how to make slideshow for a speech

How to Create Effective Speaking PowerPoint Presentations

• Carolyn Manion Kinnie
• January 23, 2023

Table of Contents

Introduction.

On your path to becoming a speaker, you overcome a lot of hurdles. You find your niche, you market yourself, you land a few local gigs, and then your first big keynote. You’ve finally “made it” in your industry and you’ll be speaking to thousands at a conference. During your last check-in with the event planner, they ask: “can you send your slides to our A/V guy before the talk?” You freeze. Nobody ever taught you how to create effective speaking powerpoint presentations! Will the same powerpoint template you used for that final project in high school suffice? 

While that may not be exactly how this scenario plays out for you, at some point, probably early on in your speaking career, the question will arise. How do you create effective speaking PowerPoint presentations? Do they really matter? Can you just copy some sentences from your talk onto slides and call it a day? 

We get questions about this a lot, and we’re here to help. We’ve covered the topic of speaking PowerPoint presentations a few times on the TSL podcast, specifically on episodes 190 – 191 and  262 . Today, we’ll go over when and why you should use slides (and if you really should)! Then we’ll cover some of the essential strategies for creating effective slides to go with your talk. 

Do you really need slides? 

A lot of aspiring speakers over-emphasize the role PowerPoint plays in their speaking engagements. Before we get into how to create your slides, let’s get one fundamental principle out of the way. 

You can’t rely on your PowerPoint.

Slides are an enhancement , not a replacement for good content or your presence onstage. If your talk can’t stand on its own, even the most beautifully formatted PowerPoint can’t cover up for you. You should always be able to give your talk just as compellingly without a slideshow, video, photos, etc. Practice and hone your talk first, then create slides to go with it.

Preparedness is absolutely essential to the art of speaking, and even the best PowerPoint cannot cover for your unpreparedness. Slides exist to help the audience, not as a reminder for you. If you’re trying to make up for poor speaking skills with a fancy slide deck, that time is better spent working on your content and on-stage presentation. The order of importance is content first, delivery next, and only then your PowerPoint. 

After all, you could be that unlucky speaker who walks on stage just before a power outage happens. Or the event planning intern loses your flash drive. Or the battery on the mac connected to the projector dies. Sure, those are all worst case scenarios. But anybody who’s been around in the conference space for a while will tell you they do happen. Unfortunately, many speakers treat their PowerPoint as a crutch, and fumble around if something goes wrong on the technical end. The ability to deliver your talk seamlessly without slides in such a situation will set you apart and endear you to event planners and audience members alike. 

OK, so a PowerPoint isn’t absolutely essential. But when slides do enhance, they can be powerful! Some examples of their use include:

• Adding structure e.g. showing when you’re moving onto a new topic or reviewing points you’ve already made. 
• Orienting your audience toward your message by highlighting key words or points that they should listen for.
• Presenting data, statistics, and research conclusions, especially if your field has a commonly used “visual shorthand”. 

Your PowerPoint should work alongside your storytelling to keep your audience engaged and to the point. In our next section, we will dig deeper into how you can make your slides as effective and impactful as possible. 

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Creating effective content in speaking PowerPoint Presentations

You should approach your speaking PowerPoint with an attitude of intentionality and minimalism. The number of slides is irrelevant–it’s how you present information on them that counts. Craft your words beautifully, and it will be easy to create slides alongside them.

When it comes to text on the screen, less is almost always more. Avoid redundancy–those blocks of text that you are going to say out loud anyway can go. Use big, readable fonts in a high-contrast color. Often, a single word to keep the audience on track is more compelling than a long block quote that would only distract them.

Minimalism doesn’t mean you should do away with images, but you must use them wisely! Two of the best uses for images are as an illustration or a visualization of a step-by-step process. Only images of the highest quality belong in your presentation, so ditch the grainy screenshots and dimly-lit photos. Free resources like Pixabay , Pexels , and Unsplash will provide you with great high-res stock images. For charts and diagrams, TSL friend Nancy Duarte offers a free PowerPoint-ready tool called Diagrammer . You can hear Nancy’s advice for slides and storytelling on Episode 262 of the Speaker Lab Podcast. 

As we’ve mentioned before , reminding people that you are a professional speaker is essential to building your network and brand recognition. Don’t underestimate the possibilities your slides offer for self-promotion! Do you offer additional services such as courses or coaching? Integrate stories of past client work with images alongside. Have you spoken for audiences similar to those that your listeners are part of? Include a picture from one of those events. Here’s one way to gain fans and followers with your speaking PowerPoint that you can implement anytime: at the end of your talk, display your social media handle or a QR code that leads to an email subscriber form. If you give away a free resource to email subscribers ( as you should ), this is a great chance to mention it.

You shouldn’t create an entirely new PowerPoint every time you speak. Once you develop a signature talk, develop an easily adaptable PowerPoint template to go along with it. Use the same color scheme, fonts, and voice as your website and other business materials (more tips here for developing your speaker brand ). 

It’s also in your own brand’s interest to design your slides with the client in mind. If there is a color, logo, or hashtag that unites your PowerPoint to an overarching event theme, it will be a big hit with audience and planners alike. Consider asking your point of contact if there’s a theme you should be aware of ahead of time. Integrating the theme into your template in small or subtle ways will take no time at all–and neither will your content if you follow our principles of intentionality and minimalism! Learn more about making the most of minimalist slides on Episode 190 of our podcast. 

Presenting your speaking PowerPoint: technical tips

Once you’ve nailed down your content, you should run through your speech alongside your slides at least once. Knowing how to create effective speaking PowerPoint presentations is half the battle; presenting them onstage presents its own set of challenges. Here are some tips for jumping through technical hoops and making sure nothing in your control goes wrong. 

When it comes to the template we mentioned in the previous section, you’ll have the option of creating it in a 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio. Always ask your client if they know the projector dimensions, but 4:3 is the safest by default. It’s far better to have smaller slides centered on a widescreen projector than unexpected cropping! Once you have the time, creating two templates will allow you to make the most of widescreen projectors when they are available. 

If music or video is an absolutely essential part of your message, it can totally have a place in your PowerPoint. But if it’s not essential, leave it out! The A/V team will be relieved and it’s one less thing that can go wrong. If you must include animations, videos, music, etc., do so in the way that creates the least friction by requiring the least technical support. Have a game plan for smoothly moving on if it doesn’t work. If you’ve focused properly on crafting your talk, it will still have the same impact. 

Here’s one tip we can’t stress enough: always bring backup. Even if you sent your slides to the client a week ago, bring a flash drive. If you’re supposed to project from your own device, send the file to the client or upload it to google slides just in case. And this tip doesn’t just apply to your PowerPoint! Put together a little tech bag stocked with cables, clickers, microphones, adaptors, and chargers. Many speakers even bring an ethernet cord. 

Preparedness is key when it comes to effectively presenting your speaking PowerPoint. Ask about deadlines and technical requirements well in advance. At the same time, you can’t prepare for every scenario, so being easy to work with is equally important. If you can roll with the punches, event planners and A/V teams alike will look forward to seeing your name on the program. Those good relationships are essential to the referrals that will ensure you future gigs down the road. 

If you’re looking for more details of technical success with your speaking PowerPoints, head over to episode 191 of the TSL podcast.

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Some speakers, like TSL founder Grant Baldwin or famous keynoter Simon Sinek avoid using slides whenever possible. 

Others, like our friend Melanie Deziel , love creating effective speaking PowerPoints that help maximize their message. 

Wherever you fall on the question of slides, it’s important to use them intentionally and without overwhelming the audience. While every speaker will have their own characteristic style, these tips should set you well on your way to creating amazing speaking slides! 

• Last Updated: February 29, 2024

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6 dos and don’ts for next-level slides, from a TED presentation expert

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Want to prevent yawns and glazed-over eyes? Before you deliver your next speech, pitch or address, learn how to create exceptional slides by following these rules (with real before-and-afters).

Slides are an expected and crucial part of most speeches, presentations, pitches and addresses. They can simplify complex information or messages, showcase relevant images, and help hold an audience’s attention. But quite often, the best slides aren’t those that make people sit up and comment on how good they are; instead, they’re the ones that people take in without really noticing because the content is effortlessly conveyed and matches the speaker’s words so well.

These days, showing high-quality slides is more important than ever. “We’re living in a visual culture,” says Paul Jurczynski , the cofounder of Improve Presentation and one of the people who works with TED speakers to overhaul their slides. “Everything is visual. Instagram is on fire, and you don’t often see bad images on there. The same trend has come to presentations.”

