by Geetesh Bajaj, February 12th 2013

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Z-Axis for Charts in PowerPoint

The Z axis is the Depth axis that some 3D charts contain -- sometimes this is also called the Series axis. Let us be clear about the fact that not all 3D charts contain a Z axis -- in fact some 3D chart variants use the third dimension even if they do not need a Z axis! They do so just because some people wrongly believe that 3D is so cool.

Truth be said, 3D charts come with their own share of problems. You really must not create 3D charts if a Z axis is not required for your data. As Nancy Duarte says in her HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations book: "If you don't have a Z axis in your data, omit 3D effects -- the depth can make your numbers look larger than they are."

Learn about Z axis for Charts in PowerPoint.

PowerPoint Concept Slides: Four Petals Circle

These Four Petals Circle graphics are part of our Petal Circles series that add stylized tips to your circle shapes. These two tip styles: Rounded and Pointed make your circles look different from conventional segmented circle graphics. They also break the monotony of text heavy slides, and help you explain concepts better to your audiences. Using these circle shapes also convinces your audiences that you care enough about them to make the slides look appealing and comprehensible. What's more, these shapes are also so much fun to use!

This product is donation-ware. You can pay $2 but we suggest $5. Credit card and PayPal available.

Buy and download these slides now

PowerPoint 2013 for Windows: Interface and Basics

Adding Commands to Custom Groups
PowerPoint 2013 sports the Ribbon, which is tabbed -- each of these tabs contains a set of commands that are neatly arranged together in Groups. You can add your own custom groups as well as populate them with required commands.

Change Ribbon Labels from CAPs to Title Case
PowerPoint 2013's user interface has changes galore If these cosmetic changes were not enough, have you noticed that the tab names on the Ribbon are all in CAPs. It's almost as if PowerPoint is shouting! Learn how to change the Ribbon Labels from CAPs to Title Case in PowerPoint 2013.

PowerPoint 2010 for Windows: Animations

Twin Trigger Animation
The other day a friend asked me how she could add a trigger animation to a slide object – but with a difference! She inserted a picture on a slide (let’s call this Picture 1) and then placed another picture of the exact same size over the first one (let’s call this Picture 2). She then wanted to click Picture 2 to cause a trigger animation on Picture 1 – this caused Picture 1 to be revealed, almost like the example explained in our Trigger Animations in PowerPoint 2010 tutorial. However, what she wanted next was to click on Picture 1 to reveal Picture 2. So to put this in a few words, this is what she wanted: Click on Picture 2 to reveal Picture 1 (and hide Picture 2); and Click on Picture 1 to reveal Picture 2 (and hide Picture 1).

Presentation Titles: Conversation with Sam Thatte

Sam Thatte is a presentation consultant and trainer specializing in helping businesses create content and visuals that are engaging and memorable. Along with presentation design and content development, Sam also conducts workshops and classes to teach presentation skills to businesses as well as individuals. Learn more at his website and blog. In this discussion, Sam discusses his free report on presentation titles called Vital Title - The How and Why of Presentation Titles.

Read the conversation here.

Hand Drawn PowerPoint Elements: Conversation with Peter Zvirinsky

Peter Zvirinsky is slide designer and the founder of InfoDiagram.com, a website for pre-designed presentation slides and PowerPoint visual elements. Peter also runs Prezentio.com, a slide design company where they create tailor-made presentation slides for various companies. Peter loves changing textual information into simple diagrams and he wants to inspire others to use this visualization process in everyday life. In this conversation, Peter discusses hand drawn elements created by his infoDiagram site.

Read the conversation here.

Valentine's Day Goodies

Valentine templates, embellishments, presentations, Scrapbook backgrounds and many more goodies for download

Learn PowerPoint 2011 for Mac: Charts

Crossed Axes for Charts
Axes in PowerPoint charts are typically positioned on the left and bottom of the plot area. But there may be scenarios when you want your axes to cross each other within the plot area rather than be located on its edges. Attaining such a crossed axes can be desirable due to a variety of reasons in both the Value and Category axes.

Make 3D Columns Transparent for Charts
OK -- you read the title right! We reiterate that you should still not use 3D charts unless you must have a Z-axis. Having said that, we are talking about making your 3D columns in a chart transparent. Yes, there's a reason to do so especially when you find that some of the columns in your 3D chart may be hiding behind one or more of the other columns, just because they are not tall enough.

But I’m not an artist!

In my constant effort as a coach to persuade business people to remember that a picture is worth a thousand words and to avoid the dreaded "Presentation-as-Document Syndrome," presenters often protest, "But I’m not an artist!" Cast adrift from their familiar text slides, presenters are reluctant to try alternatives. However, you don't have to go out and buy a painter's smock and beret to break the mold of an endless parade of boring bullet slides. Begin with overarching concept that the primary -- and sole-purpose of your PowerPoint is to illustrate your narrative. Remember my often-repeated (because it still hasn't taken hold) recommendation that your business slideshow should follow the example of television news broadcasts: the anchorperson tells the story and the graphics serve as a headline that captures the essence of the story.

Read more by Jerry Weissman.

Getting your PowerPoint tasks done quicker is just one of the benefits you will gain by using keyboard shortcuts.

Are you aware of all PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts? Want to check if your favorites have been included in this e-book, or if there are a few that can help you perform your PowerPoint tasks quicker and better? Or if you don't use keyboard shortcuts, do you want to get started?

This 56 page PDF e-book downloads quick, costs you $0 or more, and is a valuable resource. The PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts E-Book covers the last three Windows versions of PowerPoint: PowerPoint 2010, 2007, and 2003. And now, the e-book has already been updated for the new PowerPoint 2013.

Get this PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts E-Book now.