Step 4—Link the Switchboard to Content Slides:

Our next step is to convert the original bullet list into a switchboard that accesses content slides. Certainly, it’s possible to leave the list in its original state and simply link the text of each point to its respective slide. But that would be silly. As was the case before, we clearly do not need all that text. In fact, we can get by with even less—one word per point.

What if we delete everything except the first word of each point (Figure 16)? Notice the presenter can look at these single words and think, “Ah, if I click the Apple link, I’ll get nutrition information for apples. Then I can come back and show information for bananas…and geesh. Looks like I’m running out of time. I better skip the remaining two so my session won't go long.” Our rule of thumb for text links is only one word if possible, or at most two.

Alright, then, with our list reduced to single words, are we now ready for hyperlinking? Actually, no...but for sake of example let’s try it anyway and see what happens. Select the word apple, right click the selection, and from the menu that appears select Hyperlink. On the Insert hyperlink dialog box that appears, click the Place in this document tab. Click the slide 2 position (Figure 17). You see a preview of slide 2, which indicates that the hyperlink will open that slide. Click OK.

The link is now in place. So, let's test it. Realize that hyperlinks only function in slide show mode. So click the slide 1 thumbnail to activate slide 1, and then start the show. Click the apple link and confirm that the apple slide does indeed display as expected. End the show and return to Slide 1.

The link worked. However, notice a nasty side effect of the above procedure. Upon creating the link, PowerPoint underlined our text and changed its color. This color change varies, according to whichever theme is assigned to your show, if any. Now I don't know about you, but such an involuntary reformatting really bothers me. I don't want PowerPoint changing ANYTHING without my permission. Sometimes, for example, I carefully design navigation components to blend in with a slide’s background graphics so that they will be less noticeable to the audience. I don't want the software randomly dictating my color scheme. So here’s a better way of making switchboard links:

Delete your fruit-filled bullet list completely (along with the replacement placeholder appearing immediately afterwards) so that only the slide title remains. We'll re-create the fruit list by building a menu out of shapes, a surprisingly little-known technique among PowerPoint users.

Activate the Insert tab on the Ribbon and insert a shape onto this slide (Figure 18). Copy and paste this shape until a total of four sit on top of each other. Enter the fruit names in the respective shapes. Change the text colors if desired to be like ours. Know that with a little experimentation, you can make these shapes completely invisible. The result might look something like Figure 19.

Next, hyperlink the shapes to their respective slides. When doing so, keep in mind a very important technique: Link the shape, not the text. Realize that if you select the shape's text, and then add the hyperlink, the exact same formatting problem will occur (changed color/underline). However, if you select the actual shape that holds the text, rather than the text itself, and then create the link, everything will work great and the text color WILL NOT change. You can tell which state is active by paying attention to selection handle borders. Dashed lines indicate the text is active. Solid lines mean the shape is selected instead (Figures 20 and 21). Make sure the latter is true when adding the link.

Step 5—Link Content Slides Back to the Switchboard:

To complete your showcase presentation, content slides must link back to the switchboard. You'll notice a problem right away. Recall we placed our summary text inside the title box placeholders on those slides, right? Well, guess what. The title box is a textbox just like the bullet point box. If you try to link this text, or even the box itself containing the text, the formatting change occurs as before. Can you see why we NEVER use textboxes for ANY kind of linking activity? Always use shapes instead.

The best course of action at this point for each of slides 2 through 5 is to move the textbox off to the side, cover the slide pane with an invisible shape, paste the text from the textbox into the shape, and then delete the textbox. In other words, replace the textboxes with text-filled shapes. Then hyperlinking can proceed without incident.

Final Design Notes:

Maybe you're thinking about now, “Gosh, this process is a hassle and is more work than simply slapping bullet points on slides.” Yes and No. Building navigation does require a little extra time, usually, but not much. Once you know all the design tricks and procedures covered in the textbooks and workshop sessions, fashioning even complex navigation is quick and easy. Experience leads to efficiency.

Consider, also, that whatever extra time may be involved is worth it. Building navigation results in permanent, versatile, reusable structures spanning multiple audiences. And if that's not enough incentive, think of the toxic alternative—birthing yet more traditional bullet lists. Surely the world has enough of those already!

The final page of this tutorial looks at best practices for using your navigation devices.