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What is PowerPoint: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners

What is PowerPoint? This blog provides the essence of PowerPoint, a versatile presentation software by Microsoft. Discover its features, uses, and the art of crafting compelling slideshows. Whether you're a student, professional, or simply curious, explore the power of PowerPoint and learn how to create impactful presentations effortlessly.

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According to Glassdoor , a PowerPoint designer's average salary in the UK is about £37,811 annually. In this blog, you will learn What is PowerPoint, its key features, its benefits, and how to use it, as well as learn some tips for creating effective presentations.   

Table of contents       

1)  What is PowerPoint?  

2)  Understanding the PowerPoint Interface  

3)  Key Features of PowerPoint 

4)  How to use PowerPoint to create a presentation? 

5)  Benefits of PowerPoint  

6)  Tips for Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentations 

7)  Conclusion      

What is PowerPoint?   

PowerPoint is a versatile and popular presentation software developed by Microsoft (MS). It is a part of the Microsoft Office Suite and offers various features and tools to create visually appealing and engaging presentations. MS PowerPoint allows users to combine text, graphics, multimedia elements, and animations to convey information effectively .   

Evolution of PowerPoint   

Understanding the PowerPoint Interface   

The PowerPoint interface provides a user-friendly environment for creating and editing presentations. Familiarising yourself with its essential components will help you navigate the software efficiently. Here's a breakdown of the MS PowerPoint interface:   

1)  Ribbon : The Ribbon is located at the top of the MS PowerPoint window and consists of multiple tabs, such as Home, Insert, Design, Transitions, and more.    

2) Slides pane : The Slides pane is on the left side of the PowerPoint window. It displays thumbnail images of your presentation slides, allowing you to navigate and rearrange them easily. You can add, delete, duplicate, or hide slides from this pane.   

3)   Notes pane : The Notes pane is located below the Slides pane. It provides space for adding speaker notes or additional information related to each slide.    

4)  Slide area : The Slide area occupies the central part of the PowerPoint window. It displays the selected slide, where you can add and arrange content such as text, images, charts, and multimedia elements .    

5)  Task panes : Task panes are additional panels on the PowerPoint window's right side. They offer various functionalities such as formatting options, slide layouts, animations, etc. Task panes can be opened or closed based on your specific needs.   

Understanding the MS PowerPoint interface will help you navigate the software effectively and make the most of its features. Whether you are creating slides, adding content, or applying formatting, having a good grasp of the interface ensures a smooth and productive experience .  

Key Features of PowerPoint  

When it comes to creating captivating and professional presentations, MS PowerPoint stands out as versatile and feature-rich software. Its array of tools and functionalities enables users to bring their imagination and ideas to life. Moreover, it also helps engage their audience effectively .    

1) Slide Templates : PowerPoint provides a collection of pre-designed templates that make it easy to create visually appealing slides.   

2)  Slide Master : The Slide Master feature allows users to define the overall layout, font styles, and colour scheme for the entire presentation .   

3)  Animations and transitions : PowerPoint offers various animation effects and slide transitions to add visual interest and captivate the audience .   

4)  Multimedia integration : Users can embed images, videos, and audio files directly into their presentations, enhancing the overall impact .   

5)   Collaboration tools : MS PowerPoint allows multiple users to work on a presentation simultaneously, making it ideal for team projects and remote collaboration .   

6) Presenter View : The Presenter View feature gives presenters access to speaker notes, a timer, and a preview of upcoming slides, enabling a seamless presentation experience .   

These features collectively contribute to PowerPoint's versatility and make it a powerful tool for developing engaging and impactful presentations.  

How to use PowerPoint to create a presentation?   

Creating a presentation in PowerPoint is a straightforward process. Whether it's simple animations or explainer videos learning H ow to use PowerPoint is an extremely valuable skill. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to create a presentation:   

1)  Launch PowerPoint and choose a template or start with a blank slide. 

2)  Add slides by clicking "New Slide" or using the shortcut key (Ctrl + M). 

3) Customise slide content by entering text and inserting visuals.  

4)  Rearrange slides for a logical flow by dragging them in the slide navigation pane.  

5)  Apply slide transitions for visual effects in the "Transitions" tab.  

6)  Add animations to objects in the "Animations" tab.  

7)  Preview your presentation by clicking "Slide Show".   

8)  Save your presentation and choose a format (.pptx or .pdf).  

9)  Share your presentation via email, cloud storage, or collaboration tools.   

By following these steps, you can create a well-structured and visually appealing presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint. Remember to keep your content concise, use engaging visuals, and practice your presentation skills to deliver an impactful presentation .   

Benefits of PowerPoint   

1) Visual appeal : Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to create visually appealing presentations with its wide range of design tools and features. You can use templates, themes, and customisable layouts to make your slides visually engaging and professional .   

2)  Easy to use : PowerPoint has a user-friendly interface, making it accessible to users of all levels. The intuitive tools and straightforward navigation make it easy to create, edit, and deliver presentations efficiently .   

3)   Flexibility : PowerPoint provides flexibility in terms of content creation. You can include various types of content, such as text, images, charts, graphs, videos, and audio files, to enhance your message and engage your audience effectively.   

4)   Organisation and structure : PowerPoint offers features to help you organise and structure your content. You can create multiple slides, use slide masters for consistent formatting, and arrange the sequence of slides to create a logical flow .   

5)  Presenter tools : PowerPoint includes built-in presenter tools that aid in delivering presentations smoothly. You can use presenter view to see your notes and upcoming slides while your audience sees only the presentation. Additionally, features like slide transitions and animations add visual interest and help you control the flow of information .   

6)  Collaboration and sharing : PowerPoint allows for easy collaboration and sharing of presentations. Several users can simultaneously work on the same presentation, making it convenient for team projects. You can also share your presentations via email, cloud storage, or online platforms, ensuring easy access for viewers .   

7)   Integration with other tools : PowerPoint can seamlessly integrate with other Microsoft Office applications, such as Word and Excel. You can import data and charts from Excel or copy and paste content between different Office applications, saving time and effort .  

8)   Presenter-audience interaction : PowerPoint provides features that facilitate interaction between the presenter and the audience. You can include interactive elements like hyperlinks, buttons, and quizzes to engage your audience and make your presentations more dynamic.   

9)   Portable and accessible : PowerPoint presentations can be saved in various formats, such as .pptx or .pdf, making them easily accessible on different devices. This portability allows you to deliver presentations on laptops, tablets, or even projectors without compatibility issues .   

10)  Time and effort savings : PowerPoint simplifies the process of creating presentations, saving you time and effort. The pre-designed templates, slide layouts, and formatting options enable you to create professional-looking presentations efficiently .   

Unleash your creativity to deliver captivating presentations that leave a lasting impact with our Microsoft PowerPoint Masterclass – Sign up now!   

Tips for Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentations   

1) Simplicity is key : Keep your slides clean and uncluttered. Use concise bullet points and simple visuals to convey your message effectively .   

2)  Visuals matter : Incorporate relevant, high-quality visuals such as images, charts, and diagrams to enhance understanding and engagement .   

3)  Limit text : Avoid overwhelming your audience with excessive text on slides. Use brief phrases or keywords to communicate key points .   

4)  Choose legible fonts : Opt for clear and readable fonts that are easy to read, even from a distance. Maintain consistency in font styles throughout your presentation .   

5)  Consistent design : Maintain a consistent design theme, including colours, fonts, and layout, to create a visually appealing and professional presentation.   

6)  Emphasise important points : Use visual hierarchy techniques, such as font size, colour, and formatting, to draw attention to essential information .   

7)  Use transitions and animations sparingly : Incorporate slide transitions and animations thoughtfully, focusing on enhancing content and transitions without distracting the audience .   

8)  S lide notes for guidance : Utilise the slide notes feature to include additional details, explanations, or reminders for a well-prepared and confident presentation.   

9)  Practice and time yourself : Rehearse your presentation to ensure smooth delivery and stay within the allocated time. Practice helps you refine your content and delivery.   

10)  Engage the audience : Encourage audience participation through interactive elements, questions, or discussions to foster engagement and make your presentation more memorable.   

By implementing these tips, you can create effective MS PowerPoint presentations that capture attention, communicate information clearly, and engage your audience effectively.  

Conclusion      

We hope this blog has helped you understand What is PowerPoint and how it can help you. It offers powerful features with a user-friendly interface for creating visually appealing presentations. With its tools for organising information, incorporating text and visuals, and delivering impactful content, PowerPoint is a valuable tool for beginners to communicate their ideas effectively .   

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• Instructional Guide

Teaching with PowerPoint

When effectively planned and used, PowerPoint (or similar tools, like Google Slides) can enhance instruction. People are divided on the effectiveness of this ubiquitous presentation program—some say that PowerPoint is wonderful while others bemoan its pervasiveness. No matter which side you take, PowerPoint does offer effective ways to enhance instruction when used and designed appropriately.

PowerPoint can be an effective tool to present material in the classroom and encourage student learning. You can use PowerPoint to project visuals that would otherwise be difficult to bring to class. For example, in an anthropology class, a single PowerPoint presentation could project images of an anthropological dig from a remote area, questions asking students about the topic, a chart of related statistics, and a mini quiz about what was just discussed that provides students with information that is visual, challenging, and engaging.

PowerPoint can be an effective tool to present material in the classroom and encourage student learning.

This section is organized in three major segments: Part I will help faculty identify and use basic but important design elements, Part II will cover ways to enhance teaching and learning with PowerPoint, and Part III will list ways to engage students with PowerPoint.

PART I: Designing the PowerPoint Presentation

Accessibility.

• Student accessibility—students with visual or hearing impairments may not be able to fully access a PowerPoint presentation, especially those with graphics, images, and sound.
• Use an accessible layout. Built-in slide template layouts were designed to be accessible: “the reading order is the same for people with vision and for people who use assistive technology such as screen readers” (University of Washington, n.d.). If you want to alter the layout of a theme, use the Slide Master; this will ensure your slides will retain accessibility.
• Use unique and specific slide titles so students can access the material they need.
• Consider how you display hyperlinks. Since screen readers read what is on the page, you may want to consider creating a hyperlink using a descriptive title instead of displaying the URL.
• All visuals and tables should include alt text. Alt text should describe the visual or table in detail so that students with visual impairments can “read” the images with their screen readers. Avoid using too many decorative visuals.
• All video and audio content should be captioned for students with hearing impairments. Transcripts can also be useful as an additional resource, but captioning ensures students can follow along with what is on the screen in real-time.
• Simplify your tables. If you use tables on your slides, ensure they are not overly complex and do not include blank cells. Screen readers may have difficulty providing information about the table if there are too many columns and rows, and they may “think” the table is complete if they come to a blank cell.
• Set a reading order for text on your slides. The order that text appears on the slide may not be the reading order of the text. Check that your reading order is correct by using the Selection Pane (organized bottom-up).
• Use Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker to identify potential accessibility issues in your completed PowerPoint. Use the feedback to improve your PowerPoint’s accessibility. You could also send your file to the Disability Resource Center to have them assess its accessibility (send it far in advance of when you will need to use it).
• Save your PowerPoint presentation as a PDF file to distribute to students with visual impairments.

Preparing for the presentation

• Consider time and effort in preparing a PowerPoint presentation; give yourself plenty of lead time for design and development.
• PowerPoint is especially useful when providing course material online. Consider student technology compatibility with PowerPoint material put on the web; ensure images and graphics have been compressed for access by computers using dial-up connection.

PowerPoint is especially useful when providing course material online.

