every presentation in powerpoint is consists of a number of

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How to Structure a PowerPoint Presentation

content creator

Helen Colman See full bio →

Think of a movie that has breathtaking special effects but no storyline. Does it have any chances of becoming a blockbuster? Of course not. The same is true with a PowerPoint presentation. No matter how beautiful the visuals of your slide deck are, it will never be a success if it doesn’t follow a logically sound structure.

In this post, we’ll cover the typical presentation structure in PowerPoint – what sections it should include – and provide some practical tips on how to arrange the slides and implement these ideas technically. Use these practical guidelines to organize your slides in a clear and simple way and save time on their development. But first, let’s see why your PPT deck needs to be guided by a structure.

Why Is Structuring a PowerPoint Presentation Important?

A sound deck structure is crucial for audience understanding. When the information is presented logically, it’s much easier for a viewer to get the message. The research supports this idea – it shows that people are 40% more likely to retain structured information than unstructured information.

If you’re going to accompany your slideshow with an oral presentation, a good structure is also important for you as a speaker. It will help you feel confident, stay on topic, and avoid any awkward silences, so you’re more likely to win your audience over. 

What Is the Typical PowerPoint Presentation Structure?

A good PowerPoint presentation always has a story to tell and, like any narration, it consists of three basic parts: introduction, body, and conclusion. Let’s look at each part in greater detail with some examples. 

Introduction

The introduction sets the tone for the entire presentation and explains what the audience will come away with after viewing it. Here are the multiple slides you may need to add in the intro: 

This is the main part of your presentation, which should keep the promises you made in the introduction. This is where you explain your topic and present all your information. 

Depending on the nature of your presentation, divide it into segments/points. Arrange your points in a logical order and then provide information to support each of them. There are many different ways to organize your key points, for example:

• Number your points according to their priority (1, 2, 3, …)
• Place the points in a time frame (past, present, future)
• Use narration (tell a story from beginning to end)
• Present the points with a problem-solution dynamic (state a problem, describe its impact, offer ways to solve the issue)

A good conclusion summarizes the key points you made or highlights what the audience should have learned. It clarifies the general purpose of your presentation and reinforces the reason for viewing it. Here are the slides you may want to include:

• Summary. List what goals your audience have achieved, what knowledge they got, and how this information can help them in the future.
• Conclusion. Here you can thank your audience for viewing the presentation.

Tips for Structuring a Presentation in PowerPoint

Now that you know which parts a typical presentation should consist of, let’s see how to structure it in PowerPoint. 

1. Combine slides into sections

When working with a large PowerPoint presentation (PPT), you can create sections that can be collapsed and expanded. This will help you keep presentation slides organized and facilitate navigation in editing mode. To do that, follow these steps:

• To shift a section, right-click on its name and use the Move Section Up and Move Section Down options.
• To collapse or expand a certain section, click on the collapse icon to the left of the section name. You can also minimize and maximize all sections at once by right-clicking on the section name and choosing Collapse All or Expand All .

As well, you can access these settings by choosing Slide Sorter under the VIEW tab.

This kind of segmentation is a great way to overview the logical flow of your slides all at once and see if there are any changes required. For example, you may decide to break one slide into two or three, or the other way around.

2. Use the Outline View

One other way to structure a PowerPoint presentation in the editing mode is to use Outline View . You can choose it from the VIEW tab.

This view doesn’t display sections, but it shows the title and main text of each slide, which can give you a quick overview of the presentation contents. Here you can go through the entire text and edit it instantly. You can also work with text (on the left) and slides (on the right) simultaneously, as the latter is shown on the right side of your screen.

Note that, to be displayed in an outline, text needs to be typed in a text placeholder, not a text box . A text placeholder is a box with the words “Click to add text” or “Click to add title”, and it appears when you choose a standard layout.

You can also use Outline View to promote bullet text to titles and the other way around. To do that, right-click on a relevant title or text and select the Promote or Demote options.

Be attentive about demoting a title, as this will delete the original slide and move its title and text to the adjacent slide.

PowerPoint only allows users to promote and demote text, not entire slides. Therefore, there’s no possibility to change the hierarchical order of slides.

3. Create a table of contents

All the aforementioned tips help you organize a presentation when formatting it. However, it’s crucial that your viewers can easily navigate through entire presentation too. One sure way to provide them with this opportunity is to create an interactive and structured table of contents.

Though there’s no native automatic outline in PowerPoint, it can be created manually:

• Press Ctrl+A to select all the names, and Ctrl+C to copy them. 
• Then Press Ctrl+V to paste the copied titles on the desired slide. In case there are too many titles and they don’t fit onto a single page, you can divide the table of contents into two columns or place it on two slides.

You’ll need to repeat this procedure to link all the chapters to corresponding slides. For more information, read this step-by-step guide on how to add a hyperlink in PowerPoint .

Now all the chapters can be accessed from a single table of contents, which is very convenient. However, you will also need to link them back to that unifying page. You can do this by inserting an Action Button on every slide of your presentation in Slide Master mode:

Now there is a single page from which all the other pages can be easily accessed. As well, it’s possible to go back to the table of contents at any time with the intuitive Home button.

Depending on the size of your presentation, the time it takes to create an interactive outline may vary, as you will need to add hyperlinks to every chapter manually. Be aware that if you rename a slide or simply delete it, these changes will not be automatically registered in the table of contents. For example, if you delete a slide, its title will still be displayed in the table of contents, but clicking on it won’t lead the viewer to another point in the presentation.

This is what our sample presentation looks like:

A Better Way to Structure a PowerPoint Presentation

Creating a table of contents manually might be fine for a small presentation, but if you have 122 slides, it would require too much time and energy to do so. That’s why, instead of manually creating a table of contents, we took advantage of iSpring Suite and simply enabled the automatic outline.  

iSpring Suite

Fully-stocked eLearning authoring toolkit for PowerPoint. No training required to start!

Note: iSpring Suite turns slides into HTML5 format, so your audience can view them online, right in their browsers. 

As you can see, the new presentation has a pop-up outline and a navigation panel, which make it possible to move to any slide at any time without leaving the slide show mode. 

How to set up navigation

To create navigation in your presentation, follow these simple steps:

• Get a free trial of iSpring Suite.

• When you’ve configured the Slide Properties settings, click on Save & Close in the upper-left corner.

How to configure an outline

Whereas PowerPoint requires the outline to be designed manually, iSpring Suite has already prepared it for you. At the same time, you don’t have to stick with the standard outline template, as you can easily customize the player’s final look and feel:

We recommend leaving Enable Search marked, as this will allow viewers to search for any content at any time, including the texts on the slides. This is especially useful for large presentations with a lot of text.

If you have previously arranged slides into multiple levels in the Slide Properties, then leave Multilevel outline marked. That way, the outline will display the nesting structure of the presentation, facilitating navigation. You can learn more about the other outline options here .

• When you have finished configuring the player, click on Apply & Close in the upper-left corner.
• Now you can publish your enhanced presentation either to HTML5, to make it easily accessible via browser on any device, or MP4 video format. If you’re going to upload your presentation to an LMS, you can publish it to any eLearning format: SCORM, AICC, Tin Can, or cmi5. 

While a standard PowerPoint slideshow is straightforward and limited, iSpring Suite saves viewers from having to follow a strict slide order. An interactive and searchable outline allows non-linear navigation, where any information can be accessed at any time at a glance.

Also read : → How to Convert PowerPoint to MP4 Video

Also read : →  How To Record Presentations With Audio

Another perk

iSpring Suite comes with Content Library , which provides a great collection of presentation templates and allows you to create professional-looking presentations in a matter of minutes. Each template includes basic course elements: a title slide, a table of contents, chapters, a timeline, and info slides. Organize them in the order you prefer, populate them with your texts and images, and your presentation is ready to go.

We hope this article will help you develop an ideal structure for your PowerPoint presentation and do this quickly and easily. Captivate your audience with a powerful and persuasive presentation!

Do you have any other insights on how to simplify PowerPoint slides design? Please share them in the comment section. We’d like to hear from you. 

Table of Contents

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Helen Colman

She enjoys combining in-depth research with expert knowledge of the industry. If you have eLearning insights that you’d like to share, please get in touch .

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How to Choose the Right Number of Slides for a Powerpoint Presentation

Last Updated: July 12, 2023 References

Choosing the Right Number of Slides Based on Design Choices

Using time to determine the right number of slides, moving beyond formulaic answers to finding the right number of slides.

This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff . Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 221,772 times. Learn more...

• Keep the presentation about you, not the slideshow. [2] X Research source The slides are there to support what you have to say. They should be just one part of your presentation, not the whole thing.

• Go through your entire presentation and ask yourself if you really need a given slide. If the answer is no, or if you find you can deliver the info verbally instead, eliminate it.

• If your presentation ended well before the time limit you’ve been given, try to extend the amount of time you spend on each slide, or add extra slides to expand on the info introduced in the presentation.
• Solicit advice from family and friends during your practice presentation. If they feel there are too many or too few slides, or if they feel certain sections of the presentation felt rushed or slow, adjust your presentation to correct these deficiencies.

• One well-known formulation for PowerPoint presentations is the 10/20/30 rule. This rule dictates that you should use about ten slides for a twenty minute presentation, and each slide should utilize thirty point font. In other words, each slide should be about two minutes in length. [8] X Research source Perhaps the 10/20/30 rule works for you. If it does not, don’t feel as if you’re using the wrong number of slides.
• Others argue that an average slide should be onscreen for no more than two minutes, and can be onscreen for as little as 15 seconds. [9] X Research source

• If, on the other hand, you’re in a more intimate environment and can control the lighting, you might be inclined to utilize a greater number of slides. As always, however, don’t feel obligated to use many slides just because you can.

Community Q&A

• If your slide has embedded video, or you aren’t using one slide for each point of your presentation, you can spend longer on each slide. [11] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Treat each slide on its own merits. If one slide needs to be onscreen for two minutes, so be it. If it needs to be onscreen for ten seconds, that’s fine too. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• If you have a slide with no pictures but several bullet points, each of which you intend to talk about for fifteen to twenty seconds, you might spend well over a minute on that slide. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• When you take all of these factors (detail, technicality, audience size and awareness, etc.) into consideration, you can see that the only short answer to "how many slides should I use" is: "it depends." Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://www.virtualsalt.com/powerpoint.htm
• ↑ http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2006-06-01/how-to-powerpoint-like-a-pro
• ↑ http://www.shutterstock.com/blog/7-design-tips-for-effective-beautiful-powerpoint-presentations
• ↑ http://www.mrmediatraining.com/2011/03/10/the-five-most-common-powerpoint-mistakes/
• ↑ http://www.free-power-point-templates.com/articles/how-many-slides-for-a-30-minute-presentation/
• ↑ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/ppt/20071016041310_686.ppt

About This Article

1. Break complex slides into several simple slides. 2. Include audio and video support only as needed. 3. Time your presentation. 4. Match the number of slides to the subject matter. 5. Tailor to your audience. Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Blog > How to structure a good PowerPoint Presentation

How to structure a good PowerPoint Presentation

08.09.21   •  #powerpoint #tips.

When creating presentations, it is particularly important that they are well organized and have a consistent structure.

A logical structure helps the audience to follow you and to remember the core information as best as possible. It is also important for the presenter, as a good presentation structure helps to keep calm, to stay on the topic and to avoid awkward pauses.

But what does such a structure actually look like? Here we show you how to best organize your presentation and what a good structure looks like.

Plan your presentation

Before you start creating your presentation, you should always brainstorm. Think about the topic and write all your ideas down. Then think about the message you want to communicate, what your goal is and what you want your audience to remember at the end.

Think about who your audience is so that you can address them in the best possible way. One possibility is to start your presentation with a few polls to get to know your audience better. Based on the results, you can then adapt your presentation a little. Use the poll function of SlideLizard and have all the answers at a glance. SlideLizard makes it possible to integrate the polls directly into your PowerPoint presentation which helps you to avoid annoying switching between presentation and interaction tool. You can keep an eye on the results while the votes come in and then decide whether you want to share them or not.

• an informative
• an entertaining
• an inspiring
• or a persuasive presentation?

Typical Presentation Structure

The basic structure of a presentation is actually always the same and should consist of:

Introduction

Make sure that the structure of your presentation is not too complicated. The simpler it is, the better the audience can follow.

Personal Introduction

It is best to start your presentation by briefly introducing yourself which helps to build a connection with your audience right away.

Introduce the topic

Then introduce the topic, state the purpose of the presentation and provide a brief outline of the main points you will be addressing.

Mention the length

In the introduction, mention the approximate length of the talk and then also make sure you stick to it.

The introduction should be no longer than two slides and provide a good overview of the topic.

Icebreaker Polls

According to studies, people in the audience only have an average attention span of 10 minutes, which is why it is important to increase their attention right at the beginning and to arouse the audience's interest. You could make a good start with a few icebreaker polls for example. They lighten the mood right at the beginning and you can secure your audience's attention from the start.

For example, you could use SlideLizard to have all the answers at a glance and share them with your audience. In addition, the audience can try out how the polls work and already know how it works if you include more polls in the main part.

Get to know your audience

As mentioned earlier, it is always useful to think about who your audience actually is. Ask them questions at the beginning about how well they already know the topic of your presentation. Use SlideLizard for this so that you have a clear overview about the answers. You can use both single- and multiple-choice questions or also open questions and display their results as a WordCloud in your presentation, for example.

Include a quote

To make the beginning (or the end) of your presentation more exciting, it is always a good idea to include a quote. We have selected some powerful quotes for PowerPoint presentations for you.

Present your topic

The main part of a presentation should explain the topic well, state facts, justify them and give examples. Keep all the promises you made earlier in the introduction.

Length and Structure

The main part should make up about 70% of the presentation and also include a clear structure. Explain your ideas in detail and build them up logically. It should be organized chronologically, by priority or by topic. There should be a smooth transition between the individual issues. However, it is also important to use phrases that make it clear that a new topic is starting. We have listed some useful phrases for presentations here.

Visualize data and statistics and show pictures to underline facts. If you are still looking for good images, we have selected 5 sources of free images for you here.

Focus on the essentials

Focus on what is most important and summarize a bit. You don't have to say everything about a topic because your audience won’t remember everything either. Avoid complicated sentence structure, because if the audience does not understand something, they will not be able to read it again.

