PowerPoint 101: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners
Are you struggling with PowerPoint? You need a quick design in PowerPoint but don't know where to start? Don't worry, you have nothing to be ashamed of.
In this article, we're going to refresh the most important PowerPoint basics so you can take advantage of this Microsoft software and create high-impact presentations at any time!
Millions of users worldwide use Microsoft 365 services , making PowerPoint the presentation design software with the highest market share. And with good reason! PowerPoint's features stand out for its usability and originality . We can tell you that PowerPoint is pretty intuitive software, and it's a great option to choose when working with presentations on a daily basis. So, are you ready for a quick PowerPoint 101 class?
Let ' s see what you ' re going to learn today with this PowerPoint Guide :
What is PowerPoint?
What are the best uses of powerpoint, powerpoint basics: what are the components of powerpoint workspace, mastering powerpoint: what are the main features of powerpoint, what are powerpoint templates and where to find them, time to practice how to make a presentation in powerpoint.
Microsoft PowerPoint is a presentation design software that is part of Microsoft 365 . This software allows you to design presentations by combining text, images, graphics, video, and animation on slides in a simple and intuitive way.
Over time, PowerPoint has evolved and improved its accessibility to users. For this reason, it has been adapted to the main operating systems and modalities:
- PowerPoint Online
Additionally, you can use Word and Excel in this online version. That way, you'll be able to make real-time changes in the cloud without fearing losing your files. Sounds great, right?
PowerPoint has a versatile range of uses. Here's a list of the different tasks you can complete with this presentation design software:
- Business presentations or Pitch decks.
- Marketing, Sales and HR plans.
- Project briefs and timelines.
- Inductions to new employees.
- Seminars and educational classes.
- Professional portfolio of photos or designs.
- Presentations of a research summary.
- Presentations for special occasions.
These are just a few examples of the multiple possibilities this Microsoft software offers. Your imagination is the only limit!
Stay tuned as we continue with this PowerPoint 101 Guide...
In order to deeply understand this presentation design software, you need to recognize its main components. Now it's time to learn about the PowerPoint basics!
A quick note before going any further: when opening PowerPoint, some of the commands in the ribbons will look grayish and won't be highlighted when you hover the mouse over them.
This happens since some commands need to be selected in order to function. For example, if you want to change the color of a text, you first need to select it.
That being said, let's start with this Guide for PowerPoint beginners:
PowerPoint Main Window
The first aspect to learn is PowerPoint Main Window. To facilitate the explanation, we've organized its main elements with numbers from 1 to 10:
Based on that, the main components of PowerPoint window are the following:
1. Quick Access Toolbar: allows you to customize commands to have them at hand. You only have to select it and go to "More commands."
2. Title Bar: shows you the name of your file and other "Suggested options" like Slide Master View . These options will vary depending on the use you give to the commands.
3. File Tab: you will see the Home Menu (PowerPoint backstage) by selecting it. There, you can create a new presentation, save it, print it, export it, and many other options.
4. The Ribbon: it's where PowerPoint tabs and tools are. These tools can also be called "commands" or “features.”
5. More Button or Down Arrow: these arrows allow you to view more tools or layout options in PowerPoint.
6. Slides Pane: shows your slides in thumbnail size. By right-clicking, you can access additional options for customizing each slide. Perfect for PowerPoint beginners!
7. Slide: PowerPoint's blank canvas and the frame to be seen when presenting the file.
8. Placeholders: they are dotted boxes that will store your content.
9. Status Bar: allows you to view the slide number, grammatical errors, speaker notes, and the comments on your file.
10. Zoom: allows you to enlarge or minimize your PowerPoint workspace. The range goes from 10 to 400%.
PowerPoint Tabs
The PowerPoint tabs are the control desk of your presentation . Since PowerPoint's features are too many, they're organized in tabs.
You can come and go between tabs as you need. Once you click on a tab, it will open its ribbon, and there, you'll be able to see all the tools related to that particular category.
This PowerPoint tutorial for beginners will give you an overview of all PowerPoint tabs . Pay attention to the following list:
- Transitions Tab
- Animations Tab
- Slide Show Tab
- Recording Tab
1. Home Tab
The Home tab is the most common tab of PowerPoint. This is the tab you'll probably use the most if you're designing a presentation deck from scratch.
It allows you to add new slides and change the text characteristics : font, size, boldness, underlining, alignment, etc. If you've ever used Microsoft Word, these features will be familiar to you.
Also, you will find commands to edit the characteristics of the geometric shapes you insert. This includes: fill color, line color, sharpe effects, among others.
2. Insert Tab
The Insert tab is exactly what its name says it is. In this ribbon, you'll find all the options concerning adding a new element to your PowerPoint presentation .
You can insert a picture, some geometric shapes, icons, WordArt graphics, among others. We can tell you that this tab is really helpful for PowerPoint beginners!
For example, if you have a lot of data in PowerPoint , you could add a chart or diagram to show your information in a more visual way. Also, you can embed videos or music into PowerPoint really easily.
- PowerPoint tip for beginners: To be able to write text on your slides, you need a text box. So, if you're designing your presentation from scratch, remember to go first to the Insert tab and add a text box to start writing.
3. Design Tab
If you are one of those people who enjoy choosing the design of a PowerPoint presentation, this tab will be your favorite.
The Design tab offers a wide range of premade designs , allowing you to get more polished slides. Even better, if you explore its ribbon, you can adjust the color palette and change the overall style of your PowerPoint deck.
The PowerPoint interface, as this basic PowerPoint Tutorial, is really intuitive. We believe that you won't have any problem with this tab!
4. Transitions Tab
Using transitions in PowerPoint is a dynamic way to move from one slide to the next during a presentation. This feature is PowerPoint's stamp, so don ' t miss it!
Some PowerPoint transitions are really classic, like wiping the old slide to present the new one. Others are somewhat over the top, like the “Vortex” or the “Airplane” effect.
If you click on each kind of transition, you'll see a preview on how it would look when presenting. Really cool, right?
5. Animations Tab
In case you want to add special effects for certain elements in your slides , the Animations tab in PowerPoint will interest you.
Like the Transitions tab, you will find various animation effects in this ribbon. It's a matter of trying and choosing the best one according to your needs!
6. Slide Show Tab
As its name says, the Slide Show tab is about presenting your slides . We really like that it gives you several options to show up your presentation!
Considering that you're a PowerPoint beginner, you're not likely to use the Slide Show tab very much.
But if you're curious about this command, you must read our article: How to Make a PowerPoint Slideshow that Runs Automatically?
7. Review Tab
The Review tab is not often used by PowerPoint beginners either.
However, if your job is related to writing or if you work at an international company, this tool can be extremely useful!
With this tab, you can check the slide's spelling, translate the text in real-time, and add comments to your slides . This last function can be helpful to give feedback to a colleague.
8. View Tab
This View tab allows you to change the view of your PowerPoint slides and make handouts from them, among other things.
As you can see, the majority of its commands are really specific. So you won't have any issues while designing, test and see!
In this section, our favorite command for PowerPoint beginners is Slide Master . Explore more about this tool in our guide!
9. Recording Tab
In the last versions of this design presentation software, PowerPoint added the Recording tab. As its name says, it allows you to record all your presentation slides .
This ribbon has advanced commands, so the most common action for a PowerPoint beginner is to take a screenshot or record the screen sequentially .
10. Help Tab
Finally, there is the Help tab. If you have any problem or question concerning how to use PowerPoint, you may go here to look for a solution.
In the latest versions, Windows has added a “Show Training” option. You can click this command to practice the PowerPoint basics since it will download training templates.
As a beginner in PowerPoint, you must recognize the objective of each PowerPoint tab to be able to master the software . But, in order to conduct an outstanding presentation deck, you also need to dominate its most important features. Let's see some of them in the next section!
If you feel ready to delve deeper into PowerPoint's tools, this section is for you.
As you may know , 24Slides specializes in creating outstanding presentations for any Design Project . So, we asked one of our experts about her favorite PowerPoint features, and we want to share them all with you!
Carmen Navarrete , Graphic Designer at 24Slides, highlighted the following features that will make your presentations stand out from the crowd:
PowerPoint Feature #1: Crop to Shape
This first PowerPoint feature is simple but effective!
Let's see how to use it:
- First, choose an image you want to cut and insert it into your workspace.
- Once inserted, select it with the mouse.
- Go to the "Picture Format" tab.
- Press the arrow of the "Crop" button (right side of the screen).
- Select "Crop to Shape."
- Choose your favorite shape and customize your PowerPoint presentation!
PowerPoint Feature #2: Merge Shapes
If you don't like any figure enough, you can create one from scratch!
This is possible thanks to the "Merge Shapes" option. Follow these steps to unleash your creativity:
- First choose an image you want to cut.
- Check the list of PowerPoint shapes (Insert tab > Shapes).
- Choose two or three figures you want to merge (they can be the same figure).
- Select the figures you are going to merge (see the image).
- Once selected, go to the "Shape Format" tab.
- Press the "Merge Shapes" option and the type of merge you want (test and choose!).
- A new figure will appear, and you must fill it with the image from the first step.
- Stay on the Shape Format tab and go to "Shape Fill" (button in the middle of the ribbon).
- Select "Picture Fill" and browse for your image.
- Select the image to fill your new figure, and that's it!
- PowerPoint tip for beginners: When your merged figure is ready, paste the image to the background of your slide to achieve a better result. This way, you can use your image as a canvas and see if both elements fit well.
PowerPoint Feature #3: Insert Icons
This PowerPoint feature is quite easy to follow for PowerPoint beginners!
Just follow these steps:
- Go to the Insert tab.
- Select the "Icons" option.
- A Microsoft 365 library will open, where you can search for the required icon.
- Now, you must insert it into your presentation and adapt it to your design.
- If you have an active Microsoft 365 subscription, you'll have access to a larger number of icons in PowerPoint.
- PowerPoint tip for beginners: If you want to learn more about icons in PowerPoint, read our article on How to Use Icons to Make Amazing PowerPoint Presentations .
PowerPoint Feature #4: Insert SmartArt
PowerPoint's SmartArt is one of the most popular and accessible tools to dominate while learning about PowerPoint basics.
To use it in your slide deck, you must:
- Select SmartArt.
- See all SmartArt categories and choose your favorite based on your needs.
- Add the text you have prepared and adapt it to your presentation.
We want to give you some ideas to master this SmartArt tool in PowerPoint: you can make timelines , flowcharts , and even a Venn diagram in just a few seconds. Try and see!
PowerPoint Feature #5: Remove Background
If you don't know how to use Photoshop and want to remove the background from an image, in this PowerPoint 101 Guide, we show you how:
- First choose the image you want to remove the background from.
- Insert the image in the PowerPoint workspace.
- Select the image and go to the "Picture Format" tab.
- Select "Remove Background" (first option on the left).
- You can keep and remove parts of the image with the first two tools of the ribbon (see image).
- Keep in mind that all the sections highlighted in purple will be deleted.
- We recommend zooming in to keep or remove parts of the image with more detail.
- Once you're done, press the "Keep Changes" button.
- Finally, adapt the new image to your PowerPoint presentation.
- PowerPoint tip for beginners: Choose a high-contrast photo or image for best results. In other words, the outline of the person or object you want to cut out must have clear edges and cannot blend with the image's background color.
PowerPoint Feature #6: Add Speaker Notes
The latest PowerPoint feature is a command you can use to prepare your speech before presenting to an audience.
Learning how to add speaker notes in PowerPoint is simple:
- Select the slide that needs some notes.
- Usually, there is a footer below the slide, but if not, you will have to activate it.
- Go to the View tab and select "Notes."
- The Speaker Notes section will appear, and you can add whatever you want!
- PowerPoint tip for beginners: In case you want to practice your entire presentation and have a lot of notes, go to the View tab and select "Notes Page" (fourth command). You'll be able to see all your Speaker Notes faster!
PowerPoint Feature #7: PowerPoint Translator
If you've ever wondered how to translate your PowerPoint Slides, we'll explain the step by step here:
- Go to the Review tab.
- Select the text you want to translate.
- Press the “Translate” button.
- A panel will open on the right side of the screen.
- Choose the language you need and you'll see the translation in real-time.
- If you press Insert, the text will change to the new translation!
PowerPoint Feature #8: Screen Recording
The process of recording your screen in PowerPoint is straightforward and intuitive. Let's see:
- Go to the “Record” or “Recording” tab.
- Press the "Record Slide Show" button or the “From Beginning” button (depending on your PPT version).
- A new window will open.
- Select the red record button and start recording!
- When you're done, select “Export.”
- By default, the video will be 1080p. If you want to lower the video quality, go to "Customize export."
- Name the video, save it to a folder and that's it!
As you may have noticed, this software has endless PowerPoint design options for beginners. We encourage you to try and test each functionality!
However, we're clear that PowerPoint has different features, so it can be hard to know where to start. That's why understanding PowerPoint basics is crucial if you truly want to master this software!
Our PowerPoint 101 Guide continues; stay tuned to discover more great stuff about this Microsoft software. Keep reading!