He says there is no “right” number of slides. However, it’s important that every single one shown — even the blank ones (more on those later) — be, as Jurczynski puts it, “connected with the story you’re telling.” Here, he shares 6 specific tips for creating the most effective slides. ( Note: All of the examples below were taken from the actual slides of TED speakers. )

1. Do keep your slides simple and succinct

“The most common mistake I see is slides that are overcrowded. People tend to want to spell everything out and cover too much information,” says Jurczynski. Not only are these everything-but-the-kitchen-sink slides unattractive and amateurish, they also divert your audience’s attention away from what you’re saying. You want them to listen to the words that you slaved over, not get distracted by unscrambling a jam-packed slide.

“The golden rule is to have one claim or idea per slide. If you have more to say, put it on the next slide,” says Jurczynski. Another hallmark of a successful slide: The words and images are placed in a way that begins where the audience’s eyes naturally go and then follows their gaze. Use the position, size, shape and color of your visuals to make it clear what should come first, second and so on. “You don’t just control what the audience sees; you have to control how they see it,” says Jurczynski.

BEFORE: Too crowded 

After: easy to absorb.

2. Do choose colors and fonts with care

Colors and fonts are like the herbs and spices of your presentation. When used wisely and with intention, they’ll enhance your slides; but when tossed in haphazardly, they’ll make it an unappealing mess.

Let’s start with color. “Color is a key way to communicate visually and to evoke emotion,” says Jurczynski. “It can be a game changer.” Your impulse might be to pick your favorite hue and start from there, but he advises, “it’s important to use color with a purpose.” For example, if you’re giving a presentation about a positive topic, you’ll want to use bright, playful colors. But if you’re speaking about a serious subject such as gun violence or lung cancer, you’d probably go for darker or neutral colors.

While it’s fine to use a variety of colors in your presentation, overall you should adhere to a consistent color scheme, or palette. “The good news is you don’t need a degree in color theory to build a palette,” says Jurczynski. Check out one of the many free sites — such as Coolors or Color Hunt — that can help you assemble color schemes.

With fonts, settle on just one or two, and make sure they match the tone of your presentation. “You don’t have to stick to the fonts that you have in PowerPoint,” or whatever program you’re using, says Jurczynski. “People are now designing and sharing fonts that are easy to install in different programs. It’s been an amazing breakthrough.” Experiment. Try swapping a commonly used font like Arial for Lato or Bebas , two of many lesser known fonts available online. Most important: “Use a big enough font, which people often forget to do,” advises Jurczynski. Your text has to be both legible and large enough to read from the back of the room, he recommends — about 30 points or so.

BEFORE: Weak and hard-to-read font, muddy colors 

AFTER: Strong font, color that’s striking but not jarring

3. Don’t settle for visual cliches

When you’re attempting to illustrate concepts, go beyond the first idea that comes to your mind. Why? The reason it appears so readily may be because it’s a cliché. For example, “a light bulb as a symbol for innovation has gotten really tired,” says Jurczynski. Other oft-used metaphors include a bull’s-eye target or shaking hands. After you’ve come up with your symbol or idea, he advises people to resist the lure of Google images (where there are too many low-quality and clichéd choices) and browse other free image sites such as Unsplash to find more unique visuals. One trick: If you do use stock, amp it up with a color overlay (as in the pic at the top of this article) or tweak it in some other way to counteract — or at least muffle — its stock-i-ness.

One potential source of pictures is much closer at hand. “If it fits the storyline, I encourage people to use their own images,” says Jurczynski. “Like one TED Talk where the speaker, a doctor, used photos of his experience treating people in Africa. That was all he needed. They were very powerful.” Major caveat: Any personal photos must support your speech or presentation. Do not squander your audience’s precious time by showing them a gratuitous picture of your children or grandparents — beautiful as they may be.

BEFORE: Fake-looking stock photo to illustrate teamwork 

After: eye-catching photo of nature to illustrate teamwork.

4. Don’t get bogged down by charts and graphs

Less is also more when it comes to data visualization. Keep any charts or graphs streamlined. When building them, ask yourself these questions:

What do I want the audience to take away from my infographic?

Why is it important for them to know this?

How does it tie into my overall story or message?

You may need to highlight key numbers or data points by using color, bolding, enlarging or some other visual treatment that makes them pop.

Maps are another commonly used infographic. Again, exercise restraint and use them only if they enhance your talk. “Sometimes, people put a map because they don’t know what else to show,” says Jurczynski. He suggests employing labels, color schemes or highlighting to direct your audience where to look. He adds, if you have the skill or know an artist, “you may even consider a hand-drawn map.”

BEFORE: Yikes! What’s important?!? AFTER: The takeaway is clear

5. don’t be scared of blank slides.

It may seem counterintuitive, but at certain points in your speech or pitch, the best visual is … no visual at all. “At the beginning, I was not a fan of blank slides,” says Jurczynski. “But the more talks I’ve seen, the more a fan I am of them, because sometimes you want all the attention on yourself and you don’t want people distracted by what they see in the slides. Or, you might use them to give the audience a visual break from a series of slides. Or maybe you want to shift the mood or tempo of the presentation.”

The blank slide is the visual equivalent of a pause, and most stories could use at least one. And with blank slides, Jurczynski has one main “don’t”: “You cannot use white blank slides, because if you do, people will see it and think something is broken.”

6. Do remember to practice

The easiest way to figure out if your slides really work? Recruit a colleague, friend or family member, and run through your entire presentation with them. Sometimes, people can get so carried away with rehearsing their delivery and memorizing their words that they forget to make sure their slides complement and synch up with what they’re saying.

“Even if you have the best visual s in the world, you need to practice in front of someone else. Once you start practicing, you may see, ‘I’m talking about a sad story, but on the slide behind me, I have something funny and that doesn’t make sense,'” says Jurczynski. “Or, ‘Oh, this could be a good place for a blank slide.’”

About the author

Amanda Miller manages curation for partner events at TED.

• business advice
• data visualization
• idea visualization
• presentation literacy
• public speaking

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How-To Geek

8 tips to make the best powerpoint presentations.

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Table of contents, start with a goal, less is more, consider your typeface, make bullet points count, limit the use of transitions, skip text where possible, think in color, take a look from the top down, bonus: start with templates.

Slideshows are an intuitive way to share complex ideas with an audience, although they're dull and frustrating when poorly executed. Here are some tips to make your Microsoft PowerPoint presentations sing while avoiding common pitfalls.

It all starts with identifying what we're trying to achieve with the presentation. Is it informative, a showcase of data in an easy-to-understand medium? Or is it more of a pitch, something meant to persuade and convince an audience and lead them to a particular outcome?

It's here where the majority of these presentations go wrong with the inability to identify the talking points that best support our goal. Always start with a goal in mind: to entertain, to inform, or to share data in a way that's easy to understand. Use facts, figures, and images to support your conclusion while keeping structure in mind (Where are we now and where are we going?).

I've found that it's helpful to start with the ending. Once I know how to end a presentation, I know how best to get to that point. I start by identifying the takeaway---that one nugget that I want to implant before thanking everyone for their time---and I work in reverse to figure out how best to get there.

Your mileage, of course, may vary. But it's always going to be a good idea to put in the time in the beginning stages so that you aren't reworking large portions of the presentation later. And that starts with a defined goal.

A slideshow isn't supposed to include everything. It's an introduction to a topic, one that we can elaborate on with speech. Anything unnecessary is a distraction. It makes the presentation less visually appealing and less interesting, and it makes you look bad as a presenter.

This goes for text as well as images. There's nothing worse, in fact, than a series of slides where the presenter just reads them as they appear. Your audience is capable of reading, and chances are they'll be done with the slide, and browsing Reddit, long before you finish. Avoid putting the literal text on the screen, and your audience will thank you.

Related: How to Burn Your PowerPoint to DVD

Right off the bat, we're just going to come out and say that Papyrus and Comic Sans should be banned from all PowerPoint presentations, permanently. Beyond that, it's worth considering the typeface you're using and what it's saying about you, the presenter, and the presentation itself.

Consider choosing readability over aesthetics, and avoid fancy fonts that could prove to be more of a distraction than anything else. A good presentation needs two fonts: a serif and sans-serif. Use one for the headlines and one for body text, lists, and the like. Keep it simple. Veranda, Helvetica, Arial, and even Times New Roman are safe choices. Stick with the classics and it's hard to botch this one too badly.

There reaches a point where bullet points become less of a visual aid and more of a visual examination.

