how to make powerpoint presentation for college

9 Easy Rules to Make a Good PowerPoint Presentation

Table of contents

• 1 How to Start an Excellent PowerPoint Presentation?
• 2 Tips On How To Make Your PowerPoint Presentation Perfect
• 3 9 Rules On How To Make A Great PowerPoint Presentation?
• 4 How to Make Your PPT Project Fast?

Today, regardless of whether you are in a school, college or university, a PowerPoint presentation is a common and widely-used method of engaging students and evaluating their knowledge and skills. This form of a multimedia project is multipurpose. With the help of a good PowerPoint presentation, a teacher or professor can not only make a lesson more interactive and engaging for the class, but also discover the knowledge and talents of his students. How to make a good PowerPoint presentation? Let's find out.

How to Start an Excellent PowerPoint Presentation?

Why do you have to do it? First, such projects are evaluated just like any other assignment, which means if you fail it, you get a low grade, and your overall academic performance drops. However, this is not the main reason. In addition, creating PowerPoint slides gives you many new useful skills and improve the ones you already have – you boost your critical thinking, research, and writing skills, not mentioning that you learn to use various techniques in your studies and gain some public speaking experience.

Thus, this task is useful in many different ways. Finally, it is fun! No one will argue that creating a PPT presentation is much more engaging and fun than writing a research paper of 10 or more pages! It is also a simple way to increase your grade. It is much easier to get an A for your presentation than to get a high grade for a thesis, which once more proves that this is a useful and important skill for all students.

How to make a great PowerPoint project? Although we have said that it is much easier than submitting a paper worthy of an A, you should not think that you will not come across certain challenges during this process. Keep in mind, that a good project delivers the necessary information to the audience, but the best PowerPoint presentations engage, impress, and stay in memory for a long time. Therefore, your main goal is to make it informative and interesting.

How to impress the class and your teacher? There are many factors that are going to influence the effectiveness and interest of your project, some of them are:

• High-quality content.
• Attractive visual files.
• Engaging files.
• Speaking confidence, etc.

There are many more PowerPoint tips to keep in mind. In this post, we will give you the top nine PowerPoint presentation tips that will definitely come in handy for every student or other people engaged in similar activities.

Tips On How To Make Your PowerPoint Presentation Perfect

How to make a good PowerPoint presentation for college? The process of making effective PowerPoint presentations is long and complicated. Luckily, we have tips and tricks that should help you with the outcome. Once you know these, you will see presentation slides as words, and you will develop your presentation skills in no time. At the same time, you can use these tips and tricks for any presentation, which is always a good idea. The design tips for effective PowerPoint presentation  can make a massive difference with your grade. Hence, they are important and beneficial. Once you know these, you can start creating a PowerPoint presentation. Let’s see tips and tricks that have a huge effect on the PPT process and PPT results.

Simplify The Words In any Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, there are a few seconds time a person can see the slide. It should contain simple words and short ones, so a reader can get only the most valuable information. This is essential when working with PPT. A good PowerPoint presentation will be visible and easy to understand within seconds.

Avoid Using All Capital Letters It looks confusing and won’t be seen in a good PowerPoint presentation. This is actually one of the PowerPoint design tips that have a huge role in all of this. You can add images on each slide, but make sure they don't interfere with the text. As always, know your audience first.

Light Text and Dark Background As you can see, this is a simple tip that has a huge effect. You can use dark text and a light background. The goal is the same. It should make the text more visible, and it is more important than the background. Use this for all lines of text, mandatory bullet points, and also key phrases.

Don't Use Text Fly-Ins These will not improve your presentation skills. The effects are not very amusing when you are discussing business, and they are something most people have seen countless times. It is one of the tips and tricks that is simple but works well with all PPT presentations and has a huge effect on the outcome.

Use HD Images You should only use HD images. These will make your slides look better and more professional. They can make any presentation so much better and more appealing. Use the best images you can find. Keep in mind that you must not use low-quality images at any point.

Avoid Using Animations The situation here is the same as with text fly-ins. These animations will get old fast, and they don't contribute to the overall value of your presentation. Keep things simple and easy. This is the best thing you can do and works well with any presentation and with any purpose. Check out professional presentations, and you will see no animations.

Don't Flip Too Much Your presentation should have a decent number of slides, but not too many. If you flip too much, you will lose the focus and attention of the audience. Just add all the facts and data you need and nothing more.

9 Rules On How To Make A Great PowerPoint Presentation?

There are many nuances to consider. However, there is no reason to deny that a student has to adhere to a few important rules in order to create a winning project, so here we have gathered all these rules for you! They will help you rock your PPT presentation! Besides, these slide tips can also come in handy for those students who are wondering how to write an essay with Google Slides themes.

1. Show your creativity

This is the first thing to keep in mind! A PowerPoint project is not about making it “right” or “wrong” – it is about showing your personality, so let your creativity out and try to surprise everyone with your unique artistic vision.

2. Add high-quality media files

It is not a secret that 90% of PowerPoint presentation's success is by graphics. This is the main thing that will attract your audience's attention. Therefore, you should always use high-quality pictures and videos, not mentioning that all files have to be relevant to your topic and also engaging (consider adding some unusual and fun graphics).

3. Don’t overload it with animation

Without a doubt, nice-looking transitions and animations between your slides attract more attention, but they may also distract your audience. Try to keep it simple and classy.

4. Choose a good theme

A well-planned visual theme will help you make your slides look organic and harmonic. However, do not use templates. Using common templates removes your personal touch from the work, and it becomes too vanilla and won’t be memorable.

5. Avoid providing too much text or bullet lists

Why does it matter? The main idea of pay for PowerPoint presentation is simplicity! This type of project does not have to be overloaded with text – this will be your function as a speaker to share more information with the audience, while your slides only have to contain the main points! Therefore, minimize the amount of text.

6. Try to read less

Another thing that contributes to the success of your presentation is your confidence as a speaker, which is not shown if you are reading from the slides all the time. One of the most important tips for a PPT presentation is to stay confident and do not use a written paper to read the whole text from.

7. Use of charts and diagrams

This is something you should use! Often, charts and diagrams can highlight or explain the message you are trying to deliver much better than any text, but you have to use them carefully to avoid common mistakes as inappropriate size, lack of consistency, etc.

This is one of the most significant PowerPoint design tips! Although choosing fonts may not seem like a big problem, an inappropriate font can ruin the whole impression of your work! Choose fonts that will be easy to read and would look harmonious in your presentation.

9. Less is better

There is a rule that can help you make a perfect presentation – the 10/20/30 rule recommends you to include not more than 10 slides in your project, limit the time of presentation to a maximum of 20 minutes, and use minimum 30-point font size to make it easy to read. You won’t make a mistake if you follow this rule.

How to Make Your PPT Project Fast?

Where to get great PowerPoint presentations? If you are still not confident in your abilities after reading our PowerPoint guidelines, it’s okay, and it is also fine if you just don’t want to bother yourself with a time-consuming task like this. You can enlist the help of professional writers here at PapersOwl !

Our team is ready to do its best to prepare excellent PowerPoint slides for you on any presentation topics for college students and of any complexity, and we can also do it promptly – even within a day or less. Why should you buy PowerPoint presentations online  from a professional? It gives you many benefits:

• You are avoiding common mistakes.
• You save time.
• You don’t have to work on an assignment that seems complicated or boring to you.
• You can hire a professional writer with an MA or Ph.D. degree to be assured of great results.
• You get a chance to boost your grades quickly and easily!

Another great news is that at PapersOwl, you can also use presentation writing services with college assignments on various subjects – therefore, by choosing PapersOwl once, you obtain a reliable friend for all times. We can tackle any task, and we guarantee that you will be satisfied!

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How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation (Step-by-Step)

• PowerPoint Tutorials
• Presentation Design
• January 22, 2024

In this beginner’s guide, you will learn step-by-step how to make a PowerPoint presentation from scratch.

While PowerPoint is designed to be intuitive and accessible, it can be overwhelming if you’ve never gotten any training on it before. As you progress through this guide, you’ll will learn how to move from blank slides to PowerPoint slides that look like these.

Table of Contents

Additionally, as you create your presentation, you’ll also learn tricks for working more efficiently in PowerPoint, including how to:

• Change the slide order
• Reset your layout
• Change the slide dimensions
• Use PowerPoint Designer
• Format text
• Format objects
• Play a presentation (slide show)

With this knowledge under your belt, you’ll be ready to start creating PowerPoint presentations. Moreover, you’ll have taken your skills from beginner to proficient in no time at all. I will also include links to more advanced PowerPoint topics.

Ready to start learning how to make a PowerPoint presentation?

Take your PPT skills to the next level

Start with a blank presentation.

Note: Before you open PowerPoint and start creating your presentation, make sure you’ve collected your thoughts. If you’re going to make your slides compelling, you need to spend some time brainstorming.

For help with this, see our article with tips for nailing your business presentation  here .

The first thing you’ll need to do is to open PowerPoint. When you do, you are shown the Start Menu , with the Home tab open.

This is where you can choose either a blank theme (1) or a pre-built theme (2). You can also choose to open an existing presentation (3).

For now, go ahead and click on the  Blank Presentation (1)  thumbnail.

Doing so launches a brand new and blank presentation for you to work with. Before you start adding content to your presentation, let’s first familiarize ourselves with the PowerPoint interface.

The PowerPoint interface

Here is how the program is laid out:

• The Application Header
• The Ribbon (including the Ribbon tabs)
• The Quick Access Toolbar (either above or below the Ribbon)
• The Slides Pane (slide thumbnails)

The Slide Area

The notes pane.

• The Status Bar (including the View Buttons)

Each one of these areas has options for viewing certain parts of the PowerPoint environment and formatting your presentation.

Below are the important things to know about certain elements of the PowerPoint interface.

The PowerPoint Ribbon

The Ribbon is contextual. That means that it will adapt to what you’re doing in the program.

For example, the Font, Paragraph and Drawing options are greyed out until you select something that has text in it, as in the example below (A).

Furthermore, if you start manipulating certain objects, the Ribbon will display additional tabs, as seen above (B), with more commands and features to help you work with those objects. The following objects have their own additional tabs in the Ribbon which are hidden until you select them:

• Online Pictures
• Screenshots
• Screen Recording

The Slides Pane

This is where you can preview and rearrange all the slides in your presentation.

Right-clicking on a slide  in the pane gives you additional options on the slide level that you won’t find on the Ribbon, such as  Duplicate Slide ,  Delete Slide , and  Hide Slide .

In addition, you can add sections to your presentation by  right-clicking anywhere in this Pane  and selecting  Add Section . Sections are extremely helpful in large presentations, as they allow you to organize your slides into chunks that you can then rearrange, print or display differently from other slides.

The Slide Area (A) is where you will build out your slides. Anything within the bounds of this area will be visible when you present or print your presentation.

Anything outside of this area (B) will be hidden from view. This means that you can place things here, such as instructions for each slide, without worrying about them being shown to your audience.

The  Notes Pane  is the space beneath the Slide Area where you can type in the speaker notes for each slide. It’s designed as a fast way to add and edit your slides’ talking points.

To expand your knowledge and learn more about adding, printing, and exporting your PowerPoint speaker notes, read our guide here .

