Key helpers for a more efficient use of PowerPoint

13. March 20234. April 2023 Marion Sztuka Uncategorized

Presentation creation for businesses

Key helpers for a more efficient use of PowerPoint

Reading time 5 minutes

PowerPoint is an indispensable tool for business. Millions of new presentations are created every day, the majority of which are business presentations, i.e., those created in companies for various business purposes and scenarios. If you believe the studies which say an average of four hours is invested in creating every presentation, then it’s definitely worth looking at how the creation of PowerPoint decks in your company can be simplified and made more efficient.
With this blog article we’ll provide a glimpse at some helpful tools which will support your employees with their presentation creation and how using them could optimize working with PowerPoint company wide.

PowerPoint master
Templates
Asset library
PowerPoint add-ins
Storyboards
The OSCAR Principle

PowerPoint master

Nearly all companies work with a PowerPoint master – a .potx file stored within PowerPoint. When this master is opened, a new presentation is automatically created for which the design specifications such as fonts and the color palette are predefined. The PowerPoint master thus facilitates the formatting of slides in a company’s corporate design. The master can do this if all the technical, design and user-friendliness criteria are set up appropriately. It’s therefore important to observe the following points when creating your company’s PowerPoint master:

Set up the technical framework of your PowerPoint master properly, taking into account different text levels, footnotes, shapes and colors, color schemes within tables, etc. It can help if the person setting this up is already quite experienced in using PowerPoint.
When transferring the corporate design to the PowerPoint master, consider all the specific requirements for presentations. For instance, consider the advantages and disadvantages of the corporate design fonts compared to system fonts. We advise you to focus on the look and feel of your brand identity rather than applying a complete reproduction of all formal design specifications.
Remember that PowerPoint users creating business presentations don’t tend to have a background in design. Too many layout options can be confusing so just provide the selection of layouts as necessary for your users.
Review your PowerPoint master from time to time. Requirements for presentations can change so adaptions are always needed now and then.

Find out more about what makes a good PowerPoint master.

Templates

Presentation slide templates are an ideal supplement to a PowerPoint master. They are ready-made slides, already designed and filled with content. Employees can either use them as they are or adapt them with slight changes as needed. The main benefit is that users can continually access existing slides as a basis for their presentation and thus don’t have to keep starting from scratch.
There are different categories for templates:

Slide templates which cover particular formats for presenting, for instance, process slides, chart slides, or pros and cons.
Templates for different topics, such as company data, team introductions or sustainability metrics.
Slide templates set up for specific scenarios, including product presentations, reporting, etc.

Asset library

A PowerPoint slide library lets you distribute, manage and maintain slides, templates and whole presentations within a company. The library is a central place where everyone who creates presentations can find all the assets they need – and thus avoid spending hours searching for them.

The quality of presentations is increased, too, as all assets made available in the slide library meet company-wide standards for design and content. Plus, the slides and their content can be updated centrally. There’s an array of different PowerPoint add-ins which cover the functions of slide libraries, some of which are combined with additional benefits like tools to support brand management and productivity. Read more on why slide libraries are the perfect solution for working efficiently with PowerPoint.

PowerPoint add-ins

A PowerPoint add-in is a software extension which provides additional functionality within PowerPoint. There are many different PowerPoint add-ins for various applications. Some of them offer very specialized functions, such as the integration of surveys in PowerPoint presentations. For the professional use of PowerPoint for business there are add-ins which provide more broad-based functionality. Many of them are developed to simplify presentation creation while enhancing presentation quality. QuickSlide, for example, is an add-in which provides extra features around asset management, brand management and productivity. When using an add-in like QuickSlide a company can address all the different requirements from diverse business areas with one solution. This typically saves business costs and reduces the need for IT intervention. You can find interesting information on the market offer of PowerPoint add-ins in our blog article, an overview of PowerPoint add-ins. Here, we explore the question of how many PowerPoint add-ins a company needs.

Storyboards

One special kind of template is a storyboard. Storyboards predefine the structure of recurring presentations, such as decks to present to the management board, sales presentations, regular reports, and so on. This means employees can create presentations for these types of scenarios much more easily without having to think about their structure. The corporate design, content levels and other criteria can be preset within a storyboard. Companies for whom we’ve developed storyboards have given us positive feedback – their presentations are more focused and goal-oriented. Qualitative standards for presentations have been established across the whole company.
Want to learn more about the use of storyboards? Read here how storyboards can support your presentation creation.

The OSCAR Principle

What makes a presentation successful? Anyone who creates business presentations would want to know the answer to this. Just a Google search provides all kinds of advice from diverse sources, but what’s missing is a solid, practice-oriented set of guidelines. We’ve therefore created our own trustworthy tool which summarizes the most important elements of a good presentation, with simple guidelines for presentation creation: The OSCAR Principle.

OSCAR stands for:
Organized
Simple
Concise
Appealing
Relevant

In summary, a presentation should be well-structured, easy to follow, concise and to the point, attractively designed and appropriate for the target audience.
Read how you can create compelling presentations by following The OSCAR Principle and download our chart with an overview of The OSCAR Principle.

Tips and ideas for your final PowerPoint slide

2. March 202320. April 2023 Marion Sztuka Uncategorized

Last slide – full impact

Tips and ideas for your final PowerPoint slide

reading time 5 minutes

By the time you start creating the last slide of your PowerPoint presentation you can sometimes run out of ideas. At least, there’s no other real explanation for the many concluding slides on presentations which show a lack of ambition. However, that last slide of the deck should offer a lasting impression and really shake things up. It should support the main objectives of your presentation as well as possible. Read our tips for results-oriented, effective ways to use the final slide.

