how to prepare the ppt presentation

How-To Geek

8 tips to make the best powerpoint presentations.

Want to make your PowerPoint presentations really shine? Here's how to impress and engage your audience.

Quick Links

Table of contents, start with a goal, less is more, consider your typeface, make bullet points count, limit the use of transitions, skip text where possible, think in color, take a look from the top down, bonus: start with templates.

Slideshows are an intuitive way to share complex ideas with an audience, although they're dull and frustrating when poorly executed. Here are some tips to make your Microsoft PowerPoint presentations sing while avoiding common pitfalls.

It all starts with identifying what we're trying to achieve with the presentation. Is it informative, a showcase of data in an easy-to-understand medium? Or is it more of a pitch, something meant to persuade and convince an audience and lead them to a particular outcome?

It's here where the majority of these presentations go wrong with the inability to identify the talking points that best support our goal. Always start with a goal in mind: to entertain, to inform, or to share data in a way that's easy to understand. Use facts, figures, and images to support your conclusion while keeping structure in mind (Where are we now and where are we going?).

I've found that it's helpful to start with the ending. Once I know how to end a presentation, I know how best to get to that point. I start by identifying the takeaway---that one nugget that I want to implant before thanking everyone for their time---and I work in reverse to figure out how best to get there.

Your mileage, of course, may vary. But it's always going to be a good idea to put in the time in the beginning stages so that you aren't reworking large portions of the presentation later. And that starts with a defined goal.

A slideshow isn't supposed to include everything. It's an introduction to a topic, one that we can elaborate on with speech. Anything unnecessary is a distraction. It makes the presentation less visually appealing and less interesting, and it makes you look bad as a presenter.

This goes for text as well as images. There's nothing worse, in fact, than a series of slides where the presenter just reads them as they appear. Your audience is capable of reading, and chances are they'll be done with the slide, and browsing Reddit, long before you finish. Avoid putting the literal text on the screen, and your audience will thank you.

Related: How to Burn Your PowerPoint to DVD

Right off the bat, we're just going to come out and say that Papyrus and Comic Sans should be banned from all PowerPoint presentations, permanently. Beyond that, it's worth considering the typeface you're using and what it's saying about you, the presenter, and the presentation itself.

Consider choosing readability over aesthetics, and avoid fancy fonts that could prove to be more of a distraction than anything else. A good presentation needs two fonts: a serif and sans-serif. Use one for the headlines and one for body text, lists, and the like. Keep it simple. Veranda, Helvetica, Arial, and even Times New Roman are safe choices. Stick with the classics and it's hard to botch this one too badly.

There reaches a point where bullet points become less of a visual aid and more of a visual examination.

Bullet points should support the speaker, not overwhelm his audience. The best slides have little or no text at all, in fact. As a presenter, it's our job to talk through complex issues, but that doesn't mean that we need to highlight every talking point.

Instead, think about how you can break up large lists into three or four bullet points. Carefully consider whether you need to use more bullet points, or if you can combine multiple topics into a single point instead. And if you can't, remember that there's no one limiting the number of slides you can have in a presentation. It's always possible to break a list of 12 points down into three pages of four points each.

Animation, when used correctly, is a good idea. It breaks up slow-moving parts of a presentation and adds action to elements that require it. But it should be used judiciously.

Adding a transition that wipes left to right between every slide or that animates each bullet point in a list, for example, starts to grow taxing on those forced to endure the presentation. Viewers get bored quickly, and animations that are meant to highlight specific elements quickly become taxing.

That's not to say that you can't use animations and transitions, just that you need to pick your spots. Aim for no more than a handful of these transitions for each presentation. And use them in spots where they'll add to the demonstration, not detract from it.

Sometimes images tell a better story than text can. And as a presenter, your goal is to describe points in detail without making users do a lot of reading. In these cases, a well-designed visual, like a chart, might better convey the information you're trying to share.

The right image adds visual appeal and serves to break up longer, text-heavy sections of the presentation---but only if you're using the right images. A single high-quality image can make all the difference between a success and a dud when you're driving a specific point home.

When considering text, don't think solely in terms of bullet points and paragraphs. Tables, for example, are often unnecessary. Ask yourself whether you could present the same data in a bar or line chart instead.

Color is interesting. It evokes certain feelings and adds visual appeal to your presentation as a whole. Studies show that color also improves interest, comprehension, and retention. It should be a careful consideration, not an afterthought.

You don't have to be a graphic designer to use color well in a presentation. What I do is look for palettes I like, and then find ways to use them in the presentation. There are a number of tools for this, like Adobe Color , Coolors , and ColorHunt , just to name a few. After finding a palette you enjoy, consider how it works with the presentation you're about to give. Pastels, for example, evoke feelings of freedom and light, so they probably aren't the best choice when you're presenting quarterly earnings that missed the mark.

It's also worth mentioning that you don't need to use every color in the palette. Often, you can get by with just two or three, though you should really think through how they all work together and how readable they'll be when layered. A simple rule of thumb here is that contrast is your friend. Dark colors work well on light backgrounds, and light colors work best on dark backgrounds.

Spend some time in the Slide Sorter before you finish your presentation. By clicking the four squares at the bottom left of the presentation, you can take a look at multiple slides at once and consider how each works together. Alternatively, you can click "View" on the ribbon and select "Slide Sorter."

Are you presenting too much text at once? Move an image in. Could a series of slides benefit from a chart or summary before you move on to another point?

It's here that we have the opportunity to view the presentation from beyond the single-slide viewpoint and think in terms of how each slide fits, or if it fits at all. From this view, you can rearrange slides, add additional ones, or delete them entirely if you find that they don't advance the presentation.

The difference between a good presentation and a bad one is really all about preparation and execution. Those that respect the process and plan carefully---not only the presentation as a whole, but each slide within it---are the ones who will succeed.

