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How to Make Professional PowerPoint Presentations (With PPT Templates) + Video
![professional looking presentation Andrew Childress](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=40/uploads/users/15/profiles/36/profileImage/profile.jpg)
- Bahasa Indonesia
Are you anxious about preparing for an upcoming presentation? You need to present something professionally to gain your audience's trust. Maybe you're using it for a breakthrough in your career.
![professional looking presentation Motagua Services Slide](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/32947/image/motagua-services-trimmed.jpg)
If you're short on time, this tutorial is the perfect way to get going. I'll share some of my favorite tried and true professional PowerPoint tips. They'll show you how to create presentations. Then, we'll walk through building one together using a professional PPT theme.
Inspiring speakers practice and learn their craft. A big part of this is having a professional PowerPoint theme design . A professional design helps you feel confident about your content, such as one of these:
![professional looking presentation](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=400/uploads/users/2659/posts/27318/preview_image/professional%20PowerPoint%20templates-preview.jpg)
Guide to Making Great Presentations (Free eBook Download)
Before you read on, be sure to grab our free eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations . It'll help you master the presentation process. It takes you from initial idea through to writing, design, and delivering with impact.
![professional looking presentation Free eBook PDF Download Make a Great Presentation](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/71/posts/29564/image-upload/eBookPromo_850x150px.jpg)
Now, let's jump into a few quick techniques that'll help up your presentation results. Then, learn how to build a professional PowerPoint presentation quickly using a template.
How to Quickly Make Professional PowerPoint Presentations With PPT Templates (Video)
Are you ready to start learning how to make a professional PowerPoint using a template? Watch this quick video to find out what you need to know to get started on creating your own professional PowerPoint:
![professional looking presentation professional looking presentation](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/i83HYdsy7mg/maxresdefault.jpg)
Professional PowerPoint Templates on Envato Elements (With Unlimited Use)
In this tutorial, you're going to learn the secret to professional presentations: you don't have to do all the work.
That's right. The pressure is off. We're going to use a professional presentation template instead of starting from scratch.
Your ticket to creating a professional presentation is to join Envato Elements. It includes the best professional presentation templates. The flat-rate subscription unlocks unlimited assets, including top designs for professional presentations. It's a shortcut to learn how to make a business presentation on PowerPoint.
![professional looking presentation Elements unlimited professional presentation](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/36922/image-upload/elements-unlimited-professional-presentation.jpg)
That's right: you don't have to know how to make professional PPT slides all on your own. A template gives you everything you need. It's a blueprint for success with every placeholder and content block you need. You just open it up and fill it in.
![professional looking presentation Professional presentation gallery Elements](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/36922/image-upload/professional-presentation-gallery-elements.jpg)
Instead of buying a single PowerPoint theme, subscribe to Elements. Choose from thousands of PPT template designs, web themes, professional graphics, and more. Download as many as you want for one low price.
Now, let's walk through building a professional PowerPoint presentation from a PPT template.
How to Make a Professional Presentation in PowerPoint Quickly
You don't have to be an expert to make an amazing professional presentation of your own. The best way is to use a template from Envato Elements. You can customize these in only five quick steps.
For this mini-tutorial, we’ll use the Professional PowerPoint Template from Envato Elements.
![professional looking presentation Template professional presentation](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/36922/image-upload/template-professional-presentation.jpg)
It’s a versatile, modern template for all your project needs. This professional presentation template saves you so much time. Download it and follow along with our tutorial. Let's get started:
1. Select Your Slides
A professional presentation template like this includes dozens of slides. Odds are, you won’t need to use every single one. Working in PowerPoint, go to the View tab and click on Slide Sorter .
![professional looking presentation Select slides customize professional presentation](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/36922/image-upload/select-slides-customize-professional-presentation.jpg)
Here, click and drag slide thumbnails to rearrange their sequence. You can also right-click on them and choose Delete Slide to remove unwanted layouts. When you’re finished, click Normal on the View tab to start editing.
2. Customize Text
Any professional presentation will include plenty of text. To customize the text in this template, you can work with the built-in text placeholders. To start, click into any text box. Then, press Ctrl + A ( Cmd + A on Mac) to select all the text inside.
![professional looking presentation Text edit professional PowerPoint presentation](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/36922/image-upload/text-edit-professional-powerpoint-presentation.jpg)
Then, start typing in your own content. The placeholder text will vanish, replaced by the words you type in. Repeat throughout your slide deck, and you’ll be on the way to a professional presentation in no time.
3. Insert Images
No professional presentation is complete without some images. These are easy to insert. Find a slide like this with an image placeholder on it.
![professional looking presentation Photo professional presentation](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/36922/image-upload/photo-professional-presentation.jpg)
Then, browse to an image file stored on your computer. Drag it over the placeholder and drop it into place. PowerPoint will import the image onto the slide, already sized and scaled perfectly.
Looking for beautiful images to use? As an Envato Elements member, you've got access to millions of stunning stock photos included at no extra cost.
4. Build Infographics
Infographics help you illustrate ideas. Plus, they look great and are sure to impress a professional audience. Templates like this help you add infographics to your professional presentation in seconds.
![professional looking presentation Infographic professional presentation](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/36922/image-upload/infographic-professional-presentation.jpg)
Infographics work like any other slide in the presentation. Replace the text with words and numbers of your own, click and drag to move objects around, and more. It only takes a few clicks, but it helps guarantee you a successful presentation.
5. Change Shape Colors
A pre-built template will include its own default color palette. But you can easily change out individual parts of it. With a shape selected, find the Shape Format tab on PowerPoint’s ribbon.
![professional looking presentation Color professional presentation](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/36922/image-upload/color-professional-presentation.jpg)
There, click on the Shape Fill dropdown. You’ll see a color chooser menu appear. Browse the theme colors, along with gradients and more. Click on any color to apply it to your shape.
5 Quick-Fire Tips for More Professional Presentations
Let's start off by reviewing five of my favorite professional PowerPoint presentation tips. These are great reminders to start with when you're preparing to speak.
1. Practice Really Does Make Perfect
Practice makes perfect It's a well-known piece of advice for a reason. A well-rehearsed presentation helps you come across confidently and resonate with the audience.
Not all practice is created equally though. Here are professional PowerPoint presentation practice tips:
- If possible, rehearse in the same room that you plan to present in. This gives you a sense of familiarity for your presentation.
- Use speaker notes in PowerPoint to keep your key talking points in view while presenting.
- Use a cell phone to record an audience perspective on your presentation. It helps you understand how you'll appear to your audience.
2. Stick to "One Big Idea"
Many presentations will overwhelm you with data and details. In an attempt to persuade, presenters include too many reasons and talking points.
By the time the presentation reaches its conclusion, your audience may be so overwhelmed with ideas that they'll have missed your most important points.
![professional looking presentation](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=400/uploads/users/988/posts/25682/preview_image/preview_MILD_PowerPoint_Template.jpg)
As a presenter, it's your job to be clear. Stick to the key idea that you're presenting to make sure that your audience doesn't get lost in the details.