Final PowerPoint slide – the end or a new beginning?

Your goals in sight – including on the last slide

Dos and Dont’s for a concluding PowerPoint slide

Final PowerPoint slide – the end or a new beginning?

First impressions count, but it’s the last impression that really lasts – including for PowerPoint presentations. Those who believe they can get away with a mediocre introduction are just as wrong as those who fail to attach any importance to the very last slide of their presentation. Yet it’s so typical to round off a presentation with a slide simply stating, “Thank you for your attention!”, “Let’s begin the discussion” or just “Any questions?”. And what do these three examples have in common? They’re very unlikely to stick in the audience’s mind – and seem to announce that the presentation has come to an end. Listeners are practically invited to shut the door on the presented topic, put it out of their minds and move on with their day. This contradicts the very purpose of a presentation. The intention behind conducting a presentation is usually to make a fresh start and very rarely to conclude something. They’re used as a kick-off, to showcase information as a basis for decision-making, as a tool to win new clients. In all of these cases the end of the presentation in particular is a new beginning – for a process, a project, collaboration between partners, or a new contract or sales transaction.

Don’t miss the opportunity to use that final slide as a smooth transition to negotiations, actions, decisions and the changes you want to bring about. It’s therefore important to have a clear idea of the goal of your presentation.

Your goals in sight – including the last slide in PowerPoint

There’s a purpose for every presentation you create. And where there’s a purpose there’s also a goal that you want to achieve with your presentation. When working on a presentation it’s important to keep this goal in mind from the first and right through to the very last slide. This helps you in the structure of your slides, the prioritization of the most important information, the collaboration with others in presentation creation and, of course, in the design of that final slide.

The last slide of a presentation will ideally contribute to achieving your original goal. Below, using three examples, we show you how identifying the goal for a presentation and measures on how to meet that goal can really affect how you use the very last slide to contribute to this.

There are three typical objectives for creating presentations:

Goal of presentation: To inform

You want to share knowledge with others. You have achieved your objectives when your audience have understood all the information and have reached the level of knowledge you intended.

Example presentations would be:

Presentations for training purposes
Presentations on research results or findings
Presentations on project updates
Reports and quarterly updates

Ideas for concluding slide

Use the last slide of a presentation as a reminder. Provide a succinct recap of the most important information the audience needs to remember.
Turn the obligatory “Any questions?” on its head and instead ask your listeners if they feel well-informed, that they have taken in everything you presented to them.
Address those who seem particularly interested by sharing further sources of relevant information (literature, videos, upcoming events).

Goal of presentation: To convince

There are different standpoints on a topic. You would like to bring your arguments into the discussion. The objective has been achieved when you gain support for your viewpoints among the audience.
Example presentations would be:

Project proposals
The presentation of ideas within a context of innovation management
Keynote speeches and lectures

Ideas for concluding slide

Revisit a point or an image from the introductory section of your presentation to round it off and show you consistently stand by your argument.
Conclude with an attention-grabbingdeas for concluding slide image or a quote which symbolically supports your viewpoint to leave a strong, lasting impression.
Use your closing slide to outline the desired outcome or status. Your personal vision for a better (working) world.

Goal of presentation: To motivate

The most challenging objective for a presentation is to stir your audience into action. The goal has been reached when the intended action has been triggered.
Example presentations would be:

Sales presentations with the intention of closing a sale.
Decision-making presentations for a management board.
Presentations for the approval of a budget.

Ideas for concluding slide

Let that last slide encourage the audience to put money where their mouth is. List all the decisions which need to be made and add check marks for approval.
Take the next step: For instance, show a fixed date for signing a contract on the last slide.
Connect with prospects on the last slide with a summary of what’s interesting and relevant for them and how they specifically benefit from signing a deal (or other actions you would like them to take).

If you want to know how to set up your slides well from start to finish, please read our other blog article on creating a clear structure for successful presentations here.

Storyboarding helps you to keep sight of the common thread of your presentation. Learn how to use storyboards to build better presentations here.

Dos and Dont’s for the final PowerPoint slide

Here are a few more tips to keep in mind when creating the last PowerPoint slide of your presentation.

Dos:

Think ahead as to what would make an effective closing slide which corresponds to your presentation objectives. This way you can avoid resorting to a lame slide showing, “Thanks for your attention” due to lack of time and inspiration close to a deadline.
Of course, you can thank your audience, but do this verbally as part of your presentation delivery, thus making it more personal and sincere.
Avoid seeing the concluding slide as an endpoint to your presentation and instead see it as a transition point to the next steps, for example, by providing an outlook or setting a schedule for decision-making.

Don’ts:

Do not introduce a new topic on the final PowerPoint slide. This can irritate your listeners and even generate unnecessary discussions. Instead, summarize, repeat or confirm the key messages stated on previous slides.
Avoid the awkward situation that may arise by encouraging your audience to ask questions right at the end when their minds are already on making it to their next meeting. Instead, provide those with questions with an opportunity to raise them afterwards so those in a hurry have a chance to leave.
Don’t use the final slide to present any gags, memes, animations or gimmicks which only serve to gain attention. Instead, keep it relevant and use it a useful tool to meet your objectives.

Our blog articles provide you with many helpful tips on presentation creation.

What PowerPoint add-ins are available on the market?

