Microsoft Office PowerPoint allows you to reinforce your message with visual prompts. But too often, the power of PowerPoint is lost because the speaker doesn't use it to help viewers focus on the message. Instead, PowerPoint itself becomes the focus.

If you want to feel more relaxed and confident the next time you're using Office PowerPoint to deliver a presentation, try these three tips to maintain the focus on your topic-not the medium.

Be consistent on all pages by using the Master View

If you're tired of typing the date, presentation title, or page number on every page in your presentation-or changing bullet styles and indentations-this can be done automatically by PowerPoint.  The Master View feature allows users to enter information once on either the title page or an interior slide page. Once entered, the information is used consistently throughout the presentation, and remains there until you change it.

PowerPoint can automatically take care of the date, footer, and page numbers for you by following these steps:

1. On the slide itself are two large boxes that allow you to edit the Master title and subtitle styles.
2. In the left navigation bar, you will see thumbnail slides of the Title Slide and the interior slides. In the example above, you can see that I have selected the first Title Slide option.
3. The Slide Master Command bar appears at the top of the screen. In this article we use only the Close Master View button on this Command bar.
4. Finally, note the bottom portion of the slide, circled in red. It shows the date, footer, and number areas.

Users can also make changes to the bullet styles and indentations PowerPoint automatically sets up. Don't like a bullet color or style? Select an interior slide in Slide Master View, click the text box, and highlight the bullet or text you want to change. Then, on the Home tab, change it to the color and style you want.

Reinforce your message with automated charts and graphs

Everybody has seen presenters who have very cool graphs and charts within their presentation. You can import these from other programs such as Microsoft Office Excel, but did you know you can enhance your slides without importing from those programs?

People retain information in different ways-by reading text, by seeing graphical representations, and by listening to what you say. So, if you want your audience to really remember your message, it's important to learn to create at least simple charts or graphs in PowerPoint. With the automated formats it provides, you have literally dozens of ways to build a unique presentation and make your message memorable.

Jump easily between pages

If you didn't know how to use a hyperlink, you wouldn't be reading this online article. You may already use hyperlinks for quick and easy access to the Web if you are connected to the Internet while making your presentation. Too often, however, a cool way to use hyperlinks within a presentation is overlooked. It happens when presenters include additional information at the back of a presentation as "back up" slides and then never refer to them because it's too difficult to navigate to the end and return to the main portion of the presentation. But if the information is important enough to reference in back up, why ignore it?

How to create a hyperlink:

1. In Normal view, select the text or the object that you want to use as a hyperlink.
2. On the Insert tab, in the Links group, click Hyperlink.
3. Under Link to, click Place in This Document.
4. Do one of the following:
   
   A.Link to a custom show in the current presentation:
   Under Select a place in this document, click the custom show that you want to use as the hyperlink destination. Select the Show and return check box.
   
   B.Link to a slide in the current presentation:
   Under Select a place in this document, click the slide that you want to use as the hyperlink destination.

These are just a few of the tips available to improve PowerPoint presentations. Of course, the most important tip in any presentation is know your content, but these tips will help you add visual appeal.