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PowerPoint is commonly used by instructors, students, business people and educationalist. It is also one of the most established methods of persuasion technology. Microsoft revised the branding of PowerPoint into Microsoft Office PowerPoint and as an included component in its Microsoft Office suite. Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 is the current version of Microsoft Office PowerPoint. Today, The Microsoft Office PowerPoint as part of the Microsoft Office suite is still one of the most commonly used presentation application in the world.

The Past, the Present and the Future of PowerPoint

Robert Gaskins and Dennis Austin (software developer) created the original PowerPoint application under the Forethought, Inc. it was originally called the Presenter.

The Presenter was then later called PowerPoint 1.0 when it was released for use for Apple Macintosh in April of 1987. During that time the PowerPoint 1.0 only function in black and white, and text and graphics generated pages only for overhead transparencies. The PowerPoint full color version came out the following year right after the first ever colored Macintosh became available in the market.

On July 31st of the year 1987, the Forethought Inc. and its PowerPoint product software was bought by Microsoft Corporation in a staggering amount of Fourteen Million dollars ($14 million). In the year 1990 the first ever version of Windows was created for Windows 3.0 and it has included the PowerPoint application as part of the Microsoft Office suite (Basic Editions Suite not included).

The 2002 PowerPoint version (available also as standalone product) and a part of the Microsoft Office XP suite, include features such as merging and comparing changes in presentations, Venn diagrams, pyramid, radial and target, the capacity to define animation paths for different shapes, task pane to select and view objects and texts on the clipboard, it has multiple slide masters, a photo album that is automatically generated, presentations that are protected by password, and smart tags that can be used to swiftly select a text format that is copied into the presentation.

The 2003 version of the Microsoft Office PowerPoint is not different from that of the former 2002 version of the Microsoft Office XP. It improved the collaboration of co-workers in terms of presentation and it also featured a “Package for CD”, which allows simple and easy burning of presentations with multimedia contents and also the viewer for CD-ROM for dissemination. It also enhanced the multimedia and graphics support.

The 2007 Microsoft Office PowerPoint is the latest version, and was released in November of 2006. Major changes and enhancements on the graphic capabilities and user interface were done.

The Past, the Present and the Future of Presentation

Forty years ago, before the dawn of the computer age, presentations where done by mere talking to a room full of people hoping that they understand whatever it is that your saying. Then again, only colleagues in the same department held these presentation meetings, simply because they understand each other. In the event that other departments must attend these presentation meetings, a manager normally makes an appearance just so he can bridge the gap of comprehension to the rest of the company.

Then overhead projections, mechanically and/or hand-drawn typeset slides, blackboard, whiteboard and flipcharts came as presentation tools. It is effective, but people complained that it is very time consuming and tiring, but then again somebody has to do it. For years this has become the way presentations are done, which were actually effective.

Forty years later, we now have PowerPoint presentation application to aid us is creating a presentation that contains valuable information about the topic that we will discuss, and what is best about it is that it is visually interactive. Meetings are never complete without PowerPoint, it’s like attending one without your pants on!

Now, people are still complaining, because, since PowerPoint make presentation making so easy, the content are disregarded, simply because people are spending hours trying to decide which color, font, background and clip arts to use.

In the end, we should all focus on the very topic that needs to be discussed. PowerPoint presentation should only help us create a visually passable presentation. It should not dictate how people will view your presentation as a whole.

PowerPoint is a program by Microsoft, and a part of its Microsoft Office System. It is widely use today for presentation purposes, simply because it is easy and simple to use. Millions of computers worldwide are using this program to impart their thoughts to their audience. There is also a wide selection of free PowerPoint presentations in the World Wide Web today that you can download for your use.

This program can be used whether to convince a company management to approved a department budget, to persuade target audience to purchase a product or service, to teach students about their lessons, and a lot more. Basically it is a tool for you to influence people to believe in what you have to say. Nowadays, a meeting will not be complete without a PowerPoint presentation. It is like going to your office meeting without your shoes on.

To have a better understanding of how to compose a simple yet effective PowerPoint presentation, you basically need to:

• Focus on the topic that you want to discuss.

• Create three essential key messages about your topic.

