Don't waste time checking files, get notified!

You are working with a team and you are waiting for your team members to update the status of their tasks or 

you keep looking in the project files to see if they have been filled out. 

Now, especially if you are a project manager, you likely do this daily, or even multiple times a day.

Did you know that you can save all that time by getting notified by email when updates are made to your files?

💎 Watch the video to see how to set this up.

❓ Have you tried this? What do you think?

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Infinite version history in Google files

Has it ever happened to you that a file got changed (either by you or someone else) and now you wish you could go back to the version from a week ago?

You can do that in Google files. Today, we dive into the wonderful world of detailed version history in Google files.

💎 Watch the video to see how you can find what was changed in a Google file, and/or revert to an earlier version.

❓ Have you tried this? 🔎

Need help with Google Workspace? Schedule a Discovery Session:

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Embed your video camera feed and record in Google Slides

When you do presentations, if you use a deck, you might distribute the deck for reference, but how can you ensure that people will actually remember what you said about the slides?

➡️ Enter: video feed recordings in Google Slides.

In today's video, I talk about how to embed a video feed into Google Slides so people can see you in-context, and how to record it as a video.

💎 Watch the video to see how you can take your Google Slides to the next level.

Try it! Your audience will be asking how you did this! 😲

Need help with Google Workspace? Schedule a Discovery Session:

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Know what's going on in your Google files

When there is an important document I want to keep tabs on, I like to use the Notifications feature in Google files, because notifications keep me up-to-date on changes on the given Google file. 

For a long time, this feature was only available in Google Sheets.

Finally, it has been introduced in Docs and to some extent in Slides as well.

💎 Watch the video to see how you can turn on change notifications.

❓ Have you tried this?

Need help with Google Workspace? Contact me for a free first consult: 

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Let Your Google Slides Shine! Present Like a Pro!

The success of your presentation hinges not just on what is in the presentation but also on your confidence in handling the tech behind your slides. I see so many beautifully crafted Google Slides that are presented in a way that detract from the overall effect of the presentation. If it takes a while to dial in the tech, your audience will lose interest.

How you want to present your Google Slides depends somewhat on the circumstances of how you will be presenting and what you will be presenting:

💎 Unless you need to jump between windows, you will likely use the Present option in your Google Slides. It shows a full-screen view and allows the audience to fully focus on your slides.

💎 If you need to jump between tabs in your browser or jump between windows, you can consider exiting the full screen (lower left). Try it! It will become one of your favorite features!

💎 Extra KloudGems:

• Hide your Bookmarks bar! 

3 dots > Bookmarks > uncheck Show Bookmarks bar.

• Do not present from the edit view! It may not render your slides big enough, may have editing marking, and does not show your slides in their full glory.

• Consider whether you will be presenting in person or through a video conference. Knowing your tools can help you predict the best way to present.

• If you are going to play a video, make sure that the sound is getting picked up in Zoom and that in Google Meet you choose to present A tab.

• If you have the opportunity to only present A window or you have a secondary screen, you can also make sure to utilize the Presenter view tools in Google Slides:

• Timer

• Speaker notes

• Q&A functionality

• Practice, practice, practice!

❓ Which presentation format do you use when presenting Google Slides?

Need help with Google Workspace? Contact me for a free first consult: 

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KloudGem tips: 

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Productivity: Leave Yourself a Comment

Keeping track of your to-do list and action items can be tricky. Even if you write down what you need to do, you often actually have to go into your files, and figure out where you left off or what changes you were going to make and exactly where.

Tips for end-users and small businesses:

💎 Leaving a Comment for yourself in a Google file can actually help you achieve a number of things all in one:

• Setting an action item.

• Keeping track of action items/to-do list: action items can be searched for in Google Drive easily from the Search options.

• You will know exactly where and what needs to be done, down to the letter.

• You can even add reference materials to your Comments so you have everything in a single place.

💎💎 If you @ or + mention yourself, you can get an email that can then be sent to your Google Tasks list and even allocated on your Google Calendar on a specific day. And this way, you have a workflow!

So don't be shy about leaving Comments and conversing with yourself in Google files.

Tips for mid-size companies and large enterprises:

💎 Commenting can come in handy even in larger organizations the same way as above. 

💎 This is  a powerful tool to get work done collectively, as a team -- ideal for teams who are remote and/or distributed geographically and have to work across time zones.

❓ Do you use the Comment functionality?

Need help with Google Workspace? Contact me for a free first consult: 

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KloudGem tips: 

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Google Slides' Hidden Tools

I was very excited about the latest changes in Google Slides. Even though they sound simple, they make a huge difference.

As easy as it is to present in Google Slides, the presenter's toolbar that used to show up in black at the bottom of the screen seemed to have a life of its own: as you moved your mouse, it would pop up to obstruct the presentation at the worst times. Well, not anymore: Google has significantly reduced the size of the bar and made it translucent so it's more subtle, keeping the non-essential functionality tucked away in the More (3 dots) menu.

Here is the small bar that shows up:

This new arrangement will ensure that less of your presentation is obstructed if you move your mouse to the lower left corner of your screen. It also seems to be quicker to disappear once you move your mouse away again.

And here is the expanded view available with all the bells and whistles when you click the More (3 dots) menu:

The various tools available to you when you expand the More (3 dots) menu (pointer, Q&A, captions, etc.) are still available to help you engage with your audience.

If you’ve tried this new view, I'm curious about whether you’ve found it more comfortable to use. Let me know in the comments.

Need a Google Workspace expert for your organization's digital transformation and change management? Contact me for a free first consult: https://www.kloudgem.com/get-in-touch/contact  

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