how to create a presentation package

• Privacy Policy

• Posted in in Tools

Beginner Guide: Making the most out of Presentation Packages

• Posted by by Retna
• Loco translate 1 year ago
• Share this article

Presentations are a critical part of day-to-day work. It is how we present our ideas and thoughts in a concise and thought-out manner to to other people, to aid communication and business development. Because they’re such an important part of showcasing ideas and business plans, it is important to understand presentation packages and how to select the best one for your business. 

Table of Contents

What is a presentation package?

A presentation package is a set of materials that helps you present information to an audience with the goal of making it easier for you to convey difficult concepts while allowing the audience to better understand the information being presented. 

Different types of presentation packages

There are many different types of presentation packages. This range of options means we have some readily available presentation packages like slide decks, handouts, notes, props, demonstrations, and other interactive elements. 

• A slide deck is a set of slides that the presenter uses to support their talk, and can include images, graphs, and other visual aids. 
• Handouts are printed materials that the audience can take home with them, and can include summaries of key points, additional information, and contact information. 
• Notes are the presenter’s personal notes, which can help them stay organised and on track during their talk. 
• Props are physical objects that the presenter uses to demonstrate a concept or make a point, such as a model, a sample product, or as a prop to act out a scenario. 
• Demonstrations are live or recorded examples of a concept or idea being put into action, such as a product demonstration or a simulation. 
• Other interactive elements can include polls , quizzes , and other activities that engage the audience and involve them in the presentation. These elements can help to make the presentation more dynamic and memorable, and can also help the audience better understand and retain the information being presented.

However, for our purposes in this article, we’ll be focusing on the presentation software used to make slide decks, the types and options that exist, and the features they have that can make presentations even easier.

Features of a Presentation Software 

Presentation Software, as a form of presentation package, boasts several features:

• A wide range of design templates, fonts, and visual elements to help users create visually appealing presentations.
• Tools for creating, organising, and modifying slides, including the ability to add text, images, graphs, and other elements to slides.
• Collaboration tools, such as the ability to share presentations with others and work on them together in real-time.
• Accessibility on multiple devices, allowing users to access and present their materials from any device with an internet connection.
• Integration with other tools and applications, such as the ability to import slides from other programs or export presentations as PDFs or other file formats.

Presentation Package Examples

So, now that you know the features of presentation package software, here are some examples that can help boost your productivity:

• Microsoft PowerPoint : a widely used program for creating and delivering presentations, available as part of the Microsoft Office suite.
• Google Slides : a cloud-based presentation program that is part of the Google Workspace productivity suite.
• Apple Keynote : a presentation program for Mac and iOS devices, included with the iWork suite of productivity applications.
• Prezi: a cloud-based presentation platform that allows users to create dynamic, non-linear presentations.
• Adobe Express : a suite of tools for creating and sharing visual content, including presentation slides.

There are so many other presentation package software options available, and the right choice will depend on the specific needs and preferences of the user.

Benefits of a presentation package

Presentation package software can provide many benefits to users, including:

• Improved organisation and structure : by using a presentation package, users can easily organise and arrange their presentation materials in a logical and coherent manner.
• Enhanced visual appeal : many presentation package programs offer a wide range of design templates, fonts, and other visual elements that can help users create professional-looking and engaging presentations.
• Greater flexibility : presentation package software allows users to easily modify and update their presentations, even after they have been delivered, making it easy to respond to changes or feedback.
• Enhanced collaboration: many presentation package programs offer tools for sharing and collaborating on presentations with others, making it easy for team members to work together on a presentation.
• Improved accessibility: many presentation package programs are available online or as mobile applications, allowing users to access and present their materials from any device, anywhere.

Tips for making business presentations 

In order to fully capitalise on the benefits and use cases presented by presentation packages, it is important to understand how to actually give good presentations! Here are a few tips to improve your presentation game:

• Start by defining the goals and objectives of the presentation. This will help you focus your content and ensure that your presentation is relevant and valuable to your audience.
• Use a clear and logical structure for your presentation. This will help the audience follow your talk and understand the main points you are trying to make.
• Use visuals and graphics to support your points and make the information more engaging and memorable. Avoid using too many words on slides, and make sure the visuals are easy to understand and relevant to the content.
• Practise your presentation beforehand, and consider rehearsing with a friend or colleague to get feedback. This will help you become more confident and comfortable with the material.
• Engage with your audience during the presentation, and be prepared to answer questions or address concerns. This will help create a dialogue and make the presentation more interactive and engaging.

Our Final Thoughts

We believe in the power that presentations have in helping to visualise ideas and prototypes before bringing them to life. In our opinion, it is worth investing in a capable presentation package so that you can create presentations that are interesting to see and can capture the imagination of the audience. Presentations are also more interesting to see when the images used are relatable. We believe this is where Retna can be integrated into your presentation workflow to make your final work more interesting to a wider audience.

Post navigation

• Posted in in Mockups

What are Mockups? A Comprehensive Guide for Creators

• November 9, 2022

• Posted in in Photography

Photography Props and Why They Are so Important

• February 6, 2023

You might also like

Figma vs Adobe XD: The Pros and Cons

• February 8, 2023

Stay In The Loop

We use essential cookies to make Venngage work. By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.

Manage Cookies

Cookies and similar technologies collect certain information about how you’re using our website. Some of them are essential, and without them you wouldn’t be able to use Venngage. But others are optional, and you get to choose whether we use them or not.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are always on, as they’re essential for making Venngage work, and making it safe. Without these cookies, services you’ve asked for can’t be provided.

Show cookie providers

• Google Login

Functionality Cookies

These cookies help us provide enhanced functionality and personalisation, and remember your settings. They may be set by us or by third party providers.

Performance Cookies

These cookies help us analyze how many people are using Venngage, where they come from and how they're using it. If you opt out of these cookies, we can’t get feedback to make Venngage better for you and all our users.

• Google Analytics

Targeting Cookies

These cookies are set by our advertising partners to track your activity and show you relevant Venngage ads on other sites as you browse the internet.

• Google Tag Manager
• Infographics
• Daily Infographics
• Popular Templates
• Accessibility
• Graphic Design
• Graphs and Charts
• Data Visualization
• Human Resources
• Beginner Guides

Blog Beginner Guides How To Make a Good Presentation [A Complete Guide]

How To Make a Good Presentation [A Complete Guide]

Written by: Krystle Wong Jul 20, 2023

A top-notch presentation possesses the power to drive action. From winning stakeholders over and conveying a powerful message to securing funding — your secret weapon lies within the realm of creating an effective presentation .  

Being an excellent presenter isn’t confined to the boardroom. Whether you’re delivering a presentation at work, pursuing an academic career, involved in a non-profit organization or even a student, nailing the presentation game is a game-changer.

In this article, I’ll cover the top qualities of compelling presentations and walk you through a step-by-step guide on how to give a good presentation. Here’s a little tip to kick things off: for a headstart, check out Venngage’s collection of free presentation templates . They are fully customizable, and the best part is you don’t need professional design skills to make them shine!

These valuable presentation tips cater to individuals from diverse professional backgrounds, encompassing business professionals, sales and marketing teams, educators, trainers, students, researchers, non-profit organizations, public speakers and presenters. 

No matter your field or role, these tips for presenting will equip you with the skills to deliver effective presentations that leave a lasting impression on any audience.

Click to jump ahead:

What are the 10 qualities of a good presentation?

Step-by-step guide on how to prepare an effective presentation, 9 effective techniques to deliver a memorable presentation, faqs on making a good presentation, how to create a presentation with venngage in 5 steps.

When it comes to giving an engaging presentation that leaves a lasting impression, it’s not just about the content — it’s also about how you deliver it. Wondering what makes a good presentation? Well, the best presentations I’ve seen consistently exhibit these 10 qualities:

1. Clear structure

No one likes to get lost in a maze of information. Organize your thoughts into a logical flow, complete with an introduction, main points and a solid conclusion. A structured presentation helps your audience follow along effortlessly, leaving them with a sense of satisfaction at the end.

Regardless of your presentation style , a quality presentation starts with a clear roadmap. Browse through Venngage’s template library and select a presentation template that aligns with your content and presentation goals. Here’s a good presentation example template with a logical layout that includes sections for the introduction, main points, supporting information and a conclusion: 

2. Engaging opening

Hook your audience right from the start with an attention-grabbing statement, a fascinating question or maybe even a captivating anecdote. Set the stage for a killer presentation!

The opening moments of your presentation hold immense power – check out these 15 ways to start a presentation to set the stage and captivate your audience.

3. Relevant content

Make sure your content aligns with their interests and needs. Your audience is there for a reason, and that’s to get valuable insights. Avoid fluff and get straight to the point, your audience will be genuinely excited.

4. Effective visual aids

Picture this: a slide with walls of text and tiny charts, yawn! Visual aids should be just that—aiding your presentation. Opt for clear and visually appealing slides, engaging images and informative charts that add value and help reinforce your message.

With Venngage, visualizing data takes no effort at all. You can import data from CSV or Google Sheets seamlessly and create stunning charts, graphs and icon stories effortlessly to showcase your data in a captivating and impactful way.

5. Clear and concise communication

Keep your language simple, and avoid jargon or complicated terms. Communicate your ideas clearly, so your audience can easily grasp and retain the information being conveyed. This can prevent confusion and enhance the overall effectiveness of the message. 

6. Engaging delivery

Spice up your presentation with a sprinkle of enthusiasm! Maintain eye contact, use expressive gestures and vary your tone of voice to keep your audience glued to the edge of their seats. A touch of charisma goes a long way!

7. Interaction and audience engagement

Turn your presentation into an interactive experience — encourage questions, foster discussions and maybe even throw in a fun activity. Engaged audiences are more likely to remember and embrace your message.

