I would have to say, the most distant memory I have of using PowerPoint is sixth grade. I believe it was for my campaign for being elected to manager of the class egg selling business. We had a chicken coop at my school and ran a small egg selling operation. Now it was only a couple of slides, but it was my first exposure to running a presentation. Since then there have been some tremendous upgrades to the functionality of PowerPoint.
Utilizing PowerPoint
When I first started with my current company I did not imagine that I would be leading training sessions, lectures and presentations. I heavily utilize PowerPoint for training exercises and presentations. One of the food safety rules created by my company is to have consistent quarterly training on various topics regarding such things as: chemical safety awareness, adverse events, cleaning and sanitizing, and pest control. PowerPoint has proven to be the most effective way so far, to present the information required.
Takeaway
The biggest takeaway I have gotten from this video was the fact that I can embed a video in a PowerPoint presentation. This was something I did not previously know I could do. I have yet to actually put a video in a PowerPoint presentation but I look forward to the day when I can utilize this function. I feel as if it would bring another level of professionalism and expertise to any presentation or training I would be conducting.
Comfort
Overall, I would have to say that yes I am quite comfortable using PowerPoint for any assignments that I would have to complete at Grace. While this exercise did teach me some information I did not previously know, I already have a fairly strong knowledge of how to navigate the various toolbars needed to create a slideshow. I am hopeful to continue to navigate through the toolbars and hone my skills. The good thing is that there are many similarities in each of the toolbars for the various applications that are offered like Word and PowerPoint.
Areas for Improvement
I think the biggest area for improvement I have is creating a more detailed multi-dimensional presentation. Meaning I would like to include various designs, videos, and transitions. Up until now, I have only done more simple PowerPoints with bullet points and pictures. However, I do see how implementing some of the aforementioned inclusions would bring my presentations a greater level of depth and excellence.
