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15 PowerPoint Tutorials to Help You Master PowerPoint

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By Iveta Pavlova

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Need PowerPoint Backgrounds? Read The Best Places to Find PowerPoint Backgrounds [+ Freebies]

PowerPoint is software for presentations that offers many opportunities for creativity. If you want to create visually appealing and engaging presentations, check out this collection of 15 beginner PowerPoint tutorials that will help you step up your game, no matter if you are a regular presenter or a beginner in the software.

In this selection of PowerPoint tutorials, we’ve included tutorials for beginners, intermediate and advanced users. Some are incredibly impressive and will teach you hacks that you never thought were possible in PowerPoint. Let’s begin!

*Last updated July 1st, 2022

2. Tips and Tricks for working with PowerPoint

Level: Intermediate / Advanced

A one-hour web session with PowerPoint guru Tess Ausman. In the video tutorial, she shares advanced tips and techniques for PowerPoint which will take your presentations to the next level. Animations, screencasts, and everything you need to know in order to use and master PowerPoint’s superpowers.

You may also want to check out these amazing  12 PowerPoint Presentation Tips .

3. How to add audio in PowerPoint?

Level: Beginners

PowerPoint is perfect for newbies and experienced presenters and it allows a lot of audio customization. Our guide shows you how to add audio to PowerPoint in a quick step-by-step guide. You will also see how to record yourself, to get the best results. All steps are explained with images, to ensure you understand the concept well. Adding audio is one of the first things you need to do to attract customers’ attention.

4. How to make photos 3D in PowerPoint?

It’s always a good idea to come up with interesting concepts. In this PowerPoint tutorial, you will learn how to use separate images and then add them to PowerPoint, to achieve a smooth 3D look. The video is quite long, so if you want to watch only the PowerPoint part, you can skip to 15:31.

5. How to collaborate in PowerPoint?

Level: Beginner / Intermediate 

Learning how to collaborate with your team is crucial. Fortunately, PowerPoint has advanced a lot over the years and nowadays it’s not hard to work together with your peers. There are many collaboration tutorials for PowerPoint but this one is extremely easy to apply.

6. How to Insert a GIF in PowerPoint?

Level: Beginner

GIFs are a very powerful method to deliver a message. They represent information in a more visual way. Our guide on how to insert GIFs into PowerPoint will help you insert simple animations and attract attention. On top of that, you will learn where you can find resources for inspiration. All steps are visualized for easy access.

7. How to Add Speaker Notes in PowerPoint?

Level: Intermediate

Speaker notes are crucial for all presenters. They let you memorize key phrases during the slides, and avoid any mishaps. In this PowerPoint video tutorial, you’ll learn not only how to add and show speaker notes, but also some of the reasons why people use them.

8. Microsoft PowerPoint Tutorial for Beginners Level 1

If you are a complete beginner to the software, we recommend to start off with a tutorial that covers the basics of working with PowerPoint. Jamie K. from Teacher’s Tech explains the basic functions and the interface options of the software and takes you through the process of creating a basic presentation.

9. Ten Powerful PowerPoint Tips

Level: Beginners / Intermediate

A video of PowerPoint hacks and tricks that will help you create a more appealing presentation design. Again created by Jamie K. from Teacher’s Tech, this video presents you to handy features in PowerPoint that reveal how to craft visually pleasing presentations more easily and quickly.

10. PowerPoint Slide Master tutorial – Placeholders & Basics

Working with Slide Master in PowerPoint requires you to be at least an intermediate user of the software, so we recommend you to check out the PowerPoint tutorials for beginners first. This great tutorial by Andrzej Pach introduces you to the Slide Master tool which will be really useful to you if you’d like to create custom presentation templates. His channel is full of useful videos, so we highly recommend you to check it out.

11. Three PowerPoint Hacks for Instant Improvement

Level: Advanced

A very insightful video tutorial by Leila Gharani who shares advanced hacks on how to instantly improve your presentations in PowerPoint. She talks about working with smart shapes, morph transitions, and advanced morph available in the newest version of PowerPoint. Every step is explained and the final result for your presentation is super impressive.

Need an amazing resume template? Take a look at these  Top Resume Powerpoint Templates to Help You Stand Out .

12. How To Make Videos in PowerPoint?

A tutorial by Michael Kinney who will teach you how to turn your PowerPoint slideshow into a narrated video. The tutorial assumes you are already familiar with the software and explains how to set up your mic, use the recording features in PowerPoint, and later on, export your presentation into a video.

13. Animated 3D Models in PowerPoint – Part 1, The Basics

Thanks to the evolving technologies, incorporation 3D objects in your PowerPoint presentation is now completely possible. The following video will introduce you to the basics of using 3D models in PowerPoint and is a part of a sequence, so if you feel impressed, you can check out the second video which will show you advanced tricks with 3D models in PowerPoint. The video tutorial is made by Lia from Spicy Presentations and for doing it, you will need to have the latest Microsoft Office 365.

You may also be interested in How to Add Audio to PowerPoint: The Quick Step-by-Step Guide

14. How To Create Parallax Effect PowerPoint Step-by-Step?

A video tutorial by One Skill who shows how to create a parallax effect in your PowerPoint presentation. The tutorial is suitable for users who are already familiar with the software and want to make their presentations more attractive and modern. This step-by-step narrated tutorial will help you get there easily!

15. 40 Best Animation Tutorials for PowerPoint

There are so many animation effects you can achieve with PowerPoint that they cannot possibly be gathered into one video tutorial. The YouTube channel The Teacher regularly uploads great PowePoint tutorials which can be achieved by users with at least intermediate knowledge of the software. In the video below, you will see previews of 40 great animation effects. If you like any, just look for it in the description of the video and head over the tutorial itself.

To wrap up,

PowerPoint is a software that offers a lot as long as you know how to use it right. We hope this collection of 15 PowerPoint tutorials was useful to you and helped you learn new tricks and tips. It certainly was useful to us! If you want to recommend PowerPoint tutorials that helped you master your skills, you are welcome to share them in the comments below.

You may also be interested in these related articles:

• The Best Free PowerPoint Templates to Download in 2022
• 35+ Free Infographic PowerPoint Templates to Power Your Presentations
• 50 Free Cartoon PowerPoint Templates with Characters & Illustrations

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Iveta Pavlova

Iveta is a passionate writer at GraphicMama who has been writing for the brand ever since the blog was launched. She keeps her focus on inspiring people and giving insight on topics like graphic design, illustrations, education, business, marketing, and more.

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Beyond the Basics in PowerPoint

These advanced features bring the Pow! to your presentation

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Insert Photos and Graphics

Add animations and transitions, embed music, narration, and timing, choose printing options, save time with macros and master slides, make presentations portable.

A deck of PowerPoint slides with standard formatting, minimal images, and basic transition effects is a passable visual presentation. But it's a conservative approach to sharing information visually. You can make presentations more appealing by employing advanced PowerPoint features.

Information in this article applies to PowerPoint 2019, 2016, 2013, and 2010 as well as PowerPoint for Mac and PowerPoint for Microsoft 365.

PowerPoint is well suited to the visual presentation of information. Your audience members get a different experience when they view slides summarizing key points instead of, for example, reading a white paper. So, take advantage of this fact by emphasizing images more than text. You can choose from your own photos, illustrations, and graphs, or online images.

If you're not used to thinking this way, try writing text for a slide and then finding an image to tell part or all of the same story.

You can also jazz up your presentations using animations . These fun special effects provide visual interest as audience members digest the information you've just discussed. Animations within a slide (for example, bullet points appearing one by one) help you avoid revealing information before you're ready to discuss it.

Did you know that you can embed music or play ambient sounds in the background to enhance your message? You can also add your narration to the presentation to ensure you make all your points or to prepare the presentation for upload to your website or YouTube channel. Finally, you can time the slides so they advance without you having to switch them manually, enabling you to focus on your own part of the presentation.

You can create hard copies of your slides for yourself or your audience. They can be used for a variety of purposes:

• Give you speaker notes to use while you present
• Provide a means for audience members to remember your points and take notes
• Give a co-worker an easy way to view your slides to offer comments

PowerPoint is optimized for on-screen viewing in Presentation Mode. However, you can choose one of the many printing options to print speaker notes or a variety of formats for audience notes.

In addition to the helpful features mentioned so far, PowerPoint includes some that can save you time. For example, you can create macros or your own design template complete with your company logo. Developing a template isn't as tricky as it sounds and PowerPoint excels at re-using content.

