I recently met PowerPoint.
This might seem ironic for a social media expert who spends half her life online, blogging and switching between various social media accounts.
Alas, it’s true. I just figured out PowerPoint to make some slides about myself for an important upcoming meeting. (Now, if you’ve been following me, you know the idea of talking about myself – much less formulating a PowerPoint presentation – gives me hives.)
I’d say mastering PowerPoint is like riding a bike. Or starting to tweet. You just need to get the hang of it and practice.
Now, there are still some things I’m not sure I can do yet. Like, write a script. Rather, I’ll use my slides as cue cards on what to say; there won’t be a prewritten script.
I’ve always been one to wing the direction of a conversation or interview. I imagine I’ll treat PowerPoint much the same.
But in case you also were holding out on learning PowerPoint, I found a plethora of tips and information out there.
My favorite rule came from AlleyWatch’s 71 compelling and surprising PowerPoint tips from the pros. It said, “Follow the 10-20-30 rule: During meetings with several speakers, allow only 10 slides, 20 minutes of presentation time, and font sizes no smaller than 30 point.”
So cool.
Need more PowerPoint help?
Here’s a great bit of advice from HubSpot on how to remove the background of an image in PowerPoint.
And finally, 10 tips for more effective PowerPoint presentations care of Lifehack.
Christine Cube is a media relations manager with PR Newswire and a freelance writer. You can follow her at @cpcube. She may be no wizard at PowerPoint, but she’s getting there. Watch out, world.