• Think of how you want to discuss your topic in a systematic way.

• Use background templates, clip arts, and sounds that are related to your topic.

• And lastly – “Less is More”, nobody ever complained of a presentation that is too short, if anything, people even remembers it more, than the ones that last several hours to a day, believe me.

Nowadays, it is quite expected that people are getting busier by the minute. They almost do not have time for anything. The irony of it all is that even with all the technological advancement that we enjoy today, that are supposed to make our life easier, we still find it hard to accomplish things in a timely manner. Not that technology is a bad thing, maybe it is just a matter of good time management.

In line with the time management issue, PowerPoint presentations can also be time consuming to do. Sometimes a few minutes of presentation, is actually done in several hours, days, or even weeks. The bulk of the work is actually the topic itself, you have to create a presentation about that topic that should be effective in convincing people.

Free PowerPoint Template and Backgrounds and a lot more

Several websites today offer free templates, backgrounds and other free stuffs in composing your PowerPoint presentations. Hundreds or even thousand are available in the World Wide Web for free. The beauty of it is that there are a lot to choose from, which will complement the topic of your choice, and the best thing about it is, it is absolutely FREE!

Here are some of the websites that offer free presentation templates, backgrounds, clip arts, sounds, graphics and a lot more. These sites even give free advice on how you can compose an effective PowerPoint presentation. Very useful indeed, and again it is very much free, so try it out:

• http://www.pppst.com/themes.html - FREE Presentations in PowerPoint format (themes and topics)

• http://www.presentationhelper.co.uk/ - Presentation Helper - Free help, advice, and PowerPoint Templates

• http://www.brainybetty.com/ - Free PowerPoint Backgrounds and PowerPoint Templates

• http://www.templateswise.com/ - Free PowerPoint Templates and Backgrounds

• http://tutor2u.net/presentations.asp - Free Powerpoint Presentations for Students and Teachers

Custom presentation folders may cost more than usual, but they also provide more benefits for the company.

Benefits of Having Custom Presentation Folders
A custom presentation folder possesses the exact design, style, and function you wish to have. Every aspect of it is under your control, allowing you to ensure complete customer satisfaction. Secondly, custom presentation folders can give your listeners a favorable impression of your company; if you cared enough to ensure the best quality for your presentation folders, what more if we’re already talking about the products and services you’re offering?

A Guide to Using Custom Presentation Folders

Step 1 The first design factor you should concentrate on is choosing the right materials for your custom presentation folders. There are two elements you should consider when selecting the right material: the paper’s finish and color.

Finish – Folders may have glossy, linen, or felt finish. Glossy finishes are smooth and shiny. They feel like the cardboard cover of a magazine. They are quite expensive but this is easily offset by its sophisticated look and feel.

Glossy finishes are best used for custom presentation folders containing images on the front. Glossy finishes will, however, show fingerprints and especially so when they possess dark colors.

Linen finishes may not be shiny but they nonetheless exude a classic appeal and are nice to touch as well. They are less expensive but do not look cheap. Linen is commonly associated with stationery used by wealthy individuals and professionals in the banking, business, and legal industry. Linen finishes have a more serious look than glossy finishes. The only disadvantage to using linen finishes for your presentation folder is that the lines present on its surface make it slightly difficult to print completely clear images and text.

Last but not the least is felt. A felt finish for your presentation folder won’t be shiny either but it does offer the richest texture, similar to what would carpet feel like. Felt finishes are elegant to look at. Similar to linen finishes, images do not appear as beautifully as it should with felt finishes.

Color – The field of color psychology focuses on the impact of colors on a person’s moods. Although the effects of color on moods and attitudes may not have been fully proven yet, it is nonetheless difficult to dispute recent evidence. Researches show, for instance, that red tend to be more attention-grabbing, yellow can indicate cheerfulness, while green is considered to be a good reminder about the environment.

You should therefore take your time choosing the right color or combination for your presentation folder. Besides deciding on the shades, you should also consider its hue or how dark or bright the colors should be since this can affect the user’s impressions as well. If your business presentation is about promoting a certain resort, you’d either want your folder to remind listeners about the warm glow of sunshine or the tranquility of white sand and blue-green waters.