Your speaker notes are visible when you print your slides using the Notes Pages option and when you use the Presenter View . To expand your knowledge and learn the ins and outs of using the Presenter View , read our guide here .

You can resize the  Notes Pane  by clicking on its edge and dragging it up or down (A). You can also minimize or reopen it by clicking on the Notes button in the Status Bar (B).

Note:  Not all text formatting displays in the Notes Pane, even though it will show up when printing your speaker notes. To learn more about printing PowerPoint with notes, read our guide here .

Now that you have a basic grasp of the PowerPoint interface at your disposal, it’s time to make your presentation.

Adding Content to Your PowerPoint Presentation

Notice that in the Slide Area , there are two rectangles with dotted outlines. These are called  Placeholders  and they’re set on the template in the Slide Master View .

To expand your knowledge and learn how to create a PowerPoint template of your own (which is no small task), read our guide here .

As the prompt text suggests, you can click into each placeholder and start typing text. These types of placeholder prompts are customizable too. That means that if you are using a company template, it might say something different, but the functionality is the same.

Note:  For the purposes of this example, I will create a presentation based on the content in the Starbucks 2018 Global Social Impact Report, which is available to the public on their website.

If you type in more text than there is room for, PowerPoint will automatically reduce its font size. You can stop this behavior by clicking on the  Autofit Options  icon to the left of the placeholder and selecting  Stop Fitting Text to this Placeholder .

Next, you can make formatting adjustments to your text by selecting the commands in the Font area and the  Paragraph area  of the  Home  tab of the Ribbon.

The Reset Command:  If you make any changes to your title and decide you want to go back to how it was originally, you can use the Reset button up in the Home tab .

Insert More Slides into Your Presentation

Now that you have your title slide filled in, it’s time to add more slides. To do that, simply go up to the  Home tab  and click on  New Slide . This inserts a new slide in your presentation right after the one you were on.

You can alternatively hit Ctrl+M on your keyboard to insert a new blank slide in PowerPoint. To learn more about this shortcut, see my guide on using Ctrl+M in PowerPoint .

Instead of clicking the New Slide command, you can also open the New Slide dropdown to see all the slide layouts in your PowerPoint template. Depending on who created your template, your layouts in this dropdown can be radically different.

If you insert a layout and later want to change it to a different layout, you can use the Layout dropdown instead of the New Slide dropdown.

After inserting a few different slide layouts, your presentation might look like the following picture. Don’t worry that it looks blank, next we will start adding content to your presentation.

If you want to follow along exactly with me, your five slides should be as follows:

• Title Slide
• Title and Content
• Section Header
• Two Content
• Picture with Caption

Adding Content to Your Slides

Now let’s go into each slide and start adding our content. You’ll notice some new types of placeholders.

On slide 2 we have a  Content Placeholder , which allows you to add any kind of content. That includes:

• A SmartArt graphic,
• A 3D object,
• A picture from the web,
• Or an icon.

To insert text, simply type it in or hit  Ctrl+C to Copy  and Ctrl+V to Paste  from elsewhere. To insert any of the other objects, click on the appropriate icon and follow the steps to insert it.

For my example, I’ll simply type in some text as you can see in the picture below.

Slides 3 and 4 only have text placeholders, so I’ll go ahead and add in my text into each one.

On slide 5 we have a Picture Placeholder . That means that the only elements that can go into it are:

• A picture from the web

To insert a picture into the picture placeholder, simply:

• Click on the  Picture  icon
• Find  a picture on your computer and select it
• Click on  Insert

Alternatively, if you already have a picture open somewhere else, you can select the placeholder and paste in (shortcut: Ctrl+V ) the picture. You can also drag the picture in from a file explorer window.

If you do not like the background of the picture you inserted onto your slide, you can remove the background here in PowerPoint. To see how to do this, read my guide here .

Placeholders aren’t the only way to add content to your slides. At any point, you can use the Insert tab to add elements to your slides.

You can use either the Title Only  or the  Blank  slide layout to create slides for content that’s different. For example, a three-layout content slide, or a single picture divider slide, as shown below.

In the first example above, I’ve inserted 6 text boxes, 3 icons, and 3 circles to create this layout. In the second example, I’ve inserted a full-sized picture and then 2 shapes and 2 text boxes.

The Reset Command:  Because these slides are built with shapes and text boxes (and not placeholders), hitting the  Reset button up in the  Home tab  won’t do anything.

That is a good thing if you don’t want your layouts to adjust. However, it does mean that it falls on you to make sure everything is aligned and positioned correctly.

For more on how to add and manipulate the different objects in PowerPoint, check out our step-by-step articles here:

• Using graphics in PowerPoint
• Inserting icons onto slides
• Adding pictures to your PowerPoint
• How to embed a video in PowerPoint
• How to add music to your presentation

Using Designer to generate more layouts ideas

If you have Office 365, your version of PowerPoint comes with a new feature called Designer (or Design Ideas). This is a feature that generates slide layout ideas for you. The coolest thing about this feature is that it uses the content you already have.

To use Designer , simply navigate to the  Design tab  in your Ribbon, and click on  Design Ideas .

NOTE: If the PowerPoint Designer is not working for you (it is grey out), see my troubleshooting guide for Designer .

Change the Overall Design (optional)

When you make a PowerPoint presentation, you’ll want to think about the overall design. Now that you have some content in your presentation, you can use the Design tab to change the look and feel of your slides.

For additional help thinking through the design of your presentation,  read my guide here .

A. Picking your PowerPoint slide size

If you have PowerPoint 2013 or later, when you create a blank document in PowerPoint, you automatically start with a widescreen layout with a 16:9 ratio. These dimensions are suitable for most presentations as they match the screens of most computers and projectors.

However, you do have the option to change the dimensions.

For example, your presentation might not be presented, but instead converted into a PDF or printed and distributed. In that case, you can easily switch to the standard dimensions with a 4:3 ratio by selecting from the dropdown (A).

You can also choose a custom slide size or change the slide orientation from landscape to portrait in the Custom Slide Size dialog box (B).

To learn all about the different PowerPoint slide sizes, and some of the issues you will face when changing the slide size of a non-blank presentation,  read my guide here .

 B. Selecting a PowerPoint theme

The next thing you can do is change the theme of your presentation to a pre-built one. For a detailed explanation of what a PowerPoint theme is, and how to best use it,  read my article here .

In the beginning of this tutorial, we started with a blank presentation, which uses the default Office theme as you can see in the picture below.

That gives you the most flexibility because it has a blank background and quite simple layouts that work for most presentations. However, it also means that it’s your responsibility to enhance the design.

If you’re comfortable with this, you can stay with the default theme or create your own custom theme ( read my guide here ). But if you would rather not have to think about design, then you can choose a pre-designed theme.

Microsoft provides 46 other pre-built themes, which include slide layouts, color variants and palettes, and fonts. Each one varies quite significantly, so make sure you look through them carefully.

To select a different theme, go to the  Design tab  in the Ribbon, and click on the  dropdown arrow  in the  Themes section .

For this tutorial, let’s select the  Frame  theme and then choose the third Variant in the theme. Doing so changes the layout, colors, and fonts of your presentation.

Note: The theme dropdown area is also where you can import or save custom themes. To see my favorite places to find professional PowerPoint templates and themes (and recommendations for why I like them), read my guide here .

C. How to change a slide background in PowerPoint

The next thing to decide is how you want your background to look for the entire presentation. In the  Variants area, you can see four background options.

For this example, we want our presentation to have a dark background, so let’s select Style 3. When you do so, you’ll notice that:

• The background color automatically changes across all slides
• The color of the text on most of the slides automatically changes to white so that it’s visible on the dark background
• The colors of the objects on slides #6 and #7 also adjust, in a way we may not want (we’ll likely have to make some manual adjustments to these slides)

Note: If you want to change the slide background for just that one slide, don’t left-click the style. Instead, right-click it and select Apply to Selected Slides .

After you change the background for your entire presentation, you can easily adjust the background for an individual slide.

Inside the Format Background pane, you can see you have the following options:

• Gradient fill
• Picture or texture fill
• Pattern fill
• Hide background

You can explore these options to find the PowerPoint background that best fits your presentation.

D. How to change your color palette in PowerPoint

Another thing you may want to adjust in your presentation, is the color scheme. In the picture below you can see the Theme Colors we are currently using for this presentation.

Each PowerPoint theme comes with its own color palette. By default, the Office theme includes the Office color palette. This affects the colors you are presented with when you format any element within your presentation (text, shapes, SmartArt, etc.).

The good news is that the colors here are easy to change. To switch color palettes, simply:

• Go to the  Design tab in the Ribbon
• In the Variants area, click on the  dropdown arrow  and select  Colors
• Select  the color palette (or theme colors) you want

You can choose among the pre-built color palettes from Office, or you can customize them to create your own.

As you build your presentation, make sure you use the colors from your theme to format objects. That way, changing the color palette adjusts all the colors in your presentation automatically.

E. How to change your fonts in PowerPoint

Just as we changed the color palette, you can do the same for the fonts.

Each PowerPoint theme comes with its own font combination. By default, the Office theme includes the Office font pairing. This affects the fonts that are automatically assigned to all text in your presentation.

The good news is that the font pairings are easy to change. To switch your Theme Fonts, simply:

• Go to the  Design tab  in the Ribbon
• Click on the  dropdown arrow  in the  Variants  area
• Select  Fonts
• Select  the font pairing you want

You can choose among the pre-built fonts from Office, or you can customize them to create your own.

If you are working with PowerPoint presentations on both Mac and PC computers, make sure you choose a safe PowerPoint font. To see a list of the safest PowerPoint fonts, read our guide here .

If you receive a PowerPoint presentation and the wrong fonts were used, you can use the Replace Fonts dialog box to change the fonts across your entire presentation. For details, read our guide here .

Adding Animations & Transitions (optional)

The final step to make a PowerPoint presentation compelling, is to consider using animations and transitions. These are by no means necessary to a good presentation, but they may be helpful in your situation.

A. Adding PowerPoint animations

PowerPoint has an incredibly robust animations engine designed to power your creativity. That being said, it’s also easy to get started with basic animations.

Animations are movements that you can apply to individual objects on your slide.

To add a PowerPoint animation to an element of your slide, simply:

• Select the  element
• Go to the  Animations tab in the Ribbon
• Click on the  dropdown arrow  to view your options
• Select the  animation  you want

You can add animations to multiple objects at one time by selecting them all first and then applying the animation.

B. How to preview a PowerPoint animation

There are three ways to preview a PowerPoint animation:

• Click on the Preview button in the Animations tab
• Click on the little star  next to the slide
• Play the slide in Slide Show Mode

To learn other ways to run your slide show, see our guide on presenting a PowerPoint slide show with shortcuts .

To adjust the settings of your animations, explore the options in the  Effect Options ,  Advanced Animation  and the  Timing  areas of the  Animation tab .

Note:  To see how to make objects appear and disappear in your slides by clicking a button,  read our guide here .

C. How to manage your animations in PowerPoint

The best way to manage lots of animations on your slide is with the Animation Pane . To open it, simply:

• Navigate to the  Animations tab
• Select the  Animation Pane

Inside the Animation Pane, you’ll see all of the different animations that have been applied to objects on your slide, with their numbers marked as pictured above.