Bullet points should support the speaker, not overwhelm his audience. The best slides have little or no text at all, in fact. As a presenter, it's our job to talk through complex issues, but that doesn't mean that we need to highlight every talking point.

Instead, think about how you can break up large lists into three or four bullet points. Carefully consider whether you need to use more bullet points, or if you can combine multiple topics into a single point instead. And if you can't, remember that there's no one limiting the number of slides you can have in a presentation. It's always possible to break a list of 12 points down into three pages of four points each.

Animation, when used correctly, is a good idea. It breaks up slow-moving parts of a presentation and adds action to elements that require it. But it should be used judiciously.

Adding a transition that wipes left to right between every slide or that animates each bullet point in a list, for example, starts to grow taxing on those forced to endure the presentation. Viewers get bored quickly, and animations that are meant to highlight specific elements quickly become taxing.

That's not to say that you can't use animations and transitions, just that you need to pick your spots. Aim for no more than a handful of these transitions for each presentation. And use them in spots where they'll add to the demonstration, not detract from it.

Sometimes images tell a better story than text can. And as a presenter, your goal is to describe points in detail without making users do a lot of reading. In these cases, a well-designed visual, like a chart, might better convey the information you're trying to share.

The right image adds visual appeal and serves to break up longer, text-heavy sections of the presentation---but only if you're using the right images. A single high-quality image can make all the difference between a success and a dud when you're driving a specific point home.

When considering text, don't think solely in terms of bullet points and paragraphs. Tables, for example, are often unnecessary. Ask yourself whether you could present the same data in a bar or line chart instead.

Color is interesting. It evokes certain feelings and adds visual appeal to your presentation as a whole. Studies show that color also improves interest, comprehension, and retention. It should be a careful consideration, not an afterthought.

You don't have to be a graphic designer to use color well in a presentation. What I do is look for palettes I like, and then find ways to use them in the presentation. There are a number of tools for this, like Adobe Color , Coolors , and ColorHunt , just to name a few. After finding a palette you enjoy, consider how it works with the presentation you're about to give. Pastels, for example, evoke feelings of freedom and light, so they probably aren't the best choice when you're presenting quarterly earnings that missed the mark.

It's also worth mentioning that you don't need to use every color in the palette. Often, you can get by with just two or three, though you should really think through how they all work together and how readable they'll be when layered. A simple rule of thumb here is that contrast is your friend. Dark colors work well on light backgrounds, and light colors work best on dark backgrounds.

Spend some time in the Slide Sorter before you finish your presentation. By clicking the four squares at the bottom left of the presentation, you can take a look at multiple slides at once and consider how each works together. Alternatively, you can click "View" on the ribbon and select "Slide Sorter."

Are you presenting too much text at once? Move an image in. Could a series of slides benefit from a chart or summary before you move on to another point?

It's here that we have the opportunity to view the presentation from beyond the single-slide viewpoint and think in terms of how each slide fits, or if it fits at all. From this view, you can rearrange slides, add additional ones, or delete them entirely if you find that they don't advance the presentation.

The difference between a good presentation and a bad one is really all about preparation and execution. Those that respect the process and plan carefully---not only the presentation as a whole, but each slide within it---are the ones who will succeed.

This brings me to my last (half) point: When in doubt, just buy a template and use it. You can find these all over the web, though Creative Market and GraphicRiver are probably the two most popular marketplaces for this kind of thing. Not all of us are blessed with the skills needed to design and deliver an effective presentation. And while a pre-made PowerPoint template isn't going to make you a better presenter, it will ease the anxiety of creating a visually appealing slide deck.

• Microsoft Office

How to Plan and Create a Presentation Slideshow Effectively

Learn to craft effective presentations with our step-by-step guide on planning, designing, and executing engaging slideshows.

Step 1: Define Your Objective

Step 2: know your audience, step 3: organize your content, tips for content organization:.

• Keep it concise: Each slide should convey one idea clearly and succinctly.
• Use bullet points: They can help organize information and make it easier to digest.
• Tell a story: If possible, structure your presentation as a narrative, as stories are more engaging than disjointed points.

Step 4: Design Effective Slides

Best practices for slide design:.

• Consistency is key: Use the same color scheme and fonts throughout the presentation.
• Avoid clutter: Too much text or too many images can distract from your main points.
• Use visuals wisely: Diagrams, charts, and images should add to the understanding of the content, not serve as mere decoration.

Step 5: Incorporate Tools and Software

Step 6: rehearse and get feedback, step 7: prepare for the unexpected, create ppt using ai.

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Create + prepare slides

Not every speaker decides to use slides, but if they do, there’s one cardinal rule to follow: Keep it simple.

Editing your speakers’ slides

Slides can be helpful, but are not necessarily suited for a particular talk. In fact, a lot of our best TED and TEDx Talks have had no slides. So if you don’t think your speaker needs slides, don’t let them use slides. Explain to them that their talk is strong enough without them.

When your speakers do have slides, the general consensus is that less is more . A single, strong, graphic image or succinct line of text will tell your speaker’s story better than a crowded collage of pictures or long paragraph. Remember, people need to process everything a speaker is saying while simultaneously absorbing the slides.

Your speakers will have tips and instructions on slides in their Speaker Guide , but it’s important for you to review their slides, edit, and cut when needed.

When it comes to images and design:

• Make sure the slides are image rich, and easy to understand. Bring in a designer if needed.
• Only use high-resolution pictures and graphics.
• Keep graphs visually clear, even if the content is complex.

When it comes to text and content, ask:

• Do the slides have a lot of text? Text-heavy slides will only distract the listener from the heart of the message.
• Do the slides have too much information? No slide should support more than one point.
• Is each slide necessary? Too many slides can be distracting. Make sure every slide has a purpose – for those that don’t, cut them.

Prepare slides for presentation

You’ll want to work with your video and production manager and their tech team to make sure that all of the technical details are covered, but here are the need-to-knows:

Text size is important

The slide text should be large enough to be legible to the person sitting farthest from the stage. Make sure you test this during rehearsal, and make changes if needed.

Use a simple slide background

A simple background keeps the text readable. If you are using a dark or black background, make the text bold.

Make sure the slides are measured and sized correctly

You can't always be sure what type of presentation screen you'll be dealing with. (And changes often happen at the last minute!) Build slides that will work in any of the following dimensions:

• Widescreen HD (16:9 aspect ratio): 1920x1080 (hi res)
• Widescreen HD (16:9 aspect ratio): 1280x720 (low res)
• Squarescreen (4:3 aspect ratio): 1024x768 (hi res)
• Squarescreen (4:3 aspect ratio): 800x600 (low res)

Store presentations in one place

Load all presentations onto one or two house computers, rather than speakers' laptops. This ensures compatibility, and helps to speed transitions between presenters.

Next: Rehearsals

Examples of great slides

Dan Phillips

Creative houses from reclaimed stuff.

Jarrett J. Krosoczka

How a boy became an artist.

Rick Guidotti

From stigma to supermodel.

• Rather than one complex slide, encourage speakers to show several slides – each with one idea, image or data point.
• Remind your speakers that the images represent what they’re saying, so there is no need to verbally describe the images onscreen.
• Eliminate "headline and bullet points" slides; they are tiring to read.
• Consider making a rule of a maximum of six lines of text per slide. (Most of the time, just one or two lines will do!)
• To help the audience remember a person, place or thing you mention, your speaker might use images or photos.
• Encourage your speaker to use a common sans serif font (like Helvetica or Verdana) over a serif font (like Times).

Rules to remember

• Your speakers must own the rights to all images used on their slides. If they use an image under a Creative Commons license, cite the source at the bottom of the slide.

How to Give a Speech With PowerPoint

When preparing a speech for your small business, you often feel pressure to make every last detail of the presentation perfect. PowerPoint helps you create accompanying slides for your speech. Used well, the slides enhance the speech's impact on your audience. Used poorly, a PowerPoint presentation overwhelms your speech, reducing its effectiveness and leaving your audience distracted and dissatisfied. Identify your speech's key points to carefully craft a supporting PowerPoint presentation.

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Begin by preparing your speech and then basing your PowerPoint presentation on it, rather than the reverse. PowerPoint's features add value and interest to your speech, but don't the slides themselves become something without which your speech wouldn't exist.

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Keep your PowerPoint presentation simple. Maintain your audience's focus on the presentation, rather than simply reading the screen behind you and ignoring those to whom you are presenting.

Use as few slides as possible. Include only the bare bones of your speech, along with any supporting material that is better shown than described, such as product photos or charts.

Insert black slides into your presentation. These slides transition between the content you've covered on the last slide and the content on the following slide. Inserting a black slide shifts your audience's focus back to you, increasing the effectiveness of your speech.

