Making The Most Of PowerPoint
For Microsoft PowerPoint users, the goal should be to make the most of your presentation time. Small business owners especially benefit from streamlined presentations that help them to communicate their ideas quickly and effectively.
To do this, Microsoft PowerPoint has a number of features that will make your presentations more efficient. In part three of our three-part series on Microsoft Office products, we will share our favorite 11 tips for Microsoft PowerPoint to make the most out of your presentation.
11 Tips Using Microsoft PowerPoint
1. Use Themes
Unless you are a graphic designer, we suggest using the Microsoft PowerPoint Theme Gallery to customize your presentation quickly and easily. This gallery includes a variety of themes that can help you create a professional-looking presentation in minutes. If you don’t find a theme you like in the gallery, you can find 100s of presentation templates in Canva as well.
2. Smart Art Feature
Take advantage of Microsoft PowerPoint’s SmartArt feature to make complex data or ideas easier for viewers to understand. The SmartArt feature is a great way to help break up complex information into graphical representations that will be easier for viewers to comprehend. People are much more likely to engage in graphics than with simple words on a slide.
3. Use Animations
To keep your audience engaged in your presentation, Microsoft PowerPoint offers several animation features. Animations can add interest to a static slide and draw attention to certain elements of the presentation. Use animations sparingly as too many animations can be distracting and take away from the main point of your presentation.
4. Make Use of Shortcuts
In our previous two articles on making the most of Microsoft more efficiently, we mentioned using shortcuts. As a business owner, you know time is money, so we would be remiss if we didn’t mention it here as well. Microsoft PowerPoint also has some great shortcuts that you can use to make presentations easier to navigate. For example, using the F5 key will help you quickly jump back and forth between different slides. Learning Microsoft PowerPoint’s various shortcuts can make creating and giving presentations much faster.
5. Use Transitions
Transitions are animated effects that Microsoft PowerPoint will use to move between slides. This feature is great for creating a smooth flow in your presentation, but it can also be distracting if used incorrectly. We suggest using transition effects sparingly and only when they are necessary.
6. Speaker Notes
Microsoft PowerPoint includes a speaker notes feature that allows you to quickly add notes to each slide. This will help ensure that you don’t forget any important points during your presentation, and it can also be used as a reference if the audience has any questions.
7. Image Library
Microsoft PowerPoint also has an amazing library of images, photos, charts, and more. Whether you need illustrations or icons to break up text-heavy slides, Microsoft PowerPoint’s library is full of useful images that will help you make your presentation more engaging.
8. Media Clips
Microsoft PowerPoint also offers an incredible range of media clips that can be integrated into your presentations. From videos to audio clips, Microsoft PowerPoint can help make your presentations more eye-catching and engaging.
9. Creating Handouts
If you need to share a text-based version of your presentation, Microsoft PowerPoint makes it easy to export slides into Microsoft Word documents. This is great for creating handouts for viewers or for giving presentations online.
10. Link Slides Together
If there is a lot of information in your presentation, Microsoft PowerPoint will make it easier to link slides together. This feature allows you to create a cohesive narrative that flows from one slide to the next.
11. Export To Other Programs
If you need to export a presentation to use in another program or platform, Microsoft PowerPoint makes it easy. The Export option allows you to save the file as a PDF, JPEG, Microsoft Word document, and more.
By taking advantage of Microsoft PowerPoint’s many features, you can make your presentations much more efficient and engaging for audiences. With the right tools and knowledge, Microsoft PowerPoint can help business owners create powerful presentations that will impress potential clients or solidify relationships with existing ones. So take a look at Microsoft PowerPoint today and see how it can help your business.