Make your presentation interactive

Make your presentation interactive to keep the attention of your audience. Use SlideLizard to include polls in your presentation, where your audience can vote directly from their smartphone and discuss the answers as soon as you received all votes. Here you can also find more tips for increasing audience engagement.

Repeat the main points

The conclusion should contain a summary of the most important key points. Repeat the main points you have made, summarize what the audience should have learned and explain how the new information can help in the future.

Include a Q&A part

Include a Q&A part at the end to make sure you don't leave any questions open. It's a good idea to use tools like SlideLizard for it. Your audience can ask anonymous questions and if there is not enough time, you can give them the answers afterwards. You can read more about the right way to do a question slide in PowerPoint here.

Get Feedback

It is also important to get feedback on your presentation at the end to keep improving. With SlideLizard you can ask your audience for anonymous feedback through star ratings, number ratings or open texts directly after your presentation. You can then export the responses and analyse them later in Excel.

Presentation style

Depending on the type of presentation you give, the structure will always be slightly different. We have selected a few different presentation styles and their structure for you.

Short Presentation

If you are one of many presenters on the day, you will only have a very limited time to present your idea and to convince your audience. It is very important to stand out with your presentation.

So you need to summarize your ideas as briefly as possible and probably should not need more than 3-5 slides.

Problem Solving Presentation

Start your presentation by explaining a problem and giving a short overview of it.

Then go into the problem a little more, providing both intellectual and emotional arguments for the seriousness of the problem. You should spend about the first 25% of your presentation on the problem.

After that, you should spend about 50% of your presentation proposing a solution and explaining it in detail.

In the last 25%, describe what benefits this solution will bring to your audience and ask them to take a simple but relevant action that relates to the problem being discussed.

Tell a Story

A great way to build an emotional connection with the audience is to structure a presentation like a story.

In the introduction, introduce a character who has to deal with a conflict. In the main part, tell how he tries to solve his problem but fails again and again. In the end, he manages to find a solution and wins.

Stories have the power to win customers, align colleagues and motivate employees. They’re the most compelling platform we have for managing imaginations. - Nancy Duarte / HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations

Make a demonstration

Use the demonstration structure to show how a product works. First talk about a need or a problem that has to be solved.

Then explain how the product will help solve the problem and try to convince your audience of the need for your product.

Spend the end clarifying where and when the product can be purchased.

Chronological structure

When you have something historical to tell, it is always good to use a chronological structure. You always have to ask yourself what happens next.

To make it more interesting and exciting, it is a good idea to start by telling the end of something and after that you explain how you got there. This way you make the audience curious and you can gain their attention faster.

Nancy Duarte TED Talk

Nancy Duarte is a speaker and presentation design expert. She gives speeches all over the world, trying to improve the power of public presentations.

In her famous TED Talk "The Secret Structure of Great Talks" she dissects famous speeches such as Steve Jobs' iPhone launch speech and Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech. In doing so, she found out that each presentation is made up of 4 parts:

• What could be
• A moment to remember
• Promise of “New Bliss”

Related articles

About the author.

Helena Reitinger

Helena supports the SlideLizard team in marketing and design. She loves to express her creativity in texts and graphics.

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The big SlideLizard presentation glossary

Slide transitions.

Slide transitions are visual effects which appear in PowerPoint when one slide moves to the next. There are many different transitions, like for example fade and dissolve.

Solution Presentation

A solution has already been found during a solution presentation. The only thing that remains is to find a solution on how to realize the decision.

Learning on Demand

Learning on Demand means that the content is available extactly when it's needed by the learner

Virtual Reality

With Virtual Reality people can practice situations and important processes in a virtual room by putting on special digital glasses. They can influence what happens themselves.

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How many slides should I have in my PowerPoint presentation?

When you’re planning out your next big presentation, it can be hard to know what the slide count sweet spot is. How many slides to put in a presentation, to keep your audience’s attention, is a much bigger question than it may seem.

We’d love to tell you there’s a simple answer, but if you really want to create a persuasive argument, there are a few variables to consider when planning the number of slides in your presentation. And despite what other articles spout, it has nothing to do with time.

We bet you’ve heard a few conflicting theories on this subject, so we thought it was about time we weighed in. You might’ve heard  Guy Kawasaki ’s 10/20/30 rule. This rule states that the “perfect” presentation has ten slides, lasts for 20 minutes, and uses a 30pt font. Or you might’ve read that every minute you speak equates to one slide on display behind you. You might even have uncovered some more formulaic and intricate theories than those, where x = the perfect number of slides. To reach x, you simply divide the number of people in the audience by how many seconds you have to speak, times that by how many steps between your house and the venue, to the power of your height in centimetres. If you’ve already worked your way through a series of varying opinions, you might currently be crying out “just tell me how many damn slides I need!”

Just tell me how many damn slides I need! You

While a lot of these theories are rooted in intelligent thinking and, sometimes, even science, we can’t get on board. They’re just too damn limiting. The people behind the theories were probably trying to over-simplify this complicated question, just to give you an answer. But do you want any answer? Or do you want the right answer?

The right answer is: you’re thinking about presentations wrong.

Do you think Jack Kerouac, Graham Greene, or Dan Brown ever sat down to write with the sole intention of landing on 432 pages? No, they had stories to tell, and it didn’t matter how many pages they took to tell them.

What makes you so different from  Kerouac ?

How many slides until there’s purpose?

You’re writing a presentation with a purpose. There’s a change you want to make, and your task is to convey your message persuasively, to inspire everyone that hears it to want the same change. Your purpose is not to fill exactly 20 minutes with exactly ten slides. It takes as many slides as it takes.

No, we’re not just going to leave you with that. We’re not trying to lose friends, clients and beloved readers.

We understand that presentations do often have a time limit, and that limit is one we have to consider when writing. But that limit needs to influence the number of ideas you try to convey, not dictate how many slides go into your presentation to convey these ideas. Because that’s what we’re really talking about here: ideas. For a shorter presentation, you’re going to need to be cut-throat with your editing. To trim the excess, until all that’s left is the most impactful, delicious centre piece. 

That doesn’t mean, if you have the freedom of time, you should use it to reel off every idea you’ve ever had. But you can allow yourself the luxury to layer linked ideas that all point towards one conclusion. To build a nest of ideas. And to support those ideas with facts, figures, previous successes, as well as other people’s ideas.

Only once you’ve written your detailed narrative structure, or your full script , if that’s how you feel most comfortable, should you even start to think about PowerPoint slides.

Give your ideas room to breathe

Each of your ideas deserves its time to shine. A dramatic pause works to let an impactful sentence sink in, giving the audience a moment to consider the gravity of the spoken word. Uncluttered slides have the same effect. If you try to include too many ideas on one slide, none of them are going to be understood, or remembered. 

If you’re just starting out in the world of persuasive communications, a good rule to follow is:  one idea, one slide . This will allow each idea to have its moment, without competing with any of the other ideas. This will also mean, visually, you’ll have more opportunity to enhance your message. With more slide real estate to play with, you can create presentation designs that hammer your ideas home, rather than confuse the situation further.

The journey of an idea:

• introduce it
• let it sink in

and signal the introduction of the next idea with a brand-new slide.

This is a great guide, for those lacking confidence, to use as a starting point. It is not a rule.

What counts as an idea?

Now, this is a much more complicated question, and one that will change for every presentation. In our role as guides in this scenario, we want to give you a tangible answer to your query, not simply introduce more questions, and more confusion, into the mix. After all, if your presentation is tomorrow and your search was the result of extreme desperation and maybe a little too much wine, well, you’re probably not reading this anymore because you’ve already poured said wine over your laptop in frustration. But if you are still with us, you’re probably really keen to get an answer right about now.

Frustration and confusion are not our goals. We just respect you too much to lie to you. We trust that you’ve caught on to the general theme that there are many considerations that go into the slide count of any presentation that comes through the Hype Presentations studio doors. Now that we’ve addressed that, we can give you a template to help you along your way.

If you’ve read any of our other  storytelling blogs , you already know that every story – this includes your presentation – needs a beginning, middle and end . Let’s break down a very basic structure, and accompanying slide count, for these three key sections.

This is where you set the scene, pique the audience’s interest, give them a clue as to what’s in it for them, and establish common ground. It might look something like this:

• Title slide : give your audience something exciting to look at, as they’re waiting for the presentation to begin. One slide.
• Agenda: lay out the journey they’re about to go on, and why it will be worth their while. One slide.
• Current situation : describe the landscape as it currently stands, making sure everyone is on the same page before you set off. No man left behind. One slide.

This is where we get into the real juicy bit of storytelling. And it’s also where all hope you had of squeezing a definitive slide count out of us will come tumbling down. 

A persuasive argument needs to acknowledge your audience’s challenges, and propose a solution to each one of them. Your audience might have one challenge, they might have 50, which is where the ambiguity kicks back in. Each challenge needs its own slide, and each solution does too. 

If your audience does have 50 challenges, try to find common themes between them, so you can address them as a cohesive group, all under one idea umbrella. Human beings find patterns comforting, so they’ll appreciate the bundling, as well as the reduced slide count.

Appealing to emotion, by showing you have the answer to your audience’s problems, is just one part of landing a persuasive argument. You also need to apply to logic and establish credibility. Again, this could take one slide, or it could take nine, but here is some general guidance:

• Case studies: one case study per slide.
• How it works: if the technology, service, or process you’re proposing is simple, showing your audience how it works may only take one slide. However, if it’s complicated, you’ll need to break it into component parts and tell this story across multiple slides. Remember, it’s about clarity and comprehension. It takes as many slides as it takes for the information to be processed.
• About you: audiences don’t care that much about how you were formed, or where your CEO worked before he came to be with you. Edit your company information down to what actually matters to them, and what will establish credibility in their eyes. If you’ve won awards that prove your innovations are the best in your field, show them the accolades. If the technology partner you work with is exclusive to you, let them know. The most effective ‘About us’ sections are one or two slides at the most. Avoid the company timeline, at all costs.

To close, you’re going to want to sum your key points up in one slide. Just a gentle reminder of the immense benefits they will receive by working with you.

And finally, your end slide should be, as the name suggests, one slide with a powerful call to action. To find out more about how to leave a lasting impression on every audience you encounter,  take a look at this article .

Even if you’re still pulling your hair out, desperately grasping for a simple number, hopefully these guidelines have given you some food for thought.

And now we’re going to complicate the already-fuzzy rules we’ve put in place. 

At Hype Presentations, we never look at the number of slides.

Give a shit, that’s what we say. Slide count doesn’t mean a damn thing. Sometimes we spread one message across five slides, because that’s how you get the animation to work seamlessly. Complicated navigation often requires duplicating slides, so that you don’t confuse PowerPoint as to where action came from. In contrast, we can present really complicated messaging on just one slide by using animation builds to break up the story, instead of a series of slides. There are so many variables. All we’re trying to say is, stop worrying yourself about slide count. 

However, some things, to do with slide count, you should worry yourself about:

Bad advice  

This is a call back to some of those other articles you likely stumbled across in your search. If you’re basing your presentation on hitting exactly one minute per slide, you’ve already lost your audience and you’re not even stood in front of them.

If you’re basing your presentation on hitting exactly one minute per slide, you’ve already lost your audience and you’re not even stood in front of them.

Are all ideas created equal? No. Does your audience care about everything you have to say in equal measure? No. Even if you’ve taken the “so what?” test, and all your messages have passed and are providing value to them, they’re not going to appreciate you skipping over important parts of the solution because the clock is ticking. 

Take time to explain the ideas with the greatest impact, and appreciate your audience’s intelligence enough to assume they’ll understand what an award means, without you describing it for a minute, just because the rule says so.

Do you need slides at all? 

Pick your jaw up off the floor. Just because we create next-level presentations day in, day out, and we absolutely bloody love PowerPoint, doesn’t mean we’re going to lead you astray. Sometimes, you just don’t need the support that slides bring. 

Slides are not there to remind you, as presenter, what your key talking points are. If you’re one of the – terrifyingly few – people who practice adequately ahead of a big presentation, you won’t need your memory jogged anyway. 

Slides are not there to tell the whole story for you. The slideshow is not the presentation. The words coming out of your mouth are what the audience came to hear. You are the star of your own presentation.

Before you start closing your laptop down in celebration, let’s take a step back and talk about why you (probably) do need slides.

What are slides for, anyway?

When  designed  and animated correctly, slides enhance your spoken message so that it’s easier to understand, easier to remember, and more persuasive. You and your slides are a team. There are some things that a visual can just do better than you can. Take, for example, a chart. You could spend half an hour painting a word picture of a chart you saw once. Or you could whack an impactful piece of data vis up on the screen and move on.

So, back to the original question you never even asked:

When might you not need slides?

If you only have five minutes to influence that desired change in the minds, hearts, and actions of your audience, an emotional and well-told story, spoken directly from your heart, without the dilution of technology or the fumbling of a slide clicker, could be the best way to get your message across. No distractions, no gimmicks, just authenticity. 

In this instance, it wouldn’t matter how many slides are in your presentation, they’re never going to be more impactful than your honesty and vulnerability.

In this short amount of time, your audience is unlikely to suffer from information overload and forget any of your messages, so you don’t need the slides for their ability to enhance memory. They’re unlikely to lose the train of your narrative, so you don’t need the slides as visual guidance. And if your story is told right, speaking to their challenges, and wrapped up in a situation that’s personal to them, you won’t need the persuasive powers of PowerPoint either.

But, nine times out of ten, a PowerPoint can only better your spoken messaging. Fact.

Nine times out of ten, a PowerPoint can only better your spoken messaging.

Extra time means extra slides 

And not just because of the extra ideas. If you’ve been asked to speak for a long time, firstly ask yourself if it’s really necessary. Can your audience concentrate for that long? Could the session be split into smaller chunks? Is it even going to be valuable for them? Do you have that many relevant ideas?

If it turns out to be necessary, there are some extra slides you’re going to want to add to your deck. Consider adding regular breaks (one slide per break), recaps (one slide per recap), even quizzes (one slide per question-answer combo) to keep your audience engaged, check understanding, and give them a chance to stretch their legs.

