Courses - Training

Practical Applications of PowerPoint® for All Public Safety Professionals

Length of Seminar: 2 Days
Instructor: Timothy Dees

Course Objectives:

PowerPoint is the international standard for multimedia presentations, but has also come to be one of the most misused tools in the classroom, courtroom, or training venue. If you have ever endured a PowerPoint "show" from a presenter whom you thought would never finish, you should come to this seminar. We'll try to see that you're never that guy. It's also for the professional that wants to go beyond slides with bullet points. We'll start with the basics, and take you through the lesser-known features and tools within the program.

Presenters often interrupt their PowerPoint shows to switch to a VCR, slide projector, music player, or some other media device, killing their momentum. We'll show you how to incorporate all of those mediums into PowerPoint, so that the music or video will play or the image will appear when and where you want it to. We'll also discuss how to get your media into a PowerPoint-compatible format, so if you have a stack of VHS cassettes or music CDs, you can use them all and not have to rely on another piece of equipment.

We'll show you how to package your presentation for a classroom or courtroom, to run independently from a CD or DVD, or in an unattended kiosk. You'll be able to integrate Internet resources, produce shows that can be tailored on-the-fly for the audience and whatever questions they might ask, and back up your files so that Mr. Murphy will never darken your door.

You will also leave with the latest information on add-ons for PowerPoint, like wireless remotes, animation software, cataloging packages, and other products, and have an idea of what might be valuable to you.

In the Army, the officer that comes up with the flashiest and most impressive briefing is called "the PowerPoint Ranger." We'll make you a PowerPoint Ranger, too, and you'll never have to miss lunch or wade through a swamp.

Course Overview:

If your concern is that you don't know enough about computers to take a course like this, we'll change your mind. We'll start with a tour of the first window you see when you open PowerPoint, and move on to everything that lies beneath. You'll work along with the instructor, try what you are seeing while you're seeing it, and learn by doing. You'll probably be too busy to take notes, but we'll give you a workbook that takes you through every technique, along with a CD-ROM that explains the processes step by step.

Why Attend?

To gain a better understanding of the capabilities and functions of PowerPoint.
To learn how to use color, animation, sound, and other PowerPoint features effectively, and when not to use them.
To be able to import, crop, recolor, and change the appearance of pictures used in a presentation without the aid of external software.
To learn to use the clip art and drawing tools supplied with the PowerPoint software.
To create custom slide masters that better convey the intended message, and are unique.
To create charts and graphs within PowerPoint, and to import those created in other applications.
To be able to package a completed presentation in a variety of ways appropriate to the venue, and for security purposes.
To learn to import, edit, and produce sound and video elements that will run within the PowerPoint program.
To be able to incorporate online resources with PowerPoint in real time.
To gain insight into presentation techniques and time-saving methods that are more effective and efficient.
To understand what equipment is needed for different types of presentations, and how to acquire it and set it up.
To learn how to produce paper handouts and supplements quickly and inexpensively.