PowerPoint Topics

Preparing for a Presentation

Identifying the key message(s)
Building an outline (based on available time)
Developing the story (reducing extraneous information)

Getting Started with PPT

Updating the Slide Master (cleaning up minor annoyances)
Applying a theme / color scheme (e.g., your client’s color palette)
Rules for Slides

Cleaning up your slides

Appearance matters
Looking professional - Clean / straight lines and layouts
Alignment (text and object)
Consistent Spacing and whitespace
Creating custom slide layouts

Working with data

Making graphs and graphics
Mixing graphs and messages
Making tables look better
Making key messages stand out
Creating timelines / schedules

Advanced Techniques in PPT

Creating custom shapes
Creating custom icons
The Imitation Game (turning images into shapes)
Making PPT into editable PPT (very useful in Gov’t)
Create slides that “build”

Baffling Brains

Making Brochures and handouts, placemats, and booklets
Making slick sheets, One Pagers
Making Placemats

Excel Topics

Working with Workbooks

Viewing, Renaming, and Color-coding Worksheets
Manipulating Worksheets

Working with Multiple Worksheets

Creating Linked Formulas
Consolidating Information by Position or Category
Viewing Multiple Worksheets
Using Absolute Cell References

Understanding Functions

Creating and Using Absolute Named Ranges
Creating a Relative Named Range
Using Tables
Working with Functions
Working with Financial and Date Functions
Using the IF Function
Nesting Functions
Using SEARCH functions for data cleanup
Working with Lookup (VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP)

Creating Pivot Tables

Understanding Pivot Tables
Creating a Pivot Table
Using Pivot Tables to answer questions
Creating Dashboards from Pivot Tables
Creating Charts from Pivot Tables

Working with Formatting

Creating and Using Custom Formats
Applying Conditional Formatting
Creating a New Conditional Formatting Rule
Working with Conditional Formatting Rules

Advanced Techniques

Cleaning Data
Splitting Data
Normalizing Data