Transform your slides into an interactive presentation with Venngage’s dynamic features like pop-ups, clickable icons and animated elements. Engage your audience with interactive content that lets them explore and interact with your presentation for a truly immersive experience.

8. Effective storytelling

Who doesn’t love a good story? Weaving relevant anecdotes, case studies or even a personal story into your presentation can captivate your audience and create a lasting impact. Stories build connections and make your message memorable.

A great presentation background is also essential as it sets the tone, creates visual interest and reinforces your message. Enhance the overall aesthetics of your presentation with these 15 presentation background examples and captivate your audience’s attention.

9. Well-timed pacing

Pace your presentation thoughtfully with well-designed presentation slides, neither rushing through nor dragging it out. Respect your audience’s time and ensure you cover all the essential points without losing their interest.

10. Strong conclusion

Last impressions linger! Summarize your main points and leave your audience with a clear takeaway. End your presentation with a bang , a call to action or an inspiring thought that resonates long after the conclusion.

In-person presentations aside, acing a virtual presentation is of paramount importance in today’s digital world. Check out this guide to learn how you can adapt your in-person presentations into virtual presentations . 

Preparing an effective presentation starts with laying a strong foundation that goes beyond just creating slides and notes. One of the quickest and best ways to make a presentation would be with the help of a good presentation software . 

Otherwise, let me walk you to how to prepare for a presentation step by step and unlock the secrets of crafting a professional presentation that sets you apart.

1. Understand the audience and their needs

Before you dive into preparing your masterpiece, take a moment to get to know your target audience. Tailor your presentation to meet their needs and expectations , and you’ll have them hooked from the start!

2. Conduct thorough research on the topic

Time to hit the books (or the internet)! Don’t skimp on the research with your presentation materials — dive deep into the subject matter and gather valuable insights . The more you know, the more confident you’ll feel in delivering your presentation.

3. Organize the content with a clear structure

No one wants to stumble through a chaotic mess of information. Outline your presentation with a clear and logical flow. Start with a captivating introduction, follow up with main points that build on each other and wrap it up with a powerful conclusion that leaves a lasting impression.

Delivering an effective business presentation hinges on captivating your audience, and Venngage’s professionally designed business presentation templates are tailor-made for this purpose. With thoughtfully structured layouts, these templates enhance your message’s clarity and coherence, ensuring a memorable and engaging experience for your audience members.

Don’t want to build your presentation layout from scratch? pick from these 5 foolproof presentation layout ideas that won’t go wrong. 

4. Develop visually appealing and supportive visual aids

Spice up your presentation with eye-catching visuals! Create slides that complement your message, not overshadow it. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words, but that doesn’t mean you need to overload your slides with text.

Well-chosen designs create a cohesive and professional look, capturing your audience’s attention and enhancing the overall effectiveness of your message. Here’s a list of carefully curated PowerPoint presentation templates and great background graphics that will significantly influence the visual appeal and engagement of your presentation.

5. Practice, practice and practice

Practice makes perfect — rehearse your presentation and arrive early to your presentation to help overcome stage fright. Familiarity with your material will boost your presentation skills and help you handle curveballs with ease.

6. Seek feedback and make necessary adjustments

Don’t be afraid to ask for help and seek feedback from friends and colleagues. Constructive criticism can help you identify blind spots and fine-tune your presentation to perfection.

With Venngage’s real-time collaboration feature , receiving feedback and editing your presentation is a seamless process. Group members can access and work on the presentation simultaneously and edit content side by side in real-time. Changes will be reflected immediately to the entire team, promoting seamless teamwork.

7. Prepare for potential technical or logistical issues

Prepare for the unexpected by checking your equipment, internet connection and any other potential hiccups. If you’re worried that you’ll miss out on any important points, you could always have note cards prepared. Remember to remain focused and rehearse potential answers to anticipated questions.

8. Fine-tune and polish your presentation

As the big day approaches, give your presentation one last shine. Review your talking points, practice how to present a presentation and make any final tweaks. Deep breaths — you’re on the brink of delivering a successful presentation!

In competitive environments, persuasive presentations set individuals and organizations apart. To brush up on your presentation skills, read these guides on how to make a persuasive presentation and tips to presenting effectively . 

Whether you’re an experienced presenter or a novice, the right techniques will let your presentation skills soar to new heights!

From public speaking hacks to interactive elements and storytelling prowess, these 9 effective presentation techniques will empower you to leave a lasting impression on your audience and make your presentations unforgettable.

1. Confidence and positive body language

Positive body language instantly captivates your audience, making them believe in your message as much as you do. Strengthen your stage presence and own that stage like it’s your second home! Stand tall, shoulders back and exude confidence. 

2. Eye contact with the audience

Break down that invisible barrier and connect with your audience through their eyes. Maintaining eye contact when giving a presentation builds trust and shows that you’re present and engaged with them.

3. Effective use of hand gestures and movement

A little movement goes a long way! Emphasize key points with purposeful gestures and don’t be afraid to walk around the stage. Your energy will be contagious!

4. Utilize storytelling techniques

Weave the magic of storytelling into your presentation. Share relatable anecdotes, inspiring success stories or even personal experiences that tug at the heartstrings of your audience. Adjust your pitch, pace and volume to match the emotions and intensity of the story. Varying your speaking voice adds depth and enhances your stage presence.

5. Incorporate multimedia elements

Spice up your presentation with a dash of visual pizzazz! Use slides, images and video clips to add depth and clarity to your message. Just remember, less is more—don’t overwhelm them with information overload. 

Turn your presentations into an interactive party! Involve your audience with questions, polls or group activities. When they actively participate, they become invested in your presentation’s success. Bring your design to life with animated elements. Venngage allows you to apply animations to icons, images and text to create dynamic and engaging visual content.

6. Utilize humor strategically

Laughter is the best medicine—and a fantastic presentation enhancer! A well-placed joke or lighthearted moment can break the ice and create a warm atmosphere , making your audience more receptive to your message.

7. Practice active listening and respond to feedback

Be attentive to your audience’s reactions and feedback. If they have questions or concerns, address them with genuine interest and respect. Your responsiveness builds rapport and shows that you genuinely care about their experience.

8. Apply the 10-20-30 rule

Apply the 10-20-30 presentation rule and keep it short, sweet and impactful! Stick to ten slides, deliver your presentation within 20 minutes and use a 30-point font to ensure clarity and focus. Less is more, and your audience will thank you for it!

9. Implement the 5-5-5 rule

Simplicity is key. Limit each slide to five bullet points, with only five words per bullet point and allow each slide to remain visible for about five seconds. This rule keeps your presentation concise and prevents information overload.

Simple presentations are more engaging because they are easier to follow. Summarize your presentations and keep them simple with Venngage’s gallery of simple presentation templates and ensure that your message is delivered effectively across your audience.

1. How to start a presentation?

To kick off your presentation effectively, begin with an attention-grabbing statement or a powerful quote. Introduce yourself, establish credibility and clearly state the purpose and relevance of your presentation.

2. How to end a presentation?

For a strong conclusion, summarize your talking points and key takeaways. End with a compelling call to action or a thought-provoking question and remember to thank your audience and invite any final questions or interactions.

3. How to make a presentation interactive?

To make your presentation interactive, encourage questions and discussion throughout your talk. Utilize multimedia elements like videos or images and consider including polls, quizzes or group activities to actively involve your audience.

In need of inspiration for your next presentation? I’ve got your back! Pick from these 120+ presentation ideas, topics and examples to get started. 

Creating a stunning presentation with Venngage is a breeze with our user-friendly drag-and-drop editor and professionally designed templates for all your communication needs. 

Here’s how to make a presentation in just 5 simple steps with the help of Venngage:

Step 1: Sign up for Venngage for free using your email, Gmail or Facebook account or simply log in to access your account. 

Step 2: Pick a design from our selection of free presentation templates (they’re all created by our expert in-house designers).

Step 3: Make the template your own by customizing it to fit your content and branding. With Venngage’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor, you can easily modify text, change colors and adjust the layout to create a unique and eye-catching design.

Step 4: Elevate your presentation by incorporating captivating visuals. You can upload your images or choose from Venngage’s vast library of high-quality photos, icons and illustrations. 

Step 5: Upgrade to a premium or business account to export your presentation in PDF and print it for in-person presentations or share it digitally for free!

By following these five simple steps, you’ll have a professionally designed and visually engaging presentation ready in no time. With Venngage’s user-friendly platform, your presentation is sure to make a lasting impression. So, let your creativity flow and get ready to shine in your next presentation!

Discover popular designs

Infographic maker

Brochure maker

White paper online

Newsletter creator

Flyer maker

Timeline maker

Letterhead maker

Mind map maker

Ebook maker

.css-1qrtm5m{display:block;margin-bottom:8px;text-transform:uppercase;font-size:14px;line-height:1.5714285714285714;-webkit-letter-spacing:-0.35px;-moz-letter-spacing:-0.35px;-ms-letter-spacing:-0.35px;letter-spacing:-0.35px;font-weight:300;color:#606F7B;}@media (min-width:600px){.css-1qrtm5m{font-size:16px;line-height:1.625;-webkit-letter-spacing:-0.5px;-moz-letter-spacing:-0.5px;-ms-letter-spacing:-0.5px;letter-spacing:-0.5px;}} Best Practices 5 essential preparation steps for a successful presentation

by Tom Rielly • June 15, 2020

Keeping your presentation visuals minimalistic, simple, and clear is just one important step to remember when designing a hit presentation. Leaving nothing to chance, great presenters prove quite methodical as they prepare. Here’s a checklist for everything you need to keep in mind before your next presentation:

1. Choose the right software for your needs

The easiest way to select the right presentation software for you is to simply find the one that is native to your device. For example, if you have a Mac, use Apple Keynote, if you work on Windows, use PowerPoint. Google Slides is recommended if you’re working with someone, as it makes collaboration very easy. Another software option is Prezi: a specialty tool called Prezi that creates a presentation using motion, zoom, and panning across one giant visual space.

