Critical PowerPoint Shortcuts – Claim Your FREE Training Module and Get Your Time Back!

nuts and bolts speed training logo

How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation (Step-by-Step)

  • PowerPoint Tutorials
  • Presentation Design
  • January 22, 2024

In this beginner’s guide, you will learn step-by-step how to make a PowerPoint presentation from scratch.

While PowerPoint is designed to be intuitive and accessible, it can be overwhelming if you’ve never gotten any training on it before. As you progress through this guide, you’ll will learn how to move from blank slides to PowerPoint slides that look like these.

Example of the six slides you'll learn how to create in this tutorial

Table of Contents

Additionally, as you create your presentation, you’ll also learn tricks for working more efficiently in PowerPoint, including how to:

  • Change the slide order
  • Reset your layout
  • Change the slide dimensions
  • Use PowerPoint Designer
  • Format text
  • Format objects
  • Play a presentation (slide show)

With this knowledge under your belt, you’ll be ready to start creating PowerPoint presentations. Moreover, you’ll have taken your skills from beginner to proficient in no time at all. I will also include links to more advanced PowerPoint topics.

Ready to start learning how to make a PowerPoint presentation?

Take your PPT skills to the next level

Start with a blank presentation.

Note: Before you open PowerPoint and start creating your presentation, make sure you’ve collected your thoughts. If you’re going to make your slides compelling, you need to spend some time brainstorming.

For help with this, see our article with tips for nailing your business presentation  here .

The first thing you’ll need to do is to open PowerPoint. When you do, you are shown the Start Menu , with the Home tab open.

This is where you can choose either a blank theme (1) or a pre-built theme (2). You can also choose to open an existing presentation (3).

For now, go ahead and click on the  Blank Presentation (1)  thumbnail.

In the backstage view of PowerPoint you can create a new blank presentation, use a template, or open a recent file

Doing so launches a brand new and blank presentation for you to work with. Before you start adding content to your presentation, let’s first familiarize ourselves with the PowerPoint interface.

The PowerPoint interface

Picture of the different parts of the PowerPoint layout, including the Ribbon, thumbnail view, quick access toolbar, notes pane, etc.

Here is how the program is laid out:

  • The Application Header
  • The Ribbon (including the Ribbon tabs)
  • The Quick Access Toolbar (either above or below the Ribbon)
  • The Slides Pane (slide thumbnails)

The Slide Area

The notes pane.

  • The Status Bar (including the View Buttons)

Each one of these areas has options for viewing certain parts of the PowerPoint environment and formatting your presentation.

Below are the important things to know about certain elements of the PowerPoint interface.

The PowerPoint Ribbon

The PowerPoint Ribbon in the Microsoft Office Suite

The Ribbon is contextual. That means that it will adapt to what you’re doing in the program.

For example, the Font, Paragraph and Drawing options are greyed out until you select something that has text in it, as in the example below (A).

Example of the Shape Format tab in PowerPoint and all of the subsequent commands assoicated with that tab

Furthermore, if you start manipulating certain objects, the Ribbon will display additional tabs, as seen above (B), with more commands and features to help you work with those objects. The following objects have their own additional tabs in the Ribbon which are hidden until you select them:

  • Online Pictures
  • Screenshots
  • Screen Recording

The Slides Pane

The slides pane in PowerPoint is on the left side of your workspace

This is where you can preview and rearrange all the slides in your presentation.

Right-clicking on a slide  in the pane gives you additional options on the slide level that you won’t find on the Ribbon, such as  Duplicate Slide ,  Delete Slide , and  Hide Slide .

Right clicking a PowerPoint slide in the thumbnail view gives you a variety of options like adding new slides, adding sections, changing the layout, etc.

In addition, you can add sections to your presentation by  right-clicking anywhere in this Pane  and selecting  Add Section . Sections are extremely helpful in large presentations, as they allow you to organize your slides into chunks that you can then rearrange, print or display differently from other slides.

Content added to your PowerPoint slides will only display if it's on the slide area, marked here by the letter A

The Slide Area (A) is where you will build out your slides. Anything within the bounds of this area will be visible when you present or print your presentation.

Anything outside of this area (B) will be hidden from view. This means that you can place things here, such as instructions for each slide, without worrying about them being shown to your audience.

The notes pane in PowerPoint is located at the bottom of your screen and is where you can type your speaker notes

The  Notes Pane  is the space beneath the Slide Area where you can type in the speaker notes for each slide. It’s designed as a fast way to add and edit your slides’ talking points.

To expand your knowledge and learn more about adding, printing, and exporting your PowerPoint speaker notes, read our guide here .

Your speaker notes are visible when you print your slides using the Notes Pages option and when you use the Presenter View . To expand your knowledge and learn the ins and outs of using the Presenter View , read our guide here .

You can click and drag to resize the notes pane at the bottom of your PowerPoint screen

You can resize the  Notes Pane  by clicking on its edge and dragging it up or down (A). You can also minimize or reopen it by clicking on the Notes button in the Status Bar (B).

Note:  Not all text formatting displays in the Notes Pane, even though it will show up when printing your speaker notes. To learn more about printing PowerPoint with notes, read our guide here .

Now that you have a basic grasp of the PowerPoint interface at your disposal, it’s time to make your presentation.

Adding Content to Your PowerPoint Presentation

Notice that in the Slide Area , there are two rectangles with dotted outlines. These are called  Placeholders  and they’re set on the template in the Slide Master View .

To expand your knowledge and learn how to create a PowerPoint template of your own (which is no small task), read our guide here .

Click into your content placeholders and start typing text, just as the prompt suggests

As the prompt text suggests, you can click into each placeholder and start typing text. These types of placeholder prompts are customizable too. That means that if you are using a company template, it might say something different, but the functionality is the same.

Example of typing text into a content placeholder in PowerPoint

Note:  For the purposes of this example, I will create a presentation based on the content in the Starbucks 2018 Global Social Impact Report, which is available to the public on their website.

If you type in more text than there is room for, PowerPoint will automatically reduce its font size. You can stop this behavior by clicking on the  Autofit Options  icon to the left of the placeholder and selecting  Stop Fitting Text to this Placeholder .

Next, you can make formatting adjustments to your text by selecting the commands in the Font area and the  Paragraph area  of the  Home  tab of the Ribbon.

Use the formatting options on the Home tab to choose the formatting of your text

The Reset Command:  If you make any changes to your title and decide you want to go back to how it was originally, you can use the Reset button up in the Home tab .

Hitting the reset command on the home tab resets your slide formatting to match your template

Insert More Slides into Your Presentation

Now that you have your title slide filled in, it’s time to add more slides. To do that, simply go up to the  Home tab  and click on  New Slide . This inserts a new slide in your presentation right after the one you were on.

To insert a new slide in PowerPoint, on the home tab click the New Slide command

You can alternatively hit Ctrl+M on your keyboard to insert a new blank slide in PowerPoint. To learn more about this shortcut, see my guide on using Ctrl+M in PowerPoint .

Instead of clicking the New Slide command, you can also open the New Slide dropdown to see all the slide layouts in your PowerPoint template. Depending on who created your template, your layouts in this dropdown can be radically different.

Opening the new slide dropdown you can see all the slide layouts in your PowerPoint template

If you insert a layout and later want to change it to a different layout, you can use the Layout dropdown instead of the New Slide dropdown.

After inserting a few different slide layouts, your presentation might look like the following picture. Don’t worry that it looks blank, next we will start adding content to your presentation.

Example of a number of different blank slide layouts inserting in a PowerPoint presentation

If you want to follow along exactly with me, your five slides should be as follows:

  • Title Slide
  • Title and Content
  • Section Header
  • Two Content
  • Picture with Caption

Adding Content to Your Slides

Now let’s go into each slide and start adding our content. You’ll notice some new types of placeholders.

Use the icons within a content placeholder to insert things like tables, charts, SmartArt, Pictures, etc.

On slide 2 we have a  Content Placeholder , which allows you to add any kind of content. That includes:

  • A SmartArt graphic,
  • A 3D object,
  • A picture from the web,
  • Or an icon.

To insert text, simply type it in or hit  Ctrl+C to Copy  and Ctrl+V to Paste  from elsewhere. To insert any of the other objects, click on the appropriate icon and follow the steps to insert it.

For my example, I’ll simply type in some text as you can see in the picture below.

Example typing bulleted text in a content placeholder in PowerPoint

Slides 3 and 4 only have text placeholders, so I’ll go ahead and add in my text into each one.

Examples of text typed into a divider slide and a title and content slide in PowerPoint

On slide 5 we have a Picture Placeholder . That means that the only elements that can go into it are:

  • A picture from the web

A picture placeholder in PowerPoint can only take an image or an icon

To insert a picture into the picture placeholder, simply:

  • Click on the  Picture  icon
  • Find  a picture on your computer and select it
  • Click on  Insert

Alternatively, if you already have a picture open somewhere else, you can select the placeholder and paste in (shortcut: Ctrl+V ) the picture. You can also drag the picture in from a file explorer window.

To insert a picture into a picture placeholder, click the picture icon, find your picture on your computer and click insert

If you do not like the background of the picture you inserted onto your slide, you can remove the background here in PowerPoint. To see how to do this, read my guide here .

Placeholders aren’t the only way to add content to your slides. At any point, you can use the Insert tab to add elements to your slides.

You can use either the Title Only  or the  Blank  slide layout to create slides for content that’s different. For example, a three-layout content slide, or a single picture divider slide, as shown below.

Example slides using PowerPoint icons and background pictures

In the first example above, I’ve inserted 6 text boxes, 3 icons, and 3 circles to create this layout. In the second example, I’ve inserted a full-sized picture and then 2 shapes and 2 text boxes.

The Reset Command:  Because these slides are built with shapes and text boxes (and not placeholders), hitting the  Reset button up in the  Home tab  won’t do anything.

That is a good thing if you don’t want your layouts to adjust. However, it does mean that it falls on you to make sure everything is aligned and positioned correctly.

For more on how to add and manipulate the different objects in PowerPoint, check out our step-by-step articles here:

  • Using graphics in PowerPoint
  • Inserting icons onto slides
  • Adding pictures to your PowerPoint
  • How to embed a video in PowerPoint
  • How to add music to your presentation

Using Designer to generate more layouts ideas

If you have Office 365, your version of PowerPoint comes with a new feature called Designer (or Design Ideas). This is a feature that generates slide layout ideas for you. The coolest thing about this feature is that it uses the content you already have.

To use Designer , simply navigate to the  Design tab  in your Ribbon, and click on  Design Ideas .

To use Designer on your slides, click the

NOTE: If the PowerPoint Designer is not working for you (it is grey out), see my troubleshooting guide for Designer .

Change the Overall Design (optional)

When you make a PowerPoint presentation, you’ll want to think about the overall design. Now that you have some content in your presentation, you can use the Design tab to change the look and feel of your slides.

For additional help thinking through the design of your presentation,  read my guide here .

A. Picking your PowerPoint slide size

If you have PowerPoint 2013 or later, when you create a blank document in PowerPoint, you automatically start with a widescreen layout with a 16:9 ratio. These dimensions are suitable for most presentations as they match the screens of most computers and projectors.

However, you do have the option to change the dimensions.

For example, your presentation might not be presented, but instead converted into a PDF or printed and distributed. In that case, you can easily switch to the standard dimensions with a 4:3 ratio by selecting from the dropdown (A).

You can also choose a custom slide size or change the slide orientation from landscape to portrait in the Custom Slide Size dialog box (B).

To change your slide size, click the Design tab, open the slide size dropdown and choose a size or custom slide size

To learn all about the different PowerPoint slide sizes, and some of the issues you will face when changing the slide size of a non-blank presentation,  read my guide here .

 B. Selecting a PowerPoint theme

The next thing you can do is change the theme of your presentation to a pre-built one. For a detailed explanation of what a PowerPoint theme is, and how to best use it,  read my article here .

In the beginning of this tutorial, we started with a blank presentation, which uses the default Office theme as you can see in the picture below.

All PowerPoint presentations start with the default Microsoft Office theme

That gives you the most flexibility because it has a blank background and quite simple layouts that work for most presentations. However, it also means that it’s your responsibility to enhance the design.

If you’re comfortable with this, you can stay with the default theme or create your own custom theme ( read my guide here ). But if you would rather not have to think about design, then you can choose a pre-designed theme.

Microsoft provides 46 other pre-built themes, which include slide layouts, color variants and palettes, and fonts. Each one varies quite significantly, so make sure you look through them carefully.

To select a different theme, go to the  Design tab  in the Ribbon, and click on the  dropdown arrow  in the  Themes section .

On the Design tab you will find all of the default PowerPoint templates that come with the Microsoft Office Suite

For this tutorial, let’s select the  Frame  theme and then choose the third Variant in the theme. Doing so changes the layout, colors, and fonts of your presentation.

Example choosing the Frame PowerPoint theme and the third variant of this powerpoint presentation

Note: The theme dropdown area is also where you can import or save custom themes. To see my favorite places to find professional PowerPoint templates and themes (and recommendations for why I like them), read my guide here .

C. How to change a slide background in PowerPoint

The next thing to decide is how you want your background to look for the entire presentation. In the  Variants area, you can see four background options.

To change the background style of your presentation, on the Design tab, find the Background Styles options and choose a style

For this example, we want our presentation to have a dark background, so let’s select Style 3. When you do so, you’ll notice that:

  • The background color automatically changes across all slides
  • The color of the text on most of the slides automatically changes to white so that it’s visible on the dark background
  • The colors of the objects on slides #6 and #7 also adjust, in a way we may not want (we’ll likely have to make some manual adjustments to these slides)

What our PowerPoint presentation looks like now that we have selected a theme, a variant, and a background style

Note: If you want to change the slide background for just that one slide, don’t left-click the style. Instead, right-click it and select Apply to Selected Slides .