This brings me to my last (half) point: When in doubt, just buy a template and use it. You can find these all over the web, though Creative Market and GraphicRiver are probably the two most popular marketplaces for this kind of thing. Not all of us are blessed with the skills needed to design and deliver an effective presentation. And while a pre-made PowerPoint template isn't going to make you a better presenter, it will ease the anxiety of creating a visually appealing slide deck.

• PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
• EDIT Edit this Article
• EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
• Browse Articles
• Learn Something New
• Quizzes Hot
• This Or That Game New
• Train Your Brain
• Explore More
• Support wikiHow
• About wikiHow
• Log in / Sign up
• Computers and Electronics
• Presentation Software
• PowerPoint Presentations

How to Prepare a Professional Presentation

Last Updated: October 4, 2023 References

This article was co-authored by Devin Jones and by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising . Devin Jones is the creator of “The Soul Career," an online career incubator for women. She is certified in the CliftonStrengths assessment and works with women to clarify their purpose and create meaningful careers. Devin received her BA from Stanford University in 2013. There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 213,966 times.

When you need to clearly share important information, a PowerPoint presentation makes a great way to reach your audience. Even though it’s pretty easy to throw all of your information together, you’ll leave a bigger impact if you take time to organize and prepare beforehand. We’ll start with what to include in your presentation and move on to how to design and run through your slides. With a little bit of prep, you’ll nail any presentation you have to give!

Start with a title slide.

• You can always name the presentation after the work initiative you want to start or the problem that you’re trying to solve. For example, you could name it something like, “Customer Acquisition Strategies.”

Follow the title slide with an agenda slide.

• Project Overview
• Market Research
• Business Model

Organize the middle slides for logical flow.

• For example, if you’re giving a persuasive presentation, you might start with background information on an issue, move on to ways to solve the problem, and finish with steps a person in the audience can take to work toward the solution.

Include a call-to-action slide near the end of your presentation.

• For example, if you want to cut down costs at your business, you may ask your listeners to track all of the work resources they waste throughout a week so they can be more conscious of what they’re throwing away.

Conclude with the key takeaways.

• For example, if you’re pitching a brand or product, you could summarize the issues the product solves, its main selling points, and why you think it's a good fit in a company.

Aim to have about 10 slides.

• For example, if your presentation is about a new eco-friendly initiative, a few slides filled with statistics about climate change’s effects offers a lot of information, but a single slide with a couple of bullet points specifically about how your company is hurt by it is much more effective.

Use consistent backgrounds.

• For example, your slide background could simply be white with a dark blue stripe across the top and a yellow line running through it as an accent.
• Stick with colors that contrast, but complement each other. For example, you could incorporate white, dark brown, black, and tan as a presentation theme.
• Avoid putting full images as your background since it can be really hard to read text that’s written over them.

Choose easy-to-read fonts.

• Emphasize the most significant text by bolding, italicizing, or highlighting it. [10] X Research source
• Vary your text size throughout the slide. For example, the heading at the top of the slide should be larger than the body text.

List main ideas with short bullet points.

• For example, instead of the sentence, “We need to be more mindful about our budget for this project,” you could write the bullet point, “Be mindful of budget.”
• Have each bullet point appear only after you click the mouse so your audience doesn’t get ahead of what you’re talking about.

Add relevant graphics.

• Include captions for charts or images that are hard to understand.
• Try making a single image stand out on a slide by making it a contrasting color to the rest of the slide. For example, you could have pictures of old products in black-and-white with a large image of the newest product you’re introducing in color.
• In general, avoid using clip art or animated GIFs in your presentation since it won’t look like you’re taking it seriously. However, what’s acceptable may depend on your place of work and the specific presentation.
• If you get a chance, check your presentation on a screen similar to what you’ll be presenting on to check if your images look blurry from across the room.

Avoid flashy transitions.

Practice your presentation out loud.

• Try recording yourself giving the presentation so you can listen or watch your performance. That way, you can easily see what you need to change.

Rehearse in front of an audience.

• If you can, rehearse your slideshow in a space that’s similar to where you’ll actually be presenting it so you can get a feel for the room.

How Should You End a Presentation? . By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube.

Expert Q&A

• If you have a fear of public speaking, try taking a few deep breaths to help you calm down. The more you practice, the less likely you’ll be afraid of presenting it as well. [18] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• If you don’t have PowerPoint, you can always use alternatives such as Keynote, Prezi, or Google Slides for your presentation. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• Have a backup for your presentation in case there are technical difficulties. For example, you could give the presentation off of notecards or make handouts. [19] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://virtualspeech.com/blog/designing-presentation-slides
• ↑ https://www.business.com/articles/13-things-to-include-in-your-next-powerpoint-presentation/
• ↑ https://writingcenter.gmu.edu/guides/writing-a-powerpoint-presentation
• ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2016/09/22/10-smart-ways-to-make-any-powerpoint-presentation-way-more-interesting/?sh=567b2a1e2d24
• ↑ https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/presentations-guy-kawasaki-10-20-30-rule.html
• ↑ https://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislative-staff/legislative-staff-coordinating-committee/tips-for-making-effective-powerpoint-presentations.aspx
• ↑ https://alum.mit.edu/powerpoint-presentations
• ↑ https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/making-better-powerpoint-presentations/
• ↑ https://www.gvsu.edu/speechlab/practicing-presentations-33.htm
• ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesleadershipforum/2013/06/19/the-only-way-to-prepare-to-give-a-presentation/?sh=7d89d11b84ef
• ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/specific-phobias/expert-answers/fear-of-public-speaking/faq-20058416

About This Article

• Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

Geeta Bhardwaj

Aug 4, 2016

Is this article up to date?