2. Organize your files

As you develop your script and visuals, you will need to start assembling all the assets for your slides. Create a unique folder on your computer to hold these items. Keep the folder organized by media type (presentation drafts, photos, videos, scripts) and back them up frequently to the Cloud or external disk. Label each file with a specific descriptive name, e.g. “Susan Johnson singing magpie 2020”, as opposed to “IMG_4043.jpg”, which can make it confusing to find your assets. The more organized you are up front, the easier preparing for your presentation will be.

3. Prepare your presentation materials

Make sure your presentation materials (script, graphics, actual slides) are saved in at least two safe spots (for example, your computer and an external USB drive) and are backed-up frequently. If you are using an online presentation software, such as Google Slides, be sure to also download a copy of your presentation in case the internet connection is unreliable. Having all the individual assets on hand in addition to your presentation slides can be helpful if you experience tech issues before presenting, or if you need to make any last minute changes. Make sure to label your final presentation with the title and your name so it’s easy to find.

4. Practice, practice, practice!

Remember, practice makes perfect. People often run out of time making their presentations and have no time to practice. Most TED speakers practice at least ten times. Neuroscientist Jill-Bolte Taylor gave one of the most successful Talks in TED history with nearly 27 million views. How did she do it? She practiced her Talk over 40 times! By rehearsing multiple times you will naturally memorize your Talk, which means you won’t need note cards when you give your final presentation.

5. Do a final test run

Before presenting, make sure the equipment you need is working properly. It’s generally good practice to rehearse standing on the exact stage with the exact lighting using the exact computer that you will be using in your final presentation.

Here’s a quick checklist of what to look for when testing your equipment:

• If you're not using your own computer, the one provided might be slower and have trouble playing media. If you have videos or other media, make sure they play correctly
• Test the projector to make sure it’s HD
• Make sure images are clear
• Test the sound of any clips you use, as this is what goes wrong most frequently
• If you’re using a mic, test the volume

Don’t let technical issues or other blunders overshadow your presentation. By following these guidelines, and with a little preparation, you can engineer out the problems BEFORE they happen.

Ready to learn more about how to make your presentation even better? Get TED Masterclass and develop your ideas into TED-style talks

© 2024 TED Conferences, LLC. All rights reserved. Please note that the TED Talks Usage policy does not apply to this content and is not subject to our creative commons license.

How to make a great presentation

Stressed about an upcoming presentation? These talks are full of helpful tips on how to get up in front of an audience and make a lasting impression.

The secret structure of great talks

The beauty of data visualization

TED's secret to great public speaking

How to speak so that people want to listen

How great leaders inspire action

Critical PowerPoint Shortcuts – Claim Your FREE Training Module and Get Your Time Back!

How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation (Step-by-Step)

• PowerPoint Tutorials
• Presentation Design
• January 22, 2024

In this beginner’s guide, you will learn step-by-step how to make a PowerPoint presentation from scratch.

While PowerPoint is designed to be intuitive and accessible, it can be overwhelming if you’ve never gotten any training on it before. As you progress through this guide, you’ll will learn how to move from blank slides to PowerPoint slides that look like these.

Table of Contents

Additionally, as you create your presentation, you’ll also learn tricks for working more efficiently in PowerPoint, including how to:

• Change the slide order
• Reset your layout
• Change the slide dimensions
• Use PowerPoint Designer
• Format text
• Format objects
• Play a presentation (slide show)

With this knowledge under your belt, you’ll be ready to start creating PowerPoint presentations. Moreover, you’ll have taken your skills from beginner to proficient in no time at all. I will also include links to more advanced PowerPoint topics.

Ready to start learning how to make a PowerPoint presentation?

Take your PPT skills to the next level

Start with a blank presentation.

Note: Before you open PowerPoint and start creating your presentation, make sure you’ve collected your thoughts. If you’re going to make your slides compelling, you need to spend some time brainstorming.

For help with this, see our article with tips for nailing your business presentation  here .

The first thing you’ll need to do is to open PowerPoint. When you do, you are shown the Start Menu , with the Home tab open.

This is where you can choose either a blank theme (1) or a pre-built theme (2). You can also choose to open an existing presentation (3).

For now, go ahead and click on the  Blank Presentation (1)  thumbnail.

Doing so launches a brand new and blank presentation for you to work with. Before you start adding content to your presentation, let’s first familiarize ourselves with the PowerPoint interface.

The PowerPoint interface

Here is how the program is laid out:

• The Application Header
• The Ribbon (including the Ribbon tabs)
• The Quick Access Toolbar (either above or below the Ribbon)
• The Slides Pane (slide thumbnails)

The Slide Area

The notes pane.

• The Status Bar (including the View Buttons)

Each one of these areas has options for viewing certain parts of the PowerPoint environment and formatting your presentation.

Below are the important things to know about certain elements of the PowerPoint interface.

The PowerPoint Ribbon

The Ribbon is contextual. That means that it will adapt to what you’re doing in the program.

For example, the Font, Paragraph and Drawing options are greyed out until you select something that has text in it, as in the example below (A).

Furthermore, if you start manipulating certain objects, the Ribbon will display additional tabs, as seen above (B), with more commands and features to help you work with those objects. The following objects have their own additional tabs in the Ribbon which are hidden until you select them:

• Online Pictures
• Screenshots
• Screen Recording

The Slides Pane

This is where you can preview and rearrange all the slides in your presentation.

Right-clicking on a slide  in the pane gives you additional options on the slide level that you won’t find on the Ribbon, such as  Duplicate Slide ,  Delete Slide , and  Hide Slide .

In addition, you can add sections to your presentation by  right-clicking anywhere in this Pane  and selecting  Add Section . Sections are extremely helpful in large presentations, as they allow you to organize your slides into chunks that you can then rearrange, print or display differently from other slides.

The Slide Area (A) is where you will build out your slides. Anything within the bounds of this area will be visible when you present or print your presentation.

Anything outside of this area (B) will be hidden from view. This means that you can place things here, such as instructions for each slide, without worrying about them being shown to your audience.

The  Notes Pane  is the space beneath the Slide Area where you can type in the speaker notes for each slide. It’s designed as a fast way to add and edit your slides’ talking points.

To expand your knowledge and learn more about adding, printing, and exporting your PowerPoint speaker notes, read our guide here .

Your speaker notes are visible when you print your slides using the Notes Pages option and when you use the Presenter View . To expand your knowledge and learn the ins and outs of using the Presenter View , read our guide here .

You can resize the  Notes Pane  by clicking on its edge and dragging it up or down (A). You can also minimize or reopen it by clicking on the Notes button in the Status Bar (B).

Note:  Not all text formatting displays in the Notes Pane, even though it will show up when printing your speaker notes. To learn more about printing PowerPoint with notes, read our guide here .

Now that you have a basic grasp of the PowerPoint interface at your disposal, it’s time to make your presentation.

Adding Content to Your PowerPoint Presentation

Notice that in the Slide Area , there are two rectangles with dotted outlines. These are called  Placeholders  and they’re set on the template in the Slide Master View .

To expand your knowledge and learn how to create a PowerPoint template of your own (which is no small task), read our guide here .

As the prompt text suggests, you can click into each placeholder and start typing text. These types of placeholder prompts are customizable too. That means that if you are using a company template, it might say something different, but the functionality is the same.

Note:  For the purposes of this example, I will create a presentation based on the content in the Starbucks 2018 Global Social Impact Report, which is available to the public on their website.

If you type in more text than there is room for, PowerPoint will automatically reduce its font size. You can stop this behavior by clicking on the  Autofit Options  icon to the left of the placeholder and selecting  Stop Fitting Text to this Placeholder .

Next, you can make formatting adjustments to your text by selecting the commands in the Font area and the  Paragraph area  of the  Home  tab of the Ribbon.

The Reset Command:  If you make any changes to your title and decide you want to go back to how it was originally, you can use the Reset button up in the Home tab .

Insert More Slides into Your Presentation

Now that you have your title slide filled in, it’s time to add more slides. To do that, simply go up to the  Home tab  and click on  New Slide . This inserts a new slide in your presentation right after the one you were on.

You can alternatively hit Ctrl+M on your keyboard to insert a new blank slide in PowerPoint. To learn more about this shortcut, see my guide on using Ctrl+M in PowerPoint .

Instead of clicking the New Slide command, you can also open the New Slide dropdown to see all the slide layouts in your PowerPoint template. Depending on who created your template, your layouts in this dropdown can be radically different.

If you insert a layout and later want to change it to a different layout, you can use the Layout dropdown instead of the New Slide dropdown.

After inserting a few different slide layouts, your presentation might look like the following picture. Don’t worry that it looks blank, next we will start adding content to your presentation.

If you want to follow along exactly with me, your five slides should be as follows:

• Title Slide
• Title and Content
• Section Header
• Two Content
• Picture with Caption

Adding Content to Your Slides

Now let’s go into each slide and start adding our content. You’ll notice some new types of placeholders.

On slide 2 we have a  Content Placeholder , which allows you to add any kind of content. That includes:

• A SmartArt graphic,
• A 3D object,
• A picture from the web,
• Or an icon.

To insert text, simply type it in or hit  Ctrl+C to Copy  and Ctrl+V to Paste  from elsewhere. To insert any of the other objects, click on the appropriate icon and follow the steps to insert it.

