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Understanding What is PowerPoint: A Comprehensive Guide

Table of Contents

In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the world of PowerPoint, uncovering what it is and exploring its vast array of features and capabilities. PowerPoint is a presentation software that allows users to create visually engaging slideshows, making it an essential tool for professionals looking to effectively convey their ideas and engage their audience.

Key Takeaways:

• PowerPoint is a presentation software that enables users to create visually engaging slideshows.
• It offers a wide range of features, including templates, text formatting, visual enhancements, and transitions and animations.
• PowerPoint’s Slide Master feature ensures consistency and efficiency in creating presentation templates.
• Planning and practicing are vital steps in creating a successful PowerPoint presentation.
• Proper formatting and design can greatly enhance the visual appeal and clarity of PowerPoint slides.

Defining Powerpoint: An Overview of the Presentation Software

Powerpoint is a powerful presentation software that enables users to create visually appealing slideshows to effectively convey information. With its wide range of features and tools, Powerpoint is widely used in various professional settings, including business meetings, educational institutions, and conferences.

One of the key features of Powerpoint is its ability to create stunning slides through customizable templates, text formatting options, and visual enhancements. Users can choose from a variety of pre-designed templates or customize their slides according to their specific needs. Additionally, Powerpoint allows for easy incorporation of images, charts, and graphs to visually support the content.

Transitions and animations are another significant aspect of Powerpoint, enabling users to add movement and interactivity to their presentations. Users can create smooth transitions between slides, as well as animate individual elements within a slide to capture the audience’s attention and enhance engagement.

Furthermore, Powerpoint offers speaker notes functionality, allowing presenters to add notes and reminders for each slide. This feature aids in ensuring a smooth delivery and helps presenters stay on track during their presentation.

In summary, Powerpoint is a versatile presentation software that empowers users to create visually captivating slideshows. Whether it’s designing professional presentations from scratch, incorporating engaging transitions and animations, or leveraging speaker notes for a flawless delivery, Powerpoint provides a comprehensive suite of tools and features that make it an essential tool for effective communication.

Exploring Powerpoint Features: Enhancing Your Presentations

With an extensive range of features, Powerpoint empowers users to create captivating presentations through its diverse set of tools and functionalities. Whether you want to deliver a professional business pitch, showcase your creative portfolio, or educate and engage your audience, Powerpoint has got you covered.

One of the key features of Powerpoint is its extensive library of pre-designed templates. These templates provide a solid foundation for your presentation, saving you time and effort in creating a visually appealing layout. You can choose from a variety of themes, color schemes, and slide designs to match your content and create a cohesive visual experience for your audience.

In addition to templates, Powerpoint offers various text formatting options to help you make your content stand out. You can customize fonts, sizes, colors, and styles to ensure that your text is easily readable and visually impactful. With the ability to add bullet points, numbered lists, and even tables, you can effectively organize and present complex information with clarity.

To further enhance your slides, Powerpoint provides a range of visual elements and graphics. You can add images, shapes, icons, and charts to bring your content to life and make it more visually engaging. These visual enhancements help capture the attention of your audience and reinforce key messages in your presentation.

Table: Powerpoint Features

With all these features at your disposal, Powerpoint allows you to create dynamic presentations that leave a lasting impression. Whether you’re a student, professional, or entrepreneur, mastering Powerpoint can greatly enhance your communication skills and help you effectively convey your ideas to your audience.

Getting Started with Powerpoint: A Beginner’s Guide

If you are new to Powerpoint, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered with this beginner’s guide that will walk you through the process of creating your first presentation. Powerpoint is a widely used presentation software that allows users to create visually engaging slideshows to effectively convey their ideas and engage their audience.

To start using Powerpoint, you’ll need to have the software installed on your computer. Once you have Powerpoint open, you’ll be presented with a blank slide. This is where you can begin creating your presentation. You can choose from various templates, or start from scratch by selecting a blank slide.

Powerpoint provides a user-friendly interface with a toolbar at the top that contains all the tools you’ll need to create your presentation. You can easily insert text, images, shapes, charts, and more to customize your slides. To add text, simply click on the text box and begin typing. You can format the text, change fonts, colors, and sizes to suit your preferences.

To enhance your presentation, Powerpoint offers a range of features such as visual enhancements, transitions, and animations. These can be added to your slides to make them more dynamic and engaging. You can also utilize the speaker notes feature to add additional details or reminders for your presentation.

Table: Powerpoint Tutorials

By following this beginner’s guide and exploring Powerpoint’s features, you’ll soon become proficient in creating stunning presentations. Whether you’re a student, business professional, or public speaker, Powerpoint can help you effectively communicate your ideas and engage your audience. Now, let’s dive into the tutorial section to learn more about using Powerpoint.

Designing Stunning Slides: Formatting and Visual Enhancements

To create stunning presentations, it is crucial to master the art of designing slides that are visually engaging and effectively convey your message. PowerPoint provides a range of formatting and visual enhancement options that can elevate the impact of your slides.

One key aspect to consider is the layout and formatting of your text. Utilize different font styles and sizes to create hierarchy and emphasize important points. Use bullet points and numbering to organize information and make it easier for your audience to follow along. Remember to keep your text concise, using short phrases or keywords instead of lengthy sentences.

In addition to text formatting, PowerPoint offers a variety of visual enhancements. You can insert high-quality images, graphics, and icons to complement your content and make it more visually appealing. Consider using charts and graphs to present data in a clear and concise manner. These visual elements not only add visual interest but also help your audience understand complex information more easily.

Another way to enhance your slides is by using animations and transitions. PowerPoint allows you to add movement and visual effects to individual elements or entire slides. This can help grab your audience’s attention and guide them through your presentation. However, use animations and transitions sparingly and purposefully. Too many effects can distract from your message and make your presentation appear unprofessional.

By mastering the design and formatting features in PowerPoint, you can create slides that are not only visually stunning but also effectively communicate your ideas. Experiment with different layouts, color schemes, and visual elements to find a style that aligns with your content and engages your audience. Remember, the goal is to create a visually appealing presentation that enhances the impact of your message.

Adding Life to Your Presentation: Transitions and Animations

Dynamically engage your audience by incorporating seamless transitions and captivating animations into your Powerpoint presentations. These features not only enhance the visual appeal of your slides but also help to convey information effectively and maintain audience interest throughout the presentation.

Powerpoint offers a wide range of transition effects, allowing you to smoothly move from one slide to the next. Whether you prefer subtle fade-ins or more dynamic slide flips, Powerpoint has the perfect transition effect to suit your presentation style. By strategically adding transitions between slides, you can create a seamless storyline flow that keeps your audience engaged and focused.

Animations, on the other hand, bring your content to life by adding movement and interactivity to individual elements within your slides. From simple entrance animations that gradually reveal text or images, to more complex motion paths that guide the viewer’s attention, Powerpoint animations allow you to highlight key points and make your presentation more engaging.

Utilizing Transitions and Animations Effectively

• Keep it subtle: While transitions and animations can add flair to your presentation, it’s important not to overdo it. Use them sparingly and choose effects that complement the content rather than distract from it.
• Be consistent: Stick to a consistent transition or animation style throughout your presentation to maintain a professional and polished look. Inconsistent use of effects can be jarring for the audience.
• Practice timing: Make sure your transitions and animations are timed appropriately to ensure a smooth and seamless delivery. Practice your presentation to ensure that the timing aligns with your speaking points.

By incorporating transitions and animations into your Powerpoint presentations, you can captivate your audience and create a memorable visual experience. Remember to use these features strategically and in moderation to enhance your content and engage your viewers.

Perfecting Your Delivery: Speaker Notes and Presentation Tips

A polished delivery is key to a successful presentation. To engage and captivate your audience, it’s essential to leverage PowerPoint’s speaker notes and other valuable tips. Speaker notes serve as your guide, providing cues and reminders throughout your presentation. Here are some tips to make the most of this powerful feature:

• Keep it concise: Your speaker notes should contain key points and reminders, not a full script. Use bullet points or short phrases to keep them concise and easy to follow.
• Practice, practice, practice: Familiarize yourself with your slides and speaker notes by rehearsing your presentation multiple times. This will build your confidence and ensure a smooth delivery.
• Use visual cues: Incorporate images or icons in your speaker notes to prompt specific actions or emphasize important points. Visual cues can help you stay on track and engage your audience.
• Highlight transitions: Note any transitions or animations in your speaker notes. This will help you remember to pause or adjust your tone when these visual effects occur, creating a seamless and impactful presentation.

Remember, effective delivery goes beyond speaker notes. Here are a few additional tips to enhance your presentation:

• Speak clearly and confidently: Project your voice, maintain eye contact, and use appropriate gestures to engage your audience and convey your message with confidence.
• Utilize visual aids: Incorporate high-quality visuals, such as images, graphs, or videos, to support your key points and make your presentation more visually appealing.
• Engage the audience: Encourage audience participation through interactive elements, questions, or discussion points. This fosters engagement and keeps your audience actively involved throughout the presentation.

In summary, perfecting your delivery is crucial for a successful PowerPoint presentation. Leverage the speaker notes feature, practice your presentation, and follow these tips to captivate your audience, convey your message effectively, and leave a lasting impression.

Mastering Powerpoint: Understanding the Slide Master Feature

Discover the power of the Slide Master feature in Powerpoint, allowing you to effortlessly apply consistent formatting and design across all slides. The Slide Master acts as a template for your presentation, providing a centralized location to make global changes to the layout, font styles, color schemes, and other visual elements. By leveraging the Slide Master feature, you can save time and maintain a professional and cohesive look throughout your presentation.

One of the key benefits of using the Slide Master is the ability to create a unified theme for your slides. Rather than manually formatting each individual slide, you can make changes on the Slide Master, and those changes will be automatically applied to all slides. This ensures a consistent appearance and saves you the hassle of manually adjusting the design elements on every slide.

In addition to formatting, the Slide Master also allows you to insert placeholders for text, images, charts, and other content types. These placeholders act as pre-defined areas on each slide where you can easily add and update content. By utilizing placeholders, you can maintain a consistent layout throughout your presentation while still customizing the content on each slide.

Example of Slide Master Format in Powerpoint:

By mastering the Slide Master feature in Powerpoint, you can streamline the design process and maintain a consistent and professional look for your presentations. With its ability to apply global changes, insert placeholders, and define slide layouts, the Slide Master empowers you to create visually impactful presentations while saving time and effort.

Exploring Powerpoint Alternatives: Finding the Right Fit for You

While Powerpoint is widely used and trusted, there are other presentation software options available that might better suit your preferences and requirements. Whether you’re looking for more advanced features, a simplified user interface, or a specific focus on collaboration, exploring alternative options can help you find the perfect fit for your presentation needs.

One popular alternative to Powerpoint is Google Slides. As part of the Google Workspace suite, Google Slides offers seamless integration with other Google products, making it a convenient choice for those already using Gmail, Google Drive , and Google Docs. It also allows for real-time collaboration, enabling multiple users to work on a presentation simultaneously. With a wide range of templates and easy-to-use design tools, Google Slides is a user-friendly option for creating visually appealing slideshows.

If you’re looking for a more professional and polished presentation software, Adobe Spark might be the right choice for you. This software offers a selection of stunning templates and allows for easy customization of fonts, colors, and layouts. In addition, Adobe Spark provides access to a vast library of high-quality images and icons to enhance your slides. With its focus on creating visually captivating presentations, Adobe Spark is a great option for users who want to make a lasting impression.

Another popular alternative is Prezi, which offers a unique approach to presentations with its zooming and panning features. Instead of traditional slide transitions, Prezi allows you to create dynamic and interactive visual journeys. This can be particularly effective for storytelling or when presenting complex information. Prezi also offers a library of templates and a user-friendly interface, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced presenters.

Ultimately, the choice of presentation software depends on your specific needs and preferences. By exploring alternative options such as Google Slides, Adobe Spark, and Prezi, you can find a software that not only meets your requirements but also enhances your ability to create engaging and impactful presentations.

Planning Your Presentation: An Essential Step for Success

The success of a PowerPoint presentation heavily relies on proper planning – learn valuable tips and strategies to ensure your content is well-organized and impactful.

When it comes to planning your PowerPoint presentation, it’s crucial to start with a clear understanding of your goals and objectives. Define the purpose of your presentation and identify the key messages you want to convey to your audience. This will help you structure your content and keep your presentation focused.

Next, outline the main points or topics you want to cover in your presentation. Use bullet points or numbered lists to organize your ideas and create a logical flow. This will make it easier for your audience to follow along and understand your message.

By following these planning tips and strategies, you can create a well-organized and impactful PowerPoint presentation. Remember, proper planning sets the foundation for a successful presentation and enables you to effectively engage your audience.

Creating Engaging Slides: Tips for Content Creation

Effective content creation is crucial to capture and retain your audience’s attention throughout your PowerPoint presentation – discover valuable tips to achieve this goal.

1. Understand your audience: Before creating your PowerPoint slides, take the time to understand your target audience. Consider their level of knowledge, interests, and expectations. Tailor your content to resonate with them and address their needs.

2. Keep it concise: Avoid overwhelming your audience with excessive text on your slides. Use bullet points, short phrases, and impactful visuals to convey your message concisely. This approach helps your audience focus on key points and makes your presentation more visually appealing.

3. Use visuals strategically: Visuals play a vital role in engaging your audience and enhancing their understanding of your content. Incorporate relevant images, charts, graphs, and diagrams to support your message. Ensure that the visuals are clear, high-quality, and directly aligned with the information you are presenting.

4. Tell a story: Engage your audience by structuring your PowerPoint presentation like a captivating story. Start with a compelling introduction, build up the content systematically, and end with a memorable conclusion. This narrative approach helps create an emotional connection with your audience and keeps them engaged throughout.

Remember, effective content creation in PowerPoint is about delivering information in a visually appealing and engaging manner. By understanding your audience, keeping your content concise, using visuals strategically, and telling a story, you can create impactful slides that captivate your audience from start to finish.

Formatting and Design Best Practices for Powerpoint Slides

Adopting proper formatting and design practices is key to delivering a visually appealing and professional-looking PowerPoint presentation. In this section, we will explore best practices and design tips to help you create slides that captivate your audience and effectively convey your message.

