How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation

Selecting a design theme is an easy way to get your slides to look consistent throughout your presentation. To select a design theme…

• Click on the “Design” Tab
• Select a “Theme” you like
• If you want to change the color of that theme, select a “Variant” of that theme

Adding a Slide

To add a slide to your presentation…

• Click on the “Home” Tab
• Click on the “New Slide” option (by clicking the downward arrow)
• Then, select the slide layout you would like to use
  • Popular Slide Layouts include:
    • Title Slide
    • Title and Content
    • Two Content

Deleting a Slide

If you need to delete a slide from your presentation…

• Within the left navigation area, right click the slide you want to delete
• Then, select “Delete Slide”

Add an Image to a Slide

Adding images to your slides can help enhance your presentation because they are more engaging than text-only slides. To add an image to your slide….

• Within PowerPoint, click the "Insert" tab at the top and choose "Pictures." You can select a stock image or an image from your computer or online. The image selected will then appear on the slide you are on. 
• You can also copy and paste an image from your computer or online.
• You can adjust the size and placement of the image once it is on the slide. 

Add Styling to Your Image

If you wish to add styling to your image to help the image stand out…

• Select the image you would like to enhance
• Click on the "Picture Format" tab at the top
• From there, select the picture effects you would like to use

You may be asked to add slide notes to your slides as part of your assignment. To do so….

• Click on “Notes” located on the bottom of your presentation
• This will open a section below your slide that will say “Click to Add Notes”
• To adjust how much space you have to write notes, click on the grey line and drag it up or down

Note: The “Notes” area of a PowerPoint typically serves as private notes for a presenter to reference during a presentation (like index cards). However, when your assignment is a PowerPoint that you will submit, the notes should act as the written component of your assignment. Treat the notes area of each slide as a paragraph of an academic paper. You should include complete sentences that explain and support the main idea on the slide, and include in-text citations for any information from outside sources.

If you would like to make text or images appear, disappear, or move as you present, consider adding animations to your slide elements. Adding animations allows you to time your information with clicks, so content only appears when you want it to, instead of all at once. To add animations…

• Click on the “Animations” tab
• Then select “Animation Pane” so you can see what you will add to your slide
• Then select the part of your slide you want to animate (image, bullet point, text, etc.)
• Then select an animation style:
  • Green animations = entrance effect (things appear)
  • Yellow animations = emphasis effect (things move)
  • Red animations = exit effect (things leave/disappear)
• Once an animation has been added, a number should appear next to it. This indicates its order or the number of clicks it will take for that element to appear on the slide.

Adding transitions between your slides can help make your presentation seem more polished. To add transitions…

• Click on the “Transitions” tab
• Select the style of transition you would like
• Click on “Apply to All”

Suggestion: Pick a simple transition like “Cut” or “Fade.” Overly showy transitions can be distracting.

Some assignments may require you to add narration (you speaking) to your slides. To do this…

• Click on the “Insert” Tab
• Select the “Audio” button and select “Record Audio…”
• Click on the record button (red circle) and record your audio.
• Once you are done recording, click “Ok.” An audio icon should appear on your slide. 

Suggestion: Move the audio icon to the left bottom corner of your slide (or somewhere where it is seen, but not in the way).

Another great way to enhance your presentation is to insert a relevant YouTube video onto one of your slides. To do this…

• Click on the “Insert” tab…
• Select the “Video” icon, and click on “Online Video”
• From there you can search YouTube for the video you would like to include on your slide
• Once you found the video you like, select it and click “Insert”
• From there, adjust the size and placement of your video

Note: The video will only play in “present mode” and you need an Internet connection to browse for YouTube videos.