If you\u2019re here because you\u2019re wondering how to make a good PowerPoint, you\u2019re in the right place. Let\u2019s just hope it\u2019s not the night before the big day.<\/p>\n\n
But it\u2019s okay\u2026 I\u2019ve been there too. As a writer with extremely average design skills, creating great presentations can sometimes feel like an insurmountable task. The storytelling is a key component, which we\u2019ll get into later, but your design approach and delivery tactics are just as important, too.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n In this article, we\u2019ll go over all of these aspects of a great PowerPoint \u2014 from the design and creation process to how to deliver a presentation like a pro. I\u2019ll also share some helpful resources to get you started.<\/p>\n Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation<\/a> <\/a> <\/p>\n Microsoft PowerPoint<\/a> is like a test of basic professional skills, and each PowerPoint is basically a presentation made of multiple slides.<\/p>\n Successful PowerPoints<\/a> depend on three main factors: your command of PowerPoint\u2019s design tools, your attention to presentation processes, and being consistent with your style.<\/p>\n Keep those in mind as we jump into PowerPoint\u2019s capabilities.<\/p>\n A page with templates will usually open automatically, but if not, I go to the top left pane of my screen and click New<\/strong>. If I\u2019ve already created a presentation, I select Open <\/strong>and then double-click the icon to open the existing file.<\/p>\n\n Source<\/a><\/p>\n Microsoft offers built-in themes and color variations to help you design your slides with a cohesive look. To choose from these pre-built themes, I choose the File<\/strong> tab again, select New<\/strong>, choose one of the options, and click Create<\/strong>.<\/p>\n P.S. We have some great PowerPoint templates that you can try out \u2014 you can browse them here<\/a>.<\/p>\n There is also an option to select a blank presentation if you prefer to start from scratch. I like this option because I can use PowerPoint elements, my design sense, and my brand\u2019s color palette<\/a> to make my own theme.<\/p>\n I insert a new slide by clicking on the Home <\/strong>tab and then the New Slide<\/strong> button. When choosing the slide layout, consider what content you want to put on the slide, including heading, text, and imagery.<\/p>\n\n Source<\/a><\/p>\n You don\u2019t want to present the same exact slide each time, just with different content on it. This would bore your audience, so make sure that you create multiple variations.<\/p>\n I suggest you consider what kind of multimedia you\u2019ll be using and choose or create different layouts accordingly. At minimum, I usually use:<\/p>\n A title slide There\u2019s no need to create these designs over and over. Once I have a few to draw from, I simply duplicate them before inputting my content:<\/p>\n On the left pane, I right-click the thumbnail of the slide I want to duplicate. This will automatically add a copy of this slide to the presentation. From there, I can customize it for my needs.<\/p>\n Source<\/a><\/p>\n I add images by clicking Insert <\/strong>and clicking the Pictures <\/strong>icon. I can add other elements by using features in the Home <\/strong>and Insert <\/strong>tabs on the top ribbon. I like exploring my layout by dragging elements around.<\/p>\n I click File<\/strong> and Save<\/strong>, making sure to specify where I want my PowerPoint to be stored. If you\u2019re using your slides for education or teaching, it could be beneficial to convert your presentation to an online course<\/a>.<\/p>\n I always do a trial run to ensure that my slides are set up properly and my animations fire the way I expect them to.<\/p>\n To present my PowerPoint, I go to the Slide Show<\/strong> tab and click Play from Start.<\/strong> The slide covers my whole screen so that my audience (or, in this case, me) is solely focused on the visual elements of my presentation.<\/p>\n Whenever you\u2019re in presentation mode and ready to move on, click your mouse to advance to the next slide.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Microsoft wanted to provide PowerPoint users with a lot of tools, but this does not mean you should use them all. Trust me, you don\u2019t<\/em> want it looking like your tweenage Geocities site and playing unwanted midi-files.<\/p>\n\n To keep it professional, here are some key things I suggest you look out for:<\/p>\n Make sure that any preset themes complement your needs before you adopt them. I think the easiest way to know you\u2019re getting it right is to download some templates. We offer 30 free templates<\/a> that you\u2019re welcome to try out. Even if you don\u2019t end up using them, you\u2019ll get a sense of best design practices.<\/p>\n Default slide sizes work for most presentations, but you may need to adjust them for larger presentations and\/or weirdly-sized displays. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n In the top-left corner, choose File<\/strong>. Pro tip:<\/strong>\u00a0You can avoid a headache if you resize your slides before <\/strong>you add any objects to them. Otherwise, the dimensions of your objects will become skewed.