Introduction
Before presenting your PowerPoint presentation, it is important to review it thoroughly to identify and fix any issues. PowerPoint 2010 provides several useful tools to facilitate the review process and collaboration with others.
Proofing Tools
The Proofing group on the Review tab allows you to check spelling and grammar in your presentation.
- Use the Spelling button to check spelling. Misspelled words will be underlined.
- The Thesaurus allows you to find synonyms and antonyms for selected words.
- The Word Count tool gives statistics on word and character count.
Compare Presentations
The Compare feature allows you to compare two versions of the same presentation:
- Click Compare on the Review tab.
- Select the older version of the presentation.
- PowerPoint displays the differences between the two files.
This allows you to see changes made by collaborators or across versions. You can choose to merge changes from the compared presentation.
Comments
Adding comments is useful when getting feedback from others:
- New Comment – Add a comment on the selected text or object.
- Previous/Next – Navigate between comments.
- Show Markup – Show/hide comments.
Comments display in the sidebar, allowing collaborators to give feedback without editing slides.
Presentation Views
Switch between different views using the View tab:
- Normal – Default view for editing slides.
- Slide Sorter – Display all slides thumbnails for rearrangement.
- Reading View – View presentation as an audience would.
- Notes Page – View speaker notes.
- Presenter View – Display notes and other useful panes while presenting.
Rehearsing Presentations
Rehearsing allows you to practice your presentation with slide timings:
- Click Rehearse Timings on the Slide Show tab.
- PowerPoint displays a timer and advances slides automatically based on your pacing.
- The rehearsal timings can be saved for consistent pacing.
Recording Presentations
To record audio narration and timings:
- Click Record Slide Show on the Slide Show tab.
- Click through the presentation to record narration and advance slides.
- An audio-enabled video file is generated allowing playback without PowerPoint.
Delivery Options
Instead of a live presentation, consider these delivery options:
- Package for CD – Save presentation for portable access without PowerPoint installed.
- Present Online – Upload to a website for online access.
- Email – Send presentation file or PDF copy via email.
- Create Video – Export presentation to a video file.
Conclusion
Using PowerPoint 2010’s review, collaboration, and delivery tools allows you to create polished, professional presentations. Thoroughly review your slides, get feedback from others, practice your delivery, and choose the best medium to connect with your audience.