For my example, I’ll simply type in some text as you can see in the picture below.

Slides 3 and 4 only have text placeholders, so I’ll go ahead and add in my text into each one.

On slide 5 we have a Picture Placeholder . That means that the only elements that can go into it are:

• A picture from the web

To insert a picture into the picture placeholder, simply:

• Click on the  Picture  icon
• Find  a picture on your computer and select it
• Click on  Insert

Alternatively, if you already have a picture open somewhere else, you can select the placeholder and paste in (shortcut: Ctrl+V ) the picture. You can also drag the picture in from a file explorer window.

If you do not like the background of the picture you inserted onto your slide, you can remove the background here in PowerPoint. To see how to do this, read my guide here .

Placeholders aren’t the only way to add content to your slides. At any point, you can use the Insert tab to add elements to your slides.

You can use either the Title Only  or the  Blank  slide layout to create slides for content that’s different. For example, a three-layout content slide, or a single picture divider slide, as shown below.

In the first example above, I’ve inserted 6 text boxes, 3 icons, and 3 circles to create this layout. In the second example, I’ve inserted a full-sized picture and then 2 shapes and 2 text boxes.

The Reset Command:  Because these slides are built with shapes and text boxes (and not placeholders), hitting the  Reset button up in the  Home tab  won’t do anything.

That is a good thing if you don’t want your layouts to adjust. However, it does mean that it falls on you to make sure everything is aligned and positioned correctly.

For more on how to add and manipulate the different objects in PowerPoint, check out our step-by-step articles here:

• Using graphics in PowerPoint
• Inserting icons onto slides
• Adding pictures to your PowerPoint
• How to embed a video in PowerPoint
• How to add music to your presentation

Using Designer to generate more layouts ideas

If you have Office 365, your version of PowerPoint comes with a new feature called Designer (or Design Ideas). This is a feature that generates slide layout ideas for you. The coolest thing about this feature is that it uses the content you already have.

To use Designer , simply navigate to the  Design tab  in your Ribbon, and click on  Design Ideas .

NOTE: If the PowerPoint Designer is not working for you (it is grey out), see my troubleshooting guide for Designer .

Change the Overall Design (optional)

When you make a PowerPoint presentation, you’ll want to think about the overall design. Now that you have some content in your presentation, you can use the Design tab to change the look and feel of your slides.

For additional help thinking through the design of your presentation,  read my guide here .

A. Picking your PowerPoint slide size

If you have PowerPoint 2013 or later, when you create a blank document in PowerPoint, you automatically start with a widescreen layout with a 16:9 ratio. These dimensions are suitable for most presentations as they match the screens of most computers and projectors.

However, you do have the option to change the dimensions.

For example, your presentation might not be presented, but instead converted into a PDF or printed and distributed. In that case, you can easily switch to the standard dimensions with a 4:3 ratio by selecting from the dropdown (A).

You can also choose a custom slide size or change the slide orientation from landscape to portrait in the Custom Slide Size dialog box (B).

To learn all about the different PowerPoint slide sizes, and some of the issues you will face when changing the slide size of a non-blank presentation,  read my guide here .

 B. Selecting a PowerPoint theme

The next thing you can do is change the theme of your presentation to a pre-built one. For a detailed explanation of what a PowerPoint theme is, and how to best use it,  read my article here .

In the beginning of this tutorial, we started with a blank presentation, which uses the default Office theme as you can see in the picture below.

That gives you the most flexibility because it has a blank background and quite simple layouts that work for most presentations. However, it also means that it’s your responsibility to enhance the design.

If you’re comfortable with this, you can stay with the default theme or create your own custom theme ( read my guide here ). But if you would rather not have to think about design, then you can choose a pre-designed theme.

Microsoft provides 46 other pre-built themes, which include slide layouts, color variants and palettes, and fonts. Each one varies quite significantly, so make sure you look through them carefully.

To select a different theme, go to the  Design tab  in the Ribbon, and click on the  dropdown arrow  in the  Themes section .

For this tutorial, let’s select the  Frame  theme and then choose the third Variant in the theme. Doing so changes the layout, colors, and fonts of your presentation.

Note: The theme dropdown area is also where you can import or save custom themes. To see my favorite places to find professional PowerPoint templates and themes (and recommendations for why I like them), read my guide here .

C. How to change a slide background in PowerPoint

The next thing to decide is how you want your background to look for the entire presentation. In the  Variants area, you can see four background options.

For this example, we want our presentation to have a dark background, so let’s select Style 3. When you do so, you’ll notice that:

• The background color automatically changes across all slides
• The color of the text on most of the slides automatically changes to white so that it’s visible on the dark background
• The colors of the objects on slides #6 and #7 also adjust, in a way we may not want (we’ll likely have to make some manual adjustments to these slides)

Note: If you want to change the slide background for just that one slide, don’t left-click the style. Instead, right-click it and select Apply to Selected Slides .

After you change the background for your entire presentation, you can easily adjust the background for an individual slide.

Inside the Format Background pane, you can see you have the following options:

• Gradient fill
• Picture or texture fill
• Pattern fill
• Hide background

You can explore these options to find the PowerPoint background that best fits your presentation.

D. How to change your color palette in PowerPoint

Another thing you may want to adjust in your presentation, is the color scheme. In the picture below you can see the Theme Colors we are currently using for this presentation.

Each PowerPoint theme comes with its own color palette. By default, the Office theme includes the Office color palette. This affects the colors you are presented with when you format any element within your presentation (text, shapes, SmartArt, etc.).

The good news is that the colors here are easy to change. To switch color palettes, simply:

• Go to the  Design tab in the Ribbon
• In the Variants area, click on the  dropdown arrow  and select  Colors
• Select  the color palette (or theme colors) you want

You can choose among the pre-built color palettes from Office, or you can customize them to create your own.

As you build your presentation, make sure you use the colors from your theme to format objects. That way, changing the color palette adjusts all the colors in your presentation automatically.

E. How to change your fonts in PowerPoint

Just as we changed the color palette, you can do the same for the fonts.

Each PowerPoint theme comes with its own font combination. By default, the Office theme includes the Office font pairing. This affects the fonts that are automatically assigned to all text in your presentation.

The good news is that the font pairings are easy to change. To switch your Theme Fonts, simply:

• Go to the  Design tab  in the Ribbon
• Click on the  dropdown arrow  in the  Variants  area
• Select  Fonts
• Select  the font pairing you want

You can choose among the pre-built fonts from Office, or you can customize them to create your own.

If you are working with PowerPoint presentations on both Mac and PC computers, make sure you choose a safe PowerPoint font. To see a list of the safest PowerPoint fonts, read our guide here .

If you receive a PowerPoint presentation and the wrong fonts were used, you can use the Replace Fonts dialog box to change the fonts across your entire presentation. For details, read our guide here .

Adding Animations & Transitions (optional)

The final step to make a PowerPoint presentation compelling, is to consider using animations and transitions. These are by no means necessary to a good presentation, but they may be helpful in your situation.

A. Adding PowerPoint animations

PowerPoint has an incredibly robust animations engine designed to power your creativity. That being said, it’s also easy to get started with basic animations.

Animations are movements that you can apply to individual objects on your slide.

To add a PowerPoint animation to an element of your slide, simply:

• Select the  element
• Go to the  Animations tab in the Ribbon
• Click on the  dropdown arrow  to view your options
• Select the  animation  you want

You can add animations to multiple objects at one time by selecting them all first and then applying the animation.

B. How to preview a PowerPoint animation

There are three ways to preview a PowerPoint animation:

• Click on the Preview button in the Animations tab
• Click on the little star  next to the slide
• Play the slide in Slide Show Mode

To learn other ways to run your slide show, see our guide on presenting a PowerPoint slide show with shortcuts .

To adjust the settings of your animations, explore the options in the  Effect Options ,  Advanced Animation  and the  Timing  areas of the  Animation tab .

Note:  To see how to make objects appear and disappear in your slides by clicking a button,  read our guide here .

C. How to manage your animations in PowerPoint

The best way to manage lots of animations on your slide is with the Animation Pane . To open it, simply:

• Navigate to the  Animations tab
• Select the  Animation Pane

Inside the Animation Pane, you’ll see all of the different animations that have been applied to objects on your slide, with their numbers marked as pictured above.

Note: To see examples of PowerPoint animations that can use in PowerPoint, see our list of PowerPoint animation tutorials here .

D. How to add transitions to your PowerPoint presentation

PowerPoint has an incredibly robust transition engine so that you can dictate how your slides change from one to the other. It is also extremely easy to add transitions to your slides.

In PowerPoint, transitions are the movements (or effects) you see as you move between two slides.

To add a transition to a PowerPoint slide, simply:

• Select the  slide
• Go to the  Transitions tab in the Ribbon
• In the Transitions to This Slide area, click on the  dropdown arrow  to view your options
• Select the  transition  you want

To adjust the settings of the transition, explore the options in the  Timing  area of the Transitions tab.

You can also add the same transition to multiple slides. To do that, select them in the  Slides Pane  and apply the transition.

E. How to preview a transition in PowerPoint

There are three ways to preview your PowerPoint transitions (just like your animations):

• Click on the Preview  button in the Transitions tab
• Click on the little star  beneath the slide number in the thumbnail view

Note:  In 2016, PowerPoint added a cool new transition, called Morph. It operates a bit differently from other transitions. For a detailed tutorial on how to use the cool Morph transition,  see our step-by-step article here .

Save Your PowerPoint Presentation

After you’ve built your presentation and made all the adjustments to your slides, you’ll want to save your presentation. YOu can do this several different ways.