Presentations on the road can go wrong when an embedded sound or video file goes missing or the machine you're using doesn't have a modern version of PowerPoint loaded on it. Use PowerPoint's portability tools to pack your presentation for remote viewing, including PowerPoint Online and all the bells and whistles you included from your own desk.

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In 51 engaging lessons you will learn basic techniques including how to use themes and layouts, add audio visual components to your presentations and more. You will also learn intermediate and advanced techniques such as how to add animations, print, reuse and copy slides plus more.

Whether you use PowerPoint for work or study, these tutorials will start you on your journey to becoming a PowerPoint pro!

The course is PowerPoint 2019 and Microsoft 365 compliant (previously known as Office 365). Video tutorials are recorded in Microsoft PowerPoint 365 / 2019.

For older versions of PowerPoint, visit our course for Microsoft PowerPoint versions 2010-2016 .

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Course introduction 1 lesson free lesson, hello and welcome to powerpoint.

In this lesson, we will be introduced to the instructor who will share the course outline, communicate the scope, any assumptions/pre-requisites and give a high-level overview of what to expect.

Modern Slide Layouts 2 lessons

The golden rules of good slide design.

In this lesson, we will discuss modern slide layouts and show examples of engaging, slick presentations. We will run-through presentation tips, things to consider when designing slide-decks and also things to avoid. This lesson will contain lots of examples of good and bad presentations.

Resources and Inspiration

In this lesson, we'll look at a number of free resources for high-quality images, icons and videos for use in presentations. We'll also discuss where to go for inspiration when it comes to slide layouts, use of color, iconography, and images.

Essential PowerPoint Skills 8 lessons Free Lesson

Launching powerpoint and the start screen.

We'll examine the different ways to launch PowerPoint and run through the functionality available on the Start Screen.

Get To Know the PowerPoint Interface

Get familiar with the different areas that make up the PowerPoint Interface. This includes the ribbon structure, groups, commands, dialog launchers, scroll bars and the status bar. This lesson is also designed to familiarize you with important PowerPoint terminology.

The Quick Access Toolbar (QAT)

We introduce the Quick Access Toolbar which allows users to execute frequently used commands with one-click. We also learn how to add commands to the Quick Access Toolbar using two different methods.

Contextual Menus and Ribbons

We will learn about the mini-toolbar for quick formatting and explore the options available in the right-click contextual menus. We'll also cover the concept of contextual ribbons that only appear when needed.

Accessing Help and Search Features

In this lesson, we will learn how to access help on demand whilst working in PowerPoint using the F1 key and the search bar. We will also learn how to turn the Help ribbon on through PowerPoint options to access training, community forums and blogs.

Creating and Saving a New Presentation

Let's create our first new presentation using a blank template. We'll learn how to save presentations locally and to the cloud, and understand how this determines how the presentation is saved going forward.

Diving In to PowerPoint Templates

Let's explore the pre-designed templates available in PowerPoint. We will learn how to search for templates, browse categories, pin favourites, load them, make changes and save them for reuse.

Working with Slide Layouts

In this lesson, we will learn all about the different slide layouts available in PowerPoint. We'll learn how to create new slides and apply different layouts to each, paying attention to text placeholders and content icons.

Let's Get Started - Slide Workshop! 27 lessons Free Lesson

"title slide" - start with a bang - part 1.

We will create an eye-catching title slide using the title slide layout. Then, we'll create a title slide manually from a blank slide using text boxes and basic shapes.

"Title Slide" - Start with a Bang! - Part 2

Selecting and aligning objects on a slide.

In this important lesson, we will learn how to select objects and use alignment tools, distribution tools, grouping, gridlines and guides to position multiple objects on the slide. A must for a professional looking presentation!

"About Us" - Using Images, Icons and Text - Part 1

We will create an 'About Us' slide and learn how to insert pictures, icons and text. We will also learn the basics of moving and resizing objects and some simple but effective formatting techniques.

"About Us" - Inserting Images, Icons and Text - Part 2

"divider slide" - shapes, fills and format shapes - part 1.

We will create a divider slide to separate different topics in a presentation. We will also learn how to download, save and use high-quality large images as the slide background and use the merge and union facility to merge a picture across multiple shapes.

"Divider Slide" - Working with shapes, merge and union and icons - Part 2

We will finish creating a divider slide to separate different topics in a presentation. We will also learn how to add quote text, a slide number and apply font formatting properties. 

Managing Slides

A simple lesson where we will learn how to duplicate and modify slides, replace images and change the z-order of objects on a slide. We will also learn how to re-organize and arrange slides using the thumbnail view and slide sorter view.

Dividing up a Presentation with Sections

We will learn how to divide up a presentation into manageable chunks to assist with editing, navigation and organization.

"Meet the Team" - Crop and Fill

An introduction to a very useful pairing - crop and fill. We will create a 'Meet the Team' slide and fill shapes with pictures that fit perfectly without distortion.

"Our Services" - Shapes, Pictures and Animation - Part 1

In this lesson, we will start to build an 'Our Services' slide. In part 2 of this lesson, we will build the background using shapes, images and crop and fill, and then apply animation to this slide. 

"Our Services" - Animated Bullets - Part 2

In part 2 of this lesson, we will learn how to add bulleted lists and apply animation. 

Slide Transitions

Transitions explained! We will learn the importance of smooth transitions between slides, how to apply transitions to one or more slides, the different types of transition and how to manage and remove transitions.

"Our History" - Creating a Timeline - Part 1

We will learn about a number of techniques to create an engaging timeline slide using SmartArt, fill colors and the eyedropper utility. 

"Our History" - Creating a timeline - Part 2

We will finish creating an engaging timeline using shapes, shape effects, icons and formatted text. 

"Our Process" - Creating a Process Flow Chart - Part 1

We will create a cross-functional process flowchart using flowchart shapes. This includes: inserting and formatting tables, connecting shapes with lines and connectors, resizing objects and adding text. 

"Our Process" - Creating a process flow chart - Part 2

We will create a cross-functional process flowchart using flowchart shapes. This includes, formatting shapes with shape effects, connecting shapes with lines and connectors, resizing objects and adding text.

"Our Products" - More Shapes, Pictures, and Text - Part 1

In part 1 of this lesson, we will build an 'Our Products' home page using shapes, pictures, text and formatting options. 

"Our Products" - Working with Hyperlinks - Part 2

In part 2 of this lesson, we will build 4 more slides and learn how to hyperlink to them from the home page. 

"Company Statistics" - Creating Graphs and Charts

We will learn how to create a column, sunburst and map chart to tell the story of their data visually. Create charts on-the-fly or use data already stored in an Excel worksheet.

Formatting Charts and Graphs - Part 1

We explore the extensive formatting options available on the Chart Options contextual ribbon. Change the color scheme, switch the data around, add data labels, axis labels, chart titles and a legend.

Formatting Charts and Graphs - Part 2

Explore the extensive formatting options available on the Chart Options contextual ribbon. Change the color scheme, switch the data around, add data labels, axis labels, chart titles and a legend.

"Contact Us" - Rotating Shapes - Part 1

In Part 1 of this lesson, we will begin to put together a Contact Us slide. We will use shapes and learn how to rotate shapes but keep the image horizontal. 

"Contact Us" - Hyperlinks - Part 2

In Part 2 of this lesson, we will complete the 'Contact Us' slide. We will insert social media icons, contact information and hyperlinks to emails and external websites.  

"Closing Slide" - Using Video in Slides

We will see where to go for free motion videos to use in presentations. Create a closing slide using a motion background, shapes, transparencies and use the contextual ribbon to control playback.

Adding Animation Effects - Part 1

In part 1 of this lesson, we will get the opportunity to reorganize slides, add new sections and then apply animation effects to slides 1 and 2. 

Adding Animation Effects - Part 2

In part 2 of this lesson, we will continue to apply different entrance, emphasis and animation effects as well as modify the effect options. 

Working with Touch 2 lessons

Draw with touch.

This lesson is aimed at touch device users. We will learn how to switch between mouse and touch mode and start to explore the commands available on the Draw ribbon to annotate presentations.

Ink to Text, Shape and Math

We will learn how to turn handwritten notes, shapes and mathematical equations into typed text.

Preparing a Presentation for Delivery 4 lessons

Checking spelling and grammar.

We will learn how to customize our proofing tools in PowerPoint Options and then run a spelling and grammar check prior to sharing the presentation with others.