And, with the freedom of time, comes the opportunity to use other people’s voices to enhance your own. Consider adding relevant quotes, audio clips, or videos from recognisable people who support your message. Of course, you could animate these elements onto your slide with a click, but if you’re not that confident using PowerPoint, creating a new slide for each is an easier option.

When we’re deciding what the most impactful way to tell a client’s story is, we bring brilliant minds from each department together to throw ideas around, consider workarounds for each limitation, and push ourselves to deliver the best solution for each client. And not once do we say “But is that the right number of slides?”

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How Many PowerPoint Slides Should You Use in a Presentation?

Instead, you want to figure out what you want to say first . Then, after you have designed a great presentation, go back and figure out what visual aids you will need to better make your key points. The main rule of thumb is to provide only the number of slides that you absolutely need and absolutely no more than that.

So in this session, I’m going to cover a few examples for the right number of slides needed in short presentations, the long presentation, the best way to give corporate presentations.

The Max Number of Slides for a 15-Minute Presentation (or Less.)

Instead, especially for short talks, the first thing you want to do is make a list of the most important items that need to be covered in your presentation. Then, rank these items based on their list of importance. As you go down the list, you should notice that the level of importance for each item drops exponentially as you go down the list. So, instead of covering all of the items, just cover the three (or five) most important items in your presentation.

On your first slide, give an overview of all of the points. Just list them out for the audience so they can see what you will be covering. Then, create a separate slide for each of the three (or five) main points. Finally, on your last slide, just copy the content from your first slide and your introduction now becomes a nice conclusion as well.

By the way, for most business presentations, if you can deliver the important things in a 10-minute speech, you will be loved. If you require a 30-minute presentation time, the audience will like you about three times less.

For more details about how to design presentations or to use our helpful online presentation generator click here.

What If You Have an Hour-Long Talk? How Many Slides Do You Need?

Start with an introduction slide with an overview of all five bullet points. On your internal slides, just cover the single main idea for each bullet. You will have five internal slides. Then, end with your summary slide with the main concepts one more time. This repetition of the main concepts will increase the audience’s retention of the material. For the more seasoned presenter, you can use just three main bullet points but add an extra relevant story to each point. The more that you use this technique the easier you will find it to fit your content into the correct presentation length.

For instance, if you find yourself rushing at the end without enough time to finish, you can give fewer details in your stories. If you finish early, you can add more details into your examples and stories.

For a 60-minute presentation, use five bullet points and seven slides . This time insert a couple of different stories as evidence of each bullet point. I like to use the “bad example/good example” technique. On each of the internal slides, give your audience an example of yourself or someone else who did the opposite of the point. Then, follow up with a good example.

The “Bad Example/Good Example” Technique.

If I were to use the technique to prove the point that you need seven slides for an hour presentation, I could use the following…

Bad Example : A few years ago, I went to a three-day seminar where the presenter taught about how to market to universities. On the first morning, his team gave each of us a three-ring binder with hundreds of pages. I was actually pretty excited as I scanned the binder. It was full of a ton of great information. During the first hour, the speaker gave us over 50 great tips and techniques. In the next hour, he covered another 50. He did this over and over for two and a half days. Because I am a public speaking

However, a better example is…

Good Example : A few weeks ago, a long-time client asked me to design a custom workshop for his team. He had a team who were working on a project that had been discontinued. So, he wanted to help the team members have an easier time getting rehired elsewhere in the company. We created a short class for them on how to do well in a job interview. I started by making a list of the most important items they would likely want to know. Art the top of the list was how to reduce nervousness. I spent the first few minutes covering details on how to do this. Second, I gave them a simple process to help them answer questions with credibility. Finally, I gave them a list of questions they would likely be asked. I could have covered hundreds of other tips. However, these were the things that would give them the most bang-for-their-buck.

How Many Slides for a Longer Presentation

Basically, if you design a 120-minute PowerPoint presentation, start by creating two 60-minute presentations. Then, just insert a short break in between each session. When I created the two-day Fearless Presentations ® class, I didn’t start with two days of content. On the contrary, I started with an outline of the “most important” items just like what I suggested you do in your 15-minute presentation.

Here is the list that I started with:

• How to Reduce Public Speaking Fear.
• Designing Short Impromptu Speeches.
• How to Create a Presentation that Is Easier to Deliver.
• Adding Energy and Enthusiasm to Boring Topics.
• Ways to Add Impact and Interactivity to a Presentation.

If I wanted to, I could deliver the entire content of this speech in an hour-long keynote. I’d just need to insert a few examples for each point. That is pretty easy. However, if I want to turn the list into a 2-day seminar, that is pretty easy as well. I’d start with the first point, “How to Reduce Public Speaking Fear.” This becomes the topic of a new one-hour presentation. I use the same technique. “What is the most important thing I can teach the audience about reducing nervousness? What is the second most important thing? And the third thing?”

Basically, the entire two-day class is just a collection of five shorter presentations. In my entire slide deck, I use about 30 different slides in two full days.

The Guy Kawasaki 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint

Guy Kawasaki created an interesting PowerPoint rule for entrepreneurs coming to him for venture capital. He calls it his 10/20/30 PowerPoint Rule . This general rule is what he requires presenters to use when they come to him for help. Basically, he noticed that presenters spend too much time blathering about unimportant things. So, he gave them a guide and set time limits for each presenter.

• 10 PowerPoint Slides
• 20-Minute Presentation
• 30 Point Font

Obviously, he created these criteria for a certain type of presentation. However, his logic is sound. In fact, the only thing I might argue with him about is the 10 slides rule. Kawasaki says, “Ten is the optimal number of slides in a PowerPoint presentation because a normal human being cannot comprehend more than ten concepts in a meeting.”

Let me reiterate that. A normal human being cannot comprehend. He doesn’t say retain. The average person can comprehend more information than he or she can retain. For instance, if I read an entire book on accounting, I might comprehend all of the content. However, because the book covers so many concepts, I’m likely to retain only a few. Knowing this, reduce your number of slides and you will increase retention of your important points.

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Show the slide number and total number of slides on every slide

PowerPoint can automatically add numbers to your slides, but it can't automatically show a count (such as "slide 2 of 12"). You have to do that manually. This article describes how.

On the View tab, in the Master Views group, click Slide Master , and then click the slide master thumbnail.

On the Insert tab, in the Text group, click Text Box , and then drag to draw the text box on the slide master where you want the slide number to appear all slides.

With the cursor still in the text box, on the Insert tab, in the Text group, click Slide Number .

In the text box, place your cursor before the <#> , and then type Slide .

If you don’t know the total number of slides in your presentation, and you want an easy way to find out, do the following:

On the View tab, in the Presentation Views group, click Normal .

Note:  Because this procedure adds slide numbers to the slide master, the slide numbers can't be deleted from or edited in individual slides and they won't appear in the Header and Footer dialog box.

Vote for this feature

If you want PowerPoint to be able to include the total number of slides, please send us your feedback to help us prioritize new features in future updates. See How do I give feedback on Microsoft Office? for more information.

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PowerPoint 2010  - Slide Basics

Powerpoint 2010  -, slide basics, powerpoint 2010 slide basics.

PowerPoint 2010: Slide Basics

Lesson 2: slide basics.

/en/powerpoint2010/getting-started-with-powerpoint/content/

Introduction

PowerPoint includes all of the features you need to produce professional-looking presentations. When you create a PowerPoint presentation, it is made up of a series of slides . The slides contain the information you want to communicate with your audience. This information can include text, pictures, charts, video, and sound. Before you begin adding information to slides, you'll need to know the basics of working with slides. In this lesson, you will learn how to insert new slides, modify a layout , and change your presentation view .

Slide basics

Every PowerPoint presentation is composed of a series of slides . To begin creating a slide show, you'll need to know the basics of working with slides. You'll need to feel comfortable with tasks such as inserting a new slide, changing the layout of a slide, arranging existing slides, changing slide view , and adding notes to a slide.

Optional: You can download this example for extra practice.

About slides

Slides contain placeholders , which are areas on the slide that are enclosed by dotted borders. Placeholders can contain many different items, including text, pictures, and charts. Some placeholders have placeholder text , or text you can replace. They also have thumbnail-sized icons that represent specific commands such as Insert Picture , Insert Chart , and Insert ClipArt . In PowerPoint, hover over each icon to see the type of content you can insert in a placeholder.

About slide layouts

Placeholders are arranged in different layouts that can be applied to existing slides or chosen when you insert a new slide . A slide layout arranges your content using different types of placeholders, depending on what information you might want to include in your presentation.

In the example above, the layout is called Title and Content and includes title and content placeholders. While each layout has a descriptive name, you can also tell from the image of the layout how the placeholders will be arranged.

Customizing slide layouts

To change the layout of an existing slide:.

To delete a placeholder:

You can easily customize your layout by deleting unwanted—or extra—placeholders from any slide.

• Press Backspace or Delete on your keyboard. The placeholder will be removed from the slide.

To add a text box:

Text boxes allow you to add to your current layout, so you can place text wherever you want on your slide.

Explore our Text Basics lesson to learn more about inserting and using text boxes in PowerPoint 2010.

To use a blank slide:

For more control over your content, you may prefer a blank slide—a slide without placeholders—over one of the existing layouts. Blank slides can be customized by adding your own text boxes, pictures, charts, and more.

Working with slides

To insert a new slide:.

• A new slide will be added your presentation.

To instantly add a slide that uses the same layout as the one you have selected, click the top half of the New Slide command.

To copy and paste a slide:

• On the Slides tab in the left pane, select the slide you want to copy.

To select multiple slides, press and hold Ctrl on your keyboard and click the slides you want to select.

To duplicate a slide:

An alternative to copying and pasting, duplicating slides copies the selected slide and—in one step—pastes it directly underneath. This feature does not allow you to choose the location of the copied slide, nor does it offer Paste Options for advanced users, so it's more convenient for quickly inserting similar slides.

• Select the slide you want to duplicate.
• Click the New Slide command.

To delete a slide:

• Select the slide you want to delete.
• Press the Delete or Backspace key on your keyboard.

To move a slide:

• Select the slide you want to move.

• Release the mouse button. The slide will appear in the new location.

Managing slides and presentations

As you add slides to your presentation, PowerPoint offers a variety of views and tools to help you organize and prepare your slide show.

About slide views

It's important to be able to access the different slide views and use them for various tasks. The slide view commands are located on the bottom-right of the PowerPoint window in Normal view.

Normal view : This is the default view where you create and edit your slides. You can also move slides in the Slides tab in the pane on the left.

Slide Sorter view : In this view, miniature slides are arranged on the screen. You can drag and drop slides to easily reorder them and to see more slides at one time. This is a good view to use to confirm that you have all the needed slides and that none have been deleted.

Reading view : This view fills most of the computer screen with a preview of your presentation. Unlike Slide Show view, it includes easily accessible buttons for navigation, located at the bottom-right.

Slide Show view : This view completely fills the computer screen and is what the audience will see when they view the presentation. Slide Show view has an additional menu that appears when you hover over it, allowing you to navigate slides and access other features you can use during a presentation.

Use the keys on your keyboard—including the arrow keys, Page Up and Page Down keys, spacebar, and Enter key—to move through the slides in Slide Show view. Press the Esc key to end the slide show.

To view an outline of your presentation:

The Outline tab shows your slide text in outline form. This allows you to quickly edit your slide text and view the contents of multiple slides at once.

• An outline of your slide text appears.

To organize slides into sections:

You can organize your slides into sections to make your presentation easier to navigate. Sections can be collapsed or expanded in the left pane and named for easy reference. In this example, we will add two sections: one for dogs that are available for adoption, and another for cats and other pets.

• Select the slide you want to begin your first section.
• From the Home tab, click the Section command.

• Repeat to add as many sections as you want.

Adding notes to slides

PowerPoint gives you the ability to add notes to your slides—often called speaker notes —to help you deliver or prepare for your presentation. You can enter and view your speaker notes using the Notes pane or the Notes Page view.

To use the Notes pane:

• Locate the Notes pane at the bottom of the screen, directly below the Slide pane.

To use Notes Page view:

• Go to the View tab.

• Open an existing PowerPoint presentation . If you want, you can use this example .
• Change the layout of a slide. If you are using the example, change the layout of slide 3 to Section Header .
• Add a new blank slide, then insert a text box .
• Copy and paste a slide, then move it to a new location.
• View your presentation in Normal view, Slide Sorter view, Reading view, and Slide Show view.
• View an outline of your presentation in the left pane.
• Divide your presentation into at least two sections , and try collapsing and expanding them. If you are using the example, create one section for dogs and another for cats and other pets.
• Experiment with adding speaker notes to your presentation using the Notes pane and the Notes Page view .

/en/powerpoint2010/text-basics/content/

Maximum Number of Slides in PowerPoint: What You Need to Know

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As someone who has created countless PowerPoint presentations, I know firsthand the importance of keeping your audience engaged with concise and visually appealing slides. One question that often comes up when creating presentations is: what is the maximum number of slides that PowerPoint can handle?

After conducting some research, I found that the answer is not as straightforward as one might think. According to Microsoft, PowerPoint does not have a specific limit on the number of slides that can be included in a presentation. However, there are practical limitations to consider, such as the amount of memory on your computer and the size of the presentation file.

It’s important to keep in mind that the number of slides in a presentation should not be the sole focus. The content and information presented on each slide is equally important. It’s essential to strike a balance between the amount of information provided on each slide and the number of slides in the presentation. In this article, I will explore the practical limitations of PowerPoint and provide tips on creating effective presentations with an appropriate number of slides and engaging content.

JUMP TO TOPIC

Designing Effective Slides

Incorporating visuals and graphics, mastering the art of storytelling, applying the 10/20/30 rule, rehearsal techniques, utilizing stories and anecdotes, effective question and answer sessions, concluding your presentation, crafting your presentation.

When it comes to creating a PowerPoint presentation, the number of slides you use is just one of many factors to consider. To create a truly effective presentation, you need to think about the design, visuals, and storytelling elements. In this section, I will cover some tips and tricks to help you craft a presentation that engages your audience and delivers your message effectively.

