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

Caroline Forsey

Published: January 06, 2021

When you're focused on creating a meaningful, persuasive presentation, it's easy to overlook the cover page. But giving that first page of your deck a little more love can actually go a long way towards grabbing your audience's attention early on and setting the tone for the rest of your presentation.

example of a presentation cover page

A stunning presentation cover page can intrigue your audience into wanting to know more and increase engagement with the information you’re presenting. On the other hand, a lackluster slide, or even the lack of one, can dampen audience enthusiasm for your presentation, and maybe even your own.

You've put so much work into your presentation -- why waste that valuable real estate on the first slide of your deck?

In this post, we'll cover the basics of creating a presentation cover page that's informative and attention-grabbing. Let's dive in.

→ Free Download: 10 PowerPoint Presentation Templates [Access Now]

What's included in a presentation cover page?

A good presentation cover page accomplishes three simple things:

  • It introduces the topic with a straightforward title.
  • It introduces you (and your organization, if applicable)
  • It sets the tone of your presentation.

We probably don't need to tell you this one, but your presentation cover page should be centered around a title. And ideally, a title that's straightforward, descriptive, and simple. If you're finding it hard to keep your title short, add a subtitle (in smaller print) to clarify what you'll be speaking about.

Presentation Cover Page: title

Next, identify the person (or group) who will be giving the presentation. In some cases, this will be as simple as including your own name, and in others, you'll want to include your company name, logo, department, or other identifying information. As a general guideline, you'll need less identifying information if you're giving an internal presentation.

If your audience is mainly folks outside of your company (or there are plans to distribute your deck externally) you'll typically want to include more information to identify your company clearly.

Presentation Cover Page: speaker

A successful cover page sets the "tone" of your deck -- but what does that really mean? The colors, imagery, fonts, and placements of different elements on your cover page all create a specific visual style that the rest of your deck should follow.

A well-designed page conveys a sense of professionalism and preparedness that a simple monochrome text slide simply cannot. Even if you're not a design expert, you need to pay attention to the aesthetics of your cover page. Fortunately, it's easier than ever to find free, professional-looking presentation templates without needing a degree in graphic design. Whatever you choose, it's important to remain relevant to your presentation (and, if applicable, your company's branding).

We'll explore a few examples of cover pages below so you can see how different elements converge to set the tone for a variety of different presentations.

Presentation Cover Page Examples

Below, we've compiled a number of presentation cover pages that succeed in different areas. Remember: there's no single perfect format for a presentation cover page, but hopefully, you get some inspiration from this list.

Setting An Emotional Tone

The right presentation page can set an emotional tone as well as a visual one. This presentation cover page for a nonprofit conveys a mission-driven approach to protecting nature, with a well-selected, relevant image, and a call-to-action directly in the subtitle. (Photo by Andy Køgl on Unsplash )

Presentation Cover Page Example 1

Focusing on a Photo

You don't need to overcomplicate the format of your cover page, especially if you have a great photo to use as a full background image. A simple stock photo here provides a clean backdrop for this presentation on remote work. Just make sure your title text is legible over any background photo you decide to use. (Photo by Corinne Kutz on Unsplash )

Presentation Cover Page Example 2

Leading With Your Brand

Even if you're the central speaker for a presentation, it might make more sense to highlight your team or brand on your cover page, instead of including your own personal information (you can always include your own contact info at the end of your deck for follow-up questions). Context (if you're speaking at a particular event or annual meeting) can be important to highlight as well on your cover page.

Presentation Cover Page Example 3

There's a big difference between a cover slide you didn't put much thought into and a slide that makes good use of whitespace and leans on strong copy. Sometimes, the best way to lead an audience into your presentation is to create space for a little mystery.

If you're giving a more casual presentation or a pitch that doesn't need to follow a particular format, consider going the minimal route and opening with a simple cover page slide that asks your audience a question (one that you of course plan to answer).

Presentation Cover Page Example 4

Set a Purpose

Many presentations include an agenda slide directly after your cover slide, but that doesn't mean you can use your cover slide to set a clear purpose upfront. Consider using your subtitle to explain a more robust (but still simple!) description of what you'll cover.

Presentation Cover Page Example 5

Presentation Cover Page Templates

Instead of creating your presentation cover page from scratch, using a template can take much of the work out of the process. Check out these websites for templates that you can use for your presentation or for inspiration to create your own designs.

A tried-and-true favorite of many marketing teams, Canva offers up a wide selection of modern, drag-and-drop presentation templates with truly unique cover pages. If you're on the hunt for a cover page that looks like you hired a graphic designer to create it just for you, Canva is a good place to start your search. Canva offers both free and paid options.

Presentation Cover Page Example 6

Beautiful.ai

Beautiful.ai has an intuitive, highly-customizable presentation builder that allows you to import your own visual elements directly from your computer or a Dropbox folder. Like Canva, they offer a number of free and paid template options (with great cover pages). Their biggest differentiating feature is their (frankly, very cool) adaptive AI technology, which intuits how you're trying to design a slide and makes changes automatically to suit the direction of your project.

Presentation Cover Page Example 7

For a completely free option with cover page starter template to suit a wide range of different projects across different formats, check out EDIT. Their online tool is specifically designed to create cover pages in a simple, easy-to-use interface.

Presentation Cover Page Example 8

Another highly-customizable template source is Visme, which gives users the ability to select a starting template from their (expansive) library and customize elements in a simple web editor.

Presentation Cover Page Example 9

VectorStock ®

VectorStock® has a massive selection of PowerPoint presentation cover page templates for purchase if you're looking for something that's ready to plug and go without the need for customization (beyond adding your own name and title, of course).

Presentation Cover Page Example 10

First Impressions Matter

For better or worse, audiences will judge a presentation by its cover page. Because of this, it’s vital that you give your cover page the care and attention that it deserves. Ultimately, a cover page isn't simply a placeholder, it’s a vital component that can drum up interest for your presentation. The best part is that with the tools available online, you don’t have to be an artist to create a stunning presentation cover page.

The featured image on this post was created using a Canva template.

Blog - Beautiful PowerPoint Presentation Template [List-Based]

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Art of Presentations

Should You Add a Table of Contents to Your Presentation?

By: Author Shrot Katewa

Should You Add a Table of Contents to Your Presentation?

Sometimes it’s a good idea to give your audience a perspective of what you are going to talk about before you really get going. However, you might be wondering if it is worth dedicating a slide to this in your presentation.

Adding a table of contents to your presentation is very useful to not just outline your presentation to your audience, but also helps you organize the content. A succinct and organized table of contents helps your audience retain the presentation better as well as track progress of the presentation.

However, knowing what to include and how to do so is not always as simple as it might seem.

What is a Table of Contents in a Presentation?

presentation content page

A table of contents can come in many forms, but it is ultimately a straightforward tool you can use in any presentation to help guide your audience through your subject matter.

A table of contents is useful because it gives your audience an overview of what topics you will be covering in your presentation before you even get started.

This is important because it will help you sign-post your audience through the talk. They will not be left guessing what is going to come next or be questioning what the point of your presentation is.

If you lay this out right off the bat, then you are making the experience of listening to your presentation easier for your audience. This is particularly useful in longer presentations, lasting over half-an-hour, where you are giving the listeners a lot of information.

This has the handy knock-on implication of meaning that they will better understand what you are saying and be left with a more lasting impact than if they spent the whole time wondering what the point of listening to you even is.

A table of contents is also important when it comes to retaining the attention of your audience for the duration of your presentation. Audience recall can play a critical role when giving a presentation. If they know from having seen the table of contents at the start of the presentation that you are only a few slides from the end, then they are more likely to remain focussed and listen more intently right through until the end.

Finally, if you plan on sending your presentation out to the audience, they may wish to go over certain slides after the fact. A table of contents can therefore be very useful to anyone hoping to go back over the slides in search of something specific within them.

How to Formulate Your Table of Contents?

There are two ways to formulate your table of contents when making a presentation. You can either do it when you are planning your presentation or retrospectively once you have finished it.

1. Formulating the Table of Contents While Planning Your Content

Many a times, people struggle to create the content that should be put on the presentation. One of the major reasons for this is the lack of structure to the presentation. This is where creating a table of contents can play a key role.

It can be useful to do create the table of contents as part of your planning because it gives you the bare bones of the presentation, setting out the key points you will cover, and which you will flesh out as you finish your preparation.

2. Formulating the Table of Contents Retrospectively

Your Table of Contents might also come together after you have finished the rest of your presentation. In this way, it can be useful to help you recap the subject matter of your presentation.

This can be just as useful as an exercise for you as it will be for your audience. After all, if you are able to condense your ideas down into just a few bullet points to show at the start of the presentation, then the chances are that you will be able to convey that information clearly and effectively in the rest of it.

A simple trick to help in making your table of contents after you have made the rest of the presentation is to put your presentation in ‘ Outline View ’. You can then copy and paste the titles of each slide directly into a new Table of Contents page and you’re ready to go.

IMPORTANT NOTE! No matter how you formulate the table of contents, you need to make sure that you put it at the right point of your presentation. There is no use having it at the end when you have already gone through everything. It’s best to have the table of contents in the first or second slide.

However, you may also wish to include a slide towards the end of your presentation which is a variation on your initial table of contents so that you are able to give a recap or overview of what you have covered. This summary might help listeners to embed what you have said in their minds – leaving them with a lasting impression of your presentation.

What Should You Include in the Table of Contents?

Image showcasing woman working on a presentation on a laptop

While creating a table of contents for your presentation, you definitely need to know what it should include –

1. Include Main Sections of Your Presentation

Your table of contents, while covering everything you are going to say, doesn’t actually need to go into great depth about each and every subject. You generally will only need the main keywords or questions associated with each slide or section of your presentation.

After all, this is just an introductory overview aimed at preparing your audience for the main show, rather than being the main show in and of itself. You want to give the audience a flavour of what is to come, and an understanding of your overall aims with it.

Generally, a table of contents will look similar to that you will find in a book. It should convey the titles of each page, or of the different themes that you will cover at various points of your presentation. Each piece of content should consist of no more than a couple of words.

2. Add Sub-topics Wherever Necessary

In some cases, including key sections in your presentation may just not be enough. There may be too many sub-points within a broader section. In such cases, you may also need to add sub-topics to your table of contents slide.

Thus, If you do need to add more detail or add sub-topics, then you should similarly avoid using too many words. After all, as mentioned above, this is just an introduction – save the most important details for later!

3. Include Session Breaks (If the Presentation is over Multiple Sessions)

Sometimes, we need to create a presentation for a workshop or a training program.

Such presentation tend to be spread over several hours, and often the audience loses track of the progress of the workshop quite easily.

Thus, it becomes important to not only include a table of contents in your presentation but also to include session breaks in your table of contents.