Adding Comments and Notes

We will learn how to add comments to a PowerPoint presentation and how to delete, respond to and manage comments in a presentation that has been sent to them. We will also learn how to add speaker notes to slides and view the notes whilst presenting.

Slide Show Settings

We will tour the different options available to setup a slide show. This includes learning about how to make a presentation run automatically by rehearsing timings.

Rehearse Timings and Custom Slide Shows

We will look at how to create a slide show using timings and a custom slide show. 

Delivering a Presentation 1 lesson

Presenter tools and features.

In this lesson, we will run a slide show and explore the in-presentation features such as blacking out the screen, using annotations, turning on subtitles and switching pointer options.

The Info Tab 2 lessons

Adding and removing document properties.

We will look at how to add document properties (metadata) to assist with searching for presentations. We will also see how to remove all metadata from a presentation prior to sending the document to external clients/customers.

Protecting a Presentation

We will look at how to protect a presentation from editing or limit who can access a presentation by setting read-only access, encrypting with a password and marking as final.

Printing, Exporting and Sharing 3 lessons

Exporting a presentation to other file formats.

We will learn how to export a presentation to another file format such as a PDF, video, animated gif, and more.

Printing a Presentation

We explore the different Print Options available: how to select a printer, print to PDF, set printer properties and define what you want to print and the layout.

Sharing a Presentation

In this final lesson, we will learn how to share a copy or a link to a presentation with others and control if colleagues can edit or simply view it.

Course Close 1 lesson

Thank you and goodbye.

The instructor will close out the course by saying goodbye, recapping some of the skills learnt to remind student of how far they've come.

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Advanced PowerPoint Presentation Tips and Hacks

Many have a love-hate relationship with Microsoft’s PowerPoint. While super flexible, the tool can also be manual, tedious, and all-consuming, especially for the uninitiated. Authored by a former management consultant and finance expert, this article will help every user—from the beginner to the advanced operator—smooth out some of their points of friction and become an expert-level user of the application.

By Melissa Lin

Melissa has worked in ECM, tech startups, and management consulting, advising Fortune 500 companies across multiple sectors.

Key Highlights

• Keep Your Presentations Simple: Minimize cluttered, distracting slide-decks that are overly saturated with content; they will lose or confuse your audience more often than not.
• Seek to Communicate One Takeaway per Slide: Streamline your message and its supporting content to one key takeaway per slide. Much more tends to reduce engagement, comprehension, and retention by your audience (think "diminishing economies of content").
• Leverage Illustrations in Place of Text: Prose-heavy presentations tend to induce content fatigue, which again induces a loss of engagement on the part of your audience. Relevant, high-quality images have proven themselves useful in maintaining engagement, especially for longer presentations.
• Understand That Formatting Is King: Clean, simple and consistent formatting, complete with discernible themes, colors, fonts, shapes and sizes perform wonders where creating a polished, professional, and finished product is concerned.
• Customize Your Quick Access Toolbar: The Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) is a customizable toolbar that sits above the PowerPoint ribbon, and where one can add frequently used commands. Effective use of the toolbar is a PowerPoint trick that eases friction for power users and saves hours in the long run.
• Use PowerPoint Shortcuts in Place of Your Mouse: Understand the functions that you use most frequently and memorize their keyboard shortcuts. This PowerPoint hack will cut hours of manual work from your PowerPoint experience.
• Create Your Own Go-to Templates: Using the "Slide Master" view in PowerPoint, you can create personal, pre-formatted, and pre-fabricated templates, complete with font choices, font sizes, color schemes, and more, that will minimize your formatting load in the "polishing" phase of your presentation.
• Work alongside you as a thought partner to design, create, and deliver a polished and professional PowerPoint presentation/pitch ahead of your meeting.
• Draft and clean up the content (literary) that will be featured in your slide deck, including your personal speaking points and audience takeaways.
• Create the financials, models, infographics, and outputs that will be featured in your slide deck.
• Assist you with dry-runs, rehearsals, and other preparation assistance ahead of the presentation date, with expert feedback and tips regarding performance.

Love It or Hate It…

Love it or hate it, PowerPoint is ubiquitous when it comes to formal presentations. Perhaps you are pitching a new proposal. Or perhaps you’ve spent weeks number-crunching or conducting intensive research and it’s time to communicate your findings to the relevant stakeholders. Whatever your purpose, PowerPoint is arguably one of the most important components of your success.

When I was a management consultant I lived in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, toggling between the two programs every day. I loved that PowerPoint’s flexibility allowed me to illuminate and transform data into a story—a story of financials, an industry’s growth trajectory, or recommendations for restructuring a business process. However, especially as I was just starting out, this flexibility often proved to be a double-edged sword. It was frustrating how tedious slide design could be, and how long it took to aesthetically perfect a slide. I often found myself choosing between effective slides that took hours to create and a more basic deck that was quick to produce but less effective in communicating the data and the message. It wasn’t until I mastered some essential PowerPoint tips and tricks that I no longer experienced this dilemma.

This article showcases a selection of advanced PowerPoint hacks and presentation tips and tricks that will enable you to use the tool with ease. It will hopefully also prevent you from sacrificing effective messaging in an effort to save time. While many PowerPoint articles provide qualitative advice around effectively delivering a message, this piece focuses on the technical components of how to make an advanced PowerPoint presentation. It utilizes functionalities and commands in Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2016 and 365 for PC. Let’s get started.

The Basics of Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentations

Though this article is designed for users with more advanced PowerPoint skills, it may be useful to kick off with a refresher of some basic do’s and don’ts for creating effective PowerPoint presentations. Subsequently, we may then delve into some of the nitty-gritty of PowerPoint’s more advanced features. Throughout my career, the following four rules have served me well:

Rule 1 - Keep Your Deck as Simple as Possible: Likely the most important PowerPoint rule, “less is always more” with great presentations. Avoid clutter; minimize flashy, complex slides with distracting clipart in motion; and always focus on delivering a clear and succinct message.

Rule 2 - Keep Each Slide to Just One Key Takeaway: Resist the temptation to throw the kitchen sink at your audience, in general, but especially on a per-slide basis. You will hold your audience’s attention far more easily and leave them with more tangible, digestible takeaways simply by limiting the scope of your content to just one key point per slide.

Rule 3 - Use Simple, High-Quality Graphics Often and in Place of Words: As an addendum to Rule 1, too many words on a page tend to be both tedious and a bore for your audience, often resulting in a loss of focus, or “content fatigue,” during your presentation. GIFs, graphs, charts, and other informative and relevant illustrations tend to be great ways to break up tedium and add dimension to your flow.

Rule 4 - Clean and Simple Formatting Will Take You Far: Clean bullet points, consistent color themes, soft font styles, and legible font sizes all go the distance in leaving a great, professional impression on your audience as you present a polished finished product. Calibri (font), in metallic grey (primary color), punctuated by sky-blues (secondary color) have worked wonders for me over my career. Feel free to adopt them.

Customizing the Quick Access Toolbar

The first step to becoming a PowerPoint expert is building your Quick Access Toolbar. It’s a customizable toolbar sitting above the ribbon, where you can add your favorite and most frequently used commands. Invest five minutes to set it up, and you won’t regret it—it’ll pay dividends each time you use PowerPoint thereafter. Here’s a quick lay of the land before we delve into the logistics:

To customize your toolbar’s functionality and ordering according to your preference, simply click the white downwards-facing arrow above your ribbon. Then click “More Commands” → Choose Commands from “All Commands” → Select and add your favorite commands. If you want to remove any commands, simply select the command and hit “Remove.”

My “must-haves” for the ultimate quick access toolbar (QAT):

Align: The alignment tool is hands-down my favorite tool in PowerPoint. Bypass the futile, manual effort and instead highlight the shapes you want to align, and choose which direction to align them. You can align objects to the middle, right, left, top, and bottom of each other. Keep in mind that the positions of the objects are all relative to each other.

If you want to use this tool outside of your QAT: Highlight your desired objects → Format tab in the ribbon → Click Align → Select your preferred alignment direction → The objects will be aligned.

Distribute: If you have multiple objects or shapes that you want to make equidistant from each other, this tool will be your new best friend. Before distributing objects, it’s best to first align them. Then, to distribute, simply highlight the objects you want to distribute, and select “distribute horizontally” or “distribute vertically.”

If you want to use this tool outside of your QAT: Highlight your desired objects → Format tab in the ribbon → Click Align → Select Distribute Horizontally or Distribute Vertically → The objects will be distributed.