A PowerPoint template is a pre-made design that you can use for your own means, and that will save you a lot of time!
Templates in PowerPoint are a great resource for designing since all the structure is already done, and you only have to update the content . We can tell you they're the perfect resource for PowerPoint beginners!
They can be incredibly specific. For example, there are templates for a SWOT analysis or a complete Marketing report. Otherwise, templates can also be very general, with several slides with a similar design.
If you struggle with the artistic part of designing presentations, downloading PowerPoint templates will be a life changer!
How to download PowerPoint templates for free?
If you didn't know, 24Slides has an extensive repository of PowerPoint templates. But how to obtain them? It's really simple:
- First, create an account on our Free Templates Website with the button “Register” (that way, you can download everything without problems!).
- Think about the graphics you need and the ideal structure for your presentation deck (you can also change the color palette later!).
- Download it in PowerPoint format (if you prefer it in Google Slides format, you'll also find this type in our repository).
- Edit and change everything you need for your PowerPoint presentation!
24Slides Designers specialize in business and corporate PowerPoints, but you'll also find other types of templates on our website: Data templates, Timelines, Roadmaps, Matrixes, Diagrams, and more.
Keep in mind that a well-designed PowerPoint deck helps you communicate stronger messages to your audience . Don't waste this opportunity to make your presentation shine!
If you want to learn more about how to master PowerPoint, do not miss the last section. We'll show you some PowerPoint basics from the software itself!
A PowerPoint 101 Guide wouldn't be that useful with no examples. So, if you enjoy the step-by-step guides, this section is for you.
Below, we'll show you how to make a simple PowerPoint presentation. But first, here are some tips to be more efficient in the process:
- Be clear about what type of presentation you're going to create (is it corporate, playful, or more creative?).
- Make a draft with the most important information you need to add and, thus, generate a good structure in your presentation .
- Get inspired by examples on the internet , but adapt them to your needs and audience.
- If you will create a business presentation, keep in mind your brand identity .
- Make sure your PowerPoint works , you may need to update to the latest version or pay for the subscription.
Step 1: Make a draft to structure your presentation
As we said before, writing a draft or script of your content will be vital to start on the right foot as a PowerPoint beginner.
This advice is so important that we choose it as the first step to learning how to make a PowerPoint presentation. Remember: Planning is key!
Regarding the process of planning, we share some good practices:
- If your presentation will be very long , write down all subtitles and content in a Word document. This will help you organize your ideas and give a correct sequence to your narrative. In addition to avoiding redundancies in the message you want to communicate.
- If your presentation will use many visual resources , we recommend choosing high-quality images. This will help you have a starting graphic base. Some good free image repositories are Freepick , Unsplash , and Adobe Stock .
- If your presentation is based on data , have all your results summarized or your most relevant conclusions at hand. The idea of making a PowerPoint presentation is to show your information in the simplest way possible for your audience.
Step 2: Create a new document in PowerPoint
Once you check that all the functions are working fine with the software, please open it and go to the File tab. If you've ever used Word or Excel, you'll probably find this Home Menu familiar.
In short, this is the main page of PowerPoint, where you can create a new presentation or open an older one. Let's see:
In order to follow this part of our PowerPoint Tutorial correctly, take into consideration the following points:
- On the lower side of the screen, you'll find your recently opened PowerPoint files. This option is great for saving some time.
- If you don't find the presentation you're looking for, click on the “Open” option at the left bar and find older files.
- Don't forget to save your presentation with a relatable name so you won't lose sight of it!
Step 3: Choose the perfect design for your presentation
With your information ready in a draft, it's time to choose the design of your PowerPoint slide deck. You must imagine that the available design options are endless!
For practical reasons, you have three options regarding the design:
- Start a design from scratch (very difficult for a PowerPoint beginner).
- Choose an established PowerPoint design or layout.
- Download a PowerPoint template and modify some details.
Don't worry if you don't know how to continue! In this PowerPoint 101 class, we're going to explain step by step the second option:
How do you set a default design in PowerPoint?
- First, go to the Design tab.
- Open the list of options by clicking on the third arrow.
- Choose the design you like the most for your PowerPoint presentation.
If you want to explore more PowerPoint designs, there is a way to research online. For that, you only need to:
- Go to the File tab (first tab, next to the Home tab).
- Select "More themes" (see image).
- Use the search engine and write the keyword you want (it can be related to your business or it can be a color).
- Check the list of PowerPoint themes and choose your favorite.
- Wait a few minutes while it loads and keep designing in PowerPoint!
How do you change the layout of one slide in PowerPoint?
In this PowerPoint 101 Guide, you will also learn how to configure the layout of each slide.
Keep in mind that to have a high-impact presentation, you must adapt your slides' design to the type of content you'll add. And using layouts is perfect for this purpose.
To change the layout type in PowerPoint, follow these steps:
- Right-click on the slide you want to change.
- Select the "Layout" option.
- You will find more than ten layout models.
- Choose the one that best suits your content.
- Repeat these steps for each slide (if you wish or require).
How do you customize your slides in PowerPoint?
The design process in this PowerPoint 101 Guide doesn't stop there.
You also can customize your presentation's color palette , font style, background format , and graphics effects .
Just go to:
- Design tab > Variants.
- Select Colors, Fonts, Effects or Background Styles (as you need).
- If you're inspired and want to create your own background in PowerPoint, select Background Styles > Format Background.
- Finally, custom your slides as you want!
Step 4: Add all your information to your presentation
Now, it's time to add all your information to your slides. If your script is long, take your time to copy each part of it.
In this PowerPoint Tutorial, we're going to show how our design is going so far. We design at your side!
Step 5: Add transitions or animations to your presentation
The stamp of PowerPoint is its transitions and animations! Naturally, our PowerPoint 101 has considered these essential commands.
If you want to add them to your presentation and make your speech more fluid, follow these steps:
- Go to the tabs section of PowerPoint.
- Select "Transitions" or "Animations" and try your favorite effects.
- Remember that if you select Transitions, these will modify the entire slide, while Animations can be added to each element individually.
When choosing one Animation, you can eliminate it if you aren't 100% convinced. You only need to:
- Select the Animation number that appears on the corner.
- Press the "Delete" or "Backspace" button on your keyboard.
- Choose another Animation in PowerPoint if you want!
This “PowerPoint for dummies” is full of tips and tricks! So here is one more: Don't overuse transitions or animations in PowerPoint ; they can make your presentation slower and unprofessional . Use this tool in a subtle way!
Step 6: Refine the final details
As always, every final product must be reviewed. Especially if you're learning the PowerPoint fundamentals with us.
We recommend reviewing each slide of your PowerPoint presentation one final time. In this process, you will be able to:
- Add icons if your presentation requires it.
- Change any image or illustration if they don't convince you.
- Change transitions or animations.
- Customize your presentation's color palette .
- Proofread your slides' text or add more information.
- Add speaker notes to your presentation.
Step 7: Slideshow your presentation
When your presentation is finished, it's essential to know how to make a PowerPoint slideshow. This way, you can see your slides from the exact same perspective your audience will see them.
To slideshow your presentation in PowerPoint, follow these simple steps for PowerPoint beginners:
- Position yourself on your first slide.
- Go to the bottom right of the software.
- Select the "Slide Show" button (see image).
- Have a look of your presentation by clicking on each slide or pressing the right arrow on your keyboard.
- To go out from the Slide Show mode, you have to press the ESC key.
Now you can present your slides like an expert!
When you master this presentation design software, you'll be able to create amazing things in PowerPoint : infographics, diagrams, charts, pitch decks, business cards, calendars, you name it!
This was our PowerPoint Guide for beginners. We hope that our compilation today will be useful for conducting more professional presentations in the future and, why not, achieve all your goals!
Don't forget to share this PowerPoint 101 Guide with your co-workers or whoever you want!
Want to boost your beginner PowerPoint skills? Check out this content:
- How to Work with Multiple Images in PowerPoint
- How to Add a Timer to Your Powerpoint Presentations
- PowerPoint Charts, Graphs, & Tables Made Easy | Tips & Tricks
- How To Use PowerPoint Design Ideas - All Questions Answered!
- 36 Fun Icebreakers for Your Next Presentation
- The Cost of PowerPoint Presentations: Discover the hidden expenses you might overlook!
Create professional presentations online
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Simple Steps to Make a PowerPoint Presentation
Last Updated: July 23, 2024 Fact Checked
Creating a New PowerPoint
Creating the title slide, adding a new slide, adding content to slides, adding transitions, testing and saving your presentation.
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA . Darlene Antonelli is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Darlene has experience teaching college courses, writing technology-related articles, and working hands-on in the technology field. She earned an MA in Writing from Rowan University in 2012 and wrote her thesis on online communities and the personalities curated in such communities. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 4,343,256 times. Learn more...
Do you want to have your data in a slide show? If you have Microsoft 365, you can use PowerPoint! PowerPoint is a program that's part of the Microsoft Office suite (which you have to pay for) and is available for both Windows and Mac computers. This wikiHow teaches you how to create your own Microsoft PowerPoint presentation on a computer.
How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation
- Open the PowerPoint app, select a template and theme, then like “Create.”
- Click the text box to add your title and subtitle to create your title slide.
- Click the “Insert” tab, then “New Slide” to add another slide.
- Choose the type of slide you want to add, then add text and pictures.
- Rearrange slides by dragging them up or down in the preview box.
Things You Should Know
- Templates make it easy to create vibrant presentations no matter your skill level.
- When adding photos, you can adjust their sizes by clicking and dragging in or out from their corners.
- You can add animated transitions between slides or to individual elements like bullet points and blocks of text.
- If you don't have a Microsoft Office 365 subscription, you can use the website instead of the desktop app. Go to https://powerpoint.office.com/ to use the website version.
- You can also use the mobile app to make presentations, though it's easier to do this on a computer, which has a larger screen, a mouse, and a keyboard.
- If you don't want to use a template, just click the Blank option in the upper-left side of the page and skip to the next part.
- Skip this step if your selected template has no themes available.
- If you're creating a PowerPoint presentation for which an elaborate title slide has been requested, ignore this step.
- You can change the font and size of text used from the Home tab that's in the orange ribbon at the top of the window.
- You can also just leave this box blank if you like.
- You can also click and drag in or out one of a text box's corners to shrink or enlarge the text box.
- On a Mac, you'll click the Home tab instead. [1] X Research source
- Clicking the white slide-shaped box above this option will result in a new text slide being inserted.
- Title Slide
- Title and Content
- Section Header
- Two Content
- Content with Caption
- Picture with Caption
- Naturally, the title slide should be the first slide in your presentation, meaning that it should be the top slide in the left-hand column.
- Skip this step and the next two steps if your selected slide uses a template that doesn't have text boxes in it.
- Text boxes in PowerPoint will automatically format the bulk of your text for you (e.g., adding bullet points) based on the context of the content itself.
- You can add notes that the Presentation will not include (but you'll still be able to see them on your screen) by clicking Notes at the bottom of the slide.
- You can change the font of the selected text by clicking the current font's name and then clicking your preferred font.
- If you want to change the size of the text, click the numbered drop-down box and then click a larger or smaller number based on whether you want to enlarge or shrink the text.
- You can also change the color, bolding, italicization, underlining, and so on from here.
- Photos in particular can be enlarged or shrunk by clicking and dragging out or in one of their corners.
- Remember to keep slides uncluttered and relatively free of distractions. It's best to keep the amount of text per slide to around 33 words or less. [2] X Research source
- Slide content will animate in the order in which you assign transitions. For example, if you animate a photo on the slide and then animate the title, the photo will appear before the title.
- Make your slideshow progress automatically by setting the speed of every transition to align with your speech as well as setting each slide to Advance . [3] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source
- If you need to exit the presentation, press Esc .
- Windows - Click File , click Save , double-click This PC , select a save location, enter a name for your presentation, and click Save .
- Mac - Click File , click Save As... , enter the presentation's name in the "Save As" field, select a save location by clicking the "Where" box and clicking a folder, and click Save .
Community Q&A
- If you save your PowerPoint presentation in .pps format instead of the default .ppt format, double-clicking your PowerPoint presentation file will prompt the presentation to open directly into the slideshow view. Thanks Helpful 6 Not Helpful 0
- If you don't have Microsoft Office, you can still use Apple's Keynote program or Google Slides to create a PowerPoint presentation. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
- Your PowerPoint presentation (or some features in it) may not open in significantly older versions of PowerPoint. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 2
- Great PowerPoint presentations avoid placing too much text on one slide. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
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- ↑ https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?resid=DBDCE00C929AA5D8!252&ithint=file%2cpptx&app=PowerPoint&authkey=!AH4O9NxcbehqzIg
- ↑ https://www.virtualsalt.com/powerpoint.htm
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/set-the-timing-and-speed-of-a-transition-c3c3c66f-4cca-4821-b8b9-7de0f3f6ead1#:~:text=To%20make%20the%20slide%20advance,effect%20on%20the%20slide%20finishes .
