PowerPoint Tips Blog

A simple way to create stunning slides is to layer an image, a shape, and text placeholders. Here are 2 examples: Here are the steps to create these slides: 1. Enter your text Related posts: How to get a designer look with abstract images to create backgrounds for slides and shapes How to create unique […]

If you have Office 365 (the subscription version that is always updated), there’s a new feature coming out that is truly extraordinary! If you’re in the Office Insider program, you may have it already. Otherwise, you’ll get it when it’s rolled out to everyone with Office 365. As you talk, PowerPoint will display what you […]

Do you think of yourself as a leader? Do you want to sound like a leader when you speak? What does that even mean? A leader tries to guide and motivate others to take action and implement change. Of course, there are many ways of doing that, but it’s important to note that leadership doesn’t involve […]

In my bestselling e-book, Slide Design for Non-Designers, I cover 4 layouts that always look good. These are for slides that have a title and an image. The layouts make it easy to quickly create a professional-looking slide. However, in this case, seeing me create the layouts might be more helpful than reading about them, […]

The Change Picture feature in PowerPoint is very powerful because it lets you substitute another picture but keep the formatting. You might want to change the picture because: You made a mistake and inserted the wrong picture You’ve changed your mind and decided that another picture would work better You duplicated a great slide and […]

Audiences today want an interactive experience. As a presenter, you can: Ask them questions Answer their questions Organize small group exercises But you can do more. You can also integrate your audience into the presentation itself. For example, you can create a menu slide that links to other parts of the presentation (or other presentations) […]

Color can have a powerful effect on your audience. While you need to be cognizant that colors mean different things in different cultures, you can use color to influence your audience’s mood and feeling about your message. Or you can just create a fun feeling with one color or indicate a change in mood by […]

I recommend using the Tell ‘n’ ShowSM method for your slides. That means putting a slide title on each slide that tells the point and adding an image, diagram, chart, etc. to show the point. You DON’T put everything you say on the slide. I’m not the slide police and I vary from this method […]

What’s the difference between telling, teaching, and training? And which should you be doing? They really ARE different — although related — and which one you should do depends on your goals, your audience, and your situation. Often, we think it’s obvious: If I’m doing a sales presentation or project update, I should be telling […]