Looking for PowerPoint presentation ideas to make your next presentation engaging and memorable?
Whether you’re putting together a PowerPoint presentation for work, school, or any other purpose, it’s important to have slides that are visually appealing and easy to follow.
The good news is you don’t have to be a great designer or PowerPoint guru to create beautiful slides.
There are plenty of PowerPoint presentation ideas and tools (like our favorite, Office Timeline) that can help you put together an amazing presentation without spending hours on design.
We’ve put together some of our favorite PowerPoint presentation tips and creative presentation ideas to get your audience engaged and make your next slideshow your best one yet.
The Best PowerPoint Presentation Tips for Students, Professionals, & Others
Here are 14 PowerPoint presentation ideas and tips to help you create an amazing presentation:
1. Take advantage of PowerPoint add-ins and tools
Did you know that there are lots of free and cheap PowerPoint add-ins and tools that can help you create better presentations?
PowerPoint add-ins are like extra features and tools that you can add to PowerPoint to help you do things that you couldn’t do before or that would take too much time to do without the add-in.
For example, our favorite PowerPoint add-in is Office Timeline, which helps you easily create professional timelines and Gantt charts right inside PowerPoint. It has tons of gorgeous templates and useful features available, making it quick and easy to create timelines for your presentation with just a few clicks.
Whether you want to use a template or start from scratch, Office Timeline lets anybody create eye-catching visuals with no design experience needed.
There are tons of other great PowerPoint add-ins out there for just about every purpose you can imagine, like tools for creating animated transitions between slides or add-ins that let you create interactive polls and surveys right inside your presentation.
2. Keep it simple
When it comes to PowerPoint presentations, less is usually more.
You don’t want to overload your audience with too much information, so it’s important to focus on only a few key points and make sure those points are conveyed clearly.
If you’re not sure what to include in your presentation, try thinking about what the main takeaway should be for your audience.
What do you want them to remember when they walk away from your presentation?
Once you know what that is, you can focus on creating presentation slides that will help make that happen.
3. Use high-quality images and visuals
The old saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” definitely applies to PowerPoint presentations. Slideshows that are nothing more than huge blocks of text are not only boring, but they’re also difficult to follow.
Instead, try to use images and visuals to break up the text and help illustrate your points.
Just make sure you’re using high-quality images that are relevant to what you’re talking about. Blurry or irrelevant images will only distract from your message.
There are lots of ways to find great photos for your presentation. You can purchase stock photos, find free Creative Commons images online, or even take your own photos.
You can also create gorgeous PowerPoint visuals like timelines with Office Timeline to add more aesthetic appeal and help your audience follow along.
4. Use consistent fonts and colors
When it comes to font choice, there are two main things to keep in mind: legibility and consistency.
You want to make sure your audience can easily read the text on your slides, so avoid using tiny fonts or fancy scripts.
As for consistency, try to use the same font throughout your entire presentation. This doesn’t mean you have to use the same size or color for every presentation slide, but using the same family of fonts will help create a cohesive look.
The same principle applies to colors.
Again, you don’t have to use the same color for every slide, but using a consistent color scheme will make your presentation look more polished and put together.
A good rule of thumb is to choose 1-3 colors and use them throughout your presentation, varying the shades and tints to create visual interest.
You might want to consider using a presentation template as this will help ensure a more consistent look and feel. There are numerous free presentation templates available, so you should be able to find one that suits your needs.
5. Use transitions carefully
Transitions are the animations that occur between slides in your presentation.
They can be as simple as a fade to black or as complex as an animated fly-in from the side of the screen.
Transitions can be a great way to add visual interest to your presentation, but it’s important to use them sparingly.
If you use too many transitions or use them inappropriately, they can quickly become distracting and take away from your message.
6. Use bullet points wisely
Bullet points are a great way to organize information and highlight key points in an easy-to-scan way, but they should be used sparingly.
Again, you don’t want your presentation to be nothing more than a huge block of text, so try to limit each slide to 3-5 bullet points at most.
And if possible, try to use bullet points that are concise and to the point. Your audience will appreciate not having to read through long, drawn-out sentences.
7. Have a key memorable theme
Your presentation should have a main theme and message that ties everything together and is woven throughout.