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7 Steps to Create a Presentation in PowerPoint (+ Templates)
Learn essential steps and tips to move beyond data slides. Discover why PowerPoint falls flat and unveil next-gen tools for impactful presentations.
Hadar Peretz
6 minute read
Short answer
7 steps to create a presentation in PowerPoint
Begin with a surprise or bold statement.
Provide necessary background information.
Frame your presentation as a story.
Keep the text concise and meaningful.
Use visuals to complement the text.
Incorporate interactive design.
Conclude with actionable insights.
Effective data and visual presentation requires specific knowledge
Displaying complex data and project visuals via multimedia elements demands substantial knowledge.
It's not merely about presenting data but doing so in a manner that's intuitive and engaging for the audience.
Utilizing graphs, charts, videos, and interactive animations effectively necessitates a good grasp of design principles, storytelling, and data visualization.
Moreover, familiarity with the technology and platforms for creating and sharing these multimedia presentations is crucial.
This blend of design acumen, technological expertise, and succinct communication is key to ensuring the data and project visuals are comprehended well by the audience.
5 benefits of mastering PowerPoint presentations
PowerPoint presentations come with a variety of benefits that make them a popular choice for both professional and educational settings. Here are some of the advantages:
Visual Engagement: Utilize visuals to keep audiences engaged and convey ideas effectively.
Organization: Structured slides ensure a clear, linear flow of content.
Customization: Modify designs to suit different topics or branding needs.
Compatibility and Reusability: Easily share across platforms, and update or reuse presentations.
Supports Multimedia: PowerPoint supports the integration of videos, hyperlinks, and other multimedia elements.
How to make a presentation in PowerPoint? (7 steps)
Creating a compelling presentation in PowerPoint is a blend of artistry and storytelling, combined with a clear understanding of the material at hand.
Let’s break down this process into seven detailed steps to craft a presentation that not only captivates your audience but leaves a lasting impact.
1. Start with a surprising statement, a bold promise, or a mystery
Kicking off with something unexpected grabs your audience's attention right from the outset.
It might be a shocking fact related to your topic, a bold promise of what they'll learn, or a mystery that piques their curiosity.
For instance, if your presentation is about time management , you might start with a surprising statistic about the average amount of time people waste on trivial tasks.
learn how to avoid these presentation starters : overloading facts, over-explaining initially, generic content, relying solely on PowerPoint norms, revealing key benefits early, and focusing on self over audience engagement.
Aim for curiosity-sparking, audience-tailored narratives.
2. Provide context with a bit of background information
Before diving deep, give your audience a clear understanding of the topic at hand. Offer a brief background to set the stage.
Going with the time management example, you could provide some insights into how modern distractions have made managing time more challenging.
3. Structure your presentation within a story framework
Stories are a powerful medium to convey messages. Structuring your presentation as a story keeps your audience engaged.
Introduce a protagonist, which could be an individual, a group, or even your audience, facing a problem that your presentation will help solve.
For instance, narrate a day in the life of a person struggling to manage time and how the techniques you’re about to share turn things around.
4 steps to structuring your presentation within a story framework:
Introduce Setting and Characters: Kickstart by presenting the backdrop and the entities involved, making them relevant to your audience.
Highlight a Conflict or Challenge: Unveil a significant problem or hurdle that the audience can relate to, setting the stage for your solutions.
Propose the Resolution: Unfold your solutions to the earlier stated problem, walking your audience through each resolving step.
Recap and Look Ahead: Conclude by recapping the narrative and offering actionable steps or insights for the audience to ponder upon or implement.
4. Make every word count, and use as few as possible
Conciseness is key. Make sure each word on your slide adds value to your presentation. This approach keeps your slides uncluttered and easy to follow.
For instance, instead of writing a long sentence about the importance of prioritizing tasks, use a brief statement like “Prioritize to Monetize.”
5. Use visuals only to support your presentation text
Utilizing visuals judiciously within your presentation is crucial. Visuals should complement your narrative, not overshadow it.
Explore the steps to make a presentation creative , apply these methods, and see your skills enhance, leading to captivating presentations.
The essence is to employ images, graphs, and charts to enhance understanding or convey a message more efficiently.
For instance, a simple pie chart can swiftly illustrate how much time is saved by effective prioritization.
By adhering to this guideline, you ensure that your audience remains focused on the key messages being delivered, with visuals serving as a supportive tool rather than a distraction.
6. Use interactive design to make your audience active participants
Engage your audience with interactive elements. Incorporating clickable links, embedded videos, or live polls can make your presentation more interactive and engaging.
For instance, a live poll could be used to understand the audience’s prior knowledge about time management.
7. End by telling your audience what they can do with what they’ve learned
Your conclusion should empower your audience to apply the learnings in their lives. Recap the key points and provide actionable steps they can take post-presentation.
For instance, share a list of time-management tools or a 30-day challenge to improve productivity.
By following these seven steps, you’re on the path to mastering the art of creating impactful PowerPoint presentations.
Each step is geared towards making your content more engaging, understandable, and memorable, ensuring that your message not only resonates with your audience but prompts action long after your presentation concludes.
Browse basic examples about how to end a presentation and discover what should be on the last slide of the presentation.
8 pro tips for crafting effective PowerPoint presentations
Crafting an effective PowerPoint presentation demands a blend of clear objectives, engaging narrative, visual creativity, and audience-centric communication.
Here are key tips to guide you in this endeavor:
Know Your Audience: Tailor your message to match audience expectations.
Clear Objective: Define the primary goal of your presentation.
Engaging Storyline: Employ a compelling narrative to convey your message.
Simplicity is Key: Keep content concise and language simple.
Visual Aids: Use visuals like images and charts to support text.
Practice and Prepare: Familiarize yourself with your content and anticipate questions.
Interactive Elements: Incorporate polls or Q&A to engage the audience.
C all to Action: End with a clear call to action guiding the audience on the next steps.
Why it's time to move to the next-gen presentation tools
Making a memorable presentation requires more than just PowerPoint slides. In fact, making a PowerPoint presentation interesting is impossible .
In today's digital era, engaging your audience demands innovative tools and a narrative approach.
Let’s explore a game-changing tool for impactful presentations.
Embrace interactivity
Interactive presentations foster real-time engagement, turning monologues into dialogues.
Tools like Storydoc offer a fresh, engaging approach to sharing your message.
With the right tools, creating lasting impressions is a breeze. It’s time to change the narrative and make your presentations both informative and inspiring.
Here’s our CEO, Itai Amoza, discussing the key elements that make a presentation engaging:
Best tool for making an effective presentation
Traditionally, PowerPoint or Google Slides were the go-to platforms for crafting presentations, offering simplicity.
However, to truly engage modern audiences, stepping up your game is essential. This is where next-gen AI-driven tools like Storydoc come into play.
Unlike static slides, Storydoc enables the creation of interactive, immersive content experiences. It’s not merely about showcasing data, but weaving a compelling narrative that resonates with your audience.
Creative presentation templates
Ever faced the daunting blank slide with a blinking cursor urging creativity? It's like having a stage awaiting your script.
Overcoming this initial challenge can be hefty, but there's a savior - creative presentation templates.
These templates act like a structured canvas, guiding your narrative while leaving room for your unique flair.
Grab a template and witness the simplicity it brings to narrating your distinct tale.
I am a Marketing Specialist at Storydoc, I research, analyze and write on our core topics of business presentations, sales, and fundraising. I love talking to clients about their successes and failures so I can get a rounded understanding of their world.
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Microsoft Office vs. Google Docs, Sheets, Slides: Which Is Best?
What network does mint mobile use, learn python basics: let's build a simple expense tracker, quick links, table of contents, start with a goal, less is more, consider your typeface, make bullet points count, limit the use of transitions, skip text where possible, think in color, take a look from the top down, bonus: start with templates.
Slideshows are an intuitive way to share complex ideas with an audience, although they're dull and frustrating when poorly executed. Here are some tips to make your Microsoft PowerPoint presentations sing while avoiding common pitfalls.
It all starts with identifying what we're trying to achieve with the presentation. Is it informative, a showcase of data in an easy-to-understand medium? Or is it more of a pitch, something meant to persuade and convince an audience and lead them to a particular outcome?
It's here where the majority of these presentations go wrong with the inability to identify the talking points that best support our goal. Always start with a goal in mind: to entertain, to inform, or to share data in a way that's easy to understand. Use facts, figures, and images to support your conclusion while keeping structure in mind (Where are we now and where are we going?).
I've found that it's helpful to start with the ending. Once I know how to end a presentation, I know how best to get to that point. I start by identifying the takeaway---that one nugget that I want to implant before thanking everyone for their time---and I work in reverse to figure out how best to get there.
Your mileage, of course, may vary. But it's always going to be a good idea to put in the time in the beginning stages so that you aren't reworking large portions of the presentation later. And that starts with a defined goal.
A slideshow isn't supposed to include everything. It's an introduction to a topic, one that we can elaborate on with speech. Anything unnecessary is a distraction. It makes the presentation less visually appealing and less interesting, and it makes you look bad as a presenter.
This goes for text as well as images. There's nothing worse, in fact, than a series of slides where the presenter just reads them as they appear. Your audience is capable of reading, and chances are they'll be done with the slide, and browsing Reddit, long before you finish. Avoid putting the literal text on the screen, and your audience will thank you.
Related: How to Burn Your PowerPoint to DVD
Right off the bat, we're just going to come out and say that Papyrus and Comic Sans should be banned from all PowerPoint presentations, permanently. Beyond that, it's worth considering the typeface you're using and what it's saying about you, the presenter, and the presentation itself.
Consider choosing readability over aesthetics, and avoid fancy fonts that could prove to be more of a distraction than anything else. A good presentation needs two fonts: a serif and sans-serif. Use one for the headlines and one for body text, lists, and the like. Keep it simple. Veranda, Helvetica, Arial, and even Times New Roman are safe choices. Stick with the classics and it's hard to botch this one too badly.
There reaches a point where bullet points become less of a visual aid and more of a visual examination.
Bullet points should support the speaker, not overwhelm his audience. The best slides have little or no text at all, in fact. As a presenter, it's our job to talk through complex issues, but that doesn't mean that we need to highlight every talking point.
Instead, think about how you can break up large lists into three or four bullet points. Carefully consider whether you need to use more bullet points, or if you can combine multiple topics into a single point instead. And if you can't, remember that there's no one limiting the number of slides you can have in a presentation. It's always possible to break a list of 12 points down into three pages of four points each.
Animation, when used correctly, is a good idea. It breaks up slow-moving parts of a presentation and adds action to elements that require it. But it should be used judiciously.
Adding a transition that wipes left to right between every slide or that animates each bullet point in a list, for example, starts to grow taxing on those forced to endure the presentation. Viewers get bored quickly, and animations that are meant to highlight specific elements quickly become taxing.
That's not to say that you can't use animations and transitions, just that you need to pick your spots. Aim for no more than a handful of these transitions for each presentation. And use them in spots where they'll add to the demonstration, not detract from it.
Sometimes images tell a better story than text can. And as a presenter, your goal is to describe points in detail without making users do a lot of reading. In these cases, a well-designed visual, like a chart, might better convey the information you're trying to share.
The right image adds visual appeal and serves to break up longer, text-heavy sections of the presentation---but only if you're using the right images. A single high-quality image can make all the difference between a success and a dud when you're driving a specific point home.
When considering text, don't think solely in terms of bullet points and paragraphs. Tables, for example, are often unnecessary. Ask yourself whether you could present the same data in a bar or line chart instead.
Color is interesting. It evokes certain feelings and adds visual appeal to your presentation as a whole. Studies show that color also improves interest, comprehension, and retention. It should be a careful consideration, not an afterthought.
You don't have to be a graphic designer to use color well in a presentation. What I do is look for palettes I like, and then find ways to use them in the presentation. There are a number of tools for this, like Adobe Color , Coolors , and ColorHunt , just to name a few. After finding a palette you enjoy, consider how it works with the presentation you're about to give. Pastels, for example, evoke feelings of freedom and light, so they probably aren't the best choice when you're presenting quarterly earnings that missed the mark.
It's also worth mentioning that you don't need to use every color in the palette. Often, you can get by with just two or three, though you should really think through how they all work together and how readable they'll be when layered. A simple rule of thumb here is that contrast is your friend. Dark colors work well on light backgrounds, and light colors work best on dark backgrounds.
Spend some time in the Slide Sorter before you finish your presentation. By clicking the four squares at the bottom left of the presentation, you can take a look at multiple slides at once and consider how each works together. Alternatively, you can click "View" on the ribbon and select "Slide Sorter."
Are you presenting too much text at once? Move an image in. Could a series of slides benefit from a chart or summary before you move on to another point?
It's here that we have the opportunity to view the presentation from beyond the single-slide viewpoint and think in terms of how each slide fits, or if it fits at all. From this view, you can rearrange slides, add additional ones, or delete them entirely if you find that they don't advance the presentation.
The difference between a good presentation and a bad one is really all about preparation and execution. Those that respect the process and plan carefully---not only the presentation as a whole, but each slide within it---are the ones who will succeed.