3. Don't be Afraid to BLUF
Sharing a big idea is important, but where you put it is also essential. That's why you should put your Bottom Line Up Front , also known as the BLUF principle. Put the bottom line (the key idea) near the beginning of your presentation.
Books and movies take you through a journey that ends with a conclusion. Presentations should give you the answer up front and explain that conclusion with the following slides.
![professional looking presentation PowerPoint Presentation BLUF Example](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/29564/image/bluf-example.jpg)
The BLUF principle reminds me to cut to the chase when sharing the most important part of a presentation. Get straight to the heart of the message before your audience is distracted or exhausts their limited supply of attention.
4. Include Professional Presentation Graphics
For professional presentations, your audience might be more analytical than the average viewer. They're more inclined to view PowerPoint charts and graphs and derive meaning from them than talking points.
![professional looking presentation Professional PowerPoint presentation chart example](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/29564/image/chart-example.jpg)
Graphics and charts are the quickest way to convey a point. Consider using bar charts and line graphs to show trends and key statistics that reinforce your point.
For more bite-sized tips on how to give great presentations, check out Brad Smith's tutorial below. It's got tons of other professional PowerPoint tips. I often read these before I start building a presentation to put good presentation ideas in my short-term memory bank:
![professional looking presentation](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=400/uploads/users/2796/posts/25421/preview_image/Presentation.jpg)
5. Use Presenter View
My final tip is one that enables every other professional PowerPoint presentation tip we've already shared. By using Presenter View, you'll have a view of all the key tools and features in a single view. That means you'll have your speaker notes, a preview of the next slide, and a timer that helps you stay on track.
Most presentations are delivered in rooms with more than one screen. Presenter View shows your presentation on one screen that your audience sees. On the second screen, you'll see helpful information to presenters.
To turn on Presenter View , jump to the Slide Show tab, and make sure that Use Presenter View is ticked. When you start to present, you'll see two different views.
![professional looking presentation Turn on presenter view](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/32947/image/presenter-view.jpg)
In Presenter View , keep your eye on a few key features as you can see in the screenshot below. Speaker notes live on the right side and help cue up your key talking points. The next slide preview is also a great prompt to help you direct your speaking flow. And finally, don't forget to keep an eye on the timer to stay on track.
![professional looking presentation Presenter View](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/32947/image/presenter-view-updated.jpg)
Check out the tutorial below to start making the most of Presenter View:
![professional looking presentation](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=400/uploads/users/151/posts/29671/preview_image/pptx-presenter.jpg)
The Shortcut to Making Professional PowerPoint Presentations
Even if you know exactly what you want to say, building out the supporting PowerPoint slide designs is a serious effort. Opening the app and starting off with blank slides is a major challenge.
Time is always short when preparing for a presentation. Don't build something from scratch or use a limited built-in PowerPoint theme. Instead, use professional PowerPoint templates. You can buy and download these Premium designs, then add your own content to them quickly:
![professional looking presentation](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=400/uploads/users/2659/posts/29106/preview_image/Harku%20%E2%80%93%20Business%20PowerPoint%20Template-thumb.jpg)
The real value of these pro PPT templates is the presentation slide design ideas that they include. Use those pre-built designs for ideas of how to present your own content.
![professional looking presentation Motagua PowerPoint Theme](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/29564/image/powerpoint-motagua.jpg)
In this tutorial, I use the Motagua PowerPoint theme . This is the all-time best-selling presentation theme on GraphicRiver, and it's easy to see why. It's packed with a great looking set of PowerPoint slide designs, which you can work with quickly.
How to Make a Professional PowerPoint Presentation (With a PPT Template)
For this example, we're going to pretend that we're building a slide deck to encourage someone to invest in our company. This could be for your startup company or even for a small, local business to get things off the ground.
Professionalism matters when you're asking for funding. I'm going to highlight five key slide designs that you'll find in decks like these. Even if your presentation idea is totally unrelated, these ideas might help you design your own.
![professional looking presentation Motagua promo image](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/32947/image/motagua-promo-image.jpg)
1. Introduce Your Team
It's often said that investors invest in teams, not products. While both are required to secure financing for your idea, the point is that investors often focus on the team and their background.
To do this, I'm going to recommend Motagua slide design #77 . This is a slide with four placeholders for your team's photo and descriptions.
![professional looking presentation Team Pic in professional PowerPoint presentation slide design](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/29564/image/team-pic.jpg)
I almost always recommend that a presentation about a product or service includes the team. Build that level of comfort with your audience so that they'll think of you first when they're ready to invest or buy.
It's not about where your product or service has been, but where it's going. If you're expecting investment or growth in your business, the investors are betting that the future holds more promise than the present.
One idea for showing this visually is to use slide design #149, which is an Arrows Infographic . This is a nice-looking design with many points for how your product may evolve.
![professional looking presentation Product Vision slide design in PowerPoint template](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/29564/image/our-product-vision.jpg)
This is a general-purpose slide that could be used for showing any key points about your business. But the numbers make it ideal for showing a progression. Sharing the vision for your product near the beginning of the presentation is a great application of the BLUF mindset.
3. Show Key Statistics in Data With Charts
For startups, one of the most important things to show is your company growth with good data. For businesses that aren't yet earning revenue, investors are betting that a large userbase will eventually lead to customers.
A chart is a great way to tell a story without any bullet points involved. For the analytical minds in the audience, a well-placed chart may be the "aha!" moment that they need to see your vision.
Slide design 138 has overlapping circles that you can show the opportunity for your startup. Use the smallest circle to show your current revenue base. Larger circles can show the potential if you expand to a new market or develop new products.
![professional looking presentation Overlapping circles in professional PPT presentation template](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/29564/image/concentric-circles.jpg)
If your idea hasn't even started yet, consider showing statistics or data on how the need for your product is growing. You could include data about the size of the potential customer base, or the growth of similar services.
4. Use Graphic Timelines to Illustrate the Future
Again, investing in a business is all about the future. A timeline can illustrate not only the history of a product, but the future development timeline of the features you plan to add.
Slide 60 is the perfect way to show the road map for the product. You can use the points to illustrate new features you've recently added or plan to add in the future.
![professional looking presentation Timeline slide in PowerPoint template](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/29564/image/timeline-graphic.jpg)
5. Make Your "Ask" Clear
You've built up a vision and you're ready to reach a major conclusion. This could be the make or break moment to inspire action in your audience.
For our example, let's assume that you're going to ask for investment in your company. Near the end of a presentation, you could use a simple slide design like 21 to make the fundraising goal clear.
For startups, this is often expressed as "$x at $x valuation." This means that a company raising $1 million wants to be valued as being worth as $10 million, effectively giving 10% of the company to investors.
![professional looking presentation Raising funding professional slide design](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/29564/image/big-ask.jpg)
If you're building a persuasive presentation that's designed to inspire action, you've got to make your "ask" clear. What are you asking the audience to do, if anything?