Step 2 Ordinary presentation folders tend to be letter or legal-size. Sometimes, you’d be lucky enough to find folders corresponding to A4 size. With custom company folders, however, you can choose the exact dimensions for your folder.

Step 3 Last but not the least, you can choose the design of your folder. You could add an image, logo, or text to your folder. How big or small your graphic or text is could also affect the impression of your listener so take care to choose the appropriate size.

A company presentation folder may seem unimportant at first glance but think again. The wrong choice and design of company presentation folder can easily affect your listener’s ability to understand and appreciate your presentation, much less have a favorable impression of your company.

Using the Right Company Presentation Folder

Company Logo – Always have the company logo printed on the front of your presentation folder. This would serve as a reminder of your business presentation and as advertisement for the company as well. It must be large enough to be clearly visible from a short distance.

Color – The color of your folder must be visible even at the dark, allowing your listeners to know its whereabouts when the lights are off during your presentation. You may use more than one color for your presentation folder but this could increase your production costs if you’re having them custom-made. Make sure that the color of your presentation folder contrasts favorably with your company logo.

Material Used – There are different kinds of paper you can use to make your company presentation folder. It’s up to you to choose which, but just make sure that it’s durable and won’t easily tear apart.

Texture – This factor wouldn’t really add much to the convenience or functionality of your presentation folder. It can, however, enhance or detract from your company’s reputation. Your listeners are no doubt aware of which textures are more expensive or not. If the texture of your presentation folder is obviously not of expensive quality, try to compensate it at least with an attractive front and design.

Size – The width and length of your presentation folder must easily accommodate the largest sized documents it will contain. It must also be adequately sized to be able to accommodate the quantity of documents it will hold. To be able to securely hold numerous documents, your folder must make use of either a fastener or slider.

Title – The front of your company presentation folder should contain as well the pertinent details of your presentation. Besides the title of your business presentation, it may also include the names of the speakers as well as time, date, and venue of the presentation.

Identification – The front of your company presentation folder may also contain a blank field in which the listener may write down his name and other pertinent details. This could be quite helpful if your presentation requires them to leave the folder behind at anytime or submit it later together with an answer sheet. If you are going to provide them with a blank field for writing, try to provide lines to make it easier for them to write.

Other Tips on Using the Right Company Presentation Folder

For added protection, consider covering your company presentation folder with plastic. This will make your folder water-proof and to a certain extent, tougher against tears and creases.

Consider numbering the company presentation folders you distribute to your listeners. This is important if you have a limited number of folders, an unexpectedly increase in crowd size, and high production costs. You’d want to make sure that people don’t receive more than one folder.

A prototype of your company presentation folder must be ready for your perusal at least a month before your presentation. Company presentation folders must be ready for distribution at least a week before.

The success of any group presentation relies not on individual performance but teamwork. Although each member of the group must work hard for his part, he must also be willing and capable of working together with his teammates to allow the group presentation to proceed smoothly.

Suggested Communication Exercises and Other Tips for Group Presentations

Delegate and assign.
In most cases, a group presentation requires every member to take part in the presentation itself. A leader should be unanimously chosen and he must consequently delegate the appropriate roles and duties for each member.

Create a timetable.
A deadline must set for every small goal for individual members and the entire team. The presentation must be complete at least one week before the group’s set to present. This will give them enough time to rehearse their presentation, focus on resolving technical flaws and perfect its execution.

Build harmony and rapport among members.
There are a lot of icebreaker games and communication exercises that will help members to get to know, be comfortable, and understand each other. Fostering and strengthening bonds among members is important because it will allow them to work together more effectively, making them able to identify and understand nonverbal cues coming from other members.

Eliminate stage fright.
Group members should be made comfortable early on with presenting in front of a crowd. You should start with a crowd filled with people your group members are all acquainted with and comfortable with. Gradually work your way to a crowd that’s set to challenge your group’s equilibrium on stage. In this case, make sure to coach them on what and what not to do.