<\/p>\n\n I find it\u2019s much easier to edit your underlying PowerPoint template before you start \u2014 this way, you don\u2019t have to design each slide by hand. Here\u2019s how I do it:<\/p>\n Select View<\/strong> in the top navigation. Remember that whatever else your PowerPoint presentation does, it needs to support the fantastic content you\u2019re sharing with stakeholders.<\/p>\n A significant part of a PowerPoint\u2019s content is text, and great copy can make or break your presentation.<\/p>\n I suggest you evaluate your written work from a few different angles so you know your entire audience can see and understand it.<\/p>\n Keep the amount of text under 6-8 lines (or 30 words max). Use a minimum font size 24 pt. How your text is received differentiates good presenters from the best.<\/p>\n Choosing the right font is important \u2014 the perception of your font type could influence your audience\u2019s impression of you. I believe the right typeface is an opportunity to convey consistent brand personality and professionalism.<\/p>\n Some fonts are seen as clean and professional, but this doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re boring. A common mistake is thinking your font isn\u2019t exciting enough, which could lead you to choose a font that distracts from your message.<\/p>\n I recommend sticking to simple serif and sans-serif fonts<\/a>. Avoid script fonts because of potential readability issues.<\/p>\n That said, you can still use fun and eccentric fonts in moderation. Offsetting a fun font or large letters with something more professional can create an engaging presentation.<\/p>\n Above all, be sure you\u2019re consistent so your presentation looks cohesive throughout each slide. Check out this example from HubSpot\u2019s company profile templates:<\/p>\n\n Interested in this presentation template? Download it for free here.<\/a><\/p>\n This is a huge pet peeve of mine. Having properly aligned objects on your slide is the key to making it look polished and professional. You can manually try to line up your images, but we all know how that typically works out.<\/p>\n Get rid of the guessing game and let PowerPoint work its magic to align multiple objects:<\/p>\n Select all objects by holding down Shift<\/strong> and clicking on all of them. Here\u2019s how I align objects to the slide:<\/strong><\/p>\n Select all objects by holding down Shift<\/strong> and clicking on all of them. I like format menus because they allow me to make fine adjustments that otherwise seem impossible.<\/p>\n To do this, right-click on an object and select the Format Object<\/strong> option. (The name of the object in the drop-down menu will change depending on whether you\u2019re formatting a picture or shape.) Here, you can fine-tune shadows, adjust shape measurements, create reflections, and much more. The menu looks like this:<\/p>\n\n Although the main options can be found on PowerPoint\u2019s format toolbars, look for complete control in the format window menu. Other options include:<\/p>\n Adjusting text inside a shape. PowerPoint\u2019s shape tools have come a long way. Today\u2019s shapes include a highly functional Smart Shapes function, which enables you to create diagrams<\/a> and flow charts in no time.<\/p>\n I find these tools are especially valuable because paragraphing and bullet lists are boring to look at \u2014 I love using shapes to help express my message more clearly.<\/p>\n When you create a shape, right-click and press Edit Points<\/strong> to create custom shapes that fit your specific needs. For instance, you can reshape arrows to fit the dimensions you like:<\/p>\n\n Another option is to combine two shapes together. Select the two shapes you\u2019d like to work with, then click Shape Format<\/strong> in the top ribbon. Tap Merge Shapes<\/strong>. There are several options to create custom shapes:<\/p>\n Combine<\/strong> creates a custom shape that has overlapping portions of the two previous shapes cut out. <\/p>\n Union<\/strong> makes one completely merged shape. <\/p>\n Intersect<\/strong> builds a shape of only the overlapping sections of the two previous shapes. <\/p>\n Subtract<\/strong> cuts out the overlapping portion of one shape from the other. <\/p>\n Fragment<\/strong> will split your shape into different parts depending on where they overlap. <\/p>\n You can also use PowerPoint to crop existing images into new shapes:<\/p>\n Click on the image and select Picture Format<\/strong> in the options bar. Believe it or not, presenting websites within PowerPoint is something we\u2019re still having to find workarounds for.<\/p>\n From my experience, these are some tactics that have worked in the past that may be helpful depending on which version of PowerPoint you have:<\/p>\n Traditionally, to show a website in a PowerPoint slide, you would just create a link to the page and prompt a separate browser to open. Install ClassPoint<\/a>, which essentially puts an internet window on top of your slide for use until you\u2019re done with it. Then, you can just move to the next slide. You can even bookmark the web page you want ahead of time to jump straight to it. Using this does introduce a new navigation bar at the bottom of your presentation. Here\u2019s a video, Introduction to ClassPoint: <\/p>\n Finally, PowerPoint Live is a new tool that enables you to do more seamless presentations during video calls and maybe a better overall match for doing presentations remotely. Check out this video: <\/p>\n GIFs are looped animated images used to communicate a mood, idea, information, and much more.