After you change the background for your entire presentation, you can easily adjust the background for an individual slide.

You can either right-click a PowerPoint slide and select format background or navigate to the design tab and click the format background command

Inside the Format Background pane, you can see you have the following options:

  • Gradient fill
  • Picture or texture fill
  • Pattern fill
  • Hide background

You can explore these options to find the PowerPoint background that best fits your presentation.

D. How to change your color palette in PowerPoint

Another thing you may want to adjust in your presentation, is the color scheme. In the picture below you can see the Theme Colors we are currently using for this presentation.

Example of the theme colors we are currently using with this presentation

Each PowerPoint theme comes with its own color palette. By default, the Office theme includes the Office color palette. This affects the colors you are presented with when you format any element within your presentation (text, shapes, SmartArt, etc.).

To change the theme color for your presentation, select the Design tab, open the Colors options and choose the colors you want to use

The good news is that the colors here are easy to change. To switch color palettes, simply:

  • Go to the  Design tab in the Ribbon
  • In the Variants area, click on the  dropdown arrow  and select  Colors
  • Select  the color palette (or theme colors) you want

You can choose among the pre-built color palettes from Office, or you can customize them to create your own.

As you build your presentation, make sure you use the colors from your theme to format objects. That way, changing the color palette adjusts all the colors in your presentation automatically.

E. How to change your fonts in PowerPoint

Just as we changed the color palette, you can do the same for the fonts.

Example of custom theme fonts that might come with a powerpoint template

Each PowerPoint theme comes with its own font combination. By default, the Office theme includes the Office font pairing. This affects the fonts that are automatically assigned to all text in your presentation.

To change the default fonts for your presentation, from the design tab, find the fonts dropdown and select the pair of fonts you want to use

The good news is that the font pairings are easy to change. To switch your Theme Fonts, simply:

  • Go to the  Design tab  in the Ribbon
  • Click on the  dropdown arrow  in the  Variants  area
  • Select  Fonts
  • Select  the font pairing you want

You can choose among the pre-built fonts from Office, or you can customize them to create your own.

If you are working with PowerPoint presentations on both Mac and PC computers, make sure you choose a safe PowerPoint font. To see a list of the safest PowerPoint fonts, read our guide here .

If you receive a PowerPoint presentation and the wrong fonts were used, you can use the Replace Fonts dialog box to change the fonts across your entire presentation. For details, read our guide here .

Adding Animations & Transitions (optional)

The final step to make a PowerPoint presentation compelling, is to consider using animations and transitions. These are by no means necessary to a good presentation, but they may be helpful in your situation.

A. Adding PowerPoint animations

PowerPoint has an incredibly robust animations engine designed to power your creativity. That being said, it’s also easy to get started with basic animations.

Animations are movements that you can apply to individual objects on your slide.

To add an animation to an object in PowerPoint, first select the object and then use the Animations tab to select an animation type

To add a PowerPoint animation to an element of your slide, simply:

  • Select the  element
  • Go to the  Animations tab in the Ribbon
  • Click on the  dropdown arrow  to view your options
  • Select the  animation  you want

You can add animations to multiple objects at one time by selecting them all first and then applying the animation.

B. How to preview a PowerPoint animation

There are three ways to preview a PowerPoint animation

There are three ways to preview a PowerPoint animation:

  • Click on the Preview button in the Animations tab
  • Click on the little star  next to the slide
  • Play the slide in Slide Show Mode

To learn other ways to run your slide show, see our guide on presenting a PowerPoint slide show with shortcuts .

To adjust the settings of your animations, explore the options in the  Effect Options ,  Advanced Animation  and the  Timing  areas of the  Animation tab .

The Animations tab allows you to adjust the effects and timings of your animations in PowerPoint

Note:  To see how to make objects appear and disappear in your slides by clicking a button,  read our guide here .

C. How to manage your animations in PowerPoint

You can see the animations applied to your objects by the little numbers in the upper right-hand corner of the objects

The best way to manage lots of animations on your slide is with the Animation Pane . To open it, simply:

  • Navigate to the  Animations tab
  • Select the  Animation Pane

Inside the Animation Pane, you’ll see all of the different animations that have been applied to objects on your slide, with their numbers marked as pictured above.

Note: To see examples of PowerPoint animations that can use in PowerPoint, see our list of PowerPoint animation tutorials here .

D. How to add transitions to your PowerPoint presentation

PowerPoint has an incredibly robust transition engine so that you can dictate how your slides change from one to the other. It is also extremely easy to add transitions to your slides.

In PowerPoint, transitions are the movements (or effects) you see as you move between two slides.

To add a transition to a slide, select the slide, navigate to the transitions tab in PowerPoint and select your transition

To add a transition to a PowerPoint slide, simply:

  • Select the  slide
  • Go to the  Transitions tab in the Ribbon
  • In the Transitions to This Slide area, click on the  dropdown arrow  to view your options
  • Select the  transition  you want

To adjust the settings of the transition, explore the options in the  Timing  area of the Transitions tab.

You can also add the same transition to multiple slides. To do that, select them in the  Slides Pane  and apply the transition.

E. How to preview a transition in PowerPoint

There are three ways to preview a transition in PowerPoint

There are three ways to preview your PowerPoint transitions (just like your animations):

  • Click on the Preview  button in the Transitions tab
  • Click on the little star  beneath the slide number in the thumbnail view

Note:  In 2016, PowerPoint added a cool new transition, called Morph. It operates a bit differently from other transitions. For a detailed tutorial on how to use the cool Morph transition,  see our step-by-step article here .

Save Your PowerPoint Presentation

After you’ve built your presentation and made all the adjustments to your slides, you’ll want to save your presentation. YOu can do this several different ways.

Click the file tab, select Save As, choose where you want to save your presentation and then click save

To save a PowerPoint presentation using your Ribbon, simply:

  • Navigate to the  File tab
  •  Select  Save As  on the left
  • Choose  where you want to save your presentation
  • Name  your presentation and/or adjust your file type settings
  • Click  Save

You can alternatively use the  Ctrl+S keyboard shortcut to save your presentation. I recommend using this shortcut frequently as you build your presentation to make sure you don’t lose any of your work.

The save shortcut is control plus s in PowerPoint

This is the standard way to save a presentation. However, there may be a situation where you want to save your presentation as a different file type.

To learn how to save your presentation as a PDF, see our guide on converting PowerPoint to a PDF .

How to save your PowerPoint presentation as a template

Once you’ve created a presentation that you like, you may want to turn it into a template. The easiest – but not technically correct – way, is to simply create a copy of your current presentation and then change the content.

But be careful! A PowerPoint template is a special type of document and it has its own parameters and behaviors.

If you’re interested in learning about how to create your own PowerPoint template from scratch, see our guide on how to create a PowerPoint template .

Printing Your PowerPoint Presentation

After finishing your PowerPoint presentation, you may want to print it out on paper. Printing your slides is relatively easy.

The print shortcut is control plus P in PowerPoint

To open the Print dialog box, you can either:

  • Hit Ctrl+P on your keyboard
  • Or go to the Ribbon and click on File and then Print

In the Print dialog box, make your selections for how you want to print your PowerPoint presentation, then click print

Inside the Print dialog box, you can choose from the various printing settings:

  • Printer: Select a printer to use (or print to PDF or OneNote)
  • Slides: Choose which slides you want to print
  • Layout: Determine how many slides you want per page (this is where you can print the notes, outline, and handouts)
  • Collated or uncollated (learn what collated printing means here )
  • Color: Choose to print in color, grayscale or black & white

There are many more options for printing your PowerPoint presentations. Here are links to more in-depth articles:

  • How to print multiple slides per page
  • How to print your speaker notes in PowerPoint
  • How to save PowerPoint as a picture presentation

So that’s how to create a PowerPoint presentation if you are brand new to it. We’ve also included a ton of links to helpful resources to boost your PowerPoint skills further.

When you are creating your presentation, it is critical to first focus on the content (what you are trying to say) before getting lost inserting and playing with elements. The clearer you are on what you want to present, the easier it will be to build it out in PowerPoint.

If you enjoyed this article, you can learn more about our PowerPoint training courses and other presentation resources by  visiting us here .

🔒 Unlock the PowerPoint Shortcuts Trusted by Industry Leaders KKR, American Express, HSBC, and More!

Join over 114,880 professionals from diverse fields including consulting, investment banking, advertising, marketing, sales, and business development who have supercharged their PowerPoint game with our proven methods.

✅ Customize compelling presentations effortlessly.

✅ Master time-saving techniques for faster deck creation.

✅ Boost your career prospects with top-notch PowerPoint skills.

Get FREE access to the Critical PowerPoint Shortcuts module of our premium training course by entering your name and email below.

DISCLAIMER: PC Users Only!

We respect your privacy and will keep your info safe and confidential.

About The Author

' src=

Popular Tutorials

  • How to Strikethrough Text (l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶) in Word, Excel & PowerPoint
  • How to Make Animated Fireworks in PowerPoint (Step-by-Step)
  • How to Create a Flash Card Memory Game in PowerPoint (Like Jeopardy)
  • Strikethrough Shortcut (l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶) for Word, Excel & PowerPoint
  • Keyboard Shortcuts Not Working: Solved

PowerPoint Tutorial Categories

  • Strategies & Opinions
  • Shortcuts & Hacks
  • Pictures, Icons, Videos, Etc.
  • New Features
  • Miscellaneous
  • Charts & Data Viz

We help busy professionals save hours and gain peace of mind, with corporate workshops, self-paced courses and tutorials for PowerPoint and Word.

Work With Us

  • Corporate Training
  • Presentation & Template Design
  • Courses & Downloads
  • PowerPoint Articles
  • Word Articles
  • Productivity Resources

Find a Tutorial

  • Free Training
  • For Businesses

We help busy office workers save hours and gain peace of mind, with tips, training and tutorials for Microsoft PowerPoint and Word.

Master Critical PowerPoint Shortcuts – Secure Your FREE Training Module and Save Valuable Time!

⌛ Master time-saving expert techniques.

🔥 Create powerful presentations.

🚀 Propel your career to new heights.

We value your privacy – we keep your info safe.

Discover PowerPoint Hacks Loved by Industry Giants - KKR, AmEx, HSBC!

Over 114,880 professionals in finance, marketing and sales have revolutionized their PPT skills with our proven methods. 

Gain FREE access to a full module of our premium PowerPoint training program – Get started today!

We hate spam too and promise to keep your information safe.

slides icon

Cloud Storage

gmail icon

Custom Business Email

Meet icon

Video and voice conferencing

calendar icon

Shared Calendars

docs icon

Word Processing

sheets icon

Spreadsheets

Presentation Builder

forms icon

Survey builder

google workspace

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

icon for add comment button

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 !

comment box buttons

E s t i m a t e d   b u d g e t

Cursor

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.

Slides create presentations

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.

Slides present with confidence

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.

Slides connect to Google apps

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.

Slides connect to Google apps

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.

Design slides faster, with built-in intelligence

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

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

badge ISO IEC

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 .

privacy icon

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

keep icon

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.

Google Play store

Get a head start with templates

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

Slides Template Proposal

Photo Album

Slides Template Photo album

Book Report

Slides Template Book report

Visit the Slides Template Gallery for more.

Ready to get started?

  • 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

6 Simple Parts for Beginners to Create a PowerPoint Presentation

Last Updated: December 19, 2022 Fact Checked

Creating a New PowerPoint

Creating the title slide, adding a new slide, adding content to slides, adding transitions, testing and saving your presentation.

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA . Darlene Antonelli is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Darlene has experience teaching college courses, writing technology-related articles, and working hands-on in the technology field. She earned an MA in Writing from Rowan University in 2012 and wrote her thesis on online communities and the personalities curated in such communities. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 4,308,644 times. Learn more...

Do you want to have your data in a slide show? If you have Microsoft 365, you can use PowerPoint! PowerPoint is a program that's part of the Microsoft Office suite (which you have to pay for) and is available for both Windows and Mac computers. This wikiHow teaches you how to create your own Microsoft PowerPoint presentation on a computer.

Things You Should Know

  • Templates make it easy to create vibrant presentations no matter your skill level.
  • When adding photos, you can adjust their sizes by clicking and dragging in or out from their corners.
  • You can add animated transitions between slides or to individual elements like bullet points and blocks of text.

Step 1 Open PowerPoint.

  • If you don't have a Microsoft Office 365 subscription, you can use the website instead of the desktop app. Go to https://powerpoint.office.com/ to use the website version.
  • You can also use the mobile app to make presentations, though it's easier to do this on a computer, which has a larger screen, a mouse, and a keyboard.

Step 2 Select a template.

  • If you don't want to use a template, just click the Blank option in the upper-left side of the page and skip to the next part.

Step 3 Select a theme if possible.

  • Skip this step if your selected template has no themes available.

Step 4 Click Create.

  • If you're creating a PowerPoint presentation for which an elaborate title slide has been requested, ignore this step.

Step 2 Add a title.

  • You can change the font and size of text used from the Home tab that's in the orange ribbon at the top of the window.

Step 3 Add the subtitle.

  • You can also just leave this box blank if you like.

Step 4 Rearrange the title text boxes.

  • You can also click and drag in or out one of a text box's corners to shrink or enlarge the text box.

Step 1 Click the Insert tab.

  • On a Mac, you'll click the Home tab instead. [1] X Research source

Step 2 Click New Slide ▼.

  • Clicking the white slide-shaped box above this option will result in a new text slide being inserted.