23. February 202325. August 2023 Marion Sztuka Uncategorized

An Overview of PowerPoint Add-ins

reading time 7 minutes

PowerPoint add-ins – types, categories, and tips for choosing

If you’re looking for a PowerPoint add-in, you’ll be spoilt for choice, because there’s a huge range of tools on offer. Whether you’re wanting to create charts, improve the design of your slides, or work with team members in real time, you can be pretty sure there’ll be add-ins that can help you complete precisely these tasks. But, with so many options, it’s often not that easy to keep track of everything and decide which add-in is the best solution for your requirements. We want to help you feel a little more confident when making your decision.

What are PowerPoint add-ins and how do they differ from PowerPoint add-ons and PowerPoint plug-ins?

What do PowerPoint add-ins do?

What are the main fields of application in which PowerPoint add-ins can be used?

What do you need to know about PowerPoint add-in technology?

What do you need to bear in mind if you want to use PowerPoint add-ins at your company?

What PowerPoint add-in functions are particularly important for businesses?

What are PowerPoint add-ins and how do they differ from PowerPoint add-ons and PowerPoint plug-ins?

First a few words about the terms. Because if you’re looking for a PowerPoint add-in, you’ll often also come across the terms PowerPoint add-on and PowerPoint plug-in.

A PowerPoint add-in is a software extension that adds functions to PowerPoint. Interfaces are provided in PowerPoint for this. QuickSlide for PowerPoint is an example of a PowerPoint add-in whose functions adapt PowerPoint use to the needs of large companies.

A PowerPoint add-on is additional software that sits on top of PowerPoint but is not closely interlinked with it.

A PowerPoint plug-in is a term usually referring to software extensions that can be loaded by a web browser or other application. In a PowerPoint context, a plug-in could be loaded to support certain video or audio formats, for example.

As the technical differences are highly specialized and sometimes fluid, the terms PowerPoint add-in, PowerPoint add-on, and PowerPoint plug-in are often used synonymously. The term “PowerPoint add-in” is commonly seen in the Microsoft Office world.

For more about PowerPoint terms, you can also visit our glossary.

What do PowerPoint add-ins do?

There are PowerPoint add-ins for pretty much any conceivable purpose. Want to create professional-looking infographics? There’s an add-in for that. Want to add video or audio material to your presentations? There’s an add-in that can help you with that too. There’s even an add-in that improves grammar and writing.

The great thing about PowerPoint add-ins is that they can be customized to the specific requirements of different industries and professions. For instance, there are add-ins that have been specially developed for marketing experts, teachers, and even medical physicians. No matter what you do, there’s probably an add-in that can help you create more effective and appealing presentations.

What are the main fields of application in which PowerPoint add-ins can be used?

PowerPoint add-ins can be roughly split into several categories:

Productivity add-ins:
These add-ins help you create and edit presentations more effectively by enabling you to work with others or by providing automated functions.
Trello is one example of an add-in that enables its users to create and edit Trello cards directly in PowerPoint, so as to facilitate collaboration with others.
Design add-ins:
These add-ins offer functions for graphically appealing and/or branded presentations. They provide templates, graphics, and many other design tools.
One example is Prexels, an add-in that provides free stock photos.

Data-preparation add-ins:
These add-ins help you prepare and integrate data into presentations by providing charts, tables, or other data-visualization tools.
Mekko Graphics, for example, enables user-defined charts and graphs to be created directly in PowerPoint.

Translation add-ins:
These add-ins can help you translate your presentations into other languages by providing automated translation services or other language tools.
Presentation Translator, for example, enables automatic translations in real time during a PowerPoint presentation.
Social-media add-ins:
These add-ins can help you share and post your presentations on social media by providing functions for integrating social media or posting presentations on platforms like LinkedIn.
The Twitter add-in for PowerPoint enables tweets to be created and posted directly from PowerPoint.
Analysis add-ins:
These add-ins can help you analyze your presentations and obtain feedback from viewers by providing analysis tools or survey functions.
One example is Mentimeter. The add-in integrates surveys and quiz questions directly into presentations to involve the audience and collect feedback.
Add-ins with overarching functions for specific user groups:
Unlike add-ins for highly specialized applications, broad add-ins pool functions from different areas for specific user groups. The advantage of this is that you can utilize many advantages with just one single solution. Our QuickSlide PowerPoint add-in, for example, has been specially developed for PowerPoint use in corporate environments. It provides an ideal platform for distributing, organizing, and managing PowerPoint assets within companies, makes it easier to create and edit presentations, and ensures a uniform look and branding in PowerPoint presentations.

What do you need to know about PowerPoint add-in technology?

There are a few important factors to bear in mind when choosing the right technology for your PowerPoint add-ins. Firstly, you need to think about the platform you use. Most add-ins are either designed for the Windows or Mac version of PowerPoint, so you need to make sure you choose an add-in that’s compatible with your platform.

Different technologies are generally used to create PowerPoint add-ins, each with their own pros and cons. JavaScript, for example, is a popular choice because it is flexible and widely used. But, in some cases, it can be slower than other technologies, which is a disadvantage for add-ins requiring a lot of processing power. In the past, the options for JavaScript add-ins were limited. But this has changed, as Microsoft has improved its JavaScript-API for PowerPoint.

.NET is another technology often used to create PowerPoint add-ins. It is generally considered to be more efficient and powerful than JavaScript, but can sometimes require more specialized knowledge. Add-ins created using this technology (VSTO add-ins, COM add-ins) need to be installed and updated on the users’ computers.

The last few years have seen a trend towards cloud-based solutions for PowerPoint add-ins. These add-ins are hosted in the cloud, and are often only accessed via a web browser. This offers a series of advantages, including the option of accessing the add-ins from anywhere, as well as reduced administrative work for IT departments. But users need to have a reliable internet connection in order to work effectively, and many cases are handled much better with an installed version of PowerPoint rather than in the browser.

