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Free PowerPoint resources

Taken from QuickLOL.Com
It is estimated that there are 1 Billion PowerPoint installations since its inception in 1990 with 11 versions, the latest being office 2013.
A good PowerPoint is the starting point of a good presentation.
It needs a good template to start with.
There are innumerable sites offering the tools and templates.
Here below are the sites to check out
   Free Powerpoint Templates
   Slide Hunter
   PPTtemplate
   Freepowerpointtemplates

 Though the templates are free to download, you may have to share the site on social media.
It's worth giving that free advertisement for some really good templates..
Well, we all know, There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.

Remembering Mahatma



Marketing Lessons from Lunchbox

Getting work done



Garnish your presentations with visual splendors

Excel and PowerPoint are The God's gifts to mankind.
However, PowerPoint  often gets transformed in to a toxic weapon for mass production of transient zombies out of energetic corporate citizens. The paradox is , the chief ‘Execution’ officer aka the presenter is unaware of the weapon’s destructive persona and its outcomes despite his/her noble intentions.

 Well, there are ways to make your ‘Power’ Points minimally lethal and positively effective.
We all know that 'content is the king' .Apart from that, a wise use of pictures and clip art can enhance the value of the content.
That’s where ShapeChef from Wolsoft comes handy.
Shape chef is a PowerPoint add-in for  2007,2010 and 2013 versions.

 This chef is an expert in garnishing your presentations and can spice up your content with Pics and can make visual splendors out of PowerPoints suffering from Acute Textitis. (Inflammation due to profusion of text)

 



Wolsoft introduces an awesome add-in , ShapeChef that can be handy in collecting, organizing, sharing and choosing the right clip art for your message.
With ShapeChef at your disposal,

  • You can download hundreds of clip arts, shapes, editable maps, stick figures with emotions, icons, symbols and many other and use them in your presentations.( well, more and more are in store for you with newer versions of  Shapechef)
  • All the clipart available with ShapeChef are sketched ones. These hand sketched clip-art can add a dash of beauty of their own.
  • You can organize clip-arts in to categories and sub categories for easy access.
  • You can create your own clip-art using the shapes and store and share them.
  • The best part is the Maps !  and, these are editable !
  • You can also share your collections-online in the cloud. So, you have anytime any where access to your clips.
  • You can invite others and others can invite you too… that means, you have access to many more creations from others too J
  • Using ShapeChef is easy.
  • Download the trial version. Here.
  • I recommend that you download the trial version, check its awesomeness,get satisfied and then buy it. I usually do not recommend any software to be bought . But, ShapeChef is one exception :-)
When installed, it gets loaded in to PowerPoint as an Add-in and shows up as a menu in your PowerPoint menu ribbon.
  • You need to download the Cliparts once and they reside on your computer.
  • Drag and drop them on to your slide.
  • Increase / decrease their size as per your need
  • Cook visual spenders with your PowerPoints using ShapeChef.
Shape chef introduction

Here is my quick Gyan as a demo of Shape Chef... I created it in flat 10 mins....

Wi Fi


Glad to share that this presentation featured on Slideshare Home Page :-)


How to Transfer / share very BIG files over net ?

 Need to transfer a file of size over 1GB ?

Here is a free tool. Wetransfer.
You can transfer files upto a Max of 2 GB size!!! Absolutely free.
The procedure is very simple.
as simple as....
Add .Transfer.Confirm.

Alternatively , You May also consider Using 

Google drive
One Drive
Box 

The "r" in "Dr" for Debit


It's customary to write Debit on the Left side and Credit on the Right side in double-entry accounting system.

The difference between the total of all debits and the total of all credits is the "Balance". 
The genesis of these words dates back to a little over 500 Years and the credit goes to an Italian named Friar Luca-Pacioli.
Friar Luca-Pacioli. is the first to use the Latin terms
Credre  meaning "to entrust something"‘: Short form "Cr" and
Debere  meaning "to owe someone"  : Short form "Dr" 
(That's how "r" in Dr from Debere ).
Later, these words got transformed into ‘Debit and Credit’.

The proverbial powers that rule the world : Money-Muscle-Mind

The Hindu Mythology Personifies the Proverbial Powers that rule the world as TRIDEVI (Three Goddess) 
  1. The Lakshmi , Goddess of Wealth Signifying "Money" 
  2. The Pravathi , Goddess of  Power Signifying "Muscle"  and 
  3. The Saraswathi , Goddess of Knowledge Signifying "Mind"


Goddess Lakshmi - Goddess Parvathi  - Goddess Saraswathi

Does the combination of " Money-Muscle-Mind"  sound quite familiar?
Well, they are the powers mentioned in Alvin Toffler's Power shift.

Lord Krishna ! Whats up ?

We all  read about Whats-app in the recent news. It reminded me of a story from Indian Mythology .
Here is the story....
Satyabhama, one of the eight wives of Lord Sri Krishna, performs a ritual to possess Lord Sri Krishna all to herself.
The ritual ends by donating Lord Krishna to a sage named 'Narad' in the name of charity and reclaiming him back with anything that equals his weight measured with a simple balance.

