word cloud

Word Clouds are images composed of words pertaining to a particular subject, in which the size of each word indicates its frequency and importance. They are a popular way to visualize a message and something we have integrated into many presentations.

Pro Word Cloud is a Microsoft add-in that is free and can create world clouds with your custom text directly in PowerPoint. To install go to INSERT > STORE > search WORD CLOUD > and ADD the Pro Word Cloud add-in.

Installing the add-in gives direct access to a side pane to quickly and easily convert on-slide text to stylized word clouds directly from within PowerPoint itself. The action pane provides a nice selection of styling features, including; custom font, many preset color scheme options, word case and size.

Creating a word cloud with Pro Word Cloud is not completely intuitive. First you need to add all of the words to a text box in PowerPoint. Then select all and copy, because the add-in uses the text copied to the clipboard, there is no text entry area in the app. In the Pro Word Cloud action pane, click CREATE WORD CLOUD. Now, right-click the small word cloud image and copy, then paste onto the slide. 

Here is my example, with text I copied on the left and the Word Cloud the add-in created on the right.

A few observations:

• Add-in does not use the PowerPoint template color scheme for the Word Cloud
• Available color options are limited to preset color schemes, with no custom color setup
• Use the size option to create a large enough word cloud image, I generally use 900x500px as the smallest size
• The Word Cloud is an inserted flat image, so no animation by word or editing options
• I recommend adding the word list to the presenter notes or to an off-slide text box to have available for any update needs

Troy @ TLC