This allows the audience to prepare themselves of when they need to take a break, and also to keep track of the progress of training.

4. Use Images Wherever Necessary

It might be a good idea to add a couple of small images to your slide. However, be careful not to overload your viewer with too much content.

Especially with a Table of Contents slide, you want them to be focussed on absorbing the important information that they will need in order to get the most out of your presentation. If the images don’t directly assist you in conveying that information, then it is probably best for you to leave them out.

5. Include Slide Numbers

Slide numbers function just the same as page numbers in a book or a document. Including a slide number in the table of contents can be super helpful especially if your presentation is expected to be circulated to your audience ahead of time.

Moreover, if your presentation is a bit long and has several slides on it, adding slide numbers on the table of contents slide of your presentation can make a big difference as this makes it easier for your clients/audience to jump to specific parts of your presentation.

That said, it may not be necessary to include slide numbers in the table of contents of all presentations. A general rule of thumb would be of include slide numbers in your table of contents if your presentation has more than 30 slides.

I would recommend using your discretion on whether to include the slide number

Should a Table of Contents be a Table?

While it might be easiest to lay out a table of contents as a table, there are a number of other ways to achieve the same outcome that are a little more creative. For example, you can simply create a list of points that you will cover during your slides.

Traditionally, this may have taken the form of a table – particularly when the software was limited in terms of design capability, and when fewer people knew how to make their presentations look more visually attractive.

If you want to make your presentation attractive, we wrote a detailed article on our website to help you do just that. Do check it out! (I’ve given the link below)

7 EASY tips that ALWAYS make your PPT presentation attractive (even for beginners)

However, you could create a mind-map or thought-train. This can be a more engaging way of setting out your presentation plan.

Additionally, in certain situations, it might not be preferable as it might come across as not being serious enough. If, for example, you are giving a report to your bosses about the financial situation at your company, you might be best to keep it formal and straight-forward.

Therefore, the audience is an important consideration when you formulate your table of contents.

A Few Examples of Tables of Contents Slide Design

There are number of creative ways in which one could design the Table of Contents slide for your presentation.

These ways may look attractive and seem like they are difficult to create, however, in reality it is pretty simple to create the following designs with just some basic presentation design skills.

I’m sharing a few designs to derive inspiration for the table of contents for your presentation.

Table of Content Design Example 1

presentation content page

A simple example of creating the table of content slide.

This type of style is great especially when you need to include a few sub-topics in your table of contents slide of your presentation.

Table of Contents Design Example 2

presentation content page

This is another very simple table of content design slide.

Notice how this example doesn’t include numbers. It is a creative way to differentiate your slide design by using relevant icons instead of numbers.

Table of Contents Design Example 3

presentation content page

Another way of creating your Table of Contents for your presentation is by simply using SmartArt in PowerPoint. Simply change the background to a contrasting color of your choice or using the color of your brand, and adding an interesting element to the side.

This is surely a quick and easy way of creating a table of contents slide.

Table of Contents Design Example 4

presentation content page

Another simple yet creative looking table of contents slide design option.

This design does indeed require some creative thinking, but largely uses SmartArt and shapes to create an impressive modern look.

Using Design Ideas in PowerPoint to Create a Table of Contents Slide

Another quick and easy way to creating an interesting table of contents slide is by using PowerPoint’s inbuilt “Design Ideas” feature.

The Design Ideas is completely FREE in Microsoft PowerPoint, and can easily be used with almost no design skills.

We created a detailed guide on using PowerPoint’s Design Ideas Tool on our Website. Be sure to check it out!

Design Ideas Feature in PowerPoint | Auto Create your PPT slides

No matter who you are presenting to or what is the topic of your presentation, you will be able to set the right tone straight away.

When NOT to Use a Table of Contents?

While a Table of Contents might come in handy most of the time, there are a number of occasions when you might decide it is better to leave it out. For example, in a presentation where you are particularly pressed for time, you may wish to go straight into the main subject matter.

Similarly, you may only be giving a very short presentation with only one, two or three slides. In this case, you may prefer to give a brief spoken overview at the start of your presentation, rather than dedicating an entire slide to it.

When it comes to making a decision about how and when to use a table of contents it’s once again important to consider the implications of external factors. Whether it is thinking about your audience, the setting or the timeframe with which you have to present, each of these should be factored into the use (or not) of your table of contents.

PresentationLoad

PowerPoint Table of Contents: Your How-To Guide

You’ve invested a lot of time and hard work into your PowerPoint presentation and want to make a strong impression on your audience. Don’t forget to include a PowerPoint table of contents. It will guarantee your audience will have a clear overview of your presentation right from the start .

SWe will show you how to easily create different versions of tables of contents in just a few steps.

Why use a table of contents?

A professional PowerPoint presentation should always include a table of contents. It shows your audience what they can expect – right from the start of your presentation . But a table of contents does even more than that. It provides structure and clarity .

PowerPoint table of contents

A first look at presentation content can also get an audience excited about what they’re about to hear. And hyperlinks to specific slides make it easier to refer back to a slide when questions arise.

Which structure does an effective table of contents have ?

To appeal to your audience, your table of contents should be clear, concise, and easy to understand . This helps your listeners grasp the structure of your presentation at a glance.

However, it is almost impossible to give a precise outline as each presentation is structured differently and has a different outline. Therefore, plan the structure of your presentation and outline main arguments that you want to present in each section.

This way you ensure that your presentation is well organized, coherent, and easy to follow. A well thought-out structure also helps to ensure that your table of contents is clear and user-friendly.

Each heading presents one main argument or section of your presentation whilst the subheadings describe the most important contents of each paragraph.

Be sure to use concise and meaningful titles that describe the content of each section. This makes it easier for your viewers to grasp the different parts of your presentation and it helps you convey your key message.

Tip: Pay attention to formatting and font

An effective table of contents in PowerPoint shouldn’t just be well organized but also visually appealing and easy to read .

Pay attention to consistent formatting and fonts to ensure a harmonious look and keep the focus on the content. Be sure to show the hierarchy of the different levels clearly by using indentation or different font sizes.

This will increase readability and allow viewers to better understand the connections between the different parts of your presentation. If necessary, you can also use numbered or bulleted characters to emphasize the order of the points.

Choose colors and design elements that fit in with the design of your presentation . It is best to avoid unnecessary design elements that distract from the contents.

Tailor your table of contents to your presentation and your target audience by using a formal or informal style. You can also use additional elements such as symbols or icons to emphasize certain topics.

Creating PowerPoint tables of contents: 2 options + extra tip

Option 1: how to create an automatic table of contents in powerpoint.

Note: The following step-by-step tutorial is for Office 365 PowerPoint.

1. Open your PowerPoint presentation.

2. Create a slide where your table of contents should be. To do this, go to the thumbnails pane on the left and click between the two slides where you want to insert a new slide so that a horizontal line appears. Click on the Home tab, then New Slide in the Slides .

3. Create a text box on this slide by going to Home > Insert > Text Box .

4. Now click on View .

5. From the Presentation Views group, select Outline View . You’ll now see your presentation’s headings and subheadings in the thumbnails pane.

6. Right-click in the thumbnails pane and point your mouse to Collapse . Another options menu will open.

PowerPoint Table of Contents

7. Select Collapse All . Now you’ll now see only the headings of the individual slides in the thumbnails pane.

8. Mark all headings with your mouse and select Copy or use the shortcut Ctrl + C .

9. Click on Normal in Presentation Views .

10. Click the text box on your table of contents slide and use the shortcut Ctrl + V .

PowerPoint Table of Contents

11. Alternatively, you can go to the Home tab and click Paste > Paste Special where you can select either Formatted Text (RTF) or Unformatted Text . You can also change its appearance in the Fonts group .

Note: If you’ve used a colored background for your slides, your table of contents may not be visible . In this case, select the entire table of contents and go to the Fonts group in the Home tab to change colors.

Option 2: The manual option

2. Add a new a new slide where you want the table of contents to be (see previous tutorial).

3. Go to the Insert tab and select Text Box . Now insert a new text box on your table of contents slide.

4. List the desired headings in text box. You can format your table of contents by going to the Fonts group in the Home .

PowerPoint Table of Contents

Extra Tip: Add visual interest: Use SmartArt

A PowerPoint table of contents is pretty easy to make. But how about making it something that really grabs the eye ? You can give yours more visual impact with SmartArt . Here’s how to use SmartArt graphics in your PowerPoint table of contents:

1. Open your PowerPoint presentation and insert the table of contents as described above.

2. Click on the text field containing your table of contents and select the entire text by pressing Ctrl + A .

3. In the Home tab, go to the Paragraph group and select Convert to SmartArt .

4. You’ll now see an overview of the various SmartArt designs. Hover your mouse over each option will immediately show you how your table of contents will look. Can’t find a design that works for you? Then click More SmartArt graphics… for even more options.

5. Click on the graphic of your choice and your PowerPoint table of contents will automatically adopt the new design.

PowePoint Table of Contents

6. In the SmartArt Design tab, you now have the option to make further edits. You’ll find SmartArt Styles , various Layouts and the option to Change Colors . PowerPoint suggests various color designs for your table of contents.

7. In the SmartArt Styles menu, you’ll find 3D effects and other exciting design options for your text boxes and SmartArt components.

8. Once you’ve decided on an effect, click it to apply it to your table of contents.

Create Hyperlinks

One added perk of using a PowerPoint table of contents is the ability to add hyperlinks to individual slides . This allows you to access content more quickly and respond immediately to questions from your audience.

1. Open your Microsoft Office PowerPoint presentation and insert the table of contents as described above.

2. In the table of contents, select the heading you want to link to a specific slide in the presentation.

3. Click the Insert tab and select Link .

4. Click Insert Link… from the drop-down menu.

5. This will open the Insert Hyperlink Under Link to , select Place in This Document .

6. You’ll now see a list of all slide titles in your presentation. Click on the slide title you want to link to the marked heading and confirm with Ok . The heading now has a hyperlink to the slide in your PowerPoint presentation.

7. Repeat this process for all headings in your presentation’s table of contents.

For advanced users: Create an interactive table of contents

The Zoom function allows you to create an interactive table of contents . Each PowerPoint zoom allows you to jump to and from ant slide or section of your presentation in any order you want . There are three different zoom techniques:

Summary zoom

Summary zoom provides an overview of your entire presentation on one slide . You can use it to jump from one place in your presentation to another however you like . The slides you include will become the first slides of your summary zoom sections.

Section zoom

With section zoom, you can create a link to the first slide of your presentation sections . The interactive table of contents will be inserted on your current slide.

Slide zoom creates links to specific slides in the presentation . This does not automatically create an interactive table of contents.

Want to use one of the Zoom functions? Here’s how to do it:

Summary Zoom  

1. Go to the thumbnails pane and click on a slide. Your summary zoom slide will be created above the slide you’ve selected.