To save a PowerPoint presentation using your Ribbon, simply:

• Navigate to the  File tab
•  Select  Save As  on the left
• Choose  where you want to save your presentation
• Name  your presentation and/or adjust your file type settings
• Click  Save

You can alternatively use the  Ctrl+S keyboard shortcut to save your presentation. I recommend using this shortcut frequently as you build your presentation to make sure you don’t lose any of your work.

This is the standard way to save a presentation. However, there may be a situation where you want to save your presentation as a different file type.

To learn how to save your presentation as a PDF, see our guide on converting PowerPoint to a PDF .

How to save your PowerPoint presentation as a template

Once you’ve created a presentation that you like, you may want to turn it into a template. The easiest – but not technically correct – way, is to simply create a copy of your current presentation and then change the content.

But be careful! A PowerPoint template is a special type of document and it has its own parameters and behaviors.

If you’re interested in learning about how to create your own PowerPoint template from scratch, see our guide on how to create a PowerPoint template .

Printing Your PowerPoint Presentation

After finishing your PowerPoint presentation, you may want to print it out on paper. Printing your slides is relatively easy.

To open the Print dialog box, you can either:

• Hit Ctrl+P on your keyboard
• Or go to the Ribbon and click on File and then Print

Inside the Print dialog box, you can choose from the various printing settings:

• Printer: Select a printer to use (or print to PDF or OneNote)
• Slides: Choose which slides you want to print
• Layout: Determine how many slides you want per page (this is where you can print the notes, outline, and handouts)
• Collated or uncollated (learn what collated printing means here )
• Color: Choose to print in color, grayscale or black & white

There are many more options for printing your PowerPoint presentations. Here are links to more in-depth articles:

• How to print multiple slides per page
• How to print your speaker notes in PowerPoint
• How to save PowerPoint as a picture presentation

So that’s how to create a PowerPoint presentation if you are brand new to it. We’ve also included a ton of links to helpful resources to boost your PowerPoint skills further.

When you are creating your presentation, it is critical to first focus on the content (what you are trying to say) before getting lost inserting and playing with elements. The clearer you are on what you want to present, the easier it will be to build it out in PowerPoint.

If you enjoyed this article, you can learn more about our PowerPoint training courses and other presentation resources by  visiting us here .

🔒 Unlock the PowerPoint Shortcuts Trusted by Industry Leaders KKR, American Express, HSBC, and More!

Join over 114,880 professionals from diverse fields including consulting, investment banking, advertising, marketing, sales, and business development who have supercharged their PowerPoint game with our proven methods.

✅ Customize compelling presentations effortlessly.

✅ Master time-saving techniques for faster deck creation.

✅ Boost your career prospects with top-notch PowerPoint skills.

Get FREE access to the Critical PowerPoint Shortcuts module of our premium training course by entering your name and email below.

DISCLAIMER: PC Users Only!

We respect your privacy and will keep your info safe and confidential.

About The Author

Popular Tutorials

• How to Strikethrough Text (l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶) in Word, Excel & PowerPoint
• How to Make Animated Fireworks in PowerPoint (Step-by-Step)
• Strikethrough Shortcut (l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶) for Word, Excel & PowerPoint
• How to Create a Flash Card Memory Game in PowerPoint (Like Jeopardy)
• Keyboard Shortcuts Not Working: Solved

PowerPoint Tutorial Categories

• Strategies & Opinions
• Shortcuts & Hacks
• Pictures, Icons, Videos, Etc.
• New Features
• Miscellaneous
• Charts & Data Viz

We help busy professionals save hours and gain peace of mind, with corporate workshops, self-paced courses and tutorials for PowerPoint and Word.

Work With Us

• Corporate Training
• Presentation & Template Design
• Courses & Downloads
• PowerPoint Articles
• Word Articles
• Productivity Resources

Find a Tutorial

• Free Training
• For Businesses

We help busy office workers save hours and gain peace of mind, with tips, training and tutorials for Microsoft PowerPoint and Word.

Master Critical PowerPoint Shortcuts – Secure Your FREE Training Module and Save Valuable Time!

⌛ Master time-saving expert techniques.

🔥 Create powerful presentations.

🚀 Propel your career to new heights.

We value your privacy – we keep your info safe.

Discover PowerPoint Hacks Loved by Industry Giants - KKR, AmEx, HSBC!

Over 114,880 professionals in finance, marketing and sales have revolutionized their PPT skills with our proven methods. 

Gain FREE access to a full module of our premium PowerPoint training program – Get started today!

We hate spam too and promise to keep your information safe.

You are currently viewing a placeholder content from Facebook . To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.

How-To Geek

8 tips to make the best powerpoint presentations.

Want to make your PowerPoint presentations really shine? Here's how to impress and engage your audience.

Quick Links

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Related: How to Burn Your PowerPoint to DVD

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Presentation Package

Back to: DATA PROCESSING SS 2

Welcome to class! 

In today’s class, we will be talking about presentation package. Enjoy the class!

A presentation package is a computer software package that is used to display information usually in the form of a slide show.  

Examples of presentation packages

• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Macromedia flash
• Windows movie maker
• Open Office

Uses of the presentation package

• As a slide show
• In delivering multimedia lectures
• In writing a multimedia storybook

Getting started with PowerPoint

Ways to start powerpoint.

• Double-clicking the icon on the desktop
• Using the Start menu

Ways to create a new presentation

• Using Blank presentation
• Using Templates
• Auto Content Wizard

How to insert text

Placeholders are the dotted outline that appears when you create a new slide. These boxes serve as placeholders for objects such as the slide title, text, chart, table, and clip art.

Just click to add text in any placeholder or double click to add the specified object.

• Mention two ways to start a PowerPoint
• State two ways to create a new presentation

Features of a presentation package

A presentation package has certain features such as:

• Creation of Slides: to create presentations, a group of slides are created. Presentation packages contain slides.
• Insertion of Pictures: presentation packages allow users to insert pictures and objects into their presentation from external sources.
• Insertion of Video and Audio: presentation packages allow users to insert video and audio into their presentation from external sources.
• Animation: this feature makes a presentation package different from other packages. It allows users to create a motion effect on their slides.
• Slide Show: this feature makes users view how the group of slides will be displayed. It displays the content to the audience during the presentation.
• Creation of Graphics: this feature enables the presentation package to provide users with graphics inform of shapes that can create an object from scratch.
• Creating organizational and other Types of Chart: charts such as pie chart, bar chart etc. can be created easily with presentation package.

General evaluation

• What is a presentation package
• List three examples of a presentation package
• State two uses of a presentation package
• Describe how you would create a slide in Ms-PowerPoint
• Mention two features of a presentation package.

Reading Assignment

Data Processing for senior secondary education by Hiit Plc. Pages 89-95

Weekend Assignment

Instruction: Choose the correct option from the ones lettered  A to D

• The following are examples of a presentation package except (a) Ms-PowerPoint (b) Macromedia Flash     (c) Windows Movie Maker (d) Ms-Excel
• …….. is the main reason/use of the presentation package.   (a) calculation (b) word processing (c) presentation (d) analysis
• ………… package is a software package that is used to display information usually in the form of a slide        (a) graphic  (b) spreadsheet (c) database (d) presentation
• is an act of delivering a seminar, talk, lecture etc. to the audience either formally or informally (a) presentation (b) chanting (c) teaching (d) talking
• ……… are the dotted outline that appears when you create a new slide (a) slides (b) template (c) placeholder (d) animation

In our next class, we will be talking more about Presentation Package.   We hope you enjoyed the class.

Should you have any further question, feel free to ask in the comment section below and trust us to respond as soon as possible.

Share this lesson with your friend!

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

27 thoughts on “Presentation Package”

Brief and precise. Very useful.

Thanks a lot,good job, very useful

Thanks for choosing Classnotes.ng! Please feel free to recommend the platform to your family and friends. We can also be reached via [email protected] Cheers!

Please the examples are too small Is there not more examples

The material is wonderful I appreciate

Thanks, found it useful but the answers to the questions should be there

I love the lesson, it was interesting

Very very useful and straight-forward

It was really of help thanks a lot

Comprehensive

Splendiferous

Oh my God ,this is very helpful,thanks.

Thank you very much

Very useful and accurate

Very useful, thanks 🙏🏻

Plsss I need 6 more examples of presentation packages

N I love d class

Very nice, found it very useful

Wowwwwwwwww

it was great and what I need

wowwwwww great

Now I have understand the difference between presentation packet and word processing

Great work you are doing here.

Iove the topic ♥️💯.

But need more examples of presentation packages .

This is great ….. It is appreciatable. Keep the good works on. God reward you!

The class was 😎

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

ClassNotes.ng is an Afrilearn brand.

• 08051544949
• [email protected]
• Teach for CN
• Testimonials
• Terms of use
• Privacy Policy

Weekly Newsletter

WhatsApp us

• What is PowerPoint? Video
• Create a presentation Video
• Choose the right view for the task Video
• Add and format text Video

Create a presentation

Create a presentation from scratch, or from a theme. All themes have a palate of colors and fonts designed to work together. 

Create a blank presentation

Open PowerPoint.

Select one of the Blank Presentation and start typing. 

Note:  Microsoft 365 subscribers will find Design Ideas based on the words you type. You can browse and select a new look.

Create a presentation from a theme

Select File > New .

Double-click a theme in the gallery to create a presentation in that theme. Or search for more templates.

Apply or change a slide layout

Apply a template to your presentation

Create and save a PowerPoint template

Get Microsoft presentation templates

Need more help?

Want more options.

Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more.

Microsoft 365 subscription benefits

Microsoft 365 training

Microsoft security

Accessibility center

Communities help you ask and answer questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge.