• Be aware of copyright law when displaying course materials, and properly cite source material. This is especially important when using visuals obtained from the internet or other sources. This also models proper citation for your students.
• Think about message interpretation for PowerPoint use online: will students be able to understand material in a PowerPoint presentation outside of the classroom? Will you need to provide notes and/or other material to help students understand complex information, data, or graphics?
• If you will be using your own laptop, make sure the classroom is equipped with the proper cables, drivers, and other means to display your presentation the way you have intended.

Slide content

• Avoid text-dense slides. It’s better to have more slides than trying to place too much text on one slide. Use brief points instead of long sentences or paragraphs and outline key points rather than transcribing your lecture. Use PowerPoint to cue and guide the presentation.
• Use the Notes feature to add content to your presentation that the audience will not see. You can access the Notes section for each slide by sliding the bottom of the slide window up to reveal the notes section or by clicking “View” and choosing “Notes Page” from the Presentation Views options.
• Relate PowerPoint material to course objectives to reinforce their purpose for students.

Number of slides

• As a rule of thumb, plan to show one slide per minute to account for discussion and time and for students to absorb the material.
• Reduce redundant or text-heavy sentences or bullets to ensure a more professional appearance.
• Incorporate active learning throughout the presentation to hold students’ interest and reinforce learning.

Emphasizing content

• Use italics, bold, and color for emphasizing content.
• Use of a light background (white, beige, yellow) with dark typeface or a dark background (blue, purple, brown) with a light typeface is easy to read in a large room.
• Avoid using too many colors or shifting colors too many times within the presentation, which can be distracting to students.
• Avoid using underlines for emphasis; underlining typically signifies hypertext in digital media.

Use of a light background with dark typeface or a dark background with a light typeface is easy to read in a large room.

• Limit the number of typeface styles to no more than two per slide. Try to keep typeface consistent throughout your presentation so it does not become a distraction.
• Avoid overly ornate or specialty fonts that may be harder for students to read. Stick to basic fonts so as not to distract students from the content.
• Ensure the typeface is large enough to read from anywhere in the room: titles and headings should be no less than 36-40-point font. The subtext should be no less than 32-point font.

Clip art and graphics

• Use clip art and graphics sparingly. Research shows that it’s best to use graphics only when they support the content. Irrelevant graphics and images have been proven to hinder student learning.
• Photographs can be used to add realism. Again, only use photographs that are relevant to the content and serve a pedagogical purpose. Images for decorative purposes are distracting.
• Size and place graphics appropriately on the slide—consider wrapping text around a graphic.
• Use two-dimensional pie and bar graphs rather than 3D styles which can interfere with the intended message.

Use clip art and graphics sparingly. Research shows that it’s best to use graphics only when they support the content.

Animation and sound

• Add motion, sound, or music only when necessary. When in doubt, do without.
• Avoid distracting animations and transitions. Excessive movement within or between slides can interfere with the message and students find them distracting. Avoid them or use only simple screen transitions.

Final check

• Check for spelling, correct word usage, flow of material, and overall appearance of the presentation.
• Colleagues can be helpful to check your presentation for accuracy and appeal. Note: Errors are more obvious when they are projected.
• Schedule at least one practice session to check for timing and flow.
• PowerPoint’s Slide Sorter View is especially helpful to check slides for proper sequencing as well as information gaps and redundancy. You can also use the preview pane on the left of the screen when you are editing the PowerPoint in “Normal” view.
• Prepare for plan “B” in case you have trouble with the technology in the classroom: how will you provide material located on your flash drive or computer? Have an alternate method of instruction ready (printing a copy of your PowerPoint with notes is one idea).

PowerPoint’s Slide Sorter View is especially helpful to check slides for proper sequencing and information gaps and redundancy.

PowerPoint Handouts

PowerPoint provides multiple options for print-based handouts that can be distributed at various points in the class.

Before class: students might like having materials available to help them prepare and formulate questions before the class period.

During class: you could distribute a handout with three slides and lines for notes to encourage students to take notes on the details of your lecture so they have notes alongside the slide material (and aren’t just taking notes on the slide content).

After class: some instructors wait to make the presentation available after the class period so that students concentrate on the presentation rather than reading ahead on the handout.

Never: Some instructors do not distribute the PowerPoint to students so that students don’t rely on access to the presentation and neglect to pay attention in class as a result.

• PowerPoint slides can be printed in the form of handouts—with one, two, three, four, six, or nine slides on a page—that can be given to students for reference during and after the presentation. The three-slides-per-page handout includes lined space to assist in note-taking.
• Notes Pages. Detailed notes can be printed and used during the presentation, or if they are notes intended for students, they can be distributed before the presentation.
• Outline View. PowerPoint presentations can be printed as an outline, which provides all the text from each slide. Outlines offer a welcome alternative to slide handouts and can be modified from the original presentation to provide more or less information than the projected presentation.

The Presentation

Alley, Schreiber, Ramsdell, and Muffo (2006) suggest that PowerPoint slide headline design “affects audience retention,” and they conclude that “succinct sentence headlines are more effective” in information recall than headlines of short phrases or single words (p. 233). In other words, create slide titles with as much information as is used for newspapers and journals to help students better understand the content of the slide.

• PowerPoint should provide key words, concepts, and images to enhance your presentation (but PowerPoint should not replace you as the presenter).
• Avoid reading from the slide—reading the material can be perceived as though you don’t know the material. If you must read the material, provide it in a handout instead of a projected PowerPoint slide.
• Avoid moving a laser pointer across the slide rapidly. If using a laser pointer, use one with a dot large enough to be seen from all areas of the room and move it slowly and intentionally.

Avoid reading from the slide—reading the material can be perceived as though you don’t know the material.

• Use a blank screen to allow students to reflect on what has just been discussed or to gain their attention (Press B for a black screen or W for a white screen while delivering your slide show; press these keys again to return to the live presentation). This pause can also be used for a break period or when transitioning to new content.
• Stand to one side of the screen and face the audience while presenting. Using Presenter View will display your slide notes to you on the computer monitor while projecting only the slides to students on the projector screen.
• Leave classroom lights on and turn off lights directly over the projection screen if possible. A completely dark or dim classroom will impede notetaking (and may encourage nap-taking).
• Learn to use PowerPoint efficiently and have a back-up plan in case of technical failure.
• Give yourself enough time to finish the presentation. Trying to rush through slides can give the impression of an unorganized presentation and may be difficult for students to follow or learn.

PART II: Enhancing Teaching and Learning with PowerPoint

Class preparation.

PowerPoint can be used to prepare lectures and presentations by helping instructors refine their material to salient points and content. Class lectures can be typed in outline format, which can then be refined as slides. Lecture notes can be printed as notes pages  (notes pages: Printed pages that display author notes beneath the slide that the notes accompany.) and could also be given as handouts to accompany the presentation.

Multimodal Learning

Using PowerPoint can help you present information in multiple ways (a multimodal approach) through the projection of color, images, and video for the visual mode; sound and music for the auditory mode; text and writing prompts for the reading/writing mode; and interactive slides that ask students to do something, e.g. a group or class activity in which students practice concepts, for the kinesthetic mode (see Part III: Engaging Students with PowerPoint for more details). Providing information in multiple modalities helps improve comprehension and recall for all students.

Providing information in multiple modalities helps improve comprehension and recall for all students.

Type-on Live Slides

PowerPoint allows users to type directly during the slide show, which provides another form of interaction. These write-on slides can be used to project students’ comments and ideas for the entire class to see. When the presentation is over, the new material can be saved to the original file and posted electronically. This feature requires advanced preparation in the PowerPoint file while creating your presentation. For instructions on how to set up your type-on slide text box, visit this tutorial from AddictiveTips .  

Write or Highlight on Slides

PowerPoint also allows users to use tools to highlight or write directly onto a presentation while it is live. When you are presenting your PowerPoint, move your cursor over the slide to reveal tools in the lower-left corner. One of the tools is a pen icon. Click this icon to choose either a laser pointer, pen, or highlighter. You can use your cursor for these options, or you can use the stylus for your smart podium computer monitor or touch-screen laptop monitor (if applicable).  

Just-In-Time Course Material

You can make your PowerPoint slides, outline, and/or notes pages available online 24/7 through Blackboard, OneDrive, other websites. Students can review the material before class, bring printouts to class, and better prepare themselves for listening rather than taking a lot of notes during the class period. They can also come to class prepared with questions about the material so you can address their comprehension of the concepts.

PART III: Engaging Students with PowerPoint

The following techniques can be incorporated into PowerPoint presentations to increase interactivity and engagement between students and between students and the instructor. Each technique can be projected as a separate PowerPoint slide.

Running Slide Show as Students Arrive in the Classroom

This technique provides visual interest and can include a series of questions for students to answer as they sit waiting for class to begin. These questions could be on future texts or quizzes.

• Opening Question : project an opening question, e.g. “Take a moment to reflect on ___.”
• Think of what you know about ___.
• Turn to a partner and share your knowledge about ___.
• Share with the class what you have discussed with your partner.
• Focused Listing helps with recall of pertinent information, e.g. “list as many characteristics of ___, or write down as many words related to ___ as you can think of.”
• Brainstorming stretches the mind and promotes deep thinking and recall of prior knowledge, e.g. “What do you know about ___? Start with your clearest thoughts and then move on to those what are kind of ‘out there.’”
• Questions : ask students if they have any questions roughly every 15 minutes. This technique provides time for students to reflect and is also a good time for a scheduled break or for the instructor to interact with students.
• Note Check : ask students to “take a few minutes to compare notes with a partner,” or “…summarize the most important information,” or “…identify and clarify any sticking points,” etc.
• Questions and Answer Pairs : have students “take a minute to come with one question then see if you can stump your partner!”
• The Two-Minute Paper allows the instructor to check the class progress, e.g. “summarize the most important points of today’s lecture.” Have students submit the paper at the end of class.
• “If You Could Ask One Last Question—What Would It Be?” This technique allows for students to think more deeply about the topic and apply what they have learned in a question format.
• A Classroom Opinion Poll provides a sense of where students stand on certain topics, e.g. “do you believe in ___,” or “what are your thoughts on ___?”
• Muddiest Point allows anonymous feedback to inform the instructor if changes and or additions need to be made to the class, e.g. “What parts of today’s material still confuse you?”
• Most Useful Point can tell the instructor where the course is on track, e.g. “What is the most useful point in today’s material, and how can you illustrate its use in a practical setting?”

Positive Features of PowerPoint

• PowerPoint saves time and energy—once the presentation has been created, it is easy to update or modify for other courses.
• PowerPoint is portable and can be shared easily with students and colleagues.
• PowerPoint supports multimedia, such as video, audio, images, and

PowerPoint supports multimedia, such as video, audio, images, and animation.

Potential Drawbacks of PowerPoint

• PowerPoint could reduce the opportunity for classroom interaction by being the primary method of information dissemination or designed without built-in opportunities for interaction.
• PowerPoint could lead to information overload, especially with the inclusion of long sentences and paragraphs or lecture-heavy presentations with little opportunity for practical application or active learning.
• PowerPoint could “drive” the instruction and minimize the opportunity for spontaneity and creative teaching unless the instructor incorporates the potential for ingenuity into the presentation. 

As with any technology, the way PowerPoint is used will determine its pedagogical effectiveness. By strategically using the points described above, PowerPoint can be used to enhance instruction and engage students.

