ICDL Advanced Presentation cheat sheet

Audience analysis drives three variables: prior knowledge level, decision authority, and time available - each changes depth, call-to-action, and slide count.

Rule of thumb for pacing: 1.5-2 minutes per content slide; a 20-minute talk therefore needs roughly 10-13 slides plus title and closing.

Slide master stores fonts, colors, placeholders, and background for all layouts; changes there propagate to every slide using that layout.

Handout master and notes master are separate from slide master - editing one does not affect the others.

Theme = color scheme + font scheme + effect scheme; applying a new theme overrides master-level formatting unless slide-level overrides exist.

Contrast ratio guideline for projected text: at least 4.5:1 between text and background for body text; low-contrast gray-on-white fails in bright rooms.

Consistent alignment grid: limit to one or two font families and a maximum of about six lines of text per slide for projected delivery.

Story structure for persuasive decks: situation, complication, question, answer (SCQA); the answer slide should appear early for executive audiences.

Layout placeholders inherit position and formatting from the slide master; typing into a placeholder keeps theme fonts, while a manual text box does not.

Outline view imports structure: heading levels in the outline become slide titles and body levels become bullet indentation levels.

Section feature groups slides into collapsible named blocks; sections do not appear on slides during a show unless a summary zoom is inserted.

Slide size is set once per file (Standard 4:3 = 10x7.5 in; Widescreen 16:9 = 13.333x7.5 in); changing it after content exists rescales or distorts placed objects.

Reuse slides pulls content from another file; the 'keep source formatting' checkbox determines whether the destination theme is applied.

Speaker notes are stored per slide, are invisible during the show by default, and can be printed as Notes Pages.

Alt text on pictures and shapes is entered via the Alt Text pane and is read by screen readers; decorative objects should be marked as decorative.

Find and Replace searches slide text but not text inside charts, tables, or grouped shapes in all versions.

Chart type decision: column/bar for category comparison, line for trend over time, pie for parts of one whole (single series only), scatter for correlation between two numeric variables.

A chart is linked to embedded worksheet data; 'Edit Data' opens that sheet, and switching Row/Column changes which series is plotted on which axis.

Table structure: header row plus banded rows improves readability; merging cells removes them from sort and calculation logic.

SmartArt layouts map to relationship types - list, process, hierarchy, cycle, matrix - and converting SmartArt to shapes makes each node individually editable.

Grouping objects (Ctrl+G) makes them move and scale as one unit; ungrouping restores individual selection and formatting.

Picture formatting: crop removes visible area without deleting data; compress pictures reduces file size by lowering resolution and discarding cropped areas.

Animation vs transition: transitions apply between slides, animations apply to objects within a slide; the Animation Pane controls order, timing, and triggers.

Embed vs link: embedded objects travel with the file, linked objects update from the source file and break if the source moves.

Slide Show settings: 'Presented by a speaker' enables presenter view; 'Browsed at a kiosk' loops continuously and disables advance on click.

Presenter view shows current slide, next slide, notes, and timer on the presenter's monitor while the audience sees only the show.

Rehearse Timings records per-slide duration and can save the show to run automatically using those timings.

Custom slide show defines a named subset and order of slides without deleting or hiding the originals.

Hide Slide keeps a slide in the file but skips it during the show; it remains visible in the editing pane with a crossed-out marker.

Export formats: PDF preserves layout for distribution; video export (MP4) bakes in animations and timings; handouts export slides per page to Word or PDF.

Broadcast/present online shares the running show via a link; the audience views in a browser and does not need the file.

Accessibility check flags missing alt text, duplicate slide titles, and low contrast before final export.

Slide master edits apply to all layouts below it; direct slide formatting overrides the master for that slide only.

Theme color scheme has 12 slots: 4 text/background, 6 accents, 2 hyperlink colors.

Font scheme defines a heading font and a body font; changing it updates all theme-based text.

6x6 rule limits bullets to about six per slide and six words per bullet for projected readability.

Minimum body text size for projection is roughly 24 pt; titles 32 pt or larger.

Consistent design uses one accent color for emphasis and neutral colors for background and body text.

Slide size choice (4:3 vs 16:9) should be made before adding content to avoid rescaling objects.

Handout master controls printed handout layout separately from the on-screen slide master.

Placeholder text inherits theme formatting; text boxes drawn manually use default formatting instead.

Outline import maps heading levels to slide titles and sub-levels to bullet indents.

Sections organize slides in the thumbnail pane and can be collapsed or expanded.

Reuse Slides imports from another presentation and offers a keep-source-formatting option.

Speaker notes are per-slide and print via Notes Pages.

Alt text describes images for screen readers and can mark objects as decorative.

Changing slide size after content exists can stretch or reposition objects.