1. Use consistent fonts and colors

When selecting fonts for your slides, choose a font that is easy to read and maintain consistency throughout the presentation. Stick to two or three fonts at most to maintain a cohesive look. Similarly, use a consistent color scheme that complements your content and enhances readability. Avoid using too many colors that may distract or overwhelm your audience.

2. Keep slide layouts clean and uncluttered

Avoid overcrowding your slides with excessive text or graphics. Use whitespace strategically to give your content room to breathe and create a visually pleasing balance. Break up text into bullet points or short sentences to make it easier to read and understand. Utilize visuals, such as images or icons, to augment your message and engage your audience visually.

3. Choose appropriate slide transitions and animations

Slide transitions and animations can add interest and engagement to your presentation, but it’s important to use them judiciously. Select transitions that are seamless and complement your content, rather than distracting from it. Use animations sparingly to highlight key points or to reveal information gradually, ensuring they enhance rather than overshadow your message.

Remember, the goal of formatting and design in PowerPoint is to support and enhance your content, not overshadow it. By following these best practices and design tips, you can create visually stunning slides that effectively communicate your message and leave a lasting impact on your audience.

Reviewing and Practicing: Fine-Tuning Your Presentation

Reviewing and practicing your PowerPoint presentation are essential steps to identify any areas for improvement and gain confidence in delivering your content. Taking the time to review your slides, content, and overall flow allows you to ensure that your message is clear, concise, and impactful. Practicing your presentation helps you become familiar with the material, allowing you to deliver it smoothly and confidently.

One effective way to review your presentation is to go through each slide systematically, checking for any errors or inconsistencies in your content. Pay attention to the visuals, ensuring they are visually appealing and support your message effectively. Additionally, review your transitions and animations to make sure they enhance rather than distract from your presentation.

Practicing your presentation is just as crucial as reviewing it. Start by rehearsing your content out loud, paying attention to your tone of voice, pace, and overall delivery. Consider recording yourself and watching the playback to identify any areas for improvement. You can also practice in front of a mirror or with a small audience to get valuable feedback and make necessary adjustments.

By dedicating time to reviewing and practicing your PowerPoint presentation, you can fine-tune your content, identify any areas for improvement, and deliver a polished and engaging presentation that leaves a lasting impression on your audience.

Delivering Your Presentation: Tips for a Professional Performance

Learn valuable tips and techniques to deliver a memorable and impactful PowerPoint presentation, leaving a lasting impression on your audience. A successful presentation goes beyond just the content on your slides. It involves effective delivery and engagement with your audience. Here are some key tips to help you deliver a professional and polished performance:

• Practice, practice, practice: Rehearse your presentation multiple times to ensure you are well-prepared and confident. Practice will help you become familiar with your content and delivery, allowing you to deliver a smooth and fluent presentation.
• Utilize visual aids: PowerPoint offers a range of visual enhancements, such as charts, images, and videos, to support your presentation. Use these visual aids strategically to amplify your message and engage your audience visually.
• Speak clearly and confidently: Pay attention to your tone of voice, volume, and pace when delivering your presentation. Speak clearly and project your voice to ensure everyone in the room can hear you. Maintain a confident demeanor to establish credibility.
• Connect with your audience: Engage your audience by making eye contact, using gestures, and involving them in your presentation. Encourage questions, and actively listen and respond to feedback. Creating a connection with your audience will help keep them engaged and interested in your message.
• Use effective body language: Be mindful of your body language during your presentation. Stand tall, maintain good posture, and use open and confident gestures. Avoid fidgeting or crossing your arms, as these can create barriers between you and your audience.

By incorporating these tips into your presentation delivery, you can ensure a professional and impactful performance that resonates with your audience. Remember, delivering a successful PowerPoint presentation is not just about the slides; it’s about how you deliver the content and connect with your audience.

In conclusion, Powerpoint is a versatile presentation software that offers a wide range of features and capabilities, empowering professionals to create visually engaging and impactful presentations. With its user-friendly interface and extensive tools, Powerpoint allows users to plan, create, and deliver presentations with ease and confidence.

From defining what Powerpoint is to exploring its various features, this comprehensive guide has provided valuable insights and tips to help users make the most of this powerful software. By understanding how to design stunning slides, add transitions and animations, and utilize the Slide Master feature, users can enhance their presentations and captivate their audience.

Furthermore, this guide has emphasized the importance of planning, practicing, and reviewing presentations for a seamless and professional delivery. By following best practices for content creation, formatting, and design, users can create visually appealing slides that effectively convey their message.

Powerpoint is not just a presentation tool, but a platform that enables professionals to showcase their ideas and engage their audience. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced user, mastering Powerpoint can greatly enhance your communication skills and elevate your presentations to the next level.

Is PowerPoint Included in Office365?

Yes, PowerPoint is indeed included in Office365. One of the notable advantages of using office365 is the comprehensive suite of applications it provides, including the widely-used presentation software, PowerPoint. With Office365, users can access and utilize PowerPoint’s features seamlessly, making it a valuable tool for creating and delivering impactful presentations.

Q: What is Powerpoint?

A: Powerpoint is a presentation software that allows users to create visually engaging slideshows.

Q: What features does Powerpoint offer?

A: Powerpoint includes various features such as templates, text formatting, visual enhancements, transitions and animations, speaker notes, and the Slide Master feature.

Q: What is the workflow for creating a Powerpoint presentation?

A: The workflow typically involves planning, creating slides, formatting and design, adding transitions and animations, reviewing and practicing, and delivering the presentation.

Q: How can Powerpoint help professionals?

A: Powerpoint is a powerful tool that helps professionals effectively convey their ideas and engage their audience.

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What Is Microsoft PowerPoint and How Do I Use It?

Deliver professional-looking presentations for business or classroom

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Customizing PowerPoint Presentations

Where to find powerpoint, how to use powerpoint, collaborating with powerpoint, powerpoint competitors, what to know.

• PowerPoint is a standalone program, a subscription service, a website, and a mobile app.
• Use PowerPoint by creating and customizing presentations with text, images, and other graphics.
• PowerPoint is the most popular presentation software, but Google Slides and Apple Keynote are popular, too.

Microsoft PowerPoint creates slideshows suitable for projectors or big-screen TVs. Usually, a presenter speaks to the audience and uses the PowerPoint presentation to hold the listeners' attention and add visual information. However, some presentations are created and recorded to provide a digital-only experience. This article addresses PowerPoint 2019 and 2016, PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, PowerPoint 2016, and PowerPoint Online.

PowerPoint presentations output to photo albums—complete with music or narrations—shareable on CDs, DVDs, or flash drives. The software supports charts, images, and org charts. Make your presentation into a web page for emailing purposes or as a promotion displayed on your company's website.

It is easy to customize presentations with your company logo and dazzle your audience by using one of the many design templates that come with the program. Many more free add-ins and templates are available online from Microsoft and other websites. In addition to an on-screen slideshow, PowerPoint features printing options that allow the presenter to provide handouts and outlines for the audience and notes pages for the speaker to refer to during the presentation.

PowerPoint is part of the Microsoft Office package and is also available as:

• A standalone program for Windows computers and Macs
• Part of a Microsoft 365 subscription
• PowerPoint Online
• PowerPoint apps for Android and iOS mobile devices

PowerPoint comes with many templates that set the tone of a presentation—from casual to formal to off-the-wall.

Select a template and replace the placeholder text and images with your own to customize the presentation. Add additional slides in the same template format as you need them and add text, images, and graphics. As you learn, add special effects, transitions between slides, music, charts, and animations —all these features are built into the software—to enrich the experience for the audience.

A group can use PowerPoint to collaborate on a presentation.

In this case, the presentation is saved online on Microsoft OneDrive , OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint. Send your collaborators or co-workers a link to the PowerPoint file and assign them either viewing or editing permissions when you're ready to share. Comments on the presentation are visible to all the collaborators.

If you use the free PowerPoint Online, work and collaborate using your favorite desktop browser. You and your team can work on the same presentation at the same time from anywhere. You need a Microsoft account.

PowerPoint is by far the most popular  presentation software program available. Approximately 30 million presentations are created daily in the software. Although it has several competitors, they lack the familiarity and global reach of PowerPoint. Apple's Keynote software is similar, and ships free on all Macs, but it has only a small share of the presentation software user base.

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Which Industries & Professions Use PowerPoint?

Acquiring professional PowerPoint training can drastically improve your career prospects across various industries, including business, education, marketing, and human resources. Learning how to effectively use PowerPoint provides a valuable skill set that can boost a prospective career change or advance in your current field.

Key Insights

• PowerPoint, a standard part of the Microsoft Office suite, is most commonly used for presenting information in a vibrant, memorable, and professional manner across various industries.
• PowerPoint skills can enhance career prospects in multiple sectors, including business, education, marketing, and human resources.
• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a significant growth in various business-related professions, with Financial Analysts , Management Analysts, and Project Management Specialists experiencing higher than average growth rates.
• Teaching jobs are expected to grow in line with the average U.S. job growth rate, with New York, California, Massachusetts, Washington, and Connecticut offering the highest salaries for teachers.
• The future outlook for marketing jobs is robust, with the roles of Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers projected to grow significantly faster than the average U.S. job growth rate.
• Salaries for Human Resources Specialists are highest in the District of Columbia, New York, Washington, and New Jersey.

PowerPoint is a slideshow presentation software program created by Microsoft. It is a standard part of the Microsoft Office suite. An essential aspect of receiving professional PowerPoint training to set yourself up for a career change is learning what fields and industries that training will help you find work in. Each industry will have different requirements and expectations for prospective employees, and you should consider these expectations when you start your training. This is true for students who have an idea of what kind of work they want to do and for students who aren’t yet sure what path to take after learning PowerPoint skills.

• What is PowerPoint?

Microsoft PowerPoint is a slideshow editing tool built to help users organize information, communicate effectively, and produce presentations to deliver through live address or without a presenter. It is the most commonly used presentation software across almost all professional industries. With PowerPoint, users can easily create vibrant and memorable presentations that quickly communicate meaning in a professional setting. They can add animations, transitions, graphics, and other imagery to their slides, ensuring they produce both communicative and impressive presentations for their audience.

Read more about what PowerPoint is and why you should learn it.

What Can You Do with PowerPoint Skills?

PowerPoint allows users to create vibrant and memorable visual presentations that can serve a wide variety of purposes. Its advanced features let users integrate dynamic animations and 3D-modeled graphics into their designs, creating more complex presentations than simple text projected onto a screen. Some people use PowerPoint to create informative slideshows that condense complicated information into a single, easy-to-digest presentation. This makes the program ideal for instructors and professionals who regularly host informational seminars. Other users utilize the program to persuade audiences, such as entrepreneurs meeting with potential investors, who might use PowerPoint to create memorable and persuasive presentations that convince the audience to invest in a product.

Common Industries That Use PowerPoint

There aren’t many industries that rely on PowerPoint as a primary design tool. However, at the same time, this program is used widely and regularly for a wide range of different jobs. For instance, professionals in the business world commonly use it to condense and share information with colleagues and stakeholders. PowerPoint is also a popular teaching tool. It isn’t limited to these fields, though. PowerPoint is a valuable tool in almost any professional setting.

PowerPoint is a great way to condense and present information and is widely used in a variety of business settings. Professionals in the business world frequently need to share information with team members, stakeholders, and others outside of the business. For instance, there might be a need to share project information with team members or to condense large amounts of data and highlight important points for stakeholders. PowerPoint is an effective tool for these purposes and many others. It is useful in live meetings and can be used to create presentations uploaded to a server or emailed to others.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) provides job information for various industries. According to BLS statistics, many different business-related professions will experience growth in the near future. For instance, it finds that the employment of Financial Analysts will grow by 9 percent in the next ten years, faster than the average U.S. job growth rate of only 5 percent. For Management Analysts, the growth rate is projected to be 11 percent , and for Project Management Specialists , it is expected to be 7 percent.

Teachers and other educators often rely on PowerPoint to help them present information in a way that is easy to understand and remember. For example, teachers often create PowerPoint slides that show the critical points of a lecture, making it easier for students to understand these points and take notes. Teachers frequently include visuals in their PowerPoint presentations, which is another effective way of helping students understand new information.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) provides job outlook data for many different industries. It reports that kindergarten and elementary teaching jobs will likely grow at a rate of 4 percent over the next ten years, middle school teaching jobs will grow about 4 percent , and high school teaching jobs 5 percent . These are all close to the average U.S. job growth rate of 5 percent, meaning that teaching is likely to be a stable industry in the near future. According to BLS statistics, New York, California, Massachusetts, Washington, and Connecticut are the highest-paying states for teachers

The marketing industry involves researching trends and designing and creating marketing strategies and campaigns to promote various products and services. Marketing professionals can use PowerPoint to create presentations and reports related to these activities and share information with team members and clients. Since PowerPoint presentations can include a wide variety of visuals and other creative elements, they can be particularly effective as a way to convince potential clients.

According to statistics provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, marketing jobs have a strong future outlook. The agency predicts that employment of Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers will grow by 10 percent in the next ten years, and employment of Market Research Analysts will grow by 19 percent . The average U.S. job growth rate is only 5 percent. California and New York rank high for both employment levels and wages for both Market Research Analysts and Marketing Managers .

Human Resources

One of the roles of a Human Resources Manager is to oversee the process of hiring new employees. This involves sharing large amounts of information about the company procedures and resources and what is expected of these new employees. Many Human Resources Managers Utilize PowerPoint for this purpose. The program allows them to present important information in a format that is easy for new employees to understand and remember. PowerPoint presentations can also be saved, giving employees access to that information at a later date.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in the next ten years, the employment of Human Resources Specialists will grow by 8 percent faster than average. It finds that California, Texas, Florida, and New York have the highest employment levels for this job, while the District of Columbia, New York, Washington, and New Jersey are the top-paying states.

Learn PowerPoint Skills with Noble Desktop

Professionals looking to learn PowerPoint may consider skills development training through Noble Desktop. These courses, available in person at Noble’s Manhattan campus and through live online instruction, will give students hands-on training in designing and organizing information using PowerPoint. 

