Master the art of making great presentations with PowerPoint. In this comprehensive guide, we cover five easy to follow steps to design and present like a pro.
Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nov 15, 2019 • 19 min read This post is part of a series called How to Use PowerPoint (Ultimate Tutorial Guide).Mention the terms "public speaking" or "presentation," and you're likely to evoke an emotional response from anyone nearby.
That strong response is usually rooted in our personal horror stories, like an embarrassing slip-up in a presentation for a class, or a talk at work that fell flat. Giving a great PowerPoint presentation is a skill. And it's one that anyone can build and improve upon.
Giving presentations can feel overwhelming. It's hard to know where to start, even if you're willing to put in the time. This tutorial can help:
Becoming a motivational speaker or renowned presenter doesn't have to be your main goal. You can become a proficient and effective speaker in a variety of contexts.
You can learn a professional process that'll help you make a great presentation and present like a pro. That's why I've broken down the art of building a presentation into lists and actionable steps you can readily follow in this tutorial.
We combine technical skills in Microsoft PowerPoint with best practices for presenting information. This tutorial explains how to do a PowerPoint presentation, step by step.
Also, take what you'll learn in this tutorial further. Download our free eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations. In it, you'll learn the complete presentation process of how to write your presentation effectively, design it like a pro, and more.
Now follow along to learn step-by-step how to make a great presentation in PowerPoint that's ready to present to an eager audience.
The first part of writing a successful PowerPoint-based presentation has nothing to do with PowerPoint. It's all about the content that you'll put inside of it.
You're making a mistake if you start by looking at the design of your PowerPoint presentation or by making animations for your slides. Instead, prioritize writing the content for your presentation first. Write your content before you even open PowerPoint.
In summary, keep these two simple points in mind when you start writing the content for your presentation:
I use a simple note-taking app like Notes for Mac or Evernote to help me organize my thoughts. I also jot down my content ideas on a spare napkin or the back of a notebook. For this exercise, grab a piece of paper and follow each of the content-writing steps.
Remember: The point is that we decide on what we want to say before we begin saying it in PowerPoint.
Let's break down the detailed steps I use when writing presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint:
I've been guilty of throwing all my data or ideas into a PowerPoint file and seeing what it looks like when I'm finished.
This directionless wandering is a surefire recipe for presentations that'll bore your audience and lose their attention. That's why it's so important to set your presentation goal first.
Here are some examples of goal setting for a presentation:
You could break these main types of presentations down into other categories. But I find that this is a simple and helpful way to start setting your goal.
Before you start writing your presentation or pulling together all the data and visuals do this. Write the goal for your presentation on a piece of paper, or the app taking note of choice. Put it in front of you throughout the content writing process so you won't lose track of your ultimate goal for your presentation.
Who will you be speaking to? What do they already know about the topic at hand?
It seems so obvious, but many presenters use a one-size-fits all approach to sharing information. Instead, you've got to tailor your content to who will hear it and what they know about the topic beforehand.
A presentation about the future of blockchain should be different if I'm speaking to a room of PhD economists that it would be if I were presenting to a group of high school students. Tailoring your content to the audience helps them get the most from your presentation.
Do This: Describe your primary audience below the goal you wrote in step one. Write down what their level of familiarity with the topic is, and anything they might have in common.
Consider all the following when defining your audience:
Consider all these factors when you're writing content. You'll approach an audience of your peers differently than an unfamiliar audience.
Best of all, you can create many versions of your presentation if your audience changes. Each time your audience changes, you can tweak the presentation to match.
Learn more about how to put your audiences needs first, as well as how to make a great PowerPoint presentation that's memorable and persuasive:
