May 2016

Dear Readers,

Visual storytelling seems to be the trend driving content in the presentation industry and in other areas.  And we are exploring it from different angles - in our editorial content and in our webinar programming.

This is our theme this year. If you missed any of the content, go to the webinar catalog and watch these three webinars:

• “How to Approach Presentation Design like an Innovative Thinking Genius” with SmartStorming authors, Keith Harmeyer and Mitchell Rigie
• "Creating an Effective Presentation Story Using PowerPoint" with Nolan Haims
• "How to Make Powerful Infographics in PowerPoint" with Mike Parkinson

Nancy Duarte, a Microsoft PowerPoint MVP and Patti Sanchez are taking the conversation to another dimension with their new book, Illuminate: Ignite Change Through Speeches, Stories, Ceremonies, and Symbols.  The methodology is sound and is backed up by rich case studies from their experiences with Steve Jobs, Apple, IBM, Starbucks and many others. They share insights into how the great communicators are mobilized to embrace bold changes.

Don't miss Adobe's May 10th webinar, More Power To Your PowerPoint Slides. Go Interactive!  with Senior eLearning Evangelist, Dr. Pooja Jaisingh. Join us to learn about the tips and tricks you need to know to convert your existing PowerPoint presentations to interactive and engaging eLearning course.

Thank you for your emails and suggestions.

 Sharyn Fitzpatrick, Editor
Email me: sfitzpatrick@presentationxpert.com

PowerPoint Security Vulnerabilities and How To Protect Yourself

by Heather Ackmann, Microsoft PowerPoint MVP

Today, I'll talk about something we as a presentation community don't discuss nearly enough: security—specifically, how security relates to our beloved PowerPoint. If you are a regular here at PresentationXpert, and I hope you are, you know that PowerPoint is a powerful program used for numerous purposes beyond presentations, something black hat hackers (aka “the bad people”) use to their advantage.

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Editor's Note:  Democratizing Design

by Sharyn Fitzpatrick

Take a test drive with PresentationXpert to experience first-hand how we used Canva to create our own branded graphics style and extensions.  We share the steps we took to create banners for Google+, Twitter, Facebook, and even this article.

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Using Canva in the World of Presentations

by Emma Bannister, Founder, Presentation Studio

In my opinion, there are amazing tools for the professional creative, which might be overpriced and excessively complex for the everyday user. We now have an innovative alternative in Canva. Founded in Sydney, Australia in 2012, Canva continues to challenge and disrupt conventional digital design. In less than three years it has attracted more than six million users and $27.6 million in capital investment. CEO, Melanie Perkins, taught design programs, including Photoshop and InDesign, yet found they were difficult to learn, “I realized in the future design could be entirely different, that it would be online, simple, and collaborative.”

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[Webinar] Oops...Geeking Out with Hyperlinks and Triggers in PowerPoint

by Sharyn Fitzpatrick

Calling all geeks! Don't miss this interactive webinar with Presentation Summit’s Rick Altman as he looks at an under-utilized set of tools designed to help you break free of the linear way most of us think about using PowerPoint. Topics include how to: manage time through basic hyperlinking; create flexibility with actions and triggers; integrate other slide decks with inserted objects, and how to blow the minds of your audiences by anticipating their questions. our have to read the article.

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