Step 3 Select a type of slide.

  • Title Slide
  • Title and Content
  • Section Header
  • Two Content
  • Content with Caption
  • Picture with Caption

Step 4 Add any other slides that you think you'll need.

  • Naturally, the title slide should be the first slide in your presentation, meaning that it should be the top slide in the left-hand column.

Step 1 Select a slide.

  • Skip this step and the next two steps if your selected slide uses a template that doesn't have text boxes in it.

Step 3 Add text to the slide.

  • Text boxes in PowerPoint will automatically format the bulk of your text for you (e.g., adding bullet points) based on the context of the content itself.
  • You can add notes that the Presentation will not include (but you'll still be able to see them on your screen) by clicking Notes at the bottom of the slide.

Step 4 Format the slide's text.

  • You can change the font of the selected text by clicking the current font's name and then clicking your preferred font.
  • If you want to change the size of the text, click the numbered drop-down box and then click a larger or smaller number based on whether you want to enlarge or shrink the text.
  • You can also change the color, bolding, italicization, underlining, and so on from here.

Step 5 Add photos to the slide.

  • Photos in particular can be enlarged or shrunk by clicking and dragging out or in one of their corners.

Step 7 Repeat this for each slide in your presentation.

  • Remember to keep slides uncluttered and relatively free of distractions. It's best to keep the amount of text per slide to around 33 words or less. [2] X Research source

Step 1 Select a slide.

  • Slide content will animate in the order in which you assign transitions. For example, if you animate a photo on the slide and then animate the title, the photo will appear before the title.
  • Make your slideshow progress automatically by setting the speed of every transition to align with your speech as well as setting each slide to Advance . [3] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source

Step 1 Review your PowerPoint.

  • If you need to exit the presentation, press Esc .

Step 5 Make any necessary changes before proceeding.

  • Windows - Click File , click Save , double-click This PC , select a save location, enter a name for your presentation, and click Save .
  • Mac - Click File , click Save As... , enter the presentation's name in the "Save As" field, select a save location by clicking the "Where" box and clicking a folder, and click Save .

Community Q&A

Community Answer

  • If you save your PowerPoint presentation in .pps format instead of the default .ppt format, double-clicking your PowerPoint presentation file will prompt the presentation to open directly into the slideshow view. Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 0
  • If you don't have Microsoft Office, you can still use Apple's Keynote program or Google Slides to create a PowerPoint presentation. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

  • Your PowerPoint presentation (or some features in it) may not open in significantly older versions of PowerPoint. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 1
  • Great PowerPoint presentations avoid placing too much text on one slide. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

Create a Powerpoint Handout

  • ↑ https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?resid=DBDCE00C929AA5D8!252&ithint=file%2cpptx&app=PowerPoint&authkey=!AH4O9NxcbehqzIg
  • ↑ https://www.virtualsalt.com/powerpoint.htm
  • ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/set-the-timing-and-speed-of-a-transition-c3c3c66f-4cca-4821-b8b9-7de0f3f6ead1#:~:text=To%20make%20the%20slide%20advance,effect%20on%20the%20slide%20finishes .

About This Article

Darlene Antonelli, MA

  • Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

Artis Holland

Artis Holland

Sep 22, 2016

Is this article up to date?

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

Oct 18, 2016

Anonymous

Jul 23, 2016

Margery Niyi

Margery Niyi

Sep 25, 2017

Anonymous

Jul 21, 2016

Am I a Narcissist or an Empath Quiz

Featured Articles

Learn to Say No

Trending Articles

How to Take the Perfect Thirst Trap

Watch Articles

Wrap a Round Gift

  • 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

  • What is PowerPoint? Video
  • Create a presentation Video
  • Choose the right view for the task Video
  • Add and format text Video

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

Create a presentation

Your browser does not support video. Install Microsoft Silverlight, Adobe Flash Player, or Internet Explorer 9.

Create a presentation from scratch, or from a theme. All themes have a palate of colors and fonts designed to work together. 

Create a blank presentation

Open PowerPoint.

Select one of the Blank Presentation and start typing. 

Note:  Microsoft 365 subscribers will find Design Ideas based on the words you type. You can browse and select a new look.

Create a presentation from a theme

Select File > New .

Double-click a theme in the gallery to create a presentation in that theme. Or search for more templates.

Apply or change a slide layout

Apply a template to your presentation

Create and save a PowerPoint template

Get Microsoft presentation templates

Facebook

Need more help?

Want more options.

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

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

Microsoft 365 subscription benefits

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

Microsoft 365 training

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

Microsoft security

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

Accessibility center

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

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

Ask the Microsoft Community

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

Microsoft Tech Community

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

Windows Insiders

Microsoft 365 Insiders

Was this information helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.

17 PowerPoint Presentation Tips to Make More Creative Slideshows [+ Templates]

Jamie Cartwright

Published: August 16, 2023

Creating a great PowerPoint presentation is a skill that any professional can benefit from. The problem? It’s really easy to get it wrong. From poor color choices to confusing slides, a bad PowerPoint slideshow can distract from the fantastic content you’re sharing with stakeholders on your team.

powerpoint tricks

That’s why it’s so important to learn how to create a PowerPoint presentation from the ground up, starting with your slides. Even if you’re familiar with PowerPoint, a refresher will help you make a more attractive, professional slideshow. Let’s get started.

How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation

  • Presentation Tips

PowerPoint Design

I like to think of Microsoft PowerPoint as a test of basic professional skills. To create a passing presentation, I need to demonstrate design skills, technical literacy, and a sense of personal style.

If the presentation has a problem (like an unintended font, a broken link, or unreadable text), then I’ve probably failed the test. Even if my spoken presentation is well rehearsed, a bad visual experience can ruin it for the audience.

Expertise means nothing without a good PowerPoint presentation to back it up. For starters, grab your collection of free PowerPoint templates below.

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

10 Free PowerPoint Templates

Download ten free PowerPoint templates for a better presentation.

  • Creative templates.
  • Data-driven templates.
  • Professional templates.

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

Tell us a little about yourself below to gain access today.

No matter your topic, successful PowerPoints depend on three main factors: your command of PowerPoint's design tools, your attention to presentation processes, and your devotion to consistent style. Here are some simple tips to help you start mastering each of those factors, and don't forget to check out the additional resources at the bottom of this post.

A presentation is made up of multiple slides, let's delve deeper into PowerPoint's capabilities.

Getting Started

1. open powerpoint and click ‘new.’.

If a page with templates doesn‘t automatically open, go to the top left pane of your screen and click New. If you’ve already created a presentation, select Open then double-click the icon to open the existing file.

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

powerpoint presentation: types of fonts

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.

Above all, be sure you're consistent so your presentation looks the same throughout each slide. That way, your audience doesn't become distracted by too many disparate fonts. Check out this example from HubSpot’s company profile templates:

Interested in this presentation template? Download it for free here.

5. Make sure all of your objects are properly aligned.

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. You're trying to make sure all of your objects hang out in the middle of your slide, but when you drag them there, it still doesn't look quite right. Get rid of your guessing game and let PowerPoint work its magic with this trick.

Here’s how to align multiple objects:

  • Select all objects by holding down Shift and clicking on all of them.
  • Select Arrange in the top options bar, then choose Align or Distribute .
  • Choose the type of alignment you'd like.

Here’s how to align objects to the slide:

  • Select Align to Slide .
  • Select Arrange in the top options bar again, then choose Align or Distribute .

6. Use "Format Object" to better control your objects' designs.

Format menus allow you to do fine adjustments that otherwise seem impossible. To do this, right-click on an object and select the Format Object option. Here, you can fine-tune shadows, adjust shape measurements, create reflections, and much more. The menu that will pop up looks like this:

powerpoint presentation: format object pane

Although the main options can be found on PowerPoint’s format toolbars, look for complete control in the format window menu. Other examples of options available include:

  • Adjusting text inside a shape.
  • Creating a natural perspective shadow behind an object.
  • Recoloring photos manually and with automatic options.

7. Take advantage of PowerPoint's shapes.

Many users don’t realize how flexible PowerPoint’s shape tools have become. In combination with the expanded format options released by Microsoft, the potential for good design with shapes is readily available. PowerPoint provides the user with a bunch of great shape options beyond the traditional rectangle, oval, and rounded rectangle patterns.

Today’s shapes include a highly functional Smart Shapes function, which enables you to create diagrams and flow charts in no time. These tools are especially valuable when you consider that PowerPoint is a visual medium. Paragraphing and bullet lists are boring — you can use shapes to help express your message more clearly.

8. Create custom shapes.

When you create a shape, right click and press Edit Points . By editing points, you can create custom shapes that fit your specific need. For instance, you can reshape arrows to fit the dimensions you like.

Another option is to combine two shapes together. To do so, select the two shapes you’d like to work with, then click Shape Format in the top ribbon. Tap Merge Shapes .

You’ll see a variety of options.

  • Combine creates a custom shape that has overlapping portions of the two previous shapes cut out.
  • Union makes one completely merged shape.
  • Intersect builds a shape of only the overlapping sections of the two previous shapes.
  • Subtract cuts out the overlapping portion of one shape from the other.
  • Fragment will split your shape into different parts depending on where they overlap.

By using these tools rather than trying to edit points precisely, you can create accurately measured custom shapes.

9. Crop images into custom shapes.

Besides creating custom shapes in your presentation, you can also use PowerPoint to crop existing images into new shapes. Here's how you do that:

  • Click on the image and select Picture Format in the options bar.
  • Choose Crop , then Crop to Shape , and then choose your desired shape. Ta-da! Custom-shaped photos.

10. Present websites within PowerPoint.

Tradition says that if you want to show a website in a PowerPoint, you should just create a link to the page and prompt a browser to open. For PC users, there’s a better option.

Third party software that integrates fully into PowerPoint’s developer tab can be used to embed a website directly into your PowerPoint using a normal HTML iframe. One of the best tools is LiveWeb , a third-party software that you can install on your PowerPoint program.

By using LiveWeb, you don’t have to interrupt your PowerPoint, and your presentation will remain fluid and natural. Whether you embed a whole webpage or just a YouTube video, this can be a high-quality third party improvement. To install the add-on, simple head to the LiveWeb website and follow the instructions.

Unfortunately, Mac users don’t have a similar option. A good second choice is to take screenshots of the website, link in through a browser, or embed media (such as a YouTube video) by downloading it directly to your computer.

11. Try Using GIFs.

GIFs are looped animated images used to communicate a mood, idea, information, and much more. Users add GIFs to PowerPoints to be funny or quickly demo a process. It's easy to add GIFs to your slides. To do so, simply follow these steps:

  • Download and save the GIF you want.
  • Go to the slide you want the GIF on.
  • Go to the Home tab, and click either Insert or Picture .
  • From the Picture drop-down menu, choose Picture from File .
  • Navigate to where you saved your GIF and select it. Then, choose Insert .
  • It will play automatically the moment you insert it.

PowerPoint Process

12. keep it simple..

PowerPoint is an excellent tool to support your presentation with visual information, graphics, and supplemental points. This means that your PowerPoint should not be your entire presentation. Your slides — no matter how creative and beautiful — shouldn't be the star of the show. Keep your text and images clear and concise, using them only to supplement your message and authority.

If your slides have dense and cluttered information, it will both distract your audience and make it much more likely that you will lose their attention. Nothing in your slides should be superfluous! Keep your presentation persuasive by keeping it clean. There are a few ways to do this:

  • Limit bullet points and text.
  • Avoid paragraphs and long quotes.
  • Maintain "white space" or "negative space".
  • Keep percentages, graphs, and data super basic.

13. Embed your font files.

One constant problem presenters have with PowerPoint is that fonts seem to change when presenters move from one computer to another. In reality, the fonts are not changing — the presentation computer just doesn’t have the same font files installed . If you’re using a PC and presenting on a PC, then there is a smooth workaround for this issue.

Here’s the trick: When you save your PowerPoint file (only on a PC), you should click File , then Options, then open up the Save tab. Then, select the Embed fonts in the file check box under Preserve fidelity when sharing this presentation . Now, your presentation will keep the font file and your fonts will not change when you move computers.

The macOS PowerPoint version has a similar function. To embed your fonts on a Mac, do the following:

  • Open up your presentation.
  • On the top bar, click PowerPoint , then click Preferences .
  • Under Output and Sharing , click Save .
  • Under Font Embedding , click Embed fonts in the file.

14. Save your slides as a PDF file for backup purposes.

If you’re still scared of your presentation showing up differently when it’s time to present, you should create a PDF version just in case. This is a good option if you’ll be presenting on a different computer. If you also run into an issue where the presenting computer doesn’t have PowerPoint installed, you can also use the system viewer to open up the PDF. No laptop will ever give you trouble with this file type.

The only caveat is that your GIFs, animations, and transitions won’t transfer over. But since the PDF will only work as a backup, not as your primary copy, this should be okay.

To save your presentation as a PDF file, take the following steps:

  • Go to File , then click Save as …
  • In the pop-up window, click File Format.
  • A drop-down menu will appear. Select PDF .
  • Click Export .

You can also go to File , then Export , then select PDF from the file format menu.

15. Embed multimedia.

PowerPoint allows you to either link to video/audio files externally or to embed the media directly in your presentation. You should embed these files if you can, but if you use a Mac, you cannot actually embed the video (see note below). For PCs, two great reasons for embedding are:

  • Embedding allows you to play media directly in your presentation. It will look much more professional than switching between windows.
  • Embedding also means that the file stays within the PowerPoint presentation, so it should play normally without extra work (except on a Mac).

Note: macOS users of PowerPoint should be extra careful about using multimedia files.