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Watch Articles

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info

wikiHow Tech Help Pro:

Level up your tech skills and stay ahead of the curve

10 PowerPoint Tips for Preparing a Professional Presentation

Use these Microsoft PowerPoint tips to avoid common mistakes, keep your audience engaged, and create a professional presentation.

Professional presentations are all about making an impact. Your slides should look the part. Once you know what makes a presentation look professional, you can customize any half-decent PowerPoint template or create your own custom slides.

Our PowerPoint tips will help you avoid common mistakes, keep your audience engaged, and create a professional presentation, in form and content.

PowerPoint Slide Design

The design can leave a first and lasting impression. Give it a professional touch to win your audience's trust and attention.

1. Carefully Compose Your Slides

Don't copy and paste slides from different sources. You don't want your presentation to look like a rag rug. What you're aiming for is a consistent look. This will help your audience focus on the essential; your speech and the key facts you're highlighting on your slides.

To that end, use a basic template or make your own . PowerPoint comes with a wide selection of professional PowerPoint presentation templates , but you can also find free ones online.

PowerPoint Tip: When you open PowerPoint, note the search field at the top. One of the suggested searches is "presentations". Click it to see all of PowerPoint's default presentation templates. Choose a category on the right to narrow down your search.

Pick an easy to read font face . It's hard to get this right, but these professional-looking Google fonts are a safe bet. Unless you're a designer, stick to a single font face and limit yourself to playing with safe colors and font sizes.

If you're unsure about fonts, refer to "The 10 Commandments of Typography" shown below for orientation.

Carefully select font sizes for headers and text. While you don't want to create a wall of text and lose your audience's attention, you do want them to be able to read what you've highlighted. So make your fonts large enough.

PowerPoint Tip: PowerPoint offers several different slide layouts. When you add a new slide, choose the right layout under Home > New Slide . To switch the layout of an existing slide, use Home > Layout . By using the default layouts, you can make coherent design changes across your presentation anytime you want.

Leave room for highlights, such as images or take home messages. Some elements should stand out. So try not to bury them in background noise but give them the space they need. This could be a single quote or a single image per page with nothing but a simple header and a plain background.

Decorate scarcely but well. If you have good content, you won't need decoration. Your template will be decoratively enough.

Note: Restrict the room your design takes up, and don't ever let the design restrict your message.

2. Use Consistency

Consistently use font face and sizes on all slides. This one goes back to using a template. If you chose a professional presentation template, the designer would have taken care of this aspect. Stick to it!

Match colors. This is where so many presentations fail. You might have chosen a funky template and stuck to the designer's color profile, then you ruin it all with ugly Excel charts .

Take the time to match your visuals to your presentation design.

Text and Background Colors

A poor choice of colors can ruin your presentation.

3. Use Contrast

Black text on a white background will always be the best, but also the most boring choice . You're allowed to use colors! But use them responsibly.

Keep it easy on the eyes and always keep good contrast in mind. If you're color-challenged, use one of the many online tools to select a good looking color palette. Or just use a template and stick to its default colors.

PowerPoint Tip: Use PowerPoint's Design menu to quickly change the font and color palette of your entire presentation using preset design layouts.

4. Apply Brilliance

Carefully use color to highlight your message! Colors are your friends. They can make numbers stand out or your Take Home Message pop.

Don't weaken the color effect by using too many colors in too many instances . The special effect only works if used scarcely. Try to limit pop colors to one per slide.

Make a brilliant choice: match colors for design and good contrast to highlight your message . Use a professional color palette, to find which color will work best with your theme. Use The 10 Commandments of Color Theory shown below to learn more about colors:

Text on PowerPoint Slides

K eep I t S traight and S imple. That means...

• Keywords only on your slides.
• Absolutely no full sentences!
• And never read your slides , talk freely.

Remember that your slides are only there to support, not to replace your talk! You want to tell a story, visualize your data, and demonstrate key points. If you read your slides, you risk losing your audience's respect and attention.

PowerPoint Tip: Afraid you'll lose your train of thoughts? Add notes to your slides. Go to View and under Show click Notes to make them show up under your slides while editing. When starting your presentation, use PowerPoint's presentation mode (go to Slide Show and under Monitors , check Use Presenter View ), so you can glance at your notes when needed.

6. Take Home Message

Always summarize your key point in a Take Home Message. Ask yourself, if your audience learned or remembered one single thing from your presentation, what would you like it to be? That's your Take Home Message.

The Take Home Message is your key message, a summary of your data or story. If you're giving an hour-long presentation, you might have several Take Home Messages. That's OK. Just make sure that what you think is key, really matters to your audience.

Make your Take Home Message memorable. It's your responsibility that your audience takes home something valuable. Help them "get it" by making your Take Home Message stand out, either visually or through how you frame it verbally.

Presentation Visuals

Images are key elements of every presentation. Your audience has ears and eyes, they want to see what you're talking about, and a good visual cue will help them understand your message much better.

7. Add Images

Have more images in your slides than text. Visuals are your friends. They can illustrate your points and support your message.

But do not use images to decorate! That's a poor use of visuals because it's just a distraction.

Images can reinforce or complement your message. So use images to visualize or explain your story.

Use a sufficient image resolution. Your visuals might look good on your desktop, but once blown up by a projector, low-resolution images will make your presentation look anything but professional. So choose a resolution that matches the projector's resolution. If in doubt, don't go below a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels (XGA) and aim for 1920 x 1080 pixels (FullHD).

Always maintain your image's aspect ratio. Nothing looks more awkward than a distorted image. Whatever you do, don't stretch images. If you have to resize them, do so with the aspect ratio intact, even if that means dropping slightly above or below your target resolution.

PowerPoint Tip: Need a visual, but don't have one at hand? PowerPoint is connected to Bing's library of online images you can use for your presentations. Go to Insert and under Images select Online Images . You can browse by category or search the library. Be sure to set a checkmark for Creative Commons only , so you don't accidentally violate copyrights.