Format painter: Allows you to copy the formatting from one object and apply it to another one. It is essentially copying and pasting , but for formatting and not content.

• One click on format painter: Applies the formatting from the original object to the next object you select/click on.
• Two clicks on format painter: Locks in the format painter. After double-clicking, any object you select will convert to the formatting of the first object. To unlock format painter, click on any white space on the slide (not an object).

If you want to use this tool outside of your QAT: Select the object you want to mimic → Click Format Painter once or twice in the Home tab in the ribbon → Click on the object you want to change → The formatting changes will be applied.

Rotate: As the name implies, this feature enables you to rotate objects, in increments of 90 or 180 degrees. You can rotate a text box, shape, WordArt, or picture. This includes rotations to the right 90 degrees, to the left 90 degrees, vertically, and horizontally.

If you want to use this tool outside of your QAT: Highlight your desired object(s) → Format tab in the ribbon → Click Rotate → Select your preferred rotation option → The objects will be rotated.

Life-changing PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts

You might think I’m exaggerating, but once you realize you don’t have to manually perform these actions, you won’t look back. Generally, utilizing PowerPoint does not require memorizing as many hot keys as Excel does , but there are a few that you should be aware of.

Easily change the order and indent level of bulleted text in text boxes:

• Change the order of bulleted text in text boxes: ALT + SHIFT + Up/Down Arrow Key
• Change the indent level of bulleted text in text boxes: ALT + SHIFT + Right/Left Arrow Key

Resize an object while keeping them regular and in proportion:

• Hold SHIFT while you’re resizing an object with your pointer/mouse

Micro-nudges (small nudges for your objects):

• Select the object and hold CTRL + Up/Down/Right/Left Arrow Key to move it

Duplicate your shape or object without copy & paste:

• CTRL + Drag the shape with your pointer/mouse

Ensure that your lines are actually straight:

• For vertical lines: Insert the shape → Right click → Format Shape → Size & Properties → Set “Height” to “0” → Perfectly straight line
• For horizontal lines: Insert the shape → Right click → Format Shape → Size & Properties → Set “Width” to “0” → Perfectly straight line

Transform a number into a footnote superscript:

• Type in the number of the footnote (e.g., 1, 2, 3) → Highlight the number → Hold CTRL + SHIFT + the equal sign (=) → Your number will now be a footnote superscript

Adjust the case of your text by toggling between text cases (lowercase, title case and all caps):

• Highlight the desired words and use the SHIFT + F3 shortcut. Each time you hit F3, the highlighted text will change to all lowercase, all caps, or title-style where only the first letter of a word is capitalized.

PowerPoint Design Tips for Common, Frustrating Situations

If you’ve worked in PowerPoint consistently, you’ve likely encountered the following conundrums. Instead of spending an unnecessary 15-30 minutes Googling the issue for a workaround, here’s how to navigate the situation every time:

How to convert text to SmartArt

Example Situation: I’ve got a list of boring bullets and I need inspiration to make them more polished.

Solution: Leverage the “Convert to SmartArt” tool.

Select the text box with the bullets → Under “Home” in the ribbon, Select “Convert to SmartArt” → Hover over different SmartArt options to see your bullets transformed → Select whichever SmartArt strikes your fancy, and continue to edit from there

How to Resize Multiple Objects/Shapes at Once

Example Situation: I used multiple shapes/images in the slide and I want to change their collective size without messing up the proportions.

First, group all the objects together. To group, highlight all objects and either right click → Group, or highlight and hit ALT + G.

Then, adjust the size with your mouse while holding SHIFT to keep the proportion. This will help you resize and fit multiple objects without distorting the original proportions and shapes.

How to Identify and Match Exact Colors

Example Situation: You need to utilize a specific, custom color but you can’t seem to find it in the color palette.

Solution: The eyedropper tool quickly identifies the exact color you are looking to match, and applies it to the text or object you are trying to change. While format painter can be helpful for applying the exact same formatting (size, coloring, etc.) from one object to another, sometimes you might only be looking to apply the same color. In these cases, the eyedropper tool is very helpful.

A common use case for this tool is for pitch decks. If you are looking to match the theme of the deck to the potential client/partner’s logo, the eyedropper tool can prove invaluable.

• Select the text box you want to change → Click on the coloring format → Select the eyedropper tool → Using the eyedropper tool, hover over the color you want to mimic → When the color’s identification appears, click the color you want

How to Leverage Arrows with Elbow Connectors

Example Situation: I’m trying to draw arrows from one shape to another, but the arrows are crooked and look unprofessional.

Solution: Use the arrows with an elbow connector (90-degree angles). They automatically snap to the center of an object and can be formatted in different colors and sizes. These are especially helpful when building organizational charts.

• Go to the Insert ribbon → Insert a shape → Under the “Lines” category, select the arrows with elbow connectors → Once selected, use the arrow to connect the center of one shape to the center of another shape → Repeat until completion

How to Fit Text into a Shape

Example Situation: I’m typing a text label into a shape, but the text doesn’t fit and breaks the word into two lines.

Solution: There are two ways to go about it:

• Option 1: Right-click the shape → “format the shape” → Change the text margins to “0” from the left, and “0” from the right. Nine times out of ten, this will solve your issue.
• Option 2: Forget about dealing with the original shape. Instead, insert a text box over the original shape (text box should use a transparent background) and type directly into the text box. The text will show up over the shape, but nobody will know it was a manual workaround.

How to Remove the Background of a Picture

Example Situation: I used an image from the web in a slide and I want to change the background image color but can’t figure out how to do it.

Solution: This technique is most effective when used on images with high contrast.

• First, you must remove the original background color of the image. Click on the image you want to change → Select the “Format” tab in the ribbon → Click “Remove Background” → Fix any portions that were not perfectly removed → Click outside the image when you’re ready
• Next, you will want to add in the new background color of the image. As you can see, the perfect execution of this does require a steady hand (that I clearly do not quite have). Still, it’s a helpful trick to have in your back pocket.

How to Convert a Table to Text Boxes

Example Situation: You want to convert a datatable into different formatting on another slide, but you don’t want to manually type the numbers in and risk a mistake.

Solution: Break your table into multiple text boxes and objects, which saves you the trouble of retyping the data and will be easier to manipulate

• Copy the entire table → Paste special (paste as picture enhanced metafile) → Ungroup it → Answer “yes” to the dialog box → Ungroup it again → Answer “yes” again.
• Voila, now your table has been broken into text boxes and shapes. You can now copy and paste the data you need into another slide and re-format as you like.

How to Make a Table’s Rows or Columns the Same Size

Example Situation: You’ve created and filled a table with data, but the size of some rows or columns do not match the others. Your OCD starts to kick in but you can’t figure out how to get them to match perfectly.

Solution: Use the “Distribute Rows” and “Distribute Columns” tools.

• Select the entire data table → “Layout” tab in the Ribbon → Click “Distribute Rows” and “Distribute columns.”

Other PowerPoint Features and Best Practices

Create custom deck templates using Slide Master, which can be found under the “View” tab in the ribbon. Slide Master allows you to quickly modify the slide design in your presentation. You can either customize the slide master, which will affect every slide in the presentation, or you can modify individual slide layouts, which will change any slides using those layouts.

Rely less on your eyesight when moving objects around with the Guides or Gridlines view. First, you should adjust your settings to utilize the “Snap-to-Grid” function. Here’s how to do so: “View” tab → Click on the “Grid Settings” next to the word “Show” → Enable “Snap objects to grid. If you’d like to view the actual guides or gridlines, you can select these options under the “View” tab in the ribbon; they can easily be turned on and off. Please note that you can move guides around, while gridlines are set.

Link a chart from your Excel workbook to your PowerPoint presentation to enable dynamic updating of numbers.

• When your chart is ready in Excel, copy the chart → Toggle to PowerPoint → In the “Home” tab in the ribbon, click “Paste” → Select “Paste Special” → Select “Paste Link” and “Microsoft Excel Chart Object” → Now when you update the numbers in Excel, the chart in PowerPoint will update dynamically. This feature works best when both programs are open in tandem.
• If you close the Excel document and then update the figures in the table, remember to go back to your PowerPoint chart, right-click the chart, and select “Update link” to ensure that the data is refreshed.

On busy slides crowded with data, visually highlight your main takeaway at the bottom. A rectangular box (as shown below) is common.

Remember to include keys with your graphs and charts to help orient your audience.