2. Go to Insert > Zoom and select Summary Zoom .

Zoomauswahl englisch

3. Select the slides you want to include in your summary zoom. Here we’ve selected PresentationLoad, Newsletter and Design.

PowerPoint table of contents

4. Click Insert . You’ll now see your summary zoom as a new slide above the slide you selected in step.

PowerPoint table of contents

Before you can use section zoom, you’ll need to divide your presentation into sections .

1. Create a new slide to insert the zoom objects for the interactive table of contents.

2. Select this slide and go to Insert > Zoom > Section Zoom . The following window will open:

PowerPoint table of contents

3. Here you can select which sections of your presentation you want to appear in the table of contents. After your selection, click Insert .

4. The zoom objects will appear on top of each other and must be positioned manually.

1. Select the slide you want slide zooms to appear on.

2. Go to Insert > Zoom > Slide Zoom .

3. This opens the Slide Zoom dialog box. Click the slides you want to use in your slide zoom.

4. Click Insert and your slide zooms will appear on your selected slide.

How to use zoom links

Click on a zoom link thumbnail to open the Zoom tab . The Zoom tab offers the same standard formatting options that are available for pictures. On the left you’ll find the Zoom Options group to control your zoom. If Return to Zoom is checked, your zoom will go back to the slide with the original zoom link on it once you’ve navigated to the end of a slide or section.

When you click on the tab, you’ll see a small box with a number in each of the thumbnails. This number shows you which slide (or slide sequence in a section zoom) the link goes to. The back arrow inside the box shows that Return to Zoom is turned on.

  A table of contents provides a simple and streamlined overview of your presentation content

A table of contents is an essential part of any presentation and PowerPoint makes it easy to create a clean and professional agenda.

By following our tutorials, you can easily customize your PowerPoint table of contents . SmartArt offers even more options to customize and pique your audience’s attention right from the start of your presentation.

Say goodbye to time-consuming scrolling by using one of the zoom options . With just one click, you can jump to anywhere you want in your presentation. Try it out for yourself!

Need help with your table of contents or have a general question about PowerPoint? Feel free to contact us at [email protected] .

Are you looking for visually supportive and professionally designed slide templates? Feel free to have a look around our store. Here we have numerous slides prepared for you to download on a wide variety of (business) topics. Take a look today! ► To the store

Take a look at these templates:

Agenda

These articles might also interest you:

How to Create a Mind Map in PowerPoint

Structuring a PowerPoint Presentation: How to Really Reach Your Audience

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How-To Geek

How to create a table of contents in google slides.

Make it simple to move through your presentation.

Quick Links

Add and set up the table of contents slide, create a table of contents in google slides, test your table of contents.

You might not think much about including a table of contents in a slideshow. But this can be a handy tool, especially for lengthy presentations. We'll show you how to create a table of contents in Google Slides.

The nice thing about making a linked table of contents in Google Slides is that the application gives you a super simple way to do it. Then, whether you're presenting the show or sharing it , you or others can skip to a particular slide with a click.

Related: How to Share Documents on Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides

Visit Google Slides , sign in, and open the presentation. You'll start by adding a new slide and moving it to the start of the slideshow so that it's at the beginning, just like the table of contents in a book or document.

You can select a slide that has the layout for the table of contents slide you want to add, or you can change the layout afterward. Just keep in mind that you'll need a text box to add the text and links.

Related: How to Create Template Slides with Theme Builder in Google Slides

Go to the menu and choose either Insert or Slide and pick "New Slide." Your slide is inserted below the active slide.

If you choose to use a blank slide, you can then select Text Box in the toolbar, and click on your slide to insert the box.

Once you have your slide and text box, you'll move it to the beginning of the slideshow. Go to View in the menu and pick either "Show Filmstrip" to display slide thumbnails on the left or "Grid View" to display a grid of your slides.

Drag the table of contents slide to the start of the presentation so it becomes slide number 1. You can then return to your slide view by selecting the slide.

With your new slide ready to go, creating the table of contents in Google Slides is a breeze. You can use the slide titles or enter your own text and link it . Let's look at both options for the one you prefer.

Related: How to Link to Another Slide in Google Slides

Option 1: Insert the Linked Slide Titles

Place your cursor inside the text box. Select either the Insert Link button in the toolbar or Insert > Link from the menu.

When the link box appears, click "Slides in This Presentation" at the bottom. Select the first item in your table of contents.

You'll then see the slide number and title pop into the text box with a link to that slide. You can then adjust the text if you like. For instance, you may want to remove the slide number or edit the title.

Continue the same process to add the remaining linked slide titles to your table of contents.

Option 2: Insert Text and Link It to the Slides

If you have slides without titles that you don't plan to add or simply prefer to use different text in your table of contents, you can do this as well. Then, you'll simply link the text to the corresponding slide.

Enter the text you want to use for the first table of contents item, then select it by dragging your cursor through it. Remember, you can select any text you like for the link; a sentence, phrase, or word.

Then click either the Insert Link button in the toolbar or Insert > Link from the menu.

When the link box appears, click "Slides in This Presentation" at the bottom or find a particular slide using the Search box.

Once you see the slide you want, select it. The link will apply to the text. To check it, click the linked text and you'll see the pop-up window display the slide and link to it which you can click.

After you complete your table of contents, you can practice your presentation using the Slideshow button at the top of Google Slides. When you place your cursor over a link in the table, it transforms into a hand symbol. Click the link to go to the slide.

For additional help with your presentations, learn how to use the speaker notes in Google Slides too!

Related: How to Use Speaker Notes in Google Slides

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How to Structure your Presentation, with Examples

August 3, 2018 - Dom Barnard

For many people the thought of delivering a presentation is a daunting task and brings about a  great deal of nerves . However, if you take some time to understand how effective presentations are structured and then apply this structure to your own presentation, you’ll appear much more confident and relaxed.

Here is our complete guide for structuring your presentation, with examples at the end of the article to demonstrate these points.

Why is structuring a presentation so important?

If you’ve ever sat through a great presentation, you’ll have left feeling either inspired or informed on a given topic. This isn’t because the speaker was the most knowledgeable or motivating person in the world. Instead, it’s because they know how to structure presentations – they have crafted their message in a logical and simple way that has allowed the audience can keep up with them and take away key messages.

Research has supported this, with studies showing that audiences retain structured information  40% more accurately  than unstructured information.

In fact, not only is structuring a presentation important for the benefit of the audience’s understanding, it’s also important for you as the speaker. A good structure helps you remain calm, stay on topic, and avoid any awkward silences.

What will affect your presentation structure?

Generally speaking, there is a natural flow that any decent presentation will follow which we will go into shortly. However, you should be aware that all presentation structures will be different in their own unique way and this will be due to a number of factors, including:

  • Whether you need to deliver any demonstrations
  • How  knowledgeable the audience  already is on the given subject
  • How much interaction you want from the audience
  • Any time constraints there are for your talk
  • What setting you are in
  • Your ability to use any kinds of visual assistance

Before choosing the presentation’s structure answer these questions first:

  • What is your presentation’s aim?
  • Who are the audience?
  • What are the main points your audience should remember afterwards?

When reading the points below, think critically about what things may cause your presentation structure to be slightly different. You can add in certain elements and add more focus to certain moments if that works better for your speech.

Good presentation structure is important for a presentation

What is the typical presentation structure?

This is the usual flow of a presentation, which covers all the vital sections and is a good starting point for yours. It allows your audience to easily follow along and sets out a solid structure you can add your content to.

1. Greet the audience and introduce yourself

Before you start delivering your talk, introduce yourself to the audience and clarify who you are and your relevant expertise. This does not need to be long or incredibly detailed, but will help build an immediate relationship between you and the audience. It gives you the chance to briefly clarify your expertise and why you are worth listening to. This will help establish your ethos so the audience will trust you more and think you’re credible.

Read our tips on  How to Start a Presentation Effectively

2. Introduction

In the introduction you need to explain the subject and purpose of your presentation whilst gaining the audience’s interest and confidence. It’s sometimes helpful to think of your introduction as funnel-shaped to help filter down your topic:

  • Introduce your general topic
  • Explain your topic area
  • State the issues/challenges in this area you will be exploring
  • State your presentation’s purpose – this is the basis of your presentation so ensure that you provide a statement explaining how the topic will be treated, for example, “I will argue that…” or maybe you will “compare”, “analyse”, “evaluate”, “describe” etc.
  • Provide a statement of what you’re hoping the outcome of the presentation will be, for example, “I’m hoping this will be provide you with…”
  • Show a preview of the organisation of your presentation

In this section also explain:

  • The length of the talk.
  • Signal whether you want audience interaction – some presenters prefer the audience to ask questions throughout whereas others allocate a specific section for this.
  • If it applies, inform the audience whether to take notes or whether you will be providing handouts.

The way you structure your introduction can depend on the amount of time you have been given to present: a  sales pitch  may consist of a quick presentation so you may begin with your conclusion and then provide the evidence. Conversely, a speaker presenting their idea for change in the world would be better suited to start with the evidence and then conclude what this means for the audience.

Keep in mind that the main aim of the introduction is to grab the audience’s attention and connect with them.

3. The main body of your talk

The main body of your talk needs to meet the promises you made in the introduction. Depending on the nature of your presentation, clearly segment the different topics you will be discussing, and then work your way through them one at a time – it’s important for everything to be organised logically for the audience to fully understand. There are many different ways to organise your main points, such as, by priority, theme, chronologically etc.

  • Main points should be addressed one by one with supporting evidence and examples.
  • Before moving on to the next point you should provide a mini-summary.
  • Links should be clearly stated between ideas and you must make it clear when you’re moving onto the next point.
  • Allow time for people to take relevant notes and stick to the topics you have prepared beforehand rather than straying too far off topic.

When planning your presentation write a list of main points you want to make and ask yourself “What I am telling the audience? What should they understand from this?” refining your answers this way will help you produce clear messages.

4. Conclusion

In presentations the conclusion is frequently underdeveloped and lacks purpose which is a shame as it’s the best place to reinforce your messages. Typically, your presentation has a specific goal – that could be to convert a number of the audience members into customers, lead to a certain number of enquiries to make people knowledgeable on specific key points, or to motivate them towards a shared goal.

Regardless of what that goal is, be sure to summarise your main points and their implications. This clarifies the overall purpose of your talk and reinforces your reason for being there.

Follow these steps:

  • Signal that it’s nearly the end of your presentation, for example, “As we wrap up/as we wind down the talk…”
  • Restate the topic and purpose of your presentation – “In this speech I wanted to compare…”
  • Summarise the main points, including their implications and conclusions
  • Indicate what is next/a call to action/a thought-provoking takeaway
  • Move on to the last section

5. Thank the audience and invite questions

Conclude your talk by thanking the audience for their time and invite them to  ask any questions  they may have. As mentioned earlier, personal circumstances will affect the structure of your presentation.