VBA, or Visual Basic for Applications, is a programming language that Microsoft originally developed for use in its Office suite, including PowerPoint. VBA was used a lot in the past to create user-defined add-ins for PowerPoint, but its popularity has waned in recent years, with people increasingly favoring newer technologies like .NET and JavaScript. One of the main reasons for this shift is the fact that VBA is an older technology and does not offer the same degree of functionality and performance that newer technologies do. VBA add-ins, for example, are generally slower and less stable than add-ins created using .NET or JavaScript.

What do you need to bear in mind if you want to use PowerPoint add-ins at your company?

There are a few general requirements purchasers need to bear in mind when using PowerPoint add-ins in a corporate environment.

Firstly, it is important to ensure the add-ins are easy to implement and manage. This is particularly crucial if the add-ins are being used by a large team or organization. Look for add-ins that are easy to install and offer central administration options.

Another important requirement is the degree to which the technology is future-proof. You should go for an add-in built on technology that is well supported and is likely to be around for the long term. That way, you can ensure your add-ins will continue to operate as expected, even if you switch to a newer version of PowerPoint or use another platform.

User-friendliness is also important, especially if you have team members who aren’t particularly good with technology. Look for add-ins that have an intuitive user interface and are easy to get used to.

Professional support is always important when it comes to using technology in a corporate environment. Go for add-ins that offer reliable support options, such as email or telephone support, and access to a knowledge database or help videos.

What PowerPoint add-in functions are particularly important for businesses?

In addition to the general requirements, there are also a few specific functional requirements that people often like to have in a corporate environment. Many companies, for example, want add-ins that facilitate administration and access to branding components and presentations. This could include functions such as templates, logos, and other branding elements that can be easily accessed and used in presentations.

Adherence to branding guidelines is often also a priority for corporate clients. This means choosing add-ins that ensure presentations comply with company guidelines and standards for design and content.

Finally, many corporate users look for add-ins that can improve the productivity both of the individual users and of entire departments, such as Marketing or IT. The latter often involves simplifying administrative processes, distributing roles in a smarter way, and supporting governance. It can be very helpful to consult the add-in provider’s advisory service and learn about tried-and-tested processes.

Bearing these typical requirements in mind, you’ll be able to choose the right PowerPoint add-in for your business.
For more tips on how to choose, see our blog posts on
Slide Management in PowerPoint – What’s really important? and
How Many Microsoft Office Add-ins Does a Business Need?

Or contact us directly.

How storyboards help you with presentation creation

15. February 20237. March 2023 Marion Sztuka Uncategorized

How storyboards help you with presentation creation

reading time 6 minutes

Hollywood shows us how: improve how you plan the flow and content of your presentations.

What do a successful presentation and a blockbuster movie have in common? Both of them grab their audience’s attention right from the start and keep them in suspense with a story which sticks in their minds. Storyboards are first set up to provide a clear structure for a movie’s storyline. You can apply the same principle for creating presentations.

What’s a storyboard?

How can I apply storyboards to presentation creation?

What are the advantages of working with storyboards?

How can I get started with storyboards?

What does a storyboard look like? Are there examples?

How can predefined storyboards facilitate presentation creation for businesses?

What’s a storyboard?

The concept of storyboards stems from the movie industry. A storyboard sets out the plot and scenes from a screenplay primarily through images. Frame by frame, a visual plan is set up to outline the ideas and plot for the movie. Depending on the level of detail included the storyboard can also provide information on motion sequences and visual settings. The storyboard conveys the first visual impression of the movie and a common understanding of the project. It is therefore a key element of structured planning for a project’s process. A storyboard can also be used to test complex plots to see how they can play out. For instance, does the narrative structure work? Which scenes are essential and which are just nice to have? Do we need to add further explanatory elements, scenes or dialogue? Important decisions can be made based on a run through of a storyboard and priorities can be set which also have an impact on budget planning.

How can I apply storyboards to presentation creation?

If you create a presentation, you’re faced with very similar challenges to those of a movie production team. You want to create an impact with your presentation, for instance, inform your audience, convince them of something or influence their decision-making. You therefore need a decent plan and clear structure for your points. Creating a storyboard can help you organize your train of thought. It can also help alleviate the classic mistakes when creating presentations, namely setting it up slide by slide and investing tons of time in details and fine-tuning before there’s even a rough outline for the best structure for conveying your points and core messages.

What are the advantages of working with storyboards?

By placing your presentation content in some roughly logical sequence you can quickly recognize any weaknesses or gaps in your argumentation. You can also use a storyboard to discuss the presentation structure with colleagues and gain valuable input at an early stage before you really get to work on the slide creation – not when you should be finalizing your deck. A storyboard makes collaboration with all stakeholders for a presentation much easier and assists the whole process of task distribution and feedback loops.

How can I get started with storyboards?

When creating a storyboard for a presentation it can help to follow these three steps:

1. Know your audience and objectives
Before you even start on a storyboard you should be able to clearly define who the presentation is for, what you want to achieve with the presentation and what impact you want it to have on your audience. Do you want to impart knowledge or information? Do you need their buy-in for a project? Do you want to encourage them to make a purchasing decision or take some other action?

2. Begin creating a storyboard
To start with, just grab a piece of paper. Sketch out 10 fields in slide format. In the top-right of each field note down the section of the presentation to which that slide will belong. For instance:

Slide 1: Title slide

Slides 2-3: Introduction

Slides 4-8: Main body
Slides 9-10: Conclusion

Now use this plan to define keywords for your presentation’s content. This visual approach helps you to maintain focus. Note down or sketch ideas for images or graphic elements at this stage, too.