If you use PowerPoint for Mac, then you will always need to bring the video and/or audio file with you in the same folder as the PowerPoint presentation. It’s best to only insert video or audio files once the presentation and the containing folder have been saved on a portable drive in their permanent folder. Also, if the presentation will be played on a Windows computer, then Mac users need to make sure their multimedia files are in WMV format. This tip gets a bit complicated, so if you want to use PowerPoint effectively, consider using the same operating system for designing and presenting, no matter what.

16. Bring your own hardware.

Between operating systems, PowerPoint is still a bit jumpy. Even between differing PPT versions, things can change. One way to fix these problems is to make sure that you have the right hardware — so just bring along your own laptop when you're presenting.

If you’re super concerned about the different systems you might have to use, then upload your PowerPoint presentation into Google Slides as a backup option. Google Slides is a cloud-based presentation software that will show up the same way on all operating systems. The only thing you need is an internet connection and a browser.

To import your PowerPoint presentation into Google Slides, take the following steps:

  • Navigate to slides.google.com . Make sure you’re signed in to a Google account, preferably your own.
  • Under Start a new presentation , click the empty box with a plus sign. This will open up a blank presentation.
  • Go to File , then Import slides .
  • A dialog box will come up. Tap Upload , then click Select a file from your device .
  • Select your presentation and click Open .
  • Select the slides you’d like to import. If you want to import all of them, click All in the upper right-hand corner of the dialog box.
  • Click Import slides.

powerpoint presentation: importing slides into google slides

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’ll be presenting across different operating systems.

17. Use Presenter View.

In most presentation situations, there will be both a presenter’s screen and the main projected display for your presentation. PowerPoint has a great tool called Presenter View, which can be found in the Slide Show tab of PowerPoint. Included in the Presenter View is an area for notes, a timer/clock, and a presentation display.

powerpoint presentation: using presenter view

For many presenters, this tool can help unify their spoken presentation and their visual aid. You never want to make the PowerPoint seem like a stack of notes that you’re reading off of. Use the Presenter View option to help create a more natural presentation.

Pro Tip: At the start of the presentation, you should also hit CTRL + H to make the cursor disappear. Hitting the "A" key will bring it back if you need it!

Your Next Great PowerPoint Presentation Starts Here

With style, design, and presentation processes under your belt, you can do a lot more with PowerPoint than just presentations for your clients. PowerPoint and similar slide applications are flexible tools that should not be forgotten. With a great template, you can be on your way to creating presentations that wow your audience.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in September 2013 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Blog - Beautiful PowerPoint Presentation Template [List-Based]

Don't forget to share this post!

Related articles.

20 Great Examples of PowerPoint Presentation Design [+ Templates]

20 Great Examples of PowerPoint Presentation Design [+ Templates]

How to Write an Ecommerce Business Plan [Examples & Template]

How to Write an Ecommerce Business Plan [Examples & Template]

Get Buyers to Do What You Want: The Power of Temptation Bundling in Sales

Get Buyers to Do What You Want: The Power of Temptation Bundling in Sales

How to Create an Engaging 5-Minute Presentation

How to Create an Engaging 5-Minute Presentation

How to Start a Presentation [+ Examples]

How to Start a Presentation [+ Examples]

How to Create an Infographic in Under an Hour [+ Free Templates]

How to Create an Infographic in Under an Hour [+ Free Templates]

120 Presentation Topic Ideas Help You Hook Your Audience

120 Presentation Topic Ideas Help You Hook Your Audience

How to Create the Best PowerPoint Presentations [Examples & Templates]

How to Create the Best PowerPoint Presentations [Examples & Templates]

The Presenter's Guide to Nailing Your Next PowerPoint

The Presenter's Guide to Nailing Your Next PowerPoint

How to Create a Stunning Presentation Cover Page [+ Examples]

How to Create a Stunning Presentation Cover Page [+ Examples]

Marketing software that helps you drive revenue, save time and resources, and measure and optimize your investments — all on one easy-to-use platform

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.

define a goal

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.

avoid walls of text

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

use better fonts

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.

use fewer bullets

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.

avoid transitions

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.

use visuals

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.

find a color palette

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.

change views

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.

How to Create a PowerPoint Presentation

license

Introduction: How to Create a PowerPoint Presentation

How to Create a PowerPoint Presentation

The possible uses of PowerPoint are countless.  A slide show can help a teacher teach a lesson, illustrate an event in history, easily display statistical information, or be used for training in corporations.  A slide show can be a valuable tool for teaching, sharing and learning.  Whether presenting at a conference or convincing your parents to get a puppy, PowerPoint presentations are useful no matter what the topic and help communicate ideas to an audience.  The invention of PowerPoint by Gaskins has saved presenters hours of painstakingly handcrafting displays, and created a professional and easy way to relay information.  The following are steps on how to create a basic PowerPoint presentation, however certain steps may vary slightly depending upon what version of PowerPoint you are using.  This tutorial is specifically using PowerPoint 2007.

Step 1: Launch the PowerPoint Program

When you launch the PowerPoint program, you may be prompted to pick what kind of document you want to create.  Choose to create a blank presentation.  If it does not ask you this, a blank presentation will automatically launch.

Step 2: Choosing a Design

The next thing you want to do is decide what design you want for the presentation. To do this, go to the 'Design' tab at the top of the page. Scroll through all the options and decide which one looks best for the presentation you want. To get a preview of what the design will look like before applying it to the presentation, hover over the design you want to preview. This design will be automatically continued throughout the rest of your presentation. Once you have more than one slide, you can add a different design for just one slide. To do this, select the slide you want to change the design on by clicking on it. It will pop-up as the big slide in the screen. Then you can right-click the design you want for this slide and select 'Apply to Selected Slide'. It will appear on that slide, but will not change the design of the other slides.

Step 3: Create Title Page

Click the first box that says 'Click to add title' and add the title of your presentation.  Click the bottom box to add your name, or any other subtitle that you choose.  Once you have your text in the boxes, you can change their font, size, color, etc. with the toolbar options at the top.  You can change the size of the text box by selecting it, and then dragging the corners of the box.  To move the text boxes, select the box, and move your arrow over the border of the box.  A four-arrow icon will appear, and clicking with this icon will allow you to move the text boxes wherever you choose.

Step 4: Add More Slides

Chances are, you are going to need more than one slide.  There are a few ways you can add more slides.  Notice that there is a separate area to the left of the screen where your first slide is located.  The first way to add a slide is to right-click the area under where your first slide is located and select 'New Slide'.  A new slide will appear.  The second way to add another slide it to click 'New Slide' in the toolbar above the slides.  This button is divided into two parts,. The top will insert a new slide with a default layout.  You can also click the bottom half of this button, which will allow you to choose what type of layout you want.  You can choose a slide with two text-boxes and a title, one text-box, only a title, and many other options.  You will see your new slide appear to the left under the first, as well become the large slide that you can edit.  The design you picked earlier will have carried over to this slide.  The design will carry over for the rest of the slides you create unless you decide to change just one, like described earlier.  The guideline layout you chose will appear, and you can then add in your information.

Step 5: Add Charts, Pictures, Graphs, Etc.

If you want to insert a chart, picture, graph, or any other graphic, click on the 'Insert' tab at the top of the window.  Here you will see buttons of all the options of what you can insert into your slide.  Click the designated box and insert what it is you want to have on that slide.  A second way you can insert pictures and graphs is when you have an empty text or image box.  Little pictures of the same options you saw in the toolbox will show up in the middle of the box, and you can click any of these to insert as well.  Once you have your chart or picture, you can add a border or edit it however you want in the 'Format' tab.

Step 6: Add Transitions

To add transitions in between your slides, click the 'Animations' tab at the top of the page.  Here you can scroll through all the options of transitions, and hover over them to see a preview.  Select the slide you want the transition applied to, and then click the transition you chose.  You can do this for every slide, selecting the same or different transitions.

Step 7: Changing the Order

Once you have all your slides made, you can change the order of the slides.  To do this, click and drag the slides from where they are to where you want them in the order.  Another possibility, which is particularly useful if you presentation is longer, is to click the 'Outline' button.  You can find this small button above the left area where all your slides are located smaller, directly to the right of the 'Slides' button.  Here you will see a list of all your slides and you can click and drag your slides to where you want them.

Step 8: Play the Presentation

Once you have all your slides completed and in the order you want, view your slideshow.  Click the 'Slide Show' tab at the top of the page and select 'From Beginning'.  You can go through your entire slideshow, and change slides by clicking or pressing the right arrow.  A shortcut to this is pressing F5.  Congratulations! You have now made a PowerPoint presentation.

Recommendations

Retro Internet Radio Using ESP32

Remake It - Autodesk Design & Make - Student Contest

Remake It - Autodesk Design & Make - Student Contest

Make it Resilient

Make it Resilient

Made with AI - Autodesk Design & Make - Student Contest

Made with AI - Autodesk Design & Make - Student Contest

  • How It Works

https://nasacademy.com/blog/article/create-a-powerpoint-presentation-in-3-simple-steps

How to deliver a killer powerpoint presentation banner

Tips and Tricks

Create a powerpoint presentation that nobody will forget in 3 simple steps, your powerpoint doesn’t tell the story – you do.

Team Nas Academy

17 Sep · 10 mins read

Preparing a work pitch is no simple task, especially if you’re wanting make a good impression. Even after all this time spent in Zoom meetings, many people still struggle to create an engaging PowerPoint presentation that goes beyond reading key points off a slide. 

But don’t worry – we’ve got you covered, in just three simple steps.

And these presentation tips will help you fully utilize your storytelling skills so that your presentation will linger in the minds of your audience – long after you’ve left the room – and even buy yourself negotiating power .

While PowerPoints are all about the visuals, you still have to focus on how to best deliver your message if you want to keep people interested from start to finish.

Step 1: Structure Your Presentation

Before you start creating your powerpoint presentation, you need to know what you’re going to talk about, and how you are going to structure it. Pick a good topic, that you know enough about, and find the best angle that others will want to hear about. Then, reveal your information in order by structuring your presentation like a story. 

Writing your presentation from the perspective of a storyteller is what is going to hold the attention of your listeners from beginning to the end (because it won’t feel like you are just relaying facts and information).

Rather, you’ll get them investing in what you have to say and take them on a journey with you, to teach them exactly what you need them to know.

how-to-create-a-powerpoint-presentation

A. Learn how to write a good hook

Arguably, the most important part of your entire presentation is your introduction. How you start your presentation and what you lead with is going to determine how interested your audience will be throughout the rest of your presentation.

After all, your first words immediately introduce your audience to who you are and what your style is – and it sets the tone going forward. It’s the point where audiences will choose to tune in or tune out.

A solid hook instantly makes a commitment to your audience that what you have to say is going to be interesting, and it keeps them wanting more. It helps you stand out as a speaker. 

So, focus on creating an attention-grabbing introduction, just like you would find in the first page of a book or the opening scene of a movie. Consider starting with:

  • An interesting, mind-blowing fun fact,
  • A unique image or video,
  • Asking an engaging question, or 
  • Creating a scenario involving your audience: “Imagine…”

Depending on the environment, goal, and subject of your talk, you could do a poll and ask people to raise their hands or stand up – or get physically involved with their senses by putting something interesting under their chairs or on the tables in front of them, and ask them to engage with it.

how-to-create-a-powerpoint-presentation

Pulling on that human connection and encouraging active participation with your audience is an amazing way to come off as confident and experienced.

Don’t forget to bring people into the world you’re about to explore. It’s been proven that people learn and are more receptive to information when they feel involved (rather than feeling like passive viewers who are doomed to sit through, yet again, another boring PowerPoint presentation).

As inaccurate as it might be, people do make assumptions. And they will continue to make decisions based on first impressions – so make that first impression count. 

B. Build your mystery box

Famous Hollywood director JJ Abrams (creator of Lost and director of the most recent Star Wars films) gave his own TedTalk presentation  that was based around a “mystery box” that he got from a magic store when he was a kid. 

It was a sealed box, with a question mark printed on it. There was no indication of what was inside when he bought it – and even as an adult with kids of his own now, he still doesn’t know . It remains sealed to this day. Never opening it and admiring the mystery within this box is what inspired him to go on and create so many successful, enticing stories – by f ocusing on always including an element of mystery.

Your PowerPoint presentation is your story, so build it like a mystery box.

Humans love solving mysteries – we are constantly looking to uncover things and make sense of the world around us. So, if you introduce a mystery to your audience at the beginning of a story, it can be a great way to get people to stick around until the end .

You could try asking a question, and refusing to answer it until the end. Allude to something intriguing, but don’t give it away. Try thinking of creative ways that make sense for your specific presentation, where you can keep the mystery alive – and, ultimately, keep your audience engaged.

C. End your talk with a bang

If you want to know how to end a presentation, it’s all about making yourself memorable and bringing your point to a strong close. In order to do this, you have to wrap up loose ends like any other story arc, and find some way of continuing the conversation beyond your pitch .

How can you leave a long-lasting impression, and let people get the most out of your presentation? This is why you should always leave a call-to-action (CTA).

how-to-create-a-powerpoint-presentation

Your CTA will depend on what your goals are as a presenter.

You might want to encourage discussion around a topic – so it might be good to end by asking a question and leaving the floor open for answers, as many do. But if you want readers to do something, give them actionable steps they can take today or provide them with resources and encourage them by telling them why doing this work is necessary.

Whatever it is you are hoping to get from this talk, make sure you are clear on it and then end your presentation accordingly.

Step 2: Create Your Presentation

A. pick a powerpoint template or theme.

Now that you have your story, it’s time to start building a visually effective deck to go along with it.

