PowerPoint, Word, Excel: My Favorite Tips

For my job, I am organizing professional development events for the staff of the Fisher College of Business. One of the topics of interest is computer skills. When I think computer skills for the non-programmers I think “how to use the Microsoft Office Suite more effectively.” And there are a TON of resources out there on how to learn the basics of Microsoft, but I often find they are long and too basic. And there are a TON of resources out there on how to troubleshoot problems, but you have to know the vocabulary and know enough to arrive at that specific problem. What I can never find is a good guide or video on the few things I find most helpful, why can’t the internet read my mind and create exactly the tools I would like to share?! So as I am looking around for tools to share with the staff I was inspired to put my favorite PowerPoint tips down on paper to share. So check out my tips below, and let me know your favorite tips, and maybe we can create a good list for the Microsoft Office novice/intermediate user that I think many of us would be qualified as. *Warning these are just a few of my favorites and are no way all encompassing.*

PowerPoint:

1. The rule of thirds: This isn’t a PowerPoint-specific tip, but since PPT is often used for design, it is helpful. If I am honest, I don’t always adhere strictly to this rule. Although I enjoy fooling around on PPT, design isn’t a strength of mine, but if you find yourself designing a flyer, as many of us do, refer to the rule of thirds to help with the layout.
2. Canva: Also not PowerPoint-specific, but like I said, many of us find ourselves designing flyers or posters or bio-sheets with no design background. This is a great, free website that can give you design inspiration. You can build directly on the site, but I prefer to recreate designs in PPT. This makes them easier to manipulate and avoids any issues with downloading.
3. Slide Master: This nifty tool in PPT allows you to create a template that can be applied across your whole PPT document. Do you want to redesign a title slide? Add a logo to the bottom corner of every slide? Change the default color scheme of a presentation? Slide Master is the answer! This is a fun place to play around and it can make creating a cohesive and elegant document much easier.
4. Picture editing. This isn’t PPT specific, because you can edit pictures like this in Word too!
   1. First, the align tool: This tool helps you align objects and pictures without dragging across the page or making tiny adjustments. You can highlight multiple objects and align one of their edges or you can align things to the slide, which is particularly helpful for centering objects. It’s easy to use and can save you frustration.
   2. Second, the set transparent color tool: This tool helps eliminate unwanted backgrounds on pictures. This can make organizing things much easier and allows you more freedom.
      

      Set Transparent Color Example

      When you select the picture, go to “Picture Tools Format” tab that appears, then under “Color” select the “set transparent color” and then click on the color you would like to be transparent. I have found that it works best on white backgrounds, because sometimes pixels get left behind.

      

      Set Transparent Color