Many presenters prefer to make the Q&A session the key part of their talk and try to speed through the main body of the presentation. This is totally fine, but it is still best to focus on delivering some sort of initial presentation to set the tone and topics for discussion in the Q&A.

Questions being asked after a presentation

Other common presentation structures

The above was a description of a basic presentation, here are some more specific presentation layouts:

Demonstration

Use the demonstration structure when you have something useful to show. This is usually used when you want to show how a product works. Steve Jobs frequently used this technique in his presentations.

  • Explain why the product is valuable.
  • Describe why the product is necessary.
  • Explain what problems it can solve for the audience.
  • Demonstrate the product  to support what you’ve been saying.
  • Make suggestions of other things it can do to make the audience curious.

Problem-solution

This structure is particularly useful in persuading the audience.

  • Briefly frame the issue.
  • Go into the issue in detail showing why it ‘s such a problem. Use logos and pathos for this – the logical and emotional appeals.
  • Provide the solution and explain why this would also help the audience.
  • Call to action – something you want the audience to do which is straightforward and pertinent to the solution.

Storytelling

As well as incorporating  stories in your presentation , you can organise your whole presentation as a story. There are lots of different type of story structures you can use – a popular choice is the monomyth – the hero’s journey. In a monomyth, a hero goes on a difficult journey or takes on a challenge – they move from the familiar into the unknown. After facing obstacles and ultimately succeeding the hero returns home, transformed and with newfound wisdom.

Storytelling for Business Success  webinar , where well-know storyteller Javier Bernad shares strategies for crafting compelling narratives.

Another popular choice for using a story to structure your presentation is in media ras (in the middle of thing). In this type of story you launch right into the action by providing a snippet/teaser of what’s happening and then you start explaining the events that led to that event. This is engaging because you’re starting your story at the most exciting part which will make the audience curious – they’ll want to know how you got there.

  • Great storytelling: Examples from Alibaba Founder, Jack Ma

Remaining method

The remaining method structure is good for situations where you’re presenting your perspective on a controversial topic which has split people’s opinions.

  • Go into the issue in detail showing why it’s such a problem – use logos and pathos.
  • Rebut your opponents’ solutions  – explain why their solutions could be useful because the audience will see this as fair and will therefore think you’re trustworthy, and then explain why you think these solutions are not valid.
  • After you’ve presented all the alternatives provide your solution, the remaining solution. This is very persuasive because it looks like the winning idea, especially with the audience believing that you’re fair and trustworthy.

Transitions

When delivering presentations it’s important for your words and ideas to flow so your audience can understand how everything links together and why it’s all relevant. This can be done  using speech transitions  which are words and phrases that allow you to smoothly move from one point to another so that your speech flows and your presentation is unified.

Transitions can be one word, a phrase or a full sentence – there are many different forms, here are some examples:

Moving from the introduction to the first point

Signify to the audience that you will now begin discussing the first main point:

  • Now that you’re aware of the overview, let’s begin with…
  • First, let’s begin with…
  • I will first cover…
  • My first point covers…
  • To get started, let’s look at…

Shifting between similar points

Move from one point to a similar one:

  • In the same way…
  • Likewise…
  • Equally…
  • This is similar to…
  • Similarly…

Internal summaries

Internal summarising consists of summarising before moving on to the next point. You must inform the audience:

  • What part of the presentation you covered – “In the first part of this speech we’ve covered…”
  • What the key points were – “Precisely how…”
  • How this links in with the overall presentation – “So that’s the context…”
  • What you’re moving on to – “Now I’d like to move on to the second part of presentation which looks at…”

Physical movement

You can move your body and your standing location when you transition to another point. The audience find it easier to follow your presentation and movement will increase their interest.

A common technique for incorporating movement into your presentation is to:

  • Start your introduction by standing in the centre of the stage.
  • For your first point you stand on the left side of the stage.
  • You discuss your second point from the centre again.
  • You stand on the right side of the stage for your third point.
  • The conclusion occurs in the centre.

Key slides for your presentation

Slides are a useful tool for most presentations: they can greatly assist in the delivery of your message and help the audience follow along with what you are saying. Key slides include:

  • An intro slide outlining your ideas
  • A  summary slide  with core points to remember
  • High quality image slides to supplement what you are saying

There are some presenters who choose not to use slides at all, though this is more of a rarity. Slides can be a powerful tool if used properly, but the problem is that many fail to do just that. Here are some golden rules to follow when using slides in a presentation:

  • Don’t over fill them  – your slides are there to assist your speech, rather than be the focal point. They should have as little information as possible, to avoid distracting people from your talk.
  • A picture says a thousand words  – instead of filling a slide with text, instead, focus on one or two images or diagrams to help support and explain the point you are discussing at that time.
  • Make them readable  – depending on the size of your audience, some may not be able to see small text or images, so make everything large enough to fill the space.
  • Don’t rush through slides  – give the audience enough time to digest each slide.

Guy Kawasaki, an entrepreneur and author, suggests that slideshows should follow a  10-20-30 rule :

  • There should be a maximum of 10 slides – people rarely remember more than one concept afterwards so there’s no point overwhelming them with unnecessary information.
  • The presentation should last no longer than 20 minutes as this will leave time for questions and discussion.
  • The font size should be a minimum of 30pt because the audience reads faster than you talk so less information on the slides means that there is less chance of the audience being distracted.

Here are some additional resources for slide design:

  • 7 design tips for effective, beautiful PowerPoint presentations
  • 11 design tips for beautiful presentations
  • 10 tips on how to make slides that communicate your idea

Group Presentations

Group presentations are structured in the same way as presentations with one speaker but usually require more rehearsal and practices.  Clean transitioning between speakers  is very important in producing a presentation that flows well. One way of doing this consists of:

  • Briefly recap on what you covered in your section: “So that was a brief introduction on what health anxiety is and how it can affect somebody”
  • Introduce the next speaker in the team and explain what they will discuss: “Now Elnaz will talk about the prevalence of health anxiety.”
  • Then end by looking at the next speaker, gesturing towards them and saying their name: “Elnaz”.
  • The next speaker should acknowledge this with a quick: “Thank you Joe.”

From this example you can see how the different sections of the presentations link which makes it easier for the audience to follow and remain engaged.

Example of great presentation structure and delivery

Having examples of great presentations will help inspire your own structures, here are a few such examples, each unique and inspiring in their own way.

How Google Works – by Eric Schmidt

This presentation by ex-Google CEO  Eric Schmidt  demonstrates some of the most important lessons he and his team have learnt with regards to working with some of the most talented individuals they hired. The simplistic yet cohesive style of all of the slides is something to be appreciated. They are relatively straightforward, yet add power and clarity to the narrative of the presentation.

Start with why – by Simon Sinek

Since being released in 2009, this presentation has been viewed almost four million times all around the world. The message itself is very powerful, however, it’s not an idea that hasn’t been heard before. What makes this presentation so powerful is the simple message he is getting across, and the straightforward and understandable manner in which he delivers it. Also note that he doesn’t use any slides, just a whiteboard where he creates a simple diagram of his opinion.

The Wisdom of a Third Grade Dropout – by Rick Rigsby

Here’s an example of a presentation given by a relatively unknown individual looking to inspire the next generation of graduates. Rick’s presentation is unique in many ways compared to the two above. Notably, he uses no visual prompts and includes a great deal of humour.

However, what is similar is the structure he uses. He first introduces his message that the wisest man he knew was a third-grade dropout. He then proceeds to deliver his main body of argument, and in the end, concludes with his message. This powerful speech keeps the viewer engaged throughout, through a mixture of heart-warming sentiment, powerful life advice and engaging humour.

As you can see from the examples above, and as it has been expressed throughout, a great presentation structure means analysing the core message of your presentation. Decide on a key message you want to impart the audience with, and then craft an engaging way of delivering it.

By preparing a solid structure, and  practising your talk  beforehand, you can walk into the presentation with confidence and deliver a meaningful message to an interested audience.

It’s important for a presentation to be well-structured so it can have the most impact on your audience. An unstructured presentation can be difficult to follow and even frustrating to listen to. The heart of your speech are your main points supported by evidence and your transitions should assist the movement between points and clarify how everything is linked.

Research suggests that the audience remember the first and last things you say so your introduction and conclusion are vital for reinforcing your points. Essentially, ensure you spend the time structuring your presentation and addressing all of the sections.

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Are you looking for the table of contents PowerPoint template that makes your presentation stand out? If yes, then you are in the right place. We provide a 100% customizable table of contents slide collection for your variety of presentation needs. A table of contents template will help you summarize business presentation topics in your meetings effectively and succinctly. They are available in PowerPoint and Google Slides templates . Whether you need to present a project update, business report, or share some educational material, our table of contents ppt will help you organize your topics and give your audience a clear indication of the subject being presented. It provides the audience with an overview of the topics to be covered in the presentation ahead.

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The table of content, abbreviated as TOC, is an inescapable part of all  PowerPoint presentations . It helps the audience to get an overview of what to expect from the presentation. It is generally the first slide of the PowerPoint presentation.

Typically, the PowerPoint table of contents contains the main business topics covered in the presentation with their page number. The table of contents in powerpoint helps divide the topics in the presentation into various sections. It helps in revisiting the desired sections of the Presentation effortlessly.

How To Create A Table Of Contents Template With Page Numbers?

Follow these easy steps to create your table of contents presentation:

  • Add a blank slide while  beginning your PowerPoint presentation . Write the headline as “Table Of Content”.
  • Type the title of each slide in the table of content slides.
  • To quickly copy the titles, turn on the Outline View tab from the View tab.
  • After turning on the Outline View tab, a thumbnail pane will appear on the left side.
  • Select the title and then copy it.
  • Paste the title in the table of the content slide to add it.
  • Add the page numbers corresponding to the titles

How Do You Link A Table Of Contents To A Page In PowerPoint?

After adding the titles on your table of content slide, turn them into a hyperlink that jumps to the corresponding slide in your  slide deck . Follow these simples steps to add a hyperlink to the table of content in PowerPoint,

  • Select a title that you pasted on the toc slide.
  • On the Insert tab, select Link.
  • In the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, select the Place in This Document tab option.
  • In the Select, a place in this document dialog box, under Slide Titles, select the slide title corresponding to the title you selected in step 1.
  • Click OK to insert a hyperlink on your ppt table of contents.
  • Repeat the above steps for each hyperlink you want to create in your toc powerpoint template.

Should Page Numbers Start After The Table Of Contents Slide?

The actual numbering should start after the table of contents ppt because TOC is not considered as the actual content slide. It just showcases what to expect in the presentation. However, if you wish to number it, the table of content template for ppt is often numbered with a lowercase Roman numeral page number.

