PowerPoint presentations are the last step in a process of extracting data and analysing it across Excel spreadsheets. We use Microsoft PowerPoint to create reports, present ideas, budgets or to convince an audience. We follow the same old routine. We copy and paste data from mails and spreadsheets into our presentation, but what follows is the real challenge, making it visually appealing and easy to grasp.
There are a ton of features and keyboard shortcuts that can help us speed up work, but we might be unaware of them. This article is about the most important PowerPoint tools, which can help you become a true professional.
Using PowerPoint templates
PowerPoint templates can make our life easier. There are a few default templates and that means, you don’t have to design everything from scratch. Simply select the layout, add content, and skip the task of adding background images, fonts, colours and more. There are two ways you can add templates – online and offline.
To select an online template, click File > New. Type a keyword (for example: Business, Charts & Diagrams, Calendars) into the Search box and press Enter.
If you have created your own template, store it in a folder for easy access and don’t forget to copy the folder path. For example – C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates
Launch the presentation > Click on File > Options > Save. Under Save presentations, in the box named Default personal templates location, copy the path of the theme. Click OK.
Click on File > Personal to apply the template, and pick the downloaded template. Then, click Create.
Keyboard shortcuts:
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To apply online templates |
Alt + F, N then use the arrow keys to browse |
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To apply your own templates |
Alt + F, S then use the right arrow key to select the template |
Re-use content from older presentations and Word documents
We don’t need to re-create presentations in some cases. For example, if you frequently include an introductory slide in your presentation, avoid recreating it. You can copy and paste that slide from older presentations. It can be time consuming to copy multiple slides. Your older presentation may have a different layout, so you may need to change everything from the font style to colours. There is a simple tool called Reuse Slides to make things simpler. This feature can be access from the New Slide button in the toolbar. This tool lets you view and select multiple slides from the original presentation, to avoid having to switch between windows. You can refuse slides using the Duplicate feature and customize them to your liking.
Another interesting thing of PowerPoint is being able to automatically create slides using an outline created in MS Word. To make it work, format the document content as headings (Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, etc). Use the Outline mode in Word to create it. PowerPoint converts some styles into slide headings and into bullet points. This saves time and the effort of copying and pasting text from Word to presentation. It even creates new slides for you. You can access this feature by clicking on the New Slide dropdown and choosing Slides from Outline.
Keyboard shortcuts:
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Reuse Slides tool |
Alt + H, I, R and click to browse to the old presentation |
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Importing Word into the presentation |
Alt + H, I, L and browse to the saved Word document |
Divide the presentation into sections
There are times when we need to design long presentations especially when you need to host trainings and webinars on various topics. Dividing long presentations into sections makes it easy to organize and format. We typically add slides to separate sections. You can divide presentations into groups by assigning names. All the assigned section names are displayed above each slide. It doesn’t create additional slides, so the presentation flow is uninterrupted.
So the next time you open the presentations, expand the section you want to focus on and collapse others. This makes it easier to focus on one part of the presentation at a time.
Keyboard shortcuts:
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Divide the presentation into groups / Add sections |
Alt + H, T, A |
Add and manage animations and transitions
Animations and transitions make presentations visually appealing. They help grab attention and keep your audience engaged. Thoughtfully designed animations can help convey the message clearly and quickly. You can add animations to added text and images. Also, going overboard can ruin the presentation.
Keyboard shortcuts:
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View the Animations pane |
Alt + A |
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View the Transitions pane |
Alt + K |
Using the Slide Master feature
Using the same font and style are the basics of creating presentations. This can be achieved using the Slide Master tool. Launch PowerPoint, then View > Slide Master. Choose themes, colours, fonts, effects and the background style. You can even choose the title slide layout by clicking on Title Slide Layout.
Keyboard shortcuts:
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Launch the Slide Master pane |
Alt + W, M |
How to share the presentation and collaborate
When you save presentations to OneDrive, your teammates can collaborate simultaneously. They can add slides, edit and make changes to the presentation for everyone to see. Once you save the presentation on the cloud, the email invitation is sent to your teammates.
You can also create PDFs, videos, package presentation for CDs and handouts.
Keyboard shortcuts:
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Share Presentation |
Alt + Y or Alt + F, H + ___ (Choose the below option) Share with People – S Email – E Present Online – P Publish Slides – B Send by Instant Message – IM |
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Export Presentation |
Alt + F, E + ___ (Choose the below option) Create PDF – P Create a video – Z Package presentation for CD – G Create Handouts – H Change File Type – C |
Add notes, audio and video content to the presentation
Notes, videos or audio content can make presentations brief. This is useful when you need to share presentations with large groups. You can pre-record content or narrate the entire presentation if needed. Microsoft PowerPoint supports MP3, MP4, FLAC, WAV, WMA amongst others.
To insert an audio clip in a slide, save the audio clip on your PC. Then click on Insert > Audio > Audio on My PC to select the recording. Browse, select the audio file and click the Insert button. You can similarly add videos and screen recordings. You can choose to record audio while creating a presentation. Click on Insert > Audio > Record Audio to open the Record Sound dialog box.
Keyboard shortcuts:
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Add Audio |
Alt + N, O |
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Add Video |
Alt + N, V |
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Add Screen Recording |
Alt + N, R |
Compressing presentations to reduce file size
Most of us often share presentations over e-mails. Images in the presentations make them bulky, so compressing helps. Save the presentation as a new file using File > Save As. Click on Tools > Compress Pictures. Choose a template from the list and click OK. The saved file will be a compressed version.
These PowerPoint features and tricks should help you create professional presentations and avoid common mistakes. If you adapt to some of these features and shortcuts, it can make a drastic change to the way you work and on the time spent on creating presentations.
