Reviewing Presentations

Reviewing Presentations - Introduction

Collaboration is a fundamental pillar of any successful project. Before delivering your presentation, you may require feedback from colleagues or work alongside a co-author to refine your slides. In a traditional workflow, you might mark up a hard copy with handwritten notes in the margins. Have you ever wondered how to replicate this dialogue within a digital environment? PowerPoint facilitates this through its sophisticated Comments and Compare features, allowing for seamless communication and version control without ever altering the primary content until you are ready.

Commenting on presentations

The ability to annotate slides without making permanent changes is essential for effective revision. Leaving a comment acts as a non-destructive note, visible to anyone with access to the file. This fosters a constructive environment where reviewers can ask questions, provide praise, or suggest structural shifts without disrupting the author's work.

1. Select the text or object (or click the area of the slide) where you want the comment to appear.

2. Go to the Review tab, then click the New Comment command.

3. The Comments pane will launch on the right. Type your message into the provided field and press Enter to save.
4. Once saved, the comment is represented by a small icon on the slide, serving as a visual marker for your feedback.

5. Once saved, the comment is represented by a small icon on the slide, serving as a visual marker for your feedback.

Viewing comments

Accessing feedback is designed to be centralized and intuitive. You can toggle the visibility of all notes by clicking the Show Comments command on the Review tab, or simply by selecting a comment icon directly on the slide to open the pane.

To edit a comment:

1. Within the Comments pane, select the specific entry you wish to modify.
2. Input your revisions and click outside the box to save. Your updates will be applied instantly.

To reply to a comment:

Maintaining a coherent thread of discussion is vital for resolving feedback. By clicking the Reply link below an existing comment, you can engage in a dialogue that keeps related points organized in a single location.

Deleting comments

As suggestions are implemented or deemed unnecessary, you can clean up the slide deck. Simply select a comment and click the Delete command on the Review tab. If you wish to perform a bulk removal, use the drop-down arrow below the Delete command to clear all comments from the current slide or the entire presentation.

Comparing presentations

Have you ever found yourself navigating multiple iterations of the same file, unsure of which draft contains the most recent edits? Collaboration often results in several unique copies of a presentation. PowerPoint’s Compare feature acts as a bridge between these drafts, allowing you to merge two versions and evaluate the differences side-by-side.

1. Open the version you consider to be your primary draft.
2. On the Review tab, click the Compare command.

3. A dialog box will appear. Locate and select the secondary version (e.g., a file with a collaborator's edits) and click Merge.

4. The Revisions pane will launch, providing a structured summary of every discrepancy between the two files.

Reviewing Changes using the Compare feature

The true power of the Compare tool lies in your ability to selectively accept or reject modifications. Click the interactive markers below to learn how to navigate the Revisions pane effectively.

Challenge!

Master these collaborative tools by completing the following logical tasks using our practice files:

1. Download the original practice file (powerpoint_reviewing_practice) and the edited version (internet safety - tim's edits).
2. On slide 9 of the original file, insert a comment stating: "Should we make this text larger?"
3. Navigate to the final slide and delete the existing comment.
4. Initiate the Compare command to merge the original file with Tim's edited version.
5. Examine the revisions, then choose the Accept command and select Accept All Changes to the Presentation to unify the draft.