Make them crack a joke.
It’s easier to anger a crowd and make them cry than elicit laughter from them. Humor however is one of the critical success factors for almost all presentations. Unless you’re very sure that humor would be frowned upon, it wouldn’t hurt to develop the team’s ability to incorporate humor with their presentation either deliberately or incidentally. Ask your members to crack a joke individually then as a group. Go over the script for your presentation and hold a brainstorm meeting to identify which parts would best benefit from a little humor.

Get rid of the script.
There will be times that things would veer away from the script. Your group should be ready for this. You can help by making them memorize first what they have to say then asking them later on to paraphrase everything with their own words. What’s important is ensuring that they understand what they’re talking about.

Get them ready to interact with the crowd.
Interaction with the crowd is required even if it’s not planned and there’s no formal Q&A portion scheduled for the group. That’s why it’s important to prepare them for this early on. Start by questioning them about the presentation one by one then as a group. Make sure you ask them a healthy mix of objective and subjective questions.

Practice the sequence of events.
Teach your members how to engage in small talk with the crowd to introduce or conclude their respective presentations. Teach them how to properly introduce the next speaker as well to ensure a smooth transition from one part of the presentation to another. Sequencing might have nothing to do with the actual content of the presentation but it’s often what distinguishes good presentations from the best!

There’s nothing as exciting – and terrifying – as making an award presentation speech. With all eyes on you – some impressed, others critical, and a few envious – it’s of the utmost importance that you do not make a mistake. While we can’t read the future, there is a way to ensure that things would go your way as much as possible.

Look Good

You’ll feel better if you know that people won’t have anything to criticize your appearance for. One worry firmly squashed is still one worry less for your burdened mind. It would allow you to feel more confident with your speech because you know you look good.

Write Your Speech Down

Some people have the talent of winging it on the spot. Are you willing to risk and see if you’re one of them or not? If you’re not willing to take the risk then write your speech down. It’s best to prepare it as early as possible to have enough time to revise them at will.

Start by making a list of the things you should include in your award presentation speech. Would it be your role to explain the history of the award? Would it also be your task to explain other related factors such as the criteria used for determining the winner? Are there people in the crowd that you’d have to acknowledge? Would you have to provide a brief background for each candidate?

If you’re not sure about the required content for your award presentation speech, don’t hesitate to ask others. It’s better to verify the requirements beforehand than set yourself up for an unpleasant surprise at the big night itself.

Memorize Your Speech

There’s nothing wrong about having notes with you but it would definitely make your award presentation speech more professional if you’re able to complete it without glancing often at your notes. Do your best to memorize your speech. You don’t need to memorize it word for word. Being able to deliver the essence of your award presentation speech is more than enough. Take note of the important ideas and its sequence to make it easier for you to remember what to say and in what order.

Have Someone Proofread Your Speech

Ask someone with excellent communication and grammar capabilities to proofread your speech. There’s nothing worse than realizing you’ve pronounced a simple word erroneously. Ask for advice about your choice of words as well. Sometimes, one of two words of the same meaning would have more impact on the audience.

Keep It Brief

Even if you’ve been given the green light to speak as long as necessary, your audience would still better appreciate your award presentation speech if you can keep it short but sweet, brief but detailed.

Use Humor

Even the most serious assemblies won’t find a touch of humor here and there adverse as long as you’ve used the right joke at the right time. Humor will also make it easier for you to connect with your audience.

Speak with the Right Tempo

Take note of commas, periods, and other punctuation marks. These are present for a reason. You should always be aware of the tempo of your speech. Don’t speak too fast or slow.

Make Eye Contact

Keeping eye contact with your audience shows them you’re confident about what you’re saying and will consequently convince them to listen more to what you have to say.

That’s it. Good luck with your award presentation speech!

Are you in need of some extra cash? Who isn’t, these days? But most people hardly have enough hours in the day to do what they do now, let alone adding more responsibilities to their schedule. The good news is, however, that making a little extra cash might not be as hard as you think. In fact, you might just be a few mouse clicks away adding some extra money to your wallet. Earning money online is something more and more people are turning to, and it doesn’t have to be complicated or take up a lot of time. All it takes is the right idea, and you could have a nice little stream of extra income coming in that you hardly have to work at to get at all.