The first step in creating your slides is to customize a theme – this is what will make each and every slide of your presentation feel cohesive, and give the entire slide deck a natural flow. 

Each slide should have some type of variation for visual interest, but should also incorporate the same, main design. This makes it easier for your audience to follow along, and feel as though you are taking them through a journey. They will feel like they can keep up and won’t be overwhelmed and confused by too many different styles, tones, and mixed brand messages. Use variation as a tool , but be mindful not to overdo it.

Picking a PowerPoint template can be as easy as using a free one in the PowerPoint library, purchasing one, or even creating your own. When preparing themes, try and customize the look as much as possible to fit your brand or messaging.

It’s a simple but effective way of making yourself look more professional and dedicated and it helps you stand out .

how-to-make-a-powerpoint-presentation

You can create your own themes in Photoshop or in free design software like Canva , and then import them into PowerPoint. Or, you can purchase stock images online from Shutterstock, Envato Elements , or any other online store.

Whatever route you take when choosing a powerpoint theme, make sure it is functional, on brand, clean-looking, and not too distracting. The most important part is that your theme reflects the story you are trying to tell.

B. Focus more on the visuals

When crafting your PowerPoint presentation and organizing how you will display your information on your slides, remember to focus more on visuals, and less on text.

Trying to talk while showing a wall of text at the same time is ineffective in many ways . When people see text, they naturally start to read it. And as soon as people start to read your slides, they stop listening to the story you’re trying to tell .

Audiences will focus on what’s written rather than what’s being said (and they might even try to write down what’s on your slides).

Both of these things draw too much time and attention away from you, as the person behind the presentation that will help them connect to the story and make a lasting impression. It reduces your impact and it forces audiences into playing a game of “catch-up.”

Some  recommended best practices are to not go beyond 6-8 lines of text, or 30 words, per slide . Keep the font no smaller than 24 pts. You could also just use the “old-school Twitter rule” of using no more than 140 characters on a slide .

But remember: the best results often come from using the least amount of words possible – challenge yourself to only focus on placing keywords or terms that you really want to emphasize. 

And for the rest, use your voice.

C. Add custom infographics

PowerPoint templates can be relatively simple, and the options for shapes and designs on Microsoft PowerPoint aren’t plentiful – although it’s a good starting point, they are not customized to your specific brand or the story you are trying to tell. 

If you are going to be referring a lot to your slides throughout your presentation or sharing graphics to display information, consider creating some custom design infographics . You can either get creative and combine shapes in PowerPoint to create a new design or shape, or get an affordable designer on a marketplace like Fiverr to help you.

Making customized infographics to deliver your message is what will make your information stand out. Sometimes, adding personal touches like this can really help emphasize what you’re trying to teach, and make you look committed.

D. Use mixed media in your slides

Varying up the kind of media can also help make a more interesting and engaging PowerPoint presentation – when done tastefully, of course. While you should use images and designs and infographics, try also including videos, sound effects, or subtle animations to see if it adds more visual appeal to your static slides. 

These tools can be very effective in making your slides more attention-grabbing, but remember to use them sparingly. Always make sure they support your message and aren’t distracting from it.

Relying on mixed media is not a way to make your presentation better . It shouldn’t be used to try and hide the fact that your story isn’t strong or that you lack confidence.

It’s supposed to elevate your already stunning performance; it’s supposed to enhance your audience’s experience, and capture their eye to draw them deeper into what you’re already saying. 

E. Simplify, simplify, simplify

When it comes to everything about your presentation – the text, images, videos, slides, design, and even your story – the most important thing you can do is keep it simple.

Don’t make elaborate designs all piled onto one slide as this will overwhelm and confuse people. Don’t take too many approaches and angles to your story, just pick one. Don’t make your slides squished to the edges with text so people get overloaded with information and can’t read, and don’t throw too many numbers or complicated statements at your audience.

Remember: your listeners are only human.

People can only take in so much information at a time before they start to get lost. Keep this in mind, and keep things simple. Focus on your story, and focus on the goal of your presentation before anything else. 

Above all, understand that your deck is not your presentation. It’s simply a visual supplement to your presentation. Relying on your PowerPoint too much will only make you appear less certain and less prepared, and in order to make a lasting impression, you need to be both of these things.

You should speak more than your slides, as they are only a simple crutch. Your deck doesn’t tell the story – you do.

Step 3: Prepare for Your Presentation

Once you’ve finished crafting your PowerPoint presentation, now it’s time to prepare how you are going to present with your slides. Here’s some beginner tips on how to best deliver a presentation and get the most out of your slide deck:

A. Know exactly who you’re talking to

You should always know your audience and keep them top of mind. Understand their mindset and know what they are going to be looking for. You should endeavour to know what they expect, and how they see you – even before they’ve met you. 

Part of this preparation process is doing proper research . Research all there is to know about who you will be talking to, and what the best way is for you to speak to them, and design your slides.

What language is best to use? How can your structure fit their optimal learning style?

how-to-create-a-good-visual

If your audience is elderly, you might want to focus on visibility and simplicity even more. If it’s younger people, maybe focus on using references, mixed media, or trending elements to help your speech resonate with them.

Doing this level of in-depth research will help you relate better with your audience, create an emotional connection , and encourage them to stay interested in what you have to say.

B. Practice, practice, practice

You must practice – out loud – before you present. Even the most experienced speakers out there practice their presentations.

Know your script and everything down to a tee, this way you can improvise if needed, and you can pivot if things go wrong. Another great tip is to try rehearsing your PowerPoint presentation in front of some family members, friends, or colleagues.

Having real people to interact with as you run through your speech can considerably help your confidence and personality for when you actually have to get up in front of a crowd – especially if you’re less experienced.

Practice making eye contact with those in the room and get used to ignoring distractions. Not only this, but practicing with an audience helps you get used to being under pressure.

Ask your audience for detailed and constructive feedback: what did they think of the presentation? What could be improved? What was good? Did your slides take away from your message or distract them? What would have been a more useful way of using your PowerPoint slides? 

(Pro tip: Take Susan Cain’s advice, a n author who delivered a presentation that gained over 24 million views online .)

By practicing your presentation under similar circumstances and with higher stakes involved, it will feel more familiar, and you’ll be less likely to choke on the big day. Or, you’ll discover where you struggle and where you could potentially choke, and can therefore prepare some tactics in advance to help avoid it.

Another great tip when practicing is to record yourself!

See how you will appear in front of your audience – are your slides distracting, even to you? Are you referencing them or looking at them too much? Look at your natural movements, vocal quality, and behavioral tendencies, and try to modify them before the real thing. 

C. Make it a two-way conversation

If you want to stand out and really engage your audience, focus on turning your presentation into a conversation. Focus on natural flow, and be prepared for people to ask questions or steer your conversation elsewhere. 

As you talk, don’t focus on your slides too much, focus more on your story and be intuitive to how your audience is responding .

You want your audience to feel like they are part of this journey you are bringing them on, and, sometimes, being too strict or formal in your presentation can take them away from that. 

Be personable. Read your audience and adjust. Skip over some slides if you think they’re going to slow down the pace too much. In other words: read the room and listen . It’s all about being ready to adapt to your audience’s needs. And while this takes practice, it is sure to help people remember you and make your story even more impactful.

D. Move around and use gestures

No one likes to watch a brick wall deliver a speech. 

Be natural and allow yourself the opportunity to move around, instead of standing on the spot. Use your slides to your advantage and point at important keywords or images, walk around the stage – use hand gestures.

Not only will this feel more engaging and emphasize important points to make your story stronger, but it makes your speech come across as natural and professional.

Specifically when pointing at slides, make sure that you use it as a way to explain and help people understand what you’re sharing. This can be a great asset to bring relevance to your PowerPoint presentation, and help deepen and clarify your audience’s understanding of what you’re trying to say.

With that said, don’t just use it as a way to get attention off of yourself – and the same goes for any movements or gestures. They should be done mindfully, and not out of nervousness. 

E. Focus on all aspects of timing

When using visual presentations, timing is key. The way that you talk and how your slides appear, with what information, when, significantly impacts your effectiveness as a speaker .

You can create some really powerful effects by timing your slides to pop up right when you speak specific words, or make specific references. Pauses in between slides as you try and use the clicker, or scattering because you forgot to change the slide and went too far ahead, is what diverts people’s attention and makes you look unprofessional. 

This is where preparation comes in. Preplan how you are going to time your slides with what you are saying, and pace yourself accordingly.

Go a step further and plan some bold visuals that you are going to time with certain strong points you want to make – this is what can create an experience, and tell your story in a compelling way. It can make the difference between an extremely effective talk where your PowerPoint is an asset, versus a mediocre talk with an unnecessary slide deck.

presentation-timing-for-effectiveness

Do some research on this.

Watch some famous speakers present , and note how they use their slide decks. Watching other successful presenters and seeing what they do, how they craft their PowerPoint or Google Slides – or whether they even have one at all – can help inspire you to find different ways of approaching your presentation. And watch how their audience responds to their storytelling at different moments, and learn from them.

After all, learning from others is one of the best ways to improve.

Sometimes, presentations can be riddled with anxiety and self-doubt. You might even start to experience a bit of imposter syndrome as you’re putting together your powerpoint presentation – but that’s all very normal.

What’s important (and what is also great about PowerPoints) is that the slides are simply a guide – for your audience, but also for you. Having a PowerPoint means you always have a reference, should you get nervous. It can help remind you of where you are in your story, and help you gain the confidence to keep going.

Because as long as you focus on approaching your talk as exactly that, a story, you’re going to have all that you need to make a powerful PowerPoint presentation that will last in your audience’s mind, long after you walk off the stage.

Learn How To Become a Better Storyteller

5 years ago, the world had 5 million social media creators. Today, that number is over 50 million.

Welcome to the Creator Revolution. Now, for the first time ever, you can actually get a job doing what you love.

You can be a social media manager, a digital marketer on TikTok, or a community manager on Discord. Not only are these the world’s newest jobs, they are guaranteed to be in-demand in future. And they are way more fun than your average 9 to 5, and pay even better! But there hasn’t been one single place to learn all these skills. Until now.

This is the Creator Accelerator Program . We designed this program to help you skyrocket your career as a creator. From learning how to grow on social media platforms, to building a network and accessing job opportunities with the world’s top brands – this immersive program will transform your career in just 5 months.

Share article:

Learn tips and tricks from creators, courses you will love:.

Nuseir Yassin Course Card

Master PowerPoint presentations with ease

You might also like:

comedian reading a script

6 Tips to Write Stand Up Comedy Material

By Admin Nas Academy

a person open the door and welcome someone else in his flat

How to Make Money with Airbnb

Join a class for free.

Enter your email and we’ll send you information to join a free trial of one of our favorite courses.

WE EMPOWER CREATORS.

Copyright © 2021 All Rights Reserved by Nas Education

Back to Top

Quality Content in your inbox. Every Week.

Discover all our templates for Google Slides and PowerPoint that include 3 options. These can be 3 steps in a process, 3 items in a list, 3 elements of a chart, etc.

Preview of Three-Step Process Loop template for PowerPoint presentations, showcasing the continuous cycle design.

Three-Step Process Loop

Preview of Triad Process Wheel, a versatile PowerPoint and Google Slides presentation template

Triad Process Wheel

Preview of Phone Flat Mockups slide template designed for impactful PowerPoint presentations.

Phone Flat Mockups

A preview of the Gemstone Diagram slide showcasing the diamond-shaped design in PowerPoint.

Gemstone Diagram

Preview of Infinity Duo Process PowerPoint Template showcasing interconnected circles infographic.

Infinity Duo Process for PowerPoint and Google Slides

Preview of Neumorphic Process Infographic slide for PowerPoint presentations showing interconnected circles in a 3D design.

Neumorphic Process Infographic for PowerPoint and Google Slides

A preview of the Trio Shields PowerPoint Template slide with colorful badges and icons.

Trio Shields for PowerPoint and Google Slides

Preview of Trio Shield Neumorphic PowerPoint Template showcasing three shields in neumorphic design.

Trio Shield Neumorphic for PowerPoint and Google Slides

Preview of the Process Navigation Neumorphic infographic template in PowerPoint

Process Navigation Neumorphic for PowerPoint and Google Slides

Preview of Three-Step Process Neumorphic PowerPoint template showcasing workflow steps

Three-Step Process Neumorphic for PowerPoint and Google Slides

Interactive Speedometer Dashboard slide template for PowerPoint presentations.

Speedometer Dashboard for PowerPoint and Google Slides

Preview of Trichrome Wheel template for PowerPoint presentations

Trichrome Wheel for PowerPoint and Google Slides

Search by steps (options), search templates by colors.

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

Free PowerPoint Templates and Google Slides Themes

© Copyright 2024 Ofeex | PRESENTATIONGO® is a registered trademark | All rights reserved.

PresentationGO

To provide the best experiences, we and our partners use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us and our partners to process personal data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site and show (non-) personalized ads. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.

Click below to consent to the above or make granular choices. Your choices will be applied to this site only. You can change your settings at any time, including withdrawing your consent, by using the toggles on the Cookie Policy, or by clicking on the manage consent button at the bottom of the screen.

Thank you for downloading this template!

Remember, you can use it for free but you have to attribute PresentationGO . For example, you can use the following text:

If you really like our free templates and want to thank/help us, you can:

Thank you for your support

SlideTeam

Researched by Consultants from Top-Tier Management Companies

Banner Image

Powerpoint Templates

Icon Bundle

Kpi Dashboard

Professional

Business Plans

Swot Analysis

Gantt Chart

Business Proposal

Marketing Plan

Project Management

Business Case

Business Model

Cyber Security

Business PPT

Digital Marketing

Digital Transformation

Human Resources

Product Management

Artificial Intelligence

Company Profile

Acknowledgement PPT

PPT Presentation

Reports Brochures

One Page Pitch

Interview PPT

All Categories

How To Create an Awesome PowerPoint Presentation in 3 Steps

How To Create an Awesome PowerPoint Presentation in 3 Steps

"I have spent 6 days on designing my presentation, yet it looks pathetic."

