PowerPoint is a tool that can be used for so many things. From simple presentations to complex slide decks, there’s likely an application for it. However, as with any tool, when you start using it a lot, one aspect of its use begins to stand out. For some people, this becomes tedious and frustrating; other people find they are spending too much time trying to keep their slides looking nice and organized.

We’re all guilty of using PowerPoint in ways that aren’t really going to help us deliver the best possible output from our presentations. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to improve your use of this software without spending hours learning new shortcuts or becoming overly-obsessed with the tiny details. Let’s look at how we can make PowerPoint better for everyone.

Create a template for your presentations.

As you begin to create more and more presentations, it’s easy to forget why you’re doing it in the first place. PowerPoint doesn’t necessarily help you stay on track when you’re creating presentations, but it does make it easier to get lost in the details. If you create a template that you always use for each new project, you’ll make it much easier to focus on the bigger picture.

If you always start a presentation with a header that lets the audience know what your project is about, you’ll find it a lot easier to keep them focused. Using a template will also make it much easier to add new elements to your presentations without having to re-wire your whole workflow.

Add footnotes to your slides.

One of the many benefits of using PowerPoint is that you can add images and media to your slides. However, as with any other media you add to a PowerPoint presentation, it’s easy to lose track of where these things are on your slides.

If you add footnotes in PowerPoint to each slide where you add image or media, it’ll be much easier to keep track of these things. You can also add a footnote that links to the source of the media, making it much easier to find again if you need to re-use it later.

Edit the colour and font of your slides.

PowerPoint presentations are usually created using one of a few preset themes. While these themes are usually very attractive, they don’t necessarily give you much control over how your presentation will look. If you find that your presentations are looking a little dull and uninspired, changing the font and color of your slides may give them a much-needed boost.

You don’t need to play around with crazy colors or completely change the style of your slides, but you can give them a new look that makes them a little more exciting. If you make small tweaks, people will notice how much better everything looks. Changing the font from Times New Roman to something a little more interesting, for example, will make your whole presentation look a lot more exciting.

Don’t include bullet points in your slides.

One of the many ways that PowerPoint can help you deliver awesome presentations is with the use of bullet points. Unfortunately, bullet points can often be awkward to add to your slides. Especially if your presentation is made up of a lot of text, it can be hard to add a nice, clear bullet point to each section of text.

By adding bullet points to each section of your presentation, you’ll have to add an extra slide to each section. This will make your presentation look a little cluttered, and it’ll be much harder to add nice transitions between sections of your presentation. By adding bullet points to each section of your presentation, you’ll have to add an extra slide to each section. This will make your presentation look a little cluttered, and it’ll be much harder to add nice transitions between sections of your presentation.

Always include a speaker icon at the bottom of your slide.

PowerPoint presents are usually delivered in front of a crowd, often hundreds or even thousands of people. If the audience members are sitting at their desks, it can be easy for them to get distracted. If you always include a speaker icon at the bottom of each slide, people will be easily able to tell who is speaking and what section of the slide they are on.

This will make it much easier for people to stay focused and engaged. If you always include a speaker icon at the bottom of each slide, people will be easily able to tell who is speaking and what section of the slide they are on. This will make it much easier for people to stay focused and engaged.

Include a table in your slide deck.

PowerPoint can easily be used to create beautiful slide decks. However, it’s easy to get distracted by the tiny details of creating a table. If you find that your tables are looking a little messy and that you’re spending a lot of time on them, try re-framing them. PowerPoint tables are usually designed to be as simple as possible.

They are usually designed to be short, simple sections with just a few cells in each section. Avoid designing complicated tables that try to do too much in each section. When you create complicated tables that try to do too much in each section, they will often look messy and unorganized.

Use custom codes to enhance your presentation.

PowerPoint can be used to create some amazing presentations, both in terms of the information they contain and the way they are delivered. However, it’s easy to get distracted by the tiny details when it comes to using PowerPoint. If you find that you’re using custom codes too often, take a step back and try to re-frame your whole use of this software.

Custom codes can be used to make your presentations look a lot better than they would otherwise. They can be used to add nice transitions between sections of your presentation, for example, or to make your text a different color. If you find that you’re using custom codes too often, take a step back and try to re-frame your whole use of this software.

Include an audio slide in your deck.

If your presentation is going to be delivered in front of a crowd, it can be a good idea to include an audio slide. This can be particularly useful if you want to share any difficult material, or if you want to create a video or podcast that is delivered on a PowerPoint deck. An audio slide can be particularly useful if you want to share any difficult material, or if you want to create a video or podcast that is delivered on a PowerPoint deck.

If the audio slide is particularly useful or important, consider adding a second audio slide. This can allow you to present one section of your content, then share the same information as a second presentation, but with a different speaker and in a different style. This can help you to deliver the same content in two different ways.

Summing up

When it comes to making presentations, PowerPoint can be a very useful tool. However, it’s easy to get lost in the tiny details and lose sight of the big picture. That’s why it’s important to remember how to use PowerPoint better. Make sure that you always include a speaker icon at the bottom of each slide, add footnotes to your slides, and include an audio slide in your presentation.

Check out our related PowerPoint courses here.