Note: Yes, a picture is worth a thousand words. In other words, if you don't have time for a thousand words, use a picture!

PowerPoint Animations and Media

In animations, there is a fine line between a comic and a professional impression. But animations can be powerful tools to visualize and explain complicated matters. A good animation can not only improve understanding, it can also make the message stick with your audience.

8. Don't Be Silly

Sparingly use animations and media. You should only use them in one of two cases:

• To draw attention, for example, to your Take Home Message.
• To clarify a model or emphasize an effect.

Embed the media in your presentation and make sure it works in presentation mode. Testing your presentation at home will save you time and avoid embarrassment.

Target Your Presentation Content

Your target, i.e. your audience, defines the content of your presentation. For example, you cannot teach school kids about the complicated matters of the economy, but you may be able to explain to them what the economy is in the first place and why it is important.

9. Keep Your Audience in Mind

When you compile your PowerPoint presentation, ask yourself these questions:

• What does my audience know?
• What do I need to tell them?
• What do they expect?
• What will be interesting to them?
• What can I teach them?
• What will keep them focused?

Answer these questions and boil your slides down to the very essentials. In your talk, describe the essentials colorfully and use your weapons, i.e. text, images, and animations wisely (see above).

Note: If you fail to hit the target, it won't matter how ingenious your design is or how brilliantly you picked colors and keywords. Nothing matters more than your audience's attention.

10. Practice Your Presentation Like a Professional

A well-practiced and enthusiastic talk will help you convince your audience and keep their attention. Here are some key points that define a good talk:

• Know your slides inside out.
• Speak freely.
• Speak with confidence, loud and clear.
• Speak at a steady pace, better too slow than too fast.
• Keep eye contact with your audience.

Bonus: Implement the 10/20/30 Rule

The 10/20/30 rule is a concept brought forward by Guy Kawasaki:

It’s quite simple: a PowerPoint presentation should have ten slides, last no more than twenty minutes, and contain no font smaller than thirty points.

A similar concept is PechaKucha , a storytelling format limited to 20 slides and 20 seconds per slide, i.e. less than seven minutes to conclude the presentation.

Now there's a challenge! Telling your story succinctly, might help you get through to some of the busiest and most distracted people on the planet.

One Final PowerPoint Presentation Tip

I've shown you how to think through your entire presentation, from choosing a design to speaking to your audience. Here's a mind trick: never try to interpret the looks on your listeners' faces. Chances are, you're wrong. Just assume they're focused and taking notes.

You've done your best to create a professional PowerPoint presentation that will help your audience focus on the content and learn new things. The looks on their faces aren't doubt or confusion. It's focus! Well, d'oh! Obviously, you're the expert, and they're the learners. If you can get into this mindset, you can relax and perform at your best.

Cloud Storage

Custom Business Email

Video and voice conferencing

Shared Calendars

Word Processing

Spreadsheets

Presentation Builder

Survey builder

Google Workspace

An integrated suit of secure, cloud-native collaboration and productivity apps powered by Google AI.

Tell impactful stories, with Google Slides

Create, present, and collaborate on online presentations in real-time and from any device.

• For my personal use
• For work or my business

Jeffery Clark

T h i s   c h a r t   h e l p s   b r i d g i n g   t h e   s t o r y !

E s t i m a t e d   b u d g e t

Make beautiful presentations, together

Stay in sync in your slides, with easy sharing and real-time editing. Use comments and assign action items to build your ideas together.

Present slideshows with confidence

With easy-to-use presenter view, speaker notes, and live captions, Slides makes presenting your ideas a breeze. You can even present to Google Meet video calls directly from Slides.

Seamlessly connect to your other Google apps

Slides is thoughtfully connected to other Google apps you love, saving you time. Embed charts from Google Sheets or reply to comments directly from Gmail. You can even search the web and Google Drive for relevant content and images directly from Slides.

Extend collaboration and intelligence to PowerPoint files

Easily edit Microsoft PowerPoint presentations online without converting them, and layer on Slides’ enhanced collaborative and assistive features like comments, action items, and Smart Compose.

Work on fresh content

With Slides, everyone’s working on the latest version of a presentation. And with edits automatically saved in version history, it’s easy to track or undo changes.

Make slides faster, with built-in intelligence

Assistive features like Smart Compose and autocorrect help you build slides faster with fewer errors.

Stay productive, even offline

You can access, create, and edit Slides even without an internet connection, helping you stay productive from anywhere.

Security, compliance, and privacy

Secure by default

We use industry-leading security measures to keep your data safe, including advanced malware protections. Slides is also cloud-native, eliminating the need for local files and minimizing risk to your devices.

Encryption in transit and at rest

All files uploaded to Google Drive or created in Slides are encrypted in transit and at rest.

Compliance to support regulatory requirements

Our products, including Slides, regularly undergo independent verification of their security, privacy, and compliance controls .

Private by design

Slides adheres to the same robust privacy commitments and data protections as the rest of Google Cloud’s enterprise services .

You control your data.

We never use your slides content for ad purposes., we never sell your personal information to third parties., find the plan that’s right for you, google slides is a part of google workspace.

Every plan includes

Collaborate from anywhere, on any device

Access, create, and edit your presentations wherever you are — from any mobile device, tablet, or computer — even when offline.

Get a head start with templates

Choose from a variety of presentations, reports, and other professionally-designed templates to kick things off quickly..

Photo Album

Book Report

Visit the Slides Template Gallery for more.

Ready to get started?

• SUGGESTED TOPICS
• The Magazine
• Newsletters
• Managing Yourself
• Managing Teams
• Work-life Balance
• The Big Idea
• Data & Visuals
• Reading Lists
• Case Selections
• HBR Learning
• Topic Feeds
• Account Settings
• Email Preferences

What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation

• Carmine Gallo

Five tips to set yourself apart.

