Using OpenOffice to run PowerPoint Presentations

OpenOffice has become a most effective and powerful tool for running PowerPoint presentations, as it bears almost every feature as that of PowerPoint including audio aids. Its features to add multimedia and special effects make your presentation outstanding. Certain common PowerPoint tasks required to perform in OpenOffice are:

Using animations and transitions to add impact:

You all know, animations and transitions enhance the effectiveness of your presentation and become more attention grabbing and help you to depict your point clearly. However, using too many effects may cast opposite effect. Thus, use animations and other effects wisely and carefully.

In OpenOffice, animation works on individual elements of slide whereas transition is applicable for entire slide. Thus, you need to decide what and where to apply the effect, as effects vary with types of information.

Applying animations in OpenOffice is quite simple and straight forward and before finalizing you may view its built-in preview it. After creating presentation you can add animation and transition from task pane, available on the right side of screen. Steps to apply transition on slide are:

• Select the slide on which you want to add transition.
• Select the transition from task pane you want to apply.
• After selecting transition, control and determine its speed.

Printing Handouts:

After completing slides by finalizing all the transitions and animations, you can take printout of your presentation. In OpenOffice, printing facility is available. You can take printed handout by locating handout tab on the center of pane. There you can select the layout you want, number of pages and by dragging slides you can insert space for notes as well.

These handouts can be very helpful for your audience to get your point or message. Thus, you must get the copies of your presentation.

When you will be ready to get printout, select ‘Print Command’ from ‘File Menu’. On seeing ‘Print Dialog Box’ select check box for Handouts only. And yes, it may take some time to reconfigure everything to look completely OK.

So, OpenOffice Impression provides you everything, required for professional looking presentation.