Monday, June 25, 2007
Why Hide a Slide?
I infrequently use the "Hide Slide" feature within PowerPoint. But I hid three slides in a presentation I gave last week, and I am glad I did. Why did I play "Hide the Slide"? Three reasons:
1. Smoothness
2. Peace of Mind
3. I value the interactive nature of storytelling.
Why Hide a Slide? In my rehearsals, I determined that three slides showed too much detail for my time allotment in front of a small audience. Like a film editor, I had to make some reasoned choices to move the story along. But instead of chucking the detailed slides on the cutting room floor, I simply hid them by selecting "Hide Slide" from the Slide Show menu bar. The results?
Honestly, I think I should use this feature more frequently!
Under what circumstances do you play "Hide the Slide?"
I infrequently use the "Hide Slide" feature within PowerPoint. But I hid three slides in a presentation I gave last week, and I am glad I did. Why did I play "Hide the Slide"? Three reasons:
1. Smoothness
2. Peace of Mind
3. I value the interactive nature of storytelling.
Why Hide a Slide? In my rehearsals, I determined that three slides showed too much detail for my time allotment in front of a small audience. Like a film editor, I had to make some reasoned choices to move the story along. But instead of chucking the detailed slides on the cutting room floor, I simply hid them by selecting "Hide Slide" from the Slide Show menu bar. The results?
- Smoothness. After I gave the presentation, I opened up the floor for Q&A. The second guy to ask a question wanted more detail. I smoothly right-clicked my mouse, selected "Go To Slide" -- and chose the slide with the hidden graphic detail that helped me explain the point. It was easy to find -- hidden slides are neatly contained in parentheses.
- Peace of Mind. By hiding the slides instead of eliminating them, I gained peace of mind. When I gave my presentation, I didn't have any nagging doubts, "What if my stripped-down story isn't persuasive enough?" I had no doubts, because if I saw confusion on the faces of my audience members, I had a smooth contingency plan in place.
- Heightened Interactivity. I put a higher premium on the interactive (Q&A) part of a presentation than the lecture portion of the program. I'd rather have an audience "ask for more to build rapport" instead of potentially overloading them with too much detail in the lecture. Saving hidden slides for Q&A let me gauge interest and attention in the topic.
Honestly, I think I should use this feature more frequently!
Under what circumstances do you play "Hide the Slide?"
Labels: PowerPoint Tricks
¶ 6/25/2007 09:36:00 AM