This brings me to my last (half) point: When in doubt, just buy a template and use it. You can find these all over the web, though Creative Market and GraphicRiver are probably the two most popular marketplaces for this kind of thing. Not all of us are blessed with the skills needed to design and deliver an effective presentation. And while a pre-made PowerPoint template isn't going to make you a better presenter, it will ease the anxiety of creating a visually appealing slide deck.
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How to Create a Simple PowerPoint Presentation
These steps let you add titles, text, designs, and images
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You can make your next classroom or office presentation stand out by creating slides in PowerPoint, a simple process anyone can learn with a little practice.
Getting Started
Microsoft Corporation
When you first open PowerPoint, you'll see a blank “slide” with space for a title and a subtitle in different boxes. You can use this page to begin creating your presentation right away. Add a title and subtitle in the boxes if you want, but you can also delete the boxes and insert a photo, graph, or another object onto the slide.
Creating Slides
Here is an example of a title in the “title” box, but instead of a subtitle, there's a photo in the subtitle box.
To create a slide like this, click inside the “Title” box and type a title. The “subtitle” box is a container for inserting text, but if you don't want a subtitle there, you can remove this box by clicking on one edge to highlight it and then hitting “delete.” To insert a picture into this space, go to "Insert" on the menu bar and select "Picture." Choose a photo from your saved photo files in locations such as "My Pictures" or a flash drive .
The picture you select will be inserted onto the slide, but it may be so big that it covers the entire slide. You can select the picture and make it smaller by moving your cursor to the edge of the photo and dragging the corners inward.
Now that you have a title slide, you can create additional presentation pages. Go to the menu bar at the top of the page and select "Insert" and "New Slide." You’ll see a new blank slide that looks a little different. The makers of PowerPoint have tried to make this easy and have guessed that you’d like to have a title and some text on your second page. That's why you see “Click to add title” and “Click to add text.”
You can type a title and text in these boxes, or you can delete them and add any type of text, photo, or object that you like by using the "Insert" command.
Bullets or Paragraph Text
A title and text have been inserted in the boxes on this slide template. The page is set up to insert text in bullet format. You can use bullets, or you can delete the bullets and type a paragraph .
If you choose to stay with the bullet format, type your text and hit "return" to make the next bullet appear.
Adding a Design
Once you have created your first couple of slides, you might want to add a design to your presentation. Type the text for your next slide, then go to "Format" on the menu bar and select "Slide Background." Your design choices will show up on the right side of the page. Click on the different designs to see how your slide will look in each format. The design you select will be applied to all your slides automatically. You can experiment with the designs and change them at any time.
Watch Your Slide Show
You can preview your slideshow at any time. To see your new creation under way, go to "View" on the menu bar and select "Slide Show." Your presentation will appear. To move from one slide to another, use the arrow keys on your computer keyboard.
To go back to design mode, hit the “Escape” key. Now that you have some experience with PowerPoint, you're ready to experiment with some of the other features of the program.
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60+ Simple PowerPoint Templates (With Clutter-Free Design)
When it comes to creating PowerPoint slideshows, using a simple PowerPoint template can be a key approach. It may seem like a good idea to throw the kitchen sink: data, stats, charts, and shapes into every slide, but you’ll never be able to win over your audience with a cluttered slideshow design.
That’s why professionals always use simple slide designs to highlight only the most important parts of a presentation. Of course, you don’t have to be an expert designer to create these professional slideshows. There are pre-made templates you can download and customize with a few clicks.
To help you get started, we handpicked a collection of simple PowerPoint templates with clean and clutter-free designs for creating professional looking PowerPoint slideshow presentations.
We’re also sharing some simple presentation tips to get you started with a clear, simple talk.
How Does Unlimited PowerPoint Templates Sound?
Download thousands of PowerPoint templates, and many other design elements, with an Envato membership. It starts at $16 per month, and gives you unlimited access to a growing library of over 19+ million presentation templates, fonts, photos, graphics, and more.
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New & innovative.
Explore PowerPoint Templates
Grande – Simple PowerPoint Template
Grande is a modern PowerPoint template that features a minimalist design with a unique content layout in each slide of the template. It not only comes with creatively shaped image placeholders but also includes a clean design surrounded by white space that effectively highlights its text and image content.
The template includes 30 unique slides that are available in 5 different color schemes along with a custom infographic, editable vector graphics, and mockups.
Why This Is A Top Pick
In addition to its attractive minimal design, the multipurpose content layout is what makes this template most useful. You can use it to create all sorts of slideshow presentations without any effort.
Minimalism – PowerPoint Template
This is an easy-to-use and fully customizable PowerPoint template for creating compelling presentations. It’s versatile enough for various uses including pitch decks, business profiles, personal portfolios, and more. The template contains 15 unique slides with simple and clean designs.
Clean Project Proposal PowerPoint Template
This PowerPoint template is perfect for project management presentations. With its unique black, white, and blue design, you can effectively convey your ideas for various business or personal purposes. Offering 20 unique and editable slides, it comes equipped with features like image gallery slides, inclusive data charts, and easily editable infographics.
Cream & Blue Business Picth Deck PPT
A dynamic and modern PowerPoint template, perfect for a range of professional presentations. It features 20 simple and fully editable slides, including an image gallery, data charts, and infographics. With its 16:9 widescreen ratio, stylish layout slides and editable graphics, this versatile template allows you to put forth your ideas more effectively.
Monochrome Simple Agency Business Plan PPT
This is an elegant PowerPoint template perfect for agency presentations. Its well-structured layout, adjustable to your needs, allows for useful company, marketing, or other professional profiles. It offers a 20-page slide composition with a simple and clean design.
Minimal Travel PowerPoint Template
This is an ideal PowerPoint template for any travel-oriented presentation. Its clean, modern design is easily customizable, featuring drag & drop image replacement and user-friendly color modification. It includes 22 master slides with a full HD widescreen format, editable vector shapes, and it utilizes free fonts for a budget-friendly touch.
Light Beige Business PowerPoint Template
Give your business presentations a fresh, modern edge with this simple PowerPoint template. Providing 22 master slides in a clean, creative layout, it’s fully customizable and super easy to use for any kind of business. The light beige palette is accented with yellow touches and can be changed effortlessly.
Grid Z – Simple Powerpoint Presentation Template
A unique PowerPoint template that modern brands can use to develop sleek, professional presentations effortlessly. Featuring a drag-and-drop interface, this template allows easy image placement and uses free fonts further simplifying the creation process. With 30 professionally designed slides, Grid-Z is adaptable for both business and personal presentations.
Modern Minimal SaaS Pitch Deck PowerPoint
This is a resourceful PowerPoint template for SaaS startups seeking to captivate investors through a potent, persuasive presentation. This comprehensive template encapsulates vital elements such as a compelling introduction, problem definition, innovative solution showcase, and more. It features 25 slides.
Simple Modern Creative Pitch Deck PPT
Another versatile PowerPoint template designed for modern business presentation needs. Whether for a company profile, marketing kit, or anything else you have in mind, this 20-page layout offers a range of compositions to suit your needs.
Minimal PowerPoint Presentation Template
This PowerPoint template offers a stylish, clean, and timeless aesthetic for modern presentations. It allows you to easily incorporate your brand logo, images, colours, and typography. It features 28 unique slides, a full HD 16:9 ratio, resizeable vector elements, and is editable with PowerPoint.
Imagine – Clean & Simple PowerPoint Template
If you’re looking for a PowerPoint template with a clean yet modern design, this one is for you. It features a simple content layout throughout its slides that allow you to craft modern slideshows for business presentations. There are 30 different slides included in this template with fully customizable designs.
Impeccable – Creative Minimal PowerPoint Template
Impeccable is a creative PowerPoint template that features a minimalist design. Each slide in this template comes with an ultra-minimalist design with fewer shapes and colors. But it works quite well in bringing more attention to your content. The template includes 30 slides as well.
Modern Simple Business PowerPoint Template
Another clean and modern PowerPoint template with a unique style of design. There are 25 slides in this template that have stylish content layouts with space to showcase both images and text at the same time. It’s ideal for modern business and startup presentations.
Gimodelo – Elegant PowerPoint Presentation Template
You can still maintain a beautiful and colorful design while using a simple presentation layout. This PowerPoint template shows how it’s done. It comes with a set of elegant slides for crafting elegant branding presentations. The template includes 30 slides.
Free Simple Neomorph PowerPoint Template
This is a free PowerPoint template that features slides done in the style of Neomorphic designs. The free version of the template includes 10 slides that you can customize however you like.
Econore – Clean Business PowerPoint Template
You can design simple yet effective presentations for your business with this modern PowerPoint template. It features creative shapes and elements in its designs but the slides offer clutter-free layouts at the same time. There are 34 unique slides in this template.
Executive – Minimal & Simple PowerPoint Template
If you want an extra minimal and simple layout for your presentation, start with this PowerPoint template. It offers a clean layout for you to design slideshows any way you want. The template features 30 slides with master slides and editable designs.
Ninety-Four – Stylish Simple PowerPoint Template
This PowerPoint template also uses a highly minimalist slide design, but it also incorporates modern elements to give each slide a modern look and feel. You can also fully customize each slide to change colors, fonts, and images as well.
Vella – Simple PowerPoint Presentation Template
Vella PowerPoint template is designed with fashion brands and businesses in mind. But you can easily edit the slides to make presentations for other businesses too. These slides feature simple and minimal designs with plenty of room to promote your products and services.
Bazz – Free Simple Animated PowerPoint Template
Bazz is a free PowerPoint template that you can use to craft modern slideshows for branding and business presentations. The free template includes several useful slide layouts with editable designs.
Blue Ocean – Business PowerPoint Template
Minimal designs are mostly associated with creative presentations. But, you can use it in business presentations as well. This simple and clean PowerPoint template comes with a set of minimal slide designs made specifically for making business and corporate presentations.
Rotalle – Simple PowerPoint Template
Rotalle is a simple, clutter-free PowerPoint template that will help you deliver a winning presentation. It comprises over a hundred meticulously designed slides that can be customized at the click of a button. Check it out, and add it to your PowerPoint toolkit ASAP.
Onil – Minimal PowerPoint Template
Onil is the perfect recipe for creating a minimal yet attention-grabbing presentation in no time at all. It comes with 42 gorgeously crafted slides, infographics, free fonts, vector shapes, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. It has features that should really be seen to be fully appreciated.
Shift – Professional PowerPoint Template
Shift is a remarkably unique PowerPoint template that’s bound to have a claiming effect on your audience. It has an awfully soothing, and easy on the eyes design guaranteed to draw the viewers in, and leave a lasting impression. Get it today!
Simine – Aesthetic PowerPoint Template
Simine is an aesthetically pleasing template featuring 30 slides, completely editable in PowerPoint, Keynote, and Google Slides. It has a versatile design suitable for various business purposes.
Mathematics – Clean PowerPoint Template
Here we have Mathematics, a clean, and simple PowerPoint template that will feel right at home for a range of businesses, and industries. It comes with 30 modern-looking slides, fully customizable to suit your requirements.
Ada – PowerPoint Presentation Template
The use of minimal colors and the content layout of this PowerPoint template makes it the perfect choice for making presentations related to fashion, beauty, photography businesses. The template also features more than 100 unique slide designs as well.
Montaen – Simple & Minimal PowerPoint Template
Montaen is a simple and a professional PowerPoint template made for creatives and agencies for showcasing their portfolios and services. It comes with 30 unique slides featuring minimal and clean layouts and with easily editable designs.
Warlock – Minimal PowerPoint Template
Warlock is a modern PowerPoint template you can use to make all kinds of marketing, sales, and branding related presentation slideshows. The template lets you choose from 50 unique slides to create all kinds of presentations for various types of businesses.
Balance – Free Minimal PowerPoint Template
Balance is a simple PowerPoint template that comes with 16 unique slides featuring attractive content layouts. It includes image placeholders and resizable vector graphics and shapes you can easily customize to your preference.
Free Traveller PowerPoint Template
This free PowerPoint template is designed with travel, adventure, tour, and hotel businesses in mind. However, it can be easily customized to create presentations for other types of businesses and brands as well.
The template comes with 10 unique slides featuring clean and clutter-free designs, which are based on 5 different master slide layouts. It also features easy drag and drop editing for customizing the design.
Even though this template uses a minimalist design, it also features an effectively crafted content layout that makes the most of each slide. That’s what makes this the top free PowerPoint template on this list.
Fortuna – Minimal PowerPoint Template
Here we have Fortuna, a beautifully designed and functional presentation format suitable for virtually any purpose under the sun. It comes with fifty-plus slide designs, a range of charts, graphs, icons, and other infographic elements, and a choice between bright and dark color schemes.
Blogger – Simple PowerPoint Template
Next in our list of the best simple PowerPoint templates is Blogger, a stunning option that will instantly level up your presentation and leave your clients in awe. It offers thirty-four slides that can be fully customized to your liking.
Free Pitch Deck PowerPoint Template
This is a simple, and professional pitch deck template featuring a striking design and a massive library of more than hundred slides that you can edit in just a couple of minutes. The best part is that it’s available for free download. How amazing is that now?