 When Lord Sri Krishna was weighed, Satyabhama failed to equal his weight in Gold, Money and All other Material Possessions. 

 In an last attempt to salvage, she pleads Rukmini, another wife of lord Sri Krishna to give something that can weigh or rather outweigh Lord Sri Krisha .

 Rukmini , Lord Sri Krishna's wife and his devotee, places a “Tulasi twig (Basil Twig) embedded with all her devotion” in the other pan of the balance.

 This small Tulasi Twig embedded with devotion outweighs Lord Krishna.

 This miracle ( Leela) by lord Sri Krishna is a demonstration that Devotion outweighs all Material possessions.

 No doubt, this story from Hindu Mythology has similarity to the present marketing world.
We often see Million dollar marketing programmes by corporate Giants evaporate and the one solution with rich insight and intent to serve the customer is the winner.
Does it Ring any bells ? 
Whatsapp and Google hangouts!!







For a better narration of the same Mythological story. take a look at this blog post from 

An idea to improve full vaccination rate in India

Bitstrips of Mahesh

The New Age Resumes n' Resignations :-)

People are re-inventing resume. That’s what I see happening on the web world. At least, a part of the world appears to have moved away from traditional curriculum vitae.

A New Age Resume can creatively harness the power of communication channels to get you the right job you love.

Before I talk about new age resumes, 
I believe, one must have a primordial Google Resume.

Google Resume : 
If you are not on Google you do not exist.
Yes, At least in the corporate world. So Google is your primordial resume.
Manage it with your presence on WWW.

Coming back to Resumes, I believe that a resume should answer the 5W-1H’s
( Who,Where,When,Why,What and How)

It should represent
Who you are, 
Where you work , 
When you did What ,
Why you are the best, 
What you are good at, 
How you can bring in value. 
In essence, It should showcase your Knowledge, Skill and Will. 

 Here, I present you  creative ways of "selling you and your story"

~  Video Resumes
~   PowerPoint Resume
~   Webinar Resume
~   Live Resume
~   LinkedIn Resume
~   Infographic Resume
~   Other Awesome Resumes 

Video resume : 
is a most comprehensive way to present one's self. You will not only be able to showcase your skills and abilities but also show the prospective employer ..how you look and behave. 
The advantage of a video resume is .. It aids you to showcase your positive body language.

PowerPoint Resume : 
is the easiest, most effective resume. Get inspired by these Powerpoint resumes on Slide Share. I am sure, it can bring in lots of value and creative ideas.
Get Inspired: 30 Best Visual PowerPoint Résumés for your Inspiration

Webinar Resume : 
It is a mix of visual, audio as well as PowerPoint. It can showcase your knowledge on a subject.
Use Google Hangouts, Slide share Zipcast or TeamViewer or anymeeting to conduct Free webinars and get noticed.

Live Resume :
You can make your Online presence your resume. Your website, Your Facebook, Your Twitter, Your Pinterest, Your Scoopit, Your Blog, Your LinkedIn, Your Comments on social media, Your likes and Your responses on online forums ..is your Live Resume.
Your website can be your CV, Your online creativity can become your CV.
We all should know our profiles on Linkedin are our resumes, Live and Kicking....

Philippe Dubost created that is a look-alike of Amazon Product page. 
It's gone Viral. Take a look at his live resume....

Phil Dub's Amazing Resume








Take a look at this post in Business Insider...to get Inspiration...
13 Insanely Cool Resumes That Landed Interviews At Google And Other Top Jobs

LinkedIn Resume : 
Fortunately, LinkedIn offers many features to garnish your profile, showcase your work ( of course without conflict of interest with your present organization)
The three rules for the best resume on LinkedIn are..
   1. Complete in all aspects. ( Take LinkedIn suggestions/ Improve your profile wizard)
   2. Showcase your work
   3. Get Recommendations

Infographic Resume :
Infographic is using an image to communicate data or Visualizing Infirmation
Creating infogram  is easy...Use 
Infogram  : http://infogr.am/ or
Visually : http://visual.ly/
Here are Visualizations on Pintrest to get inspiration
Infographic Visual Resumes on Pinterest

If you find it difficult to create your own visualization,
you can try the easiest   Vizualize.me 
or try out the brilliant  Resum.Up
Where  visualization of your resume is made easy and you can get awsome Visual Resumes.



 Other Awesome Resumes :

Twesumes : 
Twisume is 140 Character Twitter message that is a crisp Bio-data coupled with the hash tag #twesume.
Take a look at this Twisume of Santa Claus
Santa Claus: World traveller and toy expert. 300+ years management experience. Looking for a position in the entertainment industry. http://tinyurl.com/c9ursdp #twesume
as it can connect the prospective  recruiter to your Twitter account, Your profile and tweets showcase your Skill, Will and Knowledge...
Look for more on  Mashable article on Twisume

Phone App as Resume :
a Good idea to explore.Still a niche.. but a creative way to do so.. to showcase your skills.