5 Professional PowerPoint PPT Templates From Envato Elements
We've already checked out GraphicRiver, the pay-as-you-go option to source professional PowerPoint presentation templates. But there's another solution that gives you even more creative freedom to source unlimited presentation designs: Envato Elements.
![professional looking presentation Envato Elements Professional PowerPoint templates](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/32947/image/category-image-pptx.jpg)
If you want to learn how to make a PowerPoint look professional, studying templates and borrowing the best elements from each one is surefire solution.
Let's check out five of my favorite professional presentation templates from Elements below:
1. Project Professional PowerPoint Template
![professional looking presentation Project Professional Template](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/32947/image/1-project.jpg)
Managing projects is a key part of most professional careers. When you're showing off your project to key decision makers, it's crucial that you build a professional presentation. This template helps you capture just that, showcasing key project steps that can help you win the support of your peers.
2. Business PowerPoint Presentation
![professional looking presentation Business PowerPoint Presentation](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/32947/image/2-powerpoint-pro.jpg)
One of my favorite professional PowerPoint tips is to use the same template in all your presentations. This helps you develop a consistent design style that your audience will recognize. Use a flexible template with plenty of versatility like this one for exactly that purpose.
3. Skyfy Professional PowerPoint
![professional looking presentation Skyfy Professional PowerPoint](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/32947/image/3-pro-pptx.jpg)
Even a professional presentation can have a slick and modern design style. Skyfy is a great choice for professional presentations that show off creative companies, like design agencies, video production studios, photographers, and more.
4. Melbourne Professional PowerPoint Presentation
![professional looking presentation Melbourne Professional Template](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/32947/image/4-melbourne.jpg)
Melbourne is a clear and clean professional PowerPoint template that any business could use. With a few simple tweaks to the color scheme and placeholders, you can use Melbourne to put your business idea in a beautiful format.
5. Pitch Volume 3 - Professional PowerPoint Template
![professional looking presentation Pitch Volume 3](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/32947/image/5-pitch.jpg)
A pitch deck is a special type of template that entrepreneurs and startup companies will use to get their idea off the ground. A pitch deck has some specifics to it that great templates like Pitch Volume 3 captures perfectly. Drop in your new company concept to launch your new venture into the future.
For even more professional template options, jump over to our guide, 22+ Professional PowerPoint Templates: For Better Business Presentations .
Where to Find the Best Professional Presentation Templates in 2021 (Envato Elements vs GraphicRiver)
Envato Elements and GraphicRiver both offer stunning professional presentation templates with compelling designs for presentations . They're your best resource in 2021. But which site should you choose? What are the benefits of each? Let's take a look:
1. Key Benefits of Envato Elements
Envato Elements has an unbeatable offer: unlimited downloads. As a member, you pay a flat monthly rate. With it, you can download as many presentation templates as you want.
Elements also offers a wide variety of creative assets. You’ll find music, stock photos, fonts, and more that you can use in presentations and other projects. They're all included in your membership.
Here are the top professional PowerPoint decks available on Envato Elements:
![professional looking presentation Elements professional presentation](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/36922/image-upload/elements-professional-presentation.jpg)
2. Key Benefits of GraphicRiver
GraphicRiver is a top resource for professional PowerPoint slide decks and other assets. It’s part of Envato Market, which serves the needs of creatives everywhere.
GraphicRiver has a pay-as-you-go model. That means you buy individual templates, with no subscription needed. It's great if you're on a budget, or only need one file.
Here are the top professional PowerPoint templates on GraphicRiver today:
![professional looking presentation GraphicRiver professional presentation](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/36922/image-upload/graphicriver-professional-presentation.jpg)
Which Site is Best for You?
Maybe you build professional presentations often. Or perhaps you're undecided about your favorite style. Envato Elements offers the flexibility you need. Sign up for Envato Elements today .
![professional looking presentation Elements home professional presentations](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/36922/image-upload/elements-home-professional-presentations.jpg)
If you only need one professional presentation template for your presentation, jump over to GraphicRiver and find one now.
Learn More About Using PowerPoint Professionally
If you need more ideas on how to build out a better PowerPoint presentation, check out these guides as well, or download our free eBook that follows:
![professional looking presentation](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=400/uploads/users/988/posts/29393/preview_image/creative-PPT-Presentations.jpg)
Need Help? Grab Our Making Great Presentations eBook (Free)
You can find more information in our eBook on making great presentations . Download this PDF eBook now for FREE with your subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter.
![professional looking presentation Making Great Presentations Free Guide Download PDF](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/71/posts/29564/image-upload/eBookPromo_850x500px.jpg)
It'll help you master the presentation process, from: initial creative ideas, through to writing, design, and delivering with impact.
Go Design Your Professional Presentation Today
You've just learned how to make a professional presentation using some of my favorite professional PowerPoint presentation tips. My top tip for how to make a professional presentation will always be to source templates from sites like Envato Elements and GraphicRiver . It skips you ahead in the process and helps you build the perfect presentation.
What are your best tips for creating a professional PowerPoint presentation ? Let me know in the comments section.
Editorial Note : This tutorial was originally published in April of 2019. I t's been comprehensively revised to include new information—with special help and a new video from Andrew Childress .
![professional looking presentation Andrew Childress](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=64/uploads/users/15/profiles/36/profileImage/profile.jpg)
How to create Professional Presentation Design: 13 Top Tips
![professional looking presentation Carla Albinagorta](https://24slides.com/presentbetter/content/images/2021/03/carla.jpeg)
Cookie-cutter PowerPoint templates are not going to impress anyone, not yourself, and certainly not your audience who’s probably already either half asleep or trying to sneak out the door unnoticed. To stand out with a professional presentation, you need to be extra creative as no one has the patience to sit through a really bad presentation made with lousy templates. In this post, you’re going to find out how to design a powerful PowerPoint presentation that will wow your audience and will keep them glued to their seats.
![professional looking presentation](https://24slides.com/presentbetter/content/images/2021/08/Generic-2--New-version----Landscape-4.png)
7 Amazing Tips to Learn How to Design Professional PowerPoint Slides
Whether you need to prepare a presentation for school or work, it’s important to consider the design you will use. A bad PowerPoint design can make you look unprepared, messy, and overall untrustworthy. Your presentations are a key element when it comes to creating a positive impact on your audience and a good first impression.
Here you’ll find 7 helpful tips to enhance your skills and help you create more professional-looking PowerPoint slides.
1. Use professionally designed PowerPoint presentation templates
There are so many modern-looking templates available on the web today. You don’t have to design your slides from scratch, rather you can build off one of these templates and use your own creativity to make your presentation professional and effective.
Templates are a great option for all those people trying to upgrade their PowerPoint design game! They are a great starting point for all those who are not professional designers. And the best part is, you can still edit them to make sure they fit your needs as best as possible.
Microsoft Office has an incredible collection of slide templates you can access directly from PowerPoint. But you can also find more specific and business-oriented professional PowerPoint slides all around the web. Sites like Envato offer a unique collection of templates you can pay for and download.