What Are The Best Fonts To Use In The PowerPoint Table Of Contents?

Verdana and Georgia are the  best powerpoint fonts  for the table of contents slides. They are easily readable. They are not used often which makes them appealing on screen. Bold alphabets with wide spaces make your presentation professional and winsome. Verdana looks appealing on every device. If you are using numbers in your presentation template then Georgia is the best font for you. It offers an option of lowercase numbers. Therefore Verdana and Georgia are the best tools when showcasing either the alphabet or numbers.

What Are The Different Types Of Table Of Contents In PowerPoint?

  • Vertical:  These templates allow you to showcase the content in a vertical order. It is the traditional format.
  • Horizontal:  These templates allow you to showcase the titles for different purposes in horizontal order.
  • Detailed:  These templates follow an in-depth framework that allows you to add brief details of your listed titles for your business presentations.
  • Formal:  These templates allow you to list formal titles such as the purpose of the meeting/conference/presentation, the names of the meeting coordinators and attendees, date, and duration of the meeting, etc.
  • Prioritized:  These templates provide a table of content-setting frameworks that allows you to showcase in the order of their importance.
  • Timed:  These templates provide you with a framework that applies the use of a fixed timeline for the meeting/conference/presentation.

Why Table Of Contents PPT Template Is Important In The Business Presentation?

  • It eases the process of navigation through the presentation.
  • It sets the tone of the presentation.
  • It lays the first impression.
  • It gives a  brief introduction to the whole presentation .
  • It clarifies to the audience where the presentation is headed.

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Home Blog Presentation Ideas How to Start a Presentation: 5 Strong Opening Slides and 12 Tricks To Test

How to Start a Presentation: 5 Strong Opening Slides and 12 Tricks To Test

Cover image of a How to Start a Presentation article with an illustration of a presenter giving a speech.

Knowing how to start a presentation is crucial: if you fail to capture the audience’s attention right off the bat, your entire presentation will flop. Few listeners will stick with you to the end and retain what you have told.

That is mildly unpleasant when you are doing an in-house presentation in front of your colleagues. But it can become utterly embarrassing when you present in front of larger audiences (e.g., at a conference) or worse – delivering a sales presentation to prospective customers.

Here is how most of us begin a presentation: give an awkward greeting, thank everyone for coming, clear our throats, tap the mic, and humbly start to mumble about our subject. The problem with such an opening performance? It effectively kills and buries even the best messages.

Table of Contents

  • The Classic Trick: Open a Presentation with an Introduction
  • Open a Presentation with a Hook
  • Begin with a Captivating Visual
  • Ask a “What if…” Question
  • Use the Word “Imagine”
  • Leverage The Curiosity Gap
  • The Power of Silence
  • Facts as Weapons of Communication
  • Fact vs. Myths
  • The Power of Music
  • Physical Activity
  • Acknowledging a Person

How to Start a PowerPoint Presentation The Right Way

Let’s say you have all of your presentation slides polished up (in case you don’t, check our quick & effective PowerPoint presentation design tips first). Your presentation has a clear storyline and agenda. Main ideas are broken into bite-sized statements for your slides and complemented with visuals. All you have left is to figure out how you begin presenting.

The best way is to appeal to and invoke certain emotions in your audience – curiosity, surprise, fear, or good old amusements. Also, it is recommended to present your main idea in the first 30 seconds of the presentation. And here’s how it’s done.

1. The Classic Trick: Open a Presentation with an Introduction

Bio Slide design for PowerPoint

When you don’t feel like reinventing the wheel, use a classic trick from the book – start with a quick personal introduction. Don’t want to sound as boring as everyone else with your humble “Hi, I’m John, the head of the Customer Support Department”? Great, because we are all about promoting effective presentation techniques (hint: using a dull welcome slide isn’t one of them).

Here’s how to introduce yourself in a presentation the right way.

a. Use a link-back memory formula

To ace a presentation, you need to connect with your audience. The best way to do so is by throwing in a simple story showing who you are, where you came from, and why your words matter.

The human brain loves a good story, and we are more inclined to listen and retain the information told this way. Besides, when we can relate to the narrator (or story hero), we create an emotional bond with them, and, again – become more receptive, and less skeptical of the information that is about to be delivered.

So here are your presentation introduction lines:

My name is Joanne, and I’m the Head of Marketing at company XYZ. Five years ago I was working as a waitress, earning $10/hour and collecting rejection letters from editors. About ten letters every week landed to my mailbox. You see, I love words, but decent publisher thought mine were good enough. Except for the restaurant owner. I was very good at up-selling and recommending dishes to the customers. My boss even bumped my salary to $15/hour as a token of appreciation for my skill. And this made me realize: I should ditch creative writing and focus on copywriting instead. After loads of trial and error back in the day, I learned how to write persuasive copy. I was no longer getting rejection letters. I was receiving thousands of emails saying that someone just bought another product from our company. My sales copy pages generated over $1,500,000 in revenue over last year. And I want to teach you how to do the same”

b. Test the Stereotype Formula

This one’s simple and effective as well. Introduce yourself by sharing an obvious stereotype about your profession. This cue will help you connect with your audience better, make them chuckle a bit, and set a lighter mood for the speech to follow.

Here’s how you can frame your intro:

“My name is ___, and I am a lead software engineer at our platform [Your Job Title]. And yes, I’m that nerdy type who never liked presenting in front of large groups of people. I would rather stay in my den and write code all day long. [Stereotype]. But hey, since I have mustered enough courage…let’s talk today about the new product features my team is about to release….”

After sharing a quick, self-deprecating line, you transition back to your topic, reinforcing the audience’s attention . Both of these formulas help you set the “mood” for your further presentation, so try using them interchangeably on different occasions.

2. Open a Presentation with a Hook

Wow your audience straight off the bat by sharing something they would not expect to hear. This may be one of the popular first-time presentation tips but don’t rush to discard it.

Because here’s the thing: psychologically , we are more inclined to pay attention whenever presented with an unexpected cue. When we know what will happen next – someone flips the switch, and lights turn on – we don’t really pay much attention to that action.

But when we don’t know what to expect next – e.g., someone flips the switch and a bell starts ringing – we are likely to pay more attention to what will happen next. The same goes for words: everyone loves stories with unpredictable twists. So begin your presentation with a PowerPoint introduction slide or a line that no one expects to hear.

Here are a few hook examples you can swipe:

a. Open with a provocative statement

It creates an instant jolt and makes the audience intrigued to hear what you are about to say next – pedal back, continue with the provocation, or do something else that they will not expect.

TED.com Jane McGonigal Ted Talk - This Game Will Give You 10 Years of Life

“You will live seven and a half minutes longer than you would have otherwise, just because you watched this talk.”

That’s how Jane McGonigal opens one of her TED talks . Shocking and intriguing, right?

b. Ask a rhetorical, thought-provoking question

Seasoned presenters know that one good practice is to ask a question at the beginning of a presentation to increase audience engagement. Rhetorical questions have a great persuasive effect – instead of answering aloud, your audience will silently start musing over it during your presentation. They aroused curiosity and motivated the audience to remain attentive, as they did want to learn your answer to this question.

To reinforce your message throughout the presentation, you can further use the Rhetorical Triangle Concept – a rhetorical approach to building a persuasive argument based on Aristotle’s teachings.

c. Use a bold number, factor stat

A clean slide with some mind-boggling stat makes an undeniably strong impact. Here are a few opening statement examples you can use along with your slide:

  • Shock them: “We are effectively wasting over $1.2 billion per year on producing clothes no one will ever purchase”
  • Create empathy: “Are you among the 20% of people with undiagnosed ADHD?”
  • Call to arms: “58% of marketing budgets are wasted due to poor landing page design. Let’s change this!”
  • Spark curiosity: “Did you know that companies who invested in speech recognition have seen a 13% increase in ROI within just 3 years?”

3. Begin with a Captivating Visual

Compelling visuals are the ABC of presentation design – use them strategically to make an interesting statement at the beginning and throughout your presentation. Your first presentation slide can be text-free. Communicate your idea with a visual instead – a photo, a chart, an infographic, or another graphics asset.

Visuals are a powerful medium for communication as our brain needs just 13 milliseconds to render what our eyes see, whereas text comprehension requires more cognitive effort.

Relevant images add additional aesthetic appeal to your deck, bolster the audience’s imagination, and make your key message instantly more memorable.

Here’s an intro slide example. You want to make a strong presentation introduction to global pollution.  Use the following slide to reinforce the statement you share:

Our Iceberg Is Melting Concept with Penguins in an Iceberg

“Seven of nine snow samples taken on land in Antarctica found chemicals known as PFAs, which are used in industrial products and can harm wildlife”

Source: Reuters

4. Ask a “What if…” Question

The “what if” combo carries massive power. It gives your audience a sense of what will happen if they choose to listen to you and follow your advice.  Here are a few presentations with starting sentences + slides to illustrate this option:

What if example with an Opening Slide for Presentation

Alternatively, you can work your way to this point using different questions:

  • Ask the audience about their “Why.” Why are they attending this event, or why do they find this topic relevant?
  • Use “How” as your question hook if you plan to introduce a potential solution to a problem.
  • If your presentation has a persuasion factor associated, use “When” as a question to trigger the interest of the audience on, for example, when they are planning to take action regarding the topic being presented (if we talk about an inspirational presentation).

What if technique analysis for a Financial topic

5. Use the Word “Imagine”

“Imagine,” “Picture This,” and “Think of” are better word choices for when you plan to begin your presentation with a quick story.

Our brain loves interacting with stories. In fact, a captivating story makes us more collaborative. Scientists have discovered that stories with tension during narrative make us:

  • Pay more attention,
  • Share emotions with the characters and even mimic the feelings and behaviors of those characters afterward.

That’s why good action movies often feel empowering and make us want to change the world too. By incorporating a good, persuasive story with a relatable hero, you can also create that “bond” with your audience and make them more perceptive to your pitch – donate money to support the cause; explore the solution you are offering, and so on.

6. Leverage The Curiosity Gap

The curiosity gap is another psychological trick frequently used by marketers to solicit more clicks, reads, and other interactions from the audience. In essence, it’s the trick you see behind all those clickbait, Buzzfeed-style headlines:

Curiosity Gap example clickbait Buzzfeed

Not everyone is a fan of such titles. But the truth is – they do the trick and instantly capture attention. The curiosity gap sparks our desire to dig deeper into the matter. We are explicitly told that we don’t know something important, and now we crave to change that. Curiosity is an incredibly strong driving force for action – think Eve, think Pandora’s Box.

So consider incorporating these attention grabbers for your presentation speech to shock the audience. You can open with one, or strategically weave them in the middle of your presentation when you feel like your audience is getting tired and may lose their focus.

