1 - Introduction ~5 mins
Welcome
Today you make format 2 as finished as format 1. Format 1 is your VET interview piece; format 2 is the second audience version for your Something Real project.
If you do not yet have a usable format 2 file, tell your teacher now. Today’s minimum for you is complete structure plus a first content pass, not full parity with format 1.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Say in your own words what makes a presentation finished: clear structure, tight content, careful proofing, a clean saved copy
- Bring format 2 to a quality level matching format 1
- Say how close each of your two pieces is to being ready to show
Warm-up
Without opening any files, name one thing format 1 does well that format 2 does not do yet. Hold that gap in your head: it is the first fix you will make today. (If you are on the minimum path above, name the structure or content piece you will finish first.)
2 - Key Concepts ~6 mins
Today the bar is simple: format 2 should feel as finished as format 1. Same professional standard, not the same design.
Worked example
Aoife’s format 1 is a six-slide VET deck (peer feedback applied, PDF exported). Format 2 is a one-page Canva infographic for a school enterprise fair. Her parity check found two spelling errors, a low-contrast icon, and no source note on a price claim. She fixes those three gaps so format 2 matches format 1’s finish level.
Use this checklist on your own pair of files (your teacher will project it):
- Purpose and audience: still clear for format 2’s second audience?
- Structure: one idea per slide, frame, or section?
- Content tightness: can you cut 10% without losing the message?
- Proofing: spelling, names, euro amounts, Irish accents?
- Design restraint: alignment, contrast, motion only where it helps?
- Export: shareable file opens cleanly, editable source still saved?
3 - Step-by-step Task ~15 mins
Before you start: If your format 2 is Canva, CapCut, audio, or another non-slide tool, wait for your teacher’s 60-second non-slide demo first. Do not copy the slide-menu steps onto the wrong app.
Run a guided quality parity pass so you know what “matching format 1” looks like in practice. Slide users follow the PowerPoint for the web or Google Slides steps below. The goal of this block is structure, tighten, proof, and a three-gap list — design polish and export come in Independent Practice (with a clear mini-card and cheat-sheet).
Take a sheet of paper and head it gap list. Everything you notice today goes on that one sheet, so start it before you open anything by writing:
- My format 1 file is called: ________
- My format 2 file is called: ________
Use the exact names already in {{code:sm2}} from earlier in this unit. If a file is still called Untitled or a default Download name, rename it now to a clear project name, then write that name down. Do not invent a mystery second copy.
Non-slide format 2 (Canva, CapCut, audio, or other)
Open format 1 in its usual app for your benchmark, and open format 2 in its own tool, then run the same checks in this order. First, check the purpose: is the second audience still clear on the first screen, the first page, or the first ten seconds of audio or video? Next, check the structure or storyboard by listing your sections, pages or timeline beats on paper and making sure each one carries a single main idea; the storyboard sample your teacher projects gives you a model if you need one. Then tighten by cutting one weak block, one slide-equivalent, or five to ten seconds that does not serve the purpose, using the before-and-after sample if it is on screen.
After that, proof every on-screen word and every spoken script line for spelling, names, euro amounts and Irish accents. Then look at restraint: contrast on your text and icons, or audio levels that do not clip, and drop any flashy effect that pulls attention away from the message. If you have time, do an export check as well by downloading a PNG, PDF, MP4 or MP3 once and reopening it, keeping the editable source in {{code:sm2}}; the export strip sample shows the whole path from download to {{code:sm2_format2_export}} to reopening.
End with the same three-line list: Format 2 still needs.
File names in {{code:sm2}}: open the format 1 and format 2 source files you wrote on your list. If you export later, save the shareable file beside the source as {{code:sm2_format2_export}} (PDF, MP4, PNG, or MP3 as fits your format).
4 - Common Issues ~4 mins
Common Issues
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| I cannot find format 1 or format 2 in {{code:sm2}} | Search your cloud drive for the project name. Move both source files into {{code:Project_Portfolio}}/{{code:09_specialism}}/{{code:sm2}} before you continue so later KA evidence is in one place. Write the exact filenames on your gap list and keep those names. |
| My format 2 is CapCut, Canva, or audio, not slides | Use the non-slide branch in the step-by-step task: purpose, structure/storyboard, tighten, proof, restraint, export. Ask your teacher to glance at one frame or the timeline with you. Use the three projected guides (storyboard, tighten, export) if you need a visual model. |
| Format 2 still looks half-finished next to format 1 | Do not redesign from scratch. Fix the three gaps on your list first (usually structure, proofing, and one design consistency issue). Matching quality beats adding new decoration. |
| Spell-check ignores Irish names or place names | Add trusted words to the dictionary, then still read aloud. Homophones and missing accents need a human pass. |
| I need to export a shareable copy (PDF, PNG, MP4, or MP3) | Export cheat-sheet: (1) PowerPoint for the web: {{menu:File -> Download}} → PDF (or the type you need) → move/rename the download to {{code:sm2_format2_export}} in {{code:sm2}}. (2) Google Slides: {{menu:File -> Download}} → PDF Document (.pdf) → same rename into {{code:sm2}}. (3) Canva/CapCut/audio: use Download or Export, pick PNG/PDF/MP4/MP3, save beside the source as {{code:sm2_format2_export}}, then reopen the export once to check fonts, crop, and audio. |
| Export PDF or video looks different from the editor | Re-export after you finish edits. Check fonts, cropped images, and audio levels on the exported file, not only inside the editor. Save the clean shareable file as {{code:sm2_format2_export}} beside your source. |
5 - Independent Practice ~20 mins
Independent Practice
- Open {{code:Project_Portfolio}}/{{code:09_specialism}}/{{code:sm2}}. Open format 1 and format 2 side by side using the source names on your gap list (format 1: ________ / format 2: ________).
- Work through the three items on your Format 2 still needs list.
- Design consistency checks (do both before you export): (a) same heading size and style on every slide or frame; (b) body text readable at arm’s length (strong contrast, not pale grey on white).
- Export mini-card: when the piece is tight, download a clean shareable copy (PDF, MP4, PNG, or MP3 as fits). Rename/move it in {{code:sm2}} as {{code:sm2_format2_export}}. Reopen the export once. Keep editing the same format 2 source under its existing unit name — do not leave only a default Download name. (Slide path details are in Common Issues if you need the menu clicks.)
- Write G, A, or R on your three-gap sheet: green (parity met), amber (one gap left), or red (needs catch-up). Your teacher will spot-check ambers and reds.
Optional (only if your teacher asks): type your three gaps into a short note called {{code:sm2_format2_gaps}} in {{code:sm2}}.
- Format 2 source is saved in {{code:sm2}} under the name on your gap list and opens without missing media or placeholder text
- Structure and message are clear for format 2’s real audience, with obvious fluff removed; headings match and contrast is readable at arm’s length
- Text and labels are proofed; names, euro figures, and accents are correct
- A clean {{code:sm2_format2_export}} sits beside the source if your format needs a shareable copy, and side by side with format 1 your format 2 looks ready to show a teacher — you could explain any one remaining gap in a single sentence
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