Advance the presentation to the next slide or pause it automatically. If you walk back and forth from your speaking location in the room to your computer, you create unnatural or uncomfortable pauses in your speech. Use either a remote to control the computer, enlist help or simply position your computer so that you can reach the mouse without moving or bending over.

Practice your speech until you have the speech memorized and you no longer need the PowerPoint presentation to deliver it. If a technical issue occurs that stops your PowerPoint slides from working, you can still present the speech and leave copies of the slides or have them delivered at a later point.

• Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs: Thoughts on using PowerPoint Effectively
• Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs: Tips on using Microsoft PowerPoint

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How to create an amazing slideshow presentation: 6 tips and tricks

• January 19, 2022

Home - Digital Marketing - How to create an amazing slideshow presentation: 6 tips and tricks

Slideshow presentations can help you convey your thoughts effectively. Slideshow presentations are widely used in business , research, education, and many other sectors. When you couple your powerful speech with an effective slideshow presentation , you get better results.

You can back your words during a presentation via an effective slideshow. With great visuals in your slideshow, you can easily convey your thoughts to others.

Many people find it challenging to create effective slideshow presentations. Creating a slideshow presentation can become easy if you know the right process to follow. Continue reading to know some tips/tricks that can help you create effective slideshow presentations.

1. Plan the Structure of Your Slideshow Presentation 📏

Split your presentation into several sections and include key points. It’s better if you plan your slideshow content before designing it. By planning your slideshow content, you can avoid any last-minute confusion or issues. A good slideshow presentation contains a catchy introduction, a body, and an effective conclusion. Here’s how you can plan the structure of your slideshow presentation effectively:

• Create an appealing introduction that can grab the attention of the audience. Tell them about what you’re going to talk about in your slideshow presentation in the opening itself. If there’s something that viewers will get to know towards the end of the presentation or after it, mention a snippet so that your viewers are intrigued about it.
• The body of your slideshow presentation should include stats, quotes, high-quality images, and other evidence to support your main points. Hit the audience with enough evidence to back your thoughts in a slideshow presentation. The body of your slideshow presentation can contain numerous slides, but don’t add too many.
• The last slide of your slideshow presentation should contain concluding thoughts . You can mention the key takeaways of your slideshow presentation in this section. You can also feature a thank you note in the last slide of your presentation.

If you plan these three important sections of your slideshow presentation, you can leave a lasting impression on your audience. A good presentation should contain no more than ten slides. You can prepare a 30-minute speech for a presentation of 10 slides to have the best impact on your audience.

You can dedicate the first slide for the introduction section and the last slide to the conclusion section. The remaining eight slides can contain information, video clips , and images to back your main points. Give the audience some time to digest the content before switching to another slide.

2. Don’t Make Your Slides Text-Heavy 👀

Text is an important element of any slideshow presentation. However, too much text in a slideshow presentation will have a confusing, negative effect. If you include too much text in your slideshow, viewers will have to pay more attention to the screen than to what you’re saying.

Try to include bite-sized text in your slideshow for better results. According to scientific studies, human minds retain information better when it’s broken into bite-sized pieces. Many slideshow experts suggest that you should not include more than ten words on a single slide.

How to convey information to the audience without making your slides text-heavy? Well, you can rely on infographics, images, and graphs to share information with the audience. For example, if you want to show market trends, show them via a graph instead of text. You can also use videos in your slides, as they’re around 95% more effective than text.

3. Use a Slideshow Creator ⚒️

You can use a professional slideshow maker tool for creating appealing presentations in a shorter time. Any reliable video editing platform would do a great job of helping you create high-quality content for your slideshow presentation. We already know how important it is to use videos for making a presentation appealing and interesting.

Slideshow creation tools offer several pre-existing templates that enable you to create slideshow presentations within minutes. A video editing platform doesn’t only let you edit video clips; you can edit images, add stickers, include audio, and do a lot more. You can give your slideshow presentation a professional look by using such tools.

Many people rely on their smartphones and desktops to create effective slideshows. The built-in editing features of multimedia devices aren’t advanced enough to create professional slides. You need a dedicated editing tool to create professional slideshow presentations for meetings, conferences, etc.

If you’re facing budget constraints, you can choose a slideshow creator that has a free version. Choose a slideshow creator with an easy-to-use interface so you can learn quickly. The time you take to create professional slideshows can be trimmed down by using an affordable, effective editing platform.

4. Focus on the Design Aspect 🖌️

There’s no need to hire an expert designer every time you need to make slideshow presentations. You can include appealing designs in your slideshow via an editing tool. You can amp up the design aspect of your slideshow in the following ways:

• Choose a great colour palette for your slideshow . Instead of choosing varying colours, select matching colours that go in sync with each other. Choose 2-3 colours and use them harmoniously in each slide to look consistent.
• When choosing the design aspect for your slides, decide on the appropriate font style . Retain a single font style in all your slides to look consistent. Don’t unnecessarily switch between upper case and lower-case letters. Try to choose a font style that goes well with the overall theme of your slideshow presentation.
• You also need to focus on the backdrop of your slides . If possible, keep a uniform background for all your slides. Make sure the text and images are perfectly aligned in your slides for an even look.

5. Add Audio to Your Presentation 🔉

If you don’t feel like speaking alongside your slideshow presentation, you can add a voiceover. If your slideshow doesn’t involve a narrative aspect, you can go for some background music. Visuals like photos and videos go really well with background music in a slideshow presentation.

You can choose a slideshow maker to add music to your presentation. Such an editing tool can also help you add subtitles/captions in your slideshow if there is background narration. Editing tools help you add license-free sounds and music tracks to your slideshow presentation. License-free music tracks are necessary if you’re using the slideshow for commercial purposes.

6. Connect with the Audience Via Your Slideshow 🤝

When you end your slideshow, allow them to ask you any questions they might have. They might forget about what you discussed unless you connect with them emotionally. Include a catchy video, phrase, or poem to connect with them emotionally. You can also use a story-based approach when creating your slideshow.

In a Nutshell

A slideshow presentation can do wonders for you if it contains the right elements. Slideshow creation tools can help you add the perfect design and background elements to your slideshow presentation. Start using a slideshow creator for your presentations right away!

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How to Create the Best Google Slides for Speech Therapy

12/17/2020 by Jenna 1 Comment

It’s the end of 2020, which will now always be known as the year that the COVID-19 Pandemic hit, and for educators everywhere-this meant the huge change to virtual instruction for many. With virtual learning for students comes a learning curve for educators as well. As an SLP, I have learned more this year about different programs, extensions, strategies and templates to make virtual learning a success. One of my absolute favorite programs to use is Google Slide s. There are so many amazing things that you can do with Google Slides ! If you aren’t already using it, you should be! Today, let’s discuss the amazing capabilities of Google Slides including extensions and templates and why you should definitely be using it as an SLP.

Google Slides Extensions

• Record to Slides

Are you already using the basic features of Google Slides but sometimes wish that you could record a lesson with your face on the slides talking to students as if you were really there guiding them through the lesson? This would come in handy for classroom teachers but is also great for SLPs who send homework or lessons home virtually for students to work through independently. Well now with the Record to Slides Chrome Extension , you can record video of yourself immediately on Google slides and it could not be easier! Keep in mind that this does not record your entire screen like a Loom video would but just your face for the video.

Follow these directions to try it:

-Download the Record to Slides Chrome Extension first (it’s FREE!) 

-Open up Google Slides

-Create a textbox (if you want )to the right of the slide (not on the slide). You can use this as your script if you feel that you need it because the camera will cover the actual slide when you open it (This will make a lot more sense when you try it).

-Since you already downloaded the extension, when you open Google Slides you will see a blue camera at the top right near the slideshow button:

-Click the camera and it will open up on your screen.

-When you are ready to record, click the green circle to record.

-Press the red circle button to stop recording, then press OK.

-This will insert right into your slides. You can move it and resize it as needed. (It will take a few seconds to appear depending on the length of the video)

-It will also save in your Drive to a folder called “Record Slides.” Find the video and go to the sharing settings.

-Click “Get shareable link.”

-Change the sharing settings to “Anyone with the link can view.” (Just as you would when sending a google folder or google document). You want to make sure that all of the students will be able to view the video without any issues.