Never underestimate the power of great communication. It can help you land the job of your dreams, attract investors to back your idea, or elevate your stature within your organization. But while there are plenty of good speakers in the world, you can set yourself apart out by being the person who can deliver something great over and over. Here are a few tips for business professionals who want to move from being good speakers to great ones: be concise (the fewer words, the better); never use bullet points (photos and images paired together are more memorable); don’t underestimate the power of your voice (raise and lower it for emphasis); give your audience something extra (unexpected moments will grab their attention); rehearse (the best speakers are the best because they practice — a lot).

I was sitting across the table from a Silicon Valley CEO who had pioneered a technology that touches many of our lives — the flash memory that stores data on smartphones, digital cameras, and computers. He was a frequent guest on CNBC and had been delivering business presentations for at least 20 years before we met. And yet, the CEO wanted to sharpen his public speaking skills.

• Carmine Gallo is a Harvard University instructor, keynote speaker, and author of 10 books translated into 40 languages. Gallo is the author of The Bezos Blueprint: Communication Secrets of the World’s Greatest Salesman  (St. Martin’s Press).

Partner Center

Change the background of slides

In PowerPoint, you can change the slide background to a picture or a color.

You can add a solid or gradient color, a pattern, or an image as the background of a slide or an entire presentation.

Format the slide background with color

On the ribbon, select the Design tab.

At the far-right end, select Format Background .

The Format Background pane opens on the right side of the window.

Under Fill , select Solid fill , Gradient fill , or Pattern fill .

Select a color and other accompanying options, as applicable.

By default, the selections you make apply to the current slide. If you want them to apply to all slides in your file, at the bottom of the pane, select Apply to All .

Format the slide background with a photo

Under Fill , select Picture or texture fill .

Under Picture Source , select Insert.

Choose where you want to get the image from, then navigate to the image, select it, and select Insert .

Adjust other settings as needed, such as the transparency of the image.

In PowerPoint for the web, you can do basic background formatting of one or more slides with a solid color or a picture. To do more advanced formatting, such as adding a color gradient or making a picture transparent, use the desktop version of PowerPoint on Windows or macOS.

You can fill the background with a solid color. PowerPoint for the web doesn't support gradient fills for slide backgrounds.

If you would like to have gradient fills in PowerPoint for the web, please let us know by providing us feedback. See  How do I give feedback on Microsoft Office?  for more information.

On the Design tab, select Background .

Select Solid Fill , then pick a color from the gallery.

If you want to have all slides have this same background color, on the Design tab, select Background > Apply to All .

When you insert a picture as a background, PowerPoint for the web resizes the image as best as it can to fill the entire area of the slide. For best results, choose a picture that has the same orientation as your slides.

Select Insert Picture , then under Picture Background , select either From Device (to select your own picture) or Stock Pictures (to select a picture from the Microsoft image library).

Navigate to the picture you want to use. Select it, then select Open or Insert . 

To make all slides have this same background picture, on the Design tab, select Background again, then select Apply to All .

PowerPoint for the web supports the following picture formats: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif, .bmp, .wmf, .emf, .tif, and .tiff.

PowerPoint for the web doesn't have the ability to make a picture transparent. Use the desktop PowerPoint app if you want to make a background picture transparent.

PowerPoint for the web doesn't have the ability to remove a picture's background. Use the desktop PowerPoint app to remove a picture's background.

Remove a slide background

You can remove whatever slide background you currently have by resetting to a solid white background:

Select Solid Fill , then pick White, Background 1 at the upper left corner of the color gallery.

Apply a comprehensive design theme to your presentation

PowerPoint for the web comes with themes —sets of professionally designed colors, layouts, and fonts. After you select a theme, all your slides will adopt that look. For more information, see Apply a colorful theme to your presentation .

Apply a background to all slides

On the Design tab, in Customize , click Format Background .

Select among the Solid , Gradient , Picture or Texture , or Pattern fill options to create the background style that you want.

Select Apply to All .

Apply a custom background to one or more slides

On the View menu, click Normal , and then in the navigation pane, click the slide or slides that you want to change.

Click Fill , and then click the Solid , Gradient , Picture or Texture , or Pattern option.

Choose the background fills that you want.

Note:  To later remove custom backgrounds and apply the default background for the theme to all slides, click the Solid fill option in Format Background . On the Theme Colors pop-up menu, click Automatic , and then click Apply All .

Remove the backgrounds from all slides

Click Solid fill , click Color and then select the white background in Theme Colors .

Add the same image or watermark to every slide

Animate the background of your slides in PowerPoint for Mac

Need more help?

Want more options.

Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more.

Microsoft 365 subscription benefits

Microsoft 365 training

Microsoft security

Accessibility center

Communities help you ask and answer questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge.

Ask the Microsoft Community

Microsoft Tech Community

Windows Insiders

Microsoft 365 Insiders

Was this information helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.

You’re using an older browser version. Update to the latest version of Google Chrome , Safari , Mozilla Firefox , or  Microsoft Edge for the best site experience.

• Solutions By Industry Education Transform ordinary classes into engaging online courses. Retail Train retail staff online to boost sales and create a better customer experience. Automotive Perform timely compliance training and upskill your automotive technicians. Restaurants Streamline restaurant staff onboarding across all chain locations. Healthcare Deliver quality training to your medical personnel and health care providers. By Use Case Compliance Training Induction Training Product Training Channel Partner Training Sales Training Microlearning Mobile Learning
• Company About Us Case Studies Customers Partnership Course Development Contact Us Academy Blog Webinars Guides
• Community Academy Blog Webinars Guides Experts on iSpring
• Language EN English Français Deutsch Español Italiano Nederlands Português Polski 中文 日本語 العربية 한국어
• Shopping Cart

How to Create a Training PowerPoint Presentation

A well-designed PowerPoint training presentation can be a powerful tool for conveying information, fostering training skills, engaging learners, and facilitating understanding. This type of presentation can be applied in many industries and can suit different learning styles.