Note: To see examples of PowerPoint animations that can use in PowerPoint, see our list of PowerPoint animation tutorials here .

D. How to add transitions to your PowerPoint presentation

PowerPoint has an incredibly robust transition engine so that you can dictate how your slides change from one to the other. It is also extremely easy to add transitions to your slides.

In PowerPoint, transitions are the movements (or effects) you see as you move between two slides.

To add a transition to a PowerPoint slide, simply:

• Select the  slide
• Go to the  Transitions tab in the Ribbon
• In the Transitions to This Slide area, click on the  dropdown arrow  to view your options
• Select the  transition  you want

To adjust the settings of the transition, explore the options in the  Timing  area of the Transitions tab.

You can also add the same transition to multiple slides. To do that, select them in the  Slides Pane  and apply the transition.

E. How to preview a transition in PowerPoint

There are three ways to preview your PowerPoint transitions (just like your animations):

• Click on the Preview  button in the Transitions tab
• Click on the little star  beneath the slide number in the thumbnail view

Note:  In 2016, PowerPoint added a cool new transition, called Morph. It operates a bit differently from other transitions. For a detailed tutorial on how to use the cool Morph transition,  see our step-by-step article here .

Save Your PowerPoint Presentation

After you’ve built your presentation and made all the adjustments to your slides, you’ll want to save your presentation. YOu can do this several different ways.

To save a PowerPoint presentation using your Ribbon, simply:

• Navigate to the  File tab
•  Select  Save As  on the left
• Choose  where you want to save your presentation
• Name  your presentation and/or adjust your file type settings
• Click  Save

You can alternatively use the  Ctrl+S keyboard shortcut to save your presentation. I recommend using this shortcut frequently as you build your presentation to make sure you don’t lose any of your work.

This is the standard way to save a presentation. However, there may be a situation where you want to save your presentation as a different file type.

To learn how to save your presentation as a PDF, see our guide on converting PowerPoint to a PDF .

How to save your PowerPoint presentation as a template

Once you’ve created a presentation that you like, you may want to turn it into a template. The easiest – but not technically correct – way, is to simply create a copy of your current presentation and then change the content.

But be careful! A PowerPoint template is a special type of document and it has its own parameters and behaviors.

If you’re interested in learning about how to create your own PowerPoint template from scratch, see our guide on how to create a PowerPoint template .

Printing Your PowerPoint Presentation

After finishing your PowerPoint presentation, you may want to print it out on paper. Printing your slides is relatively easy.

To open the Print dialog box, you can either:

• Hit Ctrl+P on your keyboard
• Or go to the Ribbon and click on File and then Print

Inside the Print dialog box, you can choose from the various printing settings:

• Printer: Select a printer to use (or print to PDF or OneNote)
• Slides: Choose which slides you want to print
• Layout: Determine how many slides you want per page (this is where you can print the notes, outline, and handouts)
• Collated or uncollated (learn what collated printing means here )
• Color: Choose to print in color, grayscale or black & white

There are many more options for printing your PowerPoint presentations. Here are links to more in-depth articles:

• How to print multiple slides per page
• How to print your speaker notes in PowerPoint
• How to save PowerPoint as a picture presentation

So that’s how to create a PowerPoint presentation if you are brand new to it. We’ve also included a ton of links to helpful resources to boost your PowerPoint skills further.

When you are creating your presentation, it is critical to first focus on the content (what you are trying to say) before getting lost inserting and playing with elements. The clearer you are on what you want to present, the easier it will be to build it out in PowerPoint.

If you enjoyed this article, you can learn more about our PowerPoint training courses and other presentation resources by  visiting us here .

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How To Make a Good PowerPoint Presentation for College

A must-unlock skill of every college student is creating PowerPoint presentations. Whether you’re a freshman, sophomore or senior, you’re sure to come across an assignment that requires you to create a PowerPoint presentation.

Not only does it help you impress lectures and get straight As on your transcript, but it is also key to thriving in the corporate world.

Creating PowerPoint presentations enables you to hone creativity, build public speaking abilities, improve body language and boost confidence. Those interpersonal qualities are required, not only in classes but also in workplaces.

The study says that 77% agree that presentation skills are crucial for one’s career success. It becomes a plus when you join a company. But, developing presentation skills doesn’t happen overnight. College years are an ideal time to build and hone this skill.

To start off, you can train yourself to create eye-catching and attention-grabbing slides for tasks and exams. Below are practical steps for doing a good PowerPoint presentation for college students.

1. Identify the key points

Before anything else, a good comprehension of the topic you want to deliver is necessary. Understanding your materials helps you be more confident when presenting and providing better slides.

Those who aren’t knowledgeable about the topic they talk about most likely put a long string of words, leading to wordy slides. However, if you comprehend the discussion well, you can put short phrases in bullet points.

Choose the points you want to elaborate in short phrases. If possible, rewrite them interestingly to capture audiences. The points are like cue cards that will assist you throughout the presentation.

2. Choose an interesting template

Never present PowerPoint with plain slides because it’s the first step to a boring performance. Besides, finding PowerPoint templates online is a piece of cake.

Many online platforms provide downloadable and free PowerPoint templates. Some websites to dive into are Slide Carnival, Powerpointify, Slides and AllPPT. They have various categories, such as education, technology, business, medical, etc.

For college students, choosing a template depends on the topic they cover and personal taste. The best and safest way to decide on a template is to stay simple. Aim for a simple template with a good color combination.

Moreover, mind the background of your slides. You should use the same background for the entire slide. Ensure that your background and font color are in good contrast to present clear and readable slides.

3. Write impactfully

Now that you’ve decided on the points you want to deliver, put them into slides. Spread your points and use bullet points if possible. You can also mark some slides to add images , graphs or tables later.

There are rules of thumb that students must be aware of when creating PowerPoint presentations. The overall idea is to keep your slides concise. Here are some points worth taking notes on.

• Include up to five points with a margin error (+/-2) on each slide.
• If possible, discuss only one idea per slide.
• Include up to 30 words per slide (6 – 8 lines).
• Use a simple and clean font, such as Montserrat, Verdana, Calibri, Bentham and Roboto
• Keep your font to a minimum 18-point size.
• Use active and concise language.
• A presentation with no more than 15 slides is preferable.

If you have segmented your points, continue your work by making your slides more captivating and engaging by adding visual aids.

4. Add visuals

It’s vital to have visual aids on your slides to emphasize points better and engage audiences effectively. Use related images, graphs or tables to support your points. You can also embed a video if needed.

Create a good balance of visual aids and text on your slide. Commonly, a slide with a visual representation only carries one idea written in short. Consider some points below when embedding visual aids on your slides:

• Use photos instead of clipart.
• Use high-quality photos.
• Avoid using watermarked photos.
• Don’t clutter images on a slide.

You can go to Unsplash and Freepik to search for free photos. Remember to add credit for your photos to inform audiences.

5. Edit and tidy up your slides

The next step is editing your slides and ensuring that all elements blend well. Pay attention to your slides, especially those with images, graphs or tables.

Check again in case you put too many words on them. Here are some guides on editing and tidying up your slides:

• Use consistent font type, size and color.
• Size text and images for a distance view.
• Limit the colors use to one to three colors.
• Ensure the background has good contrast with your font color.

6. Add transitions and do a final check

The final step to complete your PowerPoint is adding transitions such as entrance, emphasis, exit and motion paths. Adding transitions makes your slides more dynamic and helps emphasize points.

Some recommendations include Fade, Push, Cut, Cover and Uncover. Consider using one type of entrance transition to begin each slide. Add emphasis transition to highlight crucial points, images or other elements.

Using entrance and emphasis transitions is enough for a good educational presentation. Don’t overdo it because too much animation can be distracting for audiences. Lastly, run a final check before presenting it.

Final Thoughts

As college students are a step away from joining corporate life, having the skill to create a good PowerPoint presentation becomes vital.

Do rehearsals before presenting your PowerPoint slides to maximize your performance. Pen down some notes if necessary to support you during the zero hours. Lastly, train yourself to develop good speaking skills, body language and eye contact to captivate your audience.

Daniel Reed

Impressive insights into the importance of mastering PowerPoint presentations for college students! The article provides valuable tips that are not only applicable for academic success but also crucial for future professional endeavors.

The emphasis on understanding the key points, choosing engaging templates, and writing impactfully is fundamental for creating effective presentations. The suggestion to keep slides concise, use simple fonts, and maintain a good contrast between background and font colors enhances readability.

The inclusion of visuals, such as images, graphs, or tables, adds a dynamic element to the presentations. The recommendation to use high-quality photos from platforms like Unsplash and Freepik while giving due credit is a thoughtful touch.

The steps for editing and tidying up slides, including consistent font usage and color schemes, contribute to a polished and professional presentation. The guidance on adding transitions for a dynamic effect without overdoing it is practical.

Lastly, the reminder to do rehearsals and focus on speaking skills, body language, and eye contact underscores the holistic approach to effective presentations.

For those seeking further assistance or professional help in creating impactful PowerPoint presentations, I recommend checking out domypowerpoin.net for reliable services.

Thank you for sharing these comprehensive tips! They will undoubtedly benefit college students aiming for success in both academic and professional realms.

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Designing an Effective PowerPoint Presentation: Quick Guide

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This presentation is designed to quickly introduce you into the world of PowerPoint creation. It covers concepts of visual rhetoric, design, and good presentation skills.

How to Create a PowerPoint Presentation for College Class

How to Do a Paper Review Presentation

Gone are the days when every professor demanded a term paper at the end of the semester. Now, many professors accept or even require you to create a PowerPoint presentation for the the class. Even if you know how to use the software program, it is especially important in college to put on a professional presentation.

Research your topic extensively. Using the Internet can be a good place to start, but you might also want to consult your school's library for more resources. Utilizing a wide variety of resources can ensure that your presentation is well-researched so that you can speak intelligently about your topic.

Write an outline for your presentation that includes all of the relevant information and speaking points you want to include. Thinking through your presentation ahead of time will make it easier to compose your slides. By writing the outline in a word processing application, you can copy and paste directly from your outline into PowerPoint.

Design your presentation in PowerPoint. Choose a professional and easy-to-read style for your presentation. On each slide, you should have a picture, a graphic or a few text points you want to emphasize. You should plan to speak for only 30 to 60 seconds on each slide, so don't try to cram too much information onto any one slide. Also, remember that you are the presenter and that you want your audience to focus on you and not the PowerPoint. The PowerPoint should serve only to enhance the presentation.

Rehearse your presentation. You should run through your presentation at least a few times before you present it for the class. It is important to stand and speak out loud when rehearsing. This helps you solidify what you will say, nail down your pacing and work out your transitions from slide to slide. If you have a few friends or family members willing to listen to your presentation, get them together for a dry run. This can help ease any anxiety you might have about presenting in front of the whole class.

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Collier Jackson has been writing professionally since 2010. Writing for various websites, he specializes in topics related to foreign languages, linguistics and Asian cultures. Jackson holds a Bachelor of Arts in Chinese from The Ohio State University.

How-To Geek

8 tips to make the best powerpoint presentations.