Ask the Microsoft Community

Microsoft Tech Community

Windows Insiders

Microsoft 365 Insiders

Was this information helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.

Make a Product Launch Presentation (+ Examples & Templates)

Master how to make a product launch presentation with our guide. Explore examples usable as templates to outshine competitors and captivate your audience.

9 minute read

helped business professionals at:

Short answer

What makes an effective product launch presentation?

An effective product launch presentation captivates with a clear value proposition, engages with compelling storytelling, and persuades with data-driven results.

It's visually appealing, audience-focused, and concludes with a strong call-to-action, setting the stage for market success.

Most new products fail - does yours have what it takes to succeed?

Think about this: every year, over 30,000 new products try to make their mark, yet 95% of them don't catch on.

Most new products fail to launch because they fail to grab attention with a compelling product launch presentation.

In a sea of competition, only the most compelling, clear, and persuasive presentations manage to break through the noise.

So, how do you make sure your product doesn't become just another statistic?

In this blog post, I’ll walk you through real, actionable strategies and examples to make your product launch presentation a hit.

Let’s get started!

What is the purpose of a product launch presentation?

Capture attention: Immediately engage your audience with a striking introduction that makes them want to learn more.

Highlight value: Directly address how your product solves a specific problem or fulfills a need, making it indispensable to your audience.

Drive action: Motivate your audience to take the next step, be it purchasing, subscribing, or sharing, by presenting a clear and compelling call to action.

How to structure a product launch presentation?

Introduction: Begin with an impactful opening that immediately captures interest. Use a compelling question, a relatable problem, or a striking statistic to draw your audience in and set the tone for what’s to come.

Problem statement: Articulate the specific problem or need your product addresses. This is where you connect with your audience by highlighting a universal challenge they face.

Solution presentation: Unveil your product as the solution to the problem identified. Detail its features and benefits, emphasizing how it offers a practical and innovative solution.

Market analysis: Provide an overview of the current market landscape. This includes trends, consumer behavior, and market needs, establishing the context in which your product enters the market.

Competitive analysis: Dive into how your product stands out from the competition. Discuss your product’s unique selling points (USPs) and how these differences position it as a superior choice.

Customer testimonials or case studies: Share success stories or endorsements from early users or beta testers. Real-world examples add credibility and illustrate the tangible impact of your product.

Pricing and packages: Provide clear, straightforward information about pricing and any packages or deals. Make it easy for your audience to understand what they're getting.

Marketing strategy: Before you call your audience to action, outline your marketing strategy. This shows how you plan to support the product post-launch, reassuring your audience of its longevity and value.

Call to Action (CTA): Conclude with a compelling CTA. Direct your audience towards a specific action, whether it’s making a purchase, signing up for a demo, or following your brand for more updates.

Interactive product launch presentation templates

Starting from scratch on a product launch presentation can feel like a huge task, especially when so much depends on this one moment.

Interactive product launch presentation templates offer a structured starting point. They come packed with features that are optimized to engage and guide your audience through the story of your product.

Grab one and create your best deck yet.

What does a product launch presentation look like?

A product launch presentation is a dynamic and interactive deck that captivates your audience, making them feel like active participants rather than passive listeners. It does more than just share information; it creates an experience.

Here’s what a modern product launch presentation looks like:

What makes a successful product launch presentation?

Engaging storytelling: It starts with a story that resonates. This narrative weaves through the entire presentation, making the problem, solution, and benefits of your product felt on a personal level.

Visual impact: High-quality images, embedded videos, and data visualization components bring your product and its benefits to life. These elements work together to create a visual story that complements your spoken words.

Interactivity : Interactive elements like narrated design, surveys, and clickable demos involve the audience, transforming your presentation into a two-way conversation.

Strong Call to Action: The presentation ends with a clear and compelling call to action. Whether it's signing up for a trial, making a purchase, or simply learning more, the CTA is direct and easy for the audience to follow.

How to make a product launch presentation?

In a world where the majority of new products struggle to make an impact, your presentation is the golden ticket to standing out. Let's explore how to craft a product launch presentation that not only showcases your product but also makes it irresistible.

1) Know your audience

Understanding your audience is the cornerstone of a successful presentation. Dive deep into their world—what challenges do your ideal customers face? What solutions have they tried and found wanting?

Personalizing your presentation to address these specific concerns makes your audience feel seen and valued, significantly boosting the relevance and impact of your message.

2) Define your presentation goals

Clarity in your presentation's purpose is crucial. Are you aiming to ignite interest, drive pre-orders, or secure investment?

This goal will dictate your presentation's structure, content, and call to action. It acts as a guiding light, ensuring every element of your presentation is aligned with achieving this objective.

3) Start with a bang

Your first words are your first impression. Start with something that sticks—a startling statistic, a compelling story, a question that piques curiosity, or a bold statement that challenges conventional wisdom.

For example:

"In a world where every second counts, we've found a way to give you hours back."

piques curiosity and positions your product as a revolutionary solution from the outset.

4) Highlight the problem

David Ogilvy's insight, “More often new products fail because they are not new enough,” underscores the importance of highlighting a genuine problem.

Make your audience feel the pinch of the issue your product resolves, making your solution not just wanted, but needed.

Illuminate the problem your product solves in a way that your audience can feel the pain. This creates a context for your product's introduction and underscores its necessity. Remember, the more relatable the problem, the more desirable the solution.

It's about striking a balance—your product shouldn't be so ahead of its time that it's alien, nor should it be so familiar that it fails to excite.

Here's a great example of a problem slide:

5) Unveil the solution

When introducing your product, clarity and simplicity are key. Explain how it addresses the problem you've outlined, focusing on features that translate directly into benefits.

This is where your product moves from being a concept to a tangible solution in the minds of your audience.

6) Highlight the benefits

Features tell, but benefits sell. Articulate how your product enriches or simplifies life for your customer. Whether it's saving time, reducing costs, or enhancing well-being, benefits that resonate on an emotional level are incredibly compelling.

Here's a great example of solution and benefits slides:

7) Conduct solid research

Akio Morita once famously said:

“We don’t believe in market research for a new product unknown to the public. So we never do any.”

While this may have worked for Sony, today's market demands solid research. Understanding your market, competition, and consumer behavior is non-negotiable for crafting a presentation that hits home.

Here's a great market research slide:

8) Incorporate interactive elements

Enhancing your presentation with interactive elements can transform a standard pitch into an engaging, memorable experience.

For instance, embedding interactive charts allows your audience to explore data points relevant to your product's success in real-time.

Interactive timelines can illustrate your product's development journey or future roadmap in a visually dynamic way, inviting the audience to engage with your content at their own pace.

Additionally, incorporating clickable sections within your presentation can lead viewers to more detailed information, videos, or testimonials, enriching their understanding and appreciation of your product without overwhelming them with information all at once.

These interactive elements keep your audience engaged and provide a deeper, more personalized exploration of what your product has to offer.

Here's a great example of an interactive slide:

9) Demonstrate your product in action

A live demo or a well-crafted video demonstration can be incredibly persuasive. It offers proof of concept and allows your audience to see your product in action. This tangible experience can be the push your audience needs to move from interest to action.

10) Personalize your presentation

Personalization can significantly increase the impact of your presentation.

Tailoring content to reflect your audience's specific industry, interests, or challenges shows that you understand and care about their unique needs, making your product more relevant and appealing.

Here's how you can easily personalize your presentation using Storydoc:

11) Provide social proof

Incorporating social proof lends credibility to your product. It's the difference between taking your word for it and seeing evidence of your product's impact. This builds trust and can significantly influence decision-making.

For new products, traditional forms of social proof like user testimonials may not be readily available. However, you can leverage beta tester feedback, expert endorsements, or pilot study results as powerful forms of social proof.

By using influencer search tools you can engage with industry influencers to review your product or secure a seal of approval from a reputable authority within your field. This can also serve as compelling evidence of your product's value and effectiveness.

Even highlighting the number of pre-orders or waitlist signups can act as social proof, showcasing demand and anticipation for your product.

Example of a social proof slide:

12) Present your marketing strategy

When it comes to your product launch presentation, unveiling your marketing strategy is like showing the roadmap of how you plan to introduce your product to the world.

It's not just about the product itself but how you're going to make sure it reaches the right people, in the right way, at the right time.

This part of your presentation should clearly outline the channels you'll use, whether it's social media, email marketing, influencer partnerships, or traditional advertising.

Explain how each channel fits into your overall strategy and the role it plays in engaging your target audience. This is your chance to show that you've not only created a great product but that you also have a solid plan to ensure it's a success.

Here's a great example of a marketing strategy slide:

13) Create a compelling call to action

Your conclusion should be a clear, compelling invitation to take the next step—whether that's to learn more, sign up, or make a purchase. Make this action as simple and straightforward as possible, removing any barriers to engagement.

Here's a great example of a CTA slide:

Winning product launch presentation examples

When it comes to product launches, standing out is everything. A successful presentation goes beyond facts and figures; it captivates, convinces, and converts.

Let's dive into some product launch presentation examples that do just that, leveraging interactivity to outshine the competition.

Product launch proposal

This deck showcases how interactivity can elevate a product launch presentation from good to great, engaging the audience in a way that traditional slides simply can't match.

What makes this product launch presentation great:

Engaging and interactive: The presentation uses an interactive format, inviting the audience to actively participate in the journey of discovering the product.

Clear value proposition: It effectively communicates the unique selling points of the headphones, such as advanced noise cancellation and intuitive controls, making it clear why they set a new standard in audio excellence.

Compelling narrative: The presentation tells a story of innovation and passion, from the problem statement to the solution, and wraps up with a vision for the future, making it memorable and impactful.

