How to Create a PowerPoint Presentation

Method One: Theme/Template Method For PC (Office 2010)

1.Open PowerPoint. You will see a blank screen with two boxes in the middle of the screen. One of the boxes says "Click to add title," the other says "Click to add subtitle."

2.On the tab at the upper left side of your screen, hit the "File" tab.

3.On the vertical toolbar to the left, hit the "New" tab.

4.If you wish to use a template, click on the "Sample templates" box.

5.Click on the template you want to use, depending on the purpose of your presentation.

6.If you wish to use a theme, click on the "Themes" box in the "New" tab.

7.Click on the specific template or theme you want to work with from the list of choices.

8.Once your theme is loaded, click on the "Click to add title" and "Click to add subtitle" boxes and add the title and subtitle (if necessary) of your own presentation.

9.After deciding on a title, click on the "New Slide" button in the "Slides" tab up top.

You can also create a new slide with the shortcut (Ctrl + M).

10.Continue adding information and pictures as you see fit. In PowerPoint, however, less is often more.

11.Once you are finished with your PowerPoint presentation, go to "File > Save As" and save your file so that you can retrieve it later.

12.When you want to view your presentation as a series of slides, click on the "Slide Show" tab and then click on "From Beginning" top left.

Method Two: Template/Theme Method For PC (Older)

1.Start with a template or theme. A template or theme will dress up your presentation with pre-made layouts and color schemes. Choose one by clicking the Office orb in the upper-left corner, and selecting New. Then, on the left, select Installed Templates or Installed Themes.

2.Browse through the slides from the template and see what you like. On the sidebar at left, you can click different template or theme slides to see what they look like. Here are a few things you can do with the different slides:

• Duplicate slides. Right click on a slide, and select Duplicate Slide.
• Delete slides. Right click on a slide and select Delete Slide, or click Home on the top bar, then Delete Slide.
• Change the layout of your slides. You can select slides that have more or less text boxes, photo boxes, or any other template items you want. Select a slide, right click, and hover over Layout. Or, click Home on the top bar, and then the drop menu next to Layout.
• Add slides. If you want your new slide to look exactly like the one before it, right click that slide and select New. Or, if you want a new slide with a completely different layout, click Home, then the drop menu under New Slide.
• Organize your slides. You can drag and drop slides in the sidebar to the left to reorder them.

3.Start adding content. Here are some tips for putting information into your PowerPoint presentation:

• Use short, concise words to guide your audience, and let yourself do the detailed explaining. Keywords show that you know your subject when you go more in-depth during your powerpoint. For example, use "Fire Kiln" as a keyword in a PowerPoint, but explain the process during the actual presentation.
• Think bullet points. Don't use full sentences in your PowerPoint presentations unless it's absolutely necessary.
• Don't be afraid to spread information across multiple slides. It's better than overcrowding a PowerPoint!

4.Add elements. To insert anything (text, charts, etc), simply click on the designated box to activate it and start inserting away.

• Inserting pictures and graphs is a good idea to make your presentation more visually engaging. Break up your text!
• Use color effectively in your PowerPoint. Have a theme of colors and be consistent when using them to highlight key points. This makes your presentation look more professional.

5.Test run your presentation. Click View, then Slide Show, or hit F5 to admire your handiwork.