You can proceed like this:

Write down the topic of your presentation on the title slide you’ve sketched out. This doesn’t have to be a proper headline at this stage.
Consider how you want to introduce and reveal this topic by noting down some ideas where you’ve sketched out slides two and three.
Think about the information your target audience needs to know. Remember: The most important points should come first, the content should be structured logically with one key point or idea per slide. Use slides four to eight to jot down these points.
Now you’ve reached the concluding slides. Consider what you want to achieve and the impact you want to have on your audience. The final two slides should be dedicated to these objectives. If, for instance, a decision should be made at the end, then formulate this on these slides as rough bullet points.
You can find valuable tips for presentation creation in our blog post How to structure a presentation.

Our tip: You can of course use a presentation application like PowerPoint to create a storyboard. The main thing is that at this stage you don’t invest any real effort into designing or formatting slides and instead use the storyboard simply as a way to help structure your concept and content.

3. Test your presentation structure

Perform a critical review of the storyboard for your presentation and ask yourself the following questions: Is there a common thread running through your whole presentation from start to finish? Have you included all key points? Is there any content you can omit so as not to overwhelm your audience? Will your introduction gain your audience’s attention right from the beginning? Does the main body of the presentation guide your audience appropriately to the conclusion? What can be improved to make your presentation more relevant or effective? Consider asking colleagues or even a few sample people from your target group to provide feedback on the storyboard. At this stage you can make as many changes as you want without too much effort.

Only start on presentation creation when you’re really satisfied with your storyboard. Of course, your final presentation can include more than 10 slides. However, the three sections, introduction, main body and conclusion and how these sections relate to each other should not be altered.

What does a storyboard look like? Are there examples?

To show how a storyboard can be set up, here’s an example of one for a presentation to inform colleagues internally about the launch of a new product.

Title slide: Launch of product xy
Introduction:
Slide 2: Market demand: Challenges addressed by the new product.
Slide 3: Brief introduction of the product and what it’s for/what it does
Main body:
Slide 4: Product description: Functions and attributes of the product (USP)
Slide 5: Target audience: Who will benefit from the product and its features
Slide 6: Application scenarios: Use cases and benefits provided by the product
Slide 7: Pricing strategy: How the product will be positioned in comparison to competitors
Slide 8: Marketing strategy: the messages and channels to be used to market the product
Conclusion:
Slide 9: Summary of key points and timeline
Slide 10: Task distribution, who’s responsible for what, who needs which information, etc.

How can predefined storyboards facilitate presentation creation for businesses?

Companies who want to support their employees long term in presentation creation tend to work with predefined storyboards. Recurring presentations can then be created much more quickly and easily.

Employees don’t need to think how they should structure their presentations. The predefined storyboards already lay out the content sequence and structure for them. So everyone can be spared the effort of having to start presentations completely from scratch and instead use the storyboard as a springboard and template for their new content.

The benefits are clear. Presentations are generally better structured and focused and errors and inconsistencies are avoided. Internal target groups such as managers can define their content requirements for presentations with storyboards. Consistent presentation standards can be established for a company using storyboards. Storyboards also encourage collaboration between colleagues as they form a common basis for defining and developing presentations. All employees work on the same basis and can therefore integrate their contributions more effectively.

We support our customers with the development and company-wide introduction of storyboards. If you’d like to know more, just get in touch with us!

Slide libraries for efficient PowerPoint use

2. February 202325. August 2023 Marion Sztuka Uncategorized

Slide libraries - the perfect solution for working efficiently with PowerPoint

reading time 5 minutes

Distributing, managing, and updating slides in one central location

This post is aimed at anyone who regularly creates PowerPoint presentations as part of their work. You know how arduous it often is to find the right and current slides, which is why many staff members use the most recent presentation as a basis and overwrite it with new content. But this has consequences, because outdated information and slides no longer complying with the company’s corporate design requirements keep being produced. The best solution is to use a PowerPoint slide library, an extension software for PowerPoint, also known as an add-in, which enables teams, departments, and companies to professionally manage PowerPoint slides and templates.

The advantages of a PowerPoint slide library

Application examples

Tips for choosing

Thinking ahead: The expansion stage for large companies

The advantages of a PowerPoint slide library

A PowerPoint slide library enables you to manage slides, templates, and presentations centrally in one location. All staff members have access to the same slide database and can create new presentations out of existing slides and templates, meaning people don’t always have to keep starting from scratch. This prevents double-handling, and staff members receive assistance with structuring their presentations. Standards—in relation to the design, text component, use of images, etc.—are set through the slides and templates provided. And of course all slides and templates are always kept up-to-date, because they are updated centrally. All of this ensures greater quality and consistent branding for presentations.

Slide libraries for teams, departments, and the whole company

In general, the more users there are at a company using the same source for their presentation material, the better it is. Slide libraries play a particularly big role in ensuring a uniform appearance in PowerPoint when everyone across the entire company is using the same slide pool. The overall time saved from staff members having quick access to slides, and from not needing to format slides or get involved with laborious correction loops, is significant company-wide.

But slide libraries used by teams or departments also prove advantageous, because the individual users have a much better idea of the slides and templates available. They get inspired and are able to swiftly create good presentations, including on new topics.

Teams and departments can substantially customize their slide library use and easily adapt it to their needs, e.g. via the content structure that has the capacity to map team-specific processes.

Examples of slide library usage

The following three examples illustrate how teams and departments can use slide libraries for specific purposes.