Light mode product newsletter

This feature launch within the light mode product newsletter is a game-changer for businesses looking to deepen engagement and track the effectiveness of their communications.

Personalization using dynamic variables: It introduces the ability to personalize using dynamic variables. This means businesses can now tailor their messages to each recipient, making communications more relevant and engaging.

Access to analytics panel: With the panel, businesses gain real-time insights into how readers are interacting with their newsletters. It tracks opens, clicks, and engagement time on each slide, providing valuable data to optimize future decks.

Clickable links: You can incorporate clickable links throughout the presentation. These links offer the audience the opportunity to explore additional information, access detailed resources, or even sign up for product demos.

SaaS product demonstration presentation

This product demonstration presentation effectively communicates the value of the company’s solution, making a strong case for why businesses should consider their platform to revolutionize their operations.

Clean design: The presentation leverages a clean design with ample white space, making it easy for viewers to focus on key information without feeling overwhelmed.

The option to embed videos: The option to embed a product demo video directly into the deck allows potential customers to see the product in action within the context of the presentation.

Clear pricing package overview: The presentation includes a clear overview of pricing packages, making it easy for potential customers to understand their options and make informed decisions.

Physical product demo presentation

This product launch presentation aims to bridge the gap between traditional business processes and modern efficiency, highlighting a physical product's role in streamlining workflows and enhancing productivity.

Option to extract branding from a website: One of the standout features is the ability to extract branding elements directly from a website, ensuring that the presentation is consistent with the company's branding.

Access to analytics panel: The presentation includes access to an analytics panel that provides insights into how viewers are interacting with the deck.

Option to edit details post-send: This presentation allows for the editing of details even after it has been sent. This ensures that the information remains up-to-date, reflecting any changes in the product, pricing, or other critical details.

Software demo presentation

Through a detailed walkthrough of the software's capabilities, this presentation aims to illustrate the seamless integration of tasks, the automation of workflows, and the facilitation of real-time collaboration, all designed to optimize performance and eliminate inefficiency.

Option to embed links to case studies: This feature allows viewers to explore in-depth examples of how your software has been successfully implemented in various businesses, providing tangible evidence of its effectiveness and versatility.

CRM integrations: The presentation leverages CRM integrations, enabling it to pull live data directly into the deck.

Responsive design: The presentation is designed with responsiveness in mind, ensuring that it looks and functions flawlessly across a variety of devices and screen sizes.

ERP software demo presentation

This product launch presentation is designed to showcase how the offered solution can revolutionize business operations by integrating various processes into a single, efficient system.

It aims to demonstrate the software's ability to streamline workflows, enhance collaboration, and significantly improve operational efficiency across the board.

Quirky design: The presentation employs a quirky and engaging design that mirrors the dynamic and multifaceted nature of the ERP industry.

Use of grayed-out content to direct attention: Strategic use of grayed-out content effectively directs viewers' attention to the most critical information, ensuring that key features and benefits of the ERP software are highlighted.

Logo placeholders: The presentation includes customizable logo placeholders, empowered by a logo finder feature, allowing for seamless integration of your or partner branding directly into the presentation.

Modern product launch

This product launch presentation introduces a groundbreaking solution designed to revolutionize how companies operate. It promises to streamline operations and boost efficiency through innovative features tailored for the digital era.

Interactive approach: Using an interactive platform, the presentation engages the audience directly, making the exploration of the product an immersive experience.

Clear solution to a common problem: It effectively communicates how the product addresses the pressing needs of businesses looking to enhance collaboration and automate processes in a rapidly evolving corporate landscape.

Visionary and inspirational message: The presentation focuses on the product's features but also shares a compelling vision for the future, emphasizing the transformative impact on businesses and the industry as a whole.

Light mode product launch

This approach to the product launch educates the audience about the product's capabilities and gets them excited about the potential for transformation in their own operations.

User-centric design: The presentation emphasizes the product's user-friendly interface, showcasing how it simplifies complex processes for everyday users, making technology accessible to all levels of technical expertise.

Direct address of business needs: The presentation zeroes in on the specific challenges faced by companies today, demonstrating how the product directly solves these issues with innovative technology.

Scalability and integration: It highlights the product's ability to scale with business growth and seamlessly integrate with existing systems, ensuring a smooth transition and long-term utility.

Dark mode product launch

This striking dark mode-themed presentation unveils a product designed to captivate and cater to modern businesses. This launch introduces a groundbreaking product with a keen eye on user experience and market demands.

Comprehensive market analysis: It dives deep into market trends, consumer behaviors, and competitive landscapes. It provides a detailed view of where the product fits within the current market and how it's poised to meet emerging needs.

Segmented marketing strategies: The content is organized into tabs, each detailing strategies tailored to different segments of their target audience. This ensures that potential customers receive personalized and relevant information.

Multiple smart CTAs: The presentation features various smart Call-to-Action (CTA) buttons, guiding viewers through a journey from initial interest to taking actionable steps.

Versatile product launch presentation

In a market flooded with standard pitches, this deck sets a new standard. By leveraging the latest in presentation technology, it crafts a narrative that's not only about a product but about inviting the audience into a new ecosystem of efficiency and innovation.

Use of grayed-out content: It uses grayed-out content to subtly direct viewers' attention to key areas. This visual technique ensures that the focus is on the most important information, enhancing the audience's retention.

Embeddable videos: It comes with the option to embed videos that can be played directly within the deck. This allows you to showcase your product in action, providing an immersive experience that text and static images cannot achieve.

Data visualization components: The deck incorporates advanced data visualization components, enabling the presentation of complex data in an intuitive and easily digestible format.

Modern product demo presentation

By incorporating interactive features, this modern product demo presentation effectively captures the audience's attention and guides them through a compelling narrative, from identifying with the problem to seeing the offered product as the ideal solution.

Clear value proposition: The presentation effectively communicates the company’s value proposition, outlining how their SaaS product can transform business operations.

Problem-solution framework: The presentation is structured around a clear problem-solution framework, making it easy for the audience to understand the context and need for the offered product.

Option to embed multiple smart CTAs: The presentation enhances interactivity by incorporating the option to embed multiple smart CTAs (Calls to Action). This makes readers more likely to take the desired next step after viewing the deck.

Hi, I'm Dominika, Content Specialist at Storydoc. As a creative professional with experience in fashion, I'm here to show you how to amplify your brand message through the power of storytelling and eye-catching visuals.

Found this post useful?

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Get notified as more awesome content goes live.

(No spam, no ads, opt-out whenever)

You've just joined an elite group of people that make the top performing 1% of sales and marketing collateral.

Create your best product launch presentation to date.

Stop losing opportunities to ineffective presentations. Your new amazing deck is one click away!

Making a Presentation in R: Getting started

Many of us have faced this dilemma: it’s the night before a big presentation and you want to make sure you are prepared. However, as you are going through the slides, you notice there is an error in your analyses and you need to update the results on ALL of your slides. So the night before this big presentation, you end up spending more time trying to manually update the slides one by one than preparing for the presentation itself. As someone who is always searching for ways to automate the manual, error-prone parts of my work so I can spend more time on the important things, I was delighted to learn that there is an option to reduce some of the burden of creating and updating slides by creating presentations in R. In this post, along with ones to follow, I’ll walk through how to do this. First, I’ll highlight some of the biggest benefits of learning how to create presentations in R.

If you use R to run your analyses, you can easily integrate your graphics & results into your presentation. Instead of having to manually copy and paste the results of your statistical test or the output from ggplot, you can simply write a line of code or two to add those into your presentation. More notably, this means that if you need to update the slides in the future, you will be able to do so painlessly - instead of having to go in slide-by-slide and updating each.

With R, you’ll spend less time spent messing around with formatting. For instance, let’s say I want to have all of the images on my slides to be a certain size. It’s much easier to make those changes using code compared to setting the image size one each slide manually

Now that I’ve hopefully convinced you of the benefits of using R for presentations, you may be wondering…

What options do I have to make presentations in R?

xaringan presentations

reveal.js presentations

ioslides presentations

beamer presentations

slidy presentations

good old powerpoint presentations

I decided to go with xaringan because I’ve been a fan of Yihui Xie’s (creator of the xaringan package) work with other packages and was also persuaded by this post where he explains why he prefers remark.js (which is used behind the scenes to render the presentation) for xaringan presentations over other presentation frameworks. The rest of this post will be focused on setting up a presentation using the xaringan package.

To be able to create a new xaringan template, we need to install the xaringan package using install.packages("xaringan")

Once xaringan is installed, you can create the new template from the drop-down menu on RStudio (assuming you are using RStudio): File -> RMarkdown. A new window should appear, with four possible options for creating the new RMarkdown file: “Document,” “Presentation,” “Shiny,” or “From Template”. Click “From Template” and at the bottom of the list you should see “Ninja Presentation”.

Now, you should have a template slide deck that you can edit right away! Super easy. It can even be knitted immediately, which should show up right next to your code under the viewer tab - make sure to save it first!

I would highly recommend taking a few minutes to just look at the code and the presentation to see how the input affects the output.

So for instance, I immediately notice that there is a YAML header with a few unique parameters, presumably specific to xaringan. For instance, under output , the xaringan::mood_reader has the parameter highlightStyle set to “github.” Since the presentation suggests that the YAML header inputs correspond to the title slide (e.g., YAML header title is set to “Presentation Ninja”), I went ahead and changed title, author, and date for my purposes, leaving other YAML settings as they were:

So now that I’ve made those changes, I can knit again, and my title page now has my name, along with an updated date & title!

What’s great is that the template that is created is actually basically a tutorial. So you can look through the slides and follow along!