Noble offers a PowerPoint Bootcamp , which teaches students–even those without prior PowerPoint experience–how to design compelling and evocative presentations. It covers layouts, adding animations and graphics, and working with layers, charts, graphs, and other objects, in addition to more advanced skills. Since PowerPoint is a design program, Noble offers students a PowerPoint Presentation Design course . This class focuses on the rhetorical and theoretical side of communicating through PowerPoint. 

Key Takeaways

• PowerPoint is regularly used in a wide range of different jobs.
• Professionals in many businesses use PowerPoint to share information with colleagues and other interested parties.
• Teachers often incorporate PowerPoint into their lectures.
• Marketing professionals use PowerPoint for presentations and reports.
• With PowerPoint, Human Resources Managers can present important information to new employees.
• Noble Desktop offers several different PowerPoint classes live online and at its New York City campus.

Related PowerPoint Resources

• Comparison of PowerPoint Training Formats
• Top Cities for PowerPoint Classes & Training
• PowerPoint Training & Classes for Employees: Review Corporate Training Options
• Why Learn PowerPoint?

How to Learn PowerPoint

Master PowerPoint with hands-on training. PowerPoint is a popular Microsoft Office application for designing and delivering slideshow presentations.

• PowerPoint Bootcamp at Noble Desktop : live, instructor-led course available in NYC or live online
• Find PowerPoint Classes Near You : Search & compare dozens of available courses in-person
• Attend a  PowerPoint class live online  (remote/virtual training) from anywhere
• Find & compare the  best online PowerPoint classes (on-demand)  from the top providers and platforms
• Train your staff with  corporate and onsite PowerPoint training

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UMGC Effective Writing Center Introduction to PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint is the most widely used presentation tool in the world.

And the most misused.

The reason for its misuse can be stated simply: PowerPoint is not Microsoft Word, although many use it that way when trying to write their presentation and design their slides at the same time. Important rule: "Write it first, design it second."

PowerPoint slides aren't documents with bullets.

Write out what you want to say. Extract main points as if for an outline. Put only these main points on slides with graphics.  Remember:

NO SENTENCES ON SLIDES.

And that is the first reason you should never read from a PowerPoint: they are slideshows, not documents. Reading from a slide is a big no-no because:

PowerPoint & The Modality Effect

One key to an effective PowerPoint presentation is the Modality Effect. The modality effect states: Verbal information is processed more effectively when narrated with a graphic instead of presented as text with a graphic. The modality effect implies that PowerPoint slides are meant for graphics, not merely a way to present your text.

PowerPoint & The Redundancy Principle

Another key to effective PowerPoint presentations is the Redundancy Principle: The human brain cannot process identical simultaneous inputs. Occasionally reading a sentence from a slide can be effective for emphasis. However, reading aloud results in cognitive confusion for the audience: The brain's two processing channels (auditory and visual) cannot process the identical, simultaneous inputs. As a result, the audience tunes or shuts down to reduce the confusion.

Since PowerPoint slides form the basis of most presentations today, it is important that the following principles be incorporated in your PowerPoint.

PowerPoint & Design Rules

Apply the basic principles of graphic design: Visual SPD, which stands for visual space, visual progression and visual differentiation. 

• Space : providing adequate white space between parts of a slide so that each is distinct.
• Progression : providing hierarchy to parts by consistently using numbers, bullets, and indentation for lists.
• Differentiation : giving distinction to chunks with colors (type colors and fill colors), sizes, and shapes.

There is also a PowerPoint-specific design guideline that we would like for you to follow in this workshop:

• Five-by-Five Rule : No more than five bullets per slide. In addition, there should be no more than 1 line per bullet and no more than 5-9 words per line.

"The Beginner's Guide to Microsoft PowerPoint"

Follow along with YouTuber Technology with Teachers as they show you everything you need to know to get started with Microsoft PowerPoint--learn the basics, including choosing a theme, adding text and pictures, creating new slides, animating items, and more.

PowerPoint & Speaker Notes

Remember that you need to consider what you will say during your presentation.  It is customary to insert your what you will say while each slide is being displayed (i.e., your script) into the speaker notes.

Please use the following steps and the video to help you find and insert text into the Speaker Notes.

• First, locate the speaker notes expansion tab on the bottom right of the PPT work area when you are in edit mode. Click once and the notes area will open up.
• Next, copy and paste your pre-written text from your document into the area that says, “Click to add notes.”
• To see the text and edit it, first click on the View tab on the top toolbar. Then in the Presentation Views grouping, select Notes Page. Now you can see the full text and edit it.  (Note: This technique is important when editing large portions of text in the speaker notes area.)
• Again, click on the Notes tab to expand. Copy and paste your full text for this slide into the area marked “Click to Add notes.”

PowerPoint: How to Edit Speaker Notes with "Notes View"

When adding large portions of text to the Speaker Notes area of a PowerPoint presentation, it is important to use the "Notes View" function. PowerPoint's "Notes View" function allows you to edit Speaker Notes as if you were editing a document.

Assignment:

Please produce two slides:

• The first slide should be your presentation's title slide, also sometimes called the "welcome slide." It is what participants see when they enter the room.
• The second slide should be part of your presentation's body. Generally, all body sides have the same basic formatting.  Also, they should contain what you will say during the presentation (i.e., your script) in the Speaker Notes.

Please attach your slides to a reply for feedback.

Other Powerpoint Resources

See other resources that the UMGC Effective Writing Center has collected to help you make a great presentation.

How To Videos

• 5 Basic Principles of PowerPoint Design
• How to Create a Winning PowerPoint
• How to Insert a Hyperlink in PowerPoint
• How to Animate a Build Slide
• How to Create & Edit Speaker's Notes

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How Is Microsoft PowerPoint Used in Business: A Comprehensive Guide

Microsoft PowerPoint is a widely-used tool in business for creating engaging and informative presentations. It allows professionals to present data, ideas, and projects in a visually appealing manner. By the end of this brief overview, you’ll understand how Microsoft PowerPoint is used in various business settings to communicate effectively with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders.

After you complete the action of learning how to use Microsoft PowerPoint in business, you’ll be able to craft compelling presentations that can enhance your professional communication, influence decision-making, and facilitate better understanding of complex information.

Introduction

When it comes to business communication, clarity and engagement are key. That’s where Microsoft PowerPoint steps in as the hero of the boardroom. PowerPoint is more than just a presentation tool; it’s a powerful means of conveying information that can drive decisions, spark conversations, and inspire action. Whether you’re pitching a new idea to investors, presenting quarterly sales data to stakeholders, or training new employees, PowerPoint helps you to get your message across in a dynamic and memorable way.

In today’s fast-paced business world, being able to present information clearly and effectively sets you apart from the competition. PowerPoint’s user-friendly interface allows even the least tech-savvy professionals to create visually stunning and impactful presentations. It’s not just about the slides, though. PowerPoint’s features enable you to integrate multimedia elements, data visualizations, and even interactive components to engage your audience and ensure they remember your message long after the presentation is over. So, who uses PowerPoint in business? The answer is, quite simply, everyone. From the CEO to the intern, PowerPoint is a staple in the corporate toolkit.

How Is Microsoft PowerPoint Used in Business?

The following steps will guide you through the process of using Microsoft PowerPoint in a business context, from conceptualizing your presentation to delivering it with confidence.

Step 1: Define the Purpose of Your Presentation

Identify the main objective of your presentation.

Before you even open PowerPoint, it’s crucial to understand what you want to achieve with your presentation. Are you informing, persuading, or instructing? The purpose will guide your content, design, and delivery.

Step 2: Gather and Organize Your Content

Collect all necessary information and structure it logically.

With your purpose in mind, curate the data, images, and text that will form the backbone of your presentation. A coherent structure keeps your audience engaged and helps them follow your argument or story.

Step 3: Choose a Design Template

Select a professional PowerPoint template that aligns with your company’s branding.

PowerPoint offers a variety of templates, but choosing one that reflects your company’s brand and the tone of your presentation is vital. Consistency in design reinforces your message and enhances brand recognition.

Step 4: Customize Your Slides

Add your content to the slides and customize the design elements.

This is where you pour your organized content into the predefined template. Customize fonts, colors, and layouts to ensure each slide is informative yet not cluttered. Remember, less is often more.

Step 5: Incorporate Visuals and Multimedia

Enhance your presentation with images, charts, videos, and animations.

Visual aids and multimedia can make complex data more digestible and keep your audience’s attention. Use them strategically to complement and clarify your message, not overshadow it.

Step 6: Rehearse Your Presentation

Practice delivering your presentation multiple times.

Rehearsing is key to a polished delivery. Familiarize yourself with your content and work on your timing, intonation, and body language to ensure a confident performance.

Additional Information

While PowerPoint is a fantastic tool for business presentations, it’s important to use it effectively to avoid common pitfalls. Overloading slides with too much text, using distracting animations, and not practicing enough can all lead to a less effective presentation. Instead, focus on simplicity, relevance, and storytelling. Your slides should support your narrative, not the other way around.

Use high-quality images and graphics to enhance your message, and always keep your audience in mind. What do they need to know? What’s the best way to convey this information to them? And, importantly, how can you make your presentation memorable? By keeping these additional insights in mind, you’ll be able to leverage the full power of Microsoft PowerPoint in your business presentations.

• Define the purpose of your presentation.
• Gather and organize your content.
• Choose a professional design template.
• Customize your slides.
• Incorporate visuals and multimedia.
• Rehearse your presentation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do i keep my audience engaged during a powerpoint presentation.

Keep your slides visually appealing and don’t overcrowd them with text. Use stories, examples, and interactive elements like polls or questions to maintain interest.

Can I use PowerPoint for online meetings?

Absolutely! PowerPoint integrates with many online meeting platforms, allowing you to share your presentation remotely.

How many slides should I have in my presentation?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but a good rule of thumb is to have one slide per minute of speaking time. Focus on your message’s clarity rather than the number of slides.

How can I make my PowerPoint presentation stand out?

Use high-quality images, consistent branding, and a clear storyline. Avoid default templates when possible to create a unique and memorable presentation.

What should I do if I encounter technical issues during my presentation?

Always have a backup plan, such as printed slides or handouts. If possible, test your equipment beforehand to minimize technical hiccups.

In the business arena, Microsoft PowerPoint is the go-to solution for bringing ideas to life and ensuring your message resonates with your audience. From the boardroom to the conference call, PowerPoint facilitates communication that’s not only informative but also compelling. An effective PowerPoint presentation can mean the difference between a deal won and a deal lost, a project approved, or sidelined.

It’s the visual handshake that can seal a lasting impression long after the meeting has ended. As you harness the full potential of PowerPoint in your business endeavors, remember that your slides are the canvas, but you are the artist. It’s your insight, passion, and expertise that will truly captivate your audience. So go ahead, create, inspire, and achieve with Microsoft PowerPoint.

Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read over 50 million times.

After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.

His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.

Read his full bio here.

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How to Use PowerPoint? A Complete Guide

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Today, in educational institutions, professional meetings, or even for personal projects,  PowerPoint  has become a powerful platform for creating visually captivating and engaging presentations.  

So, if you wish to enhance your presentation abilities and engage, inspire, and captivate your audience, you have come to the right place. Read this blog to learn How to Use PowerPoint. Also, explore the essential steps and techniques for harnessing the full potential of this platform. 

Table of Contents  

1) Introduction: How to Create a PowerPoint Presentation?

2) How to use Microsoft PowerPoint? 

     a) Working with slides 

     b) Adding content to slides 

     c) Inserting images and graphics 

     d) Adding charts and tables 

     e) SmartArt and shapes 

      f) Apply themes and templates 

2) Tips and tricks for a great presentation 

3) Conclusion 

Introduction: How to Create a PowerPoint Presentation?  

 PowerPoint is a versatile tool with a vast array of uses. It can serve as an aid in corporate training sessions, act as a resource for educators in the classroom, bring attention to significant historical occurrences, or present complex statistical information in an accessible format.

As a medium for instruction, dissemination, and education, slide presentations are invaluable. They are instrumental in conveying concepts clearly and effectively to an audience, regardless of the subject matter. PowerPoint presentations streamline the process of sharing knowledge and ideas, making them an indispensable asset in both academic and professional settings.

How to use Microsoft PowerPoint?  

Microsoft PowerPoint is a widely used application that enables you to create attractive and engaging presentations. Several tools and PowerPoint features allow you to make presentations that are both powerful and engaging.

So, embark on the journey to learn How to use PowerPoint for beginners and create impressive presentations. Follow the steps mentioned below: 

Working with slides  

Slides are the building blocks of your PowerPoint Presentation. They provide a structured format for presenting your ideas, visuals, and information. Let's learn how to work with slides effectively in PowerPoint.  

Step 1: Adding slides  

To add a new slide to your presentation, follow these steps: 

a) Go to the "Home" tab in the Ribbon and click on the "New Slide" button 

b) A gallery of slide layouts will appear, offering various options for structuring your content 

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Step 2: Duplicating and deleting slides  

When you want to create a similar slide to one you’ve already created, it’s convenient to duplicate it. You will need to do the following:  

a) Select the slide you want to duplicate 

b) Right-click and choose the “Duplicate Slide” option 

c) A copy of the slide will appear right after the original one 

If you no longer need a slide, select it. Then, press the “Delete” key on the keyboard, or right-click on it and choose “Delete Slide.” 

Note:  Be cautious when deleting slides, as this action cannot be undone. 

Step 3: Hide slides  

There may be instances when you want to hide certain slides during your presentation temporarily. To do this: 

a) Select the slide(s) you want to hide 

b) Right-click on them and choose "Hide Slide" from the context menu 

Step 4: Sections  

PowerPoint allows you to organise your presentation into sections, making navigating and managing larger presentations easier. To create a section, follow these steps: 

a) Go to the "Home" tab 

b) Click on the "Section" button in the "Slides" group 

c) Choose "Add Section" 

d) Provide a name for the section 

Adding content to slides  

After learning How to Use Microsoft PowerPoint slides, it’s time to move towards adding content to your selected layout. You can add content to your Powerpoint slides in the following ways: 

Step 1: Inserting text  

To add text to a slide, follow these steps: 

a) Select the slide and click on a text box or placeholder 

b) Start typing to enter your content 

Step 2: Formatting text  

PowerPoint offers various formatting options to enhance the visual appeal of your text. You can do the following: 

a) Select the text you want to format 

b) Use the formatting tools in the "Home" tab of the Ribbon

Experiment with various font styles, sizes, and colours to find the right combination that complements your presentation's theme. 