The design of your slides is crucial to the success of your presentation. You want to create a consistent look and feel throughout your presentation, so your audience can focus on your message instead of being distracted by inconsistent design elements. One way to achieve this is by using a theme or template that matches your brand or message. You can also use color schemes, font styles, and layouts to create a cohesive look.

Another important aspect of slide design is the use of white space. Too much information on a slide can overwhelm your audience and make it difficult for them to focus on the key points. By using white space effectively, you can create a clean and uncluttered look that draws attention to your message.

Visuals and graphics can be powerful tools to help convey your message and engage your audience. When choosing images and graphics, make sure they align with your message and are of high quality. Low-quality images can detract from the professional look of your presentation.

In addition to images, you can also use charts, graphs, and other visual aids to help illustrate your points. These can be especially useful when presenting data or statistics.

Finally, storytelling is a key element of any effective presentation. By telling a story that relates to your message, you can engage your audience on an emotional level and make your message more memorable. To do this, you can use anecdotes, metaphors, and other storytelling techniques to help bring your message to life.

Overall, crafting an effective PowerPoint presentation takes time and effort. By considering the design, visuals, and storytelling elements, you can create a presentation that engages your audience and delivers your message effectively. Remember, the number of slides you use is just one piece of the puzzle.

Timing and Practice

When it comes to creating a PowerPoint presentation, one of the most important factors to consider is timing. You don’t want your presentation to be too short or too long. The 10/20/30 rule is a popular guideline that suggests that a presentation should have 10 slides, last 20 minutes, and have no font smaller than 30 points.

While this rule may not work for every presentation, it is a good starting point. It forces you to focus on the most important information and avoid overwhelming your audience with too much detail. However, it’s important to remember that the rule is just a guideline, and you should adjust it to fit your specific needs.

Once you have created your PowerPoint presentation, it’s important to practice your delivery. Rehearsing your presentation will help you become more comfortable with the material and ensure that you stay within your allotted time frame.

One technique that can be helpful is to time yourself as you practice. This will give you an idea of how long your presentation will take and allow you to adjust the timing as needed. As a general rule, you should aim for about 1-2 minutes per slide, depending on the complexity of the information.

Another helpful technique is to practice in front of a mirror or a small group of friends or colleagues. This will help you become more comfortable with speaking in front of an audience and allow you to receive feedback on your delivery and content.

In conclusion, timing and practice are essential components of creating a successful PowerPoint presentation. By applying the 10/20/30 rule and using rehearsal techniques, you can ensure that your presentation is engaging, informative, and delivered within the allotted time frame.

Engaging Your Audience

As a presenter, one of the most important things you can do is engage your audience. Engaged audiences are more likely to remember your message and take action on it. There are a few techniques you can use to keep your audience engaged throughout your presentation.

One of the most effective ways to engage your audience is by telling stories and anecdotes. Stories are a powerful tool for capturing your audience’s attention and keeping them engaged. They can help illustrate your message and make it more relatable to your audience. When telling a story, make sure it is relevant to your message and keep it short and to the point.

Another way to keep your audience engaged is by having an effective question and answer session. This gives your audience the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback. It also allows you to clarify any points that may have been unclear. When conducting a question and answer session, make sure to repeat the question so everyone can hear it and keep your answers concise and to the point.

To ensure that your audience is engaged, you need to have high energy and be engaging yourself. This means you need to be confident and knowledgeable about your subject matter. You should also be clear and concise in your delivery, using natural dialogue and avoiding jargon or technical terms that may be unfamiliar to your audience.

In conclusion, engaging your audience is key to a successful presentation. By utilizing stories and anecdotes and having an effective question and answer session, you can keep your audience engaged and ensure that your message is remembered. Remember to have high energy and be engaging yourself to keep your audience focused and interested.

As I wrap up my PowerPoint presentation, I want to make sure that my audience leaves with a clear understanding of my message. A strong closing can help reinforce the main points and motivate them to take action. Here are some tips for concluding your presentation:

Restate the main message: In the closing slide, I like to restate the main message of my presentation. This helps to reinforce the message and ensures that the audience leaves with a clear understanding of what I was trying to convey.

Call to action: A call to action is a powerful way to motivate your audience to take action. Whether it’s signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, or joining a cause, a call to action can help you achieve your goals.

Closing slide: The closing slide is an excellent opportunity to summarize the key points of your presentation. I like to use bullet points or a table to summarize the main ideas, making it easy for the audience to remember the key takeaways.

Question and answer session: A question and answer session can help to engage your audience and address any concerns or questions they may have. I like to encourage my audience to ask questions and provide feedback, as this can help me improve my presentation for future audiences.

In conclusion, ending a PowerPoint presentation is just as important as the opening and body of the presentation. By following these tips, you can ensure that your audience leaves with a clear understanding of your message and is motivated to take action.

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PowerPoint Slide Elements: Best Practices and Tips

• December 27, 2022
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The Learning Hour* – Week 11 : PowerPoint Slide Elements

Posted by  Ashish Agarwal

A PowerPoint slide is the fundamental building block of a Presentation. A PowerPoint presentation is simply a collection of different slides arranged in a logical manner to effectively communicate a story.

So then, what are the main components of building a slide?  We look at the 5 most important elements which needs to be there on any slide.

1.  Slide Title

Always start creating a powerpoint slide with the Slide Title. Think of it as the key message or insight that you would like to present on the slide. Ideally , there should be only 1 main message on each slide. The slide title should be crisp and concise to effectively communicate the key message. It should be written in a powerful way such that the audience understands the message without having to read the main content of the slide. The slide title should present the slide synthesis of the main so what from the content on the slide. Remember, not a summary regurgitating the same facts which are on the slide but helping the audience move from facts to the most important so what from that single slide.

2. Charts/Graphs

There are a number of data related PowerPoint charts that is in-built to represent numerical information. Use them extensively to illustrate numbers and quantitative information. You can choose from a number of chart options like Line Chart, Pie Chart, Waterfall chart, Bubble Chart, etc. Be careful to use the right chart for the right data. Using the right charts for financial data helps to enhance the visual communication of the powerpoint slide. 

3. TEXT 

Gone are the days where you would use a PowerPoint slide to put lots of text on it. No one reads those slides anymore. Instead, use TEXT comments sparingly to only indicate the main point. Choose a big font size of at least 24 to ensure your audience can easily read the slides. If you must use bullets, not more than 3-5 bullets on a slide. You can also use Smart-Arts to represent text based information on the slide. Ensure you follow basic presentation tips that will make the reader engaged with reading the information on your slide.

4. Images/Icons

Use Images and Icons to reinforce a point and not just to jazz up the powerpoint slide. Images are a great way to capture the attention and effectively communicate with the audience. There are a number of websites that allow you to download high quality images and icons. So, make the most of them. Sometimes you many need a paid subscription to access these images but there are lots of free websites as well that will allow you stock images for free. 

5. Footnotes/Source:

Be sure to add any important footnotes or source on the slide. Footnotes and source complete a slide with any extra information that the audience should be aware of. If there is a source of information that you would want to call out on a slide, footnotes are the best place to put it. They serve to improve the authenticity of the presentation with the right attribution provided.

So as you can see, the above 5 elements are extremely crucial to make a slide in PowerPoint. These 5 elements are part of any slide and if we do each of them well, the overall slide looks compelling and helps us to convey the right piece of information to the audience.

What else do you use? Put your thoughts in the comments below.

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13 thoughts on “powerpoint slide elements: best practices and tips”.

[…] it much more difficult for you to find specific data once you have it alphabetized. – Use conditional formatting to help highlight certain data – For example, if you track your expenses in Excel, you might […]

[…] Enhanced production value such as superior cinematography, crisp audio-engaging visuals on PowerPoint slides, and polished editing, can elevate the viewer’s experience, making your content more […]

[…] can now add any typeface that you own as an external font so that it can be used anywhere in your PowerPoint slides. Here’s […]

[…] are the most basic elements of a flowchart. These are the square boxes, arrows, circles, and other basic shapes that are used to create […]

[…] font from Times New Roman to something a little more interesting, for example, will make your whole presentation look a lot more […]

[…] example, if you have a PowerPoint slide about your company’s vision, it would be helpful to summarize what your business is trying to […]

[…] is not an easy affair.As a financial analyst, one needs to master the art of tactfully playing with powerpoint slide elements to represent his/her thoughts beautifully through the PowerPoint Presentation. Designing a […]

[…] animations are used to introduce objects onto a PowerPoint slide . To apply Entrance Animation to an object, first select the object. Then click the Animations Tab. […]

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Anatomy of a PowerPoint Presentation

The basic building block of a PowerPoint presentation is the slide a block of content the size of a computer screen that typically contains a title, some text, and perhaps a picture or chart. A PowerPoint presentation typically contains many slides.

Figure 1 illustrates a PowerPoint presentation made up of 30 slides. The default (Normal) view includes notes attached to the current slide, and a navigation panel on the left side that allows you to switch between a text outline and slide thumbnails.

Figure 1. PowerPoint's Normal view includes most of the information you need to assemble a presentation.

A fully loaded slide (see Figure 2 ) includes at most six parts:

Figure 2. All the components of a PowerPoint slide are shown here, with slide thumbnails in place of a text outline.

The title, which usually sits at the top of the slide.

Body text, the main part of the slide. More often than not, the text on a slide consists of a series of bulleted or numbered items. However, you can enter any kind of text in this part of a slide bullets and numbers are not required.

Some slides contain content in addition to text. You can add charts, tables, pictures, diagrams, and video clips to help illuminate your presentation.

Text and content sit inside resizable and movable containers called placeholders, which you can see if you click the text or graphic in the slide pane. PowerPoint help screens sometimes refer to the placeholder and the text or content it contains as a "text object" or a "graphic object."

If you choose to display the date and time, these items appear at the lower-left corner by default.

The footer, another optional element, appears by default at the bottom of the slide, in the middle.

Finally, you can choose to display a slide number; its default position is in the lower-right corner.

Most presentations begin with a title slide, which typically includes the title of the presentation, the speaker's name, and other introductory details. If you're planning a presentation as a class project, you might include the class name and number Sociology 101, for instance; for a presentation to a business or civic group, you might include your name and the name of the organization you represent. Other slides in a presentation can also be title slides you might use a title slide to introduce different portions of a long presentation, for example but in most cases, you'll have just one title slide in a presentation, and it will serve as the first slide.

Don't be confused by the terminology. A title slide is, in most cases, a slide that introduces a presentation. A slide title, on the other hand, is usually the first line on a slide.

10 Types of PowerPoint Slides for Convincing Presentations!

When it comes to creating presentations, PowerPoint is indispensable. Obviously, the most important part of any presentation are PowerPoint slides with the right content to communicate your message.

We’ll show you 10 types of PowerPoint slides that you can use in your presentation. We’ll also explain the benefits of each slide type and the added value they can bring to your presentation.

PowerPoint slides: Different slide types for your presentation

A presentation lives and dies by its PowerPoint slides and content. Have you ever noticed how many diverse types of PowerPoint slides there are? Text and picture slides usually have different layouts. And this is just the beginning – there are so many more slide types and layouts.

In the following breakdown, we’ll show you what PowerPoint slides are out there and how to use them to create a professional presentation!

10 types of PowerPoint slides

1.    the text slide.

You’re sure to have at least one text slide in very presentation. Text belongs in your presentation . This type of slide is unavoidable if you want to simply convey information .

Be sure to use text in measured doses ; no one wants to read large blocks of text anymore. Less is definitely more . As soon as you display your slide, your audience will begin to read the text to themselves. This limits their capacity to focus on your presentation.

Use the 5×5 rule or reduce your text to one key message per slide . Click here to find out how the 5×5 rule works and how you can further reduce text .

You can also play with the design of text slides!

2.  The picture slide

You’re probably no stranger to PowerPoint slides with picture elements. This slide type is the perfect way to underscore your statements and visually enhance your presentation – true to the motto, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Moreover, the right use of images will inspire emotions in your audience and grab their attention .

But just like text, images should be used wisely . Pictures that are meaningless and only used to fill empty slides look unprofessional and out of place. Also make sure to use professional images and avoid stock images as much as possible, as they don’t add any individuality.

Take a look at these articles for more information about images in PowerPoint:

• Insert images quickly with the Scan&Paste app
• Compress pictures
• Flip pictures
• Make images transparent
• Optimize images in presentations
• Highlight pictures with a grid design

3.   Introduction and closing slides

These PowerPoint slides belong in every presentation. Whether it’s a business or university presentation, introduction and closing slides will bookend your presentation perfectly .

With an introduction slide, you pave the way for a strong start to your presentation . With a closing slide, you summarize the main points of your presentation . This guarantees that by the end of your presentation, these points are clear to your audience and will stay fresh in their minds.

Tip: Looking for tips on how to end your presentation on the perfect note ? This post summarizes some effective ways to do just that. We also have helpful tips for kicking off your presentation in this post .

4.    The agenda slide

This PowerPoint slide should be included in every high-quality and professional PowerPoint presentation. The agenda slide provides an audience with a brief outline of the presentation’s content and structure right from the get-go.

It also provides you, the presenter, with a quick reminder of how the presentation will flow and gets you off to a good start.

This article explains how you can create your own PowerPoint table of contents for your agenda slide.

5.    The quote slide

The quote slide is effective and shouldn’t be overlooked. As the name suggests, this slide consists only of a quote, usually placed in the center, without any further expository text or images . Quotes are mostly short-form statements of opinion, either personal or from well-known individuals.

Why should you use this type of PowerPoint slide? How will a quote slide support your presentation?

Quote slides support your content . For example, you can use a quote from a famous person (e.g., successful entrepreneur) to support your data and key messages . The truthfulness of the quote also provides weight to your content and supports the veracity of your key messages.

6.    Chart and diagram slides

Chart and diagram slides are used often in presentations, particularly in presentations for companies within the financial sector.

Chart and diagram slides are similar to picture slides in that they underscore what is being said. Numbers and data can be clearly presented to the audience using a chart and diagram slide, making the content understandable without the need for any additional text.

Charts and diagrams also add visual appeal and variety to your presentation. By using a diagram, you avoid long blocks of text, which are often less interesting for your audience.

7.    The table slide

Similar to chart and diagram slides, table slides visually support your data and facts. They help declutter presentations and clearly convey your messages to your audience .