![professional looking presentation](https://24slides.com/presentbetter/content/images/2021/06/2.save-time-powerpoint-templates.png)
If you want professional, business PowerPoint presentations, you should also check out our Templates by 24Slides platform . Our designers constantly work on outstanding, business-oriented presentation templates you can download, completely free of charge! You’ll find stunning PowerPoint presentations for all fields of business, from pharmaceutical to human resources, along with many useful tools like graphs, timelines, and much more!
2. Focus on the visual aspect of your slides (Consider using modern design techniques)
A styled and professional presentation is never going to be boring. Think about how you can make your PowerPoint slides fun and engaging. Remember that your presentation slides should be a complement to the speaker, not compete with them.
Professionally designed presentations help illustrate and convey in a visual way what you’re going to say out loud. Text should be limited in your slides, as you don’t want your audience to distract themselves by trying to read rather than listening to you. Try to replace text as much as possible with images, icons, or other visual elements that will illustrate your message. This will not only make your presentation look more professional, but will also help it be more memorable.
![professional looking presentation](https://24slides.com/presentbetter/content/images/2021/06/twitter-visual-professional-ppt-design-example.png)
Use your creative design skills in building interesting slides that present your topic and convey your message accurately. Bullet points and bold numbers offer excellent visual devices when breaking up your texts. You can also give your presentation slides a more polished look by playing with your slide layout. For example, you can wrap your text around a shape , or use the Design Ideas tool to give your text some extra visual impact.
You can also use grids to provide a more professional edge to your presentation. Grids also give the appearance of white space, which will ensure that your texts are not overpowered by images.
![professional looking presentation](https://24slides.com/presentbetter/content/images/2021/08/Copy-of-Branding-3--New-version----Leaderboard.png)
3. Be strategic when picking colors and fonts
And still on the topic of the visual aspect, you should also pay extra attention to graphic elements as colors and letter fonts. Colors are a must to take into consideration when learning how to make professional-looking PowerPoint slides. Making sure your colors complement each other and that they don’t clash is key to making your presentation look polished and clean.
PowerPoint offers default color schemes you can automatically apply to all your slides. This is a great way to make sure your color palette works well. But you can also create and edit your own color schemes in PowerPoint . This way, you’ll be able to use the same colors and create a more cohesive, professional look in your presentation slides. Learn more about how to pick the perfect colors for your PowerPoint presentations here .
![professional looking presentation](https://24slides.com/presentbetter/content/images/2021/06/create-custom-PowerPoint-color-schemes-1.png)
Typography is another aspect that can give your presentation design an extra impact. Many people Don’t think much about the letter fonts they use for their PowerPoint slides. However, if you pick any of the professionally designed PowerPoint themes, you’ll notice that each design has its own combination of fonts to fit its design. Picking good typography is a great way to give your presentation a polished and professional look.
4. Keep your brand and your story on your mind (link to professional designers secrets)
If you want to go the extra mile and make your presentation slides look truly professional you should focus on your brand and your product . Use your brand identity guidelines to make sure your presentation uses the graphic line and color scheme that represents your company.
Something as easy as making sure your presentation has your logo and follows your brand colors will help you make your presentation look more professional instead of a generic template!
![professional looking presentation](https://24slides.com/presentbetter/content/images/2021/06/24slides_example_branding.jpg)
You can also focus on your product or business field to make your presentation look more customized. Add icons and images related to your business. Don't be afraid to get creative and fun! It’ll certainly make your presentation more memorable and it’ll help you stand out from the competition.
5. Matching simple content with a strong cover
You probably heard of the golden rule “less is more” when it comes to designing. That’s always true because it helps designers to achieve better designs through simplicity. The body slides will work better if you don’t use too many images, different fonts, and shapes.
Pick some specific unifying elements (colors, shapes, or icons) to create a simple but effective slide design. Using white space smartly is also a must when working on a minimalistic design. You don’t want your slides to look too cramped! Rather, give your slides a single splash of color or give the main stage to a single visual element.
![professional looking presentation](https://24slides.com/presentbetter/content/images/2021/06/Minimalism-ppt-design-example.png)
The minimalist design is great to make your presentation look polished and professional. But it’s also a great way to make sure that your audience’s attention is 100% exactly where you want it to be! Use a strong cover to even out simple slides.
6. Use a unifying background
A simple, easy way to make your presentation look more professional is to pay extra attention to your slides’ backgrounds. Working on this specific aspect of your slides can make your presentation design look more professional, even if you don’t add anything too crazy on the slides themselves. A well-designed background will give your audience the impression that work and effort have been put into your presentation and that you pay attention to detail.
For example, using a textured dark background is an excellent option for businesses that want to convey elegance and sleekness. Against a dark background, the element you choose to add to your slide will pop up even more. You can rest assured that it’ll definitely make an impression on your audience!
![professional looking presentation](https://24slides.com/presentbetter/content/images/2021/06/dark-background-professional-ppt-design-example.png)
7. Reuse your slides (Use similar frames)
Reusing your slides is an incredible way to save time and make your presentation design look more cohesive. For example, you can use frames. Frames are effective in containing the information you want to convey. These are usually made with transparent shapes and your slides can be duplicated using similar frames. This is actually one of the keys to better-looking presentation designs. Your slides will look more professional as they will all follow the same design style.
After creating the slides, save them as templates. Meaning, you may duplicate them while adapting your content as the body slides. You can use the Master Slides feature to create customized themes for your presentations. This will help you create cohesion not only within a single presentation but throughout all the presentations of your company!
6 Tips for Executing More Professional Presentations
Today, you can take advantage of abundant materials and ideas in designing professional presentations. Understanding different ways to encourage and entertain your audience, however, is crucial when making PowerPoint presentations. The following 6 tips to execute professional presentations are guidelines in presenting a topic to an audience successfully:
![professional looking presentation](https://24slides.com/presentbetter/content/images/2021/06/enhance-business-presentation.jpg)
It’s so cliché but it’s true that “ timing is everything ”. If you’re free to choose your presentation schedule, it would be better to pick a mid-morning slot. Many professional presenters say this is the best time to capture the attention of individuals who are more alert between morning and afternoon. Just remember to be succinct so as not to waste other people’s time.
2. Be brief
Audiences normally have a short attention span. People easily get bored when given long texts to read. If you want to attract attention and keep them listening, be straightforward. Don’t add unnecessary content which will only lengthen the presentation. Avoid fluff content. Present your topic with some exciting ad-lib.
3. Encourage audience participation
It’s a great challenge for presenters to keep their audience interested in what they are saying. Making an impression in the first 30 seconds will help you engage the audience and make them participate in the discussion. Inject humor while changing slides to keep them involved.
4. Emotional connection
Just like in commercials, it’s important for any professional presentation to connect emotionally with the audience. Inject sentiments when delivering your message. That way, you humanize the visual aids and help the crowd understand what you are trying to convey. Trigger their feelings and motivate them to take action.