Want to make your PowerPoint presentations really shine? Here's how to impress and engage your audience.

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Table of contents, start with a goal, less is more, consider your typeface, make bullet points count, limit the use of transitions, skip text where possible, think in color, take a look from the top down, bonus: start with templates.

Slideshows are an intuitive way to share complex ideas with an audience, although they're dull and frustrating when poorly executed. Here are some tips to make your Microsoft PowerPoint presentations sing while avoiding common pitfalls.

It all starts with identifying what we're trying to achieve with the presentation. Is it informative, a showcase of data in an easy-to-understand medium? Or is it more of a pitch, something meant to persuade and convince an audience and lead them to a particular outcome?

It's here where the majority of these presentations go wrong with the inability to identify the talking points that best support our goal. Always start with a goal in mind: to entertain, to inform, or to share data in a way that's easy to understand. Use facts, figures, and images to support your conclusion while keeping structure in mind (Where are we now and where are we going?).

I've found that it's helpful to start with the ending. Once I know how to end a presentation, I know how best to get to that point. I start by identifying the takeaway---that one nugget that I want to implant before thanking everyone for their time---and I work in reverse to figure out how best to get there.

Your mileage, of course, may vary. But it's always going to be a good idea to put in the time in the beginning stages so that you aren't reworking large portions of the presentation later. And that starts with a defined goal.

A slideshow isn't supposed to include everything. It's an introduction to a topic, one that we can elaborate on with speech. Anything unnecessary is a distraction. It makes the presentation less visually appealing and less interesting, and it makes you look bad as a presenter.

This goes for text as well as images. There's nothing worse, in fact, than a series of slides where the presenter just reads them as they appear. Your audience is capable of reading, and chances are they'll be done with the slide, and browsing Reddit, long before you finish. Avoid putting the literal text on the screen, and your audience will thank you.

Related: How to Burn Your PowerPoint to DVD

Right off the bat, we're just going to come out and say that Papyrus and Comic Sans should be banned from all PowerPoint presentations, permanently. Beyond that, it's worth considering the typeface you're using and what it's saying about you, the presenter, and the presentation itself.

Consider choosing readability over aesthetics, and avoid fancy fonts that could prove to be more of a distraction than anything else. A good presentation needs two fonts: a serif and sans-serif. Use one for the headlines and one for body text, lists, and the like. Keep it simple. Veranda, Helvetica, Arial, and even Times New Roman are safe choices. Stick with the classics and it's hard to botch this one too badly.

There reaches a point where bullet points become less of a visual aid and more of a visual examination.

Bullet points should support the speaker, not overwhelm his audience. The best slides have little or no text at all, in fact. As a presenter, it's our job to talk through complex issues, but that doesn't mean that we need to highlight every talking point.

Instead, think about how you can break up large lists into three or four bullet points. Carefully consider whether you need to use more bullet points, or if you can combine multiple topics into a single point instead. And if you can't, remember that there's no one limiting the number of slides you can have in a presentation. It's always possible to break a list of 12 points down into three pages of four points each.

Animation, when used correctly, is a good idea. It breaks up slow-moving parts of a presentation and adds action to elements that require it. But it should be used judiciously.

Adding a transition that wipes left to right between every slide or that animates each bullet point in a list, for example, starts to grow taxing on those forced to endure the presentation. Viewers get bored quickly, and animations that are meant to highlight specific elements quickly become taxing.

That's not to say that you can't use animations and transitions, just that you need to pick your spots. Aim for no more than a handful of these transitions for each presentation. And use them in spots where they'll add to the demonstration, not detract from it.

Sometimes images tell a better story than text can. And as a presenter, your goal is to describe points in detail without making users do a lot of reading. In these cases, a well-designed visual, like a chart, might better convey the information you're trying to share.

The right image adds visual appeal and serves to break up longer, text-heavy sections of the presentation---but only if you're using the right images. A single high-quality image can make all the difference between a success and a dud when you're driving a specific point home.

When considering text, don't think solely in terms of bullet points and paragraphs. Tables, for example, are often unnecessary. Ask yourself whether you could present the same data in a bar or line chart instead.

Color is interesting. It evokes certain feelings and adds visual appeal to your presentation as a whole. Studies show that color also improves interest, comprehension, and retention. It should be a careful consideration, not an afterthought.

You don't have to be a graphic designer to use color well in a presentation. What I do is look for palettes I like, and then find ways to use them in the presentation. There are a number of tools for this, like Adobe Color , Coolors , and ColorHunt , just to name a few. After finding a palette you enjoy, consider how it works with the presentation you're about to give. Pastels, for example, evoke feelings of freedom and light, so they probably aren't the best choice when you're presenting quarterly earnings that missed the mark.

It's also worth mentioning that you don't need to use every color in the palette. Often, you can get by with just two or three, though you should really think through how they all work together and how readable they'll be when layered. A simple rule of thumb here is that contrast is your friend. Dark colors work well on light backgrounds, and light colors work best on dark backgrounds.

Spend some time in the Slide Sorter before you finish your presentation. By clicking the four squares at the bottom left of the presentation, you can take a look at multiple slides at once and consider how each works together. Alternatively, you can click "View" on the ribbon and select "Slide Sorter."

Are you presenting too much text at once? Move an image in. Could a series of slides benefit from a chart or summary before you move on to another point?

It's here that we have the opportunity to view the presentation from beyond the single-slide viewpoint and think in terms of how each slide fits, or if it fits at all. From this view, you can rearrange slides, add additional ones, or delete them entirely if you find that they don't advance the presentation.

The difference between a good presentation and a bad one is really all about preparation and execution. Those that respect the process and plan carefully---not only the presentation as a whole, but each slide within it---are the ones who will succeed.

This brings me to my last (half) point: When in doubt, just buy a template and use it. You can find these all over the web, though Creative Market and GraphicRiver are probably the two most popular marketplaces for this kind of thing. Not all of us are blessed with the skills needed to design and deliver an effective presentation. And while a pre-made PowerPoint template isn't going to make you a better presenter, it will ease the anxiety of creating a visually appealing slide deck.

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How to Prepare an A+ College PowerPoint Presentation

Guest Writer

• Published on August 25, 2022

Table of Contents

How do we Prepare an A+ College PowerPoint Presentation?

College students have myriads of assignments, and creating a perfect PowerPoint Presentation is one of them. It is one major assignment that drops your grades if not properly done. PowerPoint isn’t only useful for college students. It is also an essential skill in the professional world. It boosts your critical thinking and writing skills. The experience in creating college PowerPoint presentations develops your public speaking. Also, you need to be painstaking in preparing your presentation. It should be engaging enough for your audience. 

However, college Presentation slides are much better and easier to do than research works. It is an engaging and more fun task to do aside from research. You can consult a PowerPoint writing service. You can consult a PowerPoint writing service if you don’t know the appropriate way to do it, you can consult a PowerPoint writing service . They write to ensure all the rules and guidelines in your slides are met. They make sure the font size and color align with your concept. You do not have worries aside from you doing a thorough practice for your assignment. 

Although, it is much easier than a research paper. You will still be faced with some challenges. To scale through that, this piece gives the necessary to make you do it like a professional.

Tips on how to prepare a college PowerPoint presentation

These tips entail steps to make a good PowerPoint Presentation for College. You must follow these actionable steps in detail to create a winning proposal. 

1. Research the topic

You must conduct in-depth research before you start your college ppt. If it has the necessary sounds, but the information isn’t worthwhile, it’s more like you haven’t done anything. Make sure you do research on your local libraries, the internet, and any other source you can get vital information. 

2. Keep track of the information

Make sure your researched information is presented orderly. Know which information is meant to come first and which to come last.  You need to organize the information you’ve gathered for your topic. In every piece of information you gather, consider your audience. Know if it will resonate with them and answer your topic appropriately. 

See also: The Ultimate Guide to 20 Introduction Ideas for Presentation That Work

3. Be creative about your presentation

The main reason you’re saddled with the responsibility of creating a PowerPoint is not to be either right or wrong. Regardless, you must be creative about it. Create unique designs that’ll surprise everyone and mesmerize your instructors. To ensure creativity, you may decide to choose a design template. Also, an important tip that’ll make it creative is to choose a theme that connects to the idea you want to translate. It should suit your topic and be attractive to your audience. 

4. Add high-quality fonts and media

It should have a decorative theme that’ll make it enticing to your audience. Any font you intend to use should match college or professional use. Graphics plays a significant role in your college PowerPoint Presentation. Good graphics make your content relevant and engaging.

See also: PowerPoint Night Ideas to Try That Will Steal Audience’s Attention

5. Stuck to one or two colors

Don’t over-decorate your PowerPoint; else, it’ll look unprofessional. You are expected to choose colors that’ll make it organic and harmonic. Using 2-3 colors all through your topic will create harmony. Also, Dark fonts should be used on light backgrounds and vice versa. It’ll make it look simple yet classy. 

6. Limit your sides and cut too many texts

Too many texts in your presentation will kill the attention span of your audience. A PowerPoint is meant to be catchy and brief. It requires your hard work to achieve. Wordiness will only ruin your professionalism. Add statistics, facts, charts videos, s, and pictures. Be concise; it goes a long way to determine if your audience will listen to your topic or not. Charts and diagrams will enable you to explain the points you intend to deliver without the slides being too clumsy for your audience. They are much better than texts in your slides, but you must be creative. If not properly done, you might make mistakes. 

See also: You Won’t Be Able to Memorize Your Presentation Material in 2022

7. The less the slide, the better it is

You don’t have to include too many slides in your presentation before considering it worthy of a college assignment. Make sure you don’t include more than 19 slides in your project. The presentation time should not be more than 20 minutes. Anything more than that will bore your audience. Also, your font size should be much easier to read. A 30 font size is much better for easy readability.

8. Highlight your keywords

The necessary keywords should be in bold fonts or texts. This will help keep your audience focused on your piece. It’ll make it easier for them to catch a glimpse of the main idea. You can have a peek here at how to determine your important keywords.  You can choose a contrasting color to highlight the most important element of your topic. Apart from the fact that it attracts viewers’ attention, it’ll also ensure they remember the core fact of your presentation. 

See also: 20 Books about Presentation Design

9. Be consistent with transitions

Transitions make your slides attractive. You are open to variants of transitions you can use. You should avoid overusing a transition or changing transitions. It’ll distract your audience. To make your transition catchy and attractive, stick to one or two.

10. Practice your presentation

College ppt presentations require grit and hard work, and you need to practice to perform better. Rehearse and run the few slides from time to time. Make sure you can easily turn in the videos in your slides without delay. You should also practice how to switch slides. It’ll make the presentation as smooth as possible. 

See also: The Effectiveness of MS PowerPoint: Take Your Presentation to the Next Level

It is a true story that we must prepare a college PowerPoint Presentation to get an A+. Not only is it beneficial to you as a student, but you also get to utilize the knowledge in your professional life. These tips are easier to know and use. If you utilize them properly, your presentation will be hitch-free. It will also enable you to create an amazing and persuasive PowerPoint. Also, you should know that you can consult a professional to help you if you find it difficult to achieve. 