<\/p>\n I enjoy adding GIFs to PowerPoints<\/a> to be funny or quickly demo a process. They\u2019re very popular with and easily recognized by Millenials and Gen Z, and it\u2019s easy to add GIFs to your slides:<\/p>\n Download and save the GIF you want. PowerPoint is an excellent tool to support <\/em>your presentation with visual information, graphics, and supplemental points.<\/p>\n Your PowerPoint should not be your entire <\/em>presentation, and the elements you do introduce need to function properly.<\/p>\n If the presentation simply repeats your words, has broken links, or shows unreadable text, the hiccups can become the takeaway of your talk, no matter how well-spoken the presentation.<\/p>\n I find slam-dunking the basics by keeping it simple is the way to go. If your slides have dense and cluttered information, it will distract your audience, and you could lose their attention.<\/p>\n In short? Keep your presentation persuasive by keeping it clean:<\/p>\n Limit bullet points and text. One constant problem presenters have with PowerPoint is that fonts seem to change when presenters move from one computer to another.<\/p>\n The fonts are not actually changing \u2014 the presentation computer just doesn\u2019t have the same font files installed.<\/p>\n To embed your fonts on a PC:<\/p>\n Click File,<\/strong> then Options.<\/strong><\/p>\n Open up the Save <\/strong>tab. Now, your presentation will keep the font file, and your fonts will not change when you move computers.<\/p>\n To embed your fonts on a Mac:<\/p>\n On the top bar, click PowerPoint<\/strong>, then click Preferences<\/strong>. If you\u2019re still afraid of your presentation showing up differently when it\u2019s time to present, you can create a PDF version just in case.<\/p>\n I think this is a good option if you\u2019ll be presenting on a different computer because if it doesn\u2019t have PowerPoint installed, you can still use the system viewer to open a PDF.<\/p>\n The only caveat is that your GIFs, animations, and transitions won\u2019t transfer over.<\/p>\n To save your presentation as a PDF file:<\/p>\n Go to File<\/strong>, then click Save as\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n In the pop-up window, click File Format.<\/strong><\/p>\n A drop-down menu will appear. Select PDF<\/strong>. You can also go to File<\/strong>, then Export<\/strong>, then select PDF<\/strong> from the file format menu.<\/p>\n PowerPoint allows you to either link to video\/audio files externally or to embed the media directly in your presentation. For PCs, I think two great reasons for embedding are:<\/p>\n Embedding allows you to play media directly in your presentation. It will look much more professional than switching between windows. If you use PowerPoint for Mac, it gets a bit complicated, but it can be done:<\/p>\n Always bring the video and\/or audio file with you in the same folder as the PowerPoint presentation. Between operating systems, PowerPoint is still a bit jumpy. Even between differing PPT versions, things can change. The easiest fix? Just bring along your own laptop when you\u2019re presenting.<\/p>\n The next easiest fix is to upload your PowerPoint presentation into Google Slides<\/a> as a backup option \u2014 just make sure<\/em> there is a good internet connection and a browser available where you plan to present.<\/p>\n Google Slides is a cloud-based presentation software that will show up the same way on all operating systems.<\/p>\n To import your PowerPoint presentation into Google Slides:<\/p>\n Navigate to slides.google.com<\/strong>. Make sure you\u2019re signed in to a Google account (preferably your own). Click Select a file from your device<\/strong>. When I tested this out, Google Slides imported everything perfectly, including a shape whose points I had manipulated. This is a good backup option to have if you\u2019ll be presenting across different operating systems.<\/p>\n In most presentation situations, there will be both a presenter\u2019s screen and the main projected display for your presentation.<\/p>\n PowerPoint has a great tool called Presenter View, which can be found in the Slide Show<\/strong> tab of PowerPoint. Included in the Presenter View is an area for notes, a timer\/clock, and a presentation display.<\/p>\n For many presenters, I\u2019ve seen this tool help unify their spoken presentation and their visual aids. You never want to make the PowerPoint seem like a stack of notes that you\u2019re reading off of.<\/p>\n Use the Presenter View<\/strong> option to help create a more natural presentation.<\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong> At the start of the presentation, you should also hit CTRL + H to make the cursor disappear. Hitting the \u201cA\u201d key will bring it back if you need it.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Now that we\u2019ve covered the basics on how to create a PowerPoint presentation, let\u2019s go over the basics of what makes a presentation memorable<\/a> \u2014 starting with what not<\/em> to do.