This type of PowerPoint slide also helps you avoid overly long blocks of text that honestly, your audience won’t read anyway.

8.    The link/hyperlink slide

Do you want to link to an internet page within your presentation? Maybe to a YouTube video that supports your topic or to an internal website with your products? Links can be used in so many ways in a presentation.

This PowerPoint slide type will also be a positive change for your audience. Calling up a link creates a new visual stimulus, which in turn helps you hold your audience’s attention.

Links reinforce your slide content and leave a professional impression on your audience.

Using a link slide can only benefit your presentation. Think about how you can use this PowerPoint slide type effectively for your topic.

9.    The animation slide

How about some moving images? With these PowerPoint slides, you’ll definitely grab your audience’s attention! Animations are visually engaging and offer the audience a welcome change from a presentation’s typically static slides .

The broad range of animation options is something you can really use to your advantage. For example, you can focus your audience’s attention by making text appear with a click of the mouse . This is especially effective with bullet points. When you display all the bullet points simultaneously, your audience will start reading through them, meaning they’ll be paying less attention to you and what you’re saying.

Or try using a unique GIF as an animation. You can find out how to do this here .

Other animation options are animation paths , such as flashing arrows, emphasis effects , color effects, etc. Read more about what you can do with animations here .

The important thing with animations is to stick to your presentation style and use them in moderation. A presentation full of flashing slides or pop-up images can be irritating and look unprofessional. Always use animations carefully and sensibly.

10.    The call-to-action slide

Even though you may not be familiar with this PowerPoint slide, you should really think about using it in a professional presentation. Especially if your presentation goal is to attract new customers or to sell products.

A call to action – what is it exactly? In short, it’s a prompt from a company or presenter to encourage an audience to perform an action . For example, this can be a request on what to do after the presentation (visit an online store to see products, write an email with questions, etc.). You can find more information in this post .

Do you want to make a request or invitation to your audience at the end of the presentation? Then this is the PowerPoint slide for you!

10 Types of PowerPoint slides: So many ways to make your presentation more varied and professional

No doubt you’ve already used some of the 10 types of PowerPoint slides from our breakdown and integrated them perfectly into your presentations.Maybe it’s time to try a novel approach and use a wide variety of PowerPoint slides to suit your topic .

Remember: The PowerPoint slides you choose should be cohesive , especially if you use different slide types.

A variety of slide types will always be a welcome addition to your presentation. So, ask yourself what might be exciting for your audience and incorporate these ideas into your presentation preparation .

Do you have questions about the 10 types of PowerPoint slides in this article or are you looking for PowerPoint help in general? Please feel free to contact us by email at [email protected] . We’d be happy to help you!

Looking to add variety to your slides, but would like to have the work of creating a presentation taken off your hands? No problem. Our team will create a professional presentation for you according to your wishes. Click here to get in touch.

These articles might also interest you:

• 6 modern ideas for your slide layout
• The ideal presentation structure
• Creating a presentation: Tips & tricks
• PowerPoint slide master
• How many slides does a presentation need?
• Viva presentations: Tips & tricks

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What is PowerPoint? Everything You Need to Know

What is PowerPoint? This blog will walk you through “what is Microsoft PowerPoint”. Discover its features, uses, and the art of crafting compelling slideshows. Whether you're a student, professional, or simply curious, explore the power of Microsoft PowerPoint and learn how you can create impactful presentations effortlessly.

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According to Glassdoor , a PowerPoint designer's average salary in the UK is about £37,811 annually. Who knew there was big money in presentations alone? In this blog, you will learn What PowerPoint is, its key features, its benefits, and how to use it, as well as learn some tips for creating effective presentations. 

Table of contents      

1) What is PowerPoint?   

2) Understanding the PowerPoint interface   

3) Key features of PowerPoint  

4) How to use PowerPoint to create a presentation?  

5) Benefits of PowerPoint   

6) Tips for creating effective PowerPoint Presentations  

7) Alternatives to PowerPoint    

8)  Conclusion

What is PowerPoint?  

PowerPoint is an essential multifunctional tool for making presentations which had been created by MS. As a part of the Microsoft Office Suite, it offers a toolbox to organise the presentation by using different tools and features to make it visually pleasant and attractive. MS PowerPoint gives the opportunity for the text, graphics, multimedia objects, and animation elements to be combined in one place to allow the users to present information in a more effective way.  

Evolution of PowerPoint  

In the course of time, PowerPoint has become a very functional tool to produce high-quality presentations Moreover, a secure system would be established to manage risks of data leakage or theft. First released in 1987 for Apple computers, it defies to the competition with its easy Graphical User Interface (GUIGUI)) and its large range of functions. With every new release, MS PowerPoint offered new functionality and boasted significant improvements, staying the wonder of the world of presentations.

Understanding the PowerPoint interface  

 The PowerPoint Program provides the presenter with an easy-to-use interface for designing and updating the presentation. It is important to master its main functions in order to conduct operations using this software with a level of proficiency.Here's a breakdown of the MS PowerPoint interface:   

1) Ribbon: The Ribbon is located at the top of the MS PowerPoint window and has several tabs which include Home, Insert, Design, Transitions, etc.

2) Slides pane: Slide pane which is positioned to the far left of the window, is the PowerPoint window. You will see there a collection of your slides examples (thumbnails) which enables you to adjust and customize them with greater ease. The floating pane of the editor lets you not only add, delete, duplicate, but also hide slides from there.

3)   Notes pane : The Notes pane is located below the Slides pane. It provides space for adding speaker notes or additional information related to each slide.    

4)  Slide area : The Slide area occupies the central part of the PowerPoint window. It displays the selected slide, where you can add and arrange content such as text, images, charts, and multimedia elements .    

5)  Task panes : Task panes are additional panels on the PowerPoint window's right side. They offer various functionalities such as formatting options, slide layouts, animations, etc. Task panes can be opened or closed based on your specific needs.   

Understanding the MS PowerPoint interface will help you navigate the software effectively and make the most of its features. Whether you are creating slides, adding content, or applying formatting, having a good grasp of the interface ensures a smooth and productive experience .  

Key Features of PowerPoint  

When it comes to creating captivating and professional presentations, MS PowerPoint stands out as versatile and feature-rich software. Its array of tools and functionalities enables users to bring their imagination and ideas to life. Moreover, it also helps engage their audience effectively .    

From slide templates to multimedia integration, there are various Features of PowerPoint ; let's discuss some of them below.

1) Slide Templates : PowerPoint provides a collection of pre-designed templates that make it easy to create visually appealing slides.   

2)  Slide Master : The Slide Master feature allows users to define the overall layout, font styles, and colour scheme for the entire presentation .   

3)  Animations and transitions : PowerPoint offers various animation effects and slide transitions to add visual interest and captivate the audience .   

4)  Multimedia integration : Users can embed images, videos, and audio files directly into their presentations, enhancing the overall impact .   

5)   Collaboration tools : MS PowerPoint allows multiple users to work on a presentation simultaneously, making it ideal for team projects and remote collaboration .   

6) Presenter View : The Presenter View feature gives presenters access to speaker notes, a timer, and a preview of upcoming slides, enabling a seamless presentation experience .   

These features collectively contribute to PowerPoint's versatility and make it a powerful tool for developing engaging and impactful presentations.  

Take your Microsoft Office skills to the next level – sign up for our Power Apps and Power Automate Training ! 

How to use PowerPoint to create a presentation?   

Creating a presentation in PowerPoint is a straightforward process. Whether it's simple animations or explainer videos learning H ow to use PowerPoint is an extremely valuable skill. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to create a presentation:   

1)  Launch PowerPoint and choose a template or start with a blank slide. 

2)  Add slides by clicking "New Slide" or using the shortcut key (Ctrl + M). 

3) Customise slide content by entering text and inserting visuals.  

4)  Rearrange slides for a logical flow by dragging them in the slide navigation pane.  

5)  Apply slide transitions for visual effects in the "Transitions" tab.  

6)  Add animations to objects in the "Animations" tab.  

7)  Preview your presentation by clicking "Slide Show".   

8)  Save your presentation and choose a format (.pptx or .pdf).  

9)  Share your presentation via email, cloud storage, or collaboration tools.   

By following these steps, you can create a well-structured and visually appealing presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint. Remember to keep your content concise, use engaging visuals, and practice your presentation skills to deliver an impactful presentation .   

Unlock your full potential and optimise your productivity with our comprehensive Microsoft Office 365 Masterclass . Sign up now!  

Benefits of PowerPoint   

PowerPoint is a very popular presentation software and for a good reason. It offers numerous benefits for users, from easy collaboration to ease of use. These are some of the key benefits of PowerPoint.

1) Visual appeal : Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to create visually appealing presentations with its wide range of design tools and features. You can use templates, themes, and customisable layouts to make your slides visually engaging and professional .   

2)  Easy to use : PowerPoint has a user-friendly interface, making it accessible to users of all levels. The intuitive tools and straightforward navigation make it easy to create, edit, and deliver presentations efficiently .   

3)   Flexibility : PowerPoint provides flexibility in terms of content creation. You can include various types of content, such as text, images, charts, graphs, videos, and audio files, to enhance your message and engage your audience effectively.   

4)   Organisation and structure : PowerPoint offers features to help you organise and structure your content. You can create multiple slides, use slide masters for consistent formatting, and arrange the sequence of slides to create a logical flow .   

5)  Presenter tools : PowerPoint includes built-in presenter tools that aid in delivering presentations smoothly. You can use presenter view to see your notes and upcoming slides while your audience sees only the presentation. Additionally, features like slide transitions and animations add visual interest and help you control the flow of information .   

6)  Collaboration and sharing : PowerPoint allows for easy collaboration and sharing of presentations. Several users can simultaneously work on the same presentation, making it convenient for team projects. You can also share your presentations via email, cloud storage, or online platforms, ensuring easy access for viewers .   

7)   Integration with other tools : PowerPoint can seamlessly integrate with other Microsoft Office applications, such as Word and Excel. You can import data and charts from Excel or copy and paste content between different Office applications, saving time and effort .  

8)   Presenter-audience interaction : PowerPoint provides features that facilitate interaction between the presenter and the audience. You can include interactive elements like hyperlinks, buttons, and quizzes to engage your audience and make your presentations more dynamic.   

9)   Portable and accessible : PowerPoint presentations can be saved in various formats, such as .pptx or .pdf, making them easily accessible on different devices. This portability allows you to deliver presentations on laptops, tablets, or even projectors without compatibility issues .   

10)  Time and effort savings : PowerPoint simplifies the process of creating presentations, saving you time and effort. The pre-designed templates, slide layouts, and formatting options enable you to create professional-looking presentations efficiently .   

Learn how to create customised slide shows in MS PowerPoint with our Microsoft PowerPoint MO300 Training .    

Tips for Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentations   

PowerPoint presentations can be powerful tools for communicating information and engaging an audience. Consider the following PowerPoint Tips to create effective presentations .

1) Simplicity is key : Keep your slides clean and uncluttered. Use concise bullet points and simple visuals to convey your message effectively .   

2)  Visuals matter : Incorporate relevant, high-quality visuals such as images, charts, and diagrams to enhance understanding and engagement .   

3)  Limit text : Avoid overwhelming your audience with excessive text on slides. Use brief phrases or keywords to communicate key points .   

4)  Choose legible fonts : Opt for clear and readable fonts that are easy to read, even from a distance. Maintain consistency in font styles throughout your presentation .   

5)  Consistent design : Maintain a consistent design theme, including colours, fonts, and layout, to create a visually appealing and professional presentation.   

6)  Emphasise important points : Use visual hierarchy techniques, such as font size, colour, and formatting, to draw attention to essential information .   

7)  Use transitions and animations sparingly : Incorporate slide transitions and animations thoughtfully, focusing on enhancing content and transitions without distracting the audience .   

8)  S lide notes for guidance : Utilise the slide notes feature to include additional details, explanations, or reminders for a well-prepared and confident presentation.   

9)  Practice and time yourself : Rehearse your presentation to ensure smooth delivery and stay within the allocated time. Practice helps you refine your content and delivery.   

10)  Engage the audience : Encourage audience participation through interactive elements, questions, or discussions to foster engagement and make your presentation more memorable.   

By implementing these tips, you can create effective MS PowerPoint presentations that capture attention, communicate information clearly, and engage your audience effectively.  

Alternatives to PowerPoint  

Most of you are used to using PowerPoint for your presentation needs since it was the first option available to us through our academics. However, if you wish to check out alternative options to Powerpoint know if they work better for you, here are ten options that is worth a short: 

5) Slidebean

6) Zoho Show 

7) Google Slide 

9) Beautiful.ai

10) Microsoft Sway

Conclusion     

This blog walked you through What is PowerPoint and how it can aid you in curating compelling visual representations of the message you wish to get across. We discussed it features and the process of how you can create presentations on PowerPoint. Now take what you know and run with it explore your options with your templates and building new ones, let your creativity take its course. 

Master the art of effective communication and productivity and unlock your potential with our comprehensive Microsoft Office Training – Sign up now!  

Frequently Asked Questions

Well, making a presentation can be tricky business. Here are some of the common mistakes people make:

1) Adding too much text! The presentation needs to have brief and simple points you elaborate on in person. 

2) Bad colour schemes for template and font colour. Sometimes the clash of colour may make the text illegible. 

3) Too many elements! Crowding of elements may lose your audience’s attention.   

Yes, you most definitely can! You can use PowerPoint online with a Microsoft Office 360 plug in that allows you to use all Microsoft applications on your browser. 

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How to Add & Fix Slides Numbers in PowerPoint? [An EASY Guide!]

By: Author Shrot Katewa

Isn’t it annoying when you add a new slide within a sequence of slides in your PowerPoint presentation, and all your slide numbers go for a toss! If you are in this boat, then you’ve come to the right place!

Adding slide numbers can be confusing even after you’ve been using PowerPoint for quite some time. However, with the proper process of adding slides numbers in PowerPoint, you won’t go wrong. But, the question really is, what is the correct way to add slides numbers in PowerPoint?

To add slide numbers in PowerPoint, click on the “Insert” tab and click on the “Slide Number” option from the ribbon. Then, enable the “Slide Number” checkmark. Finally, click on the “Apply to All” option to apply slide numbers to all slides in your presentation.