Contain – Professional PowerPoint Template
Save your time and effort making a presentation from scratch by employing Contain, a simple and powerful PowerPoint template that has a subtle color scheme and minimalistic design allowing you to effectively keep the client’s attention to your content.
Quebec – Free PowerPoint Template
Check out Quebec, a neat and uncluttered template able to liven up the mood of any sort of presentation, and impress the audience. It has been created with attention to detail and comprises of a wealth of features that you should really check out pronto. One of the best free simple PowerPoint templates out there!
Minimal – Free PowerPoint Template
This is a highly minimalist PowerPoint template that features a black and white color design. It’s most suitable for making a presentation that includes lots of text content and fewer images.
Prgy – Multipurpose PowerPoint Template
Prgy is a modern PowerPoint presentation template that comes with a simple and a clean design. It includes 35 unique slides with minimal colors, clutter-free design, and lots of resizable graphics. The template can be used to create many different types of presentations as well.
Elphine – Simple PowerPoint Template
Elphine is a simple PowerPoint template that comes with 30 unique slides filled with vector icons, shapes, and resizable elements. The template includes easy to use placeholders for dragging and dropping your images onto the slides. It’s most suitable for showcasing portfolios and project showcases.
BOSH – Minimal PowerPoint Template
Bosh features a modern design and it includes high-resolution slides in 1920×1080 resolution. It comes with 70 unique slides, which include mockups, icons, shapes, and lots of other customizable elements. The colors and shapes can also be customized to your preference.
Yellow – Creative PowerPoint Template
Yellow is a colorful and creative PowerPoint presentation template that’s most suitable making presentations related to art, design, and creative projects. The template includes 50 unique slides featuring editable graphics, 3D vector infographics, icons, and more.
Design Agency – PowerPoint Template
If you’re a web designer or a creative agency, this PowerPoint template will be quite useful in creating different types of presentations to pitch projects and win more clients. The template comes with 50 unique slides filled with vector icons, shapes, and elements and with clutter-free designs.
Everlux – Simple PowerPoint Template
Everlux is a modern and a creative PowerPoint template featuring more than 40 unique slides with clean designs. It features placeholders for quickly placing your images in the slides, lots of vector icons, editable shapes, and much more.
Look – Free Clean PowerPoint Template
This free PowerPoint template is different from traditional minimal designs. Instead of using white space, it uses single color backgrounds to highlight its content. This gives the entire presentation a more colorful look. It includes 55 slides in two different colors.
X – Free Minimal PowerPoint Template
This clean and minimalist PowerPoint template comes with 18 unique slide layouts you can use to make different types of business and agency presentations. It comes in Full HD resolution and with editable vector graphics.
Persona – Creative PowerPoint Template
Persona PowerPoint template comes with a colorful design that will instantly grab the attention of your audience and clients. The template includes a total of 150 slides and allows you to choose from 5 different pre-made color schemes for creating different kinds of presentations.
NOYA – Modern PowerPoint Template
Noya is a modern PowerPoint template that is most suitable for creating presentations for fashion brands and design agencies. The template includes more than 70 unique slides with fully editable designs and lots of vector elements.
RUNDO – MInimal & Creative PowerPoint Template
Rundo is a unique PowerPoint template featuring clean and creative slide designs. The template comes with 70 unique slides that include infographics, charts, graphs, icons, and much more. You can use this template to create many types of creative presentations.
MAON – Vertical PowerPoint Template
This PowerPoint presentation template comes with a stylish vertical design. The template lets you choose from 70 unique slides to create simple and clean presentations filled with images. The slides also have image placeholders for easier photo placements.
Bravo – Clean PowerPoint Template
Bravo is a colorful and creative PowerPoint template featuring unique slides filled with beautiful shapes and designs. The template includes 50 unique slides with easily editable colors, shapes, and lots of vector elements.
Color FUN – PowerPoint Presentation Template
This PowerPoint template comes with a colorful design that’s perfect for creating slideshows for design, user experience, and other creative presentations. It includes more than 50 unique slides with vector graphics, shapes, icons, and other elements.
Arty – Minimal PowerPoint Template
Arty comes with a clean and simple design. It features 50 unique slides with multipurpose designs. Which means you’ll be able to use this template to create all kinds of business and creative slideshow presentations.
GREY – Simple PowerPoint Template
Grey is a highly professional and creative PowerPoint template that comes with over 50 unique slides. It has a clean and unusual design style that will help you get your audience’s attention without any effort. The template also includes lots of 3D graphics and vector elements as well.
Dione – Modern PowerPoint Presentation Template
Dione features a very simple design. The template includes 80 unique slides with each slide featuring clean clutter-free designs for effectively highlighting your content. It’s also available in 3 different color schemes.
Rhea – Simple PowerPoint Presentation Template
Rhea is yet another minimalist PowerPoint template that comes with 40 unique slides. It features lots of editable charts, vector elements, and icons. You’ll also be able to choose slides from 4 different colors.
Power – Creative PowerPoint Template
Power has a minimalist and a modern slide design unlike any other PowerPoint template in this collection. It’s perfect for creating both business and professional slideshows. The template includes 129 unique slides.
Balance – Clean PowerPoint Template
Balance PowerPoint template comes with a clean design with simple slide layouts. All of the slides feature editable shapes and vector elements. The template comes with 145 unique slides.
SPACE – Minimal & Simple PowerPoint Template
Space is a beautifully clean and simple PowerPoint template that comes with more than 100 unique slides featuring lots of white space and clutter-free design. The template includes editable charts, image galleries, infographics, and much more.
PATTERN – Modern PowerPoint Template
Pattern PowerPoint template comes with 81 unique slides and every slide in the template features a simple and modern design that will help you capture the attention of your audience. The template also features 40 curated colors and lots of vector shapes, graphics, and elements.
RAVI – Creative PowerPoint Template
This PowerPoint template comes with 100 unique slides. Each slide in the template features a unique and colorful design. The template also includes lots of charts, graphs, infographics, icons, and more.
Crystal – Clean PowerPoint Template
Crystal is a modern PowerPoint template featuring clean and simple designs. The template includes 30 unique slides, resizable graphics, shapes, and lots of other vector elements.
4 Tips for Creating a Simple Presentation
In order to create a PowerPoint presentation with a minimal design, you’ll have to follow a few rules. Here are the top tips for making an effective PowerPoint slideshow with a clutter-free design.
1. Use Lots Of White Space
If there’s one thing you’ll notice in all minimal designs is how they all use white space to highlight the core content of the design. Putting any type of content in a large white canvas gives them the center stage of the design. It simply works.
Don’t be afraid to use lots of white space in your PowerPoint slideshows. It will help highlight even the tiniest text paragraphs in your presentations and attract more eyeballs from the audience and offer a distraction-free user experience.
2. Add Large Images
The use of images or graphical shapes is the second key element of minimal design. Especially when it comes to PowerPoint slideshows, images can be used to highlight a key point in your presentation even without the use of words.
However, be mindful when choosing images for a minimalist PowerPoint presentation. Images with vibrant colors or adding multiple images alongside important text descriptions could end up making the slide distracting.
3. Plan Your Content Arrangement
The size of your text titles, alignment of the images, the use of icons, and creating a different content layout for each slide is the next important aspect of making a PowerPoint presentation.
If you want to design a simple and clutter-free slideshow, then you should plan your designs accordingly to get rid of unnecessary elements, edit paragraphs to cut out boring sentences, and to include only the essentials in each slide of your presentation.
4. Use Only A Few Colors
Using more than 2 or 3 colors is not acceptable when you’re using a minimal design for a PowerPoint presentation. Using colors that are too vibrant could also harm the overall simple look of your design as well.
Choose the colors carefully for each element of your presentation design.
Of course, you won’t have to worry about any of these when using pre-made PowerPoint templates designed by professionals.
For more beautiful templates, check out our collection of the best PowerPoint templates of the year!
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- Presentations
How to Create Great PowerPoint Presentations (With Top 2024 Examples)
If you're in business, odds are great that you're going to have to create a presentation at some point during your career. And when you do, odds are also good that you'll use Microsoft PowerPoint to do it. According to statistics from iDatalabs over 150,000 companies use PowerPoint .
There's a real need for people who can create relevant, engaging PowerPoint presentations. But creating a good presentation is more than just throwing together a bunch of slides. Not everyone knows how to make a good presentation.
In this tutorial, you'll learn the steps to making good PowerPoint presentations. The steps can be used for any presentation, of course, but they're especially relevant to Microsoft PowerPoint. I'll provide some tips on how to use a PowerPoint template. You'll also see how to make a good slide presentation with Slideshare examples.
For even more information about how to make a presentation, be sure to download our free eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations . It'll help you master the complete presentation process.
How to Make Great PowerPoint Presentations (Plan, Design, & Deliver)
Whether you're going to give your PowerPoint presentation as a speech or share it online, you'll want to make sure you create a good presentation that stands out. Here are seven steps you can follow to help you learn how to make a good PPT presentation:
Note : While these techniques specifically reference PowerPoint , most of them work well with other presentation author tools as well such as Keynote and Google Slides .
1. Know Your Target Audience
The target audience for your presentation is the group of people who you want to listen to or view your presentation. Not all audiences are the same. Audiences vary depending on your company's goals. A presentation that works well with one audience may not work well (or at all) with another.
Researching your target audience is a very important first step for creating any kind of marketing or informational material —that includes PowerPoint presentations. If you really want your presentation to be successful, learn all that you can about your audience.
For some guidance on how to define a target audience, study the following tutorial:
2. Target Your Presentation to Your Audience
Once you know who you're creating your PowerPoint presentation for, you can begin to customize it for them. Start by choosing a topic that you know will be relevant to your audience. Ideally, your topic will be something that interests your audience or solves a problem for them.
You also need to consider your audience's existing knowledge when writing your presentation. How will they take in and understand your presentation?
Obviously, it won't be helpful to create a presentation filled with industry-specific jargon if your listeners don't know what those words mean. At the same time, if you're targeting a group of experts for your presentation basic information may bore them.
3. Start With an Outline
Once you've researched your target audience and chosen a topic that's relevant to them it's time to start writing your PowerPoint presentation . The quickest, most efficient way to do that is to use an outline. Plus, an outline can easily be converted to individual slides when the time comes.
Be sure to use language that's geared to your target audience. For most audiences, a conversational style works best. Also, limit the amount of material you put on each PowerPoint presentation slide. Cluttered slides are hard for audience members to follow.
To learn more about how to write a presentation, study these tutorials on how to write a speech:
4. Use a Professional PowerPoint Template
One way to make sure that you've got a great, visually appealing PowerPoint presentation is to use a premium PowerPoint template such as those available through Envato Elements or GraphicRiver .
In fact, there are hundreds of creative PowerPoint presentations examples available on Envato Elements .
All you need to do is pay one low monthly price and you can download as many templates as you want. You'll have access to other creative assets as well such as WordPress themes, stock photos, and even courses and eBooks.
Check out some of our best PowerPoint templates with creative ideas from Envato Elements in this quick video. Also, discover a handful of helpful PowerPoint presentation slide design tips.
You can find some more great creative PowerPoint presentation template examples in this article:
5. Keep Slides Short
When it comes to making great PowerPoint presentations, it’s important to remember that your slide deck is a helpful tool that highlights the main points of your presentation and serves as a visual representation of the data and facts you’re sharing.
To make a really great PowerPoint presentation, keep the slides short to avoid boring your audience and losing their interest.
6. Practice Your PowerPoint Presentation (For Live Presentations)
Great PowerPoint presentations don't happen without practice. So, if you'll be presenting your PowerPoint personally, set aside some time to practice it after you've created it. If you can, practice with a friend or family member. But if no one's available you may still be able to practice giving it alone.
For a helpful checklist for practicing a speech, study this tutorial:
If your job requires you to give a lot of PowerPoint presentations, you may benefit from improving your public speaking skills. Consider joining Toastmasters International to become a better speaker. Or you can attend a Public Speaking Meetup .
7. Stay Focused
While you're giving your presentation, stay focused on your topic. If you're making the presentation in person, it's easy to lose track of what you're talking about.
Focus is another reason why practice is so important. If you've practiced your presentation, you're less likely to get off track. Also, if people have questions, ask them to wait until the end. That way you can stay focused on your topic.
If you're creating a presentation to be shared online, focus is still important if you want your PowerPoint presentation to be a great one. Review the copy you've written carefully to make sure that it fits with your target audience and goals. Be careful not to include irrelevant information.
8. Study Great PowerPoint Presentation Examples
One great way to learn how to make a great PowerPoint presentation is by example. Studying great PowerPoint examples can serve as inspiration for your own PowerPoint slideshow. By studying great PowerPoint examples, you'll be able to pick up common design elements that they use, notice how the slides are laid out, and how the whole PowerPoint presentation is structured. You can use that knowledge to your advantage, and it'll serve you well when it comes time to make your own great PowerPoint presentations.