![professional looking presentation](https://24slides.com/presentbetter/content/images/2021/08/Copy-of-Superstar-1--New-version----Landscape-1.png)
5. Visual aids
Most people are visual learners. Meaning, presenters need to understand that their audience relies on visual aids in order to get the message. Make sure that your points are supported by visual aids. Your message, with a mental image, is more clearly understood by the audience.
6. Graphics and images are essential in presentation designs
They provide remarkable support while you deliver your speech. Also, designing visuals can be challenging when using charts and other complex visuals. However, you can make simple ones to ensure accurate and easy-to-understand details.
Built-in Themes vs. Custom Professional Presentations
Presentation templates help presenters make their job easier. The only problem is that built-in themes are too generic. No matter how beautiful your font or design is, the workflow still becomes identical to other presentations. And that is the last thing you would want to happen in your presentation, right?
If you want to stand out with a great presentation, you should consider outsourcing your presentation design . It’s the most effective way to get an amazing, professional-looking presentation design that will wow your audience, all while saving time and effort!
![professional looking presentation](https://24slides.com/presentbetter/content/images/2021/06/Employee-Newsletter-playful.png)
Completing the Professional Presentation Package
Knowing how to make PowerPoint presentations more visually appealing and professional is a very useful skill. But you also have to factor in your charisma, audible voice, and preparedness to make your presentation as good and as powerful as possible. Looking good is just a bonus. So the next time you design a professional presentation, keep in mind the most important things: grabbing your audience’s interest, clear and understandable content, and some humor will make you an outstanding communicator.
I hope you learned something new from all these points I’ve covered today and you can now create a good PowerPoint presentation design. As you probably already know, humans are highly visual creatures. The brain processes visual information more efficiently than plain text. It’s the standard you need to comply with when making professional presentation designs. Enticing and appealing slides will keep your audience attentive and reactive throughout your presentation.
![professional looking presentation](https://24slides.com/presentbetter/content/images/2021/08/Copy-of-Generic-2--New-version----Leaderboard.png)
At 24Slides , we spice up PowerPoint presentations with professional design techniques and loads of creativity. We create beautiful presentations from scratch and redesign existing ones. Take a look at some examples of our work and let’s get in touch .
You might also find this interesting: The 12 Best Presentation Design Agencies to Outsource Your Work
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Minimalist grayscale pitch deck.
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Formal Geometric Slides
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How to Design a Professional PowerPoint Presentation
Our series of tips on presentation design outlined some generic rules and ideas that you can live by to create better, more professional presentations. Today we want to follow that up by taking you through the actual process of designing a presentation from start to finish.
We’ll break down every step of the design process, from choosing colors and images to using whitespace properly. After reading through this you should be all set to design your own beautiful presentation slides that will put your coworkers to shame.
Using a pre-built PowerPoint template can be a good starting point for many people (we collected some of the best PowerPoint templates for you!). But if you’re wanting to design your own from start-to-finish, you’re in the right place!
2 Million+ PowerPoint Templates, Themes, Graphics + More
Download thousands of PowerPoint templates, and many other design elements, with a monthly Envato Elements membership. It starts at $16 per month, and gives you unlimited access to a growing library of over 2,000,000 presentation templates, fonts, photos, graphics, and more.
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Mystify Presentation
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Maximus Template
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A Word About Content
I usually make a big deal about content preceding design, and presentations are no exception. Ideally, you’ll have the topic and much or all of the content outlined before you even think about design. This will in every way shape the appearance of your design, which is why working from pre-built templates isn’t always the best move (though generic templates can and do work great in some circumstances).
The reason that I bring this up is that I don’t really have an actual presentation in mind for this project. I’ll be running with a basic theme, but the textual information will be entirely placeholder copy. Your image, font, color and layout selection shouldn’t necessarily match mine but instead reflect the topic and content you’re working with.
Choosing A Color Scheme
Before I even open Photoshop (yes, I design PowerPoint/Keynote slides in Photoshop and drop them in), I want to find a color scheme on which to base my entire design. When I need to quickly find several colors that go together I usually start with Adobe Color CC . Not only is it a great way to build your own color schemes, it’s an outstanding source to find schemes built by others that you can just grab for your projects.
As luck would have it, I liked the very first color scheme I saw upon opening Color. This scheme was featured on the home page and looked like a great place to start for our presentation design.
![professional looking presentation professional looking presentation](https://designshack.net/wp-content/uploads/presentation-color-scheme.png)
Now, if you wanted to get everything exactly right, you could make a list of the RGB or Hex values, but I prefer a quicker, more direct route. What I usually do is snap a screenshot of the color scheme, paste it into my document and stretch it across the canvas on its own layer for easy access. This way I can quickly activate the layer, eyedropper the color I want, then hide the layer and get back to work. It’s a bit like having a palette of colors to dip your paintbrush in.
Designing Your Cover Slide
Now that we have a color scheme, the design work is going to be much simpler. One trick that designers often use in presentations is to leverage the color scheme as heavily as possible. If you’re new to design, you’ll likely think that this is too easy, too plain or even that it’s cheating somehow, but trust me, it’ll be much more attractive and professional than that horrid Microsoft clipart library you love so much.
To start, simply grab one of your colors from the scheme you chose and flood the background of your slide with it (I chose #631c25). Good job, there’s your background. Don’t freak out. It’ll look great. Now let’s throw in some typography.
Choosing a Font
Font choice is a major issue for non-designers. The tendency is to think that most fonts are “boring” and to look around for something exciting and fun. This inevitably leads to the use of Comic Sans or some other equally hideous font.
![professional looking presentation professional looking presentation](https://designshack.net/wp-content/uploads/bad-font-choice.png)
Unless you’re an elementary school teacher, your presentations should never look like this. Instead, why don’t you try one of those “boring” fonts to see if you can come up with something you like.
Combining fonts can be a tricky task and can take a trained eye to pull off. Fortunately, font designers have already created collections that work well together and if you’re not a designer, they make it easy to pull off great typography. The trick is to just stay in a family. Again, I know this sounds lame, but it works really well if you make sure the two styles you choose are very different.
For instance, I chose a Helvetica Bold Condensed and a Helvetica Light for my cover slide. Notice how different the fonts are from each other in terms of thickness. Choosing two styles that are relatively close causes visual confusion and should be avoided as a general rule of thumb. Instead, what you want is contrast and plenty of it.
![professional looking presentation professional looking presentation](https://designshack.net/wp-content/uploads/the-presenation.png)
Alignment and Layout
Notice a few things about the way I set up this slide. First, I used a strong left alignment for the text. As I say in just about every design article I write, center alignment should be a last resort, not a first. It tends to be the weakest text alignment that you can choose, having a hard edge increases readability considerably (notice that book pages aren’t center-aligned).
Also, notice the generous whitespace that I used. Remember that you don’t have to eat up every inch of space. Giving your text room to breathe helps your layout immensely and gives the design a clean look.
