Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Step by Step: Review

If you are looking for work in this dismal economy, proficiency with the Microsoft Office suite of products such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint can definitely give you an edge in landing a job. Recently, I wanted to teach myself PowerPoint 2007 though I had no experience at all with the program. With high hopes for success, I purchased a copy of Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Step by Step at my local Barnes and Noble bookstore in Kingston, New York. I'm hardly a software expert and until a few years ago I was more experienced with Mac than PC, but Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Step by Step helped me go from PowerPoint 2007 novice to intermediate user by studying for about an hour a day.

In my experience, Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Step by Step is an easy to follow book from Microsoft Press that will quickly bring you up to speed with PowerPoint 2007.

Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Step by Step: My Experience

I bought a new Dell Inspiron laptop in 2007, because I was exclusively a Macintosh user and I needed to become a lot more familiar with the world of PCs and the Windows platform. I made sure my new Dell computer was loaded with most of the Microsoft Office suite of programs including: Word 2007, Excel 2007 and PowerPoint 2007. I worked a lot with Word and Excel but never really opened PowerPoint 2007, a computer program for creating presentations.

I decided to teach myself most of the MS Office programs on my PC, so I turned to Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Step by Step for help in learning PowerPoint 2007 from scratch. I was very pleased to discover that Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Step by Step makes learning this program easy and fun. The book is organized in to twelve chapters that take the reader from beginning PowerPoint through advanced applications, and comes bundled with a CD full of practice exercises and a free eBook.

If you've ever sat through a boring PowerPoint presentation that featured lackluster slides and hard to follow narration, then you understand the importance of creating eye-catching slides with compelling content. Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Step by Step is a powerful tool for designing and delivering interesting, effective PowerPoint presentations. Simply download the practice files from the book's companion CD onto your computer, and you are ready to start learning PowerPoint 2007.

I really appreciate the versatility of Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Step by Step. The total PowerPoint novice can start at Chapter One which is a nice, easy to follow introduction to the PowerPoint environment: how to open, move around in, and show different views of a presentation, and how to save a presentation. Each chapter contains step by step exercises that reinforce the material and let you work with actual PowerPoint presentations from sample files. Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Step by Step contains chapters that teach the user how to create a presentation; work with slide text; change the appearance and layout of slides; create visual interest and excitement with charts, tables, diagrams, graphics, animation, sound and movies; deliver and share presentations; and customize and create your own presentation elements. Beginners can work their way through the entire book chapter by chapter; intermediate and advanced users can use Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Step by Step as a quick reference, reading the lessons they need to build PowerPoint skills.

Where to Buy Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Step by Step

Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Step by Step is published by Microsoft Press and written by Joyce Cox and Joan Preppernau, computer experts who both have years of experience authoring training materials for MS Office and Windows. The book costs $24.99 and is available at retailers like Barnes and Noble booksellers. Also consider searching your local library to find a copy of Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Step by Step; however, at such a reasonable cost you'll want to pick up a copy for your reference shelf.

A few years ago I wanted to become more proficient in Word and Excel, so I purchased Microsoft Office Excel 2007 Step by Step and Microsoft Office Word 2007 Step by Step. These two books helped me upgrade my Word and Excel XP skills for the new Windows Vista interface. I now own Microsoft Office Step by Step books for the following software: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access and Publisher 2007.

I've driven myself crazy trying to learn programs like Excel, Word and PowerPoint using books for "Dummies" and "Idiots," and I didn't have much success with training materials like the Sams Teach Yourself series. I believe books like Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Step by Step are so effective because of the easy to follow lessons and the excellent practice files on CD. Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Step by Step is like having your own private PowerPoint 2007 tutor, and at $24.99, it's definitely a bargain compared to expensive university and online classes.

My only criticism of Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Step by Step is the errors that crop up in the book from time to time. Working with the Microsoft Office Step by Step books, I notice there are a few mistakes here and there (Microsoft Office Excel 2007 Step by Step has the most errors, while Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Step by Step has relatively few mistakes). After loading the practice files on your computer, be sure to check the Microsoft Knowledge Base and support pages for any comments and corrections to the book (see sources at the end of this article for link to the support page). You'll prevent headaches if you mark your copy of Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Step by Step ahead of time with the corrections for any known errors.

Are you intimidated by the PowerPoint 2007 program with all its many buttons and tabs along the scary looking Windows Vista interface? As a novice user, I found PowerPoint 2007 and the "ribbon" interface a little overwhelming, but after using Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Step by Step, I am navigating PowerPoint 2007 with ease. Read this book and you will be well on your way to creating professional looking PowerPoint presentations, and mastering intermediate and advanced PowerPoint applications. Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Step by Step even provides information about becoming a Microsoft Certified Application Specialist for PowerPoint 2007, a Microsoft certification that demonstrates proficiency with PowerPoint software (reading the book and doing the practice exercises is an excellent way to study for the exam).

Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Step by Step is a great book for building essential computer skills that are so important when job hunting during the Great Recession. This book is a wonderful introduction to PowerPoint 2007 for beginners and more advanced users will find it an excellent reference. If you want to learn PowerPoint 2007 from scratch or you need a refresher course in this software, consider Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Step by Step, an easy enjoyable way to build PowerPoint 2007 skills.

Sources:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/937324

www.microsoft.com/mspress