"How should my first slide look?"

"How do I show all this text without making my slide look too wordy?"

"I have a presentation tomorrow, I won’t be able to create it in such a short time."

Hold on. Take a deep breath and relax. Designing a PowerPoint presentation, that too a beautiful one, isn’t as tough as it appears to be. In fact, it can be done in less than an hour. All you need to do is follow 3 simple, stress-free steps which will guarantee a top-notch professional-looking presentation in the shortest time imaginable:

Step 1: Choose a Nice Theme/Presentation Background

A beautiful presentation theme not only solves your problem of designing the first slide and creating a great first impression, but also lends consistency to your presentation and a professional look. SlideTeam has thousands of professionally-designed themes and templates categorized by industries and topics to make it easier for you to choose a relevant template for your presentation.

Say you want to create a presentation on Social Media Marketing. Head over to the Themes category on the left hand side of the website. Choose the Social Media sub-category and select a theme for your presentation. Every theme consists of 3 slides. Say you select the below theme from our collection:

Professional PowerPoint Theme Layout for business, marketing presentations

These three slides will serve as the framework for your presentation. When you use one of SlideTeam’s professional theme, you get a complete consistency in colors and fonts throughout the deck as well as a pre-designed layout that you can work on quickly. To have different layouts in your deck, you can always click “New Slide” on the Home tab in PowerPoint to get multiple slide outline options such as content with caption, picture with caption and more.

Note: When you download a theme and open it in PowerPoint, you will only see the title slide - this is how PowerPoint works. It embeds the other slides and they are only visible when you insert a new slide. Please insert a new slide and you will see the other slides. Any downloaded theme consists of 2 files. Files with the word "print" in the name have white backgrounds while a theme without the word "print" in the name will have a colored background. You can cut and paste these slides into a single deck to create your presentation.

Step 2: Enter Your Text

Now fill in the title of the presentation and your content in other slides based on your presentation goals and requirements. You're the subject matter expert, so start with just typing the high level message in each slide and fill in the details. Don't worry about how to visually show the slide. Just concentrate on the text here.

First step of PowerPoint Presentation Design- Choose a Template

Best Practices for Writing Slide Content

  • Have a Title for each slide so that the audience knows what the slide is about.
  • Convey 1 key message or takeaway through each slide.
  • Use staccato language (keywords); avoid writing complete sentences. You want the audience to listen to you speak and not be distracted reading the slide.
  • As a rule of thumb, you should have 8 or less bullet points in each slide, with 6 or less words in each bullet point.
  • Don't worry about how to visually show your slide too much here. We'll deal with that later.
  • Don't go below Font size 10. Generally, If you need to go lower, that means you have too much content for that slide.

Step 3: Make Your Slides Visually Appealing The slides above look decent thanks to the template. But they won’t grab eyeballs. So, step number 3 is to convert every slide from pure text into something more visually appealing. How? With puzzle pieces, arrows, circles, funnels, and other stunning illustrations. Finding them won’t take more than 15 minutes if you head over straight to our "At-a-glance" Template Finder section. It stores all the best and most frequently needed PowerPoint graphics on just one page.

PowerPoint Template Finder- Easy way to find professional business templates

Select the graphic that represents your message the best, download it and add your text. For example, say you want a 6 piece funnel. Select Shape and Number of Nodes from drop down -

Template Finder- Choosing funnel PowerPoint Template

That's it. It takes seconds to convert your text slides into visually stimulating content. Here is what your final deck looks like:

How your final PowerPoint Slides look with professional templates

That’s top-notch slides created in just an hour or two! Needless to say, the presentation will speak volumes about your professionalism and audiences are going to love it. These 3 straightforward steps will ensure that creating your next PowerPoint presentation won’t be a nerve-wrecking and headache-inducing task but an activity that you’ll thoroughly enjoy.

You’ll enjoy designing presentations even more when you dig deeper into all that you can do with your PowerPoint presentations using our slide designs. Here’s a sneak peek using some before-and-after examples:

What else can I do with SlideTeam Designs:

Hand Drawn: These are sketched slides that give an informal look and feel to your presentation.

Hand Drawn PowerPoint Slides Business Planning Process

Data Driven: These are charts and graphs that automatically adjust based on your data.

Data Driven PowerPoint Slides Marketing Automation

3D Men: These are gender neutral characters to give that personal touch.

3D Man PowerPoint Slides for achieving success

Icons: These are generic icons to give life to a text heavy slide. Download free PPT templates and icons to get started.

PowerPoint Icons

Stock Photos: These are computer generated images that can be placed anywhere on a slide.

StockPhotos PowerPoint Slides

Here’s a SlideShare that recaptures all the 3 Steps to an Awesome Presentation in a slideshow (No harm in memorizing them:)

Why choose SlideTeam PowerPoint Presentation Design Services?

Firstly, because we just love designing presentations. Our team of Professional Powerpoint Designers has had over 10,000+ hours of experience in designing PowerPoint presentations and we are ever so hungry for more.

Secondly, we cater to all types of requests and design requirements. We can even create a custom designed presentation from scratch. All you need to do is send us your content or presentation. It can be a rough draft, or a sketch or drawing, or even something scribbled on a piece of paper. And we turn it into a professionally designed presentation.

Thirdly, we assure 100% satisfaction of the client. That’s YOU! Working with us is as simple as 1, 2, 3…

  • Send us your content or data.
  • We get to work right away and start designing your presentation.
  • You only pay after you approve all the slides, and we send you the finished product.

Our team can help you at any stage of your presentation creation process. If you desire, we can even add animation to your presentation to make it interactive, yet professional. Here is our Social Media presentation with animation added:

Want to know more? Please visit our Custom Design Services page for the complete information.

And hey, if you found the post useful, do share it with your friends and save them the PowerPoint Scare !

Give your next best presentation with the help of custom PowerPoint designs. Get in touch with our Presentation Designers now.

Related posts:.

  • 100 Most Popular PowerPoint Templates Demanded by Professionals
  • [Updated 2023] 25 Best Career Planning PPT Templates To Design Your Future
  • Top 25 Music PowerPoint Templates To Uplift the Soul
  • Top 25 Army & Military PowerPoint Templates to Honor Our Heroes

Liked this blog? Please recommend us

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

Presentation Hackathon Part 1: 5 Incredibly Simple Hacks to Create Stunning Slides

How to Storyboard your Presentation for the Best Results (Product Launch Case Study)

How to Storyboard your Presentation for the Best Results (Product Launch Case Study)

This form is protected by reCAPTCHA - the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

digital_revolution_powerpoint_presentation_slides_Slide01

Digital revolution powerpoint presentation slides

sales_funnel_results_presentation_layouts_Slide01

Sales funnel results presentation layouts

3d_men_joinning_circular_jigsaw_puzzles_ppt_graphics_icons_Slide01

3d men joinning circular jigsaw puzzles ppt graphics icons

Business Strategic Planning Template For Organizations Powerpoint Presentation Slides

Business Strategic Planning Template For Organizations Powerpoint Presentation Slides

Future plan powerpoint template slide

Future plan powerpoint template slide

project_management_team_powerpoint_presentation_slides_Slide01

Project Management Team Powerpoint Presentation Slides

Brand marketing powerpoint presentation slides

Brand marketing powerpoint presentation slides

Launching a new service powerpoint presentation with slides go to market

Launching a new service powerpoint presentation with slides go to market

agenda_powerpoint_slide_show_Slide01

Agenda powerpoint slide show

Four key metrics donut chart with percentage

Four key metrics donut chart with percentage

Engineering and technology ppt inspiration example introduction continuous process improvement

Engineering and technology ppt inspiration example introduction continuous process improvement

Meet our team representing in circular format

Meet our team representing in circular format

Google Reviews

Home PowerPoint Templates Models Deloitte Governance Framework Model PowerPoint Template

Deloitte Governance Framework Model PowerPoint Template

Deloitte Governance Framework Model PPT Template

Communicate the complex governance concepts using the Deloitte Governance Framework Model PowerPoint Template. This framework is used to implement effective governance practices within the organization and is developed by industry experts at Deloitte. It covers key aspects like strategic governance, risk management, stakeholder engagement, compliance, and alignment. We have created a unique circular diagram to present the attributes of this modern governance framework. Professionals can benefit from this template to brief the executives and senior leaders about good governance practices and their importance in the company’s performance. Incorporate these slides in your webinar or seminar presentations to ensure the change management initiatives align with sound governing principles.

The Deloitte Governance Framework Model PowerPoint Template consists of two slides with a green and blue color scheme. The first slide has a circular diagram with many segments showing significant governance factors. In the center is a triangular shape with a risk title and a culture title on the sides of the triangle. Further, thick circular bars around the segmented diagram illustrate the board governance framework and corporate governance infrastructure labels. The visuals of the diagram are engaging and help presenters convey their message about the organization’s strategy, accountability, decision-making process, and transparency. The governance professionals and executives can use the template for employee training presentations and introduce their company’s operational strategy to them. In the second slide, a risk intelligence pyramid diagram emerges from the center of the segmented circle. 

Presenters can use editable text boxes to write the necessary details about the key points. They can also modify the PPT features of the slide diagram to illustrate their unique thoughts. Download our Deloitte governance template and create stunning presentations that resonate with your target audience!

You must be logged in to download this file.

Favorite Add to Collection

Details (2 slides)

1 vote, average: 5.00 out of 5

Supported Versions:

Subscribe today and get immediate access to download our PowerPoint templates.

Related PowerPoint Templates

Iceberg Slide Template for PowerPoint

Iceberg Slide Template for PowerPoint

3-Item Management Levels Slide Template for PowerPoint

3-Item Management Levels Slide Template for PowerPoint

Animated AIDA PowerPoint Template

Animated AIDA PowerPoint Template

6-Component Governance Operating Model

6-Component Governance Operating Model

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

Don't start your work presentations by simply saying 'hello.' Here's how to be more engaging in the conference room.

  • I'm a public-speaking expert, and I've trained many executives and senior teams.
  • I tell all of them to stop starting work presentations with a salutation or a "hello."
  • Instead, you should engage your audience by telling a story or asking a question.

Insider Today

I'm sure you've sat through plenty of presentations where the presenter starts with a polite salutation like, "Hello, thank you for having me here today," or, "I am so glad to be here" — often followed by their name and professional résumé . Sometimes, if it's an internal meeting, you get the same salutations followed by an agenda slide with bullet points and the presenter narrating it.

As a public-speaking coach who has worked with many executives and senior teams, I know how to make work presentations more engaging. Here's how you should change your approach.

If you stick to your old ways, you aren't leaving a memorable first impression

Your audience is thinking three things when you walk into that conference room or onto that stage: Who is this person, why should I care, and how are they going to solve my problem?

Let's face it: Most people are more interested in how you will solve their problem than in you and your professional résumé. So let's flip the script a bit. Start with the solution to their problem, briefly talk about yourself for credibility, and then give them a reason to care.

Instead, try to capture their attention

Begin your presentation with a hook or a story — something that grabs their attention right from the start. For instance, your hook might be, "Did you know this?" or "What if that?" It could also be a short story that humanizes your services or products.

Most presentations are predictable; wouldn't it be better for both your time and your audience if you could introduce an element of surprise?

Some might feel it rude not to thank the organizer or greet the audience, so I suggest finding another place in your presentation for this. Here's a good structure:

Intro: "What if you could be a more confident and credible presenter? What if you could engage with your audience so they remember your products or services?"

Credibility: "My name is Meridith, and I've been coaching entrepreneurs and executives on how to speak with spark for over a decade, and I am really excited to be here. I want to thank [insert name] for inviting me to share the afternoon with you."

Solution: "Today, I will give you three ways to make your audience remember your products and services, helping you stand out in a competitive market. Let's get this party started!"

You could also try to form a personal connection

Often, presentations lack a personal touch. Try sharing a relevant personal anecdote or experience that relates to your topic. This not only makes your work presentation more relatable but also helps to establish a deeper connection with your audience.

For example, you could say: "When I was younger, I often hid in the back of the classroom, hoping the teacher wouldn't call on me because I didn't want to sound stupid or have the wrong answer. Later in life, I discovered acting and improv comedy . It was through the practice of these two art forms that I developed my confidence and learned how to engage more courageously with others. Today, I will give you solutions for how you can also better engage your audience with spark."

Try to encourage interaction

At the very least, you should try to engage your audience from the beginning — whether in person or on virtual calls. You can ask a thought-provoking question or propose a challenge that involves them directly. This approach shifts the dynamic to more interactive and engaging sessions.

If you implement any of these suggestions, you can make your presentation memorable and impactful immediately. And you'll most likely get a larger return on your investment of time and energy.

In today's fast-paced world, where attention spans are increasingly shorter than ever, it's crucial to grab and hold your audience's attention from the very beginning. By doing so, you set the stage for a more engaging and productive interaction. So challenge yourself to break free from presentation norms and embrace a style that resonates deeply with your audience and leaves a lasting impression.

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

Watch: A public speaking champion reveals 3 keys to nailing your business presentation

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

  • Main content

Tech Advisor

How to get Microsoft PowerPoint for free

Need to create a digital presentation? There are loads of options to choose from.

Google Slides, Apple Keynote, Canva and Prezi are all worth considering, but there’s one app that probably comes to mind first.

