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Over the years I have lost count of how many Powerpoint presentations I have created. They are so easy to do and they are a great way to get your message across.

I’ve learnt a lot of great tips for Powerpoint and so I thought I would share some of my favourites in this article.

Copying from Excel to Powerpoint

How many times have you tried to include an Excel spreadsheet into one of your Powerpoint presentations? Frustrating isn’t it. The cells never seem to line up properly or not all of the spreadsheet seems to copy across.

Did you know about the Copy Picture function in Excel?

Simply hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys. Then with them held down, click on the Edit menu on Excel’s toolbar. You will now see an option called Copy Picture. With this you can now copy your spreadsheet easily. You can select what you see on the screen or the print area.

Changing from CAPS to lower case in PowerPoint.

If you need to change the case of text in your Powerpoint slides, simply select the text and press Shift+F3. The text will toggle through ALL CAPS, lower case and first letter in Caps.

Moving objects around in PowerPoint.

Did you know you can move objects around using the arrow keys? Simply select the object and then use any of the arrow keys to move either up, down, left or right.

If you hold down the Ctrl key at the same time will move the object a very small distance. Excellent for fine tuning your slides.

PowerPoint Shortcuts.

Here are some shortcut keys for PowerPoint.

Ctrl+Shift+> Increase Font size

Ctrl+Shift+Hiding screens in PowerPoint

Have you ever wanted to hide the current PowerPoint screen while you are doing a presentation? Maybe you have the presentation ready to go but you don’t want people seeing the first screen until you start.

To hide a screen while you are presenting, simply press either W or B, W will give you a plain white screen and B will give you a plain black screen. Pressing the key again will take you back to your original slide.

It is hard to believe that there are still presenters who will start their presentation with, “Thank you. I am so pleased to be here,” or they tell a joke that bears no relationship to their topic. Much stronger is the presenter who has developed strong and effective “Signature Stories.”

What Is a “Signature Story?”
A “Signature Story” belongs to you. It can be a personal story about your own experience or experiences. It can be a story about someone else’s experience. It can be an original story that embraces the topic and/or points of your presentation. Or, it can also be a traditional story or fairy/folk tale that has been updated to fit your presentation. I have used all, and with proper preparation, they have all worked to my benefit.

Why Use “Signature Stories?”
Remembering that our “Signature Stories” need to be riveting and topnotch, we will find that as long as we make them unique and “our own,” our listeners will react to us and our stories. Good stories are easily internalized, so we as listeners will be able to think back and remember the points made in the presentation. I also enjoy hearing a good story again and again. I remember and love re-hearing Zig Ziglar’s cafeteria story, Jim Rohn’s Girl Scout cookie story, and Stephen Covey’s use of the traditional “Golden Goose” story.

Developing the Personal “Signature Story”

• The advantage of developing and using your own personal story is that it happened to you. That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t seem plausible and even bring to mind similar stories that your listeners have experienced — this is even better, because they will relate more to you and your topic. It is OK to embellish a bit, but my warning here is to share your struggles rather than your triumphs. People like to hear about times when you are the “bug” rather than the “windshield.”
• Don’t be afraid to expose some of your weaknesses or fears. I have a story that everyone loves called “Bat in the Bathroom.” It gets lots of laughs and many of my listeners rush up after my presentation to share similar challenges with nature’s creatures.
• One other caveat about personal “Signature Stories” is that you are not using them for your own therapy. I have heard speakers who think they are touching the hearts of their audience, when they are actually making them uncomfortable. I tell a positive story about my son’s bout with cancer, but it took me several years before I could tell it without crying. Once I had control and started to tell it — it is called, “I Believe in Miracles” — I have had many relatives of cancer patients thank me for sharing it.

So, get busy and develop your “Signature Story.” You will be amazed by the presentation power of using it.

This is going to be a different kind of negotiation lesson. It’s going to delve more into the mindset you have when negotiating.

Have you ever looked for something, did not see it in its usual place, and thus to you it was not there? Then, after a while, you went back to the same place you looked the first time and magically, the item appeared. What happened in that whole scenario? At the point you didn’t see the ‘thing’ you were looking for, your mind had expectations of seeing, or perceiving a different outcome. Thus, that which wasn’t reality, became reality to you (you saw the ‘thing’ the second, after not seeing it the first time.

What lessons can we learn from this mental observation into the mindset we possess, and the outcome we expect, during different times in our minds and in negotiation sessions?

When negotiating, be very mindful of the manner and way you’re viewing and perceiving your environment. This includes the people you’re negotiating with, and the expectations you have for the negotiation. Question throughout the negotiations …

1. What’s the demeanor of the person/people you’re negotiating with?

· How are they influencing your behavior?

· How are they altering your perception (good/bad influences)?

· What emotions do they invoke in you?

· Are they ‘playing’ tough, to mentally ‘throw you off balance’?

(It’s important to understand the level of influence someone has on you and the way they’re using that influence, because all of us are influenced to some degree, by other people. The degree of influence other people have over us can cause us to react and do different things, in the same environment, for different people (Follow me on this). It all depends on the level of influence someone has over us.)

2. What is your perception of the environment you’re in, physically and mentally, and how is it mentally and emotionally causing you to respond in that environment?

· Are you less likely to act the way you would in an environment in which you feel safe and non-threatened?

· Is your perception ‘off’?

· How are you going to compensate for your negotiation un- equilibrium?

If you observe your mental state of mind waffling, due to the influence that’s causing it to perceive information in the manner in which it is, align your thoughts with the outcome you seek; do this not just when negotiating, but in all phases of your life. You’ll find yourself constantly in a much better place … and everything will be right with the world.

The negotiation lessons are …

· Always be aware of where you are emotionally and mentally, when you negotiate.

· Always account for and calculate the level of influence someone else is exercising over you throughout the negotiation.

· If you don’t want to acquiesce to a request and you feel someone’s strong personality imposing itself on you, stiffen and resist the influence (physically stiffen in the other person’s presence; stand or sit taller and deliver your lack of acquiesces to the request.) Before entering into the negotiation, prepare yourself for the manner in which you’ll respond should the situation warrant it.