This article will walk you through the complete details of adding slide numbers in PowerPoint in a step-by-step manner with visual references so that you can easily understand the process! You’ll also learn to add slide numbers in the “1 of X slides” format.

Furthermore, I’ll also show you how to exclude slide numbers from specific slides. In the end, I’ll help you troubleshoot some of the most common issues that you may be facing with slide numbers in PowerPoint. That, and much more!

So, let’s get started!

1. Adding Slide Numbers the Wrong Way! [Don’t Do This!] 

First, let’s talk about what you shouldn’t do!

The easiest (and most common incorrect way) to add a slide number is by manually adding a text box on each slide, manually inputting the slide number, and placing it at the bottom of the slide. However, this is the wrong way to add slide numbers to your PowerPoint presentation.

If you add slide numbers this way, you have to add the slide number to each slide individually. Moreover, if you decide to place a new slide in the middle of your presentation, it messes up the sequence numbers for all the slides you just inserted slide numbers. Don’t do this!

The following part of this article discusses the different ways you can add slide numbers to your PowerPoint presentation efficiently.

2. How to Add Slides Numbers in PowerPoint? [Correct Way] 

There are multiple ways to add slide numbers in PowerPoint. However, I’ll share the most straightforward method in this article with you.

A quick heads up – if you prefer watching the tutorial rather than reading about it, then check out my video below with the step-by-step instructions. However, if you prefer to read the instructions, continue with the article below.

Adding a Slide Number in PowerPoint Using the “Insert” Tab

Although you will see people talk about using the “Slide Master” to add slide numbers to your presentation, using slide layouts in PowerPoint can be confusing!

The easiest method is to use the “Insert” tab to add slide numbers to your slide. You can use this method even if you are a beginner!

So, what do you need to do? Let’s take a look –

Step-1: Insert a Blank Slide Layout

The first step of the process is to insert a blank slide in your presentation. This step is only optional. It is not necessary to do this every time. Don’t do this step, especially if you use a presentation template. But, for the sake of explanation and practice, this will be a helpful step.

Click on the “Home” tab to add a blank slide layout. Then, click on “ Layout “, and from the options, click on the “ Blank ” slide option.

This will convert the slide layout of your current slide to a blank layout. You can also add a slide to your presentation and then convert it to a blank slide layout using the steps I just mentioned.

Step-2: Click on the “Slide Number” option

Now, click on the “ Insert ” tab. Then, from the options, click on the “ Slide Number “. This will open a new pop-up window with more options.

Step-3: Add the Slide Numbers to the Slides

First, make sure that you enable the “Slide Number” option in the next step. Next, make sure that add a checkmark to the check box. You can choose to start the number at “ 1 “.

Then, click on the “ Apply ” option to add the slide number to just the current slide. However, if you wish to add slide numbers to all the slides, click on the “ Apply to All ” option.

Don’t worry. We’ll look at how to disable slide numbers for specific slides slightly later in the article.

Step-4: Duplicate the Slide with the Slide Number

This is, again, an optional step.

Once you have the slide number added by clicking on “Apply” in the previous step, you need to copy and paste the slide in PowerPoint .

Make sure that you format the slide number on this slide before you start duplicating this slide. (check the rest of the article to know how to format the slide number)

However, duplicating the slide with a slide number is only helpful when starting with a new presentation. If you already have a bunch of different slides that have been designed especially using a presentation template, this step 4 won’t work.

If you are in that situation, select the “Apply to All” option in step 3. Then, check the section below to format the slide number in PowerPoint.

3. How to Remove Slide Number from Specific Slides

If you don’t want specific slides to show the slide number, you can easily toggle it off.

To remove slide numbers from specific slides in PowerPoint, first, select the slide. Then, click on the “Insert” tab, and click on the “Slide Number” button. Next, “Uncheck” the slide number option in the pop-up that appears, and click on “Apply” to remove the slide numbers from the selected slides.

I’m hopeful that the process mentioned above is self-explanatory. Nevertheless, here’s a step-by-step process to disable slide numbers for specific slides in your PowerPoint presentation.

Step 1 – Select the Slides to Remove the Slide Number

First, select the specific slides on which you wish to remove the slide numbers. You can use the “Ctrl” on your keyboard (or Cmd key for Mac) and click on the slides on the left part of the screen to select multiple slides at once.

Then, click on the “ Insert ” ribbon, and click on the “ Slide Number ” option from the ribbon. This will open a pop-up.

Step 2 – Uncheck the Slide Number Option

From the pop-up window that appears, uncheck the box for the “ Slide Number ” option and click on “ Apply “. This will remove the slide number just on the selected slides.

4. How to Remove Slide Number from Title Slide in PowerPoint?

One common problem that you may encounter once you add the slide numbers to all your slides is that the title slide of your presentation also now shows a slide number!

Most of us usually don’t want the slide number visible on the title slide. So, how do you remove the slide number from the title slide of your PowerPoint presentation?

Well, there are three different methods you can use. Let’s take a look at them one by one.

Method 1 – Manually Removing the Slide Number

The easiest way is to remove the slide number from the title slide manually. Simply select the slide number on the title slide and hit the “Delete” key on your keyboard, and the slide number will be deleted.

This method works well for the title slide only since the title slide will always remain as the first slide in the presentation and won’t change its position in the sequence.

If you use this method on other slides, chances are you may want to move the slides around and may want the slide numbers back on the slide later. And, that may just complicate things for you. Instead, just follow the steps mentioned in the previous section to delete slide numbers on other slides.

However, sometimes, PowerPoint just doesn’t allow you to select the slide number field on the slide! In such a scenario, you can’t just delete the slide number.

This is where the other two methods come in handy!

Method 2 – Uncheck the Slide Number Option on the Title Slide

This method works just the same way as per the steps described in the previous section (section 3 above) of the article that describes the process to remove slide numbers from specific slides.

All you need to do is select the title slide by clicking on it. Then, click on the “ Insert ” tab. Next, click on the “ Slide Number ” option. From the pop-up that appears, uncheck the box for “Slide Number”, and click on “ Apply “.

Just as before, this will remove the slide number from the selected slide.

Method 3 – Use the “Don’t Show on Title Slide” Option

You can also use the “Don’t show on title slide” option when adding the slide numbers to your presentation in order to avoid the slide number on the title slide!

To do so, repeat the steps of adding the slide number to your presentation. Then, enable the checkmark on the “Don’t show on title slide” option to remove the slide number from the title slide.

5. How to Remove Slide Numbers on All Slides in PowerPoint?

Removing slide numbers from all slides is just as easy as adding slide numbers to your slides!

To remove slide numbers from your PowerPoint presentation, click on the “Insert” tab. Then, click on the “Slide Number” option. From the pop-up that appears, uncheck the box for “Slide numbers”, and click on the “Apply to All” option.

Check the steps on the image shared above in case you need any further clarification.

Once all the steps are complete, you will notice that the slide number disappears from all slides!

6. How to Make Slide Numbers “1 of X Slides” in PowerPoint?

If you have a really long presentation that contains more than 50 slides, then you may want to use the “1 of X Slides” format! [Where “X” is the total number of slides that your presentation contains]

Doing so allows the audience to estimate the number of slides remaining in the presentation. So, how do you do that?

Let me share with you a ninja tip in this section! Here’s a step-by-step explanation of what you need to do!

Step 1 – Insert a Text Box on the Slide

The first step is to insert a text box on the slide. To do that, click on the “ Insert ” tab. Then, click on the “ Text Box ” option from the ribbon. Next, just drag the cursor on the bottom right corner of your slide (or wherever you wish to have the slide number).

Step 2 – Insert the Slide Number

The next step is to insert the slide number. But, don’t add the slide number manually.

Instead, first, click inside the text box to make it active. Then, click on the “ Insert ” tab and click on the “ Slide Number ” option from the ribbon.

This will automatically insert the slide number inside the text box.

Step 3 – Add Text After the Slide Number

Now, simply add the text that you wish to appear after the slide number. In this case, I’ve added “of 20 Slides” after the slide number (as shown in the image above).

Step 4 – Copy and Paste the Text Box

Now, all you need to do is simply copy and paste this text box on all the slides!

Once you copy and paste the text box on other slides, you will notice that the slide number within the text box will change with the changing slide. However, “of 20 Slides” will remain constant!

Thus, it is advised to add such a slide number format to all slides once you’ve completed creating the presentation as it will provide you with a clear understanding of the exact number of slides in your presentation.

Don’t worry! Even if you move the slides around and change the sequence, the slide numbers will still change with the specific slide!

7. How to Format Slide Numbers in PowerPoint?

Formatting slides numbers is quite easy if you know what to do!

PowerPoint allows you to change the font color, font size, and even the font that is used for the slide numbers. Formatting a slide number works just like formatting text in PowerPoint .

There are two key processes to know when formatting a slide number in PowerPoint! Let’s take a look at both of them –

7.1 How to Format Slide Numbers for a Specific Slide Layout?

Formatting slide numbers of a specific slide layout will affect only those slides that use a particular type of slide layout. Here’s what you need to do –

Step 1 – Add Slide Numbers to the Slides

The first step is to add the slides numbers to your slide. Obviously, in order to edit the slide numbers and see the effect, the slide numbers need to be present on the slide.

So, if you haven’t added the slide numbers already, follow the steps mentioned earlier in the article and add the slide numbers first.

Step 2 – Check the Slide Layout

The next step that we need to take is to check the slide layout that is currently in use for the specific slide on which we intend to format the slide number.

To check the slide layout, first, select the slide. Then, click on the “ Home ” tab and click on the “ Slide Layout ” option from the ribbon.

The highlighted slide layout will indicate the layout the current slide uses.

Step 3 – Open the Slide Master View

In the next step, we need to open the Slide Master View in PowerPoint .

To do that, first, click on the slide for which you wish to change the slide number format. Then, click on the “ View ” tab, and click on the “ Slide Master ” option from the ribbon.

This will open the slide master view in PowerPoint.

Slide 4 – Format the Slide Number for the Specific Slide Layout

Now, first, make sure that you have the correct layout selected. By default, PowerPoint will open the slide layout of the slide that was selected before opening the slide master view.

Then, to make changes to the format of the slide number, select the slide number field present on the slide. Click on the “ Home ” tab, and make the changes as per your preference.

You can change the font, text alignment, text styles, font size, and much more! For the sake of this example, let’s change the alignment to left, and add a “Bold” style.

Slide 5 – Exit the Slide Master

Once you’ve made the desired formatting changes, click on the “ Slide Master ” tab once again, and click on the “ Close Master ” option to exit the slide master.

Once you exit the slide master and open the normal view, you will notice that the formatting of the slide number on the current slide layout is different from other slides.

7.2 How to Format Slide Numbers on All Slides in PowerPoint?

If you wish to change the format of the slide number on all slides instead of specific slide layouts, you can do so just as easily. And, no! You don’t need to individually change the format of slide numbers on each slide!

Here’s what you need to do to change the slide numbers on all slides in PowerPoint –

Step 1 – Open the Slide Master View

First, you need to open the slide master view in PowerPoint. Just as before, click on the “ View ” tab. Then, click on the “ Slide Master ” option from the ribbon.

Step 2 – Format the Slide Number Field on the “Master Slide”

Once you open the slide master view, click on the “ Master Slide ” i.e. the first slide in the sequence (which is also larger in size than the other slides).

Next, make sure you select the slide number field on the bottom right of the slide. Then, click on the “ Home ” tab. Here you can make all the formatting changes that you need.

For the sake of this example, I’ll click on the “ Bold ” option and change the font color to red.

You can see the change taking place on the selected slide number field on the master slide.

Step 3 – Exit the Slide Master

The last step is to exit the slide master.

Once you have made all the changes to the slide number formatting, click on the “ Slide Master “. Then, click on the “ Close Master ” options.

When you return to the normal view, you will notice that the formatting changes have been applied to all the slide numbers in your presentation.

Using the method described above, you can make changes to font color, font size, type of font, text alignment, and other formatting changes that you can normally make to text in PowerPoint!

8. How to Change the Position of Slide Numbers in PowerPoint?

To change the position of the slide numbers in your PowerPoint presentation, at first, select the text box of the slide number. After that click and hold the text box and drag it to your preferred position anywhere on the slide.

Once you’ve dragged it to where you want the slide numbers to be let go of the mouse button and the position of the slide number will change accordingly.

In order to change the position of slide number on all the slides, make sure that you use the method described in the previous section of the article (section 7.2)

9. Troubleshooting Slides Numbers in PowerPoint

While adding slide numbers to your PowerPoint presentation you may encounter some difficulties as some users of PowerPoint has.

There may be problems like the slide numbers not, showing the slide number may not be showing as “#”, you may have difficulty removing the slide number, or maybe you want the slide number to start from 0.

All these issues and possible reasons why you are encountering them are described in the following section.

9a. Slide Numbers Not Showing in PowerPoint 

Sometimes you may find it difficult to add slide numbers to your PowerPoint presentation. Some of the reasons why you’re having this problem and possible ways to get around them are described below.

1. There may be a shape inserted over your slide number: Sometimes, there may be a shape or an image placed over the location where you inserted your slide number.

To solve this issue, click on the area where the slide number should be, and if there is a shape over it, “Right-click” on the shape and select the “Send to Back” option.

2. Make sure you have used the right layout: Some layouts don’t include the “ Slide Number ” placeholder in the slide. In that case, you won’t be able to see the slide number in slides using that layout.

To get around this issue, either insert a slide number placeholder in that layout or use a different layout that has a page number placeholder.

9b. Slide Number Showing as “#” 

If the slide number is not showing as “#” in your PowerPoint presentation, then the presentation may be using multiple layouts.

To resolve this issue either use a different layout or manually insert a “ Footer ” in your PowerPoint presentation. After that that you should be able to see the “#” sign in the slide number placeholder.

9c. Can’t Remove Slide Number in PowerPoint? 

You can’t remove slide numbers from your PowerPoint presentation by simply deleting them. This would only remove the slide number from the single slide where you deleted the slide number.

To remove slide number from all the slides in your PowerPoint, follow the instructions of excluding a slide from being number described earlier in this presentation, but instead of selecting the “ Apply ” button, select the “ Apply all ” button.