Microsoft’s PowerPoint remains the go-to for many people, combining ease of use with an excellent range of features.

But there’s one big problem: you usually need to pay to access the app. This starts $149.99 / £119.99 for a standalone version alongside other Office apps, or £79.99 / $99.99 per year as part of a Microsoft 365 subscription.

However, the good news is that there are three totally free (and legal) ways to use PowerPoint totally free of charge. Here’s what you need to know.

Option 1 – Web version

Accessing Microsoft PowerPoint and other core Office programs is free via the web, and all you’ll need is a Microsoft account.

Head over to office.com and click ‘Sign in’ to enter your details. If you don’t yet have an account, choose ‘Sign up for the free version of Office’ and follow the instructions.

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Once that’s complete, you’ll be taken to your main office homepage. From the left pane, choose ‘Create’ then ‘Presentation’ to open a new PowerPoint document.

As you can see, there’s also the option to create documents in Word and PowerPoint here, alongside Outlook and a free version of Microsoft Teams. These are all ‘Web Apps’, meaning you can only use them via your browser and not a desktop app. When you work on a file here, it will be saved to OneDrive, Microsoft’s cloud storage service.

In fact, you probably have Google to thank for this software being available in web app form. Its free Docs, Sheets and Slides software and their integration with Google Drive made it difficult for Microsoft to keep asking users to pay.

Check out our guide to the best cloud storage services to see how both compare to the rest of the competition.

The web version of PowerPoint is a more stripped-back version of the software, so the comparison to Google Slides is more reasonable than the full desktop program. Nonetheless, both services should provide everything a casual user is looking for.

Option 2 – Use on mobile

Perhaps again in response to Google, Microsoft’s Office mobile applications are completely free and available across modern mobile devices.

You can download the Microsoft PowerPoint app for Android and iOS . While Microsoft understandably reserves some premium features for its Office 365 subscription, the mobile apps are still very capable and offer integration with OneDrive.

Option 3 – Check if your school or workplace gets it free

Many employers offer Microsoft 365 apps to their employees free of charge. Even if your work email address ends with the name of the company you work for, it may still be used to sign into a Microsoft account. Of course, you may be working in an office job where Excel and the like are already the defaults.

If your school has signed up to Microsoft 365 Education, all staff and students should be able access Office apps for free. To check, enter your education email address on the Microsoft website .

But if your school isn’t yet signed up and you’re in a position to change that, compare plans and begin the sign-up process here .

Learn more in our separate article: Do students get Office 365 for free?

Related articles

・ How to get Microsoft Word for free

・ How to get Microsoft Excel for free

・ Microsoft 365 buying guide

How to get Microsoft PowerPoint for free

Genuine software, legally FREE - no cracking required!

Edit Word, Excel, and PPT effortlessly

Read, edit, and convert PDFs with the powerful PDF toolkit.

Microsoft-like interface, easy to use.

Windows • MacOS • Linux • iOS • Android

banner

  • Articles of Office solution

How to Insert a GIF into Google Slides

Google Slides is an impressive presentation tool that not only facilitates collaboration but also comes equipped with creative features to help you push the boundaries of your imagination. One exciting way to elevate your presentations is by incorporating GIFs, injecting a dynamic and lively element into your slides. While Google Slides might have a slight learning curve that could pose initial challenges, this article is here to guide you through the process of how to insert a GIF into Google Slides to make your slides come to life.

How to use the URL method to insert a GIF into Google Slides?

Teachers often rely on slides to effectively communicate course concepts. And a proficient educator ensures student engagement and fosters a keen interest in learning.  By learning how to put a GIF in Google Slides, you can add a dynamic and interactive layer to your teaching materials. Follow this step-by-step guide to master the URL method for incorporating GIFs. This not only enhances the visual appeal but also enriches the learning experience, ensuring your lessons are both captivating and impactful.

Step 1: Open the Google Slides presentation where you wish to incorporate a GIF.

Step 2: Navigate to a reputable GIF website or search engine to locate the ideal GIF for your presentation. Here, we chose to import GIF from giphy.com by searching a keyword for the type of GIF that is required.

Step 3: Hover over the GIF you wish to add, and you will see a link icon. Click on it and copy the link to your clipboard. Alternatively, some sites do not provide this option. In such cases, right-click and select "Copy Image Address" from the context menu.

Step 4: To insert the GIF, click on the slide where you want the GIF and then visit the Insert menu.

Step 5: Here, click on Image and then select "By URL" in the flyout menu.

Step 6: You will encounter the Insert Image window, where you should paste the GIF link copied from the website using CTRL + V.

Step 7: After copying the link, a preview of the GIF will appear. Click on "Insert Image", and the GIF will be pasted on to your selected slide.

Step 8: Customize the placement and size of your GIF as needed for your presentation using your cursor. You can also employ the same functions to replicate the GIF across multiple slides if required.

How to use the Computer method to Insert a GIF into Google Slides?

The computer method is relatively easy as well. Just follow these steps to learn how to insert a GIF into Google Slides.

Step 1: Launch your web browser and search for the desired GIF within the images section.

Note: To identify whether the image is a GIF or not, check the bottom left where it should display "GIF".

Step 2: Click on the image you wish to add to open its preview. Then, right-click to open the context menu. Right-click on the chosen image and select "Save image as..." to download it onto your computer, ensuring it is saved in either .JIF or .GIF format.

Step 3: Open your Google Slides file where you intend to incorporate the GIF. Navigate to the "Insert" tab, then select "Image", followed by "Upload from computer".

Step 4: A pop-up window will appear on your computer screen, allowing you to locate and open the saved GIF file.

Step 5: Refine the GIF's placement and adjust its position as needed within your document.

How to use the Customized GIFs method to Insert a GIF into Google Slides?

Google Slides offers an integrated tool allowing you to import GIFs directly from its library, accessible free of charge. Follow these steps to learn how to seamlessly incorporate GIFs into your presentations.

Step 1: On Google Slides, access the "Insert" option at the top. Navigate to "Images" and then select "GIFs and Stickers".

Step 2: A dedicated section will appear on the right side. Enter relevant keywords that align with your desired GIF, enabling you to search and choose the most suitable one.

Step 3 : Once you've selected the ideal GIF, proceed to the bottom of the section and click "Insert" to seamlessly integrate it into your presentation.

Step 4: Fine-tune the size and position of the GIF according to your preferences, ensuring a polished and professional appearance.

How to edit a GIF in Google Slides?

You can effortlessly customize the appearance of your GIFs by editing them according to your preferences. Explore a variety of options available for you to enhance and tailor your GIFs to your liking.

Step 1: Double-click on your GIF to initiate the cropping process.

Step 2: Drag the black tabs to achieve the desired size for your GIF. Ensure that you are manipulating the black tabs and not the blue nodes, as the latter will alter the overall size of your GIF.

Step 3: Press Enter to confirm and complete the cropping of the GIF. If, by mistake, you adjust the blue nodes, use the Undo button (or Ctrl + Z on your keyboard) to revert the changes and retry the cropping process.

Crop to shape

Step 1: Click on the arrow located next to the Crop icon.

Step 2: Select "Shape" from the dropdown menu, then choose the desired shape from the available options. A variety of shapes, arrows, and callout designs are at your disposal.

Step 3: To ensure your GIF maintains its proportions and avoids distortion during cropping, navigate to the Format menu.

Step 4: Scroll down to Format options, and click on the Size & Position box. Verify that the width and height are equal to maintain the integrity of your GIF's proportions.

Add Border To GIF

Step 1: Highlight your GIF by selecting it.

Step 2: Navigate to the menu bar and locate the Border color icon, represented by the pencil icon. Click on it to choose the preferred color for the border surrounding your GIF.

Step 3: Adjust the thickness of the border according to your preferences. Click on the Border weight icon, then select the desired weight—either thinner or thicker—to achieve the desired visual effect.

Step 1: Click on your GIF to select it.

Step 2: In the toolbar, locate and click on "Format options". This action will open the Format options bar.

Step 3: Within the Format options bar, under the "Rotate" section, choose your desired rotation angle or opt to flip your GIF horizontally or vertically.

Step 4 : Navigate to the "Recolour" section in the Format options bar. Scroll down to explore color options and modify the GIF's color to align with your presentation theme.

Step 5: Lastly, under "Adjustments" in the Format options bar, customize the brightness, transparency, or contrast of your GIF to enhance its visual impact within your presentation.

Best Free Alternative to Google Slides - WPS Presentation

WPS Office is a globally acclaimed office suite, renowned for its user-friendly nature and remarkable accessibility due to its free-of-cost availability. Beyond its cost-effectiveness, WPS Office paragon in its ability to provide a comprehensive array of advanced tools and features, catering to the creation and editing of documents spanning word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations.

However, the appeal of WPS Office extends far beyond its feature set. It offers seamless compatibility across diverse platforms and operating systems, ensuring a consistent and hassle-free user experience on Mac, Windows, and Linux systems. What sets WPS Office apart is not just its functionality but its commitment to user convenience.

WPS Office also has an extensive template store, allowing users to effortlessly access templates that align with their creative vision. Whether crafting documents for professional use or personal projects, users can explore a multitude of template options, unlocking endless possibilities for document creation.

How to Download WPS Office for Free

Step 1: Open the gateway to productivity! Embark on your WPS Office adventure by clicking the "Download" button on the official website.

Step 2: Dive into your Downloads folder and uncover the "wps_wid.cid" file. Double-click it and boldly click "Install Now" to start the installation magic!

Step 3: Drumroll please! Locate the WPS Office icon on your screen and click it – your productivity revolution starts now!

How to Insert a GIF into Powerpoint in WPS Office

WPS Office has a powerful presentation tool that not only facilitates the exploration of your creativity but also aids in crafting impactful presentations. With WPS Office, incorporating GIFs into your slides enhances the overall visual appeal, allowing you to create a presentation of magnificent quality.

Step 1: Open WPS Presentation and select the specific slide where you wish to insert a GIF.

Step 2: Head to the Insert tab and click on the “Picture” button.

Step 3: In the Picture dropdown menu, select "From File" to choose a GIF from your computer.

Step 4: Browse your computer and open the downloaded GIF.

Step 5: The GIF will be added to your slide. Now, you can reposition and adjust its size to achieve the best look on your slide.

Use Word, Excel, and PPT for FREE, No Ads.

Edit PDF files with the powerful PDF toolkit.

Microsoft-like interface. Easy to learn. 100% Compatibility.

Boost your productivity with WPS's abundant free Word, Excel, PPT, and CV templates.

FAQs About Inserting A GIF Into Google Slides

Q1. how to make a gif file the background for a slide.

Step 1: Right-click on the slide in Google Slides where you want to set the GIF file as the background.

Step 2: Select "Change background" from the options.

Step 3: Click the "Choose image" button to initiate the background change.

Step 4: Browse for the GIF file you want to use, or simply drag the file onto the tab.

Step 5: Once the GIF is selected, click the "Done" button to confirm and set it as the background.

Q2. How to add Animated Stickers to Google Slides?

Step 1: Create a new presentation or open an existing presentation in Google Slides.

Step 2: Navigate to the top menu and select "Insert".

Step 3: Choose "Image" from the dropdown menu.

Step 4: In the submenu, select "GIFs and stickers".

Step 5: Use the search bar to find GIFs and/or stickers relevant to your presentation.

Step 6: Click on one or several GIFs to insert them into your slides.

Q3. Why does my GIF not work In Google Slides?

When you copy and paste a GIF directly from a website into Google Slides, the animation may be lost. To ensure the GIF remains animated, it is recommended to follow the instructions above and either insert it via URL or upload it from your computer. Additional reasons for GIFs not working in Google Slides may include:

File Size : Large GIF files may not load properly or may experience delays. Opt for smaller file sizes or consider compressing the GIF.

Browser Compatibility: Different browsers may handle GIFs differently. Ensure you are using a compatible browser, such as Google Chrome, for optimal performance.

Google Slides Version: Check if you are using the latest version of Google Slides, as older versions may have limitations or issues with certain features, including animated GIF playback.

Network Issues: Slow or unstable internet connections can hinder the loading of GIFs. Download the GIF and insert it directly into your presentation to avoid dependency on external links.

GIF Complexity: Some intricate or highly animated GIFs may not render well in Google Slides. Consider simplifying the GIF or using a different one.

Get Creative With WPS Office

GIFs, often recognized as a delightful innovation, and as you learn how to insert a gif into google slides, you would realize that they extend beyond just entertainment in presentations. While they indeed inject fun and interactivity, their utility transcends, adding a touch of professionalism and unlocking a world of creative possibilities. WPS Office, known for its robust presentation tools, not only facilitates the integration of GIFs but acts as a catalyst for elevating the overall quality and creativity of your presentations. Elevate your presentations and download WPS Office today to embark on a journey of enhanced creativity and professional excellence.

  • 1. How to Insert 3D Model in Google Slides (A Step-by-Step Guide)
  • 2. How to Delete Multiple Slides in Google Slide( 2 Easy Methods )
  • 3. How to Export PowerPoint to Google Slides [Step-by-Step Tutorial]
  • 4. How to Select Multiple Slides in Google Slides (Easy & Fast)
  • 5. How to Download Images from Google Slides [Step-by-Step Guide]
  • 6. How to Insert Slides from Another PowerPoint A Step-by-Step Guide

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

15 years of office industry experience, tech lover and copywriter. Follow me for product reviews, comparisons, and recommendations for new apps and software.

Got any suggestions?