• Slides Timer

The Slides Timer extension is anyone’s dream who works with young students virtually right now. I don’t know about you, but in my therapy room at school,  I used timers a LOT, as did the special education teachers that I worked with. Sometimes I wanted to break up the lesson into 2 or 3 shorter parts; sometimes it was best for students who could only work for a few minutes and then needed a break. This was a great auditory modification to help students succeed. Now, you can easily add a timer to your Google Slides presentations as well. You can create a countdown, use the stopwatch feature or the digital clock in slides. You can download the Slides TImer extension here . 

Pear Deck for Google Slides is a really neat extension. It is the fastest way to transform presentations into classroom conversations. What if you could instantly see who’s confused and who’s ready for more? That’s the power of Pear Deck. This is a great tool for SLPs who are giving teletherapy lessons to small groups. Students can respond to short-answer questions, answer multiple choice questions, drag icons or even draw an image to respond to your question on their computer! This is great for all educators because they can see live answers from students simultaneously instead of calling on students one at a time on camera or always having the same student try to answer.

To get the Pear Deck Extension:

-Open Google Slides 

-Click “add-ons” at the top and Pear Deck should appear. 

-If it doesn’t appear, you can click the “get add-on” button.

-You will then have to install it on your computer.

Kami is one of my absolute favorite extensions by far for Google Chrome! 

If you have never tried it, I am begging you to give it a shot! I did a blog post all about the Kami Extension just a few months ago so you can read about the Kami extension here.  

FREE Templates for Google Slides

Do you ever feel as if you need some fun or even holiday-themed backgrounds for your Google Slides presentations but you just don’t have the extra time to create them? Look no more because there are plenty of options out there. 

Here are my TOP 3 FAVORITE Templates for Google Slides that are FREE:

• Slides Carnival

There are TONS of templates to choose from on here for both Google Slides and Powerpoint. You can search for templates by subject or color.

• Slides Mania

There are a lot of templates on this site for education, including digital notebook templates for educators! HUGE time saver! This website also has templates for Powerpoint in addition to Google Slides.

• Ditch That Textbook 

Scroll down the page about halfway to see the templates on this site. The 

really great part is that the templates here are games that many students will actually be interested in or want to play, such as “Would You Rather?,” Family Feud,” and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” I would highly recommend these for any educators and SLPS working with older students.

Pre-Made Products for Google Slides

Finally, if you really just do NOT have the time to create your own lessons and assignments for your virtual learners through Google Slides, check out some pre-made products for Google Slides here . There are over 20 Google Slides products in the store and they are of course all for Speech and Language Therapy. Sometimes it is the easier route to go because creating materials takes up so much of our precious time! (Which we can never get back!)

Do you use Google Slides? What is your favorite extension for it?

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12/18/2020 at 12:42 pm

Thanks this is so helpful as I’ve just been creating this school year with Google Slides! Endless possibilities!!

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How to Make a Great Slideshow Presentation Without Being a Pro

Last Updated: September 15, 2021

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 28,731 times.

A great slideshow presentation can further your career or boost your standing in a group. And, you don’t have to be a professional designer to create slideshows that pop out and grab viewer attention. You start with an awesome idea, or just a great idea and use powerful tools to bring your visualization to life.

• Easy access to all relevant text documents, pdfs, digital images and video
• Assessment of the material accumulation you have brought together
• When looking at the files, you might use for your slideshow you are getting ideas on better ways to apply them.

Expert Q&A

• Do not use music or sound effects in your slideshow unless it is appropriate to do so Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• Respect copyrights to the images and media used in your slideshow Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
• Check and review the overall presentation before finishing. Make sure all the items are on the right places and all the effects play smoothly Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
• Avoid unreadable text (small fonts, distracting backgrounds) Thanks Helpful 4 Not Helpful 1
• Do not make too many slides. Everything between 10 and 25 is a pretty good number Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 2
• Don’t upload large media files into your presentation - it will slow down the software you use and the reply to your users. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 2

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How to Make a Slideshow Online for Free (& Free Templates)

Written by: Heleana Tiburca

Slideshows are a great way to help your audience visualize an idea, emotion, story and all sorts of information. But if you feel like creating a slideshow is a difficult and tedious task, you’re in for a sweet surprise. 

By the end of this guide, you’ll learn how to make a slideshow that’s fully equipped with images, video clips, background music, text boxes, animated graphics and so much more.

So if you’re ready to learn how to create a high-quality slideshow, then let’s get started. Or, skip the how-to and dive right into our slideshow maker .

7-Step Process for Making a Slideshow for Free

Step #1: determine your slideshow’s objective, step #2: start with a slideshow template, step #3: add photos and videos, step #4: add cohesive font pairs, step #5: add background music and audio clips, step #6: add motion and animated graphic elements.

• Step #7: Download or Share Your Slideshow

18 Slideshow Templates to Help You Get Started

• Slideshows are a great way to organize information, visualize ideas, emotions and stories, engage your audience and get your message across easily.
• Before you create your slideshow, figure out what goals you want to achieve.
• Take advantage of professionally-designed templates from Visme's library to start creating your slideshows.
• Customize your slideshows using photos and videos, stylish fonts, colors, 2D and 3D graphics, animations and other stunning design assets.
• Add music, audio clips or voiceover to elicit emotion, increase depth and capture the audience's attention.

To prepare a slideshow, you first need to determine the type of slideshow you want to create and what it’s meant to do.

Will this be a laid-back picture slideshow of your vacation that doubles as a photo album to show your family? Does it need to be a professional-looking slideshow that you’ll be sharing at work?

Would you rather create a photo slideshow, a video slideshow or a combination of both? Will it be a simple slideshow or a professional-looking slideshow?

Another thing that you need to think about is the end goal for your audience.

 What do you want to accomplish? Is there an emotional goal involved to move your crowd to do something or is this a numbers-driven slideshow to focus on accomplishments?

Once you establish the mood and the type of slideshow you want to create, you can then pick out the perfect slideshow template for the job from our slideshow creator.

While you can easily create a slideshow from scratch, if you’re on a tight timeline, we recommend using a slideshow. There are a number of tools available to help you create your own beautiful slideshow, but we of course recommend Visme.

Throughout this tutorial, we’ll use screenshots from Visme’s editor to showcase how you can use our tool. And if you also plan to use Visme, you can get started searching through our selection of photo slideshow templates below.

Slideshow Templates

Brand Visual Identity Presentation

Communication Skills - Keynote Presentation

Product Training Interactive Presentation

Bright Colorful Background Presentation

Real Estate Slideshow Presentation

Creative SWOT Analysis Presentation

Create your slides View more templates

PS: you’ll want to stay tuned to the end of this article because we’ll be showing you 12 photo and video slideshow templates you can use today! 

Keep in mind that all templates are fully customizable, from colors and text to background images and stickers. You’re in full control of your slideshow’s design. 

Now that you’ve got your slideshow template picked out, it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty of customizing it. 

Photos and videos are going to be arguably the most important part of your slideshow. They can encapsulate an idea or provoke a feeling from your audience. It’s all about knowing what photos to add and where.

If you have new photos that you want to add to your slideshow that are on computer hard drives, no problem! Visme makes uploading your photos easy. 

Just click on “Photos” on the left-hand side of the editor, then “Upload.” You’ll then be prompted to upload your photos from your computer and they’ll be ready to use in just seconds. 

You can set your photo as the background of your slide, or you can make it the focal point by bringing it to the front and adding a frame to it.

Once you have your photo in the editor, you can then edit the colors of it, crop it, adjust the brightness and contrast and more. You can use Visme as your own photo editing app. 

If you don’t have photos of your own, you can scroll through millions of photos to find the perfect one to suit your slide. You can use keywords to search for the photo you have in mind, then add it to your slideshow.

Now, if you want to create video slideshows, you’ve come to the right place. Our video slideshow maker is the perfect tool for the job. You can use our video editor to trim and edit your video clips for your slideshow. 

To have a look at all of our royalty-free video footage, simply click on “Media” then “Videos.”

You’ll now be able to scroll through tons of professional short video footage to use in your slideshow. You can also use the search bar to use specific keywords to help you find the perfect video footage for your slideshow. 

Click on the video you like most to have it added to your slideshow, then play around with the size and duration of the video to suit your needs.

To upload your own video footage, click on “My Videos”, then “Upload.” You can now upload your footage and begin to edit it to fit your slideshow perfectly.

You can create lots of different slides showcasing your beautiful photos and images to show to your audience. As they say, the more the merrier! 

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One thing that you’ll really want to focus on is the text of your slideshow.

Not all fonts will work with every slideshow. As mentioned above, it’s important to pick out the mood of your slideshow and plan accordingly. 

If you are using this slideshow as a photography portfolio, then you may want to use a romantic cursive font and maybe use contrasting colors like white and red for the font. 