Adding an Image
At this point you might be wondering why you wasted your time reading so I could give you such plain advice. The truth is, most people that create presentations could improve them by 100% from following the advice above. However, I realize minimalism may be too extreme for some folks so let’s throw in an image to make it look nice.
Since our text is on the left, I wanted to find something a little heavy on the right. The general theme that I’ll go for is “City photos” assuming I had some sort of architecture or city-centric presentation to give. Again, you’ll have to choose iamges relevant to your own topic.
I grabbed this Flickr Creative Commons image from photographer Ben Spreng .
![professional looking presentation professional looking presentation](https://designshack.net/wp-content/uploads/presentation-photo-tips.jpg)
Now, if we just made this image our background, the text would become unreadable and we would be ditching our color scheme. What we’re going to do instead is set it on top of the colored slide and set our blending mode to Overlay. Then throw your opacity to around 45%.
![professional looking presentation professional looking presentation](https://designshack.net/wp-content/uploads/the-presentation-blend-modes.jpg)
As you can see, this helps the slide look much more interesting but keeps the text and colors fairly intact. It’s a simple solution that adds a lot of interest to an otherwise plain design.
Adding Content Slides
The cover may seem like it’s only a tiny part of the battle, but you’ve actually already set the tone for the entire presentation. You’ve got your theme, color scheme and fonts already in place. Now you just need to set up a few different layouts for your content.
The thing to keep in mind is to keep everything extremely simple, and that includes the level of content that you include. Apart from design, these are just good presentation tactics that you’ll learn in every public speaking class. Filling your slides with everything you’re going to say makes you unnecessary. You could just email everyone the slides and shut up.
Instead, the slides are merely meant to be a visual aid. Show a slide with your overall topic or main point, then speak the rest, without reading. Nothing is worse than watching a guy read his note cards word-for-word for thirty minutes, except perhaps watching a guy turn his back to the audience so he can actually read his slides out loud to you the whole time! You may laugh, but I’ve seen it happen folks.
For our first content slide, we’ll grab another Flickr photo and set it to the bottom portion of our slide at full bleed. Then we’ll set the top to another color from our scheme and toss in some text using the same exact formatting that we used on the cover.
![professional looking presentation screenshot](https://designshack.net/wp-content/uploads/presdesign-7.jpg)
See how this closely resembles the theme we’ve already established while still looking significantly different? This is they key to good presentation design: cohesiveness without redundancy.
Now for our third slide, we can simply do the inverse of the second slide with a new color and a new image .
![professional looking presentation screenshot](https://designshack.net/wp-content/uploads/presdesign-8.jpg)
Adding Informational Elements
It would be nice if every slide ever presented could work in a full bleed image, but the truth is that this simply isn’t practical. It will often be the case that you’re presenting graphical information or some other item that isn’t necessarily a photo.
My advice here is to try to stick as close to your theme as possible. For the slide below I flooded the entire background with a solid color from our original scheme and made a quick 3D graph with white columns (I drew a few flat boxes in Illustrator and applied a 3D effect).
![professional looking presentation screenshot](https://designshack.net/wp-content/uploads/presdesign-9.jpg)
As you can see, this slide is very information-focused and yet it doesn’t sacrifice the aesthetics and simplicity we’ve already established.
You’re All Set
From here you might come up with one or two more alternate slide designs and then rotate between them for the duration of your speech. The result is a presentation that is beautiful, very readable and highly professional. The bonus is that the simple, straightforward design will probably result in less work than a clip-art-filled horror show.
Most of the time, great design doesn’t mean being particularly artistic or knowing how to create amazing complex layouts. Instead, it’s about presenting information in an attractive and user-friendly way. With this goal in mind you realize that you’re probably trying way too hard if your end result is ugly. Try cutting out half or more of the elements on one of your slides and giving what’s left a strong left or right alignment with plenty of whitespace.
I hope this article has convinced you to abandon that clip art gallery once and for all. The benefits of clean, minimal design in presentations are clear: the information is easier to take in and the end result is more professional than the mess of information you typically see in presentation slides.
Of course, if you’re looking to get started quickly, flick through our collection of the best PowerPoint templates to find a beautiful set of pre-made designs!
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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
![professional looking presentation How to make a good presentation](https://venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2023/07/How_To_Make_a_Good_Presentation_Blog_Header.png)
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:
![professional looking presentation professional looking presentation](https://venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2023/07/image-62-767x1024.png)
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.
![professional looking presentation professional looking presentation](https://venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2023/07/image-63-814x1024.png)
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.
![professional looking presentation professional looking presentation](https://venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2023/07/image-64-648x1024.png)
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 .
![professional looking presentation Peloton Pitch Deck - Conclusion](https://venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2023/07/69ea63d9-bbd7-4977-986f-93ddc3f128fc-1024x576.png)
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.
![professional looking presentation professional looking presentation](https://venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2023/07/image-65-646x1024.png)
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.
![professional looking presentation Venngage Real Time Collaboration](https://venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2023/07/image-66.png)
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 .
![professional looking presentation professional looking presentation](https://venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2023/07/image-69-814x1024.png)
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.
![professional looking presentation professional looking presentation](https://venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2023/07/image-67-814x1024.png)
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.
![professional looking presentation professional looking presentation](https://venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2023/07/image-72-814x1024.png)
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.
![professional looking presentation professional looking presentation](https://venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2023/07/image-68-814x1024.png)
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!
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17 Tips On How To Write A Professional PowerPoint Presentation [+Templates]
Presentations are a fantastic tool for communicating vital information. Even though people think it’s simple to put all your content together and make a presentation, arranging and preparing the template and design takes time to ensure it is impactful and professional. But do you know how to make a professional PowerPoint presentation?
An engaging presentation goes beyond simply exchanging information; it connects with the audience . It transports the listener on a journey, induces emotions, and leaves an unforgettable impression. Let’s dig deeper and understand how to create a professional PowerPoint presentation.
What Is A Professional Presentation?
![professional looking presentation Shows What is a Professional PowerPoint](https://slideuplift.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/What-is-a-Professional-PowerPoint-1024x576.jpg.webp?_t=1713959865)
A professional presentation is basically information, ideas, or proposals in a business or formal context. It typically adheres to specific standards and practices to effectively engage and inform the audience. As a result, such presentations can be diverse, and they may be necessary to complete job interviews, provide sales pitches to potential clients, or present project proposals to top management.
Now that you know what a professional PowerPoint presentation is, let’s discuss the best tips on how to make a professional presentation.
How To Make A Professional PowerPoint Presentation?
Making a professional presentation might be a hectic task. It needs your time to create amazing professional presentations, and at the same time, you need to ensure you include all the key things. We have compiled a list of the best tips for you, which you can also use as a checklist. We have bisected the tips into three categories to make your grasp easier.