Inserting images and graphics  

Visuals play a crucial role in capturing the attention of your audience. To insert an image or graphic, follow the given steps: 

a) Go to the "Insert" tab in the Ribbon 

b) Click on the "Pictures" or "Online Pictures" button 

PowerPoint allows you to resize, crop, and adjust the position of images to fit your slide’s layout. Consider using high-quality visuals that enhance the understanding of your content. The new designer tab will give you more options to enhance your slides visually and make them appealing. 

Adding charts and tables  

Data-driven presentations often require charts and tables to present information clearly and in order. PowerPoint provides a range of pre-designed charts and tables to insert into your slides. You can add charts and tables by following the given steps: 

a) Go to the "Insert" tab 

b) Click on the "Chart" or "Table" button 

You can also customise the appearance and formatting of charts and tables to suit your presentation's needs. 

Incorporating multimedia  

Multimedia elements like videos, audio files, and animations can make your presentation interactive and engaging. To insert a video or audio file, follow these steps: 

b) Click on the "Video" or "Audio" button 

SmartArt and shapes  

Learning How to Use PowerPoint means you can enjoy creative freedom. This platform offers SmartArt graphics and shapes that allow you to represent concepts, processes, and relationships visually. To insert SmartArt, you can do the following: 

b) Click on the "SmartArt" button 

It also provides a variety of shapes that you can insert and customise. Shapes are useful for creating diagrams, highlighting key points, or adding decorative elements to your slides. 

Apply themes and templates  

Themes and templates offer a quick and easy way to give your presentation a professional and cohesive look. PowerPoint provides a wide range of pre-designed themes and templates to choose from. You just need to follow these steps:

a) Go to the "Design" tab in the Ribbon 

b) Explore the available options 

c) Select a theme that aligns with your content and enhances its visual impact 

Templates provide pre-designed slide layouts that you can customise to suit your needs, saving you time and effort. 

Add transitions and animations  

Transitions and animations can add a dynamic element to your presentation, making it more visually appealing and engaging. To apply transitions between slides, you can do the following: 

a) Go to the "Transitions" tab in the ribbon 

c) Choose from a variety of transition effects 

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Tips and tricks for a great presentation  

Delivering a great presentation requires careful planning, effective communication, and the ability to engage your audience. Read the following  PowerPoint Tips  and tricks that will help you create an impactful and memorable presentation: 

1) Know your audience  

Understanding your audience is essential for tailoring your presentation to their needs and interests. Research their background, knowledge level, and expectations. This knowledge will enable you to adapt your content, language, and examples to resonate with them effectively. 

2) Define clear objectives  

What do you want your audience to learn, feel, or do as a result of your presentation? Setting specific goals will help you structure your content and guide your delivery. Keep your objectives in mind throughout the presentation to stay focused and achieve the desired outcomes. 

3) Structure your content  

Start with an introduction that grabs the audience's attention and provides an overview of what you'll cover. Further, divide your presentation into sections or key points, using clear transitions between them. Finish with a memorable conclusion that reinforces your main message and leaves a lasting impression. 

4) Practice, practice, practice  

Rehearse your presentation multiple times to build confidence and familiarise yourself with the content. Practice speaking clearly, maintaining a good pace, and using appropriate intonation. Time yourself to ensure that you stay within the allotted timeframe. 

5) Engage with storytelling  

Weaving storytelling elements into your presentation can captivate your audience and make your message more memorable. Use anecdotes, personal experiences, or case studies to illustrate key points or demonstrate the real-life applications of your topic. Storytelling creates an emotional connection with the audience and helps them relate to the information you share. 

6) Utilise body language and voice modulation  

Non-verbal communication is a powerful tool for engaging your audience. Maintain good posture, make eye contact, and use natural gestures to emphasise key points. Vary your vocal tone and volume to convey enthusiasm, emphasis, and emotions. A confident and expressive delivery enhances credibility and helps maintain your audience’s interest.

7) Encourage audience interaction  

Ask thought-provoking questions, conduct polls, or engage in brief discussions. This involvement keeps your audience engaged, fosters active learning, and allows for different perspectives and insights. Encouraging questions and feedback also demonstrate that you value your audience’s input. 

8) Be mindful of the timing  

Respect your audience's time by keeping your presentation within the allocated timeframe. Plan your content and delivery to ensure you don't rush through or exceed the time limit. Practice pacing your speech, allowing for pauses and transitions. 

Conclusion  

We hope that you have gained a comprehensive understanding of How to Use PowerPoint. It’s time to put your knowledge into action. Start creating your own presentations, apply the tips and techniques given in this blog, and strive to improve your skills continuously. 

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Frequently Asked Questions

PowerPoint is basically used for creating visual presentations, allowing users to compile text and images to communicate ideas and information effectively in a slideshow format.

Feature like clear and concise content, visually appealing design elements, consistent formatting and appropriate use of images and graphics make PowerPoint look professional. Also, these elements collectively contribute to a polished and impactful presentation.

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The Knowledge Academy’s Knowledge Pass , a prepaid voucher, adds another layer of flexibility, allowing course bookings over a 12-month period. Join us on a journey where education knows no bounds.

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Table of Contents

Collaboration, information literacy, writing process, effective use of powerpoint in professional & technical presentations.

• CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 by Anna Lee

Regardless whether you are an engineer or a writer, a professional or a student, a business person or a scientist, you will be expected to communicate effectively with your supervisors, colleagues, clients, and the public. For most, that communication includes at least an occasional formal presentation.

Formal presentations in the workplace usually take one of three forms:

• Informational
• Instructional

Informational presentations are useful for reporting on research or giving a project update. Persuasive presentations can be used to make pitches to clients or supervisors. Instructional presentations, or “how-to” presentations, are formatted to teach, explain, or train.

In technical presentations, like most other genres of technical communication, good visual information design is essential. Visual aids are useful for increasing audience understanding of both the subject and the organization of a presentation.

Presenters should remember they have an array of options for visual aids from live demonstrations to interactive activities to old fashioned white boards; however, presentation software is the most commonly used option. Among the presentation software choices, PowerPoint is widely available and widely used in the workplace and in educational settings. Other software like Presi or Google Slides are becoming more popular and present may of the same opportunities and challenges that PowerPoint does.

PowerPoint can be a very effective tool for students and professionals if it is used appropriately for the purposes of a technical presentation. Unfortunately, effective use of this tool is not as intuitive as one would think considering its prevalence. To more effectively use PowerPoint often requires unlearning many of the common techniques displayed in the typical college class or even in the workplace.

Pitfalls of PowerPoint

Unfortunately, PowerPoint is controversial. Most students have experienced an ineffective PowerPoint presentation. In fact, a 2015 article on the website The Conversation claims PowerPoint “makes students more stupid and professors more boring” (Sorensen). Although this author and others make good points on the ineffectiveness of PowerPoint, others (Horvath & Lodge, 2015) contend that a tool is only as effective as the person using it. PowerPoint does not make students stupid and professors boring; rather, poor use of this tool makes for ineffective presentations and can lead to laziness in both the audience and the presenter.

One issue with PowerPoint is the preset templates and layouts Microsoft provides. These can guide a novice user to make inappropriate design choices that affect usability. For example, reversed text on a dark background can be challenging for audiences to read. Bullet points do not take advantage of the program’s visual potential. Purely decorative designs can distract from functional visuals and text.

Many of the problems with PowerPoint presentations are the result of a tool that is readily accessible being used by individuals untrained in rhetorical and visual design. Fortunately, students of technical communication can implement a change of strategy and follow a few guidelines to use PowerPoint more effectively.

Rethinking Bullet Points

The key to improving your use of PowerPoint as a presentation tool for technical or professional communication is to rethink the usual layout of presentations you have seen. Most poorly constructed PowerPoints have far too much text, usually in the form of bullet points covering, albeit in shortened form, everything the speaker is going to share. Your purpose should not be a mystery to your audience, but the audience cannot both read and listen to what you are saying at the same time. Rather you should treat your slides as true visual aids that primarily use something other than text to support your points.

Every substantive slide should present a visual that illustrates or supports the point you are making orally rather than summarizing or reiterating that point in text form. In other words, instead of the typical topic and bullet point slide layout, a more effective strategy for PowerPoint presentations slides can be to offer a claim and a visual support in the form of a photo, graph, illustration, chart, etc. (Alley & Neeley, 2005; Markel, 2009).

Sample slide with claim/visual support layout

This claim/support strategy accompanied by various orientation features creates a presentation that is free from visual noise, complimentary to the oral presentation, and easy for the audience to follow. Creating a PowerPoint presentation of this type requires significantly more thought and effort than a traditional summarizing bullet point format, but the payoff is worth the time spent.

Designing a Claim/Support Style Presentation

Although no one size fits all prescription exists for building an effective PowerPoint slide set for a professional or technical presentation, students can use the following steps and stratagems to guide their process.

1. Plan your presentation before making your slide set.

Rather than sitting down at the computer and opening PowerPoint to begin preparing for a presentation, you should start with your topic—the information you need share, the points you need to make, or the process you wish to teach—and determine what types of visual aids will best support your purpose. PowerPoint may not be the right fit for every purpose. If it is the best tool to employ, remember that the slide set is notyour presentation in and of itself but rather a way to visually support your claims and guide your audience through the organization of your presentation.

Follow the same process you would for any piece of academic or professional writing. Research your subject, narrow your scope to fit the constraints of the assignment, analyze your audience, and draft your presentation around your main points. Once you have a strong, organized case to make in support of your purpose, you can begin creating the visuals that will most effectively enhance your claims.

2. Design your template.

When you are ready to build your slide set, first prepare a slide template. This step will save you time formatting each slide and create consistency. Although PowerPoint provides many predesigned themes, avoid them. Creating your own template will give you more control and help you avoid some of the poor design choices represented in many of the preset templates. Using the “Master Slide” feature is a good way to design once and apply your choices throughout your presentation.

When designing a slide template for the body slides of your presentation, keep in mind these suggestions:

• Opt for a white (or very light) background. Although, many presentation slide sets use a dark background with light text, a more audience friendly choice is a light background and dark text. This combination is universally easier to read especially on a screen. Another benefit of a white background is that you can use a wider variety of image files and types without dealing with the white boxes that often appear in JPEG image files.
• Prefer a san serif font. As is true for reading on computer screens, san serif fonts are also easier to read on the large screens of PowerPoint slides. This is not to say that all serif fonts are unacceptable but rather a good rule of thumb is to prefer a san serif font.
• Include an orienting footer. Be sure to design a footer on your slides that includes the title (or abbreviated title) of your presentation, the date of the presentation, and particularly the slide number. This information is helpful for you in archiving the slide set or changing it for future presentations, but it is especially helpful in orienting the audience. It is much easier to ask a specific question at the end of a presentation if one can refer to specific slide number rather than trying to describe the visual after a single viewing.
• Avoid visual “noise.” In Presentation Zen, Reynolds explains the principle of signal-to-noise ratio and the effects of cluttering a slide with too much visual information that is unrelated to a point being made. He says, “There is simply a limit to a person’s ability to process new information efficiently and effectively” (2012, p. 134). In other words, avoid unnecessary design elements and visuals on slide in a technical presentation. This means eliminating meaningless clip art, images, or even an organizational logo on every slide in order to focus the audience’s attention on the visual that supports your claim. In most cases, less is truly more on a slide.

3. Create your orienting slides.

In addition to acting a visual aid to support the claims of presentation, the purpose of a slide set is also to help the audience understand the organization and follow the speaker’s thoughts more coherently. Many slide sets miss this opportunity. First, be sure to create a title slide that introduces your presentation and you to the audience. Next, slide sets, even for short presentations, should include an outline. The audience wants to know where a talk is going and when they can anticipate its conclusion. Your point in making a technical presentation should not be a mystery; tell the audience what you are about and show them in the form of an outline slide. Revisit this slide to reorient you audience in the middle of the presentation or even before each major point in a long presentation.

Sample of an outline slide

Another orientation feature that you should consider adding is borrowed from pedagogical theory: the advance organizer . A good presentation should help audience members connect new information to previous knowledge and understand why the information is important to them. This is also the purpose of an advance organizer.

Simply put, the advance organizer in slide set is a slide (or several) dedicated to visually introducing background or introductory material so the audience is prepared to accept the claims of the presentation. An advance organizer may take many different forms depending upon the type and purpose of a presentation. One example is visual “list” of supplies needed to perform a task you are teaching. Another might be a definition of a subject or an image of a finished product that the presentation aims to demonstrate the process of creating. Accompanied by the speaker’s oral explanation or even audience interaction, these slides help orient the audience and prepare them to receive the bulk of the material more effectively.

Sample of an advance organizer slide

4. Lay out your organization.

With a template created and orienting slides in place, you can now deal with the body content of the presentation. Follow the same form you would in presenting information effectively and persuasively in any medium by including the following elements: an introduction, several points (or claims), a conclusion, and a call for questions. The audience is familiar with receiving information in this way and will become confused or fail to recall your purpose if you do not sum up your points in a conclusion, for example.

Another organizational feature on the body slides that can become a missed opportunity is the headers. Many presentation slides employ single word or phrase headers. Research shows (Alley & Neeley, 2005) that this may not be the most effective format to persuade or teach. Alley & Neeley and others (Markel, 2009) advocate for the use of sentence case headers on body slides that make a strong, clear claim in a complete thought. Punctuating and capitalizing them as sentences is also recommended.

Sample of a slide using a sentence case header

Switching to sentence headers can be a challenge for students at first—even the student examples provided below do not fully follow this advice— because it is different from what most of us have experienced. However, using it can be effective when bullet points are eliminated in place of a visual support on each slide.