Alley, M., Schreiber, M., Ramsdell, K., & Muffo, J. (2006). How the design of headlines in presentation slides affects audience retention. Technical Communication, 53 (2), 225-234. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/43090718

University of Washington, Accessible Technology. (n.d.). Creating accessible presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint. Retrieved from https://www.washington.edu/accessibility/documents/powerpoint/  

Selected Resources

Brill, F. (2016). PowerPoint for teachers: Creating interactive lessons. LinkedIn Learning . Retrieved from https://www.lynda.com/PowerPoint-tutorials/PowerPoint-Teachers-Create-Interactive-Lessons/472427-2.html

Huston, S. (2011). Active learning with PowerPoint [PDF file]. DE Oracle @ UMUC . Retrieved from http://contentdm.umuc.edu/digital/api/collection/p16240coll5/id/78/download

Microsoft Office Support. (n.d.). Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities. Retrieved from https://support.office.com/en-us/article/make-your-powerpoint-presentations-accessible-to-people-with-disabilities-6f7772b2-2f33-4bd2-8ca7-ae3b2b3ef25

Tufte, E. R. (2006). The cognitive style of PowerPoint: Pitching out corrupts within. Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press LLC.

University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Medicine. (n.d.). Active Learning with a PowerPoint. Retrieved from https://www.unmc.edu/com/_documents/active-learning-ppt.pdf

University of Washington, Department of English. (n.d.). Teaching with PowerPoint. Retrieved from https://english.washington.edu/teaching/teaching-powerpoint

Vanderbilt University, Center for Teaching. (n.d.). Making better PowerPoint presentations. Retrieved from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/making-better-powerpoint-presentations/

Suggested citation

Northern Illinois University Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. (2020). Teaching with PowerPoint. In Instructional guide for university faculty and teaching assistants. Retrieved from https://www.niu.edu/citl/resources/guides/instructional-guide

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Princeton Correspondents on Undergraduate Research

How to Make a Successful Research Presentation

Turning a research paper into a visual presentation is difficult; there are pitfalls, and navigating the path to a brief, informative presentation takes time and practice. As a TA for  GEO/WRI 201: Methods in Data Analysis & Scientific Writing this past fall, I saw how this process works from an instructor’s standpoint. I’ve presented my own research before, but helping others present theirs taught me a bit more about the process. Here are some tips I learned that may help you with your next research presentation:

More is more

In general, your presentation will always benefit from more practice, more feedback, and more revision. By practicing in front of friends, you can get comfortable with presenting your work while receiving feedback. It is hard to know how to revise your presentation if you never practice. If you are presenting to a general audience, getting feedback from someone outside of your discipline is crucial. Terms and ideas that seem intuitive to you may be completely foreign to someone else, and your well-crafted presentation could fall flat.

Less is more

Limit the scope of your presentation, the number of slides, and the text on each slide. In my experience, text works well for organizing slides, orienting the audience to key terms, and annotating important figures–not for explaining complex ideas. Having fewer slides is usually better as well. In general, about one slide per minute of presentation is an appropriate budget. Too many slides is usually a sign that your topic is too broad.

Limit the scope of your presentation

Don’t present your paper. Presentations are usually around 10 min long. You will not have time to explain all of the research you did in a semester (or a year!) in such a short span of time. Instead, focus on the highlight(s). Identify a single compelling research question which your work addressed, and craft a succinct but complete narrative around it.

You will not have time to explain all of the research you did. Instead, focus on the highlights. Identify a single compelling research question which your work addressed, and craft a succinct but complete narrative around it.

Craft a compelling research narrative

After identifying the focused research question, walk your audience through your research as if it were a story. Presentations with strong narrative arcs are clear, captivating, and compelling.

• Introduction (exposition — rising action)

Orient the audience and draw them in by demonstrating the relevance and importance of your research story with strong global motive. Provide them with the necessary vocabulary and background knowledge to understand the plot of your story. Introduce the key studies (characters) relevant in your story and build tension and conflict with scholarly and data motive. By the end of your introduction, your audience should clearly understand your research question and be dying to know how you resolve the tension built through motive.

• Methods (rising action)

The methods section should transition smoothly and logically from the introduction. Beware of presenting your methods in a boring, arc-killing, ‘this is what I did.’ Focus on the details that set your story apart from the stories other people have already told. Keep the audience interested by clearly motivating your decisions based on your original research question or the tension built in your introduction.

• Results (climax)

Less is usually more here. Only present results which are clearly related to the focused research question you are presenting. Make sure you explain the results clearly so that your audience understands what your research found. This is the peak of tension in your narrative arc, so don’t undercut it by quickly clicking through to your discussion.

• Discussion (falling action)

By now your audience should be dying for a satisfying resolution. Here is where you contextualize your results and begin resolving the tension between past research. Be thorough. If you have too many conflicts left unresolved, or you don’t have enough time to present all of the resolutions, you probably need to further narrow the scope of your presentation.

• Conclusion (denouement)

Return back to your initial research question and motive, resolving any final conflicts and tying up loose ends. Leave the audience with a clear resolution of your focus research question, and use unresolved tension to set up potential sequels (i.e. further research).

Use your medium to enhance the narrative

Visual presentations should be dominated by clear, intentional graphics. Subtle animation in key moments (usually during the results or discussion) can add drama to the narrative arc and make conflict resolutions more satisfying. You are narrating a story written in images, videos, cartoons, and graphs. While your paper is mostly text, with graphics to highlight crucial points, your slides should be the opposite. Adapting to the new medium may require you to create or acquire far more graphics than you included in your paper, but it is necessary to create an engaging presentation.

The most important thing you can do for your presentation is to practice and revise. Bother your friends, your roommates, TAs–anybody who will sit down and listen to your work. Beyond that, think about presentations you have found compelling and try to incorporate some of those elements into your own. Remember you want your work to be comprehensible; you aren’t creating experts in 10 minutes. Above all, try to stay passionate about what you did and why. You put the time in, so show your audience that it’s worth it.

For more insight into research presentations, check out these past PCUR posts written by Emma and Ellie .

— Alec Getraer, Natural Sciences Correspondent

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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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What is an effective PowerPoint presentation?

This is the second of three chapters about Using Visual Aids . To complete this reader, read each chapter carefully and then unlock and complete our materials to check your understanding.   

– Provide seven rules for creating effective PowerPoint presentations

–  Use examples and slides to clarify these rules for the reader

– Introduce the concept of body language, delivery strategies and presentation language

Chapter 1: How are visual aids useful in English academia?

Chapter 2: What is an effective PowerPoint presentation?

Chapter 3: Which presentation methods are ineffective?

Before you begin reading...

• video and audio texts
• knowledge checks and quizzes
• skills practices, tasks and assignments

In Chapter 1 of this short reader on using visual aids   and improving presentation skills , we discussed what a visual aid is and how such aids can be used most effectively when conducting academic presentations. Focusing specifically now on when using PowerPoint (PPT) as the primary visual aid, this second reader on the subject next explores the seven most important rules for creating a successful formal presentation. Follow these rules carefully and apply them to your own PPT and you should see a significant increase in both your grades (if submitting work) and in the general engagement of your audience, particularly if you also elect to take our short courses on body language   and delivery strategies .

Rule 1: Have a Clear Structure

The first rule when creating a successful academic PowerPoint presentation is to make sure that that presentation provides the audience with a clear structure of its contents. To do this, the presenter may wish to include key slides within their presentation that work as structural markers, including also any relevant headings, subheadings and separated sections that may help to guide the audience. We’ve outlined five such slides below, but students may also wish to dedicate slides to the introduction, the research question, the background information, the methodology, the data analysis and the conclusion depending on their presentation type:

i) First Slide = name of presenter, title of presentation, date, student number, etc.

ii) Second Slide = an outline of the presentation or a bullet-pointed contents list

iii) Divider Slides = slides that inform the reader of a change of topic or important transition

iv) Penultimate Slide = a reminder of the most important content in the presentation

v) Final Slide = references, questions and answers, special thanks, etc.

The two diagrams below are examples of potential introductory slides:

Rule 2: Use Appropriate Language

The second most important rule when creating a presentation is to use appropriate language – which of course means that you must be able to predict your audience. If you’re presenting to non-native speakers of English, for example, you may wish to grade your language so that it’s easier to understand, and if you’re presenting to seasoned academics then don’t forget to include sufficient subject-specific vocabulary to challenge their knowledge. Ultimately, when focusing on academic contexts more specifically, our short course on academic language may be able to help you better understand the points we’ve summarised below:

Rule 3: Be Accurate

Precision, accuracy, consistency – these are all important academic skills , particularly when creating and delivering assessed presentations. If your PowerPoint slides are not only free of typos, spelling errors and grammatical mistakes but are also free of any inconsistencies within your argumentation, then your audience will likely be better persuaded by, and engaged with, your ideas. An academic presentation that includes inaccurate facts, dates or statistics, or that has clearly misinterpreted a theory or subject-specific term is unlikely to be well received.

Rule 4: Explain a Concise Slide

Another key rule is that PowerPoint slides should generally be concise  in nature and explained further by the presenter. A slide that’s packed with information, whether across numerous bullet points or within full paragraphs, and that’s identical to the presenter’s speech, is probably unengaging and difficult to read. As can be seen from the examples below, slides that instead contain brief information that the presenter expands upon verbally are much more likely to be successfully received:

Rule 5: Use Evidence and Referencing

Particularly important in academic contexts is that students include evidence and accurate referencing practices within their presentation. Students should use sources such as books, web pages or journal articles to provide supporting evidence for their claims and ideas and then make sure that they accurately cite this information on each relevant slide, including a reference list on one of their final slides also. By forgetting to include citations such as ‘Smith (2019)’, students could be accused of academic misconduct via plagiarism – which could have serious consequences for their grades and future at the university. 

Rule 6: Display Data Visually

One of the most significant benefits of using a piece of software to create your presentation (such as PowerPoint or Prezi) is that other types of visual aid can also be easily displayed. A good presenter should in fact do their best to include a variety of visual aids within a presentation to best engage their audience. Whether it’s a graph, a table, a short video or an audio snippet, any information that can be converted from plain text into a more exciting visual format is generally more interactive and thought provoking. Just remember to make sure, of course, that such visual aids are of high quality, are used thoughtfully, consistently and sparingly, and are sufficiently introduced and explained. 

Rule 7: Use Language Structures

Finally, a successful presenter should never forget to include the specific language structures that work to signpost a presentation and signal any transitions and new sections. This may come in the form of presentation language   or listening and lecture cues . While you may wish to take our short courses to learn more about this subject, we’ve nevertheless provided some examples for your reference below:

Now that we’ve discussed the seven rules of creating effective academic PowerPoint presentations, our final class on this topic is about avoiding the seven most common errors that students have a tendency of making.

Downloadables

Once you’ve completed all three chapters about using visual aids , you might also wish to download our beginner, intermediate and advanced worksheets to test your progress or print for your students. These professional PDF worksheets can be easily accessed for only a few Academic Marks .

Our using visual aids  academic reader (including all three chapters about this topic) can be accessed here at the click of a button.

Gain unlimited access to our using visual aids  beginner worksheet, with activities and answer keys designed to check a basic understanding of this topic’s chapters.

To check a confident understanding of this reader’s chapters, click on the button below to download our using visual aids   intermediate worksheet with activities and answer keys.

Our using visual aids  advanced worksheet with activities and answer keys has been created to check a sophisticated understanding of this reader’s chapters. 

To save yourself 3 Marks , click on the button below to gain unlimited access to all of our using visual aids chapters and worksheets. The All-in-1 Pack includes every chapter on this topic, as well as our beginner, intermediate and advanced worksheets in one handy PDF.

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PowerPoint Presentations 101

Find your perfect postgrad program search our database of 30,000 courses.

