Do you sometimes need to access other applications while you’re presenting? Here are some scenarios:
- You’re doing a webinar and need to access the webinar interface.
- You want to show a web page or application at some point in your presentation.
- In response to an unexpected question, you want to show another presentation, spreadsheet or document.
One thing I’ve done for a while is to display the presentation in a window. Here’s what I did (until I discovered an easier way):
- Click the Slide Show tab.
- Click the Set Up Slide Show button.
- In the Set Up Show dialog box, choose Browsed by an Individual (Window)
- Click OK.
Now, when you go into Slide Show view, PowerPoint opens in a window instead of full-screen. You can maximize the window but you’ll still have access to your taskbar, so it will be easy to get to other programs, including your browser. Ideally, you should be able to configure the taskbar so that it doesn’t appear unless you move your cursor down at the bottom of the screen (which is where the taskbar usually is).
In fact, you can resize the PowerPoint window to any size you want. The window is excellent for comparing animation in two presentations, for example, because you can place 2 windows side-by-side.
Reading View Gets You There
One of the problems with this setting is that it’s easy to forget and if you want to switch from a window to full-screen, you have to go back into the dialog box, which is a few clicks.
If you have PowerPoint 2010 or later, you can get the same result using Reading view. You might not have noticed it — I didn’t until recently. The Reading View icon is just to the left of the Slide Show View icon at the lower-right corner of the screen and it looks like an open book.
Just click it to open your presentation in a window.
The next time you need access to multiple applications, try Reading View.
About the Author:
Ellen Finkelstein is a PowerPoint MVP who can train you or the presenters in your organization to create high-impact, engaging, professional presentations for training, sales, business, or education. For more information visit www.ellenfinkelstein.com