5. Add your visuals.

The final step, and arguably the most difficult, is adding visuals to the slides to support the your claims. Determining visuals that are effective in emphasizing the points, simple enough to comprehend, within the designer’s ability to create, or available to use without copyright infringement is quite a challenge. The following tips can help you begin to design visually based PowerPoint slides:

• Consider your options. Although challenging to think through whether an idea can be represented graphically, you have many possibilities available that work well in PowerPoint. Good options for visuals include graphs or charts for presenting data, tables for displaying lists (an alternative to bullet points), photographs or screen shots for showing steps in a process, illustrations or line drawings for simplifying complex images or showing internal workings, and PowerPoint SmartArt graphics for demonstrating relationships and processes. These are only a few of the choices available and a few potential uses for each. Once you have an idea of the type of visual to use, you will need to create or find it.
• Create your own visual. It is always best to create a visual yourself—if you have the programs and skills to do it—because it gives you complete control of the visual and avoids copyright issues. Although some programs for creating visuals are expensive or require specialized skills, others are readily available and easy to use. Consider screenshots, for example. These are simple to create and excellent for demonstrating a digital process. Likewise, most students can take their own photographs at a quality acceptable for presentations. Graphs are easy to make in Word or Excel and transfer into PowerPoint.
• Use the drawing tools in the presentation software. PowerPoint supplies easy to use tools, such as SmartArt, for creating visuals. You will find these tools intuitive to use, but you must be careful to select diagrams or graphs that accurately match the concept you are attempting to represent. Markel correctly notes, “Microsoft has always done a better job creating drawing tools than explaining how to choose the appropriate one” (2009, p. 126). You must also be careful to avoid design features on these graphics that make them difficult to read and understand. For example, a three-dimensional pie chart can be not only hard to read on the screen but also misleading, particularly if you use color inappropriately. Again, less is usually more; basic designs and simple color schemes are best.
• Find an existing visual. Sometimes you will not be readily capable of creating your own visual, and will need to find one somewhere else. If you work for an organization, check with the marketing department for photographs and logo files. (They can also supply you branded fonts and colors and perhaps even predesigned company slide templates.) Subject matter experts within your organization may be able to provide technical diagrams, line drawings, cross sections, etc. As a student, you can glean from the Internet helpful images of this kind, but should use them for educational purposes only. Be careful to credit borrowed images, and do not use images without permission for anything intended for a professional setting or for which you or anyone else will gain a profit.

Pulling It All Together

Shifting your thinking about the purpose and design of presentation slides and using the processes and tips provided is not rocket science, but pulling everything together will require careful thought and planning. The following examples show many of the elements discussed here in action. These are presentations created by real undergraduate students. They are not perfect cases, but they offer creative, real-life solutions to the same challenges you will face in implementing this new style of PowerPoint construction.

Powerpoint sample #1

Powerpoint sample #2

In addition to the strategy discussed in this article, students creating formal presentations using presentation software should study principles of good visual design. Also, study of graphic design tools for creating visual images would benefit students who need to present technical information frequently. This article certainly does not encompass everything you need to know about using PowerPoint effectively, but implementing the strategies advocated should dramatically improve your presentations.

Alley, M., & Neeley, K. A. (November 2005). Rethinking the design of presentation slides: A case for sentence headlines and visual evidence. Technical Communication, 4(52), 417-426.

Horvath, J. C., & Lodge, J. M. (2015, June 26). It’s not PowerPoint’s fault, you’re just using it wrong. Retrieved February 5, 2016, from https://theconversation.com/its-not-powerpoints-fault-youre-just-using-it-wrong-43783

Markel, M. (May 2009). Exploiting verbal–visual synergy in presentation slides. Technical Communication, 56(2), 122-131.

Reynolds, G. (2012). Presentation Zen: Simple ideas on presentation design and delivery. Berkeley, CA: New Riders Pub.

Sorensen, B. M. (2015, April 29). Let’s ban PowerPoint in lectures – it makes students more stupid and professors more boring. Retrieved February 5, 2016, from https://theconversation.com/lets-ban-powerpoint-in-lectures-it-makes-students-more-stupid-and-professors-more-boring-36183.

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Microsoft PowerPoint: How to Use It to Teach

Microsoft PowerPoint is a powerful teaching tool and this is how it can help your classroom

Recent updates

This article was updated in October 2023

Microsoft PowerPoint is a powerful slide-based presentation tool that can be used by teachers and students as a way of communicating digitally. This comes as part of the Microsoft Office 365 package so, if your institution uses that, you may already have access to this power tool.

This lets you create presentations from scratch or -- helpfully -- using templates that allow you to input the data you need to end up with a professional finish, fast. Since the software is cloud-based, it can allow you to jump between devices while working on a single project that's also easy to access and share.

Of course there is some very direct competition from Google, which is free. So can Microsoft justify the price that goes with its PowerPoint tool?

Read on to find out everything you need to know about Microsoft PowerPoint for education.

• Best Digital Tools for Teachers
• What is Google Classroom?

What is Microsoft PowerPoint?

Microsoft PowerPoint is a slideshow presentation tool; in fact, it was one of the first and is still one of the most famous and widely used. Mainly aimed at business use, PowerPoint is crammed full of powerful features.

For schools already using the Microsoft ecosystem of software, this is a very easy tool to integrate and allows for simple sharing of presentations with students, other teachers, and parents. Go beyond the Microsoft world though and that can become more difficult unless you're using the online specific version of PowerPoint, as opposed to the more feature-rich full software – but more on that in the cost section below.

Microsoft PowerPoint can be used from scratch but also offers a broad library of templates that allow for quick and easy construction of presentations with a high-quality finish. That means the end result can be more engaging and can take far less time and effort to create, both for teachers and students.

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Collaboration, in real-time, is also an option in the case of the online version of PowerPoint, making this useful as a place for students to work together even when physically distanced.

What's new in Microsoft PowerPoint?

In recent months Microsoft has announced a slew of updates. This is nothing new, but for education specifically, these are the points that are of interest. 

Microsoft had added an enhanced Teleprompter view in Recording Studio. This includes an auto scroll feature that allows teachers to easily refer to a script while keeping eye contact in the video recording.

Tasks are a new addition to PowerPoint, which allow teachers to annotate points on student work, so as to assign an action for them to carry out in their work.

Reactions are a useful new feature that let you react to something without having to type words -- letting students know you've seen it, without opening up more dialogue or costing you time.

How does Microsoft PowerPoint work?

Microsoft PowerPoint follows the layout you may have experienced before in Word or Excel. You start with a selection of template options, or a blank start, which brings you into the editing mode. This has the slides down the left of the screen with a larger central part showing the current slide. Above that are the options in word and icon formats.

Editing is very easy, as when you select a section of the slide, that element will then be available to customize with prompts popping up to help. Drag-and-drop is also an option for moving items about or adding images into your slides, for example.

So the basic use of Microsoft PowerPoint is simple enough, however, there are lot of options. This could be daunting except Microsoft offers plenty of support so you can dive into those options to explore more. The Microsoft 365 support center has how-to articles, step-by-step video tutorials, an active community forum, and even a 24/7 live chat support team.

Once you're happy with your presentation, you can share it using a simple link, or you can present it to the class in the room or digitally by simply hitting the play icon. This also lets you see one screen, behind the scenes if you like, while the students just see the slides as each comes up – ideal if you want to keep notes and answers hidden.

What are the best Microsoft PowerPoint features?

Microsoft PowerPoint ease of use makes it a great tool for education. The ability to drag and drop images, music, video, files, and more into the slide and have the software do the work of converting and fitting it is an often underrated feature.

Collaboration is a great feature that allows students to work together on projects. Since students can see one another's changes, live, they don't need to be in the same room or in communication to work effectively together. Of course, having a bit of a plan of who does what also helps avoid any overlap.

Thanks to the wide use of Microsoft tools, there is a broad array of devices on which PowerPoint will work, from desktop computers and laptops to tablets and smartphones. It also plays nice with lots of projectors and smartboards, making presentations in varying locations an easy option, all using digital content stored in the cloud.

Microsoft PowerPoint offers great 3D support, making it a useful tool for sharing images, renders, and more. From physical objects in design or science class to virtual interactive maps, there's lots you can integrate into a Microsoft PowerPoint slide.

How much does Microsoft PowerPoint cost?

Microsoft charges for PowerPoint in varying ways, including a free option.

The Office 365 A1 plan gets you a host of online (slightly limited) versions of the apps, including PowerPoint, for free . This also comes with Outlook, Word, Excel, OneNote, Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, and more.

Step up to the Office 365 A3 plan , at $3.25 per user per month for staff or $2.50 per student , and you get all the above. You also get access to the full desktop apps as well as additional management and security tools.

Go for the top Office 365 A5 plan and it's $8 per user per month for staff and $6 per student . This gets you all the above plus "best-in-class intelligent security management", advanced compliance and analytics systems. 

Microsoft PowerPoint Best Tips and Tricks

Work together Create a project on the big screen, as a class, to work out how to use the software and work through any issues as a class.

Collaborate Set up groups for projects and have them work collaboratively to see how this tool can function across the cloud to enhance teamwork and the end results.

Try templates Encourage students to work with the templates to find ways to expressing what they need in the most time efficient way possible.

Luke Edwards is a freelance writer and editor with more than two decades of experience covering tech, science, and health. He writes for many publications covering health tech, software and apps, digital teaching tools, VPNs, TV, audio, smart home, antivirus, broadband, smartphones, cars and much more.

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Edtech Show & Tell: July 2024

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11 Advantages of Using Microsoft PowerPoint Presentations!

By: Author Shrot Katewa

If you suddenly find yourself in a position where you have to present information to other people, you might wonder what software is the best to use to deliver a professional presentation. There are different options to choose from and you just don’t know what to use.

The biggest advantage of using PowerPoint is that PPT files are the most commonly used and widely accepted file formats. PowerPoint is easy to use, cost-effective and boasts a huge online community for support. You also get access to thousands of templates to make your presentation look good.

But, there are several other advantages of using Microsoft PowerPoint for your presentations too. In this article, I’ll some of the most effective benefits of using Microsoft PowerPoint for presentation design!

Note – If you are on the fence but interested in getting PowerPoint, check out this limited-time deal to get Office 365 1-year subscription for the lowest price on Amazon!

1.   Most Widely Accepted File Format

Microsoft PowerPoint is a widely accepted file format where slides are used to convey information. It is a standard component of the Microsoft Office Suite and is compatible with Google Slides, Keynote, and other open-source presentation software.

According to some research results regarding the popularity and use of presentation software, it is estimated that PowerPoint is currently installed on more than a billion computers worldwide ! It is believed that there might be about 30 million PowerPoint presentations created every day.

The advantage of using such a popular and widely used software program is that it is most probably a familiar program for the person you share a presentation with.

2.   Wide Variety of File Export Options

A great advantage offered by PowerPoint is that you can export the whole presentation, or parts of it, in a variety of formats. PowerPoint presentations can also be made available on many different devices, and you can always control what content you want to display.

As you don’t have to send a presentation necessarily in .ppt or .pptx format, the receiver doesn’t require PowerPoint or PowerPoint Viewer to open the presentation.

You can export in PDF format and your layout and design will not be altered. The presentation’s slides can also be saved and exported in .png or .jpg format.

If needed, a presentation can also be exported to a video and saved in Mp4 format. If gifs form part of your presentation, they can be saved and exported as Animated GIFs . 

You always have the print option to export your presentation or parts of the presentation to Word. When you’ve exported it to Word the content can be edited before printing it.

Whichever way of exporting you decide on, you can export the presentation either as a whole or only some of the slides.  And it can be sent as an attachment with an email or you can use the Cloud to facilitate the saving and exporting processes of the presentation.

3.   Provides huge Flexibility in Design & Creativity

PowerPoint provides huge flexibility in design and creativity. You can, for instance, use its visual hierarchy features when you create your slides. With this feature, you assure that the right elements and content catch the eye.

Other features include the merging of shapes, the creation of layers, and the creative use of color. You also get an eyedropper tool in PowerPoint that allows you to use any color from your screen in your presentation!

With the Design Ideas feature , you can create the content of a slide and PowerPoint will offer you a variety of design choices to make it better.

The design features PowerPoint offers can in many aspects be compared to advanced design software solutions like Adobe InDesign. You don’t need separate software to design your slides – PowerPoint provides you with built-in features.

4.   Allows you to Use Creative Templates

The designs of your presentations are what catch the eye and help you to convey your message to your audience. PowerPoint’s creative templates spare you the time of designing your own templates.

However, if you are a good designer yourself, PowerPoint allows you to create your own templates if you want to.

Note – Check out some of the most popular PowerPoint templates on the internet!

When using PowerPoint’s creative templates feature, it automatically generates design ideas to choose from. You get virtually unlimited options because this feature matches the content you are creating to professionally designed layouts in the background.

This template creation feature is a great advantage for users without any design background. It lets you design presentations that look professional even if you don’t have a design background.

5.   Functionality to Use Both Online and Offline

PowerPoint offers you the option to work either online or offline. When you’re using PowerPoint online you can create and share basic presentations directly in your browser. 

But it must be remembered that web-based PowerPoint doesn’t have all the features that you’ll have access to with desktop PowerPoint.  For “normal” presentations the online web version is good enough and you can present your slide show from anywhere where you have internet access.

To utilize all the features of PowerPoint you have to install the software on your desktop device.

PowerPoint offers you the freedom to work online or offline whichever mode suits you the best for a specific presentation. Many PowerPoint users work with both modes – depending on what they are creating and for what purpose.

6.   Allows easy Collaboration and Sharing with other Team Members

PowerPoint is an ideal tool to share and collaborate with team members when you are creating a presentation as a team. You have various options.

You can independently create a presentation and then send it to team members for comments or editing. Or you can work simultaneously on the same presentation with others via web-based PowerPoint or by saving your desktop-created presentation in the Cloud.

7.   Option to Add a vast Variety of Multimedia

PowerPoint provides you with tools to make any presentation more interesting by using multi-media. When using PowerPoint you can in the same presentation have

• text with the option to install additional fonts ,
• videos and video snippets,
• background music,
• a narrator’s voice explaining the visual material on the screen,
• graphics to illustrate tendencies,
• tables to compare information, and more.