• by Charlotte King
• In Theses and Dissertations , Study Advice

If you are giving a presentation  during your postgraduate degree, PowerPoint can help make your speech more visually stimulating and memorable as well as provide a great way to explain complicated concepts, especially when discussing your thesis or research paper. However, a poorly designed PowerPoint presentation will have a negative impact, distracting attention and disrupting your flow. To help you create the perfect PowerPoint presentation that will blow your professors away, here are some top tips on how to avoid common mistakes and design a slide show that compliments your speech and communicates your message effectively... Composition of Slides

• You should always have a simple undistracting background - white is good
• Keep the fonts clear and large enough so they can be easily read
• Ensure all information is in the same format – not cut and paste from different locations
• Select large bold headings and subheadings that are clearly defined 
• Leave room for images, quotes, or take home messages
• Match colours and fonts on all slides for consistency
• You DO NOT have to fill every slide with pictures and photos

Use of Colour Colour can be your best friend or worst enemy! Before you put any colour into your presentation, ask yourself what the purpose it has…..if you are not sure, simply leave it out. Believe it or not you can still make an awesome presentation that is just black and white. Be very careful about your use of colour, and as a general rule don’t use more than two colours for text (unless there is a specific reason to) - one colour for main text (black) and another colour to highlight key words or phrases. If you are using a coloured background, go for a light shade that will make the text stand out. Nobody should have to strain their eyes to read what's on the screen! Simplicity Rules Remember that the slide show is there to support your talk, not the other way round. It essentially only needs to contain the key messages from your thesis or research paper, as well as any relevant diagrams or pictures to support the information. Do not write in full sentences and paragraphs, as people will spend too much time reading and copying slides word for word instead of listening to what you are saying. The best slideshows contain just one main point per slide. Including Media Well positioned and relevant images are a great addition to your slideshow. They say a picture paints a thousand words, and this is why a good image can provide more depth to the information that you are delivering in your speech. Most people fall down when they start adding pictures in for decoration. Don't do it! Visual aids can contribute a significant amount of value to your PowerPoint presentation if you are clever with their inclusion. Try not to get carried away and only add media that exemplifies your main message. If you've got a presentation lined up for your masters or PhD study and need a way to jazz it up, then using PowerPoint could be just the trick.  

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The Science of Effective PowerPoint Presentations

• Sales Insights

What makes a PowerPoint presentation effective?  Why are some PowerPoint presentations described as being highly engaging and others infamously referred to as, “death by PowerPoint”?  These are meaningful questions because your proficiency in communicating your ideas will be the determining factor in whether or not you or your ideas are embraced by others.  Hillary Chura writes about this in one of her New York Times articles where she cites numerous examples of how a presenter’s ability to communicate was the deciding factor in whether his or her message was met with acceptance or rejection. [1]   Behavioral science has established that people are influenced by both an idea and how that idea is communicated.  As distinguished management expert Peter Drucker affirmed, “As soon as you move one step up from the bottom, your effectiveness depends on your ability to reach others through the spoken and written word.” [2]  

  The methodology you adopt when utilizing PowerPoint is vital because your PowerPoint presentation will shape how your content is received.  PowerPoint is an important tool that, when used correctly, has been scientifically proven to increase the persuasiveness of a message.  Yet, the problem lies in the fact that rarely is PowerPoint used properly. 

  At the Hoffeld Group, rather than speculate on how a PowerPoint presentation may be improved, everything we do is grounded in scientific research.  So the question we ask is what principles from empirical science can be applied to amplify the effectiveness of a PowerPoint presentation?  Research in the field of cognitive neuroscience has conclusively revealed how the human brain processes information. [3]   Scientific studies have also shown that the way information is presented significantly influences the brain’s comprehension and retention rate.   PowerPoint presentations are often so poorly executed that they actually obstruct the brain’s cognition of the material being presented.  Though there is an abundance of research that could be shared, the following are two highly relevant scientific principles that if adhered to will significantly increase the brain’s absorption of PowerPoint presentations.

  Scientific Principle #1:  The Human Brain Has Limited Cognitive Abilities

  Scientific research has confirmed that the human brain has the mental capacity to process only a limited amount of information at any given time. [4] [5] [6]   In fact, there is a general consensus within the scientific community that after the brain’s threshold is surpassed its capacity to cognitively grasp information is severely diminished.  For instance, George Miller, the great cognitive psychologist, wrote about the brain’s limited capacity to be attentive to and process information in his famous article, “The magical number seven, plus or minus two: some limits of our capacity for processing information” which was published in the Psychological Review.   Miller demonstrated how the brain can only grasp a small amount of information at one time. This is why phone numbers, excluding area codes, are only seven digits. Scientists maintain that if phone numbers were more than seven numerals they would be forgotten with far greater frequency.

In spite of this reality, the typical PowerPoint presentation contains nearly 40 words per slide. [7]   The wordiness of most PowerPoint slides actually thwarts its persuasive impact and produces a dangerous mix of boredom and confusion in those who are subjected to it.

  The reason that most PowerPoint slides are unnecessarily complex and exhibit an irresponsible dependence on text is because most presenters use PowerPoint as their presentation notes.  Frequently, PowerPoint slides are even read by the presenter to the audience during the presentation.  In contrast to this naïve and detrimental approach, PowerPoint slides should always be designed for the purpose of enriching the audience’s understanding of the content being communicated.  In short, due to the fact that the brain can only process a small amount of information at once, keep your PowerPoint slides uncomplicated and use text sparingly. 

  Scientific Principle #2:   The Picture Superiority Effect

  The second scientific principle that can transform a PowerPoint presentation from dull and bewildering to engaging and memorable is known as the Picture Superiority Effect.  The Picture Superiority Effect is the scientific construct that describes how the human brain thinks in terms of pictures and therefore pictures are more easily understood and remembered than words. [8] [9]   As neuroscientist John Medina writes, “To our cortex, unnervingly, there is no such thing as words.” [10]   When the human brain encounters a word it links the word to its corresponding picture.  It is because of this fact that learning and retention can be improved by explaining a concept with pictures, instead of just words.  This fact has been validated through numerous scientific studies.  For example, educational psychologist Kirsten Butcher published research in the Journal of Educational Psychology which demonstrated that people learn complex data with less difficulty when words and visual illustrations are used, in comparison to only text. [11]   Dr. Richard Mayer, an educational psychologist at the University of California echoes this notion when he stated, “Learners can more easily understand material when it is presented in both words and pictures.”  Mayer further elaborates on this fact when he asserts, “When giving a multimedia explanation, present words as auditory narration rather than visual on-screen text.” [12]   What’s more, neuroscientists John Medina confirms, “Text and oral presentation are not just less efficient than pictures for retaining certain types of information; they are way less efficient.  If information is presented orally, people remember about 10 percent, tested 72 hours after exposure.  That figure goes up to 65 percent if you add a picture.” [13]

  Consequently, when creating PowerPoint slides, incorporate pictures to visually illustrate what you are verbally stating.  This will guide you in delivering your presentation in a way that is in line with how the brain encodes, stores and retrieves information.

  In summary, resolve to only produce PowerPoint presentations that are in harmony with what science has revealed about the human brain.  This will make your presentations more effective and you will find that your audience will respond more favorably to both you and the ideas you are conveying. 

Click here to download this article in pdf.

[1] Hillary Chura. “Um, Uh, Like Call in the Speech Coach.”  New York Times , January 11, 2007. [2] Peter Drucker.  “How to be an employee.”  Fortune , May, 1952. [3] L. Cozolino and S. Sprokay. “Neuroscience and Adult Learning.” In S. Johnson and K. Taylor (eds.), The Neuroscience of Adult Learning . New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, no. 110. (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2006). [4] H. Pashler.  “Dual-task interference in simple tasks:  Data and theory.” Psychological Bulletin , 116, 1994.  p. 220 – 224. [5] J. Deese.  “On the Prediction of Occurrence of Particular Verbal Intrusions in Immediate Recall.”  Journal of Experimental Psychology 58, 1959.  p. 17 – 22. [6] Shenna Iyengar and Mark Lepper.  “When Choice is Demotivating:  Can One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing.”  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , vol 79, 2000.  p. 995 – 1006. [7] John Medina.  Brain Rules .  (Seattle:  Pear Press, 2008).  p. 239. [8] W.E. Hockley.  “The picture superiority effect in associative recognition.”  Memory & Cognition , 36, 2008.  p. 1351 – 1359. [9]   G. Stenberg.  “Conceptual and perceptual factors in the picture superiority effect.”  European Journal of Cognitive Psychology , 18, 2006.  p. 813 – 847. [10] John Medina.  Brain Rules .  (Seattle:  Pear Press, 2008).  p.  234. [11] Kirsten Butcher.  “Learning form text and diagrams:  Promoting mental model development and inference generation.”  Journal of Educational Psychology , 98, 2006.  p. 182 – 197. [12] Richard Mayer and Roxana Moreno.  A Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning:  Implications for Design Principle.   (University of California, Santa Barbara: unm.edu/~moreno/pdfs/chi.pdf   accessed: January 30 th , 2009). [13] John Medina.  Brain Rules .  (Seattle:  Pear Press, 2008).  p.  234.

How to Study Powerpoints (4 Quick Tips)

Powerpoint presentations. They’re long, they’re (sometimes) complicated and they’re not usually fun.

How to study powerpoints best?

Pre-study them first. Ask active questions about the information on the slides. Make quick (but short) flashcards from the key concepts.

Med school leans on powerpoint presentations a lot!

For students wondering how best to deal with them, this article is for you.

You’ll learn:

• Useful ways to make passive slide reading more active
• How can you save time having to cover the material in multiple passes
• The tips I used to survive heavy powerpoint content

Having spent the last four years in powerpoint hell, I’ve come up with a few ideas!

Let’s get started.

How To Study Powerpoints

1. pre-study powerpoints.

One of the most effective ways to prepare for lectures and increase your chances of staying awake is to pre-study them beforehand.

Doing this helps you contextualize information better. As you’ve already seen the start and end points, you know exactly where the presentation is going.

Here’s how you can best do this:

• Skim over the slides for a quick first pass (don’t worry about understanding at this stage)
• Why is this information relevant to X?
• What is meant by X or Y terms?
• Why is understanding this beneficial?
• Listen actively in the lecture and try to pick out the answers to these questions
• If anything remains unanswered ask for clarifications at the end

Of course you don’t have to only do this in lectures either.

If you choose not to go to lectures (don’t worry, many med students don’t) , you can switch point three (listening) to reading instead.

The main point is that you try and answer the questions during a deeper second pass. 

This is similar to a couple of tips shared by med student redditors in my article; How To Study In Med School: Reddit’s 26 Best Tips .

2. Actively Review Slides: Ask Questions

Reading or listening to powerpoint presentations is very passive. I know when I first started med school I was surprised by just how dull and ineffective this mode of learning could be.

That’s why I’m a big champion of evidence-based study strategies like active recall! 

You can apply active recall to powerpoints by writing questions instead of notes on the slides. Then you can finish up by collecting these questions and putting them into a spreadsheet or something similar. And finally periodically quiz yourself on the answers.

This is probably best done with note-taking apps like Notability or OneNote.

If you use a tablet or iPad in med school , you can import the slides and write these questions directly beneath them. 

Janice Studies has a really good guide on digital note taking in this video…

I did a lot of this in the preclinical years of study!

3. Turn Lecture Slides Directly Into Flashcards

Another great way to get more active when studying powerpoints or slides is to convert them directly into flashcards. 

There are lots of ways to do this but my preferred method is using digital flashcard apps like anki . 

A few things to be aware of:

• Set a target number of flashcards per lecture (don’t turn every bullet point into a flashcard – that’s just overkill – aim for something like 2 cards per slide)
• Check if there are any pre-made decks that cover the major points already (helps if you’ve pre-studied the slides first)
• Use cloze (fill-in-the-gap) formats or the image occlusion add-on to make your cards faster to recall (don’t jam a load of endless facts on them)

This last point is why I love zanki so much. Check out my article: What Is The Best Anki Deck For Step 1 to learn more about that.

This video from Prerak Juthani is very similar to how I’d recommend doing it…

Having your powerpoints converted this way will ensure you memorize them effectively.

