How to Make a Looping PowerPoint Introduction

The first step to take is to make the introduction as a separate PowerPoint presentation. It can be as long or as brief as you would like it to be. Start with a Welcome To slide introducing the meeting or training session about to begin. If meeting attendees should sign in, check a seating chart or grab scratch paper and pencils prior to the beginning of the PowerPoint presentation, make slides on the intro instructing them to do so. You might want to make a few slides on the intro that include trivial facts about the company or teasing tidbits about the upcoming training presentation. Add a few fun animations and graphics for added interest, and perhaps even some information that attendees could earn extra credit points for knowing at the end of the PowerPoint presentation. You might just encourage those chronic latecomers to show up earlier next time!

The next step to making a looping introduction for your PowerPoint show is to save the intro in a location and with a name that is easy for you to find. Then, with the intro open, go to the Slide Show tab in PowerPoint 2007 and select Set Up Show. Select the checkbox for Loop Continuously Until 'Esc' and click OK. In PowerPoint 2003, go to the Slide Show menu, select the checkbox for Loop Continuously Until 'Esc' and click OK.

Switch the PowerPoint presentation to Slide Sorter view and press Ctrl+A to select all of the slides. Go to the Animations tab in PowerPoint 2007 or select Slide Transition from the Slide Show menu in PowerPoint 2003. Clear the On Mouse Click check box and select the Automatically After check box. Enter an amount of time for the slides to remain on the screen before advancing and click Apply to All Slides. Save the PowerPoint presentation one more time.

Finally, you need to link the looping intro to the PowerPoint presentation. Click the View tab and select Slide Master in PowerPoint 2007 or go to the View menu in PowerPoint 2003, point to Master and click on Slide Master. Add an Action Button to all slide masters in use. In PowerPoint 2007, select the Shapes drop-down on the Home tab and select an Action Button. In PowerPoint 2003, select AutoShapes from the Drawing toolbar. Point to Action Buttons and select the button you wish to use.

When you place the Action Button onto the slide master, the Action Settings dialog will open. In the Hyperlink To field, select Other PowerPoint Presentation. Find the meeting presentation to which you want to link the looping introduction slide show and click OK. Select the first slide of the main presentation in the Hyperlink to Slide box and click OK. Click OK to apply the link. Repeat with any other slide masters being used in the looping intro PowerPoint presentation. This will add a hyperlinked button to each slide in the presentation. Save the slide show one final time.

Before your presentation, start the looping intro slide show. Whenever you are ready to begin, click the Action Button on the current slide. PowerPoint will immediately switch to your main presentation.

For more helpful PowerPoint articles, check out the Bright Hub Collection of PowerPoint Tips, User Guides, and Tutorials.