Let’s visit RRPicks to download free PowerPoint templates . But wait, don’t go anywhere and stay here with our RRGraph Design  Blog  to keep up-to-date on the  best pitch deck template  collections and design advice from our  PowerPoint experts .

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50 Creative Ideas to Nail Your College Presentation

We’d be willing to bet that most college students enjoy presentations about as much as they like their 7am class. Whether they’re designing them, or in the audience, there are likely a million and one things they’d rather be doing (like napping in their dorm room). In fact, 79% will say that most presentations today suck. And 35% of millennials say that they will only engage with content they feel has a great story or theme. With a reputation like that, it’s no wonder students avoid presentations at all costs. 

As a result, many will end up procrastinating, losing sleep over choosing a topic, and piecing a deck together at the last minute. According to research, 47% of presenters put in more than eight hours into designing their presentations. You do the math. Eight hours at the eleventh hour equals an all-nighter.

Luckily, that doesn’t mean the final product has to be a poorly thought-out frankendeck. 

Creative presentation ideas for college students

A lot can ride on a class presentation. It might be your last project at the end of the semester that determines the fate of your final grade, or maybe it’s a group project that counts for half of your participation in the class. Whatever the stakes are, we’re here to help you nail your next college presentation.

Pick the right topic

Before committing to your topics for presentations in college, you should consider things like what excites you, what you’re knowledgeable in and what you’d be interested in learning more about, books or movies that inspire you, world events, buzz-worthy pop culture, and what topics relate to your class course. How can you apply these things to your next class presentation?

You’re in college, so it’s very likely that your classmates will be sleeping, or staring out the window, while you’re presenting at the front of the room. To keep them engaged, make it interesting with these unique college presentation ideas.

College presentation ideas

• The evolution of a specific product— like the cell phone
• A presentation on your favorite celebrity
• A history of the most influential presidents of the United States
• How modern medicine is made
• The highest paid [BLANK] in 2021
• A how-to presentation on something you’re passionate about— like building cars
• A book that you think should be made into a movie (and why)
• Your favorite cultural recipe
• Who built the Sphinx of Egypt
• Social media now and then
• Shakespeare’s hits and misses
• Debunking a conspiracy theory
• Unexpected traditions
• Who invented the SAT, and what is it?
• The most popular travel destinations for young adults in their 20s
• What is van life anyway?
• How is education different now than it was in the ‘70s
• How to live a more sustainable life
• The evolution of humans
• The history of the Internet
• Is organic really better?
• How to get the most out of an internship
• What employers are actually looking for on your resume, and how to write one
• Everything you need to know about global warming
• The top places with the most expensive cost of living in the United States
• The rise of TikTok
• What is influencer marketing and why is it so important?
• Classic movies that should be cancelled in 2021, and why
• Is eating vegan really better for your health?
• Are aliens real?
• Everything you need to know about the Big Bang Theory
• Why streaming services are the demise of classic cable
• Marijuana then and now: the process of getting it legalized
• 15 Memorable things about [blank]
• A comprehensive timeline of feminism
• Is print— newspapers, magazines, books— dead?
• The easiest foreign language to learn on your own
• The best life hacks I learned on TikTok
• What does white privilege mean to millennials and Generation Z?
• Understanding finance for young adults 101
• Everything you need to know about life after college
• The difference between electric cars and gas cars
• What is artificial intelligence anyway?
• How thrifting can help the environment
• The evolution of presentations: from caveman to TedTalks
• Applying your degree in real life
• The origins of your favorite music genre
• Everything you need to about becoming a surgeon
• The life cycle of [blank] 
• Life without technology: where would we be without modern technology?

Make it beautiful

You have your topic, now what? Did you wait until the absolute last second to get started? Here’s the good news: no need for an all-nighter. Beautiful.ai can help you nail your college presentation in a pinch. The ease of use, and intuitive controls, help you create something brilliant in minutes, not hours. Start inspired with our inspiration gallery of pre-built templates and customize them to fit your content.

It’s important to connect with your audience on an emotional level, so make sure to pick trendy colors, modern fonts, and high-quality visual assets to compliment your presentation and evoke emotion. Engage your audience (especially your professor) with dynamic animations, or videos, to help control the narrative and direct their attention to the key takeaways. 

Pro tip: use the shareable link to share your deck out with classmates, teachers, or social media friends after class. 

Jordan Turner

Jordan is a Bay Area writer, social media manager, and content strategist.

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How to Present a Presentation in Class?

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How to Give a Presentation in Class as a College Student

We all have given presentations at some point in our lives. But for students, presentations play an important role, be it during a seminar or an important event. If you are wondering how to give a presentation in class, then don't worry; this blog will help you stand out in the classroom. Stick to the end to understand how to present a presentation in class and make an everlasting impression on your audience. Let's get started!

What is a Presentation?

In simple terms, a presentation is a way of communicating an idea to an audience by speech, slideshow, or other visual aids. Presentations are used in academic settings like colleges and schools and even professional settings like the workplace. An effective presentation should be well-structured, engaging, and tailored to the needs of the audience. It should include an introduction, a main body and a conclusion, as well as nonverbal cues like body language and tone of voice.

Components of a Presentation

Your final grade isn't based just on a few multiple-choice exams. Instead, it will combine assignments, exams, and presentations. This is why you need to know how to give a presentation in class if you want good grades at the end of your semester. 

To know how to give a good presentation, you first need to know exactly what goes into making a presentation. This will include two main components - a visual element and a spoken element.  

Visual elements

An essential aspect of how to present in class is visuals. If you're wondering how to create a presentation for the class that your peers and professor will love, here are a few important tips on how to give a presentation in class:

1. Keep it brief: Most well-made presentations can convey all the information you need in around 10-15 slides. 

2. Use minimal text: Don't overcrowd your slides with information. If people are too busy reading, they won't pay attention to what you're saying. 

3. Use relevant images: Your PPT's visuals should be catchy, but remember that they all need to serve a purpose.

4. Spoken elements: Spoken elements are the next essential thing in presenting a presentation in class. Most students have trouble with the spoken part of their presentations. If you want to know how to give a presentation in class that'll get you good grades, your speech needs to be well-polished. 

How to Start Your Presentation?

If you want to know how to give a presentation in class as a student, you must first learn how to write a good speech.

1. Use a good hook: The start of your speech should get the attention of your audience right away and pique their interest. 

2. Use some humor: Speeches are a way for you to showcase some personality. A spoken assignment gives you the freedom to be a little creative and better engage your audience.

3. Complement your visuals: Your speech needs to be informative and convey all the information you worked so hard to prepare. 

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How to Give a Presentation in Class?

Now that you have a fair understanding of a good presentation, we'll give you some tips on how to give a presentation in class that will help you make an impact and earn you the highest grade. Here are some tips on how to present in class that you can use before the big day: 

1. Introduce Yourself

It's a given that when you begin a presentation, you must introduce yourself with your name and offer a little background information to the audience. You can tell a bit about yourself and what your presentation is about. This will help you establish yourself as an expert in your domain.  

2. Build Rapport with your Audience

The next step in preparing a presentation in class is building a good rapport with your audience. Be yourself and genuinely try to connect with your audience. Research what the audience wants, smile often, and look at your audience while speaking. If there's time before your presentation, engage them in small talk. 

3. Know your Content Well

The next essential point on how to do a PowerPoint presentation for class is understanding your content well. You must have a good understanding of the content that you are presenting. If you don't understand what you're trying to say, how will your audience? Test out your presentation on some friends to ensure that your content is understandable to someone who isn't too familiar with the topic, so you can ensure that your classmates and professor can easily understand your content. 

4. Start with a Story

The presentation starting lines for students should always start with a short story to make it more interesting and relevant to your audience. This is the next important thing on how to give a presentation in class. Try to keep the story short, under one minute, and use humour or thought-provoking ideas. A personal touch to the story can enrich it, too. 

5. Organize your PPT

Organizing your presentation is also an essential element of giving a good class presentation. Make sure to put short and minimal content in your PPT and add good visuals, too. If you want to know how to give a presentation in class that will get you an A, remember to create a well-structured PPT and use these best PowerPoint presentation tips . 

6. Engage your Audience

Keeping the session interactive is another essential part of presenting a presentation in class. Keep your presentation engaging by asking questions, conducting a fun activity, sharing examples related to your topic, or using humour to make your audience interested and attentive. 

7. Speak Slowly and Clearly

While you're giving your speech, make sure that you speak slowly and clearly; it's the next important thing in giving an excellent presentation. When nervous, people tend to speak fast. Speaking slowly and clearly allows you to be more audible to your audience. 

8. Manage your Time

Managing your time is an essential aspect of presenting in class. Understand the time you require to present and adjust the length of your content accordingly. You can do this by practising multiple times while keeping track of your time. Try to avoid an incomplete and rushed presentation. Instead, aim to have a concise and well-delivered one.

9. Create a Visually Appealing Presentation

The other important thing about preparing a PowerPoint presentation for class is making the most of visuals. Visual aids like slideshows, charts, and graphs should be used strategically to reinforce the main points, engage the audience, and improve the presentation's delivery. Avoid cluttering your slides with extra information. 

10. Maintain Good Eye Contact with the Audience

Another important aspect of giving a presentation in class is maintaining eye contact. Good eye contact will help you build rapport with your audience, improve your concentration, become more confident, and facilitate engagement.

11. Dress Properly

Your appearance has a huge impact on the audience's perception of your presentation. Make sure that you are dressed appropriately, your outfit is comfortable and doesn't distract the audience from your message. So make sure of the dressing part on how to present a presentation.

12. End on a Strong Note

Ending your presentation on a strong note is also an essential part of the presentation process in class. In the end, summarize everything, address everyone's questions, if any, and thank your audience.

13. Seek Feedback

The next essential thing about presenting a presentation in class is seeking feedback. It is always a good practice to ask for feedback from your professor or classmates. It helps identify areas that you can improve upon for future presentations. It also shows your open-mindedness, as you are open to constructive criticism of your work.

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Creative presentation ideas.

If you're wondering how to give a presentation in class, but the typical PowerPoint slides and speech combination seems to be boring, there are a few different presentation styles you could try on how to present in class:

1. Video Presentation

A video presentation is a great way to pack as many visuals as you want into your presentation while still keeping your audience engaged. If you really want to go all out, you can even try out some timed speeches to complement specific parts of your video. 

2. Interactive Presentation

You can fill your presentation with short quizzes or audience opinions to get the entire class involved in your presentation. This could be a fun way to lift everyone's spirits and ensure your presentation stays in their minds even when they leave the classroom. 

3. Prop-filled Presentation

If you want to go the extra mile, you can bring in physical visual aids, another essential thing in how to do PowerPoint presentations in class to supplement your presentation. Incorporating props into your presentation shows an extra level of planning, creativity, and effort that your audience will appreciate. 

Public Speaking Tips for Students

So, your speech is written, and it's great! But that's only half the battle—your delivery is just as important. If the thought of public speaking makes you feel weak in the knees, try these public speaking tips, another essential thing for students to know about presenting in class. 

1. Record Yourself Practising

On how to present a presentation in class, the first tip is to record yourself. Listening to yourself speak helps you better understand where you can improve your delivery at different points. Once you know how you're going to sound in front of an audience, you can take the pressure off your final presentation. 