Just remember to keep up with the reviews !

4. Summarize In Your Own Words

Summarizing the information on slides into your own words is a powerful technique that can help you understand and recall the information better. 

Here are a few ways of doing this effectively:

• Condense the information : force yourself to select the most high yield information that’s worth memorizing.
• Once put into your own words, try recalling it without help : you could use concept maps on whiteboards to help here. Whenever you get stuck go back to your summary, review and repeat the process.
• Teach someone else the concept : explain it to a friend, colleague or say aloud without a reference guide to prove you’ve really understood it. 

Each of these are strong active recall strategies that can help turn passive powerpoint learning into something great.

Bonus: Forget The Powerpoints

This last tip is something a little extra.

Perhaps it’s best to forget the powerpoints completely.

Why not pick up a high-yield review book instead?

I decided to do this after my first year in med school and I never looked back. Using UFAPS and resources like Boards and Beyond to learn the material during the first pass, I saved a lot of time and effort and my grades weren’t impacted either. 

Note : If you’re not a med student, just Google “best review books for X”. X being your topic of study!

Just remember to skim the lectures before major exams though to make sure you cover the details your school’s internal exams love to test on.

Powerpoints are many professor’s best friend. Instead of getting bogged down with them, work out how to use them to your advantage.

Hopefully the tips above can help show you how.

If you liked this article, you might find the following articles useful:

• How To Study Medicine Effectively (Quick Hints & Tips)

Image Credit: @xteemu at Unsplash

Born and raised in the UK, Will went into medicine late (31) after a career in journalism. He’s into football (soccer), learned Spanish after 5 years in Spain, and has had his work published all over the web. Read more .

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.

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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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Turn presentation slides into a study guide in PowerPoint

january 9, 2024

by Ivana Okaro

Hi there! I'm Ivana Okaro, a student and content creator who’s passionate about sharing study tips that boost productivity and help students shine. Today, I'm excited to walk you through a cool and useful trick: turning a Microsoft PowerPoint deck into a helpful study guide. This technique is perfect for anyone who uses PowerPoint or wants to learn.

Why start with a presentation?

When we think about creating study guides, we might be tempted to create one from scratch. But here's an idea: Why not start with a PowerPoint presentation instead?

More specifically, why not start with your instructor’s lecture slides? (It’s common for professors and teachers to email these out to students after the lecture is over. If yours doesn’t, ask!). These presentations are often packed with essential information, carefully curated by educators or subject matter experts, and organized in a way that’s logical and easy to follow. They also tend to have a clear beginning, middle, and end, providing a cohesive narrative that can really help with understanding and recalling information. They've done the work to structure the learning for you, and that's something you can leverage. Let’s explore how to turn these presentations into a study guide that's tailored just for you.

Step 1: Get started with PowerPoint

Open your presentation: Open PowerPoint and choose the presentation you want to work with.

Switch to Outline view: In the upper tab, navigate to View and select Outline . This mode strips away images and videos, leaving you with just the text from your slides. It’s super handy for focusing on the key points and getting a big picture understanding of the structure.

Step 2: Edit your outline and add helpful points

Add subpoints: Notice a missing detail? Want to add a helpful example from lecture? Easy fix. Click on the slide in the outline and press enter. This creates a new slide. Now, navigate to Home and select Indent More , and add your point. Or, simply hit tab on your keyboard to indent and create a subpoint.

Collapse for a clearer view: If you’re working with a large presentation, you might find yourself wanting an even briefer outline. Right-click on a slide and select Collapse to hide the details, showing only the slide titles. For an even broader overview, select Collapse All . To see the details again, right-click and choose Expand or Expand All .

Step 3: Print or save your study guide

Printing your outline: Once your outline looks just right, you can print it directly. Select Print , and under Layout , choose Outline . This will give you all the key points in a neat, condensed format.

Saving as a PDF: Prefer a digital copy? Save your outline as a PDF so you can easily review the material when you’re on-the-go.

And there you have it: Your very own class slides, transformed into a compact study guide. This PowerPoint hack lets you leverage a familiar tool to create a structured, information-rich, and personalized study companion. And it just might transform how you interact with information and engage with your study material.

Best of luck with your exams!

Related topics

• Slidesgo School
• PowerPoint Tutorials

What is PowerPoint and what it is used for

Who has never used a PowerPoint template as visual support for their presentation? However, do we really know what it is and what it is used for?

Although it may be clear to us, answering this question clearly and concisely is not so easy, so Slidesgo has decided to tell you today what PowerPoint is and what it is used for so that you will never have doubts again and everything will be crystal clear.

PowerPoint is a program that belongs to the Microsoft Office suite along with other famous software such as the Word processor or the Excel spreadsheet. It is very likely that you have heard of or even used all of them, but without being completely clear about what they are and what they are for. Let's answer these questions!

What is PowerPoint: Definition

What is powerpoint used for, what is a slide in powerpoint.

As we have mentioned, PowerPoint is, in short, software for editing presentations. Through slides (don't worry, now we are going to talk about them too) you can present the content you want adapting it to your liking.

The editing procedure is simple: either create a new presentation from scratch or modify a previously created template, such as those available in Slidesgo .

There is no limit to creating a PowerPoint template: you can use and edit images, text, music, add animations, and much more. Being creative with PowerPoint is very easy, as the design options are practically endless. If you have doubts about what you can do in PowerPoint and how at Slidesgo School we have a whole section dedicated to PowerPoint tutorials .

So, what do you need to create a PowerPoint presentation? Well, two things. A subscription to the Microsoft Office suite, which will allow you to use their other products and even combine them with your presentations, and, above all, a desire to let your imagination run wild!

We already know what it is, now let's see what it's for so you can start editing and creating your presentations.

In short, PowerPoint is visual support. The information is usually clearer when the speech is accompanied by a visual tool , whether it is an image, a video, or in this case, everything collected in a presentation. 

The two areas in which PowerPoint excels are business and also education , although it can be very useful in any field or subject. You can use, for example, a PowerPoint as a visual aid in the presentation of a marketing plan to capture the attention of the audience or to teach a lesson on history .

Apart from attracting the attention of the listener, PowerPoint allows you to summarize concepts and highlight the information that you believe has priority in your speech.

All right, we are moving up a level. The next question is an "A" question: what is a PowerPoint slide? If you don't know, don't worry, we will tell you in detail.

Slides are the units that make up your presentation. These are the ones you are going to edit and where you are going to add your content. You can add everything previously mentioned: text, tables, charts, graphs, images, videos, you can animate them for transition, change the background, and much more.

And this is the end of the lesson. We hope you found it useful and that it will be a help when you are editing in PowerPoint. If you want to know more about this tool, you can read this article from Slidesgo School about the advantages of Google Slides and PowerPoint .

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Let’s take the most famous formula: E=mc^2, Einstein’s relativity equation. It wouldn’t be the same if it was E=mc2, right? Okay, yes, some people write it like that because it’s very famous and it won’t be misunderstood. But technically… It can! This is where the sophistication of superscript or subscript enters the room! Do you know how to write them in equations, copyright brands or even footnotes in your presentations? Let’s figure out how.

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Blog > How to structure a good PowerPoint Presentation

How to structure a good PowerPoint Presentation

08.09.21   •  #powerpoint #tips.

When creating presentations, it is particularly important that they are well organized and have a consistent structure.

A logical structure helps the audience to follow you and to remember the core information as best as possible. It is also important for the presenter, as a good presentation structure helps to keep calm, to stay on the topic and to avoid awkward pauses.

But what does such a structure actually look like? Here we show you how to best organize your presentation and what a good structure looks like.

Plan your presentation

Before you start creating your presentation, you should always brainstorm. Think about the topic and write all your ideas down. Then think about the message you want to communicate, what your goal is and what you want your audience to remember at the end.

Think about who your audience is so that you can address them in the best possible way. One possibility is to start your presentation with a few polls to get to know your audience better. Based on the results, you can then adapt your presentation a little. Use the poll function of SlideLizard and have all the answers at a glance. SlideLizard makes it possible to integrate the polls directly into your PowerPoint presentation which helps you to avoid annoying switching between presentation and interaction tool. You can keep an eye on the results while the votes come in and then decide whether you want to share them or not.

• an informative
• an entertaining
• an inspiring
• or a persuasive presentation?

Typical Presentation Structure

The basic structure of a presentation is actually always the same and should consist of:

Introduction

Make sure that the structure of your presentation is not too complicated. The simpler it is, the better the audience can follow.

Personal Introduction

It is best to start your presentation by briefly introducing yourself which helps to build a connection with your audience right away.

Introduce the topic

Then introduce the topic, state the purpose of the presentation and provide a brief outline of the main points you will be addressing.

Mention the length

In the introduction, mention the approximate length of the talk and then also make sure you stick to it.

The introduction should be no longer than two slides and provide a good overview of the topic.

Icebreaker Polls

According to studies, people in the audience only have an average attention span of 10 minutes, which is why it is important to increase their attention right at the beginning and to arouse the audience's interest. You could make a good start with a few icebreaker polls for example. They lighten the mood right at the beginning and you can secure your audience's attention from the start.

For example, you could use SlideLizard to have all the answers at a glance and share them with your audience. In addition, the audience can try out how the polls work and already know how it works if you include more polls in the main part.

Get to know your audience

As mentioned earlier, it is always useful to think about who your audience actually is. Ask them questions at the beginning about how well they already know the topic of your presentation. Use SlideLizard for this so that you have a clear overview about the answers. You can use both single- and multiple-choice questions or also open questions and display their results as a WordCloud in your presentation, for example.

Include a quote

To make the beginning (or the end) of your presentation more exciting, it is always a good idea to include a quote. We have selected some powerful quotes for PowerPoint presentations for you.

Present your topic

The main part of a presentation should explain the topic well, state facts, justify them and give examples. Keep all the promises you made earlier in the introduction.

Length and Structure

The main part should make up about 70% of the presentation and also include a clear structure. Explain your ideas in detail and build them up logically. It should be organized chronologically, by priority or by topic. There should be a smooth transition between the individual issues. However, it is also important to use phrases that make it clear that a new topic is starting. We have listed some useful phrases for presentations here.

Visualize data and statistics and show pictures to underline facts. If you are still looking for good images, we have selected 5 sources of free images for you here.

Focus on the essentials

Focus on what is most important and summarize a bit. You don't have to say everything about a topic because your audience won’t remember everything either. Avoid complicated sentence structure, because if the audience does not understand something, they will not be able to read it again.

Make your presentation interactive

Make your presentation interactive to keep the attention of your audience. Use SlideLizard to include polls in your presentation, where your audience can vote directly from their smartphone and discuss the answers as soon as you received all votes. Here you can also find more tips for increasing audience engagement.

Repeat the main points

The conclusion should contain a summary of the most important key points. Repeat the main points you have made, summarize what the audience should have learned and explain how the new information can help in the future.

Include a Q&A part

Include a Q&A part at the end to make sure you don't leave any questions open. It's a good idea to use tools like SlideLizard for it. Your audience can ask anonymous questions and if there is not enough time, you can give them the answers afterwards. You can read more about the right way to do a question slide in PowerPoint here.

Get Feedback

It is also important to get feedback on your presentation at the end to keep improving. With SlideLizard you can ask your audience for anonymous feedback through star ratings, number ratings or open texts directly after your presentation. You can then export the responses and analyse them later in Excel.

Presentation style

Depending on the type of presentation you give, the structure will always be slightly different. We have selected a few different presentation styles and their structure for you.

Short Presentation

If you are one of many presenters on the day, you will only have a very limited time to present your idea and to convince your audience. It is very important to stand out with your presentation.

So you need to summarize your ideas as briefly as possible and probably should not need more than 3-5 slides.

