MS Office 101

Input, Input — Too Much Input

It seems to me that more often than not PowerPoint presentations are created and / or presented by many people. While one person may have done most of the actual computer time, the content and presentation are often a shared responsibility.

So what's the process?

Let's see... there might be a discussion about content (maybe not) and then someone goes back to their computer and puts together the presentation.

Once it's "done" the group has to look it over again. If they can meet to do it all at once that's good, everyone's ideas can be brought together at once, but what if they can't meet?

Ok, no meeting. So the next thing you know you're emailing the presentation to every member of the group for their individual ideas.

Sounds like a workable answer until you get back all the emails with different references about this slide or that and what they each think should be changed, etc.

And lucky you! You get to sit down and try to make some sense of it all and to create a presentation that represents the consensus.

Now, my question is, what are you thinking as you create this consensus? Yep—me too. You just know this isn't the end of the revisions and you're going to do this all over again soon—too soon for your liking.

Well, I can't help with everyone else and their opinions but, what if we had a way to clearly communicate revision ideas right on the slides? Maybe we could find a way for everyone to offer input without you coordinating all those emails over and over again.

One solution might be in the way they submit their "comments".

Instead of random emails, let's try using PowerPoint's Comment feature to let everyone submit their input.

By now you may be asking "What exactly are these Comment things you keep mentioning?".

Well, basically, they're electronic sticky notes that can be applied right to a slide. This is good because each input item is right where it needs to be—comments right with the slide—no coordinating ideas, they're already together ready for you to make necessary adjustments.

Sound like it might be worth investigating?

Yeah, I thought so too.

Then let's get into PowerPoint's comments.

Office Tip of the Day

Comments Anyone?

Ok, so you've finished putting together the presentation and you're ready for everyone's input.

Instead of several emails with ideas, you're looking to get back the presentation with everyone's comments right on the slides. So, you email it to one person and as they finish their ideas it goes to the next person then eventually lands back in your mailbox.

Makes sense, but where are the ideas?

Well, in the file, of course.

Now all you need is the "know how" for inserting comments.

Ready?

Good. Then let's get started.

I'm sure you've guessed by now, the first thing to do is open the presentation.

Next we need to open the Comment toolbar. You can either use the Insert menu, Comment choice - or - Alt then I then M.

The Comment toolbar will open.

To insert a comment you're looking for this button:

Click it once and a little yellow sticky note will appear in the upper left-hand corner of the slide.

You may have noticed that your name is inserted automatically in the note—this allows several people to create notes and you can tell who each one is from!

To change the name you need to go to the Tools menu, Options choice. On the General tab you're looking for the User Information section.

Make changes to the name and initials as necessary and click OK.

Anyway, back to the Comments.

Next you would type your ideas into the comment.

When you're done you can drag the comment around the slide to position it elsewhere—if necessary.

So, the first person completes their ideas, saves the file and passes it on to the next person. They add their comments and along it goes.

Eventually, you get the file back and you can see what each person thought, exactly where they thought it.

When you're ready to remove a comment simply select it and hit the Delete key. (You could also use the Backspace key, Ctrl + X or right click and choose Cut from the pop-up menu.)

Look at that—a meeting of the minds without the time-consuming meeting!

~ April