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

Top searches

Trending searches

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

66 templates

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

9 templates

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

spring flowers

88 templates

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

st patricks day

12 templates

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

world war 1

45 templates

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

calendar 2024

35 templates

Celebrate Slidesgo’s big 5! Five years of great presentations, faster

Professional Presentation templates

Download and customize these free google slides themes and powerpoint templates with a more professional look. going straight to the point is much more easy with these slide decks., related collections.

Formal

5150 templates

Corporate

1749 templates

Campaign for World Environmental Education Day presentation template

Campaign for World Environmental Education Day

Download the Campaign for World Environmental Education Day presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. Improve your campaign management with this template that will definitely make a difference. It will empower you to organize, execute, and track the effectiveness of your campaign. Enriched with innovative resources, it facilitates seamless communication, meticulous...

Minimalist Grayscale Pitch Deck presentation template

Minimalist Grayscale Pitch Deck

Having a bit of trouble attracting investors? A pitch deck is what you need, or more precisely, a minimalist grayscale one, like the one we've just designed. If you like a little bit of geometry in your slides, you'll find triangular and rectangular shapes. If you like photos too, there...

Minimalist Business Slides presentation template

Minimalist Business Slides

Minimalism is an art style that frees the canvas and that lets the content stand out for itself. It’s a way of conveying modernism, simplicity and elegance and can be your best ally in your next presentation. With this new design from Slidesgo, your business presentations will be as professional...

Engineering Project Proposal presentation template

Engineering Project Proposal

What is the best way to build your own successful future? Giving a presentation made thanks to our new free business template! Your audience will appreciate your engineering project proposal, paving the way for new deals and investments.

Simple Meeting presentation template

Premium template

Unlock this template and gain unlimited access

Simple Meeting

Share the details and planification of your next meeting using this presentation. It’s minimalist and it includes different sections such as project schedule, project timeline, status and upcoming report. We have also added tables, infographics and many other visual resources.

The Haitian Revolution: Slave Rebellion presentation template

The Haitian Revolution: Slave Rebellion

Download the The Haitian Revolution: Slave Rebellion presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. The education sector constantly demands dynamic and effective ways to present information. This template is created with that very purpose in mind. Offering the best resources, it allows educators or students to efficiently manage their presentations and...

Management Consulting Toolkit presentation template

Management Consulting Toolkit

If you want your company to keep growing but you don't know exactly what path to take now, perhaps you should seek professional advice. Management consultants can use this new template to offer their services and explain to potential clients what they do and how they do that. This slideshow...

Darkle Slideshow presentation template

Darkle Slideshow

Whenever formality and professionalism are both a necessity, you'll need a presentation like this one. Its dark colors allow the little light sparkles to be even more noticeable, giving an elegant appearance to your slides. Talk about your best products, those reserved for the most demanding customers, because this template...

Insurance Plan presentation template

Insurance Plan

When preparing a business plan for your insurance company, we know how important it is to find a presentation that makes you feel confident and covers any potential problem that may arise. Here at Slidesgo we promise that, with this insurance plan template, we’ve got you covered too.

Guided Respiration Mindfulness Therapy presentation template

Guided Respiration Mindfulness Therapy

Download the Guided Respiration Mindfulness Therapy presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. Healthcare goes beyond curing patients and combating illnesses. Raising awareness about diseases, informing people about prevention methods, discussing some good practices, or even talking about a balanced diet—there are many topics related to medicine that you could be...

Tackling Gender Pay Gap Campaign presentation template

Tackling Gender Pay Gap Campaign

Download the Tackling Gender Pay Gap Campaign presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. Improve your campaigns’ management with this template that will definitely make a difference. It will empower you to organize, execute, and track the effectiveness of your campaign. Enriched with innovative resources, it facilitates seamless communication, meticulous planning,...

Elegant Education Pack for Students presentation template

Elegant Education Pack for Students

The way in which we study has changed drastically in the last year, that's why we need to be more organized than ever. In Slidesgo we want to help your students and have designed this elegant template full of resources for your classes. We added everything you could possibly ask...

Heart Thrombus Case Report presentation template

Heart Thrombus Case Report

Download the Heart Thrombus Case Report presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. A clinical case is more than just a set of symptoms and a diagnosis. It is a unique story of a patient, their experiences, and their journey towards healing. Each case is an opportunity for healthcare professionals to...

Discrete Mathematics - Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics presentation template

Discrete Mathematics - Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics

Download the Discrete Mathematics - Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. As university curricula increasingly incorporate digital tools and platforms, this template has been designed to integrate with presentation software, online learning management systems, or referencing software, enhancing the overall efficiency and effectiveness of student...

Lettuce Farming Techniques Meeting presentation template

Lettuce Farming Techniques Meeting

Download the Lettuce Farming Techniques Meeting presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. Gone are the days of dreary, unproductive meetings. Check out this sophisticated solution that offers you an innovative approach to planning and implementing meetings! Detailed yet simplified, this template ensures everyone is on the same page, contributing to...

International Day of Older Persons presentation template

International Day of Older Persons

Slowly, the population of the world is aging and there's less young people year after year. International Day of Older Persons is held to appreciate the elderly and what they've done for us. With this template, you can contribute with a nice presentation. The design is a bit elegant, not...

CSR Report presentation template

Download the CSR Report presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. The world of business encompasses a lot of things! From reports to customer profiles, from brainstorming sessions to sales—there's always something to do or something to analyze. This customizable design, available for Google Slides and PowerPoint, is what you were...

Stuttgart Wine Festival presentation template

Stuttgart Wine Festival

Are you a wine lover, do you like wine tourism and travel around the world to taste all kinds of wines? Then mark on your map the German city of Stuttgart and make its famous wine festival your next destination! For this festival, which is held every summer, we have...

  • Page 1 of 287

New! Make quick presentations with AI

Slidesgo AI presentation maker puts the power of design and creativity in your hands, so you can effortlessly craft stunning slideshows in minutes.

Five years of great presentations, faster

Celebrate Slidesgo’s big 5!

create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

Register for free and start editing online

IMAGES

  1. how to create a powerpoint presentation ppt

    create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

  2. Tutorial

    create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

  3. How To Create an Awesome PowerPoint Presentation in 3 Steps

    create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

  4. how to make a powerpoint presentation slideshare

    create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

  5. 10 Steps to Create a PowerPoint Presentation (Part 1) with Keith

    create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

  6. powerpoint presentation create template

    create a powerpoint presentation with 3 slides

COMMENTS

  1. Create a presentation in PowerPoint

    Select an option: To create a presentation from scratch, select Blank Presentation. To use a prepared design, select one of the templates. To see tips for using PowerPoint, select Take a Tour, and then select Create, . Add a slide In the thumbnails on the left pane, select the slide you want your new slide to follow.

  2. How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation (Step-by-Step)

    How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation (Step-by-Step) January 22, 2024 In this beginner's guide, you will learn step-by-step how to make a PowerPoint presentation from scratch. While PowerPoint is designed to be intuitive and accessible, it can be overwhelming if you've never gotten any training on it before.

  3. Google Slides: Online Slideshow Maker

    Create, present, and collaborate on online presentations in real-time and from any device. Try Slides for Work Go to Slides Don't have an account? See what you can do with Google Slides...

  4. How to Create a PowerPoint Presentation: A Step-by-Step Guide

    Download Article An easy-to-follow tutorial for beginners on making a presentation in PowerPoint Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA Last Updated: December 19, 2022 Fact Checked Creating a New PowerPoint | Creating the Title Slide | Adding a New Slide | Adding Content to Slides | Adding Transitions | Testing and Saving Your Presentation | Video | Q&A

  5. Create a presentation in PowerPoint

    Select File > New. Double-click a theme in the gallery to create a presentation in that theme. Or search for more templates. Want more? Apply or change a slide layout Apply a template to your presentation Create and save a PowerPoint template Get Microsoft presentation templates Need more help? Want more options? Discover Community

  6. How to Create Great PowerPoint Presentations (With Top 2020 Examples)

    Now, right-click an image and choose Format Pictures. You'll see a new menu open. on the Fill settings, choose Picture or texture fill, then browse to your replacement profile image. Use File > Picture or texture fill with your image to update the slide with profile photos.

  7. How to Make a Great PowerPoint Presentation for ...

    Tip 4: Make use of charts and graphs. We all love a good stat. Charts and graphs are a great way to present quantitative evidence and confirm the legitimacy of your claims. They make your presentation more visually appealing and make your data more memorable too. But don't delve too deep into the details.

  8. Free Online Presentation Maker

    Let your colleagues watch it at their convenience. Create Your Presentation More Great Features of the Presentation Maker Stunning presentation themes and premade templates Millions of stock photos and icons to choose from Input your brand fonts and colors to create branded company content

  9. 17 PowerPoint Presentation Tips to Make More Creative Slideshows

    Download Now That's why it's so important to learn how to create a PowerPoint presentation from the ground up, starting with your slides. Even if you're familiar with PowerPoint, a refresher will help you make a more attractive, professional slideshow. Let's get started. Skip to: How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation Presentation Tips

  10. 8 Tips to Make the Best PowerPoint Presentations

    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.

  11. How to Create a PowerPoint Presentation : 8 Steps

    Step 3: Create Title Page. Click the first box that says 'Click to add title' and add the title of your presentation. Click the bottom box to add your name, or any other subtitle that you choose. Once you have your text in the boxes, you can change their font, size, color, etc. with the toolbar options at the top.

  12. Presentations and slides for any occasion

    Workshop your ideas Transform a Presentation into a collaborative session. With one click, expand your presentation slide into an infinite Whiteboard canvas. Collaborate, edit, and present on-the-go Easily edit slides and present from anywhere using Canva's presentation software, on any browser or mobile device. Create a presentation

  13. Free AI Presentation Maker

    Get started How does it work? Elegant Education Pack for Students Try for free our new AI Presentation Generator and create a customizable template in seconds. Explore beyond PowerPoint.

  14. 23 PowerPoint Presentation Tips for Creating Engaging Presentations

    Avoid unnecessary animations. Only add content that supports your main points. Do not use PowerPoint as a teleprompter. Never Give Out Copies of the Presentation. Tips To Making Your Presentation More Engaging. Re-focus the attention on you by fading into blackness. Change the tone of your voice when presenting.

  15. Free online presentation maker and editor

    Download the Shivaratri presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides and start impressing your audience with a creative and original design. Slidesgo templates like this one here offer the possibility to convey a concept, idea or topic in a clear, concise and visual way, by using different graphic resources. You need...

  16. How to Create a PowerPoint Presentation

    Step 1: Structure Your Presentation. Before you start creating your powerpoint presentation, you need to know what you're going to talk about, and how you are going to structure it. Pick a good topic, that you know enough about, and find the best angle that others will want to hear about.

  17. Free Google Slides and PowerPoint Templates with 3 options

    3 options. Discover all our templates for Google Slides and PowerPoint that include 3 options. These can be 3 steps in a process, 3 items in a list, 3 elements of a chart, etc. Charts & Diagrams Circular Processes.

  18. Online PPT Maker

    Goodbye, PowerPoint; hello amazing slides! As a speaker or presenter, your slides can make you or break you. Think of all the presentations you've had to sit through where the speaker used unreadable or boring slides with the same, tired design over and over. We've got a term for that: death by PowerPoint.

  19. How to Create a Presentation with PowerPoint Online

    Create a New Presentation with PowerPoint for the Web. Click Create or use a PowerPoint template from the options to create a new PowerPoint presentation. You can start with a specific theme or use a blank template. You can also browse through themes via Office.com to find one that best suits your needs.

  20. How To Create an Awesome PowerPoint Presentation in 3 Steps

    Step 2: Enter Your Text. Now fill in the title of the presentation and your content in other slides based on your presentation goals and requirements. You're the subject matter expert, so start with just typing the high level message in each slide and fill in the details. Don't worry about how to visually show the slide.

  21. Formal Conference Style Presentation

    Download the "Formal Conference Style Presentation" presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides and start impressing your audience with a creative and original design. Slidesgo templates like this one here offer the possibility to convey a concept, idea or topic in a clear, concise and visual way, by using different graphic resources.

  22. Deloitte Governance Framework Model PowerPoint Template

    The Deloitte Governance Framework Model PowerPoint Template consists of two slides with a green and blue color scheme. The first slide has a circular diagram with many segments showing significant governance factors. In the center is a triangular shape with a risk title and a culture title on the sides of the triangle.

  23. Don't start your work presentations by simply saying 'hello.' Here's

    An image of a chain link. It symobilizes a website link url. Copy Link I'm sure you've sat through plenty of presentations where the presenter starts with a polite salutation like, "Hello, thank ...

  24. Cute Powerpoint Templates and Google Slides Themes

    These cute presentation templates are suitable for a variety of audiences, including children, teachers, and anyone looking to add a touch of whimsy to their presentations. With their playful designs and vibrant colors, these templates are perfect for educational purposes, creative projects, or simply adding a fun element to your slideshows.

  25. How to get Microsoft PowerPoint for free

    Anyron Copeman / Foundry. As you can see, there's also the option to create documents in Word and PowerPoint here, alongside Outlook and a free version of Microsoft Teams.

  26. How to Insert a GIF into Google Slides

    Step 1: Right-click on the slide in Google Slides where you want to set the GIF file as the background. Step 2: Select "Change background" from the options. Step 3: Click the "Choose image" button to initiate the background change. Step 4: Browse for the GIF file you want to use, or simply drag the file onto the tab.

  27. Free Professional Google Slide themes and PowerPoint templates

    Download the Number Theory - Bachelor of Science in Mathematics presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. As university curricula increasingly incorporate digital tools and platforms, this template has been designed to integrate with presentation software, online learning management systems, or referencing software, enhancing the overall ...