Find and Replace does not search inside charts, tables, or grouped shapes.

Use a pie chart only for a single data series showing parts of a whole.

Line charts show trends over time; scatter plots show correlation between two numeric variables.

Switching Row/Column in chart data swaps which dimension is plotted as series.

SmartArt relationship types include list, process, hierarchy, cycle, and matrix.

Ctrl+G groups selected objects so they move and scale together.

Crop hides picture areas without deleting image data; compress reduces file size.

Transitions apply between slides; animations apply to objects within a slide.

Linked objects update from a source file and break if the source moves; embedded objects stay with the file.

Kiosk mode loops the show and disables click-to-advance.

Presenter view shows notes and next slide on the presenter's monitor only.

Rehearse Timings records per-slide durations for automatic playback.

A custom slide show defines a named subset and order without deleting slides.

Hide Slide skips a slide during the show but keeps it in the file.

Export to PDF preserves layout; export to MP4 bakes in animations and timings.

Broadcast shares the running show via a link without sending the file.

The accessibility checker flags missing alt text, duplicate titles, and low contrast.

Audience analysis sets depth, tone, and call-to-action before any slide is built.

Pacing guide: about 1.5-2 minutes per content slide.

SCQA structure: situation, complication, question, answer.

Contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 supports readable projected body text.

Limit to one or two font families per deck for visual consistency.

Theme combines color, font, and effect schemes applied across the file.

Slide master changes propagate to all slides using that layout.

Notes master and handout master are edited independently of the slide master.

Placeholders inherit master formatting; manual text boxes do not.

Outline view converts heading levels into slide titles and bullet levels.

Sections group slides for navigation and can be collapsed.

Reuse Slides imports content and optionally keeps source formatting.

Widescreen 16:9 is 13.333 x 7.5 inches; Standard 4:3 is 10 x 7.5 inches.

Speaker notes print as Notes Pages and are hidden during the show by default.

Alt text supports screen readers; decorative objects can be flagged.

Find and Replace skips text inside charts, tables, and grouped shapes.

Column/bar charts compare categories; line charts show trends over time.

Pie charts represent parts of one whole and use a single series.

Scatter plots reveal correlation between two numeric variables.

Edit Data opens the embedded worksheet behind a chart.

Merging table cells removes them from sort and calculation logic.

Converting SmartArt to shapes makes each node individually editable.

Picture compression lowers resolution and can discard cropped areas.

The Animation Pane controls object order, timing, and triggers.

Presenter view displays notes and the next slide to the speaker only.

Kiosk mode loops continuously and disables advance on click.

Rehearse Timings saves per-slide durations for automatic advance.

Custom slide shows define a named subset and order of slides.

Hide Slide omits a slide from the show without deleting it.

PDF export preserves layout for distribution; MP4 export includes animations.

Broadcast presents online without distributing the file.

Accessibility check flags missing alt text, duplicate titles, and low contrast.

Define the audience's knowledge, authority, and available time before designing slides.

A 20-minute talk needs roughly 10-13 content slides at 1.5-2 minutes each.

SCQA (situation, complication, question, answer) structures persuasive decks.

Maintain at least 4.5:1 text-to-background contrast for projection.

Limit body text to about six lines per slide.

The slide master controls fonts, colors, placeholders, and background for its layouts.

Theme = color scheme + font scheme + effect scheme.

Handout and notes masters are separate from the slide master.

Placeholder text follows theme fonts; manually inserted text boxes use defaults.

Outline view maps heading levels to slide titles and sub-levels to bullets.

Sections organize and collapse slide groups in the thumbnail pane.

Reuse Slides pulls content from another file with optional source formatting.

Slide size is fixed per file and changing it later rescales objects.

Notes Pages print speaker notes with slide thumbnails.

Alt text and decorative marking improve screen reader access.

Find and Replace does not reach chart, table, or grouped-shape text.

Choose chart type by data relationship: comparison, trend, proportion, or correlation.

Pie charts use one series only; multiple series belong in bar or column charts.

Row/Column switch changes which data dimension becomes the series.

SmartArt layouts: list, process, hierarchy, cycle, matrix.

Grouping (Ctrl+G) treats multiple objects as one unit.

Crop hides picture regions without deleting image data.

Transitions are between slides; animations are within a slide.

Embedded objects travel with the file; linked objects depend on the source.

Set show type: speaker-presented, individual browsing, or kiosk.

Presenter view shows current slide, next slide, notes, and timer to the speaker.

Rehearse Timings can save a self-running show.

Custom shows define named subsets without altering the original order.

Hidden slides remain in the file but are skipped during the show.

Export to PDF for layout fidelity; export to MP4 to include animation and timing.

Broadcast shares a live show via link without sending the file.

Run the accessibility checker before final export.