Here’s how you can use the curiosity gap during your presentation:

  • Start telling a story, pause in the middle, and delay the conclusion of it.
  • Withhold the key information (e.g., the best solution to the problem you have described) for a bit – but not for too long, as this can reduce the initial curiosity.
  • Introduce an idea or concept and link it with an unexpected outcome or subject – this is the best opening for a presentation tip.

7. The Power of Silence

What would you do if you attended a presentation in which the speaker remains silent for 30 seconds after the presentation starts? Just the presenter, standing in front of the audience, in absolute silence.

Most likely, your mind starts racing with thoughts, expecting something of vital importance to be disclosed. The surprise factor with this effect is for us to acknowledge things we tend to take for granted.

It is a powerful resource to introduce a product or to start an inspirational presentation if followed by a fact.

8. Facts as Weapons of Communication

In some niches, using statistics as the icebreaker is the best method to retain the audience’s interest.

Say your presentation is about climate change. Why not introduce a not-so-common fact, such as the amount of wool that can be produced out of oceanic plastic waste per month? And since you have to base your introduction on facts, research manufacturers that work with Oceanic fabrics from recycled plastic bottles .

Using facts helps to build a better narrative, and also gives leverage to your presentation as you are speaking not just from emotional elements but from actually recorded data backed up by research.

9. Fact vs. Myths

Related to our previous point, we make quite an interesting speech if we contrast a fact vs. a myth in a non-conventional way: using a myth to question a well-accepted fact, then introducing a new point of view or theory, backed on sufficient research, that proves the fact wrong. This technique, when used in niches related to academia, can significantly increase the audience’s interest, and it will highlight your presentation as innovative.

Another approach is to debunk a myth using a fact. This contrast immediately piques interest because it promises to overturn commonly held beliefs, and people naturally find it compelling when their existing knowledge is put to the test. An example of this is when a nutritionist wishes to speak about how to lose weight via diet, and debunks the myth that all carbohydrates are “bad”.

10. The Power of Music

Think about a presentation that discusses the benefits of using alternative therapies to treat anxiety, reducing the need to rely on benzodiazepines. Rather than going technical and introducing facts, the presenter can play a soothing tune and invite the audience to follow an exercise that teaches how to practice breathing meditation . Perhaps, in less than 2 minutes, the presenter can accomplish the goal of exposing the advantages of this practice with a live case study fueled by the proper ambiance (due to the music played in the beginning).

11. Physical Activity

Let’s picture ourselves in an in-company presentation about workspace wellness. For this company, the sedentary lifestyle their employees engage in is a worrying factor, so they brought a personal trainer to coach the employees on a basic flexibility routine they can practice in 5 minutes after a couple of hours of desk time.

“Before we dive in, let’s all stand up for a moment.” This simple instruction breaks the ice and creates a moment of shared experience among the attendees. You could then lead them through a brief stretching routine, saying something like, “Let’s reach up high, and stretch out those muscles that get so tight sitting at our desks all day.” With this action, you’re not just talking about workplace wellness, you’re giving them a direct, personal experience of it.

This approach has several advantages. Firstly, it infuses energy into the room and increases the oxygen flow to the brain, potentially boosting the audience’s concentration and retention. Secondly, it sets a precedent that your presentation is not going to be a standard lecture, but rather an interactive experience. This can raise the level of anticipation for what’s to come, and make the presentation a topic for future conversation between coworkers.

12. Acknowledging a Person

How many times have you heard the phrase: “Before we begin, I’d like to dedicate a few words to …” . The speaker could be referring to a mentor figure, a prominent person in the local community, or a group of people who performed charity work or obtained a prize for their hard work and dedication. Whichever is the reason behind this, acknowledgment is a powerful force to use as a method of starting a presentation. It builds a connection with the audience, it speaks about your values and who you admire, and it can transmit what the conversation is going to be about based on who the acknowledged person is.

Closing Thoughts

Now you know how to start your presentation – you have the opening lines, you have the slides to use, and you can browse even more attractive PowerPoint presentation slides and templates on our website. Also, we recommend you visit our article on how to make a PowerPoint Presentation to get familiarized with the best tactics for professional presentation design and delivery, or if you need to save time preparing your presentation, we highly recommend you check our AI Presentation Maker to pair these concepts with cutting-edge slide design powered by AI.

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What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation

  • Carmine Gallo

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Five tips to set yourself apart.

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

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

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

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Manually create a table of contents in PowerPoint

You can manually create a summary or table of contents slide by copying slide titles onto a new slide and (optionally) making a hyperlink of each one.

First, select Home > New Slide to create a new slide for your table of contents. Then use the two procedures below to (1) copy all the slide titles you want to include in your table of contents, and (2) make hyperlinks that point to those slides. 

(PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, PowerPoint 2021, and PowerPoint 2019) Rather than using the manual process described below, you can automatically make a hyperlinked, picture-based table of contents. See Use Zoom for PowerPoint for details.

Copy slide titles from Outline view

The fastest way to copy all of your slide titles onto one slide is to use Outline view.

On the View tab, select  Outline View .

Right-click in the thumbnails pane, point to Collapse , and then click Collapse All .

Click and drag to select all the slide titles you want to include, and then right-click and select Copy .

On the View tab, select Normal .

Switch to the text box on your table of contents slide, and on the Home tab, select Paste > Paste Special .

In the Paste Special dialog box, select either Formatted Text (RTF) or Unformatted Text , and click OK . You may want to use Font options on the Home tab to change the appearance of your summary or contents list.

Make hyperlinks to the individual slides in your table of contents

After you have the titles on your table of contents slide, turn each one into a hyperlink that jumps to the corresponding slide in your presentation.

Select one of the titles you pasted on the table of contents slide.

On the Insert tab, select Link .

In the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, select the Place in This Document tab.

In the Select a place in this document box, under Slide Titles , select the slide title that corresponds to the title you selected in step 1.

Click OK to insert a hyperlink on your table of content slide.

Repeat steps 1-5 for each hyperlink you want to create in your table of contents.

(PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 for Mac) Rather than using the manual process described below, you can automatically make a hyperlinked, picture-based table of contents. See Use Zoom for PowerPoint for details.

Ctrl+click or right-click in the thumbnails pane, point to Collapse , and then click Collapse All .

Click and drag to select all the slide titles you want to include, and then copy them. (Ctrl+click or right-click, and then click Copy .)

Click in the text box on your table of contents slide, and then click Edit > Paste Special .

Select one of the titles you pasted on the table of content slide.

On the Insert menu, select Hyperlink .

In the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, select the This Document tab.

Select the triangle next to Slide Titles to expand the list of slide titles for the current presentation. Then select the slide title that corresponds to the title you selected in step 1.

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April 4, 2024

11 Best Websites for Making a Presentation (And How to Choose One For Your Needs) 

Here are 11 of the best websites and programs to create free presentations online

Co-founder, CEO

The best websites for making presentations equip you with all the tools needed to build a professional, attractive, and informative slide deck quickly and efficiently. But with dozens of slide makers claiming to be the best, it’s hard to choose an app that suits your needs best. 

We’ve done the legwork for you and scoured the web for the best presentation websites. We based our evaluation on factors such as functionality, ease of use, AI sophistication, collaboration tools, and value for money. Below is the result — a comprehensive overview of the 11 best web-based slide creation apps based on our findings.  

Short on time? Summary of the best sites for making a presentation

1. plus ai — best all-round presentation maker.

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Key Features

  • Adds easy-to-use AI to Google Slides
  • Affords customization options for slide templates, colors, and logos 
  • Allows slide deck generation via different methods 
  • Facilitates collaboration within teams on Google Workspace 
  • Features a setting-rich but straightforward user interface
  • $10/month for Basic and $20 for Pro versions when billed annually ($15 and $30, respectively, with monthly billing)

Plus AI is a powerful and user-friendly presentation maker that’s suitable for any purpose, whether you’re a professional, student, or amateur user.  

Plus AI gives you a robust selection of AI slide creation methods. You can generate presentations straight from text, work on them slide-by-slide, design them from scratch, or use existing templates. Regardless of the method, the tool’s AI technology does all the heavy lifting design-wise and the interface is a breeze to navigate, so you can sit back and focus on the content. 

Meanwhile, the customization options allow you to tailor the slides to your desired aesthetic, content type, and audience, and you can create your presentation in 80 languages. The resulting slide decks are elegant, professional, and appropriate for any use case. 

Plus AI is an affordable presentation maker, with pricing that starts at $10 per month with annual billing, or $15 when billed monthly. Each of the plans includes an AI extension for Google Docs; this feature helps you compose and edit text. If you’d rather not spend money without taking the tool for a test drive, Plus AI offers you a 7-day free trial.  

Here are the key pros and cons of Plus AI — they should help you decide if this presentation maker is right for you: 

  • Generates professional and visually appealing presentations in minutes — no design skills needed
  • AI function allows you to edit and format slides without manual effort
  • Lots of ways to customize the presentation
  • Vast selection of templates and example presentations  
  • Text-to-slide and from-scratch creation
  • Allows team collaboration in Google Workspace 
  • Integrates with Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Budget-friendly plans and a 7-day free trial 
  • Plus creates presentations in Google Slides or PowerPoint format, which may be harder for newer users to edit

2. Canva — Best free presentation site 

presentation content page

  • Offers mobile presentation templates 
  • Web- or mobile-based Canva app supports collaboration 
  • Remote Control feature lets you run the presentation from your smartphone
  • Canva live feature allows viewers to join QA sessions during a presentation  
  • Presenter mode lets you see your speaking notes and upcoming slides while you present 
  • AI assists in slide creation and can present on your behalf
  • Individual Free Plan: $0 per month
  • Individual Pro Plan: $14.99 per month
  • Teams Plan: $29.99 per month

Canva is a web-based template editor with graphics creation tools and a powerful presentation builder in its free plan. Canva offers you an array of slide templates designed for virtually any purpose, along with a suite of customization tools to tailor the presentation to your topic and setting. 

Canva has made a noticeable effort to optimize presentations for the smartphone. The app’s most striking feature is its selection of mobile presentation templates, which don’t lag their desktop-based peers in either aesthetics or utility. But whether or not your presentation is designed for a mobile screen, Canva lets you run it right from your smartphone, with a presenter view that shows your notes and upcoming slides. The audience can likewise engage with your presentation from their mobile devices during Q&A sessions.     

Depending on your use case, you may be able to get away with Canva’s comprehensive free plan. The free Canva has presentation creation and editing tools and gives you access to a huge selection of professional templates. However, it’s the $14/month Pro plan that lets you unlock all the premium tools and graphic assets. And if you need Canva to collaborate with teams, you’re looking at $29.99 per month for the first 5 users. 