Problem Solving Presentation

Start your presentation by explaining a problem and giving a short overview of it.

Then go into the problem a little more, providing both intellectual and emotional arguments for the seriousness of the problem. You should spend about the first 25% of your presentation on the problem.

After that, you should spend about 50% of your presentation proposing a solution and explaining it in detail.

In the last 25%, describe what benefits this solution will bring to your audience and ask them to take a simple but relevant action that relates to the problem being discussed.

Tell a Story

A great way to build an emotional connection with the audience is to structure a presentation like a story.

In the introduction, introduce a character who has to deal with a conflict. In the main part, tell how he tries to solve his problem but fails again and again. In the end, he manages to find a solution and wins.

Stories have the power to win customers, align colleagues and motivate employees. They’re the most compelling platform we have for managing imaginations. - Nancy Duarte / HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations

Make a demonstration

Use the demonstration structure to show how a product works. First talk about a need or a problem that has to be solved.

Then explain how the product will help solve the problem and try to convince your audience of the need for your product.

Spend the end clarifying where and when the product can be purchased.

Chronological structure

When you have something historical to tell, it is always good to use a chronological structure. You always have to ask yourself what happens next.

To make it more interesting and exciting, it is a good idea to start by telling the end of something and after that you explain how you got there. This way you make the audience curious and you can gain their attention faster.

Nancy Duarte TED Talk

Nancy Duarte is a speaker and presentation design expert. She gives speeches all over the world, trying to improve the power of public presentations.

In her famous TED Talk "The Secret Structure of Great Talks" she dissects famous speeches such as Steve Jobs' iPhone launch speech and Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech. In doing so, she found out that each presentation is made up of 4 parts:

• What could be
• A moment to remember
• Promise of “New Bliss”

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About the author.

Helena Reitinger

Helena supports the SlideLizard team in marketing and design. She loves to express her creativity in texts and graphics.

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The big SlideLizard presentation glossary

A podcast is an audio or video contribution that can be listened to or viewed via the Internet. Podcasts can be used for information on specific topics but also for entertainment.

Slide Master

To create your own Template in PowerPoint it is best to use the Slide Master. After updating the Slide Master with your design, all slides (fonts, colours, images, …) adapt to those of the Slide Master.

Slide Layouts

PowerPoint has different types of Slide Layouts. Depending on which type of presentation you make, you will use more or less different slide layouts. Some Slide Types are: title slides, section heading slides, picture with caption slides, blank slides.

Eulogy Speech

A eulogy speech is given at a funeral. It is given by familiy members or friends of the deceased. The aim is to say goodbye and pay tribute to the person who has passed away.

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The Effectiveness of MS PowerPoint: Take Your Presentation to the Next Level

It’s safe to say that everyone has had to prepare an MS PowerPoint presentation at least once. Nowadays, proficiency in PowerPoint is considered a fundamental skill. This tool is especially useful when it comes to giving speeches in school or at work.

Whether this is your first experience with MS PowerPoint or you just want to learn more about creating a professional and engaging presentation – this article by IvyPanda.com is for you! Here, we will:

• cover the best way to structure your presentation;
• give best PowerPoint presentation tips for students;
• share 7 excellent free templates.
• 🤔 Why Is Structure Important?
• 💡 How to Structure a Presentation
• 📜 Presentation Text Length
• 🎨 Design Tips
• ✨ 7 Free Templates
• 😃 Bonus Presentation Tips

🔗 References

🤔 your presentation’s structure: why is it important.

When you start working with MS PowerPoint, the structure is the most crucial thing to consider . Information that is presented logically is easier for the viewer to understand. Besides, if you accompany your presentation with a speech, a good structure will help you feel confident, stay on topic, and avoid awkward silence.

💡 How to Structure Your Presentation

A good presentation always has a message to deliver or a story to tell. It is usually divided into 3 parts: introduction, body, and conclusion . Let’s look at each of these parts in more detail.

Introduction

The introduction is singularly the most important part of your presentation. It sets the tone for the entire performance and captures the audience’s attention. Although the introduction takes only about 10-15 % of your speaking time, it should still be informative and include the following parts:

Title & Cover Page

The cover page is your first slide. Its main goal is to present all the necessary information about the topic and the presenter. A good cover page can also pique the audience’s interest in your subject and grab their attention. For that reason, investing time in creating a visually pleasing and informative title page is never a bad idea.

Want to know the best way to create your first slide? Check out these simple steps:

• Come up with a suitable title. Try to keep your title short but straightforward and descriptive. If you struggle to summarize the main idea in a title, you can use a subtitle to give further detail.
• Add some information about the speaker. Identify the group or person who’s going to present. Sometimes you may also need to include your student ID, department, or company’s name and logo.
• Pay attention to your cover page’s tone and aesthetics. A well-designed first slide conveys a sense of professionalism and shows how well you are prepared. To create a visually pleasing cover page, you don’t need to be a professional designer: you can simply use an MS PowerPoint template.

Table of Contents

Although a table of contents is optional, it’s a must if you want your presentation to look professional. It shows the audience what the presentation will consist of. In addition, a well-made table of contents makes the structure clearer.

Tracking the progress of the presentation is even easier if you add hyperlinks to your slides . It will allow you to refer back to the required slide faster when questions arise.

When you create a presentation, there’s always an objective : a point you want to prove or an idea you want to convey. Make sure you state your goals in the first couple of slides. It will let your audience know what to expect from your presentation and what they will learn from it.

Definitions

Sometimes you need to explain certain words that are unknown to your audience. Creating a slide with the definitions of new terms makes it easier for the listeners to follow your ideas. Make your explanations as simple as possible.

The main body is the most informative part of your presentation . It covers all the necessary aspects of your work and determines if your ideas will persuade the audience. 

One of the things you want to do while delivering your presentation is to ensure the body is well-organized. A good strategy is to structure the points according to one specific criterion. Here are some suggestions:

And here are some additional tips to help you create a well-structured main body for your presentation:

• Limit yourself to 3-5 points. If you mention more than five ideas, your audience may get lost, and it will be harder for them to follow your presentation. 
• Include smooth and clear transitions between your points. Transitions are another factor that contributes to your presentation’s success. You can use them for an enumeration or count your ideas as steps:
• Make sure your facts are accurate and understandable. It’s essential to have enough detail that you cover the topic comprehensively. And, of course, all your information needs to be credible.

A summary’s main objective is to outline your presentation’s main points. In this part, you can also suggest sources that can give your audience more information on the topic. Just make sure not to include anything that hasn’t been mentioned before.

The conclusion is a section that ties all the parts of your presentation together . Similar to the introduction, it should be short, straight, and to the point. Here are the best strategies that will help you create a great conclusion:

📜 Presentation Text Length: Importance & Strategies

Now that we’ve discussed the structure of your presentation, let’s look at the visual component. It’s vital to present information in a way that’s easy for the audience to digest. If this sounds like a daunting task, don’t worry: our tips will help you ace it.

The first rule is to avoid adding too much text to your slides . There are several reasons why you shouldn’t do that:

• It’s hard for the audience to read and listen simultaneously. If there’s too much text, they will stop listening to what you are saying and focus on reading instead.
• The audience starts taking notes. When people come to a watch presentation, they want to learn new things. There are chances that your audience will begin writing down everything that is on the screen because they will assume that the information is essential. It will make them even more distracted.
• As a result, the audience can’t catch up. When the listeners start to make notes, they may fail to notice when you switch to the next slide. It becomes more challenging for them to concentrate on the message and hear everything you say.

Naturally, you want to avoid this kind of situation. We’re going to share some of the best strategies to help you with that: keep reading!

Use Less Text

Using less text is the best strategy for preventing your audience’s confusion. So, how do you do that? Well, there are several ways:

• Limit each slide to one idea. This will help you use fewer words and organize your presentation better.
• Use bullet points to cover the components of each idea.
• Keep each bullet point to 1-2 lines.
• Limit the number of bullet points per slide to 4-6.
• Use simple words to describe your ideas.
• Limit the number of words you put on a slide. We recommend you not to use more than 30 words per slide.

Include Images

One of the best ways to get rid of extra text is to use images. Of course, you can’t include pictures on every slide, but there are times when illustrations are just what you need to save the day. If you decide to have images in your presentation, ask yourself:

If you answered “yes” to these questions, then go ahead and use an image to convey your idea. But be careful not to overuse illustrations: they may distract the audience.

🎨 How to Boost Your PowerPoint Design: 12 Best Tips

Now it’s time to talk design. The look of your presentation is another crucial factor that determines how well the audience gets your message. In this section, we’ve collected the most helpful presentation tips for students that will help you create a visually engaging presentation.

Font Tips for Your Presentation

The font is an element that adds character to your slides. Choosing the right font ensures that your presentation looks pleasing and professional. Here we have a couple of suggestions on how to decide on a suitable font:

• Choose font style depending on the purpose of your presentation.  There are 4 popular font styles: serif, sans-serif, script, and decorative. Each of them has unique characteristics that are worth considering.

Serif fonts have a more classic feel. They might be the best option if you are going for something simple. Sans-serif fonts are perfect if you are going for a more modern and round-looking design. As for script and decorative fonts, they are unique and stylized. You may want to use them for special purpose presentations.

• Use easily readable fort styles. Popular examples include Arial, Tahoma, Veranda, Garamond, and Times New Roman.
• Standardize the font. Make sure it’s the same throughout the slides.
• Mind the font size. Use size 40 points for the headings and 32 points for the subheadings. Don’t use a font size smaller than 24 for the content text.

Color and Contrast Tips

The choice of color may seem inessential, but it’s definitely worth considering when working on your presentation. To choose the perfect color scheme for your slides, keep several things in mind:

• Use harmonious colors. If you want to make your presentation visually pleasing, you can pick complementary, triadic, or tetradic colors with the help of the color wheel.
• Use a high-contrast color scheme. Sometimes there’s not enough contrast between the shades chosen for the text and the background. To be on the safe side, choose lighter colors for the text if you have a darker background and vice-versa. 
• Keep it simple. Even though using a variety of shades may be tempting, it’s still best to keep things simple and choose only primary colors. 

Animation Tips for Your Presentation

Now let’s turn our attention to animation. Animated elements can make your presentation more engaging or serve as a distraction. So, be wise when incorporating animation into your work. Here are some suggestions:

• Use subtle animation. For instance, you can make the points appear on the screen one after the other. It will give the audience more time to read and digest the information. 
• Make objects disappear. Effects such as removing separate elements from the slide can make your presentation more exciting.
• Don’t shy away from simple animation. Sometimes even the most common effects like zoom or fade can help emphasize a certain point. Besides, they are less distracting compared to more showy effects.
• Avoid using too much animation. An overabundance of visual effects will make your presentation too hard on the eyes and distract the audience.
• Don’t go overboard. Stick to a couple of animation effects throughout the whole presentation. 

✨ 7 Best Free Templates

If you are new to PowerPoint or don’t have much time to work on a layout, you can always use free templates. We’ve compiled our favorites in the list below. These templates will help you organize your content and ideas in a way that suits you best:

• Group project presentation (Berlin themes, widescreen) This group project template is designed with teamwork in mind. It’s perfect for you if you’re planning to delegate the parts of your presentation for different team members to complete. With this template, each member gets a set of slides with a coordinating sample chart, a table in a 16:9 format, and SmartArt.
• Rainbow presentation This template is perfect for creating an outdoor-oriented presentation. It is already formatted, so all you need to do is start editing.
• General Purpose Thin Style PowerPoint Template This template will help you create a presentable company profile. It includes editable text areas, infographic icons, and high-resolution replaceable images. 
• E-Learning Presentation Deck This presentation template focuses on internet education. It contains 20 slides for online education. It will help you introduce courses, teaching plans, and methods. 
• Social Media Map Users Free PowerPoint Template and Keynote This template shows a world map and social media results. It can be used in your report to visually present information regarding your research question or the data you’re using. 
• Product Design Template This template is created specifically for startups who wish to present their project and company profile. It includes 20 blue-themed slides and features such as SWOT analysis diagrams, pie diagrams, sales analysis charts, etc. 
• Member Profile Slides These are team introduction templates that include placeholders for text, data reports, and photos. This template is perfect for introducing one person. 