5 SlideShare Examples of Great Presentations
In this section, I'm going to share five great presentations examples from SlideShare to help inspire you to create your own great PowerPoint Presentations.
Each of these great presentation examples currently has over a million views on SlideShare, so you know that they must have done something right. For each example, I'll explain what works.
Now let's look at some great presentation examples:
1. Work Rules - Great Visual PowerPoint Presentation Example
This presentation from Laszlo Bock , former Senior Vice President of People Operations at Google, Inc., clearly explains the importance of culture at tech giant Google. He does it with engaging illustrations and a nicely coordinated yellow and blue color theme. Notice how each slide contains enough information to make his point, but none are too cluttered.
2. Pixar's 22 Rules to Phenomenal Storytelling
Consultant Gavin McMahon brings us this engaging slideshow on the importance of storytelling. Drawing inspiration from filmmaker giant and master storyteller, Pixar, was a great idea for this presentation. It gives the audience something they can relate to. Notice the use of bold colors throughout.
3. 25 Mission Statements From the World's Most Valuable Brands
Does your business have a mission statement? If it doesn't, it needs one. Palo Alto Software solves a problem for their target audience by using the mission statements of some of the most successful corporations as examples (good and bad). The presentation also links to a companion article from company founder, Tim Berry, with more details on the same subject.
4. Congratulations Graduate! Eleven Reasons Why I Will Never Hire You
With the shocking opening statement, PR Managing Director Mark O'Toole is sure to capture the attention of his intended audience of young graduates. Add to that a bold red and black color scheme and plenty of engaging graphics and you've got a slideshow that's gotten over two million views. Incidentally, viewers who read to the end will gain some valuable job-hunting tips.
5. Thirst - Good PowerPoint PPT Presentation Design Example
The one word in the center of the compelling graphic on the cover of this slideshow from Jeff Brenman of Apollo Ideas draws the viewer in. As you begin to scroll through the slides, arresting images combine with startling quick facts to convey an urgent message: the world is facing a serious water shortage. This compelling presentation is sure to stick in the viewer's mind for a long time.
For even more great examples of good presentations, look at these articles:
5 Tips for Working With PowerPoint Presentation Design Templates
We've already mentioned some of the advantages of using a PowerPoint template to create your presentation. Here are three tips to make sure you get the most from the PowerPoint templates you select:
1. Don't Fall Into the Free Templates Trap
If you've decided to use a PowerPoint template, you may be tempted to download a free PPT template . However, downloading a PowerPoint template for free is usually not the bargain you might think it is. Here are some disadvantages to free PowerPoint templates:
- Little to No Support . Often free templates don't have support or aren't updated. If you run into problems, you're on your own.
- Lack of Uniqueness . Since free templates are available to everyone, it's more likely your audience will have seen the template before.
- Limited Slide Designs . Free templates are often limited to only a few simple slide designs that you may or may not be able to use.
2. Look for a Reputable Template Provider
Your best bet for selecting great PowerPoint templates is to choose a reputable provider, such as Envato Elements or GraphicRiver . These services have thousands of creative assets available (including PowerPoint presentation templates)—all created by professional designers.
Each template offers the flexibility and design options you need to make your presentation really unique.
What’s more, when you sign up for Envato Elements low monthly plan, you'll get access to thousands of other creative design assets such as fonts, images, and more. Each asset, whether it’s a PowerPoint presentation or a font, can be used in an unlimited number of projects and you can download as many items as you need.
You can then use these elements in your PowerPoint presentations and take them to the next level.
3. Do Incorporate Creative Elements
If you're creating a presentation, you might hesitate before adding a truly creative element such as an infographic or timeline to your presentation. After all, designing a creative element can add a lot of extra time and work to your project.
This is exactly where pre-built templates can help. Many templates include pre-designed creative elements that you can simply adapt to your own needs. Here are a few creative PowerPoint presentation examples:
Even if you can't find a template specifically tailored to your field, it's easy to customize these templates to suit your need.
4. Choose a PowerPoint Template That Matches Your Topic
When you’re going through the process of choosing a PowerPoint template, be sure to keep your presentation topic in mind. This will make it a lot easier to customize the template as you won’t have to spend time looking for extra elements such as the right icons or the right presentation elements.
For example, check out this great PowerPoint example that was tailored made with the architecture industry and topic in mind:
5. Experiment With Slide Layouts
When you’re creating a PowerPoint presentation, take advantage of all the different layout options that the template offers. You'll make your presentation more visually engaging and interesting. Take a look at this professional PowerPoint example that offers a number of different layout designs for each slide type:
How to Make Great PowerPoint Presentations Quickly (With PPT Templates)
It's easier to learn how to make a good PPT presentation when you start with a template. You'll find the pre-built slide designs that are sure to spark ideas and creative designs. But, how can you make them your own?
Have no fear: templates help you master how to make a great PowerPoint presentation . They're flexible enough to adapt to your presentation purpose.
Let's work with The X Note in this section. We'll customize two slides in five steps. This section will show you how to make a good PowerPoint presentation with the help of a template.
1. The Team Slide - Update Images
One tip I advise every presenter learning how to make a good presentation PPT: remember your team! You've got to credit and showcase the key members that contribute to your project. Let's use slide 7 to do that.
As a first step, let's update the images on this slide. We need to add the members of our team in the image placeholders.
To do that, start by right-clicking and choosing Group > Ungroup on the circle graphics. This helps us select just the shape that we can fill with an image.
Now, right-click an image and choose Format Pictures. You'll see a new menu open. on the Fill settings, choose Picture or texture fill, then browse to your replacement profile image.
Just repeat this process with the other image placeholders. Soon, you'll have a totally personalized and people-focused PowerPoint slide.
2. The Team Slide - Update Text
Now that you've added your team's photos, there's another crucial step: updating the text! As you'll see in templates that help you master how to make a good PPT presentation, the included text boxes tell the story.
To update text, all you need to do is type over the placeholders. Use the pre-built text boxes to help you avoid the hard work of selecting fonts, sizing, and colors each time.
You can also delete any text boxes that you don't need. Just click and select them, then press Delete on your keyboard. That removes text boxes. Less is often more, according to pros that know how to make a great PowerPoint presentation.
3. The Team Slide - Update Branding
You might have noticed while working with this slide that there are a few objects that don't seem to be selectable. That includes the logo in the upper corner and text in the lower-left corner.
That's because this text lives on the Slide Master. To adjust it, we'll need to edit the lower-level slide design. Go to the View > Slide Master menu. Now, you'll find that you can select and edit elements that were previously locked.
Consider replacing the logo with one of your own, plus adjust the text reading Presentation name goes here. That makes your slide totally customized. Let's move onto editing another slide.
4. The Data Slide - Update Data
Let's switch gears and work on a second slide. Slide 27 includes a pre-built chart. This is a great example of easing the learning curve of creating a good PowerPoint presentation. Use the starter chart template with your data.
Right-click on the chart and choose Edit Data. You'll see an embedded Excel window. This table controls the data that shapes the chart. Just type over the start data to update it.
When you're finished, close the embedded Excel window. The chart will automatically update with your new data. You can always update data by returning to this same menu.
5. The Data Slide - Update Text
This last tweak is an easy one. Just like our prior slide, typing over the text boxes is all that it takes to finish rounding out the slide.
As you can see in the example above, reducing the text helps too. I deleted the sub-headline so that there's more focus on the data.
As you saw, templates are like the answer key to a test of how to make a good presentation PPT. Use templates like The X Note to tap into the secrets of great PowerPoint presentation design.
5 Great PowerPoint PPT Templates for 2024
If you're learning how to make a good PowerPoint presentation, don't forget that templates are a major advantage. They're the antidote to creating designs on a totally blank canvas. They help you leverage the learning and design work of others.
With the help of Envato Elements , you unlock unlimited downloads. That includes PowerPoint presentations plus stock photos and graphics that really complement your content.
You don't have to learn how to make a good PowerPoint presentation design on your own. Instead, see what makes a great PowerPoint presentation when you use templates.
Let's look at five of the best PowerPoint presentations included with Envato Elements:
1. The X Note - PowerPoint Template
Time and time again, presenters learning how to make a great PowerPoint presentation choose The X Note. It's easy to see why. The slides feel like a professionally designed presentation that a seasoned executive would trust. A PowerPoint presentation design like this instantly gives your content credibility.
2. Fashioned Stylist PowerPoint
Here's a tip while learning how to make a good presentation PPT: use on-trend designs. When your presentation matches trendy and modern designs, your audience knows that you stay up-to-date. That's why a template like Fashioned Stylist is so powerful. It instantly builds credibility and trust so that you command attention from the audience.
3. SINDE - Business PowerPoint Template
Templates like Sinde hold the secret of how to make a good slide presentation. With 30 slides and five color schemes mean that you've got all of the combinations you need to create a polished and professional presentation. You'll find slides like portfolio layouts that help you put your best foot forward.
4. Oceania - Sea & Ocean PowerPoint Template
Isak Dinesen once said, "the cure for anything is saltwater: sweat, tears or the sea." The last of those options is the inspiration for this template. Oceania evokes feelings of relaxing on the beach with the sea in sight. As you learn how to make a good presentation PPT, keep this in mind: templates are only the starting point. Use the ocean-inspired view to start your design, but remember that it works with any content.
5. Galaxi PowerPoint Presentation Template
Blast off to success with a PowerPoint presentation like this one. It's got infographics that help you master how to create a good PowerPoint presentation, easily. The graphics serve to explain complex ideas with easy-to-follow visuals.
Still want to learn how to make a good presentation slide? Try out even more templates. Jump to our articles below for more PowerPoint presentations:
Make Great PowerPoint Presentations ( Free PDF eBook Download )
Our free eBook makes a perfect complement to this tutorial. It'll take you through the complete presentation process—from start to finish. Learn how to make a good PowerPoint presentation from writing it, designing it like a pro, and preparing it to present powerfully.
Download our new eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations . I t's available for free with a subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter.
Learn More: How to Make the Best PowerPoint Presentations Fast
We also have a number of helpful PowerPoint tutorial resources on Envato Tuts+. Learn more about working creatively with PowerPoint to make great presentations quickly :
Start Making Your Own Great PowerPoint Presentations Today
You've just learned the steps for making great PowerPoint presentations. I've also shared some good presentation examples with creative ideas that could apply to your PowerPoint presentation design. You now have the information you need to begin making your own great presentation.
As we discussed earlier, one way to give your PowerPoint presentations a head start is to use a premium template designed by professionals. We've even shared some tips on how to design a PowerPoint presentation by working with top PowerPoint presentation templates .
Why not download a presentation template from Envato Elements or GraphicRiver and begin creating your own great PowerPoint presentations today?
Editorial Note: This tutorial was originally published in October of 2018. I t's been comprehensively revised to include new information—with special assistance from Brenda Barron and Andrew Childress .
Find the perfect PowerPoint presentation template
Bring your next presentation to life with customizable powerpoint design templates. whether you're wowing with stats via charts and graphs or putting your latest and greatest ideas on display, you'll find a powerpoint presentation template to make your ideas pop., presentations.
Help your data, insights, and recommendations make a statement with beautiful and easily customizable presentation templates.
Certificates
Celebrate accomplishments big and small with customizable certificate templates. From gift certificates to awards for finishing a course or training, find a template that highlights their accolades.
Boost visibility for your show, project, or business with easily customizable poster templates. Find templates for all your promotion needs and make them uniquely yours in a flash.
Keep track of whatever you need to in style. From personal planning to promotional calendars, find templates for every kind of project and aesthetic.
Infographics
Say more with less using helpful and easily customizable infographic templates. Add clarity to business presentations, school projects, and more with these helpful templates.
Start with the best PowerPoint templates
Elevate your storytelling
Tips, tricks, and insider advice from our business and design experts
A quick way to create beautiful, powerful PowerPoint presentations
Create captivating, informative content for PowerPoint in just a few minutes—no graphic design experience needed. Here's how:
1. Find the perfect PowerPoint template
2. Customize your creation
3. Show it off
Let's create a powerpoint design, frequently asked questions, where can i find slide templates and themes that i can customize.
To find customizable slide templates and themes, you can explore the business presentations templates or search by PowerPoint templates . Once you find a template that resonates with you, customize it by changing its color scheme, add in your own photos, and swap out the font.
How do I use pre-made PowerPoint templates?
After you've chosen a PowerPoint template to use, customize it. Explore [design tips] on how to customize a deck that resonates with your brand while putting emphasis on the topic at hand. Play with other design elements, like photo shapes, to make each slide unique.
How can I make or edit my own custom PowerPoint templates?
Start from scratch by creating your own PowerPoint template . Follow tips for designs and business presentations so that your unique template is cohesive and relevant to your brand. Incorporate your brand's color scheme and graphics so that all your slides aren't text only.
What kinds templates can I get online for PowerPoint?
You can get PowerPoint templates that have modern designs, animated ones, or even hand-drawn art in each slide. The color schemes range from bold to subtle. Each template's slides are also organized based on what you may want to include in your presentation . You can use the template as a starting point and customize its specific details from theme.