Slide Templates and Presentation Graphics for Common Concepts

Have you ever felt déjà vu when designing a new PowerPoint deck? It’s probably because we often create new slides to convey similar concepts, even if the content is different—be it a process, progress, or an organizational chart. At the end of the day, it makes sense to reuse a slide structure even if the actual content refreshes. To communicate these common concepts, many of the largest consulting firms repeatedly utilize the following slide components:

Project Schedule: Gantt Chart

Organizational Structure: Organizational chart

Process: Arrows leading into one another

Indicating the degree to which a particular item meets a criterion: Harvey Balls

Final Thoughts

Thus, As I began, so shall I finish. PowerPoint presentations don’t have to be painful. Like most personal and professional skills, practice, consistency, and attention will get you most of the way there. Once you become familiar with the application as a powerful productivity and storytelling tool, gain comfort with its nuances and logic/flow, and, dare I say, begin to leverage this article as a how-to companion, you might actually find yourself beginning to enjoy building PowerPoint presentations as you transition toward mastering them.

In the interim, if you are interested in reviewing some top consulting presentations that put a lot of my content into practice, feel free to browse 30 McKinsey presentations and a mix of Mckinsey, Boston Consulting Group and The Parthenon Group decks .

With that, happy building!

Understanding the basics

How do i customize the quick access toolbar in powerpoint.

• Click the white downward-facing arrow above your ribbon; 2. Click “More Commands”; 3. Choose Commands from “All Commands”; 4. Select and add your favorite commands; 5. If you want to remove any commands, simply select the command and hit “Remove.”

What makes for an effective PowerPoint presentation?

Adhere to the following: (1) Err toward simplicity, in message and illustration; (2) Limit the use of prose (bullets are more succinct); (3) Use high-quality illustrations in place of text; (4) Use video or audio; and (5) Be sure you have a clear objective, point, and/or use-case for the end output.

How do I link an Excel chart to PowerPoint?

• Copy your Excel chart; 2. In PowerPoint’s “Home” tab, click “Paste”; 3. Select “Paste Special”; 4. Select “Paste Link” and “Microsoft Excel Chart Object” → The numbers are dynamic; 5. If you close Excel and then update the raw data, right click the PowerPoint chart, and select “Update link” to refresh the data.
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Deep Dive: Learn about Slide Master in PowerPoint - A Tutorial (1/2)

About this lesson, unlock the power of powerpoint master slides.

Learn how Master Slides drives the look and feel of EVERY PowerPoint slide deck.

What is the PowerPoint Slide Master?

It is hidden inside the menus, but once unlocked we will show you all the fundamental components and how they impact the overall presentation design.

Power Slide Master is the Key in ALL Versions of PowerPoint

Windows, Mac OS, old and new versions of PowerPoint.  This mode has been there from the beginning, and our tutorial will explain how and why these tools can improve your presentation and SAVE YOU TIME!

Tutorial One and Two

This is a deep dive into making master slides work for you. This is not a step by step guide, but a deep dive to teach you how to UNDERSTAND master slides and make them work for you. You will master Slide Master!

This is the first of two training videos on Master Slides. The second part can be found here .

Content with video timestamps:

• Intro: (0:00)
• Assumptions and Training Goals (1:24)
• Understanding the Elements of Master Slides (2:08)
• Relationship of Parent and Child Master Slides (5:59)
• Starting Off inside of Master Slide View (6:56)
• Insert Logo for “All” Slides (7:11)
• Where are Master Slide Logos Located? (9:11)
• Why do some master slides not show logos and images? (9:57)
• Sections and Master Slides (11:01)
• Scenario 2 – Change fonts, placeholder locations, colors (12:26)
• Scenario 3 – Mass updates of bullet animation and slide transitions (16:46)
• Scenario 4 – Creating from Scratch – a preview (19:31)
• Wrap Up (21:35)

Subject Microsoft PowerPoint

Software Compatibility All Versions of PowerPoint

Level Advanced

Course Completed Complete

PDF Files DOWNLOAD THE LESSON MATERIALS

TRAINING SERIES VIEW ALL

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Training Class Video Transcript “Learn about Slide Master in PowerPoint – A Tutorial”

(00:07): You want to be in control of PowerPoint. You want to get deep inside to control all the inner workings of PowerPoint, the color schemes, the backgrounds, the defaults images, and the transitions. All this magic happens in the hidden master slide mode. In this power advance training session. I’m going to explain how master slides interact with the slide layout and the individual slides change one element on the master slide and magic flows through all the resulting slides. Take control of PowerPoint and save time with master slide, power moves. Stay tuned and get powered up

(00:54): MUSIC

(01:01): This is our slide presentation that I will be operating on to demonstrate our deep dive into master slides. What you see is not an outstanding example of what a presentation should look like. It has issues, and we’ll fix some of these along the way. Maybe not all, but some as I get started, it’s good to know that slide masters have been part of PowerPoint from day one and can be applied to any version that you might be running. And I’m not expecting you to be a graphic designer. We’re going to work with the tools that Microsoft gives us to create solid presentations. Our training goals are not just to show you keystrokes, but to help you truly understand what master slides are all about. Once you’re grounded in the concept, then you can use your imagination to do so much more. And then once you have the understanding of the little concepts, we’ll be able to run through four scenarios to reinforce the concepts. In reality, these are the elements that you need to understand, but you’re not gonna understand them by just looking at them words on this page instead, let’s demonstrate them.

(02:20): Okay.

(02:21): Here are the components of the master slides. The slide is the easiest to understand. It is the individual page that you create in PowerPoint. And what is displayed when you run an on-screen presentation, the next element are called layouts. Each slide originates from a slide layout, which instructs, where to put each of the placeholder objects on the slide, placeholders are things like the title or the footers or the text box. And this specific slide example is based on the two content layout. The next element is slide collections in any PowerPoint presentation. There is a collection of the individual slides and the totality makes up the slide collection next to the design template, which controls the color schemes, the fonts, the fancy backgrounds, and more design templates are applied to the slide collection, which then flows all the way back to the individual slides. As a side note, there’s also a grouping called sections.

(03:36): You can highlight a subset of slides in the slide collection, right? Click on the group and create them as a section. And then you can apply a design template to just that section within the slide collection. Also note that the slide collection is really more than just a grouping of slides. Instead, let’s consider it a view. The design template is really being applied to the slide layouts and not the view of the slide collection and what controls the design template. The master slides. Oops, not really. While the design template is based on the master slides. They are just a mechanism to apply them to the layouts. And once applied, if you want to make changes to the whole presentation, you change the master slides and that is immediately updating the layout. Wow, that’s a lot going on. Let’s summarize this in a simpler term. Design templates are collected from slide masters. They provide a way to apply the master slide formatting to a presentation. So the basic user doesn’t need to know about the master slides, but you’re not a basic user, which is why you’re watching our training session. Slide masters are a collection of pre-formatted slide layouts, lots of layouts, like our two-column layout and each layout is individually formatted for reuse each slide originates from the slide layout. So we can apply mass changes at the master slide, and it will flow through the layout and onto our individual slides in this cascading fashion.

(05:34): What does slide masters control? I’m not going to read through this list, but basically the masters slide controls everything in your presentation. And I mean, everything. We are about to put this into action by demonstrating how to change almost everything listed here.

(05:56): But

(05:56): Before we do that, I have one more concept to share. The slide master group will always have a parent. Changes to the parent will flow down to all the children layouts. This is important. If you want to change the background color, you don’t want to have to touch all the individual slide. Instead change the parent with the parent. You can apply it at the top and it will flow down to the children based on the hierarchy. You can always override the flow farther down the chain by editing a specific child layout. Okay, enough chalk board talk, let’s get going and make it happen. I’m going to work through four different scenarios to highlight the different aspects and implications of this slide. Master our first scenario. We’ll see how changes flow through the presentation and why sometimes they don’t flow. Let’s go, let’s get started. We need to switch out of the standard slide view to the slide master view. We’re going to click on view and then we’re gonna go over and click on slide master. On the left side of this screen are our layouts. And at the very top is the parent slide. I’m going to make this a little bigger so we can see how the parent is out dented and all the children layouts are down below.