The three categories for tips for professional-looking PowerPoint are as follows:
1. Content and Slide Tips 2. Presentation Design Tips 3. Delivery Tips
Tips For Professional Looking Content & Slides
![professional looking presentation Content And Slide Tips](https://slideuplift.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Content-And-Slide-Tips-1024x576.png.webp?_t=1714024520)
These simple, easy-to-follow tips will help you create great content and professional-looking slides.
1. Start With A Title Slide
An eye-catching first slide serves as an introduction to your subject. To make it clear to read across the room, place the title of your presentation in huge letters in the middle of the slide. You can also include your name and title on the slide, depending on the type of presentation.
One of the most underrated and important presentation tips – On the title slide, keep the background simple to avoid drawing attention away from you while you speak.
2. Add An Agenda Slide
List what the audience can anticipate. Label your slide with “Presentation Agenda,” or as “Meeting Agenda,” or a phrase to that effect. List the key lessons you want your audience to take away from the presentation. It not only makes it easier for your audience to follow along, but it also clarifies your main objective. Let’s discuss another tip on how to make a professional PowerPoint.
3. Logically Arrange The Middle Slides
When you think about how to make a professional slideshow, you need to identify the presentation’s beginning, middle, and end for more clarity. Make a list of the facts you want to provide and essential points you want your audience to take away from your presentation. Take what you’ve written and arrange the ideas in an outline so that each idea leads naturally into the next.
For instance, if you’re making a persuasive presentation, you might begin by providing background information on the subject and then discuss potential solutions before concluding by outlining actions an audience member can take to contribute.
4. Include A Call-To-Action Slide At The End
The next tip on how to make a professional PowerPoint is to include a CTA. After you finish your presentation, inform your audience of the next steps. After reviewing the key points of your presentation, provide a list of actions your audience may take to advance the project. So that your audience has several options for what to do next, try to come up with some concrete ideas.
5. Conclude With Key Takeaways
Summarize your important points so your audience will remember them. Start the last slide with a header at the top that reads “Takeaways” or “Key Points.” Make a final list of bullet points containing the most crucial information you have covered. Emphasize your previous presentations’ key ideas and speak them aloud to your audience.
In this manner, your presentation will leave a lasting effect on the audience, making them more likely to recall what you say. Content forms the foundation of any presentation. But, if not designed correctly, it can lead to a boring presentation. That’s where an impactful design for a presentation comes into the picture.
Design Tips On How To Make A Professional PowerPoint
![professional looking presentation Design Tips On How To Make A Professional PowerPoint](https://slideuplift.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Design-Tips-On-How-To-Make-A-Professional-PowerPoint-1024x576.png.webp?_t=1714024619)
Now that you know some content and slide-related tips, let’s read about the top design-related tips on how to make a PowerPoint look professional.
1. Write Content Considering Your Audience
Always remember that content is the king! What you write and present in your presentation can make or break it. You have to consider your audience and write content that relates to them. What’s the point of writing in a hard way for your audience to comprehend?
Let’s say your target audience is freshers you hired recently, and your presentation includes multiple industry jargon that is difficult for them to understand. Senior professionals in the company can clearly understand this jargon, but your freshers might find it difficult. Hence, your content tone and style must align with your targeted audience. This way, you will also boost your audience’s participation and engagement. Now, let’s consider other tips on how to make a professional PowerPoint.
2. Select Readable Fonts
Keep your fonts large and sans-serif so your audience can read them clearly. Keep your content between 28 and 40 points because small fonts might be difficult to see from a distance. Choose Proxima Nova or Arial rather than Times New Roman or another serifed font to show your content because sans-serif is more straightforward to read on a screen.
Bold, italicize, or highlight the words you want to stand out as particularly important.
Throughout the slide, change the font size. For instance, the slide’s headline should be larger than the body content. If you need help choosing the best font for your presentation, then check out our blog on the best presentation fonts .
3. List The Important Points In Brief Bullets
Another tip on how to make a Google Slide look professional is to use bullet points. Your slides will be easier to follow if they have pointers. Paragraphs on a slide can be very intimidating, and your audience could choose to read them rather than pay attention to you. Keep your slide to a bulleted list of essential phrases or terms rather than writing out every word you plan to speak. Keep your slides to a maximum of six bullet points, each with six words.
4. Aim To Have About Ten Slides
More than ten concepts at once will be difficult for your audience to recall. Count your slides once you’ve organized your data to check if you have ten or fewer slides. If you have more than 10, review the content once more to see if you can squeeze anything onto one slide.
Decide which ideas need to be covered the most, and eliminate anything that doesn’t seem appropriate or doesn’t fit the style of your presentation.
5. Keep Your Presentation Background & Theme Consistent
Our next point on how to make professional slides is that keeping the same straightforward theme and style for each slide can help you create professional presentations. You can make a background in PowerPoint or explore PowerPoint backgrounds from SlideUpLift .
Use easy-to-read layouts that don’t draw attention away from the text or graphics you want to use. Consistency in your background images and themes shows professionalism and subconsciously attracts your audience, leaving a good impression.
6. Use “Format Object”
You must have used multiple objects in your slides, but there is a chance that only some of the objects meet your requirements. You may need to alter a few things in your objects to align them properly with your overall presentation and good formatting.
You can change your objects using the “Format Object: feature. Just right-click on the object you want to edit and choose the “Format Object” feature. Now, you can change the object’s size, add reflections, and even alter the text or content.
7. Use Powerpoint Shapes And SmartArt
The next tip on how to make a professional PowerPoint presentation is using Shapes and SmartArt. Did you know that PowerPoint provides multiple Shapes and SmartArts to help you create better presentations? You can easily insert different shapes in your slides, like rectangles, circles, ovals, etc. You can use these shapes to create various diagrams to showcase your content effectively.
Similarly, SmartArts enhances your presentation’s visual appeal by providing multiple graphics options. These are pre-built in MS PowerPoint, and you can modify them as per your requirements. Using Shapes and SmartArts gives you more control over making professional presentations, as you can make changes to meet your requirements.
8. Include Relevant Graphics
Select charts and photos of the highest quality to highlight your content. You should use visuals only if they are essential to the argument you are attempting to make. You can use illustrations, PowerPoint images , infographics , graphs, or chart diagrams to display facts or make your point more obvious. You can also add GIFs and embed videos to your presentations.
This is a very crucial tip on how to make a professional slideshow. To make your presentations appear clear, ensure all the images are the same size and resolution, and arrange them in the same spot on each slide. Charts and graphics that are challenging to interpret should have captions.
Pro Tip: Make one image on a slide stand out by giving it a different hue from the rest of the presentation.
9. Reuse Your Slides
Another tip on how to make your Google Slides look professional is Reusing slides. It is a very potent way to breeze through your presentation and, in the process, make sure that the overall visual consistency of your design is improved. This will save you time when creating new slides again. It is greatly important as it offers ways through which you can maintain a very polished and professional look across your presentations.
If you are designing the slides, maybe save them as templates. This will permit you to replicate the slide framework and customize the content for different presentations. However, you can use your presentation software to create master slides that will enable you to build your own themes and ensure not just design consistency but also content consistency is adhered to across all presentations within your organization.