<\/p>\n As someone who has sat through hundreds of presentations and webinars, few things frustrate me more than watching someone read their slides word-for-word. It makes the presenter seem unprepared and disengaged, and it quickly loses the audience\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n Also, it makes the audience feel dumb \u2014 they are just as capable of reading the slide as you are, so if you don\u2019t bring additional value, why bother with the presentation?<\/p>\n Try this instead: <\/strong>Try to have 2-3 main points per slide that you want to get across. Don\u2019t feel the need to write it all on the slides. Instead, write out what\u2019s most important to know and use bullet points, visuals, or keywords to guide your discussion.<\/p>\n Every presentation should have a purpose \u2014 a clear point that every audience member will walk away with. If you can\u2019t state the purpose of your presentation in one sentence, your audience will feel lost and confused about what your message is.<\/p>\n Try this instead: <\/strong>Before you craft your presentation, ask yourself, \u201cWhy am I making this presentation?\u201d and \u201cWhat do I want my audience to take away from it?\u201d After you answer these two questions, check your slides and talking points against your answers to make sure each one aligns with your ultimate goals.<\/p>\n PowerPoint offers a ton<\/strong> of cool features \u2014 animations, transitions, sound effects \u2014 but just because you can<\/em> use them doesn\u2019t mean you should.<\/p>\n Too many effects can make your presentation feel cluttered and amateurish, and instead of focusing on your message, your audience is left wondering, Why did that text just spin onto the screen?<\/em><\/p>\n Try this instead: <\/strong>Let your message be what stands out the most. Try to simplify each slide as much as possible and eliminate until you have just what\u2019s absolutely necessary to tell your story.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re new to delivering presentations, you might be surprised at how much longer it takes you to give your presentation IRL than when you go over your slides in your head.<\/p>\n Try this instead: <\/strong>Do a few rounds of practicing out loud at home (or, better yet, to a friend or partner) to see how long it takes<\/a> you to get through your slides and where you might need to speed things up or elaborate more.<\/p>\n When I was in journalism school, pacing was one of the hardest things to master. It\u2019s easy to speak too fast when you\u2019re nervous or excited. On the flip side, speaking too slowly can make you seem unsure or disengaged.<\/p>\n Try this instead: <\/strong>When you\u2019re practicing, aim for a smooth, measured pace. Sometimes, it can be helpful to record yourself while speaking to see how your presentation might come across to your audience.<\/p>\n We all use filler words when speaking, but too many can make you sound unprepared or unsure of your material.<\/p>\n Try this instead:<\/strong><\/p>\n Practice pausing instead of filling space. A short silence feels much more natural than a string of \u201cum\u2019s.\u201d
\n PowerPoint Presentation Tips<\/a>
\n Common PowerPoint Presentation Mistakes to Avoid<\/a> <\/p>\nHow to Make a PowerPoint Presentation<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Getting Started<\/strong><\/h3>\n
1. Open PowerPoint and click \u2018New.\u2019<\/strong><\/h4>\n
2. Choose a theme or create your own.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Creating PowerPoint Slides<\/strong><\/h3>\n
3. Insert a slide.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
4. Create a variety of slides for different purposes.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n An agenda or table of contents slide
\n A slide that introduces the speaker
\n Various content slides <\/p>\n5. Use the \u201cDuplicate\u201d feature to save you time.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n I choose Duplicate Slide <\/strong>from the pop-up menu. <\/p>\n6. Add photos to your slide.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
Finishing Up Your Presentation<\/strong><\/h3>\n
7. Save your presentation.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
8. Run your presentation.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
9. Advance the slides.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
PowerPoint Style Tips<\/h3>\n
1. Don\u2019t let PowerPoint decide how you use PowerPoint.<\/h4>\n
\n Avoid Microsoft Office\u2019s default fonts, Calibri and Cambria \u2014 they can make the presentation feel underwhelming.
\n Professionals should never use PowerPoint\u2019s action sounds.
\n PowerPoint makes bulleting automatic. Bullets are often appropriate, but not always.
\n All shapes start blue with a small shadow. Remove this shadow if it\u2019s not needed, and don\u2019t leave shapes default blue \u2014 it reads as a mistake to other PowerPoint users. <\/p>\n2. Create custom slide sizes.<\/h4>\n
\n Select Page Setup<\/strong>.
\n Type the height and width of the background you\u2019d like, and click OK<\/strong>.
\n A dialogue box will appear. Click Scale<\/strong> if you want to also resize your content, or Don\u2019t Scale<\/strong> if not. I recommend clicking Don\u2019t Scale<\/strong>, then manually adjusting minor layout issues. <\/p>\n3. Edit your slide template design.<\/h4>\n
\n Click Master<\/strong>.