(07:27): Okay. one of our first task of inserting a logo, we have to make sure that we’re on the parent slide. Then we’ll go to insert pictures and we’ll choose something from my local computer. We’ll choose a power up logo. I’ll click on this when I click on OK. And insert, it’s going to drop it in the middle of our parents slide. You’ll see it’s showing on the left side of all our children. This particular image is a little too large. Oops. We flipped it over. Let’s slide it back down and flip it right side back up. We can then position. It is still a bit too big. So I’m going to make it just a touch smaller and get it exactly where I want on the parent slide. Once again, know, that make the changes. It shows up on the children’s lives down below.

(08:09): It’s a little more positioning and we should be good to go. Take a look at the logo on the parent does show up on many of the children below, but not all of them. And we’re going to examine why it’s not on our master title slide the second from the top. But hold on for a moment, let’s go into the slide master and exit out of this mode. So we’ll do slide master. We’ll close the master view. And now as we scroll up and down, we can see sure enough that the logo has been dropped into our existing presentation on almost all of the slides. But I do have a word of warning while the logo looked great on our title slide, note that in some of our presentation farther down, it does collide with our existing graphics. So if you do not create your masters slide from the beginning, you need to at least go back and review to see if any elements that you added in are not going to conflict with the existing slide. Since we’re in the existing slide management mode, we should be able to fix that easily. Wait, wait, wait. I can’t seem to click it. Notes I can click other items, but that is unclickable. Let’s see where we can get to it. Maybe it’s hiding back on the background. So we’ll go to design. Let’s go to format background, and we go there. Well, it’s still not clickable. Everything else is, but not that.

(09:39): So the lesson here is that any item added to the slide master are not touchable in the regular standard views. We’d have to go back into the layout and make changes at the masters slide level, but there’s still that mystery. Why do some of our slides have the logo and some do not have the logo. It’s a hard to understand what’s going on. So back to the slide master view, we’ll click on view and view. We’ll click on slide master. And we look at this live master. I’m going to go up to the parent when we click on the parent and look on the background. Notice that hide background graphics is grayed out. We can’t control that, but if we go into the title layout, you’ll see that is hiding the background. If I click on that and click it back off, we’ll see that the icon logo shows back up.

(10:36): So the answer is, is that specific layout has HIDE background graphics turned on, Mystery solved. Here’s a tip. Remember how we saw the logo conflicted with some of our individual slides. You might elect to find the layout. that is called a blank slide. And for that particular layout, tell it the hide, the background. I’m going to show you a second reason why the logo did not appear in all of our slides. There is this concept of sections, which I described earlier, and you can see here, I’ve actually created a collection of flies that fall under the scenarios. As a separate section. Once a section is created, it then has his own set of parent and children. Masters slides. Let’s take a look. If I scroll up to the very top, you’ll see the number one, which is applied to the first section. When I go farther down, I’m going to have a second set of parent and children.

(11:41): That is family number two. And it is that family that is applied to the section in our presentation, which is why we no longer see the logo watches change the color for this particular number two family. Once this changed, I’m going to close the master view. And once it’s closed, we can then scroll through our slide sorter. And you’ll see that that specific section jumps out that scenario section is now blue. So we’ve now learned another reason why things don’t always follow the single parent because you can have multiple families once you start to use sections within PowerPoint.

(12:25): Okay.

(12:26): We just finished with our first example, let’s switch to scenario number two, where we’re going to remodel an existing presentation. In this scenario, we’re going to actually remodel an existing presentation. We’re going to make changes to like where the titles are, the locations, formats, fonts, and along the way, we’re going to cover some issues, including how much time it takes and the impact of one change rippling through the presentation. So to do this, we’ve now switched back over into the slide master view of our same presentation. And I’m going to work on just one particular layout, not the whole presentation, just the layout of the two contents. So for this specific layout, we’re going to change the title. I do not like all caps. Let’s go into home and choose font. And from there, we’ll make the change from all caps to small caps. One of my favorites, we’ll also go in and see that we can make changes to the font style.

(13:25): We’re going to change it to bold. And along the way, we’re also going to change the color just so we can see this happening. I’m not saying this is a great looking design, but I want you to be able to visually see the changes as they flow through once I click on, okay. We are then through with title and can start to work on the two content placeholders as we go through here, making alterations. I want to point out how laborious this can become, where we’re now working at the slide layout level, which means that if we have multiple layouts, we’d have to make these changes at each level. It is possible that we want this to flow through the whole presentation. We’ve not be working on the layout level, but actually at the parent level. So you can see here that we’ve done some alterations.

(14:13): We did some and underlining. We made some color changes and we’re not going to copy that format to the second content window. Once that change is made, we can then go down and I want to show how we can impact each of the different levels. It’s important to recognize that our slide layouts have different levels for us to format so we can have different rules apply to all five levels here. I’m going to go in there and once again, make a change to the color just so we can see it. It is not a pretty look. And once we have the color change, we’re going to go in and fix the indentation just for the second level. Indentation and margins is a complicated topic itself. And we have covered that in a separate YouTube video. We can go in there in addition to making the margin changes and we can change the bullet type just for the second level on just a specific to content layout.

(15:12): I’m going to copy this across using the format painter, the format painter only works on the text. So I will have to go back and make the change to the bullet to match the left side of the screen. My next alteration has to do with the title area. It is a two line title area, and I try to keep all my titles to a single line. So it does not waste space. I’m going to make that smaller and then bring the two content items up taller so that it will flow through all of my two content layouts. Okay, let’s see this in action. We’re going to exit out of the slide master mode and take a look.

(15:53): So I’m going to scroll up to my two content slides in my presentation and we’ll see my wacky formatting, but it is very visible on how it touched only the two slide content slides. The customization was work, but you now see the dividends. It pays as it flows through a complete presentation and to drive home the point, let me actually add a new slide based off the two content layout you can see now that it followed all the formatting that we did earlier as it is applied, not only to existing slides, but all futures slides on that specific layout.

(16:38): At this point, your mind should be racing with the possibilities of how this is going to change the way you work with PowerPoint. Okay. Let’s switch to scenario three to where we can automate the use of bullet animations and transitions. Let’s go to once again to our two slide content and see about how we animate the bullets. Basically the way that they appear on the screen, I’m going to highlight them of the bullets. I’ll choose the animation. And just so we can see it happen is not one of my favorites, but we’re going to choose loading and you’ll see that they all floated in. If you look carefully, they float in with a single click and you’ll see the number one listed to each of the individual lines. I want to actually have them show up with each click. So I’m going to highlight the second level.

(17:22): Once I go over there, we can do the dropdown list and we’ll choose with on click instantly. All the bullet line numbers are numbered. One through five, meaning that they will advance. Only once you click within the presentation, let’s repeat this for the second content column for those bullet points. This time, we’re going to go ahead and choose a different format of just letting them wipe to so we can see the difference here. And we’ll make those also needing a click to show on the screen. Okay, let’s test this out. We’re going to go to slide master. We’re going to close the master view and we’re going to start the presentation from this page only. And once it fires up, we’ll see that I have to click, click, click through each of the bullet points. It’s going to happen on both the left column and the right column with lots of clicks.

(18:17): But if that’s what you wanted, younow got it on every single two content layouts, but in our quest to automate our presentation, we’re not stopping there. Let’s go back to the slide master view and use the same automation technique to work with our transitions. This is what happens when you go from slide to slide, I’m going to click on the slide master parent this time so we can apply it to everything. We’ll go to transitions. We have lots of choices. I want to show one. That will be obvious, not my favorite, but one that’s obvious. And there we’ll click on the dissolve choice before we test it out. I want to show you something subtle still on this slide master view. If we look at the very top parent, you see this little star that indicates that we have a transition applied to the whole presentation.

(19:07): Now let’s go and start the presentation from the beginning. And because we worked at the parent, we see that that slide transition happens with every single slide. Ashley one-click fixes everything throughout we’ve come a long way. And for the most part, we have been renovating existing presentations, but there may be scenarios where you want to create it from scratch. This is a scenario for, I am not going to go through every single steps because we have a completely separate YouTube video that walks through working with a blank screen and creating the whole presentation. Now, one of the items that we have to deal with is providing a unique look to our presentation. And I will show you in this tool, a technique to use office 365 to create, look that no one else has. This is truly cool. I will also go through and show you some of the deeper details that go beyond what we covered today with that said, the other technique that you’re going to need to learn, how to do is how to save this as a theme and as a template so that you can share with others. Go ahead and look on our YouTube channel to see this cool. There you go. You should now have a thorough understanding of how master slides can be used to better manage your presence in the comments below. Do let me know how your new skills are working out. And if this, this was useful, please like the video likes encourages to create more free training videos for you.

