PowerPoint Hints

Below are, I hope, so helpful hints for setting up PowerPoint presentations for the purpose of church worship services. I can show you how to use these features in person if you wish.

Set up the PowerPoint presentations that you will use in advance (some time before Sunday morning).

• Announcements (both services): The church secretary, Linda Carden, will type up the announcements on PowerPoint. Obtain the file from Linda on disk (zip disk). Sometimes the only thing we put up on the screens is the announcements.
• Praise Band (first service): The music group/band leader for the week will provide the words they want displayed on a diskette.
• Hymns (first service only): You should find out which hymns are being sung and prepare to show those on the screens first service.
  • Hymns for communion: Frequently, during communion (first Sunday of the month) we put up the hymns, both services, during communion.
• For Sermon: The Pastor may have a PowerPoint request. If the pastor has a PowerPoint request, they should contact the multi-media person.

Font - It is best to use a sans-serif font, such as Arial and use 40-point or higher. "Sans-serif" means it does not have the curly ques and baselines. A sans-serif font is easier to read on a screen or computer monitor. A serif font is easier to read on a printed page.

Font Color - The current opinion is to primarily use light letters on a dark background.

Font to background contrast - Assuming you are using a graphic/photo for a background, if there is not enough contrast between your letters and the background (e.g., a white letter is unreadable because a white mountain top is directly behind it) fall, then use the FILL feature for the text box. Fill it with a dark color. I prefer to make it semi-transparent so that the background graphic is not completely blocked out.

Hymn Lyrics - There is an excellent web site that has the United Methodist Hymnal. You can search by words of the hymn title or by hymn number. Copy and paste from the web to PowerPoint. http://www.hymnsite.com/ Click Hymn Search.

Formatting - Use the formatting Paint Brush tool at the top.

• One time use: (1) select text of the format you want; (2) click the Paint Brush; (3) select the text you wish to format.
• Use over and over: (1) select text of the format you want; (2) double-click the Paint Brush; (3) select the text you wish to format; (4) repeat with as much text (even different slides) as you wish; (5) click the Paint Brush to turn off the feature.

Backgrounds -

• To get a picture background, right click|background|more fill options|picture tab|select picture.
• If the picture is not the right size (e.g., picture is "portrait" and the screen is "landscape") then insert a graphic and make the background a solid color that blends in with the graphic. Once the first slide is done, copy the slide and paste it as the second slide (this keeps the background and graphic just like slide #1), then you can change the content (e.g., words).

Layers make a difference - If a graphic is covering up (some of) words in a text box, then select the graphic|right click|order|send to the back.

A "composite" slide show - A composite slide show is a PowerPoint presentation that only has a list of ("hyper")links to the content you want to show. For example, slide one has a link to the announcements, slide two has three links to the three songs the Praise Band has chosen for the week, and slide three has a link to a responsive benediction the pastor wants to use. There are a number of reasons I like to use a composite slide show. One is that it keeps things simple during the service.

• To make a ("hyper")link - type the text first, then select it, then right click and click Action Settings, then use hyperlink to... (It's easy once you done it a few times.)
• When running a composite slide show you only need to have one file open (your composite slide show). It will automatically call the other linked slide shows. If you press ESC (ESCAPE) during a linked slide show, it returns you to the composite slide show. (If you would press ESC during the main composite slide show, then (typical of PowerPoint) it takes you out of the slide show and into edit mode - which you do not want to due while the image is projected on the screens.

For the announcements set up the slide show so that the slides advance automatically (10 to 25 seconds each, time can vary from slide to slide) and so that the "show" repeats when the last slide is done. Also set up the announcements to run continuously. Do this under Slide show|set up show|browsed from a kiosk.

For the Glory of God

Page URL: http://www.geocities.com/jr_314159/powerpoint/overview.htm
James R. Olsen, Wesley United Methodist Church, Macomb, IL
E-mail: [email protected]
updated January 31, 2004 4:05 PM