Whether you’re a seasoned trainer looking to enhance your presentation skills or are new to the world of instructional design, this article will guide you through the essential steps to create a training PowerPoint presentation that captivates your audience and delivers meaningful learning outcomes.

What Is a Training Presentation?

A training presentation is a visual tool designed to deliver knowledge in a structured and engaging way in different training contexts.

It is a format that allows instructors to present training materials that keep the audience responsive and motivated, promoting comprehension and retention.

Training presentations are used extensively in educational settings and in staff training. Whether you’re introducing new employees to company policies, teaching students a complex subject, or demonstrating how to use a new software tool, training presentations make learning more effective and engaging.

A good training presentation is a combination of several design and structural elements that ultimately enhance learning effectiveness. Here are some key elements of training presentations:

• Content . The core of a training presentation is the content you deliver to your audience. It’s the information you want your trainees to absorb, memorize, and use effectively in the future.
• Visuals . Visual elements play a crucial role in training presentations. Besides using slides with text, presenters also include graphics, images, and even interactive elements . These visuals help learners better understand and remember the training material.
• Structure . Even with top-notch content and amazing visuals, if the presentation structure is not organized logically, the audience will have a hard time understanding it. That’s why a clear outline is needed so the learners can follow the flow of information and build their knowledge during the training session.
• Practical exercises and assessments . It’s a good idea to include assessments or quizzes in your training presentations to determine participants’ understanding and measure the effectiveness of the training. As an instructor, you can also integrate real-life cases and scenarios to help trainees put the recently acquired knowledge into practice.

The Importance of Effective Training Presentations

In short, an effective training presentation lays the foundation for more profound training experiences. By structuring information logically and using engaging visuals and interactive elements, training presentations improve training and promote efficient retention of knowledge.

An effective training presentation can become a powerful tool for employee training and professional development because it:

• allows the participants to visualize the training content in a logical structure;
• can be adapted to accommodate different learning styles;
• improves the skill development process for both new and seasoned employees;
• provides a tangible resource that trainees can revisit when they want to refresh their knowledge. 

Types of Training Presentations

Training presentations come in many forms, depending on learning goals, target audiences, and training contexts. Understanding the different types of training presentations can help you choose the format that’s most suitable for achieving your training objectives.

Let’s take a closer look at some common types of training presentations:

1. Informative Presentation

Informative presentations are the foundation of knowledge transfer. They are designed to deliver key information, facts, or concepts to the training audience. Informative presentations often rely on an instructor with great presentation skills who leads the session.

Some examples of this type of presentation are:

• Lecture-style presentations
• Product knowledge training
• Safety briefings
• Compliance training

These presentations often include a summary slide that highlights what the trainees should take away from the session.

2. Skill Development Presentation

Skill development presentations are all about hands-on learning. They provide trainees with opportunities to gain practical skills or new professional competencies. These presentations typically include: 

• Demonstrations 
• Guided exercises 
• Interactive simulations and role-plays
• Feedback and evaluations

All these elements help participants put theory into practice right away. Skill development presentations can also come in the form of pre-recorded video presentations that illustrate how the skills work in real life.

You can use the following questions to define your training presentation’s objectives:

• What do you want your audience to learn from the presentation?
• What specific skills or knowledge should they acquire?
• How will this training benefit the organization?
• Is there a behavioral change you want to achieve?
• How can you measure the success of your training presentation?

Step 2. Outline the structure

The next step is to define the structure of your PowerPoint presentation . Break down your content into logical sections or modules . Prioritize key information and decide on the main points you want to cover in each section.

You can divide your presentation into sections based on the main topics, the key skills, or the type of activity you’re going to include in the training. It’s up to you to choose the structure. Just make sure to follow it consistently throughout the presentation.

Customer Service Training Presentation

Objective : Enhance customer service skills and empathy in support teams.

Content : Active listening, communication techniques, handling difficult customers, and conflict resolution.

Design : Inclusion of customer personas, role-play scenarios, and interactive exercises for skill practice.

Tips to Create an Effective Training Presentation

As you can see, creating an effective training presentation requires careful planning, content organization, and engaging delivery. Here are some valuable tips to help you build a training presentation that engages your trainees and helps them gain the right skills:

Adhere to the learning goals

It’s very tempting to cover a lot of different content in a single presentation, but this can compromise its effectiveness. Try to stick to the original goal you defined before you started creating the slides. It will help you keep the focus on the right type of content. 

Create your own visuals

You can indeed find jaw-dropping visuals very easily online. However, if you design your own multimedia assets, you have full control over the content and can tailor it specifically for each of your slides. It also allows you to include your company’s brand on the slides to reinforce brand identity.

Interactivity is key 

Nobody enjoys sitting through a 2-hour training session where the instructor just talks incessantly. Include quizzes, polls, discussions, or hands-on activities to engage participants actively. Don’t overdo it, though – training presentations should balance theory and practice. 

Limit the use of transitions and animations

While transitions and animations can add visual interest to your slides, use them intelligently. Too many can distract trainees from the content. Choose subtle effects that enhance your message.

FAQ on Creating a Training Presentation

Find answers to the most popular questions about training presentation authoring. 

How do you structure a training presentation?

Structure a training presentation by defining clear learning objectives and organizing content logically into sections or modules. Your audience should be able to navigate the content easily and understand each point you make.

What makes a good training deck?

A good training presentation should have a clear structure, high-quality relevant content, engaging visuals, interactive elements, and effective delivery. The instructor’s presentation skills are also important. 

