Want a quick and easy way to launch a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation? Save it as a PowerPoint slide show file, and when you double-click it, it opens right up in slide show view. No need to fumble around inside PowerPoint when you just want to give a presentation, not create one.

To save your presentation as a slide show file:

1. Open the presentation you want to save as a slide show.
   
2. On the File menu, click Save As .
   
3. In the Save as type list, click PowerPoint Show . Your slide show file will be saved with a .pps file extension.

When you open this file from your desktop, it will automatically start your presentation in slide show view. When you're done, PowerPoint automatically closes and you return to the desktop. If you want to edit the slide show file, you can always open it from PowerPoint by clicking Open on the File menu.

More Ways To Quickly Start A PowerPoint Slide Show

In response to Bradleigh Young's tip (above), several others wrote in with even more ways to quickly start a PowerPoint slide show.

In Microsoft Windows® Explorer, simply right-click any PowerPoint presentation and then click Show to start the show.

A quick and easy way to turn a PowerPoint presentation into a slide show file is to simply rename the file extension from .ppt to .pps in Windows Explorer. Now you can launch it in one click!

Tweak the Layout of PowerPoint Slides

When I need to fine-tune the placement of a graphic or text box on a PowerPoint slide, I use the arrow keys. Here's how you do it:

First select the graphic, then simply press the UP, DOWN, LEFT, or RIGHT arrow keys to move the graphic in the desired direction.

Tweak the Placement of a Graphic in PowerPoint, Part Two

Here's a way to move things in even smaller increments:

1. Select the graphic or text box.
   
2. Press and hold down the CTRL key.
   
3. Use the arrow keys to move graphic or text up, down, right, or left.

You will notice that you have more precise control over how far the image moves.

Take a Break During a PowerPoint Slide Show

Here's an easy yet very useful tip for those who give presentations using PowerPoint slide shows.

When you want to stop for a break in your presentation without losing your place in the slide show, just press the lowercase B key or press the PERIOD (.). This will make the screen go black, and if it is a self-running presentation, it will pause. When you are ready to resume the show, press either key again, and you will start right where you left off.

Apply Transition Effects to Multiple PowerPoint Slides

Here's a shortcut that enables you to apply the same transition effect to multiple slides at once:

1. On the View menu, click Slide Sorter .
   
2. Select the slides you want to apply the transition effects to by clicking one slide, and then holding down the CTRL key while you click each additional slide.
   
3. On the Slide Show menu, click Slide Transition .
   
4. In the Effect box, click the transition you want, and then select any other options you want.
   
5. Click Apply.

Now your slide show has a consistent, seamless look.

Creating a Summary Slide in PowerPoint

You've just created a quick PowerPoint presentation, but you haven't added an introduction, agenda, or conclusion. PowerPoint provides a quick method of adding a Summary Slide to your existing presentation. This slide can be renamed Introduction or Agenda, or you can copy it to the end of your presentation and rename it Conclusion or Review.

To create a summary slide from the titles of other slides:

1. Open the completed presentation you want to add a summary slide to.
   
2. On the View menu, click Slide Sorter .
   
3. In slide sorter view, select the slides with the titles you want to use. To select multiple slides, hold down CTRL and click the slides you want. (Be sure to select the slides that will best summarize your presentation.)
   
4. On the Slide Sorter toolbar, click Summary Slide . A new slide, titled "Summary Slide," with bulleted titles from the selected slides, appears in front of the first selected slide.
   
5. Double-click the new slide to edit it. You can change the title, edit existing bullets, or add new ones.

Display Shortcuts During a Slide Show

If you need quick access to keyboard shortcuts during your PowerPoint slide show, press F1 (or SHIFT+?) and Slide Show Help will display automatically.

Keep Track of Action Items During a Slide Show

When giving a presentation, have you ever needed to make a list of ideas, comments, suggestions, or action items? Instead of using a flip chart, use PowerPoint. Here's how:

1. In Slide Show view, right-click anywhere in the slide, and then, on the shortcut menu, click Meeting Minder.
   
2. Click the Action Items tab.
   
3. Type your information into the Description , Assigned To , and Due Date boxes, and then click Add .
   
4. Repeat step 3 if you want to add more action items, and then click OK .

Your items appear on a new slide at the end of your slide show. You can use this slide as a way to review the ideas or suggestions that came up during the slide show or as a reminder of the action items that need to be addressed.

Editor's Note: You can export your action item list to Word or Outlook. Here's how:

1. On the Tools menu in PowerPoint, click Meeting Minder .
   
2. In the Meeting Minder dialog box, click Export .
   
3. To create a new Word document that contains your list of ideas or action items, select the Send meeting minutes and action items to Microsoft Word check box.
   
4. To place them on your task list in Outlook (and assign each task to the appropriate person later), select the Post action items to Microsoft Outlook check box.
   
5. Then, click Export Now .