The first and most obvious way to earn money online is something most people are familiar with – online auction sites. On these websites, you post goods you have for sale and people come along and bid on them – the highest bidder gets your item. You can control how low ending sales prices is by setting a minimum bid, so you don’t have to worry about giving up something for a price you think is unfair. Before you think you couldn’t possibly have anything that anyone wants to buy, do a little research by checking out the sales going on now on internet based auction sites. It won’t take long for you to realize that no matter what you’re selling, it seems like there is someone out there buying, and also that the thing you think is a little piece of junk is something that other people are willing to pay big to have. Some people have made a career out of selling things on these websites, so the potential for making extra money is definitely there. Setting up an account is easy, so give it a try!

Another way to earn money online is to use your talents. Do you have a way with the words? Well, someone has to write all of that stuff on the internet! There are lots of websites that allow people to post articles on any topic of their choosing and then pay them money based on how much traffic their page gets. If you do enough of these articles, you could even end up with a good enough writer’s portfolio to get a steady, web based writing gig.

Lastly, consider starting your own website. How does a website earn you money? Websites make money by selling advertising space and by having their users click on the ads on their site. Making money this way is tough – it takes a lot of clicks to make a decent amount of money – but it can add up over time. Plus, if your site turns into a hit, you could be rolling in the advertising money.

If you’re an internet junkie, you might as well make the net work for you! Investigate these online money earning opportunities and see if you might be sitting on an internet goldmine.

Credit cards give you the opportunity to acquire the material things that you did not think possible for you to have. These cards offer payment schemes that can be too tempting to resist. Imagine having your favorite gadget to be paid in installment plans. But the damage on this scenario starts when you buy things simultaneously without having solid ideas on how you will be able to pay up for such. This is where credit card management can help you straighten out the mess that you have gotten entangled with.

Use Credit Cards Wisely
Credit cards can indeed make life easier but only if you will be a responsible owner and use it only in emergency situations. It is okay to indulge on your guilty pleasures every once in a while. But you have to check if you are still spending according to what you earn. This way, you will not be surprised one day to find yourself in a big mess concerning your debts.

The more credit cards you have, the more tempting it will be to spend on things even if you don’t really need them. So think really hard before you acquire a new card. The more debts you have, the harder it will be for you to pay up. This holds true despite the various payment schemes that are made available by the credit card companies.

Here are some thoughts that you can ponder about to be able to achieve success in managing your credit card debts.

1. If you find yourself in debt with more than one credit card company, analyze the situation before it is too late. Look at what you are faced with and think of ways to alleviate yourself from the situation. First, look at the debt that is gaining higher amount of interest. You need to allot more money for its monthly payment. This way, you will be able to stop the amount from ballooning until you can no longer control it.

But that doesn’t mean that you will look beyond the other debts from the other cards. You must pay at least the minimum amount due monthly. You can allot more once you have finished paying the card that has the highest amount of debt.

2. If you can afford to pay off your cards on a weekly basis, the better. This way, you will not be pressured come the cards’ due dates. Without the said pressure, you will be able to focus more on how you will be able to pay up for your remaining debts.

3. Live within your means. If only people will religiously follow this adage, life will be easier to lead. If you will only learn to value your money and budget it wisely, you will no longer have to resort to credit cards for your immediate needs. Bring cash with you wherever you go. This way, you will be able to control your spending. Being too much dependent on credit cards will not do anything good. So you have to break away before it is already too late.

You must learn the ropes through credit card management before it is already too late. You must control your debts. It must not be the other way around. You can still use your credit cards every once in a while. But make sure that you don’t let your debts become uncontrollable. Spend your money wisely and learn to control yourself from giving into temptations.

Credit cards are considered as a blessing to those who can use it properly. But to those who are having debt management problems because of undue usage of credit cards, it can be an excruciating curse because it can also give you a bad credit history if you don’t use it well.

In order to avoid debt management problems, people must know how to choose the right credit card for them. The following tips can help you choose the right credit card, which can veer you away from debt management problems. If you are getting your first credit card or you would want to avail of another, you must always:

- Consider interest rates. In most credit cards, interest rates come as “fixed-rate” or “adjustable rate”. If you opt not to choose low APR credit cards, you may consider choosing fixed rate credit cards. Many people—especially those who pay off their balance monthly or those who only use cards for small purchases-opt to use cared that has a fixed rate. Even if the rate is a point or two higher than the usual, it ensures that they can pay off their loan quickly without even noticing the difference.

