How to Create a Scoreboard on PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint is a versatile program used to create visual presentations.

A scoreboard is just one creative application possible through PowerPoint.

Since these files are usually projected onto a large screen for many people to see, it is a logical choice to use PowerPoint to keep track of two teams' scores in a game of any kind. Preparing a PowerPoint scoreboard is tedious, but the results are worth it for anyone used to using this program.

Create a new file in PowerPoint and insert just one new blank slide.

Format the slide with the desired layout for your scoreboard. A simple scoreboard may just show two sets of numbers. Use the "Text Box" button on the "Drawing" toolbar to drag two areas for typing in score numbers. If desired, surround these areas with shapes or other graphic objects to highlight the scores.

Place a graphic object under each score that will be used as a button to change that team's score. For example, use the "AutoShapes" menu to place a small plus sign under each score. The operator of the PowerPoint file will later click the button to increase that team's score.

Calculate the maximum possible number of score combinations in your game. This will correspond to the number of unique slides necessary in your PowerPoint file. If two teams play a game to maximum score of 10, then there are 121 combinations of these two teams' scores, including the possible score of 0.

Click once on the slide's thumbnail view in the "Slides" pane on the left of the program window. Press the "Copy" button on the toolbar.

Press the "Paste" button on the toolbar or use the "Control-V" keyboard shortcut to paste as many copies of the slide as necessary to create the score combinations. The slide will be duplicated many times.

Type the score of "0 to 0" on the first slide. Use the area you designated for typing in the initial slide layout.

Type in "0 to 1" in the score fields on the second slide. Continue until you reach the maximum score for one team as decided during the slide duplication. For example, the last slide in this fashion may be "0 to 10."

Type a "1 to 0" score in the next slide. Continue in the same fashion until you reach "1 to 10" or the final score possible for a team.

Create all other score slides in the same manner until you have cycled through all possible slides.

Click the score increment button on the first slide. Select the "Insert" menu and the "Hyperlink" option.

Choose the option "Place in this document" from the selections on the left of the pop-up window.

Select the slide in the "Slide Titles" list that corresponds to the proper slide that should be displayed if that team's score increased by 1, and the other team's score remained the same. If the current slide displays "0 to 0," choose the slide that shows "0 to 1" if you are adjusting the button under the score on the right.

Press the "OK" button. Repeat the process for the other team's score, referencing the appropriate slide.

Create hyperlinks for each slide in the file, using this same concept. Press the "F5" button to run the slideshow and create the interactive scoreboard.