The slide library as a sales kit

Sales and marketing teams create lots of presentations for sales pitches every day. While some parts of the content are identical, there is also a lot of client-specific information. A slide library can significantly simplify and structure the preparation process. It becomes a presentation or sales kit, catering specially to sales and marketing requirements. Slides and templates can be organized by product, client group, and sales phase, enabling sales staff to always find the exact documents they need for their next pitch. All information, such as product descriptions and prices, is constantly kept up-to-date thanks to the central updating function. Using a slide library saves sales & marketing departments valuable time that can instead be spent on client acquisition and therefore the success of the team.

The slide library for training material

PowerPoint is a commonly used format for imparting knowledge and training staff. HR teams and everyone involved with a company’s training processes know how important it is to be able to create and provide training documents fast. This also involves the urgent and constant need to ensure training material is up-to-date. Slide libraries are an ideal way to manage even large quantities of presentation material and keep this consistently updated. The content structure can be geared around topics, training formats, trainers, study groups, or learning stages. Slides and templates constantly generate new, accurate documents for specific training measures and levels of knowledge.

The slide library for uniform brand management

Marketing departments often struggle with the fact that presentations being put out by a company don’t always comply with the corporate design. And this is always bound to happen if each person is creating their own slides, because, while staff members may be experts in the content, they’re not necessarily experts in design. A slide library can be very helpful here, because all slides and templates provided have the correct corporate design and serve as important style guides. This means staff members will automatically be working with slides that reflect the company’s branding requirements. Your presentations will have a more uniform look, you’ll spend less time checking and reviewing, and you’ll enjoy greater engagement with your brand in PowerPoint.

What to bear in mind when choosing a PowerPoint slide library

If you decide to use a slide library, you need to be clear about your requirements. Below are examples of some important questions to ask yourself:

Do we need just a slide management tool or comprehensive asset management?
Do you want to organize just slides and templates or also all the other assets needed to create PowerPoint presentations, such as images, icons, and logos. In this case, slightly more complex asset management is the option to go for, potentially also with the possibility of incorporating media databases.
What’s helpful for large volumes of slides?
For companies wanting to manage lots of slides and templates, it is important to ensure they can structure their content well. This can be done using a clear folder structure, using access rights, or using search options, such as keywording or a full-text search.
Do we need rights management?
If you want to share slides across the entire company or across multiple departments, your main focus should be on rights management and the distribution of access privileges, because many users need their roles to be clearly defined, and there are bound to be slides and presentations that aren’t relevant to everyone.
How crucial is up-to-dateness at our company?
For companies where content changes very rapidly, e.g. because products are constantly being adapted, it’s worth particularly focusing on having a good update function. Ideally, the slide library will then also have a notification function to alert you if outdated slides are being used.
Which slide library supports our brand management?
When it comes to brand management, there are huge differences in terms of the slide libraries on offer. If this aspect is very important to you, you need to think about whether a slide library specializing in slide management is enough for you, or whether a more complex solution with extensive functions in the areas of presentation creation, brand management, and productivity is the better option.

The better, more efficient way of creating and editing presentations

For companies wanting to overhaul all their PowerPoint processes, there are software tools that offer much more than just a slide library. Solutions like QuickSlide offer comprehensive brand management, including a corporate design check, helpful functions for creating presentations, e.g. for data visualization, and the option of largely automating presentations.
If you have any questions about choosing a slide library, or want to learn more about QuickSlide, we’ll be glad to assist. Just contact us.

How you can distribute your corporate PowerPoint templates to all users / workplaces

30. January 202325. August 2023 Marion Sztuka Uncategorized

How you can distribute your corporate PowerPoint templates to all users / workplaces

Reading time 3 minutes

Generally speaking, there are several options for distributing a corporate PowerPoint template to all users:

Distribute PowerPoint templates in 5 steps:

Share the template via email or a file sharing platform: You can send the template to your users via email or through a file sharing platform such as Google Drive or Dropbox. This method is quick and easy, but it does require that your users have access to the email or file sharing platform.
Replace the standard PowerPoint template: If you only have one corporate PowerPoint template, you can also use a file distribution process to make this your default corporate PowerPoint template. Simply save your template as “blank.potx” and then distribute it to all computers. The storage location typically is C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Root\Document Themes 16.
Upload the template to a central repository: If you have a central repository for presentations and other assets, you can upload the template to this repository and allow users to access it from there. This can be a good option if you have a large number of users and want to ensure that everyone has access to the latest version of the template.
Distribute the template through your corporate intranet: If you have a corporate intranet, you can upload the template to the intranet and make it available to all users. This can be a convenient option if you have a large number of users and want to ensure that everyone has easy access to the template.
Use a template management tool: There are several third-party tools available that can help you manage and distribute templates to your users. These tools often allow you to upload templates and make them available to specific groups or individuals, and they may also have features for updating templates as needed.

Better user experience with template management tools

If you’re aiming for maximum user-friendliness and lean processes, professional template management tools are the only viable choice. Why is that? Peak into what happens in practice, and you can easily tell:

Users often ignore emails about corporate templates.
In many companies it’s not an easy feat for users to find the place where templates are provided (intranet, brand platform, etc.). And once they get there, they often need to register and get a password. Many people don’t have time for this.
Suppose a user actually downloads a template. They’ll keep using this template for a long time. Even if you’re already providing an updated version – why bother to constantly check…
And finally, most people don’t really know what a template is. They simply take the last presentation they created (or one from their boss, to be on the safe side), delete the slides and work with this. Don’t expect this to be the correct template.