2. Practice in Front of Friends & Family

The next tip on how to present in class is practice. To get comfortable with the idea of speaking in front of a crowd, practice with your friends or family. The people closest to you are often your harshest critics, so if you can handle them, you can handle anything. 

3. Prepare for the Worst

When thinking about how to give a presentation in class, always be prepared for the worst. Preparing for the worst is an important part of presenting in class. Try to keep a backup in mind in case anything goes wrong, like the audio not working or the slides stopping. 

4. Breathe and Do a Self Talk Before the Presentation

Next on how to present in class, is doing deep breathing exercises and talking to yourself before a presentation. Say motivating and inspiring things to yourself, or you can do mantra-based rituals where you can say things like "I'm here to give, not receive." Do use these tips on how to calm down before a presentation .  

5. Memorise Key Points

Most people fear getting up on stage and forgetting everything they have prepared. To ensure that doesn't happen, memorize the key points related to your whole content. This is another essential tip on how to present a presentation in class.

Things to Not Do During a Presentation?

Now that you know what you should do, here are a few things you definitely should NOT do. If you want to know how to give a presentation in class, do not make these rookie mistakes while you're presenting. 

1. Reading from your Slides

Professors have to see dozens of students' presentations every day, and the last thing they want to see is a boring presentation with someone reading off of their slides. So, the first thing to avoid on how to present in class is reading from slides. Slides are a visual aid and should NOT be used as cue cards. 

2. Avoiding Eye Contact 

Make as much eye contact with your audience as possible. This is an essential part of giving a presentation in class. Do not look at your shoes or keep glancing at your slides. Maintaining eye contact shows confidence and will keep your audience engaged in your speech.   

3. Speaking Too Fast 

The next thing to avoid when presenting in class is speaking too fast. Don't rush through your words because that will make you come across as underconfident and reduce your volume. Keep a consistent pace throughout, and you'll get through your speech in no time!

4. Exceeding Time Limit

Don't exceed your time limit. Another thing to avoid when doing a PowerPoint presentation for class is overextending yourself, as people might have other things to attend to. Also, sitting too long through a presentation may cause your audience to lose attention. 

5. Overcrowding PPT with Text

The next thing to avoid when presenting in class is making your PPT verbose. Too much text makes your presentation look bad, and your audience might have to put in a lot of effort to read the content. 

That was our detailed guide on how to give a presentation in class as a college student. We know we've packed in a lot of information, but if you break everything down step by step, it's all incredibly simple. If you follow all our tips on how to present in class, we can ensure that you'll give a killer presentation! Before you start creating your presentation, make sure you check our blog for the best PowerPoint presentation tips . Also, check out the top 8 presentation tools for students.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to structure a presentation, how do you introduce yourself in a presentation, what is a fun way to start a presentation, how can i make my presentation more engaging, what is the 10 20 30 rule, what is the 666 rule in presentation, which text is best in presentation.

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How to Make Really Good Presentations in College with A Few Tips

Last Updated on May 22, 2023

It happens within the first few minutes of sitting down in a new class. You realize you will have to give a presentation to pass. It is a must for many college classes and to get a good grade and pass you will have to do it. Better get used to it because it doesn’t end after college. Most professional careers in an office setting will require presentations. The skill of making and presenting a clear and informative presentation can be acquired with practice. It is also a very good idea to follow some guidelines when working on your presentation to make it really stand out.

Know your audience

Knowing who you are presenting to is a must if you want to do well. Make the presentation directed to them. This may not be too difficult to do when everyone in class is basically on the same page, but it still helps to focus on the interests of your audience and expound on those interests in your presentation.

Use a maximum of 3 – 4 points per slide

It is easy to jam too much information into a slide and not even realize it. You should have 3 – 4 points per slide, maximum. While you present the information on the slide you should talk about the slide and not read the slide. The 3 – 4 points per slide are just that, talking points. The meat of the information comes from your mouth not the text on the slide.

Incorporate images on your slides

The point of a presentation with slides is to provide a visual aid for what you are saying. This can be accomplished well with Images. Too many words can be overwhelming, but adding a few crisp and clean looking images which add to the point you’re making on each slide your message will be very good. Find images that are professional looking and give credit to the source if you are using someone else’s work.

Consider using video clips

Short video clips are another powerful way to convey your message. It adds variety to the potential monotony of what you are saying. There are a few ways to get the clips into the presentation. First you can make the clips yourself either from your own footage or from footage you have borrowed. Editing skills will be handy but it you can’t edit then just being able to crop some of the clip to your liking should be enough.

Select easy to read fonts

The golden rule for font is that it shouldn’t be smaller than 30pt. Stick with conservative color schemes that are easy to read with nice contrasting colors. Lighter backgrounds with a matching darker font is a simple rule that works for most cases. Simply share a few pieces of important information per slide with nice large font.

Create PDF version of your presentation

You might want to use a word to PDF converter or a PowerPoint to PDF conversion if you need to handout or email the presentation to the professor or classmates. PDF maintains the integrity of the document so it will look the same on the other end. This is very important because the professor or class may want to go back and revisit your ideas and if they look different from what you originally created the message will be lost. Make sure it doesn’t get changed when you send it, use PDF.

Making a great presentation in college takes preparation, planning, and some dos and don’ts to follow. Making simple, clean, and professional looking slides with great video or images will help self confidence to really make the grade.

Jared Jaureguy is an independent Technology Consultant. You can follow Jared on Twitter @JaredJaureguy .

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2 thoughts on “How to Make Really Good Presentations in College with A Few Tips”

Interesting article. It seems that people that have given presentations in the past agree with some of the main points in presenting. Check my article out. http://wp.me/p2Fps7-44

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How to Give an Excellent Presentation (College Students)

Last Updated: March 3, 2024 Approved

This article was co-authored by Patrick Muñoz . Patrick is an internationally recognized Voice & Speech Coach, focusing on public speaking, vocal power, accent and dialects, accent reduction, voiceover, acting and speech therapy. He has worked with clients such as Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, and Roselyn Sanchez. He was voted LA's Favorite Voice and Dialect Coach by BACKSTAGE, is the voice and speech coach for Disney and Turner Classic Movies, and is a member of Voice and Speech Trainers Association. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 86% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 128,741 times.

College seminars are conducted to test the presentation skills of a student or a group and also allow the student to convey their knowledge to the audience. When students don't come prepared, the presentation may become disorganized, unclear, and dull. It would make them confused during the presentation and lead to vague answers during the questionnaires.

• Think of your main topic and break it down into 3 specific ideas. This will help you to focus your discussion and remain clear. Keep the 3 ideas simple and have them in your mind. Write out your main points, then picture what you're talking about so you can visualize what you're going to talk about.
• To help you create the "soft humor," don't take yourself too seriously. Second, identify the fears and insecurities around the topic so you can address these in a way that shows we all have these fears, insecurities and taboos and that our feelings are normal. This helps keep you in the moment and present with the audience and allows you to recognize the reality of the effect of your topic on yourself and the audience.
• Tell the audience you're excited about what you're talking about. This can make your excited mood infectious and lead them to be willing to come on this journey with you.

• You could try doing something fun, like bringing with you a relevant object, doing a magic trick or a dance move to take things out of the ordinary and add some life to your talk.
• Another fun approach is to try a meditation and ask the audience to relax - feel your toes relax, your feet, etc.
• If you want the audience to move around, don't hesitate to ask. Ask them to stand up and stretch, to shake hands with the person next to them, or to do a twirl on the spot.
• You could try asking the audience to say a bunch of affirmations out loud with you, to get them caught up in the mood you're creating and help them to see its relevance to them too.

• You can ask the audience to imagine something along with you, asking them to close their eyes and think about something with you, then resume with eye contact following this.

What Is The Best Way To Start a Presentation?

Community Q&A

• Take 10 belly breaths if you have last minute stage fright. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Use images in your slides. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Come early to the venue where you will be presenting. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Answer the questions asked after the presentation. Do not divert or change the topic. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0

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• ↑ https://www.princeton.edu/~archss/webpdfs08/BaharMartonosi.pdf

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How to Make a Good PowerPoint Presentation for College

Learn how you can create a good PowerPoint presentation for your college.

Author: Barrera Alcova

Product/Version: PowerPoint

Date Created: November 27, 2020 Last Updated: December 6, 2023

In this present time, teachers are beginning to make the adjustment to digital means of engaging their students to make their job easy. In the same vein, students are expected to rely more on write my essay services and have in-depth knowledge about PowerPoint presentations, and it is believed that as a college student, you must know how to go about it. With the aid of good PowerPoint presentations, teachers have been able to communicate even the most tedious lectures in a way that's easy to grasp for students. Most importantly, it has improved interactions between students and college teachers and has also helped students broaden their knowledge so they can uncover hidden talent.

As a fact, a presentation is considered more than just a set of slides. This is the process of providing your ideas to others. In other words, this is a speech that is designed to convince others. Whether you completed the practice and your diploma is worthy of an excellent mark, or how you did your essay, even in case of do my homework for me - is not so important. The main thing is that the presentation skill is not an innate talent, but a skill that anyone can develop. For this reason, some students prefer to show up and highlight the main plan for the perfect presentation.

Over the years, college students have always encountered problems on how to present their slides. However, you can get a college essay writer online to help you write on how to do a good PowerPoint presentation slide.

Below are steps that you can follow:

1. Make Your Outline Simple

The first step to having a good presentation is to make your outline simple and easy to grasp so that you won't look like you are trying to read out a whole textbook. Remember, you're working within a time frame when making presentations, so you need to know the necessary points that can help you marshal your facts effectively and accurately. To make your presentation easier, draft out steps that include your title slide, your topic introduction, your arguments (for and against), and conclusion. You can also have an expert to do your assignments .

2. Research Arguments to back your topic

The presentation can either be based around a narrative or you may be examining a discussion from an alternative point of view. No matter what it is, it is advisable to study the pros and cons of your presentation so you won't be speaking with a biased or undercooked mind. This is due to the fact that questions may be raised by your audience to counter your presentation's message. If you're unable to effectively defend your work, marks may be deducted by your supervisor, no matter how stellar your delivery.

Therefore, research on the arguments "for" and "against." This will help you prepare for whatever questions might be thrown from any angle. You can read more about the concept of argument in order not to commit fallacies during the presentation. It will give you an edge for good grades when you are done.

3. Keep the Slides Simple

Many college students fall foul of this simple rule; they want to impress their teachers with overcomplicated slides. Too many graphical elements and animations can make the presentation challenging to grasp for the audience. Always remember, the purpose of your presentation is to establish your claim, and the only means to ensure it is to keep the slides simple. You can research PowerPoint templates to choose slides that can make your work easy to understand.

4. Make Use of High-Quality Images and Videos

It is not everything that your words can explain, but a video or high-quality image can convey your thoughts better for you. Insert this imagery in your slides to make it more understandable. For instance, if you are discussing the importance of forex trading to the financial world, a forex chart will explain your point quickly. A video will explain even better because it will show how trading is done on forex, how profit can be made, and how a forex trader can avert losses.