If this slideshow will be used in a corporate situation, then you may want to use bold and easily readable fonts with contrasting colors, such as black and white, that pop out from the background.

No matter the mood you set for your slideshow, we have a matching selection of font pairs created just for you, by our professional designers. 

To find these font pairs, scroll your cursor to the left-hand side of our editor and click on “Basics”, then “Font pairs”, as seen above. You can then scroll through loads of beautiful font pairs that were hand-picked by professional designers. 

To add them to your slideshow, just click on them once and they will be automatically added to your design. You can then further customize your font such as changing the colors, placement and boldness of the font. 

You can easily resize your text boxes by typing in your desired size or by dragging the circles surrounding the text in and out until you find the perfect size that works with your slide. 

If you have strict brand guidelines that you need to abide by, you can add your personal font into your brand kit so it’s always on hand for you to use in all your designs.

If you want to know how to make a photo slideshow with music, then you’re in luck.

With Visme, you can add your own music track or pick from the many royalty-free music options we have to offer. 

Adding music, audio or sound effects to your slideshow is a great way to captivate your audience’s attention. It can change the entire mood and aesthetic of your slideshow, so make sure you choose your audio wisely.

Here’s how to make a slideshow with music in Visme. First off, there are many different options available to users. You can either upload your own music clip or tap into Visme’s library of royalty-free music.

To upload your own music or audio clips, click on “Media” then “Audio”. There you will find an abundance of audio clips and background music to choose from to add some flare to your slideshow.

Have a listen to our royalty-free music, or even upload your own. To add in a voice-over, you can either upload your audio from your computer or, even better, you can record your audio directly within our editor. 

By recording the audio directly within our editor, you’ll save an immense amount of time and effort and skip all those extra unnecessary steps.

Adding audio and music to your slideshow is definitely a great way to keep viewers invested. Just make sure the audio isn’t too loud or distracting from the main point you’re trying to get across. 

Ready to create your own slideshow in minutes?

• Add your own text, images and more
• Customize colors, fonts and everything else
• Add interactive buttons and animations

Another great way to grow your audience’s interest in your slideshow is by animating your slides and adding animated graphic elements into your design. 

When you have multiple slides, you’ll definitely want to add animated transitions between them, for a nice and fluid effect.

We have lots of different slide transitions you can choose from. You can have your slides zoom in, slide in, enter from the top or bottom, fade and more. 

Visme makes the process simple for you, and you can apply the same transition to all slides so everything stays cohesive. 

To keep your slides exciting, we recommend that you use animated graphic characters. We have lots of animated graphic elements that you can choose from to keep your slideshow interactive.

To access the animated graphic design elements, just click on “Graphics” then scroll down to “Animated Graphics.” There, you’ll be greeted by animated illustrations, characters, gestures, shapes, special effects and more.

You can then add them to your slide and adjust their size, colors, gesture, movement, duration of movement and everything in between. 

Adding animated graphic design elements will really elevate your slideshow and take it to the next level. But remember, less is more. 

Make sure to use these animated elements sparingly and don’t overcrowd your page with too many moving objects, as you might overwhelm your viewers and have them distracted from your main focal point. 

Step #7:  Download or Share Your Slideshow

Now that you’ve got a flawless slideshow and you're ready to flaunt it off to the world, it’s time to download it in the correct format. 

Now, Visme gives you lots of different download and sharing options, so let’s go over a few of them.

First off, you can download your slideshow in JPG or PNG so you can share the slides individually to social media, send via email, or add to another document. 

This is a great way to make sure your slideshow is accessible from your computer, iPhone or Android phone, iPad and other Apple products.

Another way you can download your slideshow is as a PDF. This is a great option if you want to send your slideshow to others via email or if you want to get it printed. 

If you’ve created a video slideshow with our video slideshow maker, then you have the option to download your slideshow. You can download it as an MP4 file or a GIF.

And finally, if you want to present your slideshow offline, then you can download it as a PowerPoint, Keynote, or HTML5 to present it on Mac’s Apple Keynote or Microsoft Powerpoint.

You can also easily share your slideshow with an online link or grab an embed code to place within a blog post or webpage for your website visitors to view.

And that’s it! You’ve learned how to create a stunning slideshow from A-Z. Now it’s time for you to browse through 18 slideshow templates to help you get started.

Create a stunning presentation in less time

• Hundreds of premade slides available
• Add animation and interactivity to your slides
• Choose from various presentation options

Slideshow templates are a great way to help you get a jumpstart on your design. Sometimes the creativity just doesn’t flow, and that’s where we come in to help.

You can scroll through our templates and use the one you like the most, or just gather inspiration from looking at multiple different templates.

Whatever you choose to do, here are 12 slideshow templates to help you get started.

Template #1: Animated Valentine’s Day Photo Video Template

This emotional and romantic template is perfect for anyone who wants to celebrate love. It has 5 slides and everything about it is customizable.

The music that has been added suits the vibe perfectly, but you can add your own music to it or choose from our own collection of royalty-free music.

Template #2: Birthday Slideshow Template

Is that birthday cake I smell? If you have a loved one’s birthday coming up soon, creating a birthday slideshow could be the perfect gift. 

Add your own personal photos of your friend or family member and give it your own personal touch by adding their favorite quote or some sentimental text to the slideshow.

Template #3: Real Estate Slideshow Template

Show off photos or video clips of upcoming properties you have to sell, or houses that you’ve staged. This format is great for real estate agents as well as anyone who wants to show off their home decor portfolio.

Template #4: Memorial Slideshow Template

Slideshows are also great for personal use, like we see here. Create a slideshow to share old photos of a family member or loved one who has passed in order to honor their memory. Share these with family and friends to honor their life.

Template #5: Corporate Slideshow Template

Slideshows are also great to use in the background at networking events and in the lobby of your place of business. Customize this template with photos of your own team at work to showcase to potential customers.

Template #6: Animated Baby Shower Photo Video Template

Every baby shower deserves a sweet moment for a baby shower slideshow. 

If you want to showcase pictures of the parents as babies and make a fun and memorable slideshow for all to enjoy, you’ll want to use this baby shower slideshow template. 

Template #7: Wedding Photos Slideshow Template

There’s nothing like a wedding photos slideshow for the bride and groom.

If you’re a photographer and you want to really impress your clients, use this wedding photos slideshow template to remind them of how special their day truly was.

Template #8: Animated Nonprofit Photo Video Template

All nonprofits need amazing slideshows to show to their donors and sponsors. This nonprofit photo video template is the perfect one for the job.

Add in your information and photos to the slideshow and add music to add some moodiness to the slideshow. Pick your favorite transitions and create a professional slideshow in minutes.

Template #9: Beautiful Memories Slideshow Template

Want to share happy memories with loved ones? This is the perfect template for doing so. Showcase it at your wedding, anniversary party, birthday party and more. Or you can simply send it out to friends, Marshall and Lily style.

Template #10: Animated Portfolio Photo Video Template

Nothing showcases your work better than an animated portfolio slideshow. 

When you use this stunning portfolio slideshow template, you’ll have clients’ interest quickly peaking. The contrasting colors are show-stopping and the font is just perfect for the task at hand.

Try it out and make your portfolio now! 

Template #11: Animated US History Photo Video Template

Whether you’re a teacher or a student that needs to make a slideshow for school, you know the task at hand can be difficult.

There’s a fine line between a boring slideshow and an enthusing one, and you definitely want the latter.

If you’re creating a school project slideshow, use this template and customize it to suit your needs. You’ll have all your colleagues' attention during your entire slideshow. 

Template #12: Holiday Slideshow Template

Slideshows are also great for holiday events. Share family or work photos during the holiday season to bring a bit of holiday cheer to everyone who sees it. Easily import your own photos or sprinkle in some holiday stock photos.

Template #13: New Baby Slideshow Template

Announce a new baby via slideshow! Use professional newborn photos or take a few of your own. Easily edit them in Visme with unique crops, photo filters and color overlays.

Template #14: Technology Company Slideshow Template

Put together a stunning slideshow to showcase your product, services or solutions. This easy slideshow template has everything you need to project your startup in the best possible light.

The rich blend of dark and light purple shades mixed with other bright colors makes it visually appealing to the eye. Feel free to add or remove photos and text in your slideshow or tweak elements to suit your needs using Visme’s foolproof editing software.

Template #15: Startup Slideshow Template

Pitching to investors, presenting at a conference or sharing your vision with your team? This startup slideshow has everything you need to make a powerful and persuasive case for your business.