• The Infinite Moon Reader RStudio Addin mentioned on slide 5 is a great idea since you’ll be able to get real-time visual feedback as you update the code (that is, every time you SAVE the code, the visual feedback will be updated). To use this AddIn, you need to click the highlighted “Addins” drop-down here and underneath the tab for xaringan (which will likely be all the way at the bottom of menu because it is ordered alphabetically):

It’s also worth noting that the .Rmd document uses Markdown - a tool I mentioned in a previous post - as I mentioned before, you can see this link for a great introductory guide on how to format text using Markdown, which allows you to format certain pieces of text (e.g., italicize the title of your position, link text to a URL)

As I mentioned at the beginning, xaringan has remark.js render the presentation in your browser. So to be able to use xaringan for your presentations, you should have a basic understanding of remark.js. I’d recommend checking out the link provided in the knitted presentation, along with this page . In the following section, I’ll briefly describe the fundamentals of creating and editing xaringan slides.

Creating and editing slides in xaringan

Creating new slides.

To create a new slide, insert three dashes, like so:

Centering slides

Markdown may not be as flexible as you need it to be, which is why there are Markdown extensions included. So for instance, if I want to center align my entire slide - I would use the class property as follows:

Background images

Relatedly, I can include background images using a couple of lines of code. Important: background images need to be between the three dashes indicating you are starting a new slide and the name of your slide if you have one (which is indicated using a hashtag, so “Hello world” is the name for the slide below) for the image to be displayed. So for instance, if there is an image at a publicly accessible link, you can use url(insert URL for image) :

If you have an image on your computer that you want to include in the presentation, you’ll need to store the image(s) in the same folder as the .Rmd file for your slides or as a subfolder of the folder as your slides file (apparently for security reasons, as suggested here ). For instance, if I want to include a file of a picture called “widen-gap.jpg” that is stored on my computer, I’d need to store it in the same location as my .Rmd slides file. Then, if I want to populate the image when I knit the presentation and I put the image in the same folder as the .Rmd file, I would call:

The “libs” directory is the default lib_dir option in the YAML header as suggested at the end of this issue page , so I would recommend putting the image somewhere in this folder if you don’t want it in the main directory with your slides .Rmd file. Let’s say you created a subfolder called “img” within the “libs” directory automatically included with xaringan holding the .Rmd file. You would call:

Incremental slides

To make bullets or images appear incrementally, kind of like slide animations, use the template property. To be able to use the template property, you need to create a name for the slide that can later be referenced. So for instance, you can created the first slide as follows:

Then, the slide with the second bullet can be created as follows:

So when you go to knit the final document, the compiled slide with bullet 2 will contain bullet 1 as well.

There is actually a shortcut to creating these templates, instead of having to create names & referencing the previous slide based on its name, you can use two dashes between slides to indicate the you want the latter slide to use the former slide as a template, so using the example above:

More details on creating incremental slides here

Default layouts

There’s an option to create a slide that can set the default layout throughout all of your slides. To me, it seems this would be especially useful if you need to have a company’s logo on all of your slides throughout the presentation. To create this default layout, you can set the layout property to true on the slide you want to be used as the default. So for instance, if I wanted the image from the xaringan slides to be on all of my slides, I would write the following at the beginning of the presentation (or wherever you want the logo to start showing up, since the layout will only be applied to slides presented after the layout is set):

Changing theme

If you want to change things like the font that are pre-set, there are a couple of options:

• you can edit the CSS (the difficult way, unless you, unlike me, have previous experience with CSS)
• you can use themes that R users have created. To explore some theme options, run:

Let’s say I want to change the theme to rladies .

I can edit the css argument of the YAML header as follows to set the theme as rladies , along with the associated font:

Hiding slides

Finally, if you need to hide a slide from the presentation but don’t want to delete all of the work you put into it, you can set the exclude property to true at the top of the slide to hide that specific slide, like so:

Adding figures and results

Now that we’ve covered some of what I think are the most relevant features of remark.js to get you up and running with creating and editing slides, we’ll move onto the part that I’m particularly excited about and one of the main reasons I wanted to create presentations in R: seamless integration of code with the rest of the presentation.

Let’s say I want to include the results of a logistic regression model. To present these results, you use the same basic structure you would use in a normal RMarkdown document to include code in the text-based parts. That is, you include the code you want to run within two backtick marks after you indicate the language you want to use (e.g., r ). So for example, in one of my presentations, I included the following code in the .Rmd document:

which is knitted in the presentation as follows:

There are two options for including plots of your data in a Xaringan presentation:

• The first option is: You can save the plot as a file in the folder or subfolder associated with the .Rmd slides file and then call the image in using the include_graphics() method described above:
• The second option is: You can just import the data and run the code within the presentation itself when it knits! Just make sure to store the data file that will be used in the same folder/subfolder as the .Rmd slides file. For example, if I had the data file in a subfolder of the libs subdirectory associated with my slide .Rmd file:

You can either show the code you used to create the plots, OR you can hide the code using {r, echo = F} (which is most likely what you will be using unless everyone you are presenting to knows R and wants to double-check your work…). If you want code-hiding to be your default option across all slides, you can insert the code I’ve been using at the top of nearly all of my RMarkdown documents that I plan to present to an audience:

One final note about figures: it took me a while to adjust the figure size (i.e., to make sure the figure didn’t look too large or small). The settings for the figure size that seemed to work the best (at least for me) were: fig.width=10, fig.height=5, dpi=300 . Just enter that into the header of the code chunk, and of course feel free to adjust as needed.

You can also show tables of your data or models! 😄 Usually, the kable or DT package will work beautifully. One of the useful benefits of integrating your code and presentation is that you can interact with the data live! For instance, let’s say someone asks you what the minimum value of a certain variable is. If you’ve added a table of the dataset using the DT package for instance, you can actually click the sort button on the table in the presentation and answer the question that way.

Presenting and sharing slides

Slide transitions.

You can transition from slide to slide like pretty much any presentation. There are also a number of awesome keyboard shortcuts that I highly recommend checking out here

Presenter notes

I hadn’t even thought of this before, but there’s a presenter mode! Which I’m now realizing is incredibly important for most of my presentations, since I almost always have notes. To create notes for yourself, insert three question marks in a row:

Once you have the final version of your presentation open in your browser, you want to make sure that your audience doesn’t see your notes - so the way to have them only see the presentation is to open a cloned version of the presentation in a new window which allows you to change slides both in the version with the presenter view and the presentation view with slide notes simultaneously. To create this clone, press “c” and a new window should appear. Press the left and right arrow on your keyboard and you’ll see that both windows change slides at the same time! Super cool. Make sure that when you are presenting your slide using screen sharing, share the new window that popped up when you pressed “c” and not the original tab with your presentation, since that is where your presentation notes will be. Now that you are sharing your presentation, you can simply press “p” on your keyboard while in the original tab (not the new window that you recently opened) to open presenter mode (and to close it, just press “p” again).

A quick note about presenter notes: if you do not have more than one display, I would double-check that you are able to share your screen without your audience seeing your notes. I know there are certain platforms like Google slides that lets you use your notes while you are only sharing one screen, but it may be difficult to present your slides without your audience seeing your notes with one screen using Xaringan from what I can tell.

Converting to different formats

It looks like there is an option to convert your slides to a .pptx and other formats in case you need to send a specific document type over before your big presentation for whatever reason. See this package for instructions on how to create different document types (e.g., png, pdf, pptx, etc.) from your .Rmd file. If your slides are relatively simple (e.g., they don’t include interactive graphics), you should be able to convert to many output types without a hitch. However, if you are including interactive graphics or other advanced features (e.g., panels from the xaringanExtra package ), you should set complex_slides = TRUE when you call one of the build_*() functions. Although I will admit, when I tested this out, it did not seem to completely capture what the original .html file was doing with the cooler features, so I personally would try to avoid having to convert to .pptx unless absolutely necessary.

If you want to use your slides offline, you can download a copy of remark.js beforehand, since the default option in the xaringan package is to use an online version of the presentation. See instructions on how to accomplish this here .

Issues that popped up

Presenter notes don’t display at the correct time if you place the notes right before the next slide while using incremental slides. Here’s a brief description of this issue: https://github.com/yihui/xaringan/issues/55 . My workaround is to place all of my presenter notes at the top of a slide that is incremental and write “(CLICK)” in the notes when I want to click. There might be a more elegant way around this issue though, so I’d recommend exploring Stack Overflow for other recommendations!

Occasionally incremental slides do not work as expected. For instance, I inserted the two little dash lines when I wanted to add a new bullet to a slide, but it shows both bullets at the same time. After some exploration, I realized that there was trailing white space after the dashed lines! remark.js is extremely sensitive to this, so make sure that you delete all spaces after the two dashed lines to be able to create your incremental slides. This problem also popped up with presenter notes, make sure not to have white space after question marks or the notes will be rendered as regular text. One option to completely avoid this in the future is to go to the top of the RStudio window, click “Tools” -> “Global Options” -> “Code” -> “Saving” -> “Strip trailing horizontal whitespace when saving”

Resources to explore xaringan further

• https://spcanelon.github.io/xaringan-basics-and-beyond/slides/day-01-basics.html?panelset4=remark.js2&panelset5=nhsrtheme2&panelset6=moon-reader2&panelset7=markdown2#1
• https://www.verouden.net/slides/presentation-xaringan/#1
• https://alison.rbind.io/talk/2019-rsc-xaringan/
• https://www.kirenz.com/slides/xaringan-demo-slides.html#1

Keana Richards

Doctoral researcher.

Studying psychology and statistics at the University of Pennsylvania.

• How to make your resume/CV in R
• How to plot grouped data in R using ggplot2
• Using Regular Expressions in R to clean data faster