And you don’t need separate tools to create interesting presentations – everything is built-in into PowerPoint. You can either just add the various types of files to the presentation or you can add the formats as such into the presentation.   

8.   Suitable for Beginners and Advanced Users alike

The versatility of PowerPoint ensures that on the one hand, presentation creators with advanced design skills are not disappointed with the design tools and possibilities offered by PowerPoint and on the other hand, beginners and people without any designing background can create professional-looking presentations.

 This is one of the most important advantages of PowerPoint – anyone can use it successfully.

9.   Cost is relatively Inexpensive

PowerPoint is normally part of the Microsoft Office package and is included in the Microsoft Office one-off price or subscription. But if you are not a Microsoft Office user, you can purchase PowerPoint from the Microsoft Store at a reasonable price of about $160.

Note – Check out this limited-time deal to get Office 365 1-year subscription for as little as about $60 on Amazon!

Once you’ve purchased PowerPoint you can use it without extra charges to create presentations and to present them for non-commercial purposes. However, there are licensing and relatively small annual fees involved if you use the PowerPoint presentations commercially. 

10. Suitable for Teaching

A PowerPoint presentation in the class is an effective way to reinforce content that has to be retained.

With features like the possibility to record your voice to accompany the PowerPoint slides, it is also easy to convert the presentations that have been used in the class into videos to post online. The students can then review the work done in the class at home.  T

his method works effectively for academic lessons and training sessions.

PowerPoint presentations online can also sometimes be the only way to teach and train students. During the Covid pandemic, for instance, classes are sometimes not possible and online sessions are the only way to keep on teaching.

A large percentage of these online sessions have started as PowerPoint presentations.  

11. Huge Online Community and Microsoft Support for Troubleshooting Issues

Microsoft offers 24/7 support for PowerPoint users and there are literally hundreds of articles online available on how to troubleshoot issues. The huge online community of PowerPoint users is also actively involved on websites like Quora to help fellow users to get solutions for their issues.

Credit to benzoix (on Freepik) for the featured image of this article (further edited)

5 reasons why PowerPoint is so popular

PowerPoint still the most popular presentation software tool

29 million over 16s in the UK have, at some stage, created a presentation. Whether it was on the topic of class divides in George Orwell’s Animal Farm that they read at school, a complex client pitch at a leading law firm or anything in between. This accounts for more than half of the UK population. So it’s no surprise that there’s high demand for good quality presentation software and training.

And the most popular presentation tool of all is… you guessed it - PowerPoint. Acuity Training’s recent survey found that 37% of Brits have used PowerPoint at some stage, making it by far the most popular presentation software package available.

But what are the benefits of Microsoft PowerPoint? Why is it so popular? And will it soon be replaced by the likes of Google Slides, Microsoft Sway, Visme and Keynote? Let’s get into it.

Ben Richardson is the owner and director of Acuity Training.

Compatibility

One of the biggest reasons why PowerPoint became and has remained so popular over the years is thanks to its seamless compatibility with a vast array of devices and operating systems . PowerPoint presentations can be created, accessed and edited on both Windows and Apple products. They can also be easily shared and on various devices and platforms without losing their formatting or functionality. Users can transfer their presentations to smartphones , tablets , and even web browsers , enabling them to deliver their presentations anytime, anywhere.

Ease of use

PowerPoint's user-friendly interface makes it exceptionally easy to use, catering to both technical and non-technical users alike. The software's intuitive design and features give users the freedom to craft professional-looking presentations effortlessly. One of PowerPoint's standout characteristics is its drag-and-drop functionality. Users can simply select elements such as text boxes, images, shapes, and multimedia files and easily position them on slides with a simple click and drag. This eliminates the need for complex coding or advanced technical skills, allowing users to focus on content creation rather than technical intricacies. Its pre-designed layouts and templates do all of the hard work for you, allowing you to create professional looking decks with ease.

Visual messaging capabilities

Gone are the days of stuffed slides filled with bullet pointed lists or large chunks of text. When used well, PowerPoint’s SmartArt graphics are your best friend when it comes to creating appealing diagrams and flowcharts to make content that’s slick and easy to understand. While the built-in spell check and grammar correction features help with readability and cohesion. Research has consistently found that the human brain processes and understands visual information more efficiently and effectively compared to text alone, so PowerPoint’s visual capabilities are likely to play a significant role in enhancing retention of information in presentations.

Collaboration

PowerPoint's real-time co-authoring feature has transformed the way teams collaborate when making presentations. It allows multiple users to work on the same presentation simultaneously, regardless of their physical location. Users can add comments, make edit suggestions, and chat with one another on the slides themselves, making teamwork and collaboration a breeze. This is now more important than ever, with so many remote and hybrid workers needing to work together on projects with as little distribution as possible.

Professional spheres

In today’s professional landscape, PowerPoint experience and/or qualifications tend to be a prerequisite in a multitude of industries. From marketing to finance, education to healthcare, and beyond, proficiency in the software allows you to quickly and easily use any new company’s existing templates and layouts and to work effectively within their teams, whilst also adhering to brand guidelines.

There’s little question as to why PowerPoint is the most popular presentation software in the UK. And its position as one of the best presentation software tools is very well-deserved. Other presentation tools such as Google Slides and Visme have gained traction in recent years, and do have growing user bases. But time and time again, PowerPoint remains the go-to for so many of us, and it’s no surprise given its rich set of features, user-friendly interface, and reputable presence across many industries.

PowerPoint’s latest features

So what’s new in PowerPoint? Here are some of my favorite new features.

Power BI Features 

In March this year, Microsoft launched a new PowerPoint add-in that enables seamless integration with Power BI reports. With this update, users can effortlessly incorporate individual visuals into their reports, leveraging the Smart Insights tool to enhance the informational value of presentations. This has reportedly had a major impact on productivity amongst users, helping them to make their presentations more informative and engaging in far less time.

Agenda Wizard

One of PowerPoint’s latest features is Agenda Wizard. This allows you to quickly and easily generate agendas or numbered content table slides, as well as synchronizing any updates and changes to these with just the click of a button. You can also save these format layouts to reuse in the future, or choose from a range of pre-existing options.

What’s in store for the future of PowerPoint?

Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that it's planning on bringing AI to PowerPoint via a new "Copilot" feature. This should enable users to use natural language to instruct PowerPoint to create full presentations on a topic of their choosing. They’ve said this feature will even be able to use other documents as a reference for information and inspiration, much like tools such as ChatGPT and AI art generators.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there have been some initial concerns about the role of AI in content creation. But Microsoft has emphasised that the Copilot feature has been specifically designed to collaborate with users, as opposed to replacing them. It’ll be fascinating to see how these features continue to complement our communication and content creation efforts going forward into 2024 and beyond, and to discover just what the future holds for presentation software tools as we know them.

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Ben Richardson is the owner and director of Acuity Training, which provides corporate IT application (Microsoft, Adobe, AutoCAD) training across the UK both online and in person.

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10 Top PowerPoint Presentation Tips for Beginners (2022 List)

Written by: Heleana Tiburca

Creating a PowerPoint presentation can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t need to be.

In this list, you’ll find the best practices and tips for creating a powerful PowerPoint presentation for beginners.

You’ll learn how to:

• Create a professional-looking slideshow presentation
• Keep your Powerpoint presentation design cohesive
• Make your slides interactive
• Animate text and graphics

So without further ado, let’s jump right in.

10 Tips for Effective PowerPoint Presentations

Tip #1: choose an interesting topic, tip #2: do some deep research, tip #3: use an amazing presentation tool, tip #4: pick out a presentation template, tip #5: keep your audience in mind, tip #6: add eye-catching headings and text, tip #7: keep it engaging with animations, tip #8: make your powerpoint interactive, tip #9: add visuals to your presentation, tip #10: practice presenting your slideshow.

So, you need to create a PowerPoint presentation but don’t know where to start. The very first and most important thing you’ll need to do is to decide on your topic.

You’ll want to make sure that the topic you choose is interesting and engaging for those who will be listening to you present your slideshow.

If you’re not in control of your topic and you’ve been assigned a task to present, don’t worry. There are lots of different ways that you can capture your audience’s attention, and transform a boring topic into an incredibly interactive and engaging presentation.

You can do this by using an effective PowerPoint presentation template that will capture your audience’s attention, no matter how bland the subject.

Learn more about PowerPoint templates and how you can use them to your advantage in tip #4!

Once you’ve chosen your PowerPoint presentation topic, you need to make sure that you get all of your facts straight.

Do a deep dive into your research and come up with useful and interesting information that you can use at your next presentation.

Once you’ve gathered up some information, it’s time to make a bullet point list of topics you want to cover, to make sure you don’t leave anything important out in your presentation.

After you’ve created a bullet point list full of your main points and all the important points that you want to convey, you can then make an outline of your speech.

This can be a rough draft, or you can write out in great detail your entire “script”, so to say. If you’re a spontaneous writer, then you may want to write directly in the slideshow editor of your choice.

If not, you can write it all out on a document, so that you’re ready to copy and paste right onto your slideshow presentation.

The best way to create an amazing slideshow is by using an equally amazing slideshow tool.

A tool like Visme will help you create a professional-looking and exciting PowerPoint presentation efficiently and quickly, even as a beginner.

Visme is a slideshow presentation maker that lets you easily create your entire presentation from start to finish. You can even import existing PowerPoint presentations into Visme and edit them there. When you’ve finished editing, you can export editable PowerPoints to present offline.

Visme is a diverse tool that does so much more than just create PowerPoint presentations. You can create anything design-related there, including videos, social media posts, ebooks, manuals, infographics and more.

Other than hundreds of slide templates and fully designed presentations, you also get access to advanced editing tools to make your presentation unique and creative.

Add and replace backgrounds, tap into free libraries of photos, videos, icons and illustrations, add pre-animated assets or manually animate objects and text, and switch up the color scheme with a single click.

With Visme, creating presentations that stand out is as easy as 1-2-3.

Now, let’s jump into the specifics of how to make an effective presentation.

Ready to create your own presentation in minutes?

• Add your own text, images and more
• Customize colors, fonts and everything else
• Choose from hundreds of slide designs and templates
• Add interactive buttons and animations

Next on our list of PowerPoint tips for beginners is picking out the perfect template.

Visme is an amazing presentation software that has an abundance of slideshow presentation templates that you can choose from and customize.

We have modern PowerPoint templates, data-driven presentation templates, colorful templates and everything in between. Just scroll through all the templates and we’re confident you’ll find the perfect one for you.

If you want, you can even design templates of your own and save them for future slideshows that you want to create in a similar fashion.

You can also browse through our presentation themes, which include hundreds of pre-made slides you can mix and match to create your own presentation deck.

Once you pick out your template, you can edit every single design aspect, from the overlays to images, to the color scheme, clipart and stickers, slide transitions and more.

We recommend finding a template that resembles the presentation that you need so that the design process goes as smoothly and easily for you as possible. Creating a presentation should be enjoyable, and Visme makes that process possible.

If you are feeling confident and you don’t want to use one of our professionally designed slideshow templates, you can start from scratch and create your own. Add and remove as many pages are you want and benefit from our stock images and videos, stickers, text templates and more.

Once you’ve chosen your template, you need to think of your audience. Not every presentation design is going to be appropriate for every audience.

In order to make an effective PowerPoint, you need to get in your audience’s head. Ask yourself, “What do they want to see?” or “What value can I bring to them?”.

The design approach you take will greatly impact the results of your audience’s retention. You want to make sure that you please your audience as much as possible and keep them engaged with what you’re trying to convey to them.

If you need to create a report-based, data-driven presentation, then you need to add lots of charts. But not just any type of boring chart. You can use one of Visme’s beautiful charts and edit the values, axis, legend, colors, appearance and more.

If you already have your data in an Excel sheet or Google sheet, you can import them into Visme’s editor and they will automatically be turned into visual data.

You can also add charts and graphs, diagrams, tables, maps and data widgets. Whatever you need, Visme has it.

You want to make sure that your PowerPoint slideshow’s readability is on point. You can do this by choosing the clear and engaging fonts that go with your presentation topic and theme.

In Visme, you can customize the font, style, size and color of your text. Adjust spacing, borders and even animate the text to make your slides more engaging.

We have tons of typefaces for you to choose from, from Helvetica to Calibri and Arial, to sans-serif and serif fonts, we know you’ll find the perfect one to create a great presentation.

Remember, less is more when it comes to a seamless design. Instead of lines upon lines of text, you should be strategic about your text design.

Make sure not to use more than 3 different typefaces per slide. This will keep your design looking sleek and not overloaded.

You can do also use premade text templates created by our professional designers. Simply scroll through all the different text templates, find one you like, and drag and drop it onto your slide. From there, you can customize it as much as you please.

It’s important to keep all the design elements and text on your slideshow aligned, so take advantage of our grid and keep everything visually pleasing and aligned.

You can drive your main points home with a large heading, and align other, smaller text boxes beneath to make sure you stay on track and don’t deter from your main points.

One way you can make your text stand out is to incorporate shapes. If you want to make your text pop out and come to life, add a shape behind them.

Make sure the shape color you choose is a good contrast to the text color so that you can easily see what is written out without having to squint your eyes and decipher what’s written.

You can also take advantage of negative space in your design. If you feel like there’s an empty spot in your slide that looks a little awkward, it’s the perfect place to add some text.

Using negative space for showcasing text is always visually appealing, so use those blank spaces to your advantage!

Another great way you can keep your audience engaged with your presentation is by animating objects. Instead of just showing them a boring, static slide, why not animate the text and objects to bring everything to life?

In Visme’s editor, you can animate any object with just the click of a button.

Make any element slide in and out, bounce, fade in or fade out, spin, appear from thin air and more. There are so many ways you can animate objects and fit your design style to make your presentation stand out from the rest.

You can even go through our library of professionally designed animated graphics and drop them onto your slide. Choose from animated characters, illustrations, icons, special effects and avatars.

Once you add an animated graphic to your design, you can customize them in many different ways, such as editing the pose, speed, repetitions and colors.

