PowerPoint Transition Tips and Tricks

You can access all of the transitions in PowerPoint 2010 through the Transitions tab, appropriately enough. Click on the slide you want to give a transition effect and then click on the Transition tab in the Office ribbon.

Now, my preference is to use "Fade" as my primary transition. Most of the time I want to subtly move from one slide to the next with the least amount of pomp. Fade is the best transition for that purpose. It's less abrupt than not using any transition, but the effect doesn't draw any attention to itself.

Once you have the transition selected, you can click the "Effect Options" button to adjust how the transition looks. For example with the "Fade" transition you can decide if it fades smoothly or through a black screen. For directional transitions, you can determine which direction they come from. Play around to see what works best for you.

Tweak the timing of the transition by changing the "Duration" value. If you like the settings for your transition and you want to use the same effect throughout your presentation, click the "Apply to All" button so that all the slides will share the same transition. You should use the same transitions throughout the slideshow. Do this. Please.

If you're creating a slideshow that automatically runs, use the Transitions tab to determine how long each slide will appear. In the "Advance Slide" area uncheck "On Mouse Click" and check "After" and then type in the number of seconds you want the slide to appear.

What transition tricks do you use regularly?

PowerPoint Transitions

PowerPoint animations tell the text, pictures and objects on a slide how to act. Transitions get you from one slide to the next in your presentation. If animations are the tone of your presentation, then transitions are the gestures. The transitions signal something new is happening.

Sometimes you want the transition from one point to the next to be subtle to the point of being almost imperceptible. Other times you want the transition to be clear and dramatic.

Think about watching a movie or TV show. How do they move between scenes? Some movies use a smooth fade to and from a black screen. It signals the end of one scene and the beginning of another. But think about the scene changes in Star Wars, throughout the movies the scenes change with wipes where the old scene is wiped over with the new scene. There's visual interest, but it also communicates something about the transition. In the opening of Episode IV we get a downward wipe that tells us that the next scene takes place on the planet below the first scene in space.

When using transitions in PowerPoint choose them carefully. There are some dramatic transitions, which may be appropriate if you're making a dramatic point. But if your point is subtle and your transition is flashy, then the audience will sense a disconnect. They will be distracted and loose track of what you're saying because of the transitions.

What transitions do you normally choose?

The Emotion of Animations and Transitions

Animations and transitions are to PowerPoint communication what your verbal pauses and body language are to spoken communication. When you're speaking, your words convey the heart of your message, but the nuance is carried by the tone of your voice, the pauses between words and the way you hold yourself when you speak.

If you stepped on stage slowly with your eyes on the ground and then slowly lifted them to the crowd and said in a hushed voice: "We must all mourn the loss of our great leader." The crowd would mourn with you.

If you marched out on stage with your head held high and loudly proclaimed: "We must all mourn the loss of our great leader!" While pounding your fist on the podium. Then the crowd would fall into line as a military company.

If you pedaled onto the stage atop a unicycle while wearing a clown nose and then danced around while saying: "We must all mourn the loss of our great leader." The crowd would laugh at the joke.

PowerPoint animations are just as varied in the response they request from the audience. A subtle fade versus a sudden swipe across the screen carries a different connotation. Large, loud and garish animations are best used with similar content. If you're wanting to make subtle points, use subtle animations and transitions.

What rules do you have about using animations and transitions in your presentations?

Transitions

Transitions are inevitable. Sometimes you choose your transitions and sometimes they choose you.

When you're speaking, focus on your transition moments. Craft those sentences that wrap up a section and launch you in a new direction. Without clearly stated transition moments, or moves, the audience may not know where you're going or what you're doing.

Don't overwhelm with transitions. Aim for one about every ten minutes. That's the natural amount of time that the human brain can pay attention to one point. Use that to your advantage and organized things into ten minute chunks with a transition in the middle.

Respect difficult transitions. If you're sharing something that might be tough for your audience to grasp or something that challenges long-held beliefs, take it slowly. Be gentle with those transitions. Take several minutes to work through the process and make the transition smoothly and gently.