Creating Non-Linear Presentations with PowerPoint Zoom

If you would like to create non-linear, more audience-focused PowerPoint presentations, consider using the Zoom feature.

Usage of the Zoom feature can be helpful when you are using your presentation as the basis for a fluid discussion or if your PowerPoint will be used as a self-paced (i.e., asynchronous) resource.

The Zoom feature allows you to easily create (and modify) dynamic hyperlinks that improves the navigation and user-experience of your presentation.

“Simply a better way to design your PowerPoint presentations to address a wide array of possible presentation scenarios”.

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Getting Started with Zoom

When you create a Zoom in PowerPoint, you can jump to and from specific slides, sections, and portions of your presentation in an order you decide while you’re presenting.

There are three specific Zoom options to consider.

Summary Zoom. Select Summary Zoom to show links to anywhere within your entire presentation on one landing page (i.e., slide) and a new slide.
Section Zoom. Select Section Zoom to show only specifically selected sections on your current slide.
Slide Zoom. Select Slide Zoom to show any desired slide you select on your current slide.

Summary Zoom

A Summary Zoom creates a landing page (i.e., slide) where you can see links to each part of your presentation at once, sort of like a “visual table of contents”. When presenting, you can use your Zoom hyperlinks to go from one place in your presentation to another in any order you like without interrupting the flow of your presentation. After you present each slide within each section, you will be returned back to your Summary Zoom landing page.

How to Create a Summary Zoom

Starting from anywhere in your presentation, select Insert > Zoom.
Select Summary Zoom.
The Summary Zoom dialog will open. Select the slides you want to include on your Summary Zoom slide and then select Insert to create your Summary Zoom on a new slide just before the first slide you selected to include.
By default the image on the Summary Zoom slide will be a thumbnail of each selected slide, and will update if you make any changes to the original slide
PowerPoint will create a new section for your Summary Zoom slide named Summary Section. Plus, a new section will be created for each of the other slides you selected as needed.
If you are not already familiar with creating sections in PowerPoint, click here for more information.

How to Update a Summary Zoom

After creating your Summary Zoom, you can easily add/remove sections to it by selecting your Summary Zoom images.
Select the Formattab and select Edit Summary.
Choose the section(s) you want to add/remove and select Update. Your Summary Zoom slide will be updated based on your selections.

Section Zoom

A Section Zoom creates links to any desired sections that you have already defined in your presentation on your current slide. This will be a link to the complete section(s) that you have selected. If you do NOT currently have any sections in your presentation, this option will appear to be unavailable (i.e., greyed-out).

How to Create a Section Zoom

Starting from the slide where you want your Section Zoom to appear, select Insert > Zoom. Tip: you probably will want to start on new, mostly blank slide to be the location for your Section Zoom.
Select Section Zoom.
Instead of displaying all your slides, only the first slide in each defined section will display.
Select the section(s) you want to add to your Section Zoom and select Insert.
Initially, your selected Section Zoom thumbnails are stacked as a group on your slide. Click anywhere else on the slide to deselect them, and then move each individually to your desired location.

Slide Zoom

A Slide Zoom creates links to any desired slides you select within your presentation to your current slide. Slide Zoom allowing you to navigate between slides in any order you choose and could be a good option for shorter presentations and/or to review a few key slides.

How to Create a Slide Zoom

Starting from the slide where you want your Slide Zoom to appear, select Insert > Zoom. Tip: you probably will want to start on new, mostly blank slide to be the location for your Slide Zoom.
Select Slide Zoom.
All your slides will display. Select the slide(s) you want to add to your Slide Zoom and select Insert.
Initially, your selected Slide Zoom thumbnails are stacked as a group on your slide. Click anywhere else on the slide to deselect them, and then move each individually to your desired location.
By default, Return to Zoom is not selected (meaning clicking any of the linked thumbnails will move to that slide, and additional clicking will continue to the end of the presentation).
If you want to return to your Slide Zoom after visiting a slide, you can change this by choosing the desired slide thumbnail and selecting Format > Return to Zoom. Repeat for each slide thumbnail as needed.

Final Thoughts

Once you start using the Zoom feature, you will likely determine reasons for including it in many of your presentations. Personally, the Summary Zoom seems the most applicable to the widest array of presentation situations to me but you might feel differently.

Although are other Zoom-related options you can use (e.g., change the thumbnail image, adjust the Zoom timing duration, Zoom effects, etc), the default Zoom settings will probably work well for most of your immediate needs.

Creating Non-Linear Presentations with PowerPoint Zoom

Creating Non-Linear Presentations with PowerPoint Zoom

Getting Started with Zoom