(20:52): We do have one more training video on masters slides. Part two, that goes deeper by teaching you how to build a slide presentation from scratch and share it as a template. And if you want to become a PowerPoint power user, consider this free six-part power masterclass click here to start the full training, YouTube playlist, subscribe and let my expertise become your expertise for free. Now power up

(21:28): MUSIC

PowerPoint Essential Training (Microsoft 365) Videos: Master the Basics of Presentation Design

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When it comes to creating presentations, PowerPoint is a go-to tool for many professionals. However, not everyone is comfortable using it to its full potential. That’s why I highly recommend checking out PowerPoint Essential Training videos, particularly those that cover Microsoft 365.

These videos provide a comprehensive guide to using PowerPoint, from creating basic slides to designing complex animations. The Microsoft 365 videos are especially helpful because they cover the latest features and updates to the software, ensuring that you’re up-to-date with the most current version.

Whether you’re new to PowerPoint or just looking to improve your skills, these videos are a great resource. They’re easy to follow along with, and you can pause and rewind as needed to ensure that you understand each step. With these videos, you’ll be able to create professional-looking presentations that are sure to impress your audience.

JUMP TO TOPIC

Utilizing Templates and Design Tools

Incorporating multimedia elements, advanced text editing, effective use of speaker notes and comments, leveraging microsoft 365 integration, design rules for professional slides, creating accessible presentations, learning resources and tools, creating engaging presentations.

As a content creator, I understand how important it is to deliver an engaging presentation that can keep the audience hooked. Fortunately, Microsoft 365’s PowerPoint Essential Training videos offer a wide range of techniques and tools to help you create visually appealing and engaging presentations.

One of the most significant advantages of PowerPoint Essential Training is that it provides a wide range of templates and design tools that can help you create visually appealing presentations. The templates are available in different categories, including business, education, and personal. Each template has a unique design, layout, and color scheme that can help you create a presentation that is both professional and engaging.

In addition to templates, PowerPoint Essential Training also provides various design tools that can help you customize your presentation. These tools include shapes, charts, pictures, graphics, and layouts that can help you create a unique and creative presentation. By utilizing these tools, you can create a presentation that is visually appealing and engaging, making it easier for your audience to stay focused and interested.

Another way to create an engaging presentation is by incorporating multimedia elements such as images, videos, and animations. PowerPoint Essential Training provides various multimedia tools that can help you create a presentation that is both informative and visually appealing. You can add images and videos to your presentation to help explain complex concepts or to provide examples that are easy to understand.

Moreover, you can also add animations to your presentation to make it more engaging. Animations can help you highlight specific points or ideas, making it easier for your audience to understand and remember them. By incorporating multimedia elements, you can create a presentation that is both informative and engaging, making it easier for your audience to stay focused and interested.

In conclusion, PowerPoint Essential Training provides a wide range of techniques and tools that can help you create visually appealing and engaging presentations. By utilizing templates, design tools, and multimedia elements, you can create a presentation that is both informative and engaging, making it easier for your audience to stay focused and interested.

Mastering PowerPoint Features

As someone who has been using Microsoft 365 for a while now, I can confidently say that PowerPoint is one of the most versatile tools in the suite. However, mastering its features can be quite challenging, especially for beginners. In this section, I will share some tips and tricks that I have found useful over the years.

One of the most important aspects of creating a compelling presentation is using text effectively. PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 offers various advanced text editing tools that can help you achieve this. For instance, you can use the “Format Painter” tool to copy and apply formatting styles from one text box to another. Additionally, you can use “WordArt” to create visually appealing text effects.

As a presenter, it is essential to have speaker notes and comments to guide you through your presentation. PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 allows you to add speaker notes and comments to your slides, which can be viewed in the “Notes” pane. You can also use the “Comments” feature to collaborate with others on your presentation. This can be especially useful when working on a group project.

PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 is integrated with other Microsoft 365 tools such as Microsoft Copilot, which can help you create presentations more efficiently. For instance, you can use Copilot to suggest slide layouts, design elements, and even content. You can also use the “Insert” tab to add various types of media, including videos, audio clips, and images.

Pro Tip: Use the “SmartArt” feature to create visually appealing diagrams and charts that can help you convey complex information more effectively.

Overall, mastering PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 requires patience, practice, and a willingness to learn. By using the tips and tricks outlined in this section, you can create compelling presentations that engage your audience and leave a lasting impression.

Delivering Impactful Presentations

As a seasoned presenter, I can attest that the key to delivering an impactful presentation lies in the design of your slides and your ability to connect with your audience. In this section, I will share some tips on how to create professional slides and deliver accessible presentations that resonate with your audience.

When it comes to designing professional slides, following a few design rules can go a long way in creating a visually appealing and engaging presentation. Here are some design rules that I recommend:

• Keep it simple: Avoid overcrowding your slides with too much information. Instead, focus on a few key points and use visuals to support your message.
• Choose the right color scheme: Use colors that complement each other and are easy on the eyes. Avoid using too many bright colors or contrasting colors that can be distracting.
• Use high-quality images: Use images that are relevant to your message and are of high quality. Avoid using low-resolution images or images that are pixelated.
• Consistency is key: Use consistent fonts, colors, and formatting throughout your presentation. This helps create a cohesive and professional look.

Creating accessible presentations is important to ensure that everyone in your audience can access and engage with your content. Here are some tips on how to create accessible presentations:

• Use clear and simple language: Use language that is easy to understand and avoid using jargon or technical terms that may be unfamiliar to your audience.
• Add alt text to images: Alt text is a brief description of an image that is read aloud by screen readers. Adding alt text to your images makes your presentation accessible to people who are visually impaired.
• Use slide layouts: Use slide layouts that are easy to navigate and follow a logical order. This makes it easier for people who use screen readers to follow along.
• Use high contrast: Use high contrast between the text and the background to make it easier to read. Avoid using low contrast colors that can be difficult to see.

In conclusion, designing professional slides and creating accessible presentations are key to delivering impactful presentations. By following these tips, you can create a presentation that engages your audience and effectively communicates your message.

As someone who has gone through the PowerPoint Essential Training (Microsoft 365) videos, I can attest that they are an excellent resource for anyone looking to improve their PowerPoint skills. Along with the videos, there are several other learning resources and tools that can help you get the most out of the course.

One of the best resources available is LinkedIn Learning. The PowerPoint Essential Training course is available on LinkedIn Learning, and it is an excellent way to learn at your own pace. The course is broken down into several modules, each of which covers a different aspect of PowerPoint. I found the videos to be clear and concise, and the exercises were challenging enough to keep me engaged.

Another great resource is YouTube. There are several PowerPoint tutorials available on YouTube, and they can be a great way to supplement your learning. I found that watching other people create presentations helped me to come up with new ideas and techniques.

If you are looking for reviews of the course, there are several websites that offer them. I found that reading reviews from other users helped me to get a better sense of what to expect from the course. Additionally, many of these websites offer exercise files that you can download and use to practice your skills.

Once you have completed the course, you can receive a certificate of completion. This certificate can be a valuable addition to your LinkedIn profile, and it shows potential employers that you have taken the time to improve your skills.

Overall, I found the PowerPoint Essential Training (Microsoft 365) videos to be an excellent resource for anyone looking to improve their PowerPoint skills. With the help of LinkedIn Learning, YouTube, reviews, exercise files, and a certificate of completion, you can get the most out of the course and take your presentations to the next level.

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Home Blog PowerPoint Tutorials PowerPoint Slide Size: What is the Best Size for a Presentation

PowerPoint Slide Size: What is the Best Size for a Presentation

Whether you’re a business professional, educator, or public speaker, understanding what are the optimal slide dimensions can enhance the impact of your presentation. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about the size of your PowerPoint presentation, from the basics to advanced tips.

What is the PowerPoint Slide Size?

PowerPoint slide size refers to the dimensions of the slides within your PowerPoint presentation. These dimensions determine how your content is displayed in a monitor or projector, and can significantly affect the overall look and feel of your presentation.

The most common slide sizes in PowerPoint are 16:9 (widescreen) and 4:3 (standard).

Choosing the right slide size is essential as it impacts how your content is perceived and ensures compatibility with various display devices. Once you define the optimal slide size for your next presentation, you can change the slide dimensions in PowerPoint following the steps described in our article.

It is important to understand the differences between Aspect Ratio and Pixel Dimensions.

The specific pixel dimensions for a standard 16:9 slide are 1920 pixels in width by 1080 pixels in height.