😃 Bonus Tips for an Effective Presentation

Finally, we want to share with you some additional tips for creating an excellent presentation in PowerPoint for students:

Thanks for reading our article! We hope our tips and strategies will help you create fantastic presentations. Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas in the comment section below.

• Parts of a Presentation: Oregon State University
• How to End Your PowerPoint Presentation with a Strong Close: Envato
• PowerPoint Presentation Guidelines: McGill University
• Part 2: Design Principles: Purdue Writing Lab
• Teaching with PowerPoint: Northern Illinois University
• Writing a PowerPoint Presentation: George Mason University
• PowerPoint Presentations: MIT Alumni Association
• Design Tips for PowerPoint: UNSW
• General Guidelines for PowerPoint Presentations: Virginia Tech
• Tips for Creative Effective PowerPoint Presentations: University of Nebraska–Lincoln
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How to structure a PowerPoint presentation: A detailed guide

 · Create Courses

How do you structure a PowerPoint presentation?

Introduction , the body , the conclusion , powerpoint presentation examples , graphy, the all-in-one course creation platform.

In this blog, you’ll understand the step-by-step guide on how you can structure a PowerPoint presentation effectively.

You might be a great presenter but suck at creating a structured presentation. The idea of outlining, selecting the right templates, and adding transitions is way out of your league. 

However, creating a structured presentation is as important as the narration.  

When information is presented logically, the retention rate automatically goes up. It becomes easier for a viewer to understand the meaning behind the words and create a flow of information. 

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A report published by Standard Business says that people retain 40% more information when presented structurally. 

So, here we are to help you understand how you should structure your PowerPoint presentation to make it likable and easy to digest. 

Table of Contents

You can follow this standard structure while creating your PowerPoint presentations. A good presentation is always one that has a good storyline and narration. Let’s dive into detail on how to create a solid PowerPoint structure.

An introduction is the most crucial part of a presentation. It sets the tone for your audience and makes them comfortable. Before you start with your presentation, make sure to

• Introduce yourself
• Explain the purpose of this presentation
• And, what outcomes can your audience expect at the end of it? 

This doesn’t have to be super-detailed, but it should build a connection with the person. You can include storytelling to gather attention and further move on to introducing the topic. 

Here are some slides that you must include in your introduction:

• The title: Introduce the topic of the presentation and add a brief description 
• Challenges/ objectives: Explain the goals or challenges you will target in the presentation. For example, I’ll “compare,” “evaluate,” and “analyze” this topic. 
• Outcome: Your audience must know the results they can expect at the end of the presentation. For instance, at the end of this presentation, I hope to provide you with a….
• Table of Content: You can include a table of contents for your audience to know the topic of discussion in the presentation. 

In the introduction, you can also tell the length of the talk or whether you want audience participation. Clarifying such small things can make presentations smoother and less awkward. 

This is the part where you take your introduction forward and briefly discuss the key topics. You must organize these points to transition smoothly from one topic to another. The body of your presentation needs to be spot-on for your audience to understand the information given. 

Here are some tips to consider when creating the body of your presentation:

• The length and structure of your slides are crucial to the body of your presentation. You can use the 5-5-5 and 10-20-30 rules to structure a PowerPoint presentation. 

What is the 555 rule in PowerPoint?

The 555 rule says, to use at least

• 5 words on a single line.
• 5 lines of text on every slide
• 5 slides that use the mentioned rules in a row

The purpose of this 555 rule is to create a flow in presenting your information. This rule helps if you have to make a big presentation that requires heavy content and various slides. It will help you structure a presentation well and not overwhelm your audience with the information. 

What is the 10 20 30 rule in PowerPoint?

The 10 / 20 / 30 rule in PowerPoint is fairly simple. It says that no PowerPoint presentation should have over 10 slides, be longer than 20 minutes, and have fonts smaller than 30 points. 

Each of the rules helps the presenter form a balance between design and explanation. This helps to structure a PowerPoint presentation and create easy-to-digest slides. 

• Use images more than words. The human brain processes visual stimuli 60 times faster than text. So, instead of writing lengthy paraphs, add photos or videos. If you think a concept is explainable through a photo, use it. 
• Your presentation should be short and crisp. You don’t have to write everything about the topic in your slides. Include a few short-crisp sentences and use narration to explain the topic in depth. 
• Try to organize your topics well. List points in order of numbers or alphabets put them in a time frame, or use transition words like next, then, and another for easy understanding. No matter how well you explain concepts, if your presentation lacks the translation to move from one topic to another, then it might not work. 

In your conclusion, you can summarise the main points you have made and do a recap of what your audience has learned. Lastly, mention how this new information meets your objective for the presentation. 

In conclusion, you must state your sources of information, like books, articles, or interviews with people. 

Include a Q&A part to ask questions. This way, there isn’t any open-ended conversation, and your audience is clear about the points you made. If you cannot answer any question because of a lack of time, note it down to provide the solution through mail or phone. 

End your presentation by thanking your audience for their precious time and asking for their feedback.

See how simple it is to structure a PowerPoint presentation. Now, look at a few examples of PowerPoint structures for your reference. 

Powerpoint presentations are mostly referred to as bland and boring, but that’s not the case. If you structure it well, your presentations will become more like a learning opportunity than an endurance test. Here are some PowerPoint presentation examples you can refer to:

• Teacher education 

Look at this slide deck , created for teachers on how to use Google Slides. It’s not overloading with information nor holding it back; it’s simply perfect. Most of the slides are image-oriented with practical examples to help the audience understand the basics of creating presentations in Google Slides. 

• Zuroa sales deck 

To see how storytelling works in presentation, refer to Zuroa’s sales desk . These slides are a perfect example of how you can make your audience relate to your issues. Including metrics and messages from well-known CEOs makes the slides authoritative. 

• Trackmaven research deck 

Creating a data-heavy presentation is quite tricky. Your audience can quickly accelerate from engaging to boring. Trackmaven excellently presents its report on the best time to post on social media. The presentation has more graphs than numbers or text. If you are looking for a reference for creating such data extensive topic, then, indeed, check this out. 

• Officevibe collaboration examples 

This slide deck increases awareness of the problem faced because of a disengaged team. The presentation has bright colors and unique designs that draw attention. Plus, it’s filled with relevant data to ensure the authority and seriousness of the issue. 

They are excellent examples of how you can structure a PowerPoint presentation. If you notice, none of them are text-heavy. Instead, they have used visuals or videos to convey most of their information. Thus, the information presented is easy to digest and keeps the audience hooked until the end. 

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What are the Main Features of Microsoft PowerPoint?

By: Author Shrot Katewa

There are a lot of presentation programs out there. With all the options available, it can become rather tough to choose which is best for you. That is why the features of any software are so important. It can determine whether or not you use the software. With that being said, what are the features of Microsoft PowerPoint?

The most popular features of Microsoft PowerPoint are as follows: Animations, designs, being able to add images and videos, and also editing those images and videos. With PowerPoint, you can use all the features available to make presentations that really stand out and could help you boost your career or sign a client.

In this article, we are going to not only mention the main features of PowerPoint, but we are also going to share with you some of the most useful features of PowerPoint. Plus, we are going to talk a little bit about each of them.

So, if you have ever wondered what features PowerPoint has or what certain features are meant for and what they do, you have come to the right place. For everything that you need to know, keep reading.

A Quick Note Before We Begin – if you want to make jaw-dropping presentations, I would recommend using one of these Presentation Designs . The best part is – it is only $16.5 a month, but you get to download and use as many presentation designs as you like! I personally use it from time-to-time, and it makes my task of making beautiful presentations really quick and easy!

1. PowerPoint Design Ideas

First on this list and one of my favorite features of PowerPoint is the “ Design Ideas “. It can be found in the “ Design ” tab in PowerPoint. Once you are there you will see two separate sections. One section will be a theme and the other will be a different variant of that theme. These themes are for each slide.

PowerPoint’s Design Ideas automatically and instantly provides you will several design options for a particular slide based on the content that is present on the slide.

Design Ideas can help you save a good amount of time and make your slides look good. It is a great feature for those who perhaps want to improve the design of the slides but are not really great at creating designs.

It doesn’t always give the perfect design option, and sometimes you do need to play around with it a little bit to get a good design. But, most of the time, it doesn’t get the job done.

Design Ideas is a great feature that is unique to Microsoft PowerPoint and something that most other presentation programs do not have. But, other unique features presented in this article give a great advantage when using PowerPoint !

2. Animations

Microsoft PowerPoint animations allow you to emphasize certain points of your current slide. There are primarily 3 categories of animations in PowerPoint. You can select any object in your slide and animate it with these animations:

• Entrance Animation
• Emphasis Animation
• Exit Animations

Each animation category provides you with a huge list of additional options to choose from.

As the name suggests, entrance animation is a type of animation that will make a shape, text or any other element appear on a slide. Likewise, an exit animation can be applied when you want a certain element to disappear from the slide.

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!

Emphasis animation can be used when you want to highlight or bring the attention of the audience members to a particular element on the slide.

Once you choose and apply the animations, you also get other options. You can select how long you want animations to last, when you want them to start, and when you want them to end. Microsoft was not shy when they gave us the number of features that they did regarding animations.

3. Slide Transitions

I have seen a lot of people confuse slide transitions with animations and vice versa. It is important to remember that they are completely different things.

Also Read – Difference Between Animations and Slide Transitions in PowerPoint!

While animation gives you the ability to animate elements within your slide, transitions give you the ability to change how slides change from one to another. This can have a significant impact on a slide’s first impressions.

Some of the most notable transitions are:

Other options include the ability to set the speed of your transition, change the dynamic of the transition, and much more. Again, Microsoft has added a lot of customizability over the last few years when it comes to transitions.

When using transitions, you can alter the entire feel of a presentation without changing its theme. I recommend taking your time and making sure that each transition doesn’t feel forced but feels natural to the presentation.

Sometimes an image can say a thousand words. With that in mind, it is easy to understand why adding images to your presentation can help you say more than you could while using words. Well, at least this is true in some cases.

If your presentation feels slightly boring, don’t be afraid to throw in an image every now and then. To be honest, most presentations require images anyway. Not only are they necessary, in some cases, they can also spice up your presentation.

When it comes to adding images, there are two main ways of doing this. You could either add an image via your PC or you can embed an image from somewhere else on the internet. Whatever best suits you, PowerPoint has you covered.

5. Merge Shapes

Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to merge shapes. This is because they understand that they might not always have the exact shape that you are looking for.

So, hopefully, merging shapes can help give you a uniform shape. I say “uniform” because if you cannot find a shape that you want to use, you could draw one. The problem is, this might not be the best option because freehand drawing can be difficult.

If merging shapes is still not giving you what you want, there is another option that you can use. These are known as “smart-art”. It can help you transform your presentation into something phenomenal.

Another great way of spicing up a presentation is to add videos to certain slides. As we discussed with images, a video can say a lot without having to use words. In fact, there are so many applications for using videos in your presentation. I guess the only limit would be your imagination.

Videos can be easily added from the storage on your PC. This might make the size of your presentation quite large. So, you might want to double-check the size of the video before inserting it into your presentation.

