Adding a Diagram to Your Presentation
To add a diagram, choose one of the five diagram styles in the Diagram Gallery and click OK. If you find that the diagram type doesn't suit your needs, you can always change it later.
Can't find the right diagram? See the “Troubleshooting” section near the end of this chapter.
Note
Remember that diagrams are only one way to visually present information in PowerPoint. You can also create flowcharts and other illustrations, for example, to convey similar information using PowerPoint's AutoShape functionality.
→ To learn how to use AutoShapes to create flowcharts or other diagrams, see “Adding AutoShapes” in Chapter 14, “Creating and Formatting Objects.”
PowerPoint inserts the diagram in your presentation and opens the Diagram and Drawing toolbars. The Diagram toolbar includes the following options:
Insert Shape Inserts an additional shape in your diagram. For example, if you have a pyramid diagram with four levels, clicking Insert Shape would add a fifth level.
→ For more information on using the Drawing toolbar, see “Using the Drawing Toolbar to Create Objects” in Chapter 14.
Reverse Diagram Reverses the positioning of the selected diagram.
AutoFormat Opens the Diagram Style Gallery where you can choose from many different styles for your selected diagram type. The box to the right previews the style you select. Click Apply when you find the style that suits your presentation. Figure 12.6 illustrates this style gallery.
Figure 12.6. Choose from a variety of style options for your diagram.
Caution
The Diagram Style Gallery is a useful tool that provides a lot of flexibility and creativity in terms of style options. Be sure, however, that your choice still makes your diagram readable and matches your overall presentation tone before choosing something too unique.
Change To Displays a menu of other diagram styles so you can quickly modify your diagram if your original choice (which is dimmed on the menu) wasn't quite right. Options include Cycle, Radial, Pyramid, Venn, and Target.
Adding Text to Your Diagram
You can add text to radial, pyramid, and venn diagrams by clicking the Click to Add Text placeholder or by right-clicking and choosing Edit Text from the context-sensitive menu. Clicking this placeholder removes the temporary text and inserts the cursor in a text box where you can type your text. You can format the text in this box like any other text, applying bolding, a new font, and so forth.
Even if you chose a diagram that doesn't support adding text in this manner, you can add text in the form of a text box. To add text in the form of a text box, click the Text Box button on the Drawing toolbar to place a text box.
→ For more information on using the Drawing toolbar and creating a text box, see “Using the Drawing Toolbar to Create Objects” in Chapter 14.
Formatting Your Diagram
You can format a diagram just as you format any other PowerPoint object. For example, you can reposition your diagram, change its colors, modify fonts, and so on. Formatting your diagram can not only make it more visually appealing, but also make it better match the design scheme of your overall presentation. You'll primarily handle formatting tasks in the Format dialog box or by using the Drawing toolbar.
→ For more information about the Format dialog box and the Drawing toolbar, see Chapter 14.
You can also animate a diagram to add additional emphasis during a presentation. For example, you could animate a pyramid diagram by having each level of the pyramid display one at time on your slide. Using the Custom Animation task pane, you can easily apply sophisticated animations like this to the parts of your diagrams.
→ To learn more about animating diagrams, seeChapter 15, “Working with Animation.”
Deleting a Diagram
To delete a diagram, select it and press the Delete key. Either the content palette or placeholder appears, depending on which slide layout you chose. If you want to create another diagram, you can start over from here, accessing the Diagram Gallery by clicking the palette or placeholder. If you want to delete the diagram entirely, select the frame around the palette or placeholder and press the Delete key again.