Understanding Aspect Ratio vs. Pixel Dimensions

Aspect ratio vs. pixel dimensions: what’s the difference.

When defining the optimal slide size for your presentation, it’s important to understand the difference between aspect ratio and pixel dimensions, as these terms often cause confusion but are critical for creating well-designed presentations.

Aspect Ratio

The aspect ratio refers to the proportional relationship between the width and height of your slide. It’s expressed as two numbers separated by a colon, such as 4:3 or 16:9. The aspect ratio defines the shape of your slide and how it will appear on different screens.

Pixel Dimensions:

Pixel dimensions, on the other hand, specify the total number of pixels in the width and height of your slide. This measurement determines the resolution and quality of your images and text in your PowerPoint slide size. For example:

• 1920 x 1080 pixels: This is a common dimension for a 16:9 aspect ratio, known as Full HD. It provides high clarity and detail, making it suitable for large screens and high-resolution displays.
• 1024 x 768 pixels: This dimension matches a 4:3 aspect ratio and is often used for smaller screens or lower resolution displays. It’s less detailed than 1920 x 1080 but can be effective for standard printouts or older projectors.

Why both slide size definitions matter? Understanding both aspect ratio and pixel dimensions is important because they impact how your PowerPoint slide size is viewed across different devices and formats. Here’s why:

• Consistency Across Devices: Ensuring your aspect ratio is compatible with the display device prevents issues like black bars on the sides (letterboxing) or content being cut off (cropping).
• Clarity and Detail: Choosing appropriate pixel dimensions ensures that your images and text appear sharp and clear, avoiding pixelation or blurriness.
• Professional Appearance: Matching the right aspect ratio and pixel dimensions helps maintain a polished and professional look, whether you’re presenting on a large screen, sharing a PDF handout (as we will see later), or displaying your slides online.

The Impact of Slide Size on Different Industries

Different industries have unique needs when it comes to presentation slide sizes. For instance:

• Business: Corporate presentations often require widescreen formats (16:9 slide size) to showcase detailed charts and data on modern projectors and screens. However, in some environments there are still projectors using the traditional 4:3 aspect ratio format for slide sizes.
• Education: Lectures and workshops benefit from both 16:9 and 4:3 formats, depending on the teaching aids and screen setups used.
• Design: Creative professionals need to create visually appealing slides that may require custom dimensions to stand out and effectively communicate their ideas.

Best Practices for Choosing a Proper Slide Size for your Presentation

When selecting an optimal PowerPoint slide size, consider the following:

• Audience and Venue: Tailor your slide size to the screen size and setup of your presentation venue. Widescreen (16:9) is typically best for large screens, while standard (4:3) works well for print distributions.
• Presentation Type: Webinars and online presentations held via Zoom or Teams , for example, often benefit from widescreen formats, while in-person meetings might require flexibility.
• Aesthetics vs. Functionality: Balance visual appeal with readability and content integrity.

When creating PDF handouts from your PowerPoint presentation, it’s also important to choose a convenient slide size that ensures readability and clarity in print.

The 4:3 aspect ratio is generally preferred for printed handouts as it aligns well with standard paper sizes such as A4 or Letter. This format ensures that your content fits neatly onto the page without excessive margins or cropping.

Additionally, using 4:3 for print ensures that text and graphics are appropriately scaled, maintaining the legibility and professional appearance of your handouts. This consideration is essential for creating effective printed materials that complement your live presentations.

Overcoming Challenges with Slide Size

Adapting content for different slide sizes.

Resizing images and adjusting layouts can be challenging. Here are some tips:

• Resizing Images: Ensure that images maintain their aspect ratio to avoid distortion.
• Text Adjustments: Modify font sizes and text boxes to fit the new slide dimensions without compromising readability.
• Consistency: Keep a consistent layout throughout your presentation to maintain a professional look.

Dealing with Mixed Slide Sizes in a Presentation

Sometimes, you may need to integrate slides with different dimensions. Here’s how:

• Transition Techniques: Use smooth transitions to blend slides of varying sizes seamlessly.
• Tools and Add-Ins: You can use PowerPoint add-ins that help manage and standardize slide sizes across your presentation.

Advanced Tips for Custom Slide Sizes

When it is time to innovate, the PowerPoint slide size can also play an important role. If you are considering to create a presentation for digital signage, or non traditional devices, choosing a custom PowerPoint slide size can help to achieve this. Here are some ideas and ways you can innovate by choosing a different slide size:

• Unique Dimensions: Create custom slide sizes for branding or special events.
• Custom Branding: Use non-standard slide sizes to align with your brand identity and marketing materials.
• Innovative Uses: Experiment with different dimensions to create unique visual experiences.

For example, to create high-quality digital signage content, you’d need to set the PowerPoint slides to a 1920×1080 resolution in vertical (portrait) or horizontal (landscape) mode, which are the typical digital sign screen sizes.

Understanding what is the optimal slide size and how to configure it is essential for creating effective and engaging presentations. By optimizing your slides, and overcoming common challenges, you can ensure your visual aids are impactful and professional. Keep experimenting with different sizes and formats to find what works best for your needs. Remember, the key to a successful presentation lies in the details—choosing the right slide size is one of them.

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Presentation Tips Filed under PowerPoint Tutorials

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Marines say no more ‘death by PowerPoint’ as Corps overhauls education

WASHINGTON, D.C. ― Marines and those who teach them will see more direct, problem-solving approaches to how they learn and far less “death by PowerPoint” as the Corps overhauls its education methods .

Decades of lecturers “foot stomping” material for Marines to learn, recall and regurgitate on a test before forgetting most of what they heard is being replaced by “outcomes-based” learning, a method that’s been in use in other fields but only recently brought into military training.

“Instead of teaching them what to think, we’re teaching them how to think,” said Col. Karl Arbogast, director of the policy and standards division at training and education command .

Here’s what’s in the Corps’ new training and education plan

New ranges, tougher swimming. inside the corps' new training blueprint..

Arbogast laid out some of the new methods that the command is using at the center for learning and faculty development while speaking at the Modern Day Marine Expo.

“No more death by PowerPoint,” Arbogast said. “No more ‘sage on the stage’ anymore, it’s the ‘guide on the side.’”

To do that, Lt. Col. Chris Devries, director of the learning and faculty center, is a multiyear process in which the Marines have developed two new military occupational specialties, 0951 and 0952.

The exceptional MOS is in addition to their primary MOS but allows the Marines to quickly identify who among their ranks is qualified to teach using the new methods.

Training for those jobs gives instructors, now called facilitators, an entry-level understanding of how to teach in an outcomes-based learning model.

Devries said the long-term goal is to create two more levels of instructor/facilitator that a Marine could return to in their career, a journeyman level and a master level. Those curricula are still under development.

The new method helps facilitators first learn the technology they’ll need to share material with and guide students. It also teaches them more formal assessment tools so they can gauge how well students are performing.

For the students, they can learn at their own pace. If they grasp the material the group is covering, they’re encouraged to advance in their study, rather than wait for the entire group to master the introductory material.

More responsibility is placed on the students. For example, in a land navigation class, a facilitator might share materials for students to review before class on their own and then immediately jump into working with maps, compasses and protractors on land navigation projects in the next class period, said John deForest, learning and development officer at the center.

That creates more time in the field for those Marines to practice the skills in a realistic setting.

Marines with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 268, Marine Aircraft Group 24, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, fire M240-B machine guns at the Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay range, Hawaii, March 5. (Lance Cpl. Tania Guerrero/Marine Corps)

For the infantry Marine course, the school split up the large classroom into squad-sized groups led by a sergeant or staff sergeant, allowing for more individual focus and participation among the students, Arbogast said.

“They have to now prepare activities for the learner to be directly involved in their own learning and then they have to steer and guide the learners correct outcome,” said Timothy Heck, director of the center’s West Coast detachment.

The students are creating products and portfolios of activities in their training instead of simply taking a written test, said Justina Kirkland, a facilitator at the West Coast detachment.

Students are also pushed to discuss problems among themselves and troubleshoot scenarios. The role of the facilitator then is to monitor the conversation and ask probing questions to redirect the group if they get off course, Heck said.

That involves more decision games, decision forcing cases and even wargaming, deForest said.

We “put the student in an active learning experience where they have to grapple with uncertainty, where they have to grapple with the technical skills and the knowledge they need,” deForest said.

That makes the learning more about application than recall, he said.

Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.

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