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Best practices for making awesome PowerPoint slides
Whether you’re presenting a slideshow to your executives, clients, or peers, you want to convey your message clearly and successfully, and at the very least prove that you know how to use PowerPoint . Unfortunately, many mistakes can be made when creating PowerPoint presentations.
Choose the fonts wisely
Select pleasing colors.
- Don’t overuse animations and effects
Use a standard presentation rule
From hard-to-read fonts to colors that hurt the eyes of your audience, here are some best practices to keep in mind for your next PowerPoint slideshow.
Using a fancy, dramatic, or even whimsical font can be tempting. But you must consider the readability of the font. You want your audience to easily see your headings and bullet points. Consider the two basic font styles: serif and sans serif.
Serif fonts are more decorative, have a classic appearance, and are frequently used in print publications. Each letter has a stroke that extends from a point in the letter. Popular serif styles include Times New Roman, Garamond, Georgia, and Baskerville.
Sans serif fonts are more precise, have a clean appearance, and are frequently used in digital publications. Each letter is clear-cut without wings or curves at its points. Popular sans serif styles include Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, and Calibri.
Because of the extended strokes, serif fonts can appear a bit blurry on a screen. This makes a sans serif font the favored choice. The bottom line is that you should remain consistent and use the same type, serif or sans serif, for all fonts in the slideshow.
The colors you use in your PowerPoint presentation can be just as important as the content. You want to use those that enhance the appearance of the slideshow, not distract or give your audience a headache.
As Microsoft’s Robert Lane explains in his article about combining colors in PowerPoint, mixing red and blue or red and green can cause eye strain. Plus, red and green mixtures are difficult to see for those with color blindness.
The article mentions that warm colors like reds, oranges, and yellows are eye-catching, whereas cool colors like blues, greens, and purples draw less attention. Additionally, lighter colors are more noticeable than dark.
One of the easiest ways to choose the colors for your presentation is to use a built-in theme. Select the Design tab and you’ll see a collection of Themes in the ribbon.
Once you select a theme, you can then use the Variants section to choose a different color scheme. Each scheme includes eight complementing colors. You can also pick the font style you want to use in the Variants drop-down menu.
Tip : You can also check out the Design Ideas if you need help with the layouts for your slides.
Don’t overuse animations and effects
Animations can be attention-grabbing additions to a slideshow. But if you overuse or misuse them, they can be detrimental to your presentation and actually turn off viewers. The best thing to do is consider your audience and slideshow’s purpose.
For instance, if you are presenting the slideshow to a classroom of 8-year-old students, animations can grab and hold their attention more than simple images or words. However, if you’re presenting to your company’s executive team or board of directors, animations can come across as unprofessional. Also, be wary of embedding videos in PowerPoint — only do so when relevant.
If you really want to include animations, make them subtle or purposeful. As an example, you may want to expand on each bullet point in your list. You can create an animation to display the bullet points one by one and only when you click.
To do this, select the first bullet point, go to the Animations tab, and choose the Appear effect. Then, in the Timing section of the ribbon, choose On click in the Start drop-down list. Do the same for each bullet point in your list.
This creates a simple animation that benefits your presentation. It doesn’t distract but instead keeps your audience focused on your current talking point.
What is the 10/20/30 rule of PowerPoint? What is the five-by-five rule? What about the 5/5/5 and seven-by-seven rules? Rules, rules, rules. These are different standards that many recommend using when it comes to creating PowerPoint presentations.
- The 10/20/30 rule : Have no more than 10 slides, a presentation no longer than 20 minutes, and a font size no smaller than 30 points.
- The five-by-five rule : Have no more than five words per line and five lines per slide.
- The 5/5/5 rule : Have no more than five words per line, five lines per slide, and five text-heavy slides in a row.
- The seven-by-seven rule : Have no more than seven words per line and seven lines per slide.
What each of these rules basically means is: Keep it simple.
The first rule, 10/20/30, is a good rule to follow for your overall presentation. While it may not always be possible, the more succinct a presentation, the more successful it will be.
The last three rules are helpful ones to follow when you’re adding text to your slides. As you know, presentations are visual. Using too much text means your audience is reading more than watching.
Hopefully, these best practices will help you create a memorable and effective slideshow. For other ways to enhance your presentation, look at how to add audio to the slides or how to include music in PowerPoint .
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If you use Microsoft PowerPoint for your slideshows, then you know that creating a presentation with a template can save you a lot of time. A template gives you a jumpstart on the design, layout, and visual theme so you can focus more on your content.
If you’re looking for a new template that you can use for a variety of purposes, these are the best PowerPoint templates around. Their versatility allows you to use them for business, education, marketing, and more. Blue, people-centric business template Ideal for social media, marketing, business, or networking
Microsoft needs your help to shape the future of its Office suite of products. Five new default fonts are in the works for Microsoft 365 -- which covers Word, Excel, and PowerPoint -- and Microsoft is seeking out feedback for which one is best.
The five new potential default font families are now available as a download for testing and have various themes. The list includes fonts with the unique names of Tenorite, Bierstadt, Skeena, Seaford, and Grandview. There's a separate artist behind each one, and the designs span different geometric, human, and industrial shapes, according to Microsoft.
Many of the apps from the Microsoft 365 suite now run natively on Apple's new M1-powered MacBooks. Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote are now all able to take full advantage of Apple's custom ARM-based silicon.
These new Microsoft 365 apps for Apple M1 Macs are all universal apps, which means that they will also run on traditional Macs with Intel processors. This also means that the Office apps on Apple's M1 Macs -- like the new MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini -- should all feel snappier and faster than when they were previously running under emulation with Rosetta 2.
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How to Start a Presentation: 10 Proven Techniques for Grabbing Attention Right from the Start
The beginning of a presentation is where you either capture or lose your audience’s attention. Whether you’re pitching to investors, leading a team meeting, or presenting at a conference, a powerful start sets the tone for the entire session. A strong opening builds rapport, establishes authority, and makes your message memorable.
Let’s explore ten effective strategies, tailored for different types of presentations.
1. Open with a Compelling Story: Ideal for Funding Pitches and Inspirational Talks
Stories are one of the most engaging ways to start a presentation. They create an emotional connection and make complex ideas relatable. A well-told story can be a powerful hook, especially if it’s relevant to the audience and ties directly into your core message.
Example (in a Funding Pitch):
“Two years ago, our company was on the brink of failure. We were down to our last $1,000, and it felt like we were out of options. But then we discovered a new approach that completely turned things around, and that’s what I’m here to share with you today.”
Why It Works:
Stories humanize your message and quickly establish a connection, making it easier for the audience to engage with your content.
2. Start with a Shocking Statistic or Fact: Effective for Data-Driven and Awareness Presentations
Numbers can be powerful attention-grabbers, especially when they reveal something surprising or unexpected. Opening with a shocking statistic instantly engages your audience and primes them to pay attention to the problem or solution you’re presenting.
Example (in a Health Awareness Presentation):
“Did you know that every year, over 2.8 million people die from obesity-related conditions worldwide? That’s more than car accidents, wars, and natural disasters combined.”
Startling facts spark curiosity and concern, setting the stage for your presentation by making the problem feel urgent.
3. Pose a Thought-Provoking Question: Suitable for Sales Pitches and Consultative Presentations
Asking a question invites your audience to reflect and mentally engage from the start. It’s particularly effective in scenarios where you want your audience to think critically about their needs or challenges.
Example (in a Sales Pitch):
“What would it mean for your business if you could reduce operational costs by 30% while increasing productivity at the same time?”
A well-crafted question aligns the audience’s thinking with your message and prepares them to receive your solution.
4. Start with a Bold Statement: Works Well in Motivational and Leadership Presentations
A bold, declarative statement can grab attention and set the tone for a confident and assertive presentation. This approach works best when your presentation is built around a central argument or a new perspective.
“Leadership isn’t about authority—it’s about empowering others to lead themselves. And that’s the mindset shift we need to succeed in today’s world.”
Bold statements immediately communicate confidence and challenge the audience to rethink conventional wisdom, creating intrigue.
5. Use a Powerful Visual or Prop: Effective in Creative Pitches and Product Demonstrations
Sometimes, visuals speak louder than words. Starting with an impactful image, video, or prop can grab attention and set a strong visual context for what’s to come.
Example (in a Product Demo):
Displaying an image of a crowded cityscape
“This is the reality of urban living today—busy, congested, and stressful. Our product is designed to make this scene more manageable, efficient, and less chaotic.”
Visuals immediately engage multiple senses and can simplify complex ideas, making your message easier to grasp.
6. Share a Relevant Quote: Suitable for Thought Leadership and Educational Presentations
Quotes, especially from recognized experts or thought leaders, can lend authority and credibility to your presentation. They work well when your audience values the wisdom of established figures.
Example (in a Thought Leadership Presentation):
“As Albert Einstein said, ‘In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.’ Today, I’ll show you how to turn your challenges into your biggest opportunities.”
Quotes set a thematic tone for your presentation and can instantly align your audience with the principles you’re about to explore.
7. Acknowledge the Audience’s Pain Point: Essential for Problem-Solving and Sales Presentations
Directly addressing a common pain point your audience faces helps you immediately connect and position your solution as relevant and valuable.
“I know you’re frustrated by how much time is wasted on repetitive manual tasks. What if I told you there’s a way to automate those processes and free up 20% of your team’s time?”
When you articulate a problem your audience is currently experiencing, they’re more likely to be receptive to your proposed solutions.
8. Leverage Humor: Effective in Team Meetings and Creative Presentations
A light joke or humorous observation can break the ice and create a relaxed atmosphere, especially when addressing a familiar audience or a casual setting.
“I know everyone loves a good Monday morning meeting—especially after a weekend filled with anything but spreadsheets. But trust me, this one’s different!”
Humor disarms the audience, making them more open to your message while fostering a positive, engaging atmosphere.
9. Start with a Demonstration: Suitable for Technical Presentations and Product Launches
Diving straight into a live demonstration or interactive example is a great way to showcase the value of your product or concept from the very beginning.
Example (in a Product Launch):
“Instead of telling you about how intuitive our new app is, let me show you in real-time how it works.”
Hands-on demonstrations provide immediate value and clarity, leaving no room for doubt about the benefits of what you’re offering.
10. Introduce Yourself with a Twist: Useful in Networking Presentations and Personal Branding Talks
Sometimes, a creative or unexpected introduction can set you apart and establish rapport with your audience from the get-go.
Example (in a Personal Branding Talk):
“Most people introduce themselves by their job title. But if you ask my team, they’d say I’m the person who brings donuts on Fridays and won’t stop talking about customer experience. Let’s talk about why that passion matters.”
This approach humanizes you, breaks the ice, and provides a unique perspective on your expertise.
The way you start your presentation is crucial—it determines whether your audience leans in or tunes out. Tailoring your opening to the context and goals of your presentation will set the tone for a successful session. Whether you’re telling a story, asking a question, or making a bold statement, the key is to make your audience feel engaged, intrigued, and ready to listen.
By mastering the art of a strong start, you ensure that your presentation captures attention from the first moment, making it easier to keep your audience invested as you deliver the rest of your message. Tailor your approach to fit your content and audience, and you’ll consistently start your presentations on the right foot.
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How to share a PowerPoint presentation as a link
Easily share your PowerPoint presentation by creating a shareable link with these simple steps.
Method 1: Uploading to Google Drive
Step 1: save your powerpoint presentation.
Step 2: Upload to Google Drive
Step 3: Generate a Shareable Link
Step 4: Share the Link
Frequently asked questions:, can i control the permissions for the shared link in google drive, do recipients need a google account to view the presentation shared via google drive, is it possible to update the presentation after sharing the link from google drive, are there any size limitations for sharing powerpoint presentations via google drive or directly from powerpoint, create ppt using ai.
Just Enter Topic, Youtube URL, PDF, or Text to get a beautiful PPT in seconds. Use the bulb for AI suggestions.
character count: 0 / 6000 (we can fetch data from google)
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Tips for creating and delivering an effective presentation
In this article.