- Conduct an extensive research on credit card fees, transaction fees, and other charges. Fees can be considered one of the bloodlines of most credit card companies. Since numerous companies are infamous for charging their clients fees that add up quickly, one should make sure to check the fees section of the credit card disclosure section before fully indulging into it. Some of the known fees collected are annual fees and cash advance fees.

- Check the length of “grace period.” The term “grace period” or “interest-free time” refers to the amount of time between the date of a purchase and the date interest starts being charged on that purchase. Majority of credit cards offers a standard grace period, which means that as long as the person pays for his/her bill monthly, there will be no finance charges. Since not all credit card companies offer a grace period, be careful not to choose them because they might charge interest immediately on every purchase you make.

- Avail of other benefits. Aside from convenience, other the additional benefits when one applies for a credit card include insurance, credit card protection, discounts, rebates and special merchandise. Other benefits also include rewards programs that lets you earn points that can give you cash back, free gas, gift certificates and free plane tickets. Before choosing the right credit card for you, you must consider whether or not these offers can make positive impact on your financial management.

- Take note of the credit limit. Basically, credit limit is defined in dollars as the total amount of credit a credit card holder is authorized to use. Apart from clearly identifying credit line and the size of the credit line, credit limit encourages and helps the holder to decide how reliable he/she can be when it comes to paying on time and keeping him/herself under the card’s limit.

- Make sure to understand all necessary and additional terms. While it is very important for you to identify first your credit card needs, it is equally important for you to understand almost all the underlying terms in credit card application and acquisition such as “amount due,” “minimum monthly payments,” and “prime rates” because many people are having a hard time managing their debt because they did not take time to fully understand these simple terms and its underlying conditions.

People can’t be totally in control over everything they do, especially when it comes to purchasing power. Because of the ridiculous but effective marketing going on in the consumer world, people tend to overspend. They waste money on overspending, as well as useless spending. Before they know it, they’re in debt and they can’t get out. It’s so easy to spend money and so difficult to get out of debt once you’re in. However, don’t fret just yet because there is actually a way to go around bad debt management such that it alleviates the burden by a whole lot. Here’s how.

The major culprit of bad debt is plastic — credit cards. People tend to leave the cash at home and go on shopping sprees with their credit cards. Remember that if you can’t keep up with the credit card bills, they will pile up and add on even more service charges and late charges that you don’t really need to pay for if you use cash. The solution to this is to use cash when buying, or to use debit cards. With debit cards, you won’t have to incur loans. All you’ll be doing is swiping the card which takes the money straight from your account. This way, you can budget your expenses and control your spending habits.

If you want to reduce your monthly payments and get rid of those exorbitantly-priced service fees, then you can hire a debt management company to do the dirty work for you. They are professionals who can negotiate your loan and reduce your interest rate. You can bank on them to help you out because essentially the banks will want the loans paid back. There are lots of these agencies available on the internet.

Just make sure to do some research first to weed out the scammers. Once you settle with a reputable debt management company, then they can work things out for you by presenting a host of solutions for you to consider. Their services are personalized and you can be sure that they will keep your information confidential.

Aside from the two solutions to bad debt previously stated, there is another way that you can make your financial life easier. If you have multiple debts and have a hard time keeping track of all of them, you can have your debts consolidated. This means that all your previous debts will be solidified into a single debt that you can pay off in one smooth time frame.

The way this works is that you are going to borrow an amount that is equal to the summation of the previous debts you owed, and all those previous debts will be paid off so that all you need to worry about is the single lump sum of debt. What’s great about this kind of financing solution is that you eventually lower the interest that you pay monthly or annually. Plus, you will be allowed to spread out the debt consolidation loan so that it will be easier for you to pay off the debt in smaller amounts. In essence, what you pay each month will be significantly reduced.

Bad debt management can be easy as long as you put a little elbow grease into it. Do the research, choose the best solution, stick to your plans, budget your expenses, and live a better life without having to worry about debt every single minute of the day.