Microsoft PowerPoint

A brief introduction

In brief, what is Microsoft PowerPoint?

Microsoft PowerPoint is a presentation software program that is part of the Microsoft Office package.

PowerPoint uses a graphical approach to presentations in the form of slide shows that accompany the oral delivery of the topic. This program is widely used in business and classrooms and is an effective tool when used for training purposes.

PowerPoint is one of the simplest computer programs to learn. It is the number 1 program used worldwide for presentations. Anyone can create stunning presentations that look like they were designed by a professional.

PowerPoint presentations can be made into photo albums, complete with music or narrations, to distribute on CDs or DVDs.
If you are in the sales field, it involves just a few simple clicks to add an illustrative chart of data or an organizational chart of your company's structure. Make your presentation into a web page for emailing purposes or as a promotion displayed on your company's website.

It is easy to customize presentations with your company logo and to dazzle your audience by using one of the many design templates that come with the programs. Many more free add-ins and templates are available online from Microsoft and a host of other websites. In addition to an on screen slide show, PowerPoint has printing options that allow the presenter to provide handouts and outlines for the audience as well as notes pages for the speaker to refer to during the presentation.

All in all, PowerPoint is a "one-stop-shop" to create successful presentations for the business world, the classroom or just for your own personal use.
In many organizations, the beginning and end of any business activity is marked by the PowerPoint presentation. In the early stages of an initiative, PowerPoint is used in strategy sessions, to present proposals and put forth plans. Later, it's used for updates and progress reports. In the final stages, it's used to report back and to present findings and conclusions.

FEATURES

1. PowerPoint is accessible. For the novice, it's easy to learn and use.
2. PowerPoint is everywhere. Pretty much everyone has it, or has the ability to view a file. This makes it easy to share ideas and generally move meaning around. Slides can be borrowed, stolen, recycled and re-used.
3. PowerPoint is flexible. The same document that is used to present information in a meeting or conference, can, with little or no modification, be emailed as a document or shared online, retaining much of its meaning.
4. PowerPoint is easy to read. PowerPoint documents can be scanned and understood more rapidly than text documents. Because they are primarily visual they tend to be more easily understood and remembered.
5. PowerPoint is modular. It can be broken down into single slides, which can be arranged and rearranged into numerous different sequences. Over time you can build up a storehouse of slides that represent your - or your team's - collective knowledge about any subject, which can be distributed, shared, discussed and modified as things evolve over time.
6. PowerPoint is powerful. For the more experienced user, it's a powerful multimedia tool, with animation and other advanced effects. It's easy to add information of any kind: Video, charts, photographs, maps - just about anything that can be digitized can be added to PowerPoint.
7. People use PowerPoint to represent knowledge, and the main element is relatively small and useful atomic unit we call the slide.