How To Have An Effective Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation

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    I have been doing presentations for as long as I can remember; elementary school, middle school, high school & college (and I'm sure the presentations don't stop after college)! Presentations are a great way to discuss an idea or get a message across to a large group of people. It is an important skill to have, no matter what age you are which is probably why it was taught so early on in school. Anybody can make a couple of PowerPoint slides, but how can you ensure that your presentation is effective? This is how:

1. Use an eye-catching template.

Having an eye-catching template will help your audience stay focused on your presentation. Nobody wants to look at a blank and boring slide for the entire presentation time.

2. Sprinkle in transitions but don't over-do it.

Too many transitions in a PowerPoint presentation reminds me of fourth grade when we first started learning how to use them. It's tacky, unprofessional and distracting. Use it to highlight a slide, but don't use it on every slide.

3. Bullet points, bullet points, bullet points!

Bullet point your ideas. This way your audience can focus on what you are presenting rather than read long sentences about it (plus, you won't be reading off your slides, which makes for a better presentation).

4. The right font.

Use a clear font, fewer words and larger text size. This way, even people in the back row can see what you are presenting.

5. Switch it up using Office Mix.

Office Mix is a free plugin for Microsoft PowerPoint. This is the perfect tool for online presentations, which have become a common occurrence in the midst of the pandemic, where everything is digital. Download the plugin and it'll appear at the top of your PowerPoint toolbar. Now, you can record a video where each segment is linked to whatever slide you're on so when you reorder your slides the video will go with it. Drawing and marking up your slides as you're giving the presentation is also an available feature. This plugin let's you be as creative as you want with your presentation and allows you to perfect it, as you can record as many times as you want. No need to rehearse your lines, just record and "present"!

6. Download the Microsoft PowerPoint iOS application.

Left your laptop at home? Now you can even work on your PowerPoint presentation from your phone. Having the app on your phone also makes it easier to import pictures or songs from your handheld device and you can even present FROM your phone by broadcasting it to your T.V. or share it on the cloud.

Keep these six tips in mind and you'll have a successful presentation!



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