfinkelstein.com/portfolio.htm.
Geetesh:
Ellen:
How important is outlining? Also, what do you think
about the use of Microsoft Word or any other application
as an outlining tool for PowerPoint?
Because the content of the presentation is so crucial, outlining
is the best way to start a presentation. When you have an
outline, at a glance you can make sure that you have included
all your points. You can also quickly see an overview of
the entire presentation and move items around, if necessary.
Many people like to create their outline in Word, because
they're familiar with it - although you need to follow special
rules for the use of styles if you want to pour the outline
successfully into PowerPoint. Word's outline view is easier
to work with, but many people are not familiar with it.
I like to outline right in PowerPoint's outline pane. You
can see how your points will break up into individual slides
and it's easy to move text around or change the level of
its importance. Whichever method you use, I recommend creating
the outline first and adding graphics and animation afterwards.
Geetesh:
Ellen:
Any trivia, tips or favorite technique that you would
like to share?
I'm trying to spread the word about the advantage of creating
hierarchical, Web-style presentations. Many presentations
are informally delivered to a small group, with audience
participation being an important part of the process. An
example is a sales presentation to one or two potential customers.
People are used to getting information from Web sites, which
are hierarchical in structure. Through the use of a hyperlinked
menu, you can create a presentation that is like a Web site,
where the first slide is the home page, or home slide. You
can then navigate via the hyperlinks, while giving the audience
members the freedom to provide input about where they want
to go, based on their needs and interests. The result is
a more customized presentation. It's a little more work to
create, but audiences love the ability to direct the delivery
process.
