Here is the easiest way to create interactive presentations using PowerPoint. My approach is simpler and more flexible compared to trigger based interaction. You will be able to create a set of options or agenda items and click on each one to show the details. You can choose items in any order.
Watch the six-minute video for details.
How to create interactive presentations – without triggers
The concept is simple. But it does require some work.
- We divide the slide in two parts –
- The static part
- and the dynamic part
- The static part contains the menu or options or agenda
- The dynamic part shows details for each item
Step-by-step
See video for details.
- Go to slide layout view and duplicate the Title and Two Content layout.
- Rename it as “Interactive”
- Add slides using the Interactive layout
- Add an agenda slide plus one slide for each topic
- Use the right side placeholder for details
- Go to Slide Show – Custom Show – Add option
- Create a Custom Show for each topic.
- Each custom show contains just one slide for that topic.
- Now go to the agenda slide and type the menu items in it
- Right click and create a simple List type of SmartArt
- Select each item in SmartArt and press Ctrl K or Insert Hyperlink
- In the hyperlink dialog – choose Place in this Document
- DO NOT select an individual slide.
- Scroll down to see a list of Custom Shows we just created
- Remember to select the “Show and Return” checkbox
- Choose the corresponding custom show
- Repeat this for every menu item.
- Now we want this SmartArt to appear across all topic slides
- Therefore, CUT the SmartArt
- Go to the Slide Layout Master “Interactive” which we created earlier
- Delete the left placeholder
- Paste the SmartArt. It should fit perfectly.
- Now switch to Normal view and test the presentation
- Run the agenda slide and then click on any menu item
- This is how you create interactive presentations
How to add more items to the menu?
By now you should be able to work this out:
- Add a new slide for the new topic
- Add details in the right side placeholder
- Create a single-slide custom show for the new topic
- Go to the Layout Master
- Edit the SmartArt and add the new topic
- Create a hyperlink to the new Custom Show
- Don’t forget the select the “Show and Return” checkbox
- That’s it.