5. Tell a Story

Your presentation can get more grades if you can tell a story that captivates the audience. Nevertheless, be sure that your story is related to what you are presenting and draw out the logicality of the story to the presentation. In your story, keep to the following rule: a call to action that will convince your audience. It is an excellent way to earn more marks. You can get professional help to write your essay.

6. Practice with Mock Presentation

Do mock presentations with your friends to know the flaws in your presentation so that you can improve on the areas where necessary. Ensure that you take mock presentations seriously. Verify that you're carrying your audience along and that you are keeping within the allocated time frame. Ensure also that there are no loopholes in your narrative. The mock presentation will help you make up for these flaws.

7. Never Read from the Slides

Always remember to say within yourself "I am presenting, not reading." This is a technique that has worked for people who have done successful presentations. Therefore, prepare well, understand the nitty-gritty of your topic so that you will write simple information on your slides, which you will explain to the audience. To make it simpler, list them in a bullet form format. It gives you confidence, and it leaves your audience with the impression that you know what you are talking about concerning the topic.

8. Let Your Voice and Body Language do the Expression

You do not want to do a boring presentation where people are bored with what you are saying. The only way to spice up your presentation is to add mimicking sound to your voice and let your body express itself with gestures and if possible, let there be humor that doesn't offend anyone.

9. Draw a Logical Conclusion

Like Nicollo Machiavelli would say "the end justifies the means," it would be a waste of time to have a good starting and end on a wrong note. The success of a presentation lies in the conclusion drawn at the end of the argument. Therefore, after giving points in the form of arguments from various points of view, draw a meeting point that serves as a meeting point that connects to both sides of the arguments you have marshaled. However, it must be proffering solutions; that solution is your position concerning the topic.

From the following points stated, you will discover that doing a PowerPoint presentation is all about being smart with words and time. However, you can save yourself stress by buying online from a reputable writing platform to have a successful presentation.

You May Also Like: Analysis Feature in WeCompress: Conversation with Mike Power | Presentation Procrastinators: 03

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10 Quick Tips on How to Make a Good Presentation for College or Class

Last updated on April 21st, 2024

When gathering class presentation ideas for college projects, students seldom think about the way they need to present their slides. College students can be focused more on the content they have to gather for their PowerPoint slides. Other essential aspects such as the slide layout, body language and the need to prepare for tough questions during Q&A can get lost in translation. Here are 10 quick tips on how to make a good PowerPoint presentation for college or class.

1. Narrow Down Your Outline

In order to avoid confusion, it’s best to narrow down your outline. Don’t try to spread your topic too much, as academic topics can become a rabbit hole if you keep trying to dig in deep.

Even a single term can have a lengthy discourse or theory attached to it, which you might not have the time or energy to get into during a time bound presentation. Start with creating an outline and make sure that your outline is as specific as possible.

Skip fringe elements associated with your topic or briefly mention them explaining that they require more time to be discussed. Your outline can have the following pattern, title slide, introduction of your topic, main discussion points, conclusion.

2. Find Counter Arguments For & Against Your Topic

Whether your defending a specific narrative or simply providing different perspectives related to a topic, it’s best to study both sides of the argument. Students can be so obsessed with their favorite narrative that they often forget to understand the flip side of the argument.

This can result in a major embarrassment when they are asked tough questions which challenge everything they have built their presentation on. Not to mention this can result in a major deduction of marks! Therefore, make sure you know about both ends of the argument and if the discussion gets edgy, you can say that you respectfully disagree with the counter narrative in light of the information you have presented.

3. Keep Your Slides Simple

Adding too many animations and graphical elements can make your content confusing and difficult to follow. Too many animations can also make your slides heavy and your slides might even hang during the presentation. You can use minimalist presentation templates by picking one from our Free PowerPoint Templates or see reviews for Animated PowerPoint Templates to find expertly crafted layouts suitable for your presentation.

4. Try to Use Powerful Images and Videos

Sometimes, you can’t explain something even with a thousand words, however, a single picture or short video can do the job for you. You can incorporate powerful imagery in your slides to make it more meaningful. For example, it can be hard to explain a sales funnel, however, a funnel diagram or short video can help explain it with ease.

Similarly, if you are dealing with a complex topic such as behavioral economics , a short video or infographic can help you explain a lot without saying much. You can use third-party content by citing the source, this can also help you save time in explaining complex topics.

5. Tell a Story

Everybody likes a story! Especially if the story has some mystery to it. To make your presentation easy, you can turn your presentation into a story.

This will help you keep your audience interested and might even get you some extra marks. You can keep a bit of mystery regarding your story and explain it all eventually in the end, with a call to action, to persuade your audience.

6. Do a Mock Presentation

To give presentation in college, you can first make a mock presentation with your friends to see if your arguments or presentation style needs improvement. A mock presentation is a practice exercise in which a person develops and gives a presentation for a critical audience in order to practice presenting. This will also allow you to reflect and review your slides.

Sometimes, we only find those overlooked spelling mistakes or fractures in our narrative when presenting before an audience. A mock presentation will help you find those cracks and enable you to fill them up.

7. Don’t Read from Your Slides

It goes without saying, that you should never read from your slides. Not only can that result in a deduction of your marks but also affect your confidence.

Create slides with little information in them and explain from bullet lists or small lines of text to elaborate upon the narrative. This will allow you to be confident of your abilities regarding the topic and also leave a positive impression on your audience.

8. Be Expressive with Your Voice and Body Language

No one likes a presentation in monotone. Add variety to your voice by mimicking sounds, use a different pitch every now and then, as well as by expressive by using both your body language and tone. You can use your hands to point towards elements in your slides, make gestures to explain something and even add some humor by changing your tone or expressing a funny gesture (without offending someone).

9. Use the Rule of Three

According to Aristotle, after learning something new people tend to remember not too many details but just three things. You can use the rule of three to emphasize your point of view at the start in between and the end of your presentation to make it memorable. You can learn more about this concept from our post about using the rule of three .

10. Don’t be Afraid to Make Mistakes

When thinking about how to give presentation in college, the first fear many students face is failure. However, in a few years you would see that there was nothing to be afraid of, as the environment in college is nothing compared to what you will have to face at office or during your professional presentations.

So, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, admit if you make a blunder and keep going. You might get jitters or feel nervous the first few times, but that storm passes eventually, leading to a more confident version of the presenter, which comes with age and experience.

College presentations tend to be a learning curve which can help you polish your presentation skills for your professional life. It is quite likely that you will make mistakes and sometimes, you will have to face criticism, deduction of marks or even undue criticism. If you think your classmates are unfair during a Q&A session, try professional life, where you will have to deal with a number of people trolling your slides simply because of ignorance, jealousy and many times, both.

Don’t take it too hard on yourself and give yourself the necessary space to deal with both success and failure, without worrying too much about how people take your presentation. Try to remain calm, respectful and try to enjoy your time as a presenter because eventually, giving a presentation will be the least of your worries!

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Create a Standout College PowerPoint: 9 Expert Tips and 15 Creative Topic Ideas

Table of contents

Creating PowerPoint presentations is a common assignment for high school and college students. They have become an important part of evaluating students for their final grades, much like coursework or research papers.

But unlike the two, you don’t have to present information in MS Word or another word processing software, but as PowerPoint slides. The power of PowerPoint lies in the ability to incorporate oral, visual, and written elements of communication.

As a student, you must create well-written and well-designed slides to get good grades. Well-written and well-designed college PowerPoint presentations are engaging and informative and encourage collaboration and content sharing–critical things that your examiner will look for when grading your PowerPoint presentation.

Impress Your Professors: 9 Tips for a Top-Notch College PowerPoint Presentation

As a result, there are important tips to keep in mind as a student writing and designing college PowerPoint presentations. Below are nine of the most important tips.

1. Start with an outline

To put forward well-written and well-designed presentations, outline what you want to be included in your PowerPoint slides.

Make a rough note of what will go in the introduction section, body, and conclusion. By defining the order of how things will flow, you will easily get your message across with the right words, layout, graphics, and colors.

2. Choose a good template

The good thing about PowerPoint is that there is a whale of (free and paid) templates you can use to create your college PowerPoint presentation. However, the trick is to choose one template throughout your presentation and not use different templates at the same time.

Note that it should also blend well with the font and colors you will be using. It should not be outdated or have a basic design.

Choosing a good template saves you time when creating your presentation, as it will be easy to modify and also present information conveniently. But most importantly, it makes your presentation look professional, and this easily captures the examiner’s or viewer’s attention and keeps them focused on your presentation.

3. Choose a reasonable number of slides

There is no limit to the number of slides you can use for your presentation, especially in the corporate world. However, since this is a college assignment, it would be more prudent to keep your presentation at a reasonable length.

Too many slides, and you risk killing the attention of the viewer/examiner. Too few slides will make your presentation look cheap. So to maintain your presentation at a reasonable length, ensure the information you put in your slides is relevant and helpful to the reader.

4. Make it easy to read

The easiest way to kill your college PowerPoint presentation is to clutter it with chunky blocks of text. It will overwhelm your readers. As a result, make your PowerPoint presentation easy to read by avoiding text-heavy slides and including paragraph breaks.

Besides, use simple language and sentences. As for writing essays and research papers, always avoid jargon, filler words, or words that only you understand. Every word you put on a slide should support your topic.

An excellent writing tip that will help you along the way is to edit thoroughly, to remove any redundancy or extra information in the text, leaving only what is useful to the audience.

Where you have used words that your reader might not understand, provide their definition in the reference section so readers don’t have to leave your slide to look for its meaning.

Moreover, make your presentation concise. Too much information and graphics lead to cognitive overload.

Apart from that, it makes your presentation less interactive and attractive. So limit the amount of evidence, argument, banners, headers, footers, page numbers, and messages you put on your slide.

Ensure Your Presentation is Easy to Read: Additional Tips for Slide Design

• Each slide should have one point and three to five sub-points.
• Avoid long sentences. Each line should have 6-8 words.
• Avoid italicized fonts.
• All caps should only be used in the title.
• Separate text and visual elements with white spaces.
• Split your content into columns.
• Keep your slides to five lines of text.
• Make visuals large (it can occupy an entire slide with the text coming below or above the visual).
• Use a transparent background.
• Highlight important points or use contrast and call-out.
• Use arrows, circles, and pointers to illustrate photos or graphs.
• You don’t need to use complete sentences.

These are the ways to ensure your reader gets the key message you are trying to pass across, remember more in a few words, and avoid getting distracted or quickly win them back if they do as they aid in the retention of the information.

5. Use images and rich media to communicate

Images and rich media also help to communicate your message better and remember what you are saying since they are visual memory triggers. As a result, they need to be engaging.

When you incorporate charts, graphs, drawings, and diagrams in your presentation, don’t just use any image, but high-quality ones, and if possible, ensure their backgrounds are consistent with the color scheme and template you are using.

The same applies to rich media and animation. Videos, songs, and animation are very useful in capturing your reader’s attention and keeping them focused on the text. But don’t overuse them, as you will distract the reader. The rich media and images you use need to enhance your presentation and not cause distraction.

6. Highlight keywords

Keywords guide your reader along with the text or slides as they convey a message clearly. They are also useful when creating the flow of your presentation. Your primary keyword needs to be derived from the topic of your presentation. Other sets of keywords can be got from the structure of your presentation.