9d. Make Slide Number Start at 0

To make the slide number start from zero, follow the instructions given below.

Step-1: Select the “Customize Slide Size” option

The first step of the process is to select the “ Customize Slide Size ” option. To do that simply go to the “ Design ” tab from the ribbon of your presentation, click on the “ Slide Size ” button located in the “ Customize ” section of the “ Design ” tab.

After that, a dropdown menu will appear on your screen. From the dropdown menu, click on the “ Customize Slide Size ” option.

Step-2: Type in 0 in the “Number starts from” box

Finally, type in ‘0’ in the “ Number starts from ” box which is the last box in the “ Slide Size ” pop-up window, and then hit the “ Ok ” button. This will make the slide numbering start from zero.

Credit to drobotdean (on Freepik) for the featured image of this article (further edited)

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How to show the number of remaining slides in Powerpoint?

Want the current slide to show how many more slides are left to do. What I tried - in Master View, I see a <#> where the slide number is placed. I tried something like 37-<#> there, but it does not work. I thought maybe it should be <37-#> or something like that, but I cannot type anything inside the angle brackets.

Probably I could do it with a vbasic script, but is not there some simpler way?

• microsoft-powerpoint

2 Answers 2

One approach to this is to add a "thermometer bar" to each slide.

There's an example on my PPTFAQ page here: https://www.pptfaq.com/FAQ00597_Add_a_-thermometer-_progress_bar_to_each_slide.htm

Near the top of the article, there's a link to the InDezine site, where there's a pre-made add-in to do the job for you.

• Great! Does this work with > 2003 too - pptx, etc.? –  მამუკა ჯიბლაძე Apr 30, 2020 at 17:59
• It should; try the macro on the PPTFAQ site. If that doesn't work, let me know. If it does work, then the InDezine add-in should work as well. –  Steve Rindsberg May 1, 2020 at 16:01

As far as I know, there is no good way to meet your needs.

PowerPoint can number your slides for you automatically, but it can't automatically show a count. Additionally, there is no way to count the remaining pages.

As a workaround, You can modify the settings in the Slide Master:

1.On the View tab, in the Master Views group, click Slide Master, and then click the slide master thumbnail.

2.Position modification in the following image (the PPT in my example has three pages in total)

3.Numbering slides this way does not calculate the total number of slides in your presentation automatically, so you’ll need to enter the total manually, in place of the "3". If you later add slides, you’ll need to update the total manually as well.

4.Finally, we get the following example:

More information:

Show the slide number and total number of slides on every slide

• Thanks! I figured out that much, but I still asked this because when I am presenting I would like to absolutely minimize any distracting calculations - even trivial subtraction of numbers. –  მამუკა ჯიბლაძე Apr 30, 2020 at 9:13

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How to Structure your Presentation, with Examples

August 3, 2018 - Dom Barnard

For many people the thought of delivering a presentation is a daunting task and brings about a  great deal of nerves . However, if you take some time to understand how effective presentations are structured and then apply this structure to your own presentation, you’ll appear much more confident and relaxed.

Here is our complete guide for structuring your presentation, with examples at the end of the article to demonstrate these points.

Why is structuring a presentation so important?

If you’ve ever sat through a great presentation, you’ll have left feeling either inspired or informed on a given topic. This isn’t because the speaker was the most knowledgeable or motivating person in the world. Instead, it’s because they know how to structure presentations – they have crafted their message in a logical and simple way that has allowed the audience can keep up with them and take away key messages.

Research has supported this, with studies showing that audiences retain structured information  40% more accurately  than unstructured information.

In fact, not only is structuring a presentation important for the benefit of the audience’s understanding, it’s also important for you as the speaker. A good structure helps you remain calm, stay on topic, and avoid any awkward silences.

What will affect your presentation structure?

Generally speaking, there is a natural flow that any decent presentation will follow which we will go into shortly. However, you should be aware that all presentation structures will be different in their own unique way and this will be due to a number of factors, including:

• Whether you need to deliver any demonstrations
• How  knowledgeable the audience  already is on the given subject
• How much interaction you want from the audience
• Any time constraints there are for your talk
• What setting you are in
• Your ability to use any kinds of visual assistance

Before choosing the presentation’s structure answer these questions first:

• What is your presentation’s aim?
• Who are the audience?
• What are the main points your audience should remember afterwards?

When reading the points below, think critically about what things may cause your presentation structure to be slightly different. You can add in certain elements and add more focus to certain moments if that works better for your speech.

What is the typical presentation structure?

This is the usual flow of a presentation, which covers all the vital sections and is a good starting point for yours. It allows your audience to easily follow along and sets out a solid structure you can add your content to.

1. Greet the audience and introduce yourself

Before you start delivering your talk, introduce yourself to the audience and clarify who you are and your relevant expertise. This does not need to be long or incredibly detailed, but will help build an immediate relationship between you and the audience. It gives you the chance to briefly clarify your expertise and why you are worth listening to. This will help establish your ethos so the audience will trust you more and think you’re credible.

Read our tips on  How to Start a Presentation Effectively

2. Introduction

In the introduction you need to explain the subject and purpose of your presentation whilst gaining the audience’s interest and confidence. It’s sometimes helpful to think of your introduction as funnel-shaped to help filter down your topic:

• Introduce your general topic
• Explain your topic area
• State the issues/challenges in this area you will be exploring
• State your presentation’s purpose – this is the basis of your presentation so ensure that you provide a statement explaining how the topic will be treated, for example, “I will argue that…” or maybe you will “compare”, “analyse”, “evaluate”, “describe” etc.
• Provide a statement of what you’re hoping the outcome of the presentation will be, for example, “I’m hoping this will be provide you with…”
• Show a preview of the organisation of your presentation

In this section also explain:

• The length of the talk.
• Signal whether you want audience interaction – some presenters prefer the audience to ask questions throughout whereas others allocate a specific section for this.
• If it applies, inform the audience whether to take notes or whether you will be providing handouts.

The way you structure your introduction can depend on the amount of time you have been given to present: a  sales pitch  may consist of a quick presentation so you may begin with your conclusion and then provide the evidence. Conversely, a speaker presenting their idea for change in the world would be better suited to start with the evidence and then conclude what this means for the audience.

Keep in mind that the main aim of the introduction is to grab the audience’s attention and connect with them.

3. The main body of your talk

The main body of your talk needs to meet the promises you made in the introduction. Depending on the nature of your presentation, clearly segment the different topics you will be discussing, and then work your way through them one at a time – it’s important for everything to be organised logically for the audience to fully understand. There are many different ways to organise your main points, such as, by priority, theme, chronologically etc.

• Main points should be addressed one by one with supporting evidence and examples.
• Before moving on to the next point you should provide a mini-summary.
• Links should be clearly stated between ideas and you must make it clear when you’re moving onto the next point.
• Allow time for people to take relevant notes and stick to the topics you have prepared beforehand rather than straying too far off topic.

When planning your presentation write a list of main points you want to make and ask yourself “What I am telling the audience? What should they understand from this?” refining your answers this way will help you produce clear messages.

4. Conclusion

In presentations the conclusion is frequently underdeveloped and lacks purpose which is a shame as it’s the best place to reinforce your messages. Typically, your presentation has a specific goal – that could be to convert a number of the audience members into customers, lead to a certain number of enquiries to make people knowledgeable on specific key points, or to motivate them towards a shared goal.

Regardless of what that goal is, be sure to summarise your main points and their implications. This clarifies the overall purpose of your talk and reinforces your reason for being there.

Follow these steps:

• Signal that it’s nearly the end of your presentation, for example, “As we wrap up/as we wind down the talk…”
• Restate the topic and purpose of your presentation – “In this speech I wanted to compare…”
• Summarise the main points, including their implications and conclusions
• Indicate what is next/a call to action/a thought-provoking takeaway
• Move on to the last section

5. Thank the audience and invite questions

Conclude your talk by thanking the audience for their time and invite them to  ask any questions  they may have. As mentioned earlier, personal circumstances will affect the structure of your presentation.

Many presenters prefer to make the Q&A session the key part of their talk and try to speed through the main body of the presentation. This is totally fine, but it is still best to focus on delivering some sort of initial presentation to set the tone and topics for discussion in the Q&A.

Other common presentation structures

The above was a description of a basic presentation, here are some more specific presentation layouts:

Demonstration

Use the demonstration structure when you have something useful to show. This is usually used when you want to show how a product works. Steve Jobs frequently used this technique in his presentations.

• Explain why the product is valuable.
• Describe why the product is necessary.
• Explain what problems it can solve for the audience.
• Demonstrate the product  to support what you’ve been saying.
• Make suggestions of other things it can do to make the audience curious.

Problem-solution

This structure is particularly useful in persuading the audience.

• Briefly frame the issue.
• Go into the issue in detail showing why it ‘s such a problem. Use logos and pathos for this – the logical and emotional appeals.
• Provide the solution and explain why this would also help the audience.
• Call to action – something you want the audience to do which is straightforward and pertinent to the solution.

Storytelling

As well as incorporating  stories in your presentation , you can organise your whole presentation as a story. There are lots of different type of story structures you can use – a popular choice is the monomyth – the hero’s journey. In a monomyth, a hero goes on a difficult journey or takes on a challenge – they move from the familiar into the unknown. After facing obstacles and ultimately succeeding the hero returns home, transformed and with newfound wisdom.

Storytelling for Business Success  webinar , where well-know storyteller Javier Bernad shares strategies for crafting compelling narratives.

Another popular choice for using a story to structure your presentation is in media ras (in the middle of thing). In this type of story you launch right into the action by providing a snippet/teaser of what’s happening and then you start explaining the events that led to that event. This is engaging because you’re starting your story at the most exciting part which will make the audience curious – they’ll want to know how you got there.

• Great storytelling: Examples from Alibaba Founder, Jack Ma

Remaining method

The remaining method structure is good for situations where you’re presenting your perspective on a controversial topic which has split people’s opinions.

• Go into the issue in detail showing why it’s such a problem – use logos and pathos.
• Rebut your opponents’ solutions  – explain why their solutions could be useful because the audience will see this as fair and will therefore think you’re trustworthy, and then explain why you think these solutions are not valid.
• After you’ve presented all the alternatives provide your solution, the remaining solution. This is very persuasive because it looks like the winning idea, especially with the audience believing that you’re fair and trustworthy.

Transitions

When delivering presentations it’s important for your words and ideas to flow so your audience can understand how everything links together and why it’s all relevant. This can be done  using speech transitions  which are words and phrases that allow you to smoothly move from one point to another so that your speech flows and your presentation is unified.

Transitions can be one word, a phrase or a full sentence – there are many different forms, here are some examples:

Moving from the introduction to the first point

Signify to the audience that you will now begin discussing the first main point:

• Now that you’re aware of the overview, let’s begin with…
• First, let’s begin with…
• I will first cover…
• My first point covers…
• To get started, let’s look at…

Shifting between similar points

Move from one point to a similar one:

• In the same way…
• Likewise…
• Equally…
• This is similar to…
• Similarly…

Internal summaries

Internal summarising consists of summarising before moving on to the next point. You must inform the audience:

• What part of the presentation you covered – “In the first part of this speech we’ve covered…”
• What the key points were – “Precisely how…”
• How this links in with the overall presentation – “So that’s the context…”
• What you’re moving on to – “Now I’d like to move on to the second part of presentation which looks at…”

Physical movement

You can move your body and your standing location when you transition to another point. The audience find it easier to follow your presentation and movement will increase their interest.

A common technique for incorporating movement into your presentation is to:

• Start your introduction by standing in the centre of the stage.
• For your first point you stand on the left side of the stage.
• You discuss your second point from the centre again.
• You stand on the right side of the stage for your third point.
• The conclusion occurs in the centre.

Key slides for your presentation

Slides are a useful tool for most presentations: they can greatly assist in the delivery of your message and help the audience follow along with what you are saying. Key slides include:

• An intro slide outlining your ideas
• A  summary slide  with core points to remember
• High quality image slides to supplement what you are saying

There are some presenters who choose not to use slides at all, though this is more of a rarity. Slides can be a powerful tool if used properly, but the problem is that many fail to do just that. Here are some golden rules to follow when using slides in a presentation:

• Don’t over fill them  – your slides are there to assist your speech, rather than be the focal point. They should have as little information as possible, to avoid distracting people from your talk.
• A picture says a thousand words  – instead of filling a slide with text, instead, focus on one or two images or diagrams to help support and explain the point you are discussing at that time.
• Make them readable  – depending on the size of your audience, some may not be able to see small text or images, so make everything large enough to fill the space.
• Don’t rush through slides  – give the audience enough time to digest each slide.

Guy Kawasaki, an entrepreneur and author, suggests that slideshows should follow a  10-20-30 rule :

• There should be a maximum of 10 slides – people rarely remember more than one concept afterwards so there’s no point overwhelming them with unnecessary information.
• The presentation should last no longer than 20 minutes as this will leave time for questions and discussion.
• The font size should be a minimum of 30pt because the audience reads faster than you talk so less information on the slides means that there is less chance of the audience being distracted.

Here are some additional resources for slide design:

• 7 design tips for effective, beautiful PowerPoint presentations
• 11 design tips for beautiful presentations
• 10 tips on how to make slides that communicate your idea

Group Presentations

Group presentations are structured in the same way as presentations with one speaker but usually require more rehearsal and practices.  Clean transitioning between speakers  is very important in producing a presentation that flows well. One way of doing this consists of:

• Briefly recap on what you covered in your section: “So that was a brief introduction on what health anxiety is and how it can affect somebody”
• Introduce the next speaker in the team and explain what they will discuss: “Now Elnaz will talk about the prevalence of health anxiety.”
• Then end by looking at the next speaker, gesturing towards them and saying their name: “Elnaz”.
• The next speaker should acknowledge this with a quick: “Thank you Joe.”

From this example you can see how the different sections of the presentations link which makes it easier for the audience to follow and remain engaged.

Example of great presentation structure and delivery

Having examples of great presentations will help inspire your own structures, here are a few such examples, each unique and inspiring in their own way.

How Google Works – by Eric Schmidt

This presentation by ex-Google CEO  Eric Schmidt  demonstrates some of the most important lessons he and his team have learnt with regards to working with some of the most talented individuals they hired. The simplistic yet cohesive style of all of the slides is something to be appreciated. They are relatively straightforward, yet add power and clarity to the narrative of the presentation.