Instead of just having your next slide show up as a static image, use a transition between the two slides in order to make the transition seamless.

Visme has lots of elegant and modern transitions to choose from. Scroll through our transition presets and try them out to see which one suits your style best. You might like the zoom-in transition, slide-in or fade.

There are so many transitions for you to choose from, but we recommend you find the one you like most and use it for all slide transitions for the entire slideshow presentation. This will keep your design cohesive and easy on the eyes.

Don’t forget, you can also use sound effects in your presentation when necessary and you want to grab your audience’s attention!

Throughout the entire presentation, you’ll want to make sure that you keep things interactive and entertaining for your audience.

Even though PowerPoint is widely used for creating slideshows, there are many different presentation softwares you can use.

If you use Visme’s presentation maker, you can make your slideshow interactive. One way you can do that is by adding external links to any graphic in the presentation. This way, you can quickly access different pages and documents without ever needing to leave the slideshow.

Another amazing interactive feature of Visme’s is the interactive maps and data visualizations. You can have your viewers simply scroll and hover over an object and more information will pop up.

For example, if you want to create a map with statistics regarding each state, you could add the information to each state in the chart, and then when someone hovers over the state, the statistic will pop up.

This is very convenient for conveying lots of information in an organized way.

You can’t have a good presentation without adding high-quality images, videos, stickers and clipart to your presentation. Without engaging visuals, you’ll quickly lose your viewer’s attention, and risk having a boring PowerPoint presentation.

Visme makes it incredibly simple to add your own multimedia. If you want to upload your own photos, video or audio, you can do so by clicking on “photos” or “media” and clicking “upload.”

Once you click on the “upload” button, you can upload your multimedia from your computer, then find it in your Visme library.

If by chance you aren’t happy with the media you have, or you don’t have any images to upload at all, there’s no need to worry.

Visme is loaded full of high-quality videos and images that are free for you to use in your presentation designs.

If you want to browse through millions of stock videos and stock images, just click on “photos” in the left menu toolbar. This will take you to all of our stock images. To search for a specific image, type a keyword in the search bar to find exactly what you’re looking for.

Once you find the perfect image or video, you can drag and drop it onto your presentation. You can then add shapes and frames to your image for a modern, geometric look.

If you’d like to edit and enhance your chosen image, you can do so in the Visme editor. You can change the brightness, contrast, colors, shadows and more. You can add and customize filters to your images for a cohesive color scheme.

For a highly effective and great presentation, you need to feel confident when presenting.

Firstly, You can rest assured that after creating a PowerPoint presentation in Visme, your design will be professional and engaging for your crowd, but now it’s up to you.

You need to be as engaging and exciting as your presentation is, so don’t wait until the last minute to practice your public speaking. Rehearsing your slideshow presentation will simplify the public speaking process and things will go much better if you practice.

Having a bulleted list next to you so you stay on track and making eye contact with your audience will help them pay attention, and will make a good presentation an excellent one.

The more you practice, the more comfortable you’ll be with your presentation. So make sure to run through it a few times and you’ll be good to go.

Ready to Level Up Your Presentations?

The best way you can create a powerful Microsoft PowerPoint presentation is by using a tool that isn’t necessarily PowerPoint.

Visme is an all-in-one design tool that will aid you in not only creating slideshows but any other type of visual content that you need, such as infographics, social media posts and documents.

Give Visme a go and create a free account today . You might become addicted to its awesomeness, so use it at your own risk!

We know that after reading all these tips, your presentation skills have gone through the roof. You’re practically a master slide-maker by now.

If want even more information and tips that can help you create modern PowerPoint designs, you can check out some of our tutorials on our YouTube channel .

We hope this article was helpful to you and we wish you the best of luck on your upcoming presentation. We know you’re going to smash it!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We have received lots of questions regarding PowerPoint presentations and we want to make sure you get the answers you're looking for.

So let’s dive into your questions.

Q1. What is the 10-20-30 Rule of PowerPoint?

The 10 20 30 Rule of PowerPoint suggests that each presentation should have 10 slides, shouldn’t last any more than 20 minutes in total and all fonts should be at least 30 points or larger.

This is a great rule of thumb to keep in mind when creating a PowerPoint presentation.

Q2. What is the 5 by 5 rule in PowerPoint?

The 5 by 5 rule was put in place to help keep your audience from feeling overwhelmed by text.

The text on each slide should be short and to the point and have no more than five words per line and no more than five lines of text per slide.

Q3. How do you make a good PowerPoint presentation?

A good PowerPoint presentation is created in a great design tool like Visme.

Choose an engaging template, know your main points, use engaging images and animations, and drive home your main points by practicing presenting your presentation before going public with it.

Q4. What makes an effective PowerPoint presentation?

You can create an effective PowerPoint presentation by using no more than 10 slides, not overwhelming your audience with big chunks of text, having all your design elements aligned, using a great template, knowing your main points and driving them points home with a great closing argument.

Q5. What are the advantages of PowerPoint templates?

Some of the advantages to using PowerPoint templates are that you get professionally designed slideshows without having to know how to design and you can quickly copy and paste your text into the text boxes already set up for you.

But you don’t have to use PowerPoint to create PowerPoint presentations. You can use a design tool like Visme to create amazing PowerPoint Presentations.

Q6. How to make a PowerPoint presentation attractive?

One powerful way you can make your PowerPoint presentation attractive is by using high-quality visuals. This includes having high-quality images, videos, stickers, transitions, animations and more.

One easy way you can do this is by using a Visme PowerPoint presentation PowerPoint and customizing it to suit your needs.

Q7. What should a PowerPoint presentation include?

A good PowerPoint presentation should include about 10 slides full of useful information, engaging visuals, interactive elements and high-quality images among other important things.

You text should be clear and easy to read, the images shouldn’t be blurry, your main points need to be easy to spot as soon as you open the slide and you should include seamless transitions.

Q8. What’s the best alternative to PowerPoint?

The best alternative to PowerPoint in our opinion is Visme.

Visme is a presentation maker, but it's also much more than that. You can create animated slideshows, documents, infographics, social media posts, videos, and more quickly and easily.

Unlike other tools, Visme gives you the most value for your money. You can also tap into features like data visualization, brand management, team collaboration, customizable animated assets like illustrations, icons and characters, and much more.

Ready to get started? Sign up for a free Visme account today and take it for a test drive for as long as you like.

Create beautiful presentations faster with Visme.

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About the Author

I’m Heleana and I’m a content creator here at Visme. My passion is to help people find the information they’re looking for in the most fun and enjoyable way possible. Let’s make information beautiful.

How-To Geek

7 powerpoint features you should use during presentations.

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My Live Wallpaper Doubles as a Digital Dashboard, and Yours Can Too

Considering a new tablet don't overlook the ipad mini, i love youtube music after making these two changes, quick links, presenter coach for practicing, cameo for a live camera feed, subtitles for showing spoken words, presenter view for tools during the show, pen, highlighter, and laser pointer for visual emphasis, zoom for a closer view, speaker notes for talking points.

As you may already know, Microsoft PowerPoint offers a robust feature set for creating presentations. But what kind of tools are useful for actually presenting a slideshow? We'll walk you through several features that can help you engage your audience.

Before it's time for your presentation, you can practice with help from PowerPoint itself. Using Presenter Coach , you can receive feedback as you walk through your slideshow.

Related: How to Practice Your Presentations with PowerPoint's Presenter Coach

To use Presenter Coach, head to the Slide Show tab and select "Rehearse with Coach." When your slideshow opens in full screen mode, click "Start Rehearsing" to begin.

You'll see feedback in real-time as you speak and move through your presentation. You can also view a rehearsal report after you finish that summarizes your time spent practicing, filler words you use, your pace, and more.

Plan ahead for your presentation by practicing with this handy built-in tool.

For a personal touch or a way to communicate visually, consider using a live camera feed. With the Cameo feature, you can put your face and voice front and center during your slideshow.

To add the Cameo object, go to the slide, open the Insert tab, and select "Cameo" in the Camera section.

You can then move or resize the object, see a preview using the camera icon, and customize the object using the Camera Format tab that appears when you select it.

If you add the Cameo element to additional slides, your camera feed continues seamlessly through your presentation.

For complete details on this feature, take a look at our how-to for using a live camera feed in PowerPoint .

Related: The Best Webcams of 2023

You may have audience members viewing your PowerPoint presentation who have a hearing impairment or speak a different dialect. With subtitles, you can display every word you say during a presentation in the language of your choice.

Related: How to Set Up and Use Subtitles in Microsoft PowerPoint

To set up the subtitles , go to the Slide Show tab and select the Subtitle Settings drop-down menu. You can then adjust the spoken and subtitle languages, the microphone you want to use, and the placement of the captions.

You can check the box above the menu to Always Use Subtitles or use the Toggle Subtitles icon (Windows) or Closed Caption button (Mac) to turn them on and off during your presentation.

For an excellent way to accommodate your audience during your slideshow, give the subtitles feature a try.

When you present your slideshow, you probably want every tool available to you, and PowerPoint has many. To access those tools like a laser pointer or your presenter notes, check out Presenter View .

To use the feature on Windows, go to the Slide Show tab and check the box for Use Presenter View in the Monitors section of the ribbon. Then, start your presentation as normal. On Mac, simply click "Presenter View" on the Slide Show tab.

To start Presenter View during the slideshow, click the three dots on the bottom left and pick "Show Presenter View."

Next, you'll see a dashboard-like screen with everything you need. On the top left is the current slide, to the right is the next slide, and below that you have your notes.

On the left, you can open additional tools, turn subtitles on or off, black or unblack the show, toggle the camera, and end the show.

Presenter View puts everything you need at your fingertips during your presentation.

These may seem like super basic tools, but they can be quite handy while presenting a slideshow. You can use a pen to circle an image or draw an arrow, a highlighter to call out certain text, or a laser pointer to emphasize parts of a slide.

Related: Turn Your Mouse into a Laser Pointer in PowerPoint

To access the tools in Presenter View, select the Pen and Laser Pointer Tools icon (pen) below the current slide.

To access the tools without Presenter View, select the Pen and Laser Pointer Tools icon on the bottom left of the slide.

Choose a tool and then use your cursor to control it. For the pen and highlighter, you can also pick a color in the pop-up window.

To "put away" the tool you're using, access it using the steps above and deselect it.

Along with using the tools above for making parts of your presentation stand out, you can take advantage of the Zoom feature. With it, you can zoom in on part of a slide , move around if you like, and then zoom back out.

As of November 2022, this feature is not available in PowerPoint on Mac.

In regular slide show view or Presenter View, select the zoom icon (magnifying glass) on the bottom left.

You'll then see a rectangle on your screen indicating the zoom area. Move that rectangle to the spot you want to enlarge and click.

You can then drag to move around the slide while it's zoomed in. Right-click or use your Escape key to zoom back out to the original view.

Just like giving a speech with index cards for your talking points, notes in PowerPoint are just as beneficial. You can include information you want to highlight or further details for text or images you use.

Related: How to Insert a Check Mark or Checkbox in PowerPoint

To add presenter notes to your slideshow, open the notes panel. Either select "Notes" in the status bar or drag up from the bottom of the slide in the PowerPoint window.

Then when it's time to present, use Presenter View to display your notes during the show.

With an update to PowerPoint in 2022, you can also edit your notes while you present. This is a good way to capture additional points you think of while presenting or if an audience question pops up.

Place your cursor in the notes area on the right side and add or remove text. You can also use the buttons at the bottom to increase or decrease the font size.

Having your speaker notes with you during a slideshow is a key element in a successful presentation.

When you finish creating your PowerPoint slideshow , prepare to present it by trying out these features ahead of time. Then, incorporate them into your slideshow where it makes sense. Your audience will be glad you did!

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It's 2020. Why Are You Still Using PowerPoint?

The world's top communicators have stopped using powerpoint. why are you stuck in the 1980s.

Everybody hates PowerPoint . Nobody, anywhere, anytime, has ever thought: "Hooray! He's starting his PowerPoint presentation!" That, in itself, doesn't necessarily mean that PowerPoint is useless . After all, dental drills are useful, but nobody has ever thought: "Hooray! He's starting his dental drill."

PowerPoint, however, is much less than a necessary evil . It's a tool that, even when used as intended, does not fulfill its primary purpose, which is to help you communicate more effectively with your audience.

Communication is effective when your audience understands and retains the information that you're trying to communicate. PowerPoint hinders, rather than helps, that process. This is not a matter of whether the tool is used correctly; the flaw lies in PowerPoint itself.

The premise behind PowerPoint (and its clones) is that audiences supposedly better understand and retain information when they see words on a screen while a presenter is speaking. While that seems to be intuitively true, all the evidence is to the contrary.

For example, 2008 study of PowerPoint usage at the School of Industrial Engineering at Purdue University found that "students retained 15% less information delivered verbally by the lecturer during PowerPoint presentations."

Similarly, a 2005 study published in the journal Teaching and Learning in Medicine found "no differences in short- or long-term retention of material," regardless of whether presented using static overheads or animated PowerPoint slides.

In other words, all the time and effort you spend creating a fancy PowerPoint is at best wasted and at worst counterproductive. PowerPoint, in short, doesn't do what it's supposed to do.

The reason? Well, it turns out that when the brain tries to simultaneously process multiple versions of the same message, it creates confusion (a.k.a. cognitive overload), much like hearing the same song simultaneously played in different keys and tempos.

Ironically, the PowerPoint behavior that audiences hate the most--reading from the slides--is actually more likely to increase retention than if the speaker provides a commentary. "Speaking to" the slides may make a presentation less boring, but it also makes the content harder to remember.

The cognitive overload is even worse when PowerPoint is used to display diagrams that have been created in PowerPoint. Such diagrams are essentially multiple slides crammed into a single slide--a mosaic of bullet lists inside shapes connected with arrows and lines.

These spaghetti diagrams confuse more than they enlighten, as anyone who's sat through a PowerPoint presentation knows too well. As General Stanley McChrystal sarcastically quipped when confronted with one of these monstrosities: "When we understand that slide, we'll have won the war."

Now, it's true that PowerPoint can also display technical diagrams, like schematics, and multimedia content, like video clips. However, using PowerPoint as a media viewer is massive overkill.

