If we regard PowerPoint 2007 as the vehicle to deliver a professional presentation, then Transition is the driving technique that makes the journey more fluent.

While Custom Animation is the tool that allows you to alter the display of words and images in each slide, slide Transition relates to how your presentation moves from one slide to another. With PowerPoint 2007 not only is it easy to adjust text and objects so that they can fly across the screen or open through a dissolve, but it is equally straightforward to use slide Transition to add similar effects to slide movement in a presentation.

There are several things relating to the movement of the slide and any sound and speed, to keep in mind when using Transition in your PowerPoint slide show. But working with slide Transitions is much easier than you probably imagine. On the Animations tab, in the Transitions to This Slide group, you will find the Effects, Sound and Speed. With a few clicks, you can add interesting transition effects to the slides in your presentation. Choose from an array which includes fades and dissolves, wipes, and stripes and bars. PowerPoint 2007 allows you to add a transition to one or more slides, set the transition speed, add sounds and also remove the effects.

By scrolling over the effect, you will obtain a preview of the style applied to the slide. When you select an effect, an animation icon will appear on the slide thumbnail of your PowerPoint presentation. To add to each slide - click the Apply To All function. Or select the No Transition effect to make blank and to delete effects.

It's easy to apply the same style to multiple or single slides, or remove transitions. If you understand that slide transitions are the animation-like effects that occur in slide show view when you move from one slide to the next during an on-screen presentation, you will remember that dealing with the effects of objects on the slide requires a different set of commands.

Transition speed is easy to apply and you can choose from Slow, Medium or Fast. You can also decide if you want to apply a transition to a single slide or all of the slides. To add a sound effect to your slide transition sequence, again in the Animations tab, in the Transitions to This Slide group, simply select Transition Sound. To add a sound not included on the list, select Other Sound, locate the sound file that you want to add and then click OK. You will notice that there are other options including to have No Sound, Stop Previous Sound or to Loop until Next Sound. Sound or music files can be saved on your computer in many formats that can be used in PowerPoint 2007, such as MP3 or WAV files.

Obviously it's easier to think about how you are going to apply Transition when you have completed your presentation and all the words and images are in place. If you are making a formal presentation, it is advisable to use the same transitions relating to effects, sound and speed throughout for consistency.

However, the advantage of taking time to edit the Transition attributes on your presentation means that you can alter the transition noise and speed and effect without changing any of the images or text within each slide. You could, therefore, create a presentation for a specific audience's requirements and alter only the sounds and effects of the Transition for another group.

And remember, just like Custom Animation on each slide, a little goes a long way - use subtle effects when required and choose when to make a big impression on an audience. A steady, even journey is best for your board room presentation on this quarter's sales figures, but feel free to add little more pizzazz for Year 2's photo journal of their trip to Terror Towers.