Diagrams are a great way of visually explaining complex relationships and processes. And an important part of diagrams are the callout labels that add context to, or focus on, a particular part of the diagram.

But PowerPoint shapes aren’t very helpful. You could use speech bubbles; but their spikes can block out parts of the picture. Or there are various callout shapes; but their weird adjustable lines won’t snap to the text box and it’s impossible to keep them straight.

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So here’s our go-to approach: a single-cell table.

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We like them because:

They expand and shrink to match the amount of text

Connectors snap to the handles on each side

You can add a border to one side to provide a subtle visual clue.

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And they are really easy to create:

Insert > Table > 1 cell by 1 column

Add the text and resize the width as needed

Add a border to one side

Add a connector. We prefer to use a circular ‘blob’ on the other end rather than an arrow.

Note: it’s also worth setting the cell margins to zero on the three sides that don’t have the border. 

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These labels work really well in charts as well.