As a part of your college and university education, you will have to prepare different PowerPoint presentations. If you are not familiar with the basic principles of such assignments, it might be challenging for you to create a quality slideshow. To become a professional PowerPoint Presentation writer, you will have to practice a lot. Whether you are a pro or new to this job, you should never underestimate it. If a presentation is poorly designed, all the efforts will go down the drain. If you should be aware that your slideshow can communicate the needed information effectively and will be received positively by your audience, follow our writing tips. We will teach you how to make a PowerPoint presentation more creative, interesting, artistic, thought-provoking, and attention-grabbing.

What an Effective PowerPoint Presentation Looks Like?
Knowing how to use MS PowerPoint tools is important. It is much more crucial to understand how to craft a slideshow that would meet all your goals. To prepare a great PowerPoint, you have to

● Be Determined to Win. Self-confidence is the key to success.

● Prepare a Solid Background. Research the topic extensively. Without content, your presentation will be doomed to failure.

● Use the Appropriate Design. Prepare a presentation professionally. It is a serious matter and not a children's book. Use visuals wisely. Each image, table, or graph should have a purpose and should not complicate your message.

● Make It Perfect. Ensure that all slides are error-free (fix grammar, punctuation, and spelling mistakes; eliminate typos). Then, read it a few times and rehearse the oral presentation. The goal is to choose the needed timing and delivery mode.

● Choose the Proper Tone. Present your slideshow in a relaxed manner. Be confident and calm. Communicate with energy and warmth. Show that you have a passion for the chosen topic.

Now, let’s discuss your way to an effective PowerPoint presentation step by step.

Step 1. Research the Topic
Delve deep into your topic. Look at it from different perspectives and try to find some interesting facts and data.

Once you have enough information, create an outline of the main ideas you plan to discuss in your presentation. Prepare a bullet point list. Only in this case, you can be certain that anything important was not left out.

When you have a good outline, you can start developing a rough draft of your future speech.

Read the speech a few times. Think about what can be added and what parts are redundant. You can write the speech in the slideshow editor directly. In this case, you should consider the distribution of information by slide.

Alternatively, you can use a traditional text editor. Later, you will have to copy and paste the information into the presentation. This choice is a question of your convenience only.

Step 2. Write a Detailed Script
The preparation stage is usually not visible, but it usually takes you a lot of time. Most presentations were written without any plan or reason.

It is not the way great presentations are done. If you should create a quality piece, you should make things in a proper manner. Keep in mind the main issue – the presentation and your speech should expand and complement each other. You should think about what you want to say to your audience, visualize it, and only then create a slide. Unless you possess a unique ability to improvise and speak off the top of your head, you will need an outline to deliver a good PowerPoint.

Pay attention to the format of your presentation. The script should follow a traditional essay structure with an introduction, body, and conclusion. Your aim is to organize each slide in such a manner to make your reader want more. They should like each slide and be anxious to see the next one.

Step 3. Develop an Engaging Speech
It is time to check your talking issues and prepare the final draft of your speech. We use the word final since you will use this version for creating your presentation. Some changes still can be made to it later.

It might be useful to browse the Internet for some popular presentation structures. They can become a valuable source of inspiration for you. With a good example, it is always easier to understand what you are expected to do.

Drumroll… You are finally done with preparations that took you so much time and effort. Now, you can embark on the presentation.

Step 4. Choose an Appealing Layout
In the Western world, most people read top to bottom and left to right. Thank you, Captain obvious! But wait, it is not just a fact! It is a guide for you on how to organize information on a slide. By using this natural reading order, you can emphasize the key points. It is beneficial to choose a single layout for the entire document. In such a manner, the presentation will look more professional. Also, it will be more convenient for the audience to follow the story.

You can use simple tricks to guide your viewers. Try different colors and sizes of text; use alternative fonts and unconventional blocks. Be careful not to overdo with it. Basically, each slide should have a heading and body. The body should be organized in blocks. With an effective format, your viewers will not spend time figuring things out but will listen to the speech and watch the slideshow.

Step 4. Add High-Quality Visuals
Another common mistake made by many people is putting large blocks of text on slides. It is a major problem. Such passages are difficult to read and leave little space for the oral presentation. A great slide should use visuals effectively.

There are a few requirements to bear in mind. You should avoid clichés overused quotes, stock photos, and clipart. All these things have already sunk into oblivion. Choose photos of high quality. Include only those pictures that add value to your presentation.

Step 5. Tell an Interesting Story
Here we do not talk about creating a fairy tale but about the need to present facts as a story and not as a list. Ideally, a viewer has to see the list on the slide and listen to your explanations. Only in this case, you can excite people and attract their attention. Let’s get back to the preparation stage. When developing a speech based on the outline, you should think over all twists and hooks of your story. In this case, you will easily develop all slides.

Never Do This to Your Presentation
The key thing to consider is that a slideshow is a presentation aid and the focus is always on the speech. Otherwise, you will be a slave of your PowerPoint. Never forget about the main goal that is to deliver a message.

Many people regard presentations as an easy way to score. As a result, PowerPoints have acquired a bad reputation of too simple tasks that do not require much attention.

There are a few things that can destroy your presentation despite all the effort. Avoid these common mistakes at all cost:

● Do not use standard, built-in themes for making PowerPoint presentations. After so many years, they just do not work anymore. If you spend a while googling a sample, you can easily find an interesting template on the Internet. Some are chargeable, while others are free of charge. Or use your creativity and design a unique, custom theme.

● Find the perfect balance. Do not use too long passages of text on your slides. There is absolutely no need to pack the slide from edge to edge.

● Limit animations. Too much movement on the slide with boxes and objects popping up and flying off can confuse and even irritate the audience. Just make it simple.

Now, you are well aware how to make a PowerPoint. So, just go and do it!