Creating an effective presentation
Delivering an effective presentation
Tips for creating an effective presentation
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Choose a font style that your audience can read from a distance. | Choosing a simple font style, such as Arial or Calibri, helps to get your message across. Avoid very thin or decorative fonts that might impair readability, especially at small sizes. |
Choose a font size that your audience can read from a distance. | Try to avoid using font sizes smaller than 18 pt, and you may need to go larger for a large room where the audience is far away. |
Keep your text simple and minimize the amount of text on your slides | Use bullets or short sentences, and try to keep each to one line; that is, without text wrapping. You want your audience to listen to you present your information, rather than read the screen. Some projectors crop slides at the edges, so long sentences may be cropped. You can remove articles such as "a" and "the" to help reduce the word count on a line. |
Use art to help convey your message. | Use graphics to help tell your story. Don't overwhelm your audience by adding too many graphics to a slide, however. |
Make labels for charts and graphs understandable. | Use only enough text to make label elements in a chart or graph comprehensible. |
Make slide backgrounds subtle and keep them consistent. | Choose an appealing, consistent template or theme that is not too eye-catching. You don't want the background or design to detract from your message. See . For information about using themes, see . |
Use high contrast between background color and text color. | Themes automatically set the contrast between a light background with dark colored text or dark background with light colored text. See . |
Check the spelling and grammar. | To earn and maintain the respect of your audience, always check the spelling and grammar in your presentation. |
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Tips for delivering an effective presentation
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Show up early and verify that your equipment works properly. | Make sure that all equipment is connected and running. |
Don't assume that your presentation will work fine on another computer. | Disk failures, software version mismatches, lack of disk space, low memory, and many other factors can ruin a presentation. Turn off screen savers, and ensure you have the appropriate files and versions of software that you need, including PowerPoint. To ensure all files are accounted for when you copy them to a USB drive and carry them to your presentation location, see Consider storing your presentation on OneDrive so it can be accessible to you from any device with an internet connection. |
Verify that the projector's resolution is the same as the computer on which you created your presentation. | If the resolutions don't match, your slides may be cropped, or other display problems can occur. |
Turn your screen saver off. | Keep your audience focused on the content of your presentation. |
Check all colors on a projection screen before giving the actual presentation. | The colors may project differently than what appears on your monitor. |
Ask your audience to hold questions until the end. | Questions are an excellent indicator that people are engaged by your subject matter and presentation skills. But if you save questions until the end of the presentation, you will get through your material uninterrupted. Also, early questions are often answered by ensuing slides and commentary. |
Avoid moving the pointer unconsciously. | When you are not using the pointer, remove your hand from the mouse. This helps to stop you from moving the pointer unconsciously, which can be distracting. |
Don't read the presentation. | Practice the presentation so that you can speak from bullet points. The text should be a cue for the presenter rather than the full message for the audience. |
Stay on time. | If you plan a certain amount of time for your presentation, do not go over. If there is no time limit, take less time rather than more to ensure that people stay engaged. |
Monitor your audience's behavior. | Each time that you deliver a presentation, monitor your audience's behavior. If you observe people focusing on your slides, the slides may contain too much data or be confusing or distracting in some other way. Use the information you learn each time to improve your future presentations. |
Practice makes perfect. | Consider rehearsing your presentation with . |
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How to Create a Timeline in PowerPoint?: Step-by-Step Guide
A roadmap in PowerPoint can bring meetings, pitches, or educational sessions into the game. This will not only organize your information perfectly but also make it more engaging and a lot easier to follow. Here is a step-by-step guide to help you create an effective timeline PowerPoint template .
Know Your Audience
It is important to learn beforehand who your audience will be. Is your audience comprised of peers, clients, students, or the everyday person? Once you learn your audience’s needs and expectations, you can then shape how you will provide the information. Remember, a timeline PowerPoint developed for a board of executives is very differently assembled than one designed for a group of high school students.
How to Plan Your Timeline
Start by determining what the most significant events are that you want to show on your timeline, list them in a logical sequence, and make sure everyone is relevant to the story that you are trying to tell. Doing this thinking upfront will make the creation process smoother.
Choosing the Best Template
Several sites have ready-made templates on timelines: SlideEgg, and Microsoft, among many others. Search these sites and apply a template that most suits your topic and audience. Using a timeline slides may save some time and offer a professional presentation.
High-Quality Visuals
Visual appeal is very important when it comes to PowerPoint presentations. Using high-resolution images and graphics will enhance your slides. There are many websites, such as SlideEgg, and Pexels, that offer royalty-free photos you can use on your presentation.
Incorporating Multi-media Elements
However, the inclusion of videos or audio clips in your presentation will increase the degree of dynamic. You can attach a small video clip or audio narration explaining some of the key points you want to mention. Interactivity will keep the interest of the audience for a longer time and will make your timeline more attractive.
Suitable Use of Colors and Fonts
A professional presentation needs to have an aesthetic semblance of consistent coloring while using legible fonts. Choose colors that cooperate harmoniously with each other. Aim to have one to not more than two types of font in your whole slides. This helps to maintain uniformity in the slides’ outlook and readability.
Making Readable and Clear Slides
It is vital not to clutter the slides by putting too much text on them. You can make use of the feature for bullet points using short sentences to get your point across. Also, have only one lead idea on each slide so as not to overwhelm your audience.
Key Milestones – Highlight
Give importance to major events in your project timeline template. You can make the timeline pop out by adding icons or graphics, or you can change the color. This helps in pointing your audience at what is generally the most critical areas of the project timeline template.
How to Use SmartArt and Infographics
Fortunately, good news: PowerPoint’s SmartArt feature allows for some pretty cool diagrams and charts. Use SmartArt to illustrate relationships and hierarchies in your timeline. Free download Timeline ppt template to give life to more slides and present data in a different way.
Standardization Throughout
Consistency in design and format is what makes a presentation professional. Ensure your slides are designed according to the same set of guidelines; proofread to ensure there are no formatting errors. This uniformity helps the audience focus on the content rather than the design discrepancies.
Engaging Your Audience
The more entertaining a presentation is, the more it tends to be remembered. Keep your audience engaged through questions, participation, and interactive polls or surveys. Engagement will make your timeline presentation dynamic and interactive.
Practicing Your Presentation
Practice makes perfect. Take the time to rehearse a number of times so you are comfortable with the flow and timing of your presentation. This will help ensure that you present your content confidently and within the timeframe allowed for you.
Managing a Q&A Session
Be prepared to take questions from the audience. Jot down in your mind some of the common questions that will probably be asked of you, and be prepared to answer. Managing your Q&A session will reveal your knowledge and keep the audience interested right to the very end.
You have to plan and pay great attention to detail to come up with an interesting timeline presentation in PowerPoint. From the tips above, you can craft a timely and attractive presentation that informs as well as entertains the viewers at the same time. The secret is to know who your audience is and craft the content with the needs of the audience in mind.
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Jerom is a presentation content strategist with over three years of experience writing engaging content and has worked in different niches. He has a strong background in PowerPoint and Excel, so he has learned how to compact complex ideas into simple, clean design visuals in slides. He loves teaching and is always ready to share his tips and ideas on mastering PowerPoint.
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Open PowerPoint. In the left pane, select New. Select an option: To create a presentation from scratch, select Blank Presentation. To use a prepared design, select one of the templates. To see tips for using PowerPoint, select Take a Tour, and then select Create, . Add a slide.
Microsoft PowerPoint is a presentation design software that is part of Microsoft 365. This software allows you to design presentations by combining text, images, graphics, video, and animation on slides in a simple and intuitive way. Over time, PowerPoint has evolved and improved its accessibility to users.
Select the text. Under Drawing Tools, choose Format. Do one of the following: To change the color of your text, choose Text Fill, and then choose a color. To change the outline color of your text, choose Text Outline, and then choose a color. To apply a shadow, reflection, glow, bevel, 3-D rotation, a transform, choose Text Effects, and then ...
To do that, simply go up to the Home tab and click on New Slide. This inserts a new slide in your presentation right after the one you were on. You can alternatively hit Ctrl+M on your keyboard to insert a new blank slide in PowerPoint. To learn more about this shortcut, see my guide on using Ctrl+M in PowerPoint.
On the Home tab, click New Slide. To choose a different slide layout, click the arrow next to New Slide and then click the slide layout you want. On the Transitions tab, click the transition you want. To see more transitions, expand the Transition gallery . On the Transitions tab, click Apply To All. Now you've set up a presentation with a ...
Open the PowerPoint app, select a template and theme, then like "Create.". Click the text box to add your title and subtitle to create your title slide. Click the "Insert" tab, then "New Slide" to add another slide. Choose the type of slide you want to add, then add text and pictures. Rearrange slides by dragging them up or down in ...
Get started with PowerPoint for Beginners. Follow this 20-Minute step by step PowerPoint tutorial to start creating presentations smoothly.Contents of this v...
In PowerPoint, you can create a presentation from scratch, or from a theme with built-in graphics, fonts, and placeholders for your text, images, and content...
One of the basics of PowerPoint presentations is to have a consistent color palette throughout. With these PowerPoint basics covered, let's change the slide background color on slide two. To start, click on the slide background. Next, click on the Design tab. In the toolbar, click on the Format Background button.
7 steps to create a presentation in PowerPoint. Begin with a surprise or bold statement. Provide necessary background information. Frame your presentation as a story. Keep the text concise and meaningful. Use visuals to complement the text. Incorporate interactive design. Conclude with actionable insights.
How to make a PowerPoint animation and a PowerPoint presentation with this 12-mins PowerPoint tutorial for beginners! Full Guide here: https://bit.ly/office...
A good presentation needs two fonts: a serif and sans-serif. Use one for the headlines and one for body text, lists, and the like. Keep it simple. Veranda, Helvetica, Arial, and even Times New Roman are safe choices. Stick with the classics and it's hard to botch this one too badly.
How to Create a Simple PowerPoint Presentation. These steps let you add titles, text, designs, and images. Grace Fleming, M.Ed., is a senior academic advisor at Georgia Southern University, where she helps students improve their academic performance and develop good study skills. You can make your next classroom or office presentation stand out ...
In the "Insert" menu, select "Table" and opt for a one-by-one table. Change the table color to a light gray shade, elongate it, and position it neatly to the left of your text. To improve readability and aesthetics, increase the spacing between text phrases. A small adjustment in the before spacing setting (setting it to 48) significantly ...
Six steps for creating a slide show. 1. Plan your slide show. Before getting too deep into your slide show project, it's a good idea to select and save the photos and videos you want to use. This helps you create a slide show more efficiently and purposefully, ensuring a better outcome. 4.
Create a blank presentation. Open PowerPoint. Select one of the Blank Presentation and start typing. Note: Microsoft 365 subscribers will find Design Ideas based on the words you type. You can browse and select a new look.
4 Tips for Creating a Simple Presentation. In order to create a PowerPoint presentation with a minimal design, you'll have to follow a few rules. Here are the top tips for making an effective PowerPoint slideshow with a clutter-free design. ... Microsoft PowerPoint (PPT) is the go-to choice for creating presentations. This series shares tips ...
Be mindful of colors and fonts. 4. Use animation sparingly. See more. Wondering how to design the perfect PowerPoint presentation? It's easier than you think-just follow five simple rules to get started: 1. Consider using templates. When building a slide deck, it's important to maintain consistency throughout.
Therefore, the key to a successful inspirational presentation is to deliver a clear, impactful message that is both engaging and memorable. Structure your presentation as a narrative, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. To elevate the storytelling qualities of your presentation, introduce a conflict or challenge and describe the journey of ...
Free templates are often limited to only a few simple slide designs that you may or may not be able to use. 2. Look for a Reputable Template Provider. Your best bet for selecting great PowerPoint templates is to choose a reputable provider, such as Envato Elements or GraphicRiver.
Find the perfect PowerPoint presentation template Bring your next presentation to life with customizable PowerPoint design templates. Whether you're wowing with stats via charts and graphs or putting your latest and greatest ideas on display, you'll find a PowerPoint presentation template to make your ideas pop.
If you use Microsoft PowerPoint for your slideshows, then you know that creating a presentation with a template can save you a lot of time. A template gives you a jumpstart on the design, layout ...
How to Make Impactful Presentations with PowerPoint. Creating impactful presentations involves a combination of good design principles and effective content organization. Here are some key tips for creating effective PowerPoint presentations: 1. Plan Your Content. Before diving into the design, outline your content.
Create a new presentation. Open PowerPoint. Select Blank presentation, or select one of the themes. Select More themes to view the gallery and search for more. Add a slide. Select the slide you want your new slide to follow. Select Home > New Slide. Select Layout and the you type want from the drop-down.
Invite collaborators: Share the presentation with your team members by sending them a link or inviting them directly through the software. Work together in real time: Once your team members have access, they can start editing the slide presentation simultaneously.Use the built-in chat and comment features to communicate and provide feedback in real time.
4. Start with a Bold Statement: Works Well in Motivational and Leadership Presentations. A bold, declarative statement can grab attention and set the tone for a confident and assertive presentation. This approach works best when your presentation is built around a central argument or a new perspective. Example (in a Sales Pitch):
Easily share your PowerPoint presentation by creating a shareable link with these simple steps. Open main menu. Addon PPT with AI Slide with AI Pricing Contact Blog. ... Whether you choose to upload your presentation to Google Drive or share it directly from PowerPoint, both methods provide a simple and efficient way to distribute your content.
Tips for creating an effective presentation. Tip. Details. Choose a font style that your audience can read from a distance. Choosing a simple font style, such as Arial or Calibri, helps to get your message across. Avoid very thin or decorative fonts that might impair readability, especially at small sizes. Choose a font size that your audience ...
1. Open PowerPoint Template which you want to use for creating a presentation 2. Type Create a presentation from "use the file" then it will prompt a message "Creating a new presentation will replace your existing slides, so you may want to save a copy first. Do you want me to make changes?"
Jerom is a presentation content strategist with over three years of experience writing engaging content and has worked in different niches. He has a strong background in PowerPoint and Excel, so he has learned how to compact complex ideas into simple, clean design visuals in slides.