Note that you need to highlight your keywords using boldface or contrasting color so the reader can quickly and easily take crucial information.

7. Transition changes

As we have mentioned before, it is recommended to be consistent with your slides. Besides, the slides should also blend well with the fonts and colors. However, when your slides, colors, and fonts look similar, the user/examiner may not recognize change when transitioning between slides.

Since most humans suffer from change blindness , it may be hard for them to see the change, unless you establish a clear transition between the slides.

As a result, include a transition between the slides or important elements in the slides that will signal transition. Are you talking about the recent flooding in European countries? Use water transition. If you are talking about gun violence, use gun transition.

The work of transition is to reduce change blindness and improve memory retention of the information.

8. Consistent formatting and citation

Consistency in formatting and structure is one of the most important elements your examiner will look at when going through your PowerPoint presentation. As a result, try sticking to one font and color scheme to score more points.

The recommended font types are Ariel, Tahoma, or Veranda. Standardize it throughout the presentation. Your font size also needs to be large or readable. For example, if you are using the font type Veranda, the font size of your title needs to be 40 points, subtitles, and bullets at 32 points, and content 24 points. Leave smaller fonts for the footer.

Another important factor to consider is that each slide should have the same background. Using multiple backgrounds or changing styling is distracting. Besides, don’t overload your text/slides with colors. This will make the examiner shun your presentation, as it is distracting.

Instead, pick 2-3 color schemes to use throughout your slides, for example, white on black background. Avoid color combinations like green on blue, purple on pink, or red on green. The color combination you use should be clearer and sharper to help the reader easily read the information.

Lastly, in-text and image citations need to be the same. That is, if you are using MLA or APA style guide, stick to that throughout the presentation. But always counter-check with your instructor or assignment requirements for the right style guide to use.

9. Create a mock presentation for practice

To ensure that you have incorporated all that we have discussed above, make sure you create a mock presentation that you can go through to single out sections that may need reworking.

Once you have seen that all your ideas come through and everything is in order, rewrite the presentation considering your audience, purpose, and occasion (in our case, it is a classroom presentation).

Get Inspired with these 15 Unique College PowerPoint Presentation Topics

1. The Future of Artificial Intelligence.

2. The Importance of Mental Health Awareness.

3. Climate Change and its Effects on the Planet.

4. The Power of Positive Thinking.

5. The Psychology of Social Media.

6. Innovations in Renewable Energy.

7. The Benefits and Risks of Gene Editing.

8. Ethics in Business: Balancing Profit and Social Responsibility.

9. The Art and Science of Effective Communication.

10. The History and Significance of Jazz Music.

11. The Intersection of Technology and Healthcare.

12. The Evolution of Fashion Throughout History.

13. The Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurship.

14. The Science of Sleep: Strategies for Better Rest.

15. The Art of Mindfulness: Achieving Inner Peace in a Chaotic World.

The good thing about doing college PowerPoint presentations is that you acquire skills and knowledge that will help you in your professional life. It is not merely for amassing good grades.

So every time you are tasked with creating PowerPoint presentations, remember to plan carefully, make it easy to read, add useful graphics, choose the right template, and polish your writing and layout with a mock presentation before submitting a final piece. With these, you will score more points than other students or presenters.

The good news is that at Writers Per Hour, we have writing experts who can help you draft your slides and create a lasting impact. All you have to do is send us your brief, and we will take care of research, outlining, writing and revising .

The next time you’re met with a PowerPoint presentation for college, write to us, and we’ll get it sorted.

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A simple guide to slideshows

Learn what slideshows are, how they’re used, common features, and how to choose a slideshow maker. Get started creating your own slideshows today with Microsoft PowerPoint.

What is a slideshow?

What are slideshows used for.

Meetings and presentations

Slideshows are most frequently used to create professional presentations for business meetings, conferences, and educational purposes. A  slideshow program  allows people to organize content, include visuals, and enhance the overall impact of their message.

Visual storytelling

Because slideshows sequentially display engaging visuals, text, and other multimedia, they’re a strong way to tell a cohesive and compelling narrative from start to finish.

Content creation

Slideshows give content creators a versatile and efficient way to organize information, increase visual appeal, and communicate effectively across different contexts.

Photo and video sharing

Slideshow makers are popular for creating photo and video presentations, especially for events like weddings, birthdays, and vacations. People can add transitions, music, and captions to fully bring the photo-sharing experience to life.

Training and tutorials

Slideshows help break down complex information into digestible chunks with the support of visuals and text, making them ideal for instructional materials, tutorials, and training modules.

Collaborative projects

In collaborative settings, teams use slideshow makers to create joint presentations or reports. The best slideshow makers enable multiple contributors to add their content simultaneously, which helps ensure a cohesive and unified presentation.

What are the features of a slideshow creator?

Slideshow creators vary in what they offer but ideally include:

A library of templates, themes, and images.

If you’re not a designer, this feature is huge. Simply browse the options available in your slideshow maker library to create a polished, professionally designed presentation in a flash. Be sure to confirm that access to the library is free and the images are approved for unrestricted usage.

Audio and video compatibility.

Keeping your audience engaged is key to any successful slideshow presentation. To mix things up, being able to add a multimedia element—like a song or a video clip—will help people stay focused and interested.

Presentation tools.

Handy presenter tools go a long way toward making your slideshow experience seamless. For example, straightforward slide navigation, slideshow keyboard shortcuts, pen and highlighter markup, and adjustable resolution settings.

AI assistance.

With AI revolutionizing content creation, using a slideshow maker that has AI capabilities will enhance efficiency and innovation. Depending on the slideshow app you have, creating an entire slideshow could be as easy as a quick prompt, like “Make a presentation about the benefits of sustainable fashion that has 15 slides.” 

Animations.

Like audio and video, animations give your audience a bit of sensory surprise that can capture their attention. 

Slide transitions.

Add some pizzazz to how you change slides with visual effects like fading, wiping, and zooming. 

Screen recording.

Being able to record your screen in a slideshow maker is helpful when giving an instructional talk, software demonstration, and other types of presentations that require visual aids.

A place to put speaker notes.

Having somewhere to jot a few notes down will help remind you of everything you want to cover as you present.

Different viewing options.

Looking at different views—for example, a presenter view, an audience view, and a high-level view of slide order—is useful when organizing your slideshow’s structure and understanding and preparing for what you’ll see versus what your audience will see.

How do I choose the right slideshow maker?

When choosing a slideshow maker, keep the following questions in mind to make sure you get the most for your money:

Is it scalable with your business?

As your organization grows and changes, it’s important to have flexible technology that adapts to new needs. Having certain features—such as cloud-based collaboration, compatibility with other work apps, and a mobile app—will help ensure that no matter how your business changes, the slideshow maker is up to the task. This also applies to pricing plans. Consider choosing a slideshow app that has a subscription plan (so the software is always up to date), volume-based pricing, or enterprise-level pricing.

Does it have a variety of visual elements?

It’s pretty much a given that a slideshow maker will allow you to add images, but think outside the JPEG box—what other visual elements are available to you? Features like preset themes, free templates, SmartArt, a built-in clip art library, shape tools, background styles, 3D models, and charts and graphs provide diverse ways to switch up how a slideshow looks without relying solely on adding your own images.

Is it easy to use?

You could have the most feature-rich slideshow maker on the market, but if it isn’t easy to use, you probably won’t use it. Or you will, but you’ll be frustrated, waste valuable time, and have difficulty convincing people you work with to use it. As you research slideshow makers, look for videos that show the apps’ interfaces in action to help you decide if they’re intuitive and will have a shorter learning curve.

Does it have collaboration and sharing options?

Because making a slideshow is often a collaborative effort, it’s worthwhile to find a slideshow creator that was designed with this in mind. Pick one that offers editing controls and commenting, as well as the ability to work on a slideshow at the same time as someone else. Having a cloud-based slideshow maker will be key here. You’ll not only save yourself time but also keep things simple by not having multiple versions of the same slideshow.

Explore more about slideshows and slideshow makers

Copilot in powerpoint.

Transform how you make slideshows with the versatile AI in Copilot for PowerPoint.

Improve your presenting skills

Practice presenting with an AI speaker coach to get feedback on body language, repetition, and pronunciation.  

Six slideshow tips and tricks

Read up on tips about how to finesse your slideshows to give your most confident presentations.

Get free PowerPoint templates

Show your style with PowerPoint templates in more than 40 categories.

How to make a branded slideshow

Create a cohesive visual identity for your brand that goes beyond adding a logo to every slide.

Try a photo album template

Relive your favorite memories with photo album templates designed for all your unforgettable moments.

The benefits of visual aids in slideshows

Discover why using visual aids helps communicate ideas and messaging more effectively.

Slideshows that reach all learners

Explore the different ways that people learn and how to include all learning styles in your presentations.

Frequently asked questions

How do i make a good slideshow.

Making a good slideshow in PowerPoint is easy:

Plan what you’d like to include in your slideshow.

Launch your slideshow creator.

Choose the theme you’d like.

Import media.

Add text, music, and transitions.

Record, save, and share your slideshow.

Learn more about how to make a slideshow .

How do I add music to a slideshow?

To add music to a slideshow, first make sure that you’re using a slideshow maker with music compatibility. In PowerPoint, follow these steps:

Open your PowerPoint presentation and select the slide where you want to add music.

Click on the Insert tab in the ribbon menu.

Click on the Audio button and select Audio on My PC.

Browse to the folder on your computer where the audio file is located and select it.

Click on the Insert button.

How do I record a slideshow?

The steps for recording a slideshow in PowerPoint will vary depending on the version that you own. Get help with slideshow recording based on your version. 

What types of files can I add to a slideshow?

File compatibility in PowerPoint includes the use of JPEGs, PNGs, TIFFs, GIFs, PDFs, MP3s, WAVs, MIDIs, MPEG-4 Videos, and Windows Media Videos.  

How do I share my slideshow?

To share your PowerPoint slideshow, follow these steps:

Open your presentation and click Share at the top right of your screen.

If your presentation isn't already stored on OneDrive, select where to save your presentation to the cloud.

Choose a permission level, like Anyone with a link , or maybe just people in your company. You can also control if people can edit or just view the doc. 

Select Apply.

Enter names and a message.

Select Send.

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Anatomy Poster for College Students

Anatomy poster for college students presentation, free google slides theme and powerpoint template.

Download the Anatomy Poster for College Students presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. As university curricula increasingly incorporate digital tools and platforms, this template has been designed to integrate with presentation software, online learning management systems, or referencing software, enhancing the overall efficiency and effectiveness of student work. Edit this Google Slides theme and PowerPoint template to create an accessible and highly professional resource that aligns with the rigorous academic expectations at the higher education level.

Features of this template

• 100% editable and easy to modify
• Different slides to impress your audience
• Contains easy-to-edit graphics such as graphs, maps, tables, timelines and mockups
• Includes 500+ icons and Flaticon’s extension for customizing your slides
• Designed to be used in Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint
• Includes information about fonts, colors, and credits of the resources used

How can I use the template?

Am I free to use the templates?

How to attribute?

Attribution required If you are a free user, you must attribute Slidesgo by keeping the slide where the credits appear. How to attribute?

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