Keep content relevant and avoid overwhelming trainees with information. Tailor the presentation to your audience’s needs and prior knowledge. 

How do you write an outline for a presentation?

Start by defining your presentation’s main message and goal. Then, identify key points and supporting details to convey your message effectively. Organize these points logically, using bullet points or numbering for main sections and subtopics. Maintain a balance between visual and text content on your slides.

Final Thoughts

A good training presentation can ensure the success of a course or training program. By following the steps above and using the right tools, you will be able to craft effective and engaging training presentations in no time!

Make iSpring Suite your go-to authoring tool to build professional presentations that have a real impact on your training. Leverage the 14-day free iSpring Suite trial today and experience the transformative power of intelligent eLearning authoring.

Fast course authoring toolkit

Create online courses and assessments in record time.

Content creator:

Charuan Aguilera

A learning and training enthusiast, Charuan seeks to empower his readers with the latest insights and trends in e-learning.

You might also like this

Subscribe to our blog

Stay tuned to get our latest eLearning tips and tricks!

By clicking “Subscribe”, you agree to our Privacy Policy . All emails include an unsubscribe link, so that you can opt-out at any time.

We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our website and also for analytics and marketing purposes. You can enable or disable optional cookies as desired. See our Cookie Policy for more details.

Manage your cookies

Essential cookies are always on. You can turn off other cookies if you wish.

Essential cookies

Analytics cookies

Social media cookies

• Slide Editor

How to Make a Video PPT

Table of contents.

When it comes to creating engaging and informative presentations, learning how to make a video PPT can be a game-changer. By combining the visual appeal of PowerPoint slides with the dynamic nature of video, you can create a compelling story that resonates with your audience.

What is PPT Video Format?

A PPT video format involves converting your PowerPoint presentation into a video file. This video can then be easily shared on social media, embedded into a webpage, or uploaded to video platforms like YouTube and Vimeo.

How to Make a PowerPoint in Video?

Creating a video from a PowerPoint presentation is a straightforward process. Follow these step-by-step instructions:

• Start by creating your PowerPoint slides.
• Add voice overs, music, or embedded videos as desired.
• Save your PowerPoint presentation.
• Convert the presentation into a video file using the ‘Save As’ function and choosing a video format like WMV or MP4.

Top Video PPT Features

• Transitions: Smoothly move from one slide to the next with custom transitions.
• Embedded Video: Embed YouTube or other online videos directly into your slides.
• Voice Over : Add your own voice or hire an expert to provide narration.
• High-Quality Images and GIFs: Use high-resolution images and animated GIFs to add visual interest.
• Templates: Leverage PowerPoint’s built-in templates for professional-looking slides.

How to Record a Slideshow in PowerPoint?

To record a slideshow in Microsoft PowerPoint:

• Open the slideshow you want to record.
• Click on the ‘Slideshow’ tab.
• Select ‘Record Slideshow’ from the drop-down menu.
• Choose to record from the current slide or from the beginning.

How to Make a Short Video Presentation?

Creating a short video presentation involves:

• Keeping your message concise and to the point.
• Using visuals to support your message.
• Adding a clear call-to-action.
• Keeping the video under 3 minutes for optimal engagement.

How to Create Animated Videos with PowerPoint?

PowerPoint offers a range of animation tools that allow you to create engaging animated videos. Here are the steps:

• Open your PowerPoint presentation.
• Select the object you want to animate.
• Go to the ‘Animations’ tab and choose an animation style.
• Customize the animation settings as desired.

How to Convert PowerPoint to Video File?

To convert a PowerPoint presentation to a video file:

• Open your presentation in PowerPoint.
• Click on the ‘File’ tab.
• Select ‘Save As’.
• Choose the location where you want to save the file.
• In the ‘Save as type’ drop-down menu, select a video format like MP4 or WMV.

How to Add Pictures to a PowerPoint?

Adding pictures to a PowerPoint is simple:

• Click on the ‘Insert’ tab.
• Select ‘Pictures’.
• Choose the image you want to add.
• Click ‘Insert’.

Top 9 Video PPT Tools

Ispring suite.

Cost : Starts from $770 per year.

A comprehensive toolkit that allows you to create video PPTs, quizzes, and more. It includes a video editor, screen recording feature, and a range of customizable templates.

Top 5 Features:

• Screen recording
• Video editor
• Interactive features

Cost : Starts from $299.99 per license.

A powerful video editing software that includes a screen recording feature, making it perfect for creating video PPTs. It also offers a range of video options and effects.

• Video editing
• Video options
• Webcam recording

Adobe Spark

Cost : Free with optional in-app purchases.

An online video maker that lets you create high-quality video PPTs with ease. It includes a range of templates, customization options, and the ability to add your own voice over.

• Customization
• Voice over feature
• High-quality video production
• Ease of use

Cost : Starts from $19 per month.

A popular online video maker that allows you to create animated video PPTs. It includes a range of templates, characters, and animation styles.

• Animation styles
• Social media integration

Cost: Starts from $15 per month.

An online tool that allows you to create video PPTs, infographics, and more. It includes a range of templates, customization options, and the ability to add your own data from Excel.

• Data integration
• High-quality output

An online video maker that allows you to create professional-looking video PPTs with ease. It includes a range of templates, customization options, and the ability to add your own voice over.

Cost: Starts from $3 per month.

A popular presentation tool that allows you to create engaging video PPTs with ease. It includes a range of templates, customization options, and the ability to add your own voice over.

Cost : Starts from $299 per year.

Cost : Starts from $49.99 per year.

A video editing software that includes a range of video options and effects. It is perfect for creating high-quality video PPTs.

• High-quality output.

Which software can I use to record a PowerPoint?

You can use software like iSpring Suite, Camtasia, or Microsoft PowerPoint itself to record your PowerPoint presentation.

