Power Point

I made my first Power Point presentation today.  It’s not for a speech, though.  I hate that.  People type everything up on Power Point, and then they just stand in front of the room and read it right back at the audience.  I’m always thinking “I can do my own reading, thank you very much, and your act of reading from Power Point deadens your energy.”  Blech.

What I did was a little different.  I put together a manual for a computer program that we use at the kids’ swim meets.  Every year, nobody knows how to use the program and, in the line of fire, with meet results pouring in, children running around, and frantic coaches demanding up-to-the-minute data, nobody has a learning curve.  I wanted to have a manual with written instructions plus screen shots, and it was clear that Power Point was the best interface for creating this.

My problem is that, as a word person, it was hard for me to remember the graphic tricks.  I just wanted to describe everything.  I think, though, that I ended up with a coherent document that I can email to parents before the meet, so they can familiarize themselves with things, and that I can print up in a binder for the meet itself, so people can make quick checks.  It was an interesting exercise, and I always enjoy learning new software.

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