You don’t want people walking away from your presentation not knowing what it was even about.
Think about what you want your audience to remember when they’re done and make sure that message is conveyed loud and clear.
8. Use compelling stats to support your points
If you want to really drive your points home, try using some compelling statistics.
Statistics can be a great way to back up your claims and make your argument even stronger.
Just make sure you’re using reputable sources and that the stats are relevant to what you’re talking about. Otherwise, they’ll just end up confusing your audience.
It’s also important to present the statistics in a clear, visually pleasing way. That way, your audience can easily understand and interpret the data you’re presenting. From bar graphs to pie charts to infographics, there are plenty of options out there. Just make sure the one you choose works well with the material you’re presenting.
9. Tell stories
Stories are a great way to connect with your audience and make your presentation more interesting.
People love hearing stories, especially if they’re personal or relatable.
If you can find a way to tie your story into the main theme of your presentation, even better.
Your audience will be more engaged and remember your presentation long after it’s over.
10. Encourage engagement
The best presentations are the ones where there’s engagement between the presenter and the audience members.
Encourage your audience to ask questions, participate in polls or quizzes, or even share key points from your presentation on social media.
Not only will this make your presentation more interactive and engaging, but it will also help ensure that your audience is actually paying attention and soaking up the information you’re sharing.
11. Study other PowerPoint Presentations
They say the best artists steal, and that’s definitely true when it comes to PowerPoint presentations.
Don’t be afraid to look at other presentations for inspiration, whether they’re from colleagues, friends, or even online. Studying others can help you find creative presentation ideas to take your own presentation to the next level.
Just make sure you’re not copying someone else’s work verbatim. Use what you see as a starting point and put your own spin on it to make it unique.
Of course, when viewing other presentations, it’s just as important to make note of things you don’t like as it is to take note of things you do.
Pay attention to things that are distracting or unclear and try to avoid making the same mistakes in your own presentation.
You can also look at templates to get a feel for how presentations are put together. Even if you don’t use a presentation template, they can be helpful in understanding the overall structure and flow of a presentation.
12. Start and finish strong
The two strongest slides in your presentation will be the first and last slides.
That’s why it’s important to make sure that both of these slides are impactful and memorable.
For your first slide, try to avoid using the default title slide template. Instead, use an eye-catching image or graphic and include a short, attention-grabbing headline. Getting your audience’s attention from the start is key to a successful presentation.
As for your last slide, this is your chance to leave a lasting impression on your audience.
Thank them for their time, reiterate the main points of your presentation, and include a call to action if appropriate.
You want people to walk away from your presentation feeling inspired and motivated, so make sure your ending is strong.
Think of it like going to see your favorite band in concert. The beginning and end are always the most memorable parts, so you want to make sure you start and finish strong.
13. Practice, practice, practice
As with anything in life, practice makes perfect.
The more you practice your presentation, the more confident you’ll feel when it’s time to actually give it.
You don’t want to go into your presentation nervously working your way through it or just reading directly from your slides.
Instead, you want to be so familiar with the material that you can present it without even thinking about it.
This will help you come across as more confident and polished, and it will also help ensure that you don’t forget anything important.
14. Get feedback from others
Once you’ve practiced your presentation a few times, it’s a good idea to get feedback from others.
Ask a colleague or friend to sit through your presentation and give you their honest feedback.
Pay attention to the things they point out and make any necessary changes.
It’s also a good idea to ask if there’s anything they didn’t understand or if anything felt confusing.
Getting feedback from others is a great way to fine-tune your presentation and make sure it’s as strong as possible.
A Final Word on PowerPoint Presentation Ideas
With these 14 PowerPoint presentation ideas and tips, you should be well on your way to creating an amazing presentation that will engage and inform your audience.
Remember, you don’t have to do all of the heavy lifting on your own. There are lots of great tools out there, like Office Timeline and countless others, that can help you build an incredible presentation with ease.
Don’t be afraid to experiment and have some fun with your presentations. After all, they’re supposed to be a tool to help you communicate, not a hindrance. Try out different creative presentation ideas to see what works and what doesn’t.
Have any additional PowerPoint presentation tips to add to our list? Have questions about these ideas? Let us know what you’re thinking by leaving a comment below.