Grouping objects in PowerPoint is one of the most useful techniques you can use to streamline your workflow and quickly identify and access relevant information within a presentation. With the right combination of grouping strategies, you can combine multiple images, tables, charts or other visual elements into a single group that helps you navigate through your entire presentation with ease.

And the best part? Grouping objects isn’t as intimidating as it seems! In this article, you’ll discover how to group objects in PowerPoint like a pro. After reading it, you’ll understand why grouping is such an important task and have plenty of ideas for where to start using this technique in your own work.

What is grouping in PowerPoint?

Grouping is a technique that allows you to combine and arrange different types of content within a single location. Objects in a group are visually connected to one another, similar to how they would be if they were physically connected with a wire.

For example, if you create a table with three images and you want to group them all together, then you would apply a Grouping Table setting. You can also use grouping to sort and filter information. For example, you can create a list of all the events in your calendar with the help of a Grouping Table. And if you want to quickly find a specific image among your other visual elements, then grouping is one of the most useful techniques to use.

How to group objects in PowerPoint

First, select the content you want to group together. Then, click the desired grouping option from the groupings menu. A group icon will appear on the selected items. Click on the group, and drag it wherever you want it to be arranged in your presentation. Now, you can add additional items to the same group by selecting the items and then clicking the Add to Group icon. You can also delete individual items from a grouped location by clicking the “x” icon next to the desired item.

Tips for effective grouping

– Choose the right grouping option: Using correct types of grouping in your PowerPoint presentations will make finding information a lot easier, so you’ll need to learn the difference between some of the most common types as well. – Don’t group everything: While grouping can be a great strategy for organizing your information, you shouldn’t group everything. The rule of thumb is to group only the information that you need grouped together.

For example, you might group images, charts, or tables together, but you wouldn’t group your big report together. – Group related information together: The most common mistake that new group users make is grouping a bunch of unrelated information together. Remember that grouping should help you navigate your information more easily, so don’t group things like brochures, reports, and online information together with images and charts.

Group information like this together with images and charts, and keep your large reports grouped together with the rest of your information. – Use subgroups: While grouping should be your first step when grouping objects in your PowerPoint presentation, you should also consider using subgroups.

While it may seem like grouping is enough, it doesn’t do much to filter and sort your data. A subgroup, on the other hand, can filter and sort your data based on specific criteria. For example, you can create a subgroup for all your upcoming meetings, and add them to the subgroup so that you can quickly find them whenever you have your group positioned on your agenda.

– Use templates: If you find yourself adding the same type of items to your group over and over again, consider creating a group template that includes all the items you typically group together. Now, all you have to do is click on the group template and the items will be added to your group. You can also customize the appearance of your group template to make it look exactly the way you want.

Customize appearance of a group

To customize the appearance of a grouped location, select the location, and then select the desired appearance option from the Styles tab. To change the appearance of the selected items, select the items and then select the desired appearance option from the Colors, Borders, and Shading tab. Note: You can also customize the appearance of a grouped location by right-clicking on the grouped location and then selecting the desired appearance option.

Conclusion

Grouping objects in PowerPoint is a smart way to navigate your information more quickly, and it’s one of the most powerful techniques in the entire Office suite. You can group images, charts, tables, and other elements to create visual connections between them, which makes navigating through your information much easier.

The key is to choose the right type of grouping option for the situation, and to be mindful of the items you group together. Get creative with your groupings, and you’ll be well on your way to mastering this highly effective method for navigating your information.