Again, this is one of my favorite features of PowerPoint. You can easily add videos to your presentation from Youtube. We are trying to keep each section brief so I can’t go into too much detail about the importance of being able to add videos from YouTube. However, there are a lot of reasons.

So, if you don’t have the video on your PC and you cannot find it on YouTube but you know where it is on another website, all you need to do is get the embed code for that video. This can often be done just by right-clicking on the video, copying the embed code, and then you can embed it into your presentation.

With the ability to add icons to your presentations, it just gives you some freedom to add a personal touch to the presentation. It is important to note that some versions do not come with the icons feature. However, if you have Office 365 you should always have the icons option.

If you do not have the option to use icons, you could technically use shapes and with some clever aligning skills, they could be turned into icons or at least used as such. You could also use icons found on the web. They would need to be saved to your PC as an image and then again, with some clever aligning skills, nobody would know the difference.

8. PowerPoint Notes for Presentation

When you are giving a presentation it is often difficult to constantly remember what you have to say. This is true even though you have the slide right in front of you. That is where the notes feature comes in. They can help you remember what to say for each slide which is a great way to stay on topic.

Your presentation can be set up in a way that the notes do not appear on the presentation but they still appear on your PC or Mac. Remember, most of the time the people who are viewing the presentation cannot see this. Otherwise, you can also hide your notes

The notes feature is not just there for you to remember what to say and a lot of people tend to overlook this. If you are working in a team, then using notes can help other employees or other people who are working on the presentation understand what’s happening on each slide.

9. Morph Transition

We have already talked about transitions earlier in the article. However, “Morph Transition” is by far one of the best ways to you make your slides give a great first impression. In fact, this creates a lasting impression as well!

By using Morph Transition, you can make actually make elements move between slides – a feature that gives a video-like feel to your PowerPoint slides!

It is important to remember that the slides where Morph Transition is used, need to have at least one element that has something in common between both the slides.

I shall soon be making a video to help you understand how the Morph Transition works in PowerPoint and how you can leverage this feature to take your PowerPoint presentations up a notch! (I will update it here once the video is created).

This is one of the most used features of PowerPoint. It is also one of the best features in terms of what you can do with it. Using charts in your presentations can help you illustrate data in an easy-to-understand way for your audience.

You can also link charts to external data sources. Most notably, you can link to excel sheets. The chart’s functionality in PowerPoint is so versatile you can even get your chart to be updated automatically in PowerPoint when the data gets edited in excel.

It is actually a rather simple process. All you have to do is link a chart to an external data set. This can be done from within PowerPoint so it is pretty much hassle-free.

11. Removing Background from Images

When you upload an image to your presentation, what if that image needs to be edited? What is the first thing that you would normally think you would do? You would probably go to an image editing program such as Photoshop, right?

With Microsoft PowerPoint, there is no need for that in most cases. Well, at least if you want to remove a background from your image , you could just use PowerPoint.

All you have to do is click on the drawing format ribbon and select “remove background”. It then works almost the exact same way as all other photo editing software. You will draw around the piece you want to keep or the piece you want to get rid of.

12. Video Editing (Basic)

Again, what if you upload a video to your PowerPoint presentation but you don’t want to show the whole video. maybe you just want to show some parts or cut some pieces out. What is the first thing you would do? Open up a video editing software right? Well, with PowerPoint you might not have to.

While PowerPoint is not the next Adobe premier, it does allow you to trim the video, cut portions of a video out, and finally add sound. It is a basic video editor.

Being able to use PowerPoint as a quick video editor adds to the convenience of PowerPoint. It also adds to your overall productivity because you don’t have to open and close program after program to get everything done.

13. Export PowerPoint as Video

Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to export entire presentations as videos. I know that you might be thinking why would this even be useful. Well, I alone can think of so many reasons why you would want to use this feature.

Not all presentations are designed to be given by a speaker. Actually, the main reason for a PowerPoint presentation is to get a point across to somebody. This could be your employer, colleague, client, or even the classroom.

If you don’t want to send somebody a presentation that they could edit or see the notes for and you just want them to watch it, this feature is for you. Why not export it as a video and give whoever you send the video to the ability to watch it at their own time, pause it at their own time, and take notes.

14. Add Audio Narration to your PowerPoint Presentation

This feature kind of feeds off of the previous one. You are not always going to be there to give a presentation as a speaker but you still want to iterate a lot of the points made in your slides. So, why not add audio narration to your presentation?

Doing this will allow you to send the presentation as a video to somebody and have the narration over it. So, technically, you would still be the speaker if it is you narrating the presentation.

This feature is Great for teachers who just want to give the classroom information in the most efficient way possible. In fact, with online learning becoming more relevant than ever in 2020, this feature has picked up in popularity.

This feature is also great for presentations that are designed to be given as instructional videos.

15. Adding Comments to Slides

The feature to add comments in PowerPoint is more about the person who reviews a presentation rather than the person who creates it. Some people get comments mixed up with notes but they are two different features that have two different applications.

If you need to review somebody else’s presentation, you can add comments to certain sections or slides of the presentation. This is so that they can understand your criticisms.

Also, if you are the person creating it and you want to add a comment, this can help the person who is reviewing the presentation to fully understand why you did what you did in certain slides.

Final Thoughts

The features mentioned in this article show why PowerPoint is still the leading presentation software. There is so much that you can do and honestly, it all makes every presentation different from the other.

If you take time to learn what each feature does, you could use them to make presentations that have a higher chance of captivating your audience, your classroom or even getting you one step closer to signing a contract with the new clients.

We have covered a lot of the features mentioned in this article. So, I highly recommend taking a little bit of time out of your day to read those articles.

Image Credit for Featured Image

• Government Exam Articles

An Introduction To MS PowerPoint

MS PowerPoint is a program that is included in the Microsoft Office suite. It is used to make presentations for personal and professional purposes.

In this article, we shall discuss in detail the functions and features of a PowerPoint presentation, followed by some sample questions based on this topic for the upcoming competitive exams. 

To learn more about the different programs under Microsoft Office , visit the linked article. 

Given below are a few important things that one must know about the development and introduction of Microsoft PowerPoint:

• The program was created in a software company named Forethought, Inc. by Robert Gaskins and Dennis Austin. 
• It was released on April 20, 1987, and after 3 months of its creation, it was acquired by Microsoft.
• The first version of this program, when introduced by Microsoft was MS PowerPoint 2.0 (1990).
• It is a presentation-based program that uses graphics, videos, etc. to make a presentation more interactive and interesting.
• The file extension of a saved Powerpoint presentation is “.ppt”.
• A PowerPoint presentation comprising slides and other features is also known as PPT.

Gradually, with each version, the program was more creative and more interactive. Various other features were added in PowerPoint which massively increased the requirement and use of this MS Office program.

From the examination point of view, MS PowerPoint happens to be a very important topic. Candidates who are preparing for the various Government exams can visit the Computer Knowledge page and get a list of topics included in the syllabus and prepare themselves accordingly. 

Basics of MS PowerPoint

Discussed below are a few questions that one must be aware of while discussing the basics of MS PowerPoint. Once this is understood, using the program and analysing how to use it more creatively shall become easier.

Question: What is MS PowerPoint?

Answer: PowerPoint (PPT) is a powerful, easy-to-use presentation graphics software  program that allows you to create professional-looking electronic slide  shows. 

The image given below shows the main page of MS PowerPoint, where a person lands when the program is opened on a computer system:

Question: How to open MS PowerPoint on a personal computer?

Answer: Follow the steps below to open MS PowerPoint on a personal computer:

• Click on the start button
• Then choose “All Programs”
• Next step is to select “MS Office”
• Under MS Office, click on the “MS PowerPoint” 

A blank presentation is open on the screen. According to the requirement, a person can modify the template for a presentation and start using the program.

Question: What is a PowerPoint presentation or PPT?

Answer: A combination of various slides depicting a graphical and visual interpretation of data, to present information in a more creative and interactive manner is called a PowerPoint presentation or PPT.

Question: What is a slide show in a PowerPoint presentation?

Answer: When all the slides of a PowerPoint presentation are set in series and then presented to a group of people, where each slide appears one after the other, is a set pattern, this is known as a PowerPoint slide show. 

Question: What all elements can be added to a slide?

Answer: The following elements can be added to a Powerpoint slide:

• Photographs
• Media Clips

All these elements are mainly used to enhance presentation skills and make the slide more interactive.

To learn more about the Fundamentals of Computer , visit the linked article. 

For a better understanding of the Microsoft PowerPoint and its operations, functions and usage, refer to the video given below:

Features of MS PowerPoint

There are multiple features that are available in MS PowerPoint which can customise and optimise a presentation. The same have been discussed below.

• Slide Layout

Multiple options and layouts are available based on which a presentation can be created. This option is available under the “Home” section and one can select from the multiple layout options provided.

The image below shows the different slide layout options which are available for use:

• Insert – Clipart, Video, Audio, etc.

Under the “Insert” category, multiple options are available where one can choose what feature they want to insert in their presentation. This may include images, audio, video, header, footer, symbols, shapes, etc. 

The image below shows the features which can be inserted:

• Slide Design

MS PowerPoint has various themes using which background colour and designs or textures can be added to a slide. This makes the presentation more colourful and attracts the attention of the people looking at it.

This feature can be added using the “Design” category mentioned on the homepage of MS PowerPoint. Although there are existing design templates available, in case someone wants to add some new texture or colour, the option to customise the design is also available. Apart from this, slide designs can also be downloaded online.

Refer to the below for slide design:

During the slide show, the slides appear on the screen one after the other. In case, one wants to add some animations to the way in which a slide presents itself, they can refer to the “Animations” category. 

The different animation styles available on PowerPoint are:

Apart from all these options; font size, font style, font colour, word art, date and time, etc. can also be added to a PPT.

Also, there are various other subjects that are included in the exam syllabus for various competitive exams. Candidates can check the detailed section-wise syllabus in the links given below:

Uses of PowerPoint Presentation

PowerPoint presentations are useful for both personal and professional usage. Given below are a few of the major fields where PPT is extremely useful:

• Education – With e-learning and smart classes being chosen as a common mode of education today, PowerPoint presentations can help in making education more interactive and attract students towards the modified version of studying
• Marketing – In the field of marketing, PowerPoint presentations can be extremely important. Using graphs and charts, numbers can be shown more evidently and clearly which may be ignored by the viewer if being read
• Business – To invite investors or to show the increase or decrease in profits, MS PowerPoint can be used
• Creating Resumes – Digital resumes can be formed using MS PowerPoint. Different patterns, photograph, etc. can be added to the resume
• Depicting Growth – Since both graphics and text can be added in a presentation, depicting the growth of a company, business, student’s marks, etc. is easier using PPT

Government exam aspirants can upgrade their preparation with the help of the links given below:

Sample MS PowerPoint Questions and Answers

As discussed earlier in this article, Computer Awareness is included in the syllabus for many competitive exams. Thus, to understand the program from the examination point of view is also a must. 

Given below are a few sample questions based on MS PowerPoint.

Q 1. How many maximum slides can be added to a PowerPoint presentation?

• No fixed number

Answer: (3) No fixed number

Q 2. Slide Sorter view can be selected under which of the following categories?

Answer: (4) View

Q 3. The combination of which keyboard keys can be used as a shortcut to add a new slide in MS PowerPoint?

Answer: (3) ctrl+M

Q 4. Header and Footer option is available under which of the following categories?

Answer: (1) Insert

Q 5. Which of the following is not included in the “Insert” category in MS PowerPoint?

Answer: (4) Animation

Similar types of MS PowerPoint Questions may be asked based on the features or usage of the program. Thus, one must carefully go through the elements and aspects of PPT. 

For any further assistance related to the upcoming Government exams, candidates can check the Preparation Strategy for Competitive Exams page. 

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