 Creative Resumes : 
Here are some very very creative resumes showcased in  Bored Panda 
Here is a sample...
















The new age resignations...

In the new age of communications, even resignations are made sensational... Thus sometimes making them as Heroes and New Opportunities knocking their doors despite their controversial yet, creative resignations.

Musical Resignation that had gone viral....


However, I caution... Do not emulate...
Why the ‘Joey Quits’ Video Is A Seriously Bad Career Move
Here is a Dancing to Resignation that also had gone viral....

If you wish to know more about resignations read  the article 
Five 'kick a__' resignations that went viral...

 Epilogue: Resume or Resignation... Win Hearts... Let people remember you for the Right Reasons....

I am selfish. I want to live twice. I donated my organs : Repost

Logo from Committee of Organ Donation in Lebanon


 God bestowed us with the power to donate life.
I donated my organs. Have you ?
By donating your organs after you die,
you can save or improve as many as 80 lives.
If you still have doubts
Mayoclinic : Organ donation: Don't let these myths confuse you
Listen to TED Talk by Dr. Chris Barry, a transplant surgeon from Rochester Medical Center.

Mobile Simulator for your Website : Mobilizer

It's a simple no-nonsense tool to demonstrate your mobile websites, mobile SFA tools in action. You can save them as images for your presentations.
Its really good...Very simple to use for demonstrations.
Here is how LCDing shows up on various mobiles...
Mobilizer from Spring box
Enables users to showcase design mockups, mobile websites, and local HTML in life-like form. Fast and easy to use, users simply choose a device, enter a URL or design, and Mobilizer instantly constructs a vivid, pixel-accurate display- ready for presentations, pitches and portfolios. 


Search Google by Image

Have you ever tried searching Google for an image you already have? Take a look.


 Want to learn more on how to search Google ? Watch this video.

Remembering Gandhiji


He is from a B school called "Life"

Here is a video shared by my colleague on Whats' App.
There is a lot to learn from this small clip for 2 Mins.
Do not miss it.

Column and Stacked Column - Mixed Chart in Excel and PowerPoint

Couple of days back a friend of mine came to me and asked for help to create a chart that should
display the mother brand's objective as column chart and its line extensions sales achievement as stacked chart month by month.
This may also be used to show objective of the Brand Vs. Sales achievement of various SKUs.(stock-keeping unit).
Well , neither Excel not PowerPoint has an option to mix two chart types in a single chart.
So, I tried and created a simple cheat.
Here is the Chart.

Take a look and use the PowerPoint template for the same. 

In-Sin

Well, we all know that our Personal world is different from Social (Media) world.
The fundamental difference is,  in my personal world it's  one to few and few to one interaction 
Whereas in social world, it's  one to many and many to one.
well, you may or may not know many in that many :-)

 I can exercise my choices in my personal world. whereas I need to abide by unsaid social rules in the other social world because it takes all kinds of people to make this world.

 Here is my learning from some of my own connections and interactions on LinkedIn.
I call each one of them as "inSin". 
I will try to avoid those.....




Lessons learned from Bhag Milkha Bhag

Open Office : Best ever free Office Site

Compatible with other major office suites, Apache OpenOffice is free to download, use, and distribute. Download it now, and get:

  • Writer a word processor you can use for anything from writing a quick letter to producing an entire book.
  • Calc a powerful spreadsheet with all the tools you need to calculate, analyze, and present your data in numerical reports or sizzling graphics.
  • Impress the fastest, most powerful way to create effective multimedia presentations.
  • Draw lets you produce everything from simple diagrams to dynamic 3D illustrations.
  • Base lets you manipulate databases seamlessly. Create and modify tables, forms, queries, and reports, all from within Apache OpenOffice.
  • Math lets you create mathematical equations with a graphic user interface or by directly typing your formulas into the equation editor.

PDF to PPTX : Converting PDFs to Powerpoint : Absolutely free

So, you need to convert a PDF into a PowerPoint.  
This usually happens when you get "Inspired" by some presentation from Slideshare.
Here is a simple way to do so by using..

 1. PDFill : PDFill is a brilliant piece of software which is absolutely free and can do lots of amazing things with PDF Files. You can download it here.

 2. PowerPoint: Hope you have Office 2010 .
In case you do not have one try the best free alternative: Open Office 4.0

Two  Simple Steps
Step 1 :
Use PDFill to convert all pages of PDF into Images and store them in a folder.
All pages will get converted into pictures in an instant.

















Step 2 :
Use the "Photo Album" feature to convert all the images created with PDFill into slides.
All pictures in the folder will get converted into pictures into a presentation in a jiffy.

















 Next time when you have the challenge to convert a PDF to PowerPoint, Remember this trick :-)

What drives Success?



My Presentation on SFA : Sales force Automation in Pharma

Post Lunch Session :-)
This is my presentation on Sales Force Automation presented during 
SFE &SFA Conference bu UBM/CPhI at Mumbai on 18-19 June 2013