To help you decide whether Canva is worth trying out, we’ve made this quick summary of the app’s pros and cons: 

  • Solid free plan with basic features and a large selection of graphic assets 
  • Optimized for mobile presentations 
  • Elegant templates for any use case 
  • Intermediate design skills required 
  • No direct integration with Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 (possible through third-party apps)

3. Prezi — Best slide tool for creative users

presentation content page

  • Web-based tool for creating presentations, videos, and infographics 
  • Asset library includes templates, ready-to-use story blocks, and stock images from Unsplash and GIFs from 
  • Integrates with Webex, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and other video conferencing apps to show presentations and the presenter on the same screen 
  • Lets you convert PowerPoint presentations to Prezi

Pricing (all plans are billed annually)

  • For students/educators: $3-8 per month
  • For individuals: $7-19 per month
  • For businesses: $15-29 per month

Prezi is a web-based tool for creating presentations, videos, and infographics that are suitable for business and educational settings. The tool offers a wealth of image and icon assets, as well as templates to get you started on your slide deck. The templates do not constrain your creativity with linear slides the way PowerPoint does — you can create your presentations on an open canvas. Prezi even lets you import and customize PowerPoint presentations in its app. And, with the help of Prezi’s new AI tool, you can create and edit entire presentations quickly. 

One of Prezi’s most defining features is its integration with popular video conferencing apps, such as Webex, Zoom, Teams, and Meet. Crucially, Prezi lets your slides appear on the same screen as your own video feed while you’re presenting. 

Prezi offers three pricing tiers. Students and educators get the least expensive options, with plans that range between $3 and $8 per month. For individual users, plans cost $7-19 per month, while business users pay between $15 and $29 per month. All of Prezi’s plans are billed annually, but you can try the tool for 14 days without committing to a subscription. 

If you’re not sure whether this presentation tool is right for you, consider Prezi’s pros and cons below: 

  • Design freedom and for creating unique and attractive slides
  • Graphic assets are readily available
  • Integrates with video conferencing apps 
  • AI assistant generates and edits presentations 
  • Inexpensive plans for students and educators 
  • Video and infographic creation part of each plan
  • 14-day free trial 
  • Design skills required to create quality presentations 
  • Lack of integration with Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint
  • No monthly billing options 

4. Visme — Best for graphics and special effects

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  • Tools for creating special effects and animating graphics 
  • Ability to import and edit Microsoft PowerPoint presentations 
  • AI designer helps create a presentation draft 
  • Integration with Google Drive, DropBox, Mailchimp, Slack, and other apps 
  • Presentation analytics tools 
  • Basic package: $0/month 
  • Starter package (individual): $12.25/month 
  • Pro package (individual or team): $24.75-$79+/month

Visme is a web-based app for producing various types of visual content, including presentations. The app’s most distinct feature is its suite of special effects you can use to make the slides’ content and graphics more engaging. The app also lets you animate the images and insert video and audio features into the slides. 

Visme integrates with a whole host of other platforms and apps. These integration options are largely designed to let you import content seamlessly into Visme. For example, you have the option of importing your PowerPoint files into Visme, enhancing them there, and exporting them back in the .ppt format if you like. That said, Visme does not work as an extension in popular slide makers, like Google Slides or PowerPoint. 

You have three main pricing options with Visme. The Basic plan is free, but you’re limited in access to collaboration tools, assets, interactive, and AI features. The more comprehensive Starter plan costs $12.25 per month (billed annually), and equips you with Visme’s more premium tools. Finally, the Pro team plan sets you back $79/month for a team of 5 and lets you use Visme’s entire suite of interactivity and collaboration functions.     

Here are a few vital pros and cons if you need help deciding whether Visme is right for you: 

  • Vast selection of special effects 
  • Ability to animate graphics on the slides 
  • Simple file movement between different web-based apps
  • Free plan available 
  • Free plans extremely limiting 
  • No direct integration with Google or Microsoft slide tools 

5. Powtoon — Best for slides with animation

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  • Templates with configurable graphics and animation
  • Customizable fonts, colors, and logos
  • Access to stock images, videos, and soundtracks 
  • Lite plan: $50/month ($15/month when billed annually) 
  • Professional plan: $190/month ($40/month when billed annually) 
  • Agency: $117/month (annual billing only) 

Powtoon is a visual web-based content creation platform with tools for making videos, animations, and presentations. The app’s presentation function lets you build slides using professional templates, in which you’re free to customize the fonts, colors, logos, and graphics. You can even animate the graphics and build custom avatars to present on your behalf — it’s one of Powtoon’s unique selling features. 

Powtoon’s suite of slide tools includes a database of royalty-free stock images, video footage, and music. You can use all of these assets in your slides, or upload your own as you see fit. However, how much of these shiny tools you can use in your slide decks depends on the chosen plan. 

There are three pricing plans available, and the discrepancy between monthly and annual payments is striking. Most presentation sites charge a few dollars more if you opt for monthly instead of annual billing, but Powtoon’s monthly prices easily triple and quadruple. For example, the Lite plan costs $15/month with annual billing, but $50 if you wish to pay every month instead. You get very basic features with this plan, especially as far as animation and interactivity are concerned. Likewise, the Professional plan jumps from $40 to $190 if you choose monthly payments. You get a bit more for your buck, but some rudimentary features are still absent (like font uploads). Meanwhile, the Agency plan costs a whopping $1400 annually (no monthly option), and this plan gets you all of the app’s bells and whistles. 

Not sure if investing in a product like Powtoon is worth it? Consider its pros and cons below: 

  • Comprehensive animation and video creation features 
  • Graphic and audio assets available with subscription 
  • Fonts and logos can be uploaded
  • Most customization, animation, and AI features only come with the expensive Agency package
  • Monthly payment options are not reasonable 

6. Haiku Deck — Best site for image editing options 

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  • Minimalistic interface 
  • Graphic design tools for improving slide aesthetics 
  • Pre-loaded templates and image assets 
  • Cloud-based file sharing for team collaboration 
  • AI presentation builder (Haiku Deck Zuru)
  • Pro plan: $9.99 per month billed annually, or $19.99 monthly
  • Premium plan: $29.99 per month, billed annually

Haiku Deck is a web, desktop, and mobile-based presentation builder with a significant focus on design aesthetics. The app’s design tools allow you to refine the graphics in the preloaded templates and images you’re using in the slides. You can source the images right from Haiku’s repository, which boasts over 40 million assets. 

To help you create your slide decks, Haiku offers its AI assistant. The AI feature can create new presentations from your outline, or enhance your existing drafts. Since the AI learns from other Haiku users, its algorithms are now trained to outfit slides with contextually relevant imagery and graphics.    

Haiku Deck’s pricing has two tiers: Pro and Premium. The Pro plan costs $9.99/month when billed annually and affords full access to the slide creation tools. Meanwhile, the Premium plan will set you back $29.99/month (again, billed annually), and equips you with features such as analytics, live web tracking, and priority support. 

Here’s a summary of Haiku Deck’s most prominent pros and cons: 

  • Visually appealing slides 
  • Large database of graphic assets 
  • Advanced tools for editing images 
  • Capable AI-powered slide builder
  • No free plan
  • No integration with Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint 

7. Zoho Show — Best presentation site for budget-minded users  

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  • Clean interface with tools changing depending on the task 
  • Library for templates, slides, and fonts to facilitate team collaboration 
  • Over 100 templates 
  • Imports/exports PowerPoint files 
  • Presentations can be controlled from smartphone or smart watch
  • For individuals: Free
  • Professional Plan: $2.50/month and up (billed annually)
  • With Zoho Workplace Standard: $3.00/month (billed annually) 

Zoho is a web-based suite of business tools, and Zoho Show is its slide creation app. Zoho Show is a straightforward, inexpensive, yet fully functional slide maker that offers most of the same features you’ll get from pricier presentation sites. You can build your decks using over 100 preloaded templates, work on PowerPoint presentations before exporting them to their original file format, and run your slideshow from a smart device. Show’s most unique feature is its clean, contextual interface that only displays tools that are relevant to your current task (whether that’s handy or limiting depends on your preferences). 

Zoho Show’s pricing has three tiers. First, there’s the Free plan. This package lets you build basic presentations, but you miss out on key collaboration features and have limited access to graphic assets. Next, you get the more comprehensive Professional Plan, which costs $2.50; you must sign up for Zoho WorkDrive and have a team of 3 people to get this plan. Finally, you can get the entire Zoho Workplace suite for $3/month — this option unlocks the full functionality of the Show app and lets you use other Zoho tools, such as their Office Suite, Mail, and Workdrive. 

Have a look at Zoho Show’s pros and cons below to see if this presentation website is right for you: 

  • Interface automatically shows tools relevant to the task
  • Ability to add custom fonts and embed files into slides
  • Templates, graphic assets, and collaboration tools included
  • Supports PowerPoint file formats 
  • Subscription to Zoho Workdrive or Workplace required to access paid plan — unnecessary if all you need is a presentation tool
  • Some plans require a minimum of 3 users 
  • Free individual plan limits use of graphic assets, templates, and collaboration tools 
  • No direct integration with Google Slides 

8. Pitch — Best presentation site for use in business and sales 

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  • Lets you build presentations with AI, from a template, or from scratch 
  • Supports custom fonts and colors 
  • Provides team collaboration tools 
  • Allows you to embed presentations on the web 
  • Offers engagement analytics tools 
  • Pro plan: $25/month
  • Business: $100/month 

Pitch is a web-based presentation maker designed primarily for business use. The app helps streamline slide deck creation with its AI tool, which generates a first draft based on your prompts and leaves your team with the task of refining the slides to your liking. The slides have shareable links, so your entire team can collaborate on the slide deck. You can even invite consultants from outside your workplace to edit the presentations. 

Once your slide deck is complete, Pitch allows you to embed it on the web in your CMS — much like you’d do with a YouTube video. And to give you a feel for how audiences engage with your presentation, Pitch equips you with engagement and analytics performance tools.  

There are three pricing options with Pitch. The free plan comes with all the presentation creation functions, but you get no tracking and limited collaboration tools. The Pro plan costs $25/month (or $22 per month when billed annually), and gives you more freedom to use Pitch in a team environment. Finally, the Business plan costs $100/month (or $85/month with yearly billing) and gives you access to the full suite of features. 