\n In the dropdown, click Slide Master<\/strong>.
\n Make any changes you like, then click Close Master<\/strong> in the top ribbon. All current and future slides in that presentation will use that template. <\/p>\n4. Write text with your audience in mind.<\/h4>\n
Typography<\/h5>\n
5. Make sure all of your objects are properly aligned.<\/h4>\n
\n Select Arrange<\/strong> in the top options bar, then choose Align or Distribute<\/strong>.
\n Choose the type of alignment you’d like. <\/p>\n
\n Select Arrange<\/strong> in the top options bar, then choose Align or Distribute<\/strong>.
\n Select Align to Slide<\/strong>.
\n Select Arrange<\/strong> in the top options bar again, then choose Align or Distribute<\/strong>.
\n Choose the type of alignment you\u2019d like. <\/p>\nPowerPoint Design Tools<\/h3>\n
6. Use \u201cFormat Object\u201d to better control your objects\u2019 designs.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n Creating a natural perspective shadow behind an object.
\n Recoloring photos manually and with automatic options. <\/p>\n7. Take advantage of PowerPoint\u2019s shapes.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
8. Create custom shapes.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
9. Crop images into custom shapes.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n Choose Crop<\/strong>, then Crop to Shape<\/strong>, and then choose your desired shape. <\/p>\n10. Present websites within PowerPoint.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n Try adding the third-party program LiveWeb<\/a> that you install on your PowerPoint program. Head to the LiveWeb website<\/a> and follow the instructions. Unfortunately, Mac users don\u2019t have a similar option.
\n Take screenshots of a website, insert the image on your slide, and link in through a browser. You can embed media (such as a YouTube video) by downloading it directly to your computer.
\n Some versions allowed a Web Viewer Add-on until Microsoft decided that was a security risk. Insert > Get Add-ons<\/strong>, search for Web Viewer<\/strong>, then click on the Add <\/strong>button. <\/p>\n11. Try Using GIFs.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
\n Go to the slide you want the GIF on.
\n Go to the Home<\/strong> tab, and click either Insert<\/strong> or Picture<\/strong>.
\n From the Picture<\/strong> drop-down menu, choose Picture from File<\/strong>.
\n Navigate to where you saved your GIF and select it. Then, choose Insert<\/strong>.
\n It will play automatically the moment you insert it. <\/p>\nPowerPoint Process<\/strong><\/h3>\n
12. Keep it simple.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
\n Avoid paragraphs and long quotes.
\n Maintain \u201cwhite space\u201d or \u201cnegative space.\u201d
\n Keep percentages, graphs, and data super basic. <\/p>\n13. Embed your font files.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
\n Select the Embed fonts in the file<\/strong> check box under Preserve fidelity when sharing this presentation<\/strong>. <\/p>\n
\n Under Output and Sharing<\/strong>, click Save<\/strong>.
\n Under Font Embedding<\/strong>, click Embed fonts in the file.<\/strong><\/p>\n14. Save your slides as a PDF file for backup purposes.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n Click Export<\/strong>. <\/p>\n15. Embed multimedia.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n Embedding also means that the file stays within the PowerPoint presentation, so it should play normally without extra work (except on a Mac). <\/p>\n
\n Only insert video or audio files once the presentation and the containing folder have been saved on a portable drive in their permanent folder.
\n If the presentation will be played on a Windows computer, then Mac users need to make sure their multimedia files are in WMV format.
\n Consider using the same operating system for designing and presenting, no matter what. <\/p>\n16. Bring your own hardware.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n Under Start a new presentation<\/strong>, click the empty box with a plus sign. This will open up a blank presentation.
\n Go to File<\/strong>, then Import slides<\/strong>.
\n A dialog box will come up. Tap Upload.<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n Select your presentation and click Open<\/strong>.
\n Select the slides you\u2019d like to import. If you want to import all of them, click All<\/strong> in the upper right-hand corner of the dialog box.
\n Click Import slides.<\/strong><\/p>\n17. Use \u201cPresenter View.\u201d<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\nCommon <\/strong>PowerPoint Presentation Mistakes<\/strong> to Avoid<\/strong>
\n<\/h2>\n1. Reading directly from the slides.<\/h3>\n
2. Creating a presentation without a purpose.<\/h3>\n
3. Using too many \u201cbuzzy features\u201d that distract from the message.<\/h3>\n
4. Not practicing timing beforehand.<\/h3>\n
5. Speaking too fast or slowly.<\/h3>\n
6. Using too many filler words like \u201clike\u201d or \u201cum.\u201d<\/h3>\n