Consider: Such data stored as jpg or mp4 files consumes a tiny fraction of the resources consumed by a ppt file, and, moreover, it can be displayed on any device (including smartphones) without requiring a pricey and bloated software package.

PowerPoint has another huge disadvantage: It constricts discussion. Despite the obligatory "feel free to interrupt me at any time" remark, interruptions during PowerPoint presentations are clearly unwelcome (by presenter and audience alike), because they make the presentation even longer.

More important, such interruptions aren't meaningful until the audience has seen the entire presentation. So rather than sparking discussion, PowerPoint presentations tend to delay comment until the final "Questions?" slide. The built-in assumption is that the PowerPoint presentation contains everything the audience needs to know and therefore all that's left is to fill in a few details.

To make matters worse, because PowerPoint presentations are almost always accompanied by handouts, audiences are discouraged from taking notes with pen or pencil, which according to research cited on PBS , actually does increase retention.

By contrast, other ways of introducing information into meetings (like briefing documents , whiteboarding, and workbooks ) tend to encourage note-taking and therefore increase both understanding and retention.

PowerPoint, in short, doesn't deliver. As a tool, it's like a gun that shoots backward. While you may occasionally use it to successfully shoot a blind pig, most of the time, the results are, well, suboptimal.

PowerPoint is a tool whose time has come and gone. The world's top communicators have already rejected it , and obviously with good reason. Let's leave it back in the 1980s where it belongs. Enough already.

2/3/20: Wondering what to use instead of PowerPoint? There are three smarter alternatives.

A refreshed look at leadership from the desk of CEO and chief content officer Stephanie Mehta

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7 Reasons Why You Still Need PowerPoint

Meetings are critical to business success, but they consume a lot of your most precious resource – time. One meeting among a small team can fill an entire day’s worth of hours. And studies show that disorganized meetings are associated with lower market share, innovation, and stability. So, how can you ensure your meetings are both effective and efficient?

PowerPoint can help! Get more out of every minute in meetings by employing PowerPoint presentation design. When used well, PowerPoint is still a meeting’s most indispensable tool. At eSlide we have seen our clients experience greater meeting success – and greater business success – through better visuals and better meeting communications.

Here are seven reasons why you still need PowerPoint, and why you should use it at your next meeting:

1. PowerPoint Keeps Meetings On Topic

A good PowerPoint helps the presenter keep the meeting organized and moving at a good pace. With virtual meetings, keeping an audience focused is even more of a challenge, so having a good PowerPoint presentation design will help the presenter stay in command of the audience’s attention. Even simply using an agenda slide will help attendees stay on topic and ensure you accomplish what you need.

2. PowerPoint Boosts Presenter Confidence

Most people dislike public speaking so anything that makes the job easier is a win. Having a well-designed slide deck can serve as a content guide for presenters, so they don’t have to worry about forgetting any of their important points. This allows them to relax and feel more confident so they come across as more knowledgeable, authoritative and engaging. All of this makes it more likely that audiences will pay attention and be convinced by their message.

3. PowerPoint Enables Quick Communication of Complex Ideas

PowerPoint allows presenters to translate complex ideas, facts, or figures into easily digestible visuals. Visual representations of information activate the right hemisphere of the brain, which allows viewers to interpret, expound, and engage with what they’re seeing. In the case of a PowerPoint presentation, this right-sided brain function makes perfect use of the software’s primary purpose, i.e., translating detailed information into visuals that enable the presenter to avoid audience confusion and keep the meeting moving.

4. PowerPoint Makes Your Presentation and Presenting Better

The act of creating a PowerPoint deck – putting ideas ‘on paper’ – forces the presenter to hone their message. By going through this process, they become more familiar with their content. This refinement exercise gives them a better chance of delivering a well-crafted and well-executed presentation. Think of it as a series of practice sessions that solidify a presenter’s ideas in their own mind, resulting in a stronger, more focused presentation.

5. PowerPoint is Perfect for Visual Messaging

PowerPoint is often maligned for being boring, but this is a problem of use rather than something inherently wrong with the software. When used properly, i.e., as a visual medium, it’s the perfect vehicle for communicating in meetings. Research shows that the brain consumes and comprehends images more effectively than words alone. Using visual representations of information in a PowerPoint presentation design allows the audience to digest the presenter’s ideas instantaneously, without the need for additional explanation.

6. PowerPoint Allows the Audience to Be ‘In The Moment’

When a presenter uses PowerPoint, attendees know they can have the deck afterward so they can focus on listening rather than taking notes during the meeting. This allows the audience to give the presenter their full attention, going on the journey as the presenter tells it. And because a PowerPoint deck is a perfect post-meeting handout, the presenter’s work is done when the presentation is finished.

7. PowerPoint Helps You Deliver a More Memorable Message

Well-crafted PowerPoint presentation design that makes the most of this visual medium enables an audience to remember ideas and messages better. Studies show that humans retain visuals easier than they do words, whether spoken or written down. Therefore, a presenter is more likely to move their audience to action if the audience can better recall what it is they have been asked to do after the meeting is over.

Bonus Tip: PowerPoint Presentation Design Professionals Save You Valuable Time

Your time is valuable, so don’t spend it on anything you don’t have to. eSlide has been working with top executives from Fortune 500 companies around the globe for more than 20 years. PowerPoint presentation design and enhancement is all we do. Let us focus on your presentation design, so you can focus on your content and meeting preparation.

Contact eSlide today to learn how we can save you time and help you deliver better results!

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Microsoft PowerPoint is commonly used to create slide show presentations. Typically these include a combination of text, tables, images, charts, and graphics. This content can be accessible to users with disabilities, including assistive technology users, if the author follows the core principles outlined in our Documents page. The following information includes basic steps for applying these core accessibility principles.

UW students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to use the most current version of Microsoft Office on computers owned by the UW. This software can be downloaded with a valid NetID from the IT Connect UWare site.

Use built-in slide templates

Built-in slide layout templates are designed with accessibility in mind. Avoid selecting a blank slide and adding text boxes as these elements may not be recognized by assistive technology, and reading order will be compromised. Instead, select the drop-down “New Slide” option from the Home tab and choose a layout that best fits. For those who use the UW Brand PowerPoints , these were updated for accessibility on May 31, 2023. Please be sure you are using the latest version.

Use unique slide titles

People who use a screen reader skim slide titles to navigate; they can quickly scan through a list of slide titles and go right to the slide they want. Using unique slide titles allows users to clearly understand which slide they are on. Avoid using the same title for slides that have spill-over information, consider including additional information such as ‘Slide Title 1 of 2’.

Set reading order of slide contents

Screen readers can read the elements of a slide in the order they were added, this may be very different from the order in which things appear visually on screen. To make sure everyone reads the contents in the order you intend, it is important to check the reading order by using the Selection Pane. To do this, from the Home tab select the “Arrange” drop-down and click on “Selection Pane…” From this new window, you can drag elements to adjust the reading order of the contents on the slide. NOTE: The reading order in the Selection Pane should be arranged from the bottom up: The title should be at the very bottom with subsequent content moving upward.

NOTE:  The “eye” icon to the right of each slide element can be toggled on or off to hide or show the content visually. When considering whether to use this feature, please note that screen readers vary in how they handle it: Some will still read the visually hidden content; others will not.

Since PowerPoint is meant to be a visual medium but also functions as a document archive, the best practice would be to include a smart link within the body of the text and also include the non-linked text of the URL. In this way, the smart link is searchable by screen reader users, and the URL can be referred to during the live presentation for folks to follow.

Alt text and grouped images

As always, make sure images include alt text.  PowerPoint has the ability to group multiple images into a single, flat image. This allows the user to assign alt-text to a group of related images rather than assigning alt-text to each image element. To group images, select all of the items you would like to group by holding the Control key for Windows or the Command key for Mac, and click on each item. From the Graphics Format tab, click on the Group drop-down menu and select ‘Group.’ This will flatten the image and allow the user to assign alt-text to the group image.

For more detailed information on how to create accessible PowerPoint presentations, visit the Microsoft Accessibility Support website , or view WebAIM’s article on PowerPoint Accessibility .

Microsoft 365 Life Hacks > Presentations > How to create a sales presentation

How to create a sales presentation

Creating an effective sales presentation involves understanding your audience, delivering clear value propositions, and showcasing your product or service in an engaging way. Use these tips to make a presentation that not only captivates the crowd but also compels them to make a purchase.

What is a sales presentation?

A sales presentation is an important tool used by businesses to explain, promote, and sell their products or services to a client or potential buyers. The presentation usually includes an introduction to the product, a discussion of its features and benefits, and a list of reasons why the audience should buy it. Effective sales presentations are well-structured, tailored to the audience’s needs, and delivered in a confident and persuasive manner.

Tell your story with captivating presentations

Powerpoint empowers you to develop well-designed content across all your devices

What to include in your sales presentation

Your sales presentation should be a blend of information, persuasion, and appeal. Here’s what to include in your upcoming presentation:

• Introduction. Briefly introduce yourself and your company then provide context about the upcoming presentation.
• Identified need. Clearly define the problem or need your product or solution aims to fix.
• Solution overview. Explain how your product or service solves the identified problem.
• Benefits. List the key benefits of your product and illustrate how they align with the audience’s needs.
• Proof points. Provide evidence to support your claims using case studies, testimonials, or data points.
• Pricing and packages. Outline your pricing structure along with any packages or deals you’re offering.
• Call to action. End with a clear call to action by telling your audience what you want them to do after the presentation.

Developing your sales presentation

Creating a persuasive sales presentation requires careful planning and extensive research. Follow these tips while drafting your presentation for a seamless delivery :

• Research your audience. Get to know your audience’s interests, needs, and pain points.
• Outline your presentation. Before you dive into any specifics, create a high-level outline to make sure your points follow a clear and logical structure .
• Design engaging slides. Use visuals to support your message while avoiding clutter and ensuring that any text is easy to read.
• Practice your delivery . Rehearse your presentation multiple times to refine your flow, timing, and cadence.

How long should your sales presentation be?

The length of your sales presentation can vary depending on the complexity of the product and the audience’s engagement level. However, experts recommend keeping presentations between 20 and 30 minutes to cover all your important points without losing your audience’s attention.

Finalizing your sales presentation

After drafting your presentation, remember to review and refine it. Here’s a quick checklist:

• Ensure all technical terms are explained.
• Check that all ideas flow logically.
• Verify that your presentation addresses all potential questions or objections.
• Include a memorable conclusion that reinforces your call to action.

A successful sales presentation includes engaging visuals, persuasive rhetoric, and well-structured information. By using the tips above, you can design a presentation that not only holds the attention of your listeners but also encourages them to take the next step.

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Correct option is d. all of above.

Watch CBS News

Biden says he doesn't debate as well as he used to but knows "how to tell the truth"

By Kathryn Watson , Aaron Navarro

June 28, 2024 / 2:32 PM EDT / CBS News

President Biden bluntly addressed his lackluster debate  performance during an campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, Friday, speaking with notably more energy and vigor than he had hours before. 

Some Democrats expressed concern after the president, in a raspy voice , struggled to correct former president Donald Trump's falsehoods as he faced a national audience on prime-time television Thursday night. The president's at times gaping facial expressions and rambling answers to key questions didn't help either, at a time when many Americans believe Mr. Biden, now 81, may be too old for the job and too old to relate to them . 

"I know I'm not a young man, to state the obvious," the president said. "Well, I know." He addressed a supportive Democratic crowd Friday, one that welcomed him with chants of "Four more years!" 

"Folks, I don't walk as easy as I used to," he continued. "I don't speak as smoothly as I used to. I don't debate as well as I used to. But I know what I do know — I know how to tell the truth ... I know right from wrong. And I know how to do this job. I know how to get things done. And I know, like millions of Americans know, when you get knocked down, you get back up."

The president also sought to assure his audience that he wouldn't be running again if he didn't think he was up to the job. 

"Folks, I give you my word as a Biden — I would not be running again if I didn't believe with all my heart and soul, I can do this job,"  he said. "The stakes are too high. The stakes are too high." 

• Donald Trump

Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C.

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How to Draw a 3D Cone in PowerPoint

Last updated on July 1st, 2024

Cones are widely used to represent business diagrams and as an alternative to pyramid diagrams. In PowerPoint we can easily create 3D objects using PowerPoint shapes and effects. Here, we will guide you on making a simple 3D Cone in PowerPoint with shadow effect and gradient fill that can represent any business model or diagram, for example, Maslow’s Pyramid of Needs .

Step 1 – Add an Oval and Triangle Shape

Let’s start creating the base of the cone using an oval shape and then adding a triangle to the slide. We will make these two objects fit together and then use the Union tool in PowerPoint to combine the two shapes into one single shape.

Step 2 – Combine Shapes and Create a Simple Cone

Having the two objects selected, we will combine the shapes by using Union option. If you want to enable Union option in PowerPoint 2010 then please read our tutorial.

Step 3 – Add Background Gradient Fill

Now we have a nice 3D Cone design and we can edit the properties. We are going to change the fill option and choose a Gradient fill.

The figure above shows the gradient fill style we chose for this cone.

Step 4 – Add Drop Shadow

Now it is time to add the drop shadow effect. For this purpose we created a simple shadow shape instead of using the built-in shadow option in PowerPoint. The reason we used our own shadow effect is to make it look more realistic.

To create the shadow you can start drawing an oval and then choose the Gradient Fill and select black in one of the edges and white in the other edge. The trick here is to add 100% transparency to the white side.

Step 5 – Prepare the 3D Cone Diagram for PowerPoint with realistic shadow

Locate the shadow below the 3D Cone and send it backward.

Step 6 – Add Text Boxes and Arrows

Here is an example showing the result we have achieved after following the steps. An older article also explains how to achieve this 3D cone using PowerPoint shapes. If you need to download free pyramids and cones for PowerPoint you can check our free PowerPoint templates and backgrounds or you can download professional PowerPoint templates from SlideModel.

2 comments on “ How to Draw a 3D Cone in PowerPoint ”

Very good designs

Hi Rogger. Thank you. You are welcome to submit new ideas.

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