Can’t decide if Pitch is the best presentation website for your team? Have a look at its most vital pros and cons: 

  • AI slide creation feature 
  • Performance analytics tools 
  • Integration with various productivity and collaboration apps
  • Media asset library 
  • Engagement tracking only available in paid plans
  • No integration with Google Slides or Microsoft 365

9. Beautiful.ai — Best site for no-frills AI-generated presentations

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  • AI-powered presentation maker 
  • Slide creation from user’s prompts 
  • Automated slide formatting 
  • File sharing within the team (requires Team Plan) 
  • Graphic assets database 
  • Pro: $144 per year  
  • Team: $40/month per user with annual billing ($50 with monthly billing)
  • Enterprise: Pricing available on request 

Beautiful.ai is an AI-powered presentation builder that leverages full automation to make slide creation quick and easy. All you need to do is enter a prompt for your slide deck, and beautiful.ai will generate your first draft. These AI-generated drafts are quite simplistic in terms of both content and graphics, but they serve as a good starting point. Moreover, beautiful.ai’s presentations are formatted consistently, which should save you time as you edit each slide. 

You get three pricing options with beautiful.ai — Pro, Team, and Enterprise. The Pro package is meant for individual use, and costs $144 per year (there’s no way to pay monthly). The plan equips you with the AI slide maker but limits your use of assets and team collaboration features. The Pro plan costs $50/month for each user, or $480 annual for each license you purchase. This plan affords access to more customization and teamwork functions and lets you use graphic assets. Finally, the Enterprise plan includes all the features of the Pro plan, but with more dedicated training and support for your team. You’d have to reach out to beautiful.ai’s sales team to get a quote for the Enterprise plan. 

Beautiful.ai helps create slides quickly and with little skill. However, if you’re not sure this app is right for you, consider its most vital pros and cons below. 

  • Quick way to create and format slides
  • Inexpensive plan for personal use
  • Elegant slide templates
  • No integration with Google Slides or Microsoft 365 
  • Slide content is very basic 
  • Limited customization and branding options 

10. Google Slides — Best for Google Workspace Users With Basic Presentation Needs 

presentation content page

  • Basic presentation creation tool 
  • Limited selection of templates, fonts, and colors 
  • Supports import/export of PowerPoint files 
  • Allows collaboration within the Google Workspace
  • Free with a Google account 

Slides is the web-based presentation tool you get with your Google account. This rudimentary app features a limited library of templates, fonts, and colors, along with a basic suite of tools for formatting the text and graphics in your slides. You can insert your own image, video, and audio files into the slides, but there is no access to a library of royalty-free assets. 

Despite its functional constraints, Google Slides is a useful app because it lets teams using Google Workspace collaborate easily on presentations. To get the most of Slides, though, you need to boost its functionality with a suitable extension. Google Gemini now works as an extension within the app, but for the $30 it costs you, the output is disappointing. All Gemini knows does is generate simple, low-quality images; it won’t help you produce, format, or edit presentations. 

In contrast, an app like Plus AI leverages artificial intelligence algorithms to give Google Slides powers it lacks on its own. By using the Plus AI extension, you can create entire Slides presentations from a single prompt, automate slide editing and formatting, and access a rich library of templates and ready-made slide decks. Meanwhile, Plus AI’s customization features help you brand your presentations with custom fonts, colors, and your company logo. 

Not sure if Google’s slide creation tool is right for you? Have a look at its pros and cons below. 

  • Allows collaboration in the Google Workspace 
  • Compatible with PowerPoint files 
  • Supports AI-powered slide-creation extensions, such as Plus AI
  • Free to use with a Google account 
  • Limited capabilities without third-party apps 
  • No library with image, video, or audio assets

11. Microsoft PowerPoint — Best For Highly Skilled Presentation Designers 

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  • Vast library of slide themes, variants, and layouts 
  • Database of stock images and videos 
  • Massive array of slide editing, formatting, and customization tools 
  • Supports collaboration in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem 
  • As a standalone product: $159.99 (one-time fee) 
  • With Microsoft 365 apps, for home use: $6.99-$9.99/month 
  • With Microsoft 365 apps, for business use: $6.00-22.00/user/month 

PowerPoint is one of the world’s oldest presentation builders that’s been part of Microsoft’s arsenal since the early 1990s. To this day, PowerPoint has been the most commonly used presentation app. But there’s a reason we’ve ranked it last on our list. Buoyed by its popularity, PowerPoint hasn’t evolved much over time; you won’t get anything beyond the most basic and uninspired presentations out of it unless you’re an advanced user with lots of time on your hands. 

The app’s user interface immediately overwhelms you with options and settings. Some of these seem similar in how they function, and you won’t know which tool to use until you’ve experimented with them all. Apart from the cluttered interface, PowerPoint disappoints with its simplistic selection of templates and designs. 

You can use Microsoft’s Copilot to forgo the tedious task of creating your own PowerPoint presentation, but beware: like Gemini, Copilot is still limited in its slide-making abilities. You can get it to create a slide deck from a single prompt, but the output will feature basic and repetitive along with lifeless images. 

PowerPoint’s pricing is a bit convoluted at a glance — you get different options whether you want the standalone product ($159.99) or the entire Microsoft 365 suite. If you choose the latter, the Home options range in price between $6.99 and $9.99 per month, while the Business plans cost between $6.00 and $22.00 per month per user. 

We don’t believe that PowerPoint is worth your time considering the vast selection of more powerful and user-friendly presentation apps on the market. However, you can review the app’s pros and cons below and decide for yourself. 

  • Massive selection of design and customization tools 
  • Integrates with Microsoft Copilot 
  • Lets team members using Microsoft 365 work on the same presentation simultaneously  
  • Overwhelming user interface 
  • Very basic templates and designs
  • Creating professional presentations is a challenge for novice users
  • AI assistant cannot produce elegant, content-rich slide decks 

How we ranked the best presentation sites 

To make your selection process simple and effective, we ranked the best presentation websites based on these vital criteria: 

  • Functionality
  • Level of AI sophistication
  • Ease of use
  • Collaboration options

Integration with popular slide creation tools 

Value for money, functionality .

The best presentation sites are loaded with handy functions that enable you to make visually appealing, info-rich, and engaging presentations with little effort and minimal editing. These include customization tools, templates, image assets, and graphics refinement features. 

Level of AI sophistication 

AI technology is at the forefront of slide makers’ drive to create the best product for their clients. AI-powered presentation sites save you from spending long hours on writing content, digging up graphics, and then formatting every slide — AI handles these tasks for you. But not all AI slide creators are made equal. Some leave you with rudimentary decks that feature repetitive content and unrelated imagery. Others give you a solid starting point for an informative and captivating presentation. 

Ease of use 

The best presentation sites greet you with an intuitive and uncluttered interface that takes you minutes (if not seconds) to master. But usability goes beyond navigating the UI. That’s why we also assess the simplicity with which you can actually produce presentations. Simply put, how easy is it to create and edit slides? Do you need advanced design skills to manipulate the graphics and give the slide deck your desired aesthetic ? The best slide makers take these questions into account, so that their product makes presentations a breeze. You worry about the content, and let the app do the rest. 

Collaboration options 

High-quality presentation apps allow team members to create, edit, and give feedback on presentations remotely. That’s because today’s business needs, along with hybrid work arrangements, mean that more and more teams are forced to collaborate electronically. Features such as cloud-based file sharing and integration with communication platforms help different members of your team work on the presentation from wherever they are. 

Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint are the most commonly used presentation programs in the world. These two giants are the natural, go-to option for slide creation in the corporate, educational, and institutional world. Any presentation app that’s worth its salt should integrate with at least one of these tools. At the very least, a quality independent slide app should be able to import and export files that can be used in Google Slides or PowerPoint. 

The best presentation apps are usually not free, but the money you pay for them should be worth the features and benefits you get in return. That’s why we’ve evaluated each of the slide makers above based on the balance between their price point and their offerings. 

How to choose the best presentation website for your needs? 

You can’t really go wrong by opting for any of the 10 presentation sites above; however, to get a tool that’s tailored to your use-case, you’ll have to do a bit more research and analysis. The four steps below should help you zero in on the optimal presentation maker for your needs.   

  • Consider the purpose of the presentation. Some slide tools cater to sales teams (think Pitch), others to graphic-minded users (Haiku Deck comes to mind), while others, like Plus AI, are excellent all-rounders. 
  • Decide on the level of customization you need. How concerned are you with personalizing and branding your slide decks? If a generic, templated presentation is all you need for a school project, investing in a feature-rich, customizable tool may be overkill. But if you need your slide decks to feature custom colors, fonts, and convey your brand identity, opt for a tool (and pricing package) that has this functionality. 
  • Decide if you want AI help. Unless you’re a skilled designer with a passion for creating and formatting slides, AI can be incredibly useful. Consider this: would you rather spend hours on refining your slides and ensuring consistency, or have the AI tool produce a uniformly formatted first draft? Check out the best AI presentation makers here.
  • Factor in your budget. Most presentation sites have similar pricing, with monthly plans ranging between $0 and $40. However, some charge more — much more. Of course, the higher price points generally translate into richer offerings that may include other apps for visual content creation. Consider whether you need these extras or if a capable slide creation tool will suffice. 

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COMMENTS

  1. Guide to Create a Table of Contents in PowerPoint

    Step 1. To create an automatic table of contents in PowerPoint, go to the Insert tab in the Ribbon menu and select Link -> Insert Link. This will provide you with the option to add a title and link. Create an automatic Table of Contents.

  2. How to Create a Table of Contents in Microsoft PowerPoint

    Option 1: Insert a Table of Contents With Outline View. If you want to use the titles of your slides as the table of contents, you can copy those titles from Outline View and paste them on the table of contents slide. Go to View > Outline View in the ribbon. You'll see the outline of your slideshow on the left.

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  5. Should You Add a Table of Contents to Your Presentation?

    Generally, a table of contents will look similar to that you will find in a book. It should convey the titles of each page, or of the different themes that you will cover at various points of your presentation. Each piece of content should consist of no more than a couple of words. 2. Add Sub-topics Wherever Necessary.

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    Step 1: Creating the slide for the table of contents. First, you need to create a new slide where you will add the PowerPoint table of contents in the following steps. There are two ways to create a new slide: Via the menu: Select the "Home" tab in the menu and click on "New Slide". PowerPoint will then insert a new slide which you can ...

  8. Manually create a table of contents in PowerPoint

    Click and drag to select all the slide titles you want to include, and then right-click and select Copy. On the View tab, select Normal. Switch to the text box on your table of contents slide, and on the Home tab, select Paste > Paste Special. In the Paste Special dialog box, select either Formatted Text (RTF) or Unformatted Text, and click OK.

  9. How to Create a Table of Contents in Google Slides

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    This clarifies the overall purpose of your talk and reinforces your reason for being there. Follow these steps: Signal that it's nearly the end of your presentation, for example, "As we wrap up/as we wind down the talk…". Restate the topic and purpose of your presentation - "In this speech I wanted to compare…". 5.

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    Agency: $117/month (annual billing only) Powtoon is a visual web-based content creation platform with tools for making videos, animations, and presentations. The app's presentation function lets you build slides using professional templates, in which you're free to customize the fonts, colors, logos, and graphics.

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