Weekly Computer Tip # 208
22 September 2007

insert a "switch off mobile phones" sound clip slide (Microsoft PowerPoint)

Like clip art, sound clips can add interest to your presentations. PowerPoint comes with a variety of such clips, but it's one thing knowing where to find them and another thing entirely coming up with good ideas how to use them. Perhaps you remember the three lovely course participants who gave me lots of tip ideas? (See tip 204 (http://www.roem.co.uk/tip_204.html) Well, this is one of these tips ... a subtle reminder to stop the disturbing phenomenon of mobile phones going off during courses and presentations. (Thanks again, Bridget, Hazel and Lisa!)

Here's how:

1. Choose the Insert, Movies and Sounds command, followed by Sound from Clip Organizer.
2. In the list of sound clips in the Clip Art task pane, click the Telephone option.
3. Click on the Automatically button.
4. Right-click the sound clip icon and select Edit Sound Object.
5. Tick the "Loop until stopped" and "Hide sound icon during slide show" check boxes and click OK.
6. In the Clip Art task pane, type the word "phone" into the Search for box.
7. In the Results should be box select "Clip Art" and click on the Go button.
8. In the list of options, click on the desired clip art.

Simply add some appropriate words and hopefully they get the hint!

Speaking of mobile phones ... To cope with the modern day curse of the mobile phone I have a "no-mobiles" policy to make sure those irritating ring tones do not interrupt the training. OK, I don't go as far as make course participants hand in their phones at arrival (now there's a thought). Instead, I ask them to switch their phone to silent. Obviously I do the same. Saying that, last week I've been switching mine off completely. Not to set an example (after all, they still loose concentration when they check their external phone displays) but to save the battery as I forgot to pack my British to European adaptor plug. So when I switched it back on after my morning session I found a voicemail message from somebody who told me he was interested in my Livelink training. Can I give him a bell, please. "I'll be here the rest of the day." he said. Well, so was I. But it would have been nice if he'd left his telephone number!

Finally, I've scheduled another half day Boost PowerPoint beyond bullet points seminar for the morning of 1 November (see http://www.roem.co.uk/beyond_bullet_points.html for full details). So if want to create professional PowerPoint presentations that will keep your audience through the length of your talk, book now! Only GBP97 (+VAT). (Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.)

Until next week.

PS I’m committed to sharing the best of what I know with others so please don’t keep me a secret. If you enjoyed today’s tip, please forward it to anyone you feel may benefit. Alternatively, feel free to reprint it (with full copyright and subscription information) in your newsletters and message boards.

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