A professional template management solution therefore needs to make it really easy to find and use the right template (by providing it directly in PowerPoint), it needs to update automatically if your templates change, and ideally, it also alerts the user if they use the wrong template. Only specialized template management software typically offer such features. And small as they may be, they have a huge impact both on branding and on productivity.

One final thought: Professional template solutions are great. But what about the somehow similar problems associated with providing and managing presentations and brand assets? And your users’ problems in actually using all those assets? If you decide to introduce a new solution, you might as well go all the way and decide on a solution that provide maximum support for template management, branding and productivity.

We’ll be happy to help.

create PowerPoint presentations save time

The more efficient, stress-free way of creating PowerPoint presentations

22. December 202225. August 2023 Marion Sztuka Uncategorized

The more efficient, stress-free way of creating PowerPoint presentations

reading time 3 minutes

Ever had PowerPoint déjà-vu?

It’s the annual presentation. An opportunity that doesn’t come around too often. So now it’s time to perfectly prepare for it. Specialists from all different departments are involved. They’re all doing their best and preparing PowerPoint slides designed to inspire the client.

The presentation date starts drawing closer. The first rehearsal reveals gaps in the presentation’s arguments. It lacks the flow that will engage the client from the outset. Slide quality varies greatly, and the overall visual appearance leaves a lot to be desired too.

Time is running out, and the pressure is mounting. Overtime is the order of the day, and tension is so high, even the client can feel it.

How can businesses break the pre-presentation stress spiral?

Start earlier – much earlier

Good time management is also important when it comes to preparing presentations. But this generally doesn’t mean simply setting up the slides a few days earlier. “Earlier” means rethinking the presentation-creation process from the outset.

Appoint someone to be the “PowerPoint person”

While PowerPoint is used in many areas of a business, the purposes, usage intensity, user knowledge, and visual requirements vary greatly. So it’s no wonder the results are similarly varied when staff members from different departments all work on the same presentation.
PowerPoint needs an ambassador who is responsible for ensuring certain presentation standards are met, especially formal and visual standards, but also procedural standards, such as the updating of slide content.

Step 1: Good templates

Your staff members are specialists in their respective fields, but PowerPoint may not necessarily be one of their core skills. Bear this in mind when creating a PowerPoint master. A good PowerPoint master needs to be able to do lots of things. It translates your brand’s look to PowerPoint, it meets all information and communication requirements, is implemented perfectly at a technical level, and, above all, is user-friendly.

Increase your PowerPoint support by providing ready-made slides and templates. Basic information about the company or products is very easy to prepare and can be re-used. But even slides developed for highly specialized purposes can serve as inspiration or templates for new presentations.

Finding everything, searching for nothing: The slide library

When distributing your templates, use a slide library that enables everyone to access the exact slides and presentations they need. This will spare you any double-handling and ensure at least part of a presentation can be created from existing slides. These slides will already feature the relevant corporate design and will have up-to-date content. You can set up this slide library at a central storage location, such as on the Intranet itself, or, alternatively, there are software tools on the market that offer additional functions, e.g. granting access rights or automatically updating slides and content.

Using storyboards for different presentation occasions

Storyboards help you better plan the structure and content of a presentation. A storyboard is a kind of script that defines a presentation’s setup and establishes certain case-based requirements, such as scope, depth of information, etc. The storyboard for an internal management presentation will thus be considerably different from that of an initial sales meeting with a new client.

Using storyboards helps you better plan and control the time spent and the resources required for creating the presentation. You can better coordinate tasks and carry them out more efficiently, especially when there are lots of people working together on the same presentation.

Pro tip: PowerPoint add-ins for sustainable presentation management in corporate environments

PowerPoint add-ins are software extensions that expand on and add to PowerPoint’s functions. Some PowerPoint add-ins improve PowerPoint-related processes, facilitating central organization of all assets required for creating presentations, such as slides, presentations, templates, logos, icons, and images. They ensure company-wide corporate-design compliance and offer a variety of functions for creating presentations faster and more easily. The QuickSlide PowerPoint add-in, for example, provides an integrated agenda assistant, an automatic corporate design check, and an optional conversion tool that enables presentations to be transformed into a new corporate design largely automatically.

How organizations can increase PowerPoint productivity

21. December 202225. August 2023 Marion Sztuka Uncategorized

How organizations can increase PowerPoint productivity

Reading time 3 minutes

PowerPoint is an essential tool for businesses, but it can also be a major drag on efficiency if not used properly. In this blog post, we’ll discuss how organizations can increase PowerPoint productivity by leveraging the program’s capabilities and improving their PowerPoint-related processes.

PowerPoint - the knowledge worker's friend and foe

PowerPoint is a standard application that is used by individuals as well as companies. It offers a wide range of functions, but it can also be a source of frustration due to its lack of solutions for specific business needs, such as professional slide management. Additionally, user skills and knowledge are often heterogeneous, leading to different approaches to using PowerPoint and a lack of uniform standards. This, combined with a high degree of personal responsibility and little support, can make for challenging day-to-day business.

Why is PowerPoint such a drag on efficiency?

There are several reasons why PowerPoint can be a drag on efficiency. One issue is the time-consuming process of finding the latest slides or formatting content. Additionally, presentations often don’t adhere to established corporate design standards, leading to a disjointed look and feel as well as plenty of rework whenever people collaborate on presentations. Finally, presentations are often created under time pressure, leading to a lack of clarity, attention to detail and proper formatting.

The leverage of using PowerPoint smartly

Despite these challenges, PowerPoint can be a powerful tool for improving efficiency and productivity if used smartly. By applying the following tips, companies can leverage PowerPoint to create professional, cohesive presentations that effectively communicate their message, while at the same time greatly reducing the direct and supporting workloads.