The template features a modern, sleek design that's perfect for showcasing what your company has to offer. You don’t have to be a professional designer to make the template suitable for your need. With a few clicks, you can switch colors, fonts and more to fit your company’s branding.

Template #16: Sales Report Slideshow Template

Looking for the easiest way to make a slideshow? Start with a template like this one from Visme’s library.

Keep your key stakeholders abreast of all the activities in the sales department using this stunning sales report slideshow.

The best part is that our templates aren’t cast in stone. You can tweak them for other purposes, such as presenting financial reports , KPI reports, marketing budgets, project status and much more. Visualize data with customizable charts, graphs and widgets to help your audience. You can understand complex data, identify patterns, and extract valuable insights.

If you’re handling multiple reports, there’s no need to feel overwhelmed. Use Visme’s dynamic fields to update key information across multiple pages of the same project or different projects.

Template #17: Technology Photo Video Template

Customize this video and make it your own! Edit and Download

If you’re looking for a smart way to blow your audience's mind during your product presentation , this slideshow video template is your best bet.

This slideshow template can be fully customized. Visme makes it super easy for anyone regardless of their skill level, to edit the content, change image(s), apply custom colors, fonts, logo and more.

Template #18: Company Culture Photo Video Template

Showcase the fun side of your company with this stunning photo video template.

With our wide range of design assets, tools and features, you can rest assured that your slideshow will be nothing short of amazing. Thanks to Visme’s easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor, you can customize the template by including high-quality photos, exclusive icons and our wide range of 2D and 3D animation features.

So why settle for flat, lifeless visuals when you can have dynamic, engaging 3D that will captivate your audience and leave a lasting impression? Click on this slideshow video template and humanize your company in the best way possible.

How to Make a Slideshow on iPhone and Android

With Visme’s mobile app, there’s no limit to what you can do with your visual content. You can design your slideshows quickly and access them anytime or anywhere.

Whether you own a business owner looking to showcase your work or just someone who wants to create beautiful memories of your special moments, Visme’s mobile app has everything you need to make your slideshow a hit.

Here’s how to turn your photos and videos into amazing slideshows perfect for sharing with your audience

1. Download your mobile app on the iOS app store

2. Create an account if you’re a new user or input your Visme account information to log in if you’re an existing user

3. You’ll find your Visme dashboard, where you can create beautiful projects or edit any existing projects.

4. Search for your preferred slideshow template or create one from scratch. Visme has thousand of slideshow templates to help bring your ideas to life.

Visme has thousand of slideshow templates to help bring your ideas to life.

5. Customize your slideshow by adding your branded fonts, color, and text as well as other stunning design elements like icons, charts, animations, and high-resolution images.

6. When you’re satisfied with the look and feel of your slideshow, you can download and share the project with your audience. Visme lets you share your project with others privately and give them different permissions, such as view, comment or edit.

Additionally, there’s also an option to share your project as a link and grant access to: anyone with the link, only people on your team or specific people. Or you can generate an embed code to place your slideshow on any website or blog.

Create Your Own Slideshow

Now that you’ve learned all the best tips and tricks for creating a beautiful slideshow, we know you just can’t wait to get started on yours. But as we’ve mentioned, you can’t make an amazing slideshow without an equally amazing slideshow maker .

Visme is an all-in-one design tool and slideshow maker, but it's also much more than that. You can create beautiful infographics, interactive social media posts, stunning videos, engaging presentations and so much more.

Ready to get started? Sign up for a free Visme account today and take it for a test drive for as long as you like.

Easily design beautiful and engaging slideshows with Visme

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About the Author

I’m Heleana and I’m a content creator here at Visme. My passion is to help people find the information they’re looking for in the most fun and enjoyable way possible. Let’s make information beautiful.

Structure Your Presentation Like a Story

by Nancy Duarte

After studying hundreds of speeches, I’ve found that the most effective presenters use the same techniques as great storytellers: By reminding people of the status quo and then revealing the path to a better way, they set up a conflict that needs to be resolved.

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How to Construct an Informational PowerPoint for a Presentation

Introduction: How to Construct an Informational PowerPoint for a Presentation

Step 1: Pick a Topic

Step 2: decide on a purpose, step 3: research/take notes on your topic, step 4: make an outline to form a slide show layout.

Step 5: Open PowerPoint

Step 6: Pick a Slide Show Style

Step 7: Type Bullets of Your Notes Into PowerPoint

Step 8: Add Bigger Font or Bolding

Step 9: Add Pictures for Visual Effect

Step 10: Practice Practice Practice

Step 11: Always SAVE Your Work

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Public Speaking Tips & Speech Topics

Visual Aids

Jim Peterson has over 20 years experience on speech writing. He wrote over 300 free speech topic ideas and how-to guides for any kind of public speaking and speech writing assignments at My Speech Class.

There are four basic reasons to include visual aids in your speech:

• To hold the audience’s attention – by getting the audience involved visually as well as orally, you are more likely to keep their interest.
• To serve as a memory aid or learning device – people learn in different ways, some people easily recall spoken information, others written information. No matter what style they prefer, the more you expose your audience to the information, the more likely they are to remember it.
• To replace your speaking notes – This doesn’t mean reading directly from your visual aid. However, a PowerPoint presentation or slide show will have keywords that you can use to structure your extemporaneous speech.
• To help indicate transitions – When you switch slides, for example, it reinforces the transitions between the two ideas indicated on the slide.

In this article:

Charts and graphs

Audio and video, five tips for your presentation, types of visual aids.

As you can see, used effectively, visual aids can add a lot to a speech. Some types of visual aids you could use in your speech include:

There are a number of different types of charts and graphs that serve a variety of purposes such as pie charts, line graphs, bar charts, flow charts and organizational charts. Be sure to pick the one which best conveys the points you are trying to make.

Use pie charts to present  figures, outcomes of surveys  and  percentages of achievements  in their context.

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Use bars, timelines or charts to compare  data , to demonstrate how something has developed over a period of time, to illustrate a series of  steps  or  processes .

Use an organography to provide insight to the  structure  or the  communication  and  command levels  of and organization, process or program.

Use a flip chart if you do not have an electronic component to note or draw the  main points ,  arguments ,  theories  or  controversies  of your visual aid speech topic for small audiences.

Note: All I wrote above about lettering and colors of overheads and slides go for visual aids like graphics and charts too.

Microsoft PowerPoint is the standard for slide software today. Using PowerPoint, you can create highly sophisticated slides with audio, video, animations and much more. An old-fashioned overhead projector can still do the job, though.

Use slides to illustrate for instance  travel adventures ,  collections ,  historial sights , Power Point-presentations or the major points of your speech for small or larger groups.

• Do not forget to darken the room somewhat.
• Give your listeners enough time to see or read the slices, let’s say at least 25 to 30 seconds. Watch out for increasing the amount of data per slide. One bit at the time.

An overhead beamer projector is a very popular instrument to support visual aid speech topics. Use overheads to show for example how a  machine ,  building  or a  plane  has been built, to present a complex  problem  with its solution and benefits, and to illustrate  processes ,  procedures , and  steps in a sequence .

• Write large characters with a big marker pen.
• Number your transparencies.
• Keep the screen in full view of participants.
• Darken the room a little bit.
• Talk to the audience, not to the screen.
• Use a slidshow pointer.
• Do not offer too much data and info.
• Use colors and large lettering. Be careful with the color red. Sometimes it is hard to see!
• Write or print with dark ink.
• Keep enough white space between the information you show wit the beamer projector. They have to be easily seen and read.

Flipcharts should only be used when you need to record information or ideas during your speech (such as taking an audience survey). Using a flipchart as a pre-prepared visual aid will seem unprofessional in most situations.

DVD’s and CD’s that relate to your topic will add interest and variety to your presentation. However, don’t use up too much of your speech time playing these. Remember, the audience is there to see you, not your media.

Use DVD’s and videotapes to emphasize the main points of your speeches about for instance  matches ,  movies ,  journeys ,  hiking trails , or  instructions .

• Tell them why you are playing the DVD or videotape.
• Tell your listeners what they are going to see.
• Keep the screen in full view.
• Darken the room somewhat to increase the feeling of seriousness of you presentation, and in order to give everyone a clear sight on the screen.

Use Audiotapes, CD’s and MP3’s to illustrate your speech about  music ,  plays ,  poems ,  literature , or perhaps even even  famous speeches .

• Ensure everybody can hear everything! Ask them if they can hear all. If not, speak out louder.
• Use amplifying equipment that is powerful enough to reach all audience members in the back row.