Start with why – by Simon Sinek

Since being released in 2009, this presentation has been viewed almost four million times all around the world. The message itself is very powerful, however, it’s not an idea that hasn’t been heard before. What makes this presentation so powerful is the simple message he is getting across, and the straightforward and understandable manner in which he delivers it. Also note that he doesn’t use any slides, just a whiteboard where he creates a simple diagram of his opinion.

The Wisdom of a Third Grade Dropout – by Rick Rigsby

Here’s an example of a presentation given by a relatively unknown individual looking to inspire the next generation of graduates. Rick’s presentation is unique in many ways compared to the two above. Notably, he uses no visual prompts and includes a great deal of humour.

However, what is similar is the structure he uses. He first introduces his message that the wisest man he knew was a third-grade dropout. He then proceeds to deliver his main body of argument, and in the end, concludes with his message. This powerful speech keeps the viewer engaged throughout, through a mixture of heart-warming sentiment, powerful life advice and engaging humour.

As you can see from the examples above, and as it has been expressed throughout, a great presentation structure means analysing the core message of your presentation. Decide on a key message you want to impart the audience with, and then craft an engaging way of delivering it.

By preparing a solid structure, and  practising your talk  beforehand, you can walk into the presentation with confidence and deliver a meaningful message to an interested audience.

It’s important for a presentation to be well-structured so it can have the most impact on your audience. An unstructured presentation can be difficult to follow and even frustrating to listen to. The heart of your speech are your main points supported by evidence and your transitions should assist the movement between points and clarify how everything is linked.

Research suggests that the audience remember the first and last things you say so your introduction and conclusion are vital for reinforcing your points. Essentially, ensure you spend the time structuring your presentation and addressing all of the sections.

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13 Things to Include in Your Next PowerPoint Presentation

Your visual presentation can be improved with these 13 tips and tricks.

Table of Contents

When putting together a presentation or deck for a big meeting, including a visual component is key. Creating and sharing a PowerPoint presentation can help you drive home key concepts with the support of text, images, graphs and tables and other multimedia elements. Having a tangible and concrete slide deck can also anchor you while also keeping your audience engaged, which can help increase your confidence as a presenter, especially if you aren’t the most extroverted person in the room.

Of course, developing an effective PowerPoint requires plenty of consideration, from determining the structure and design to navigating the technical aspects. To help, here are 13 things to include in your next PowerPoint as well as key dos and don’ts to ensure your presentation goes off without a hitch.

>> Learn More: 5 Types of Presentations Every CEO Needs to Have

What to include in your PowerPoint presentation

A strong PowerPoint presentation should include the following components.

1. Who you are

When presenting to an unfamiliar audience — for example, if you’re speaking at an academic conference or giving a pitch to investors — it’s crucial to introduce yourself. Establish credibility and trust by briefly discussing your line of work, past accomplishments or related projects you have worked on.

2. Your logo

While you may have included your logo in your introduction, you can also put it on each slide of the presentation. This helps your brand “stick” and can be particularly effective when speaking about or on behalf of your company. [Read more about creating a small business marketing plan .]

3. An agenda

Next, write an agenda slide. Not only does this set expectations for your audience and maintain the flow of the presentation, but it can also keep you on track in both drafting and presenting your information.

4. A clear roadmap

In addition to establishing an agenda early on, you can also break down that agenda further with a clear roadmap for your presentation, which is especially helpful for longer PowerPoints with multiple sections. Don’t be afraid to return to the roadmap as needed to allow your audience to follow along better.

5. Information not on your slides

Your PowerPoint slide deck is designed to supplement and enhance your oral presentation, not replace it. Ensure your verbally-presented information adds value by including information that is not on your slides. Keep written text to a minimum, focusing on key words and main ideas. You can expand on these concepts in greater detail as you present.

6. Engaging visuals

The primary benefit of a PowerPoint is the ability to add visuals. In addition to any text on-slide and your verbal presentation content, enhance your message with engaging visual elements, such as graphs and infographics. Relying less on text helps ensure the focus remains on you, the presenter, while also illustrating your key takeaways effectively.

7. Updated data

There’s nothing wrong with reusing or repurposing a slide deck you’ve already created — as long as you keep everything current. If your PowerPoint includes statistics, industry trends , information on your business or other data, check every number and update as necessary before presenting.

8. The answer to ‘so what?’

Even if you include the most compelling and clear information in your presentation, it won’t make an impact if your audience doesn’t understand the bigger picture. Aim to answer the unspoken question of “so what?” by clarifying why the message is important and why it is relevant to your listeners.

9. Key takeaways

Your key takeaways are arguably the most important part of your presentation. Highlight these main points at the end of your PowerPoint ― or, for longer presentations, at the end of each section ― to help your audience remember them. Generating your key takeaways in the outlining stage can also help you structure your slide content.

10. Backup slides

Because a presentation is designed to be clear and concise, you may not always have the time or opportunity to go in-depth on certain topics or audience questions. Having backup slides with additional information can encourage further audience understanding — without letting the presentation veer off-track or run over time.

11. An objection slide

Depending on your presentation topic, your audience may have objections. Get ahead of these objections by dedicating a section to it in your PowerPoint. Give people the opportunity to raise any concerns and address known or anticipated issues directly.

12. A call-to-action slide

Consider what you want your audience to do after listening to your presentation. Are there specific actions to take, ideas to consider or a person to contact? Lay this out for your audience in a call-to-action slide.

13. Contact information

Display your contact information on the last slide to encourage your audience to reach out to you. They will likely appreciate the opportunity to reach out to you should they wish to discuss further and you may also make a valuable connection in the process. [Read more about how to improve customer service for e-commerce sites .]

Dos and don’ts of PowerPoint presentations

If you’re planning to use PowerPoint as a business tool, here are some key dos and don’ts to keep in mind:

• Do use speaker notes to your advantage: While your slides should be relatively clutter-free and light on text, you can include speaker notes at the bottom of the page that are only visible to you, the presenter. Use this section to include any facts, examples or questions you want to highlight in the presentation.
• Do keep your slide backgrounds subtle and consistent: Selecting a background or color scheme that’s too bold or busy can make your presentation hard on the eyes. Ensures sufficient visual contrast between the background and text colors so you and your audience can see it clearly. Microsoft has developed several built-in themes with this visual contrast in mind, though you can also create your own template if you have an eye for design.
• Do have a backup plan: Technology can fail us at the most inopportune times. Should the PowerPoint or your computer have issues, you’ll want to have a backup of your presentation on a memory stick, a CD or on the cloud. In the worst-case scenario, the tech won’t work and you won’t have any visuals to present. If that happens, take a deep breath, then deliver your presentation with a focus on the message. [Related article: Top 10 Cloud Storage Services for Business ]
• Don’t read your PowerPoint word for word: When presenting, your goal is to engage your audience and maintain their attention throughout. Reciting information verbatim from your slides can limit your connection with your audience and hurt your ability to “read the room.” Use the PowerPoint to guide and illustrate as needed but let you and your verbal presentation be the focus.
• Don’t go overboard on transitions and effects: It can be tempting to add slide transitions and sound effects for some visual excitement. However, these special effects rarely enhance your message and can be distracting or even come off as “gimmicky.” Additionally, PowerPoints with effects tend to run more slowly than those without, particularly if you’re presenting on a different computer than the one used to create the slide deck.
• Don’t include too many slides or too much information: People should not spend the entirety of your presentation reading, nor should there be so much information that they become overwhelmed and tune out altogether. Limit the number of slides in your presentation, as well as the amount of text on any given slide. Use your oral presentation to expand on key points and engage with your audience.

Scott Gerber contributed to this article.

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The Golden Rules of holding the audience attention in presentations

There are innumerable ways to structure PowerPoint presentations based on the context and the requirements. However, presentations, not unlike other forms of communication, do have some ground rules that are often considered cardinal regardless of what is being presented. Savvy presenters understand that they cannot take the audience’s attention span for granted and work smartly to get the most out of the time the audience gives them. 

A lot of research has been done on the methods of presentation delivery. SlideUpLift has compiled a list of these rules for you to create an impact when you adopt these practices.

In this blog, you will learn

Importance Of Organizing For Attention Capture

10-20-30 Rule

Single Big Idea

The 15-75-10 Narrative

• SlideUpLift Templates For Business Presentations

Many forms of media and communication take the idea of attention capture very seriously- think about the last time you saw a TV ad the ad was likely a few seconds long and the creators worked very hard to get the message across in those few seconds- every aspect was optimized knowing fully well that precious attention from the audience is likely to wander off if anything goes off tangent in the advertisement. There is more: think of posters, of banner ads on websites- all of these are designed around constraints of space or time- limiting how much time and attention the audience could really give.

Now think of PowerPoint presentations: the audience behavior is likely to not deviate much: In fact, studies have indicated that the average duration of focused attention span is 8 seconds, down from 12 seconds in 2020; there are enough distractions in today’s digital world that drive these trends.

Bottom line is, presenters need to actively think about the topic of holding the attention of their audience. The ease of editing slides in tools like PowerPoint is a proverbial double-edged sword -since it is so easy to add slides, text, graphics, etc that the presenters often can do too much without seeing the slippery slope they are on when that occurs. 

Presentation Rules To Maximize Attention Span

Each of the following rules presents powerful ideas towards capturing and holding the audience’s attention. These can be used in isolation or combined to cater to your specific requirements and objectives for a presentation.

Guy Kawasaki , a venture capitalist well versed in making and assessing presentations, came up with the 10-20-30 Rule. He created this rule in response to hundreds of entrepreneurs pitching their ideas to him using dense 60+ slides PowerPoint presentations to explain something that could have been explained in 10. While he made the rule in the realm of venture capitalism and start-up pitches , the 10-20-30 Rule can be applied pretty much unanimously for every business need.

The rule states that each presentation should have no more than 10 slides each. The total time taken for the presentation should not exceed 20 minutes. And the font size for all the text in the presentation should not be less than 30 px. 

10 Slides – This is in reference to people’s attention spans and the power of retention. For the average human, the information given concisely and carefully is more effective, rather than long-winded explanations and detailed descriptions. Thus, 10 slides are the optimum number of slides to put relevant information that can actually be retained. 

20 Minutes – This is the maximum time an audience is willing to give you after experiencing several bouts of attention loss. So, wrap up your presentation within 20 minutes to keep the audience interested and focused.

30 px font size – The dilemma of putting in more information at the expense of font size is a struggle every presenter’s faces. However, having the bottom line read 30 px for the font size constrains a presenter into making their information short and effective, rather than relying on long-winded explanations crammed onto a page in 10px font size. 

Business Pitch Deck

Source: Business Pitch Deck by SlideUpLift

The 5-5-5 Rule follows the principles of the 10-20-30 Rule, in the sense that it seeks to quantify the structure of a presentation. However, it delves deeper into the details of PowerPoint presentations through the number 5 and talks about structuring information within a single slide.

The three 5s stand for

5 words – There should be no more than 5 words in one sentence (in a slide). This keeps the sentence focused only on the objectives, rather than creating a whole story around it.

5 sentences – There should be no more than 5 sentences or lines of text on a single slide. This makes each slide that much more approachable and readable for the audience. 

5 slides – There should not be 5 text-heavy slides within a presentation in a row. Space them out as much as possible. Having text-heavy slides back to back can cause information overload and fatigue in the audience.

One of our guiding principles is the notion of a “Single Big Idea”. The premise of this idea is two-fold. The overall presentation should be focused on the main vision and goal of the presentation. For instance, if the goal is customer acquisition, the whole presentation, tonality, graphics, story flow, messaging should be focused on customer acquisition. 

Moreover, each slide should also follow the concept of a “single big idea”. Treat each slide with the reverence given to the overall presentation, ensuring that each element, be it visual or textual, aligns with and reinforces the larger idea being presented on that slide.

One of the best tools in a presenter’s toolbox for making presentations is storytelling . We as human beings love stories and absorb messages without even realizing it.

One of the ways to structure your PowerPoint presentations is to narrativize them. The 15-75-10 rule is one way to do it

The 15% Introduction : This should be about 15% of the whole presentation, wherein you introduce yourself if needed, and the larger idea that you intend to convey within the presentation. You can also establish your touchpoints and objectives right at the beginning. 

The 75% Body : Consisting of about 75% of the presentation, the body is where each of your touchpoints is elaborated on using anecdotes, examples, statistics, and information related to them. The body should answer the questions of what, why, and how for the topic.

The 10% Conclusion : The last 10% of your presentation should be the conclusion. A good conclusion is not just a conclusion slide with a thank you note on it. A solid conclusion summarises the presentation, talks about key points of focus, provides contact information, has a call-to-action, and prompts audience engagement to recall and revise everything said during the presentation. Conclusions are brief but powerful parts of a presentation.

Also learn a few tips on effective public speaking .

SlideUpLift Templates for PowerPoint Presentations

SlideUpLift consists of a team of visual design and business experts that are well-versed in both presentation structures, and business foundations for communication. As such, each presentation is made keeping in mind their impact and effectiveness for each topic. 

All SlideUpLift presentations work with the rules of structuring that best fit that particular topic. From project reviews to SWOT analysis , each template is guided by the golden rules of presentation structuring to create a unified and cohesive template that fits all business requirements. Creating impactful, engaging, and effective PowerPoint presentations has never been easier.

Value Proposition PowerPoint

Source: Value Proposition powerPoint by SlideUpLift

Customer Journey Executive Summary

Source: Customer Journey Executive Summary by SlideUpLift

Ladder Diagram

Source: Ladder Diagram by SlideUpLift

Puzzle PowerPoint Template

Source: Puzzle PowerPoint Template by SlideUpLift

Project Kickoff

Source: Project KickOff Presentation by SlideUpLift

It’s a given that a good presentation needs a great structure. But understanding the rules that govern human psychology is extremely important to make an impact when presenting, whether to a group of people or an individual. Using presentation templates that pre-bake such insights and are created specifically to capture the audience’s attention is a smart thing to do.

Now you don’t have to scour the web to find out the right templates. Download our PowerPoint Templates from within PowerPoint. See how ?

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