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Kelley wonders: <<My boss has a client who wants their policies
converted to .PPT for use in an online learning application.
Apparently, we have a few clients who would like this done... I'm happy
to learn and I can't imagine that the ramp up time is going to be
terribly long. Initial inspection suggests it's fairly straightforward,
a matter, mostly, of applying sound information chunking principles.>>
Wish it were that simple, but it ain't. First, the easy part of the
problem: PowerPoint has fairly primitive abilities to import text from
Word. Since you only have a couple levels of heading and of body text
available, you have to greatly simplify the structure of a Word
document before Powerpoint can deal with it. If the source documents
are at all complex, you'll go nuts trying. You'll also have to
experiment a bit with how to format the Word file so that Powerpoint
recognizes it (e.g., restrict your styles to Heading 1 and Heading 2,
plus Normal and List bullet; insert a manual page break between
slides). But all this is the easy part.
The really hard part: Word documents tend to be rather <ahem> wordy.
Moreover, policy documents bear little relationship to training
documents. In addition to eliminating vast expanses of mind-numbing
policies and procedures prose to leave only the 50-some words that fit
legibly on a typical slide--a formidable task in itself--you'll have to
convert the rhetorical approach from one based on vomiting forth large
quantities of prescriptive and proscriptive regulations to a rhetorical
approach based on instructional design. Not a trivial task.
In my experience, it's usually simpler to create the PowerPoint files
from scratch, using the Word documents solely as reference material.
Only simple Word documents translate nicely into Powerpoint, and even
then, it helps if you write them specifically so they'll translate
nicely.
<<How long might it typically take an experienced person to convert 30
Word .DOC pages (in the typical *yawn* policy manual style) into
.PPT?>>
Doesn't matter in the least how long it _typically_ takes. The correct
question to ask is: "How long will it take me?" And the only way to
answer that question is to try converting a couple of pages. Then
you'll know how long it'll take _you_.
<<As I understand it, he's only interested in making the .PPT it look
pretty with consistent styles, the client logo, some images placed
strategically to illustrate concepts and generate interest, etc.
.PPT.>>
That's a recipe for failure. The goal is to communicate, not make it
pretty. As Vinton Cerf noted, "power corrupts; Powerpoint corrupts
absolutely". Don't let yourself become corrupt. If you're interested,
my article "Powerpoint presentations: a speaker's guide" just appeared
in the March 2004 issue of _Intercom_. (Strategically timed to help
presenters at the May STC conference. <g>) It won't help you much with
the technology, but will give some good guidelines on how to use the
technology effectively.
<<This looks pretty straightforward to me>>
With the caveats mentioned above, it is pretty straightforward.
Powerpoint has decent "master slide" and "slide layout" options. But
they're not nearly as sophisticated as what Word offers, so you have to
be aware of the need to simplify.
--Geoff Hart ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca
(try geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com if you don't get a reply)
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