Handouts are a good idea in a couple of situations: 1) Your topic is too complex for the audience to easily understand from just your spoken words, and 2) If you need to ensure that the audience will remember the information long after your speech. Be careful when using handouts, however. They tend to be distrating to audience members if you don’t refer to them often. The audience also can get ahead of you by skipping to later sections of the handout.

Distribute  reports ,  invitations ,  quizes ,  questions ,  games ,  schedules ,  summaries  after or before you explain the visual aid speech topic.

• Distribute them after your visual aid speech if you want them to act the way you proposed.
• Distribute the handouts before if you want to guide your audience through the content.

Props fall into two categories: objects and models. Objects are the actual physical item that you are speaking about. Models are representations of the item that you are speaking about. No matter which type you use, props are good to refer to if they help clarify your messages and increase understanding.

Look at things around you. All things you can show live to your public are potential props and therefore candidate visual aid informative speech topics for a public speaking speech! Force yourself to think broad.

In many years I have seen lots of creative speeches about objects: someone who shows and explains a  favorite painting ,  book ,  camera ,  coins collection ,  pet ,  jewelry,fashion look ,  sporting equipment ,  toys  etc, etc. Use your imagination, elaborate further on these ideas, such as researching some fashion jewelry online for getting the big picture. Some questions to develop visual aid speech topics with props:

• Why you use it or has it been used for?
• What is the story behind it?
• When did you buy it? Why?
• Who used it?
• Can you demonstrate it step by step?
• Can you teach the audience to do or to make it themselves during or after your speech?
• Why do you want to talk about it?
• Why do they have to hear your story?
• How does it work?

If you choose for a very small or little visual aid speech topic, then move it closer to your listeners. Pass the prop round in class. Or if that is possible – think about images of expensive fashion jewelry online – show them with a beamer projector.

If it is very valuable, protect it! And ask their assistance to be very careful with it. Sure they will.

Use a poster to highlight the key points of your visuals aid speech topics. When you talk about a  country ,  city , a very expensive  drawing , or your  home  or  automobile  etc. you can show a picture printed on a poster.

• Use thick, stiff paper for your posters.
• Hold them in a visual aid holder.

There is one major rule of thumb for a successful delivery of visual aid speech topics: A visual aid is not a purpose in itself. Integrate them smartly. They have to support the content of your informative speech.

Here are five basic tips for a successful delivery of your visual aid speech topics:

• Prepare your visual aid informative speech topics adequately.
• Practice several times aloud in front of family and friends.
• Check if your electronic component is running. Have a backup option in mind.
• Constantly check if your public can see and understand what you say and present. Every member of the audience must have the possibility to see your visual aids, hold them up as long as needed.
• Point to parts in your visual aid speech topics when you talk about the features.

Speech Delivery

1 thought on “Visual Aids”

1. You can also use pictures to explain each slide.

2. Speaking outline.

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How to Add Text-to-Speech in PowerPoint: A Step-by-Step Guide

Adding text-to-speech to PowerPoint presentations is a nifty feature that allows your slides to be more accessible and engaging. Simply go to the ‘Insert’ tab, select ‘Audio’ and then ‘Text-to-Speech’ to add a spoken version of your text. You can choose from different voices and adjust the speed to suit your needs.

Once you’ve added text-to-speech to your PowerPoint, your slides will now have an audio feature that reads the text aloud to your audience. This is especially useful for those who may have difficulty reading or for presentations that will be viewed without a presenter.

Introduction

Talking about presentations, have you ever thought of making your PowerPoint slides talk? Literally! In this digitized era, accessibility is key, and one way to enhance your PowerPoint presentations is by adding text-to-speech (TTS). TTS is an assistive technology that reads digital text aloud, and it’s a game-changer for creating inclusive content. It’s beneficial for individuals with visual impairments, reading difficulties, or those who prefer auditory learning. Plus, it’s a fantastic way to give your presentation a voice when you can’t be there in person.

But why is this important? Well, think about it. We live in a world where content is consumed in various ways. By adding TTS to your PowerPoint presentations, you’re making sure that your content is accessible to a wider audience. This feature is not just for those with disabilities; it’s for everyone. It’s for the multitasker who listens to your presentation while doing something else, or the non-native speaker who benefits from hearing the pronunciation of words. It’s for the educator who wants to provide different ways for students to engage with material, or the professional who wants to add a touch of innovation to their slides. So, let’s dive in and learn how to give your PowerPoint presentations their own voice!

Step by Step Tutorial: How to Add Text-to-Speech in PowerPoint

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, understand that by following these steps, you’ll be able to add audio to your PowerPoint slides that will read the text you select. This will not only make your slides more dynamic but also more inclusive.

Step 1: Open PowerPoint and select the slide

Open your PowerPoint presentation and click on the slide where you want to add text-to-speech.

Choosing the right slide is crucial because the TTS audio will be associated with that particular slide. If you have a lot of text, consider breaking it up across multiple slides to make it easier for your audience to follow along.

Step 2: Go to the ‘Insert’ tab

Navigate to the ‘Insert’ tab on the PowerPoint ribbon, which is at the top of the screen.

The ‘Insert’ tab is where the magic happens. It’s where you can add all sorts of elements to your slides, from images to videos, and yes, TTS audio.

Step 3: Select ‘Audio’ then ‘Text-to-Speech’

Click on ‘Audio’ in the media section of the tab, and then choose ‘Text-to-Speech’ from the dropdown menu.

By selecting ‘Text-to-Speech,’ you’re telling PowerPoint that you want to convert your selected text into spoken words. It’s pretty cool!

Step 4: Highlight the text you want to read aloud

Once the TTS window opens, highlight the text on the slide that you want to convert to speech.

Be selective with the text you choose. Remember, you want your TTS to complement your presentation, not dominate it.

Step 5: Choose the voice and speed

In the TTS window, select the voice and speed you want for the audio. You can preview it to make sure it sounds just right.

This is where you can personalize the TTS feature to match the tone and pace of your presentation. Play around with the different options to find the perfect fit.

Step 6: Insert the audio

After you’re satisfied with the TTS, click ‘Insert’ and the audio will be added to your slide.

Voilà! You’ve now added a voice to your PowerPoint slide. You can move the audio icon around and hide it behind images or off the slide if you prefer a cleaner look.

Additional Information

When it comes to adding text-to-speech in PowerPoint, there are a few additional tips and insights that can enhance your experience. First off, not all versions of PowerPoint have the TTS feature built-in. If you’re using an older version, you might need to upgrade or find a third-party TTS plugin. Also, consider the language and clarity of your text. Since TTS reads exactly what’s written, ensure your text is clear, concise, and free of jargon that might confuse the TTS software.

Furthermore, practice good design principles when using TTS. Since the audio will draw attention to the text, make sure it’s easy to read and visually appealing. Use bullet points, short sentences, and avoid cluttering the slide with too much information. Remember, the goal is to enhance your presentation, not overwhelm your audience.

Lastly, always test your TTS before presenting. This will help you catch any errors, adjust the volume, and ensure the pacing is right. Consider the environment where your presentation will be viewed. Will there be noise interference? Will the audience have headphones? All these factors can affect how well your TTS is received. By paying attention to these details, you ensure that your message is heard loud and clear.

• Open PowerPoint and select the slide.
• Go to the ‘Insert’ tab.
• Select ‘Audio’ then ‘Text-to-Speech’.
• Highlight the text for TTS.
• Choose the voice and speed.
• Insert the audio into your slide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can i customize the voice in text-to-speech.

Yes, you can choose from different voices provided by PowerPoint to find one that suits your presentation.

What if my PowerPoint version doesn’t have text-to-speech?

You may need to upgrade to a newer version or find a third-party TTS plugin compatible with PowerPoint.

Can I adjust the speed of the text-to-speech?

Absolutely, you have control over how fast or slow the TTS reads your text.

Will text-to-speech work with any text on my slide?

TTS will read any text that you highlight and choose to convert. However, keep in mind any limitations in text length.

Is there a way to test the text-to-speech before presenting?

Yes, you can preview the TTS in PowerPoint and make adjustments as needed before finalizing your presentation.

PowerPoint has come a long way, and with the text-to-speech feature, it’s making strides in accessibility and versatility. Whether you’re an educator, professional, or just someone who loves to create dynamic presentations, adding TTS is a step towards making your content more inclusive and engaging.

Remember, the goal is to communicate effectively, and by giving your slides a voice, you’re ensuring that your message is not just seen but also heard. So, go ahead, explore this feature, and let your PowerPoint presentations speak for themselves!

Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read over 50 million times.

After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.

His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.

Read his full bio here.

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