How to improve your PowerPoint-related processes

Establish clear guidelines for creating and using presentations: Creating clear guidelines for creating and using presentations can help ensure that all presentations are consistent in terms of design, formatting, and content. These guidelines might include things like how to use the font and color palette, the layout of slides, how to draft clear messages.
Use professional and user-friendly templates as well as sample visuals: Using professional templates can help save time and ensure consistency in branding and design across all presentations. By looking at typical use cases these templates can be created to support users in their core PowerPoint tasks. It can also be helpful to provide sample visuals for typical applications, which can be easily customized to fit the needs of individual presentations.
Create a central repository for presentations and other assets: A central repository for presentations and other assets, such as images and media, can help ensure that everyone has access to the latest versions of these materials. It can also help reduce the time and effort required to search for and find these assets. It’s important to provide good structure and searchability, and establish processes for populating and updating this repository. Otherwise it will have a short active life span.
Consider using third-party tools, such as slide management software: Third-party tools, like slide management software, can help streamline the provision and management of templates and other assets. These tools can also help improve the organization and efficiency of PowerPoint-related processes.
Review your PowerPoint-related processes to identify areas for improvement: Regularly reviewing your PowerPoint-related processes can help identify areas where efficiency can be improved and interfaces reduced. This involves collaboration between the Brand and IT teams for the provision of basic assets as well as e.g. within Sales for streamlining the management of Sales presentations.
Provide training and support: Providing training and support to ensure that all users have the skills and knowledge they need to use PowerPoint effectively can help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of presentations. This might include providing training on specific features of the program, as well as best practices for creating and delivering presentations.

It may be helpful to work with a specialized consultant, as optimizing PowerPoint processes stretches across topics from design to technical implementation, and multiple departments from Marketing to Sales to IT. With a holistic perspective and experience, solutions can be relatively easy to implement. The reward will be strongly increased productivity, and more effective presentations.

Using Visual Metaphors to Enhance Your Storytelling in Presentations

21. December 202222. December 2022 Marion Sztuka Uncategorized

Using Visual Metaphors to Enhance Your Storytelling in Presentations

Reading time 4 minutes

Visual metaphors can be a powerful tool to help convey complex ideas or concepts in a more relatable and memorable way. When used effectively, visual metaphors can help engage your audience and make your presentation more impactful. In this article, we will explore how to combine visual metaphors with verbal storytelling in presentations to create a more engaging and effective experience for your audience.

What is a visual metaphor?

A visual metaphor is a type of figurative language that uses an image or visual representation to describe something else. Visual metaphors can take many forms, such as diagrams or even photographs. The goal of a visual metaphor is to help your audience understand a concept or idea by using a relatable image or representation.

Why use visual metaphors in presentations?

There are several benefits to using visual metaphors in presentations. First, visual metaphors can help make complex ideas or concepts more relatable and understandable to your audience. By using an image or representation that your audience can easily understand, you can help them better grasp the concept you are trying to convey.

Second, visual metaphors can help make your presentation more memorable. People tend to remember visual information more easily than verbal information, so using visual metaphors can help your audience remember your message more effectively.

Third, visual metaphors can help engage your audience and make your presentation more interactive. By encouraging your audience to interact with the visual metaphor, you can make your presentation more interactive and engaging.

How to combine visual metaphors with verbal storytelling in presentations

Here are some tips for combining visual metaphors with verbal storytelling in your presentations:

The first step in using visual metaphors in your presentation is to choose a relevant and meaningful image or representation. Your visual metaphor should be related to the story you are telling and should help your audience understand the concept you are trying to convey.
Incorporate the visual metaphor into your presentation in a way that helps illustrate and reinforce your message. You can use the visual metaphor to introduce your story, emphasize key points, or create a sense of continuity throughout your presentation.
Another effective way to use visual metaphors in your presentation is to create a visual representation of your story, such as a timeline or a flowchart. This can help your audience better understand the progression of events in your story.
Use your visual metaphor to engage your audience and make your presentation more interactive. You can do this by asking questions or having your audience participate in activities related to the metaphor.
Make sure you understand how to effectively use the visual metaphor in your presentation, how exactly it will work, and have a clear plan for how you will incorporate it into your storytelling.

Some examples of visual metaphors that support storytelling

Imagine you are giving a presentation on the process of creating a successful marketing campaign. You could use a visual metaphor of a gardening process to represent the stages of creating a successful marketing campaign. You could use the various steps of gardening, such as preparing the soil, planting seeds, watering and fertilizing, and harvesting the crops, to represent the different stages of a marketing campaign, such as researching and planning, creating and implementing the campaign, and measuring and analyzing the results. By using this visual metaphor, you can help your audience understand the process of creating a successful marketing campaign in a more relatable and visual way.

Or how about this one: Imagine you are giving a presentation on the importance of effective communication in the workplace. You could use a visual metaphor of a bridge to represent the concept of effective communication. You could use the various parts of the bridge, such as the foundation, pillars, and roadway, to represent the different components of effective communication, such as establishing trust, setting clear expectations, and actively listening. By using this visual metaphor, you can help your audience understand the importance of effective communication and how it can help facilitate productive and successful relationships in the workplace.

Conclusion

Visual metaphors can be a powerful tool to help convey complex ideas or concepts in a more relatable and memorable way. By combining visual metaphors with verbal storytelling in your presentations, you can create a more engaging and effective experience for your audience. Use brainstorming techniques to find relevant visual metaphors that work well for your subject, choose one that seems to resonate, use it throughout your presentation, and encourage audience interaction to get the most out of this powerful tool.