How do I add pictures to a PowerPoint?

Click on the ‘Insert’ tab, select ‘Pictures’, choose the image you want to add, and click ‘Insert’.

How do I make a video with PowerPoint?

Create your PowerPoint slides, add any desired audio or video, save the presentation, and then convert it into a video file using the ‘Save As’ function.

What is the best way to make a PowerPoint video?

The best way to make a PowerPoint video is to create a compelling slideshow with high-quality images, engaging transitions, and clear audio. Then, convert the presentation into a high-quality video file.

• Previous Best PDF Reader for Mac: Uses and Features
• Next How to Save Video in PPT: From Slideshows to Videos

Cliff Weitzman

Cliff Weitzman is a dyslexia advocate and the CEO and founder of Speechify, the #1 text-to-speech app in the world, totaling over 100,000 5-star reviews and ranking first place in the App Store for the News & Magazines category. In 2017, Weitzman was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list for his work making the internet more accessible to people with learning disabilities. Cliff Weitzman has been featured in EdSurge, Inc., PC Mag, Entrepreneur, Mashable, among other leading outlets.

Recent Blogs

How to Add MP4 Video in PPT

How to Trim a Video in PPT

How to Crop a Video in PPT

Transform Presentations with PPT to Video Converters

Guide to Compressing a Video in PowerPoint Presentations

Looping a Video in PPT

Converting PPT to Video

Exporting PPT to Video

Webpage Reader

The Ins and Outs of Reader for Chrome

Best Places to Find Audio Textbooks

Programs That Will Read PDFs Aloud

Vyond Oddcast Text to Speech

Converting PPT to a YouTube Video

Converting PPT to a Video with Background Music

Collage Generators

Photo Video Maker

From Idea to Video

Lyric Video Makers

Voiceover Video Makers

From Script to Video AI

From a Blog to Video AI

Transforming an SEO Article to Video

AI YouTube Video Maker

AI Video Summarization

How to Add Audio to PPT and Convert to Video

How Do You Autoplay Videos in PowerPoint?

How to Add A YouTube Video to PPT

Elevate Your Presentation Game by Adding Video Clips in PPT

How Long Does It Take to Convert PPT to Video?

Speechify text to speech helps you save time

Popular blogs.

The Best Celebrity Voice Generators in 2023

YouTube Text to Speech: Elevating Your Video Content with Speechify

The 7 best alternatives to Synthesia.io

Everything you need to know about text to speech on TikTok

The 10 best text-to-speech apps for android.

How to convert a PDF to speech

The top voice changer tools for girls’ voice.

How to use Siri text to speech

Obama text to speech

Robot voice generators: the futuristic frontier of audio creation, how to have a pdf read aloud, alternatives to fakeyou text to speech.

All About Deepfake Voices

Tiktok voice generator, text to speech goanimate.

The best celebrity text to speech voice generators

Pdf audio reader, how to get text to speech indian voices, elevating your anime experience with anime voice generators, best text to speech online, top 50 movies based on books you should read, download audio, how to use text-to-speech for quandale dingle meme sounds, top 5 apps that read out text, the top female text to speech voices, female voice changer, sonic text to speech voice generator online, best ai voice generators – the ultimate list, voice changer, text to speech in powerpoint.

Take the dyslexia quiz and get an instant score. See if you are dyslexic or not.

Listen and share everything on the go with our Soundbites. Try it for yourself.

Eye Strain? Speechify Is Here...

Nicole Walk

Journalists, Listen Up!

The Top 3 Signs of ADHD

College Student-Athlete Thanks...

Thank You Speechify (from a...

Perfect Brian

What Is The Work Revolution?

3 Signs You Have ADHD

Do You Hate Reading?

4 Hour Work Week

Have EVERYTHING Read To You!

Only available on iPhone and iPad

To access our catalog of 100,000+ audiobooks, you need to use an iOS device.

Coming to Android soon...

Join the waitlist

Enter your email and we will notify you as soon as Speechify Audiobooks is available for you.

You’ve been added to the waitlist. We will notify you as soon as Speechify Audiobooks is available for you.

Got any suggestions?

We want to hear from you! Send us a message and help improve Slidesgo

Top searches

Trending searches

thanksgiving

38 templates

dia de los muertos

5 templates

day of the dead

11 templates

halloween kids

10 templates

scary halloween

23 templates

8 templates

What are you going to use your presentation for?

Presenting data

I'm not sure

Free vectors, photos and PSD

Free customizable icons

Free online template editor

Free editable illustrations

Free videos and motion graphics

New! New! Make quick presentations with AI

How to Make a Mind Map

How to make a mind map presentation, free google slides theme and powerpoint template.

A mind map, in the form of an outline on paper or in an app, is like creating an adventure map for your mind. It's like drawing a treasure trove of information with words and pictures, and it's useful because it helps you organize your thoughts in a visual and fun way. And now comes the million-dollar question: how to do it? Teacher Sandra Medina in this Google Slides and PPT template designed by Slidesgo, gives us the necessary steps to explain how to create our mind map. Take a look now!

Features of this template

• Designed for High School
• 100% editable and easy to modify
• 15 different slides to impress your audience
• Contains easy-to-edit graphics such as graphs, maps, tables, timelines and mockups
• Includes 500+ icons and Flaticon’s extension for customizing your slides
• Designed to be used in Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint
• 16:9 widescreen format suitable for all types of screens
• Includes information about fonts, colors, and credits of the resources used
• Available in different languages

How can I use the template?

Am I free to use the templates?

How to attribute?

Attribution required

Available in, related posts on our blog.

How to Add, Duplicate, Move, Delete or Hide Slides in Google Slides

How to Change Layouts in PowerPoint

How to Change the Slide Size in Google Slides

Related presentations.

Premium template

Unlock this template and gain unlimited access