Delivery Tips On How To Make A Professional PowerPoint
![professional looking presentation Delivery Tips for presentations](https://slideuplift.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Delivery-Tips-1024x576.png.webp?_t=1714024661)
The way you deliver your PowerPoint slides can either make or break your overall presentation. Let’s see some tips on how to make a PowerPoint look professional:
1. Keep Your Transitions Simple
Adding Animations and transitions draws attention away from the material. While adding animations to your slideshow may seem creative to make it stand out, doing so might add a lot of extra time and distract the audience. Have the slides change as soon as the mouse clicks, rather than having the text fly in, or the slides animate. Provide the information quickly and simply to make your presentation look stronger and more formal. If you need help with how to get transitions in your Google Slides presentation, our guide on adding animations in Google Slides will be your best friend.
2. Practice Your Presentation Out Loud
The best tip on how to deliver a professional PowerPoint is to practice your presentation. Run the complete presentation to increase your confidence. After practicing your presentation a few times, you’ll feel much more at ease giving it. Practice as if you were presenting to a group of people; raise your voice to the appropriate pitch and volume.
Ensure the slides flow together by practicing clicking through them as you speak. Go back and change your slides to make any necessary corrections if you encounter issues. Consider recording your speech to see or listen to it later. You will be able to identify what needs to change as a result.
3. Practice In Front Of A Crowd
Request some early feedback to determine the success of your presentation. Take a group of friends or coworkers and walk them through the full presentation. When you’re done, ask them what they thought of the presentation and whether any points you tried to express confused them. Asking them questions you anticipate your audience will have will allow you to practice providing succinct responses.
How To Make A Professional PowerPoint Presentation With Templates From SlideUpLift?
The ability to generate professional-looking slides is a skill that may take your message to new heights in the dynamic world of presentations. SlideUpLift has materials and tools to assist you in every aspect of creating presentations:
1. Suppose you want to create presentations but need a starting point. In that case, you can download any template from our 40,000+ PowerPoint and Google Slides themes collection. Just download the template you like and change the content as you need.
2. If you don’t want to make changes to our professional PowerPoint templates , you can ask us to customize them through our custom slides service. You can expect fast delivery within 1 Business Day. If you need multiple presentations every week, you can try our Presentation Services . Check out our best professional templates below and learn how to create a professional presentation.
Detailed 30-60-90 Day Plan
![professional looking presentation How to make a professional powerpoint 30 60 90 Day Work Plan](https://slideuplift.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/30-60-90-Day-Work-Plan-Template-1-1024x576.png.webp?_t=1714018049)
Executive Summary
![professional looking presentation executive summary](https://slideuplift.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/executive-summary-examples-1-1024x576.png.webp?_t=1714018099)
Customer Journey
![professional looking presentation Customer Journey](https://slideuplift.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Customer-Journey-And-Experience-Template1-1-1024x576.png.webp?_t=1714018146)
Company Timeline
![professional looking presentation Company Timeline](https://slideuplift.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Company-Timeline-PowerPoint-Template-1-1024x576.png.webp?_t=1714018209)
Presentations are crucial for professionals to host meetings and influence their team members and stakeholders. This blog taught you how to make a professional PowerPoint and Google Slides presentation that attracts your audience. So, we wish you all the best for your next professional presentation; with the help of our checklist on how to make a professional presentation, you’ll do your best.
How to make a professional PowerPoint?
Some tips for professional PowerPoint presentations include:
1. Focus on clear content organization 2. Use a consistent and appealing design template 3. Incorporate high-quality visuals 4. Practice your delivery to ensure a smooth and engaging presentation 5. Keep slides concise and avoid clutter to maintain audience interest and understanding.
What are the key elements of a professional-looking presentation?
A professional-looking presentation typically includes well-structured content, visually appealing slides, clear typography, cohesive design elements, and effective use of visuals.
What are some effective strategies for effectively rehearsing and delivering a professional presentation?
A few strategies for effective rehearsal involve:
1. Practicing your presentation multiple times. 2. Focus on your tone and pacing. 3. Anticipating questions from the audience.
What are the ten qualities of a professional presentation?
A professional presentation should contain all of these qualities:
1. Clear structure 2. Engaging opening 3. Effective visuals 4. Clear communication 5. Relevant content 6. Audience engagement 7. Effective storytelling 8. Well paced 9. Powerful delivery 10. Strong conclusion
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- Inspiration
23 presentation examples that really work (plus templates!)
![23 presentation examples that really work Three professionals engaged in a collaborative meeting with a Biteable video maker, a laptop, and documents on the table.](https://biteable.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/23-presentation-examples-that-really-work.png)
- 30 Mar 2023
To help you in your quest for presentation greatness, we’ve gathered 23 of the best business presentation examples out there. These hand-picked ideas range from business PowerPoint presentations, to recruitment presentations, and everything in between.
As a bonus, several of our examples include editable video presentation templates from Biteable .
Biteable allows anyone to create great video presentations — no previous video-making skills required. The easy-to-use platform has hundreds of brandable templates and video scenes designed with a business audience in mind. A video made with Biteable is just what you need to add that wow factor and make an impact on your audience.
Create videos that drive action
Activate your audience with impactful, on-brand videos. Create them simply and collaboratively with Biteable.
Video presentation examples
Video presentations are our specialty at Biteable. We love them because they’re the most visually appealing and memorable way to communicate.
1. Animated characters
Our first presentation example is a business explainer video from Biteable that uses animated characters. The friendly and modern style makes this the perfect presentation for engaging your audience.
Bonus template: Need a business video presentation that reflects the beautiful diversity of your customers or team? Use Biteable’s workplace scenes . You can change the skin tone and hair color for any of the animated characters.
2. Conference video
Videos are also ideal solutions for events (e.g. trade shows) where they can be looped to play constantly while you attend to more important things like talking to people and handing out free cheese samples.
For this event presentation sample below, we used bright colours, stock footage, and messaging that reflects the brand and values of the company. All these elements work together to draw the attention of passers-by.
For a huge selection of video presentation templates, take a look at our template gallery .
Business PowerPoint presentation examples
Striking fear into the hearts of the workplace since 1987, PowerPoint is synonymous with bland, boring presentations that feel more like an endurance test than a learning opportunity. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Check out these anything-but-boring business PowerPoint presentation examples.
3. Design pointers
This PowerPoint presentation takes a tongue-in-cheek look at how the speakers and users of PowerPoint are the problem, not the software itself.
Even at a hefty 61 slides, the vintage theme, appealing colors, and engaging content keep the viewer interested. It delivers useful and actionable tips on creating a better experience for your audience.
Pixar, as you’d expect, redefines the meaning of PowerPoint in their “22 Rules for Phenomenal Storytelling”. The character silhouettes are instantly recognizable and tie firmly to the Pixar brand. The bright colour palettes are carefully chosen to highlight the content of each slide.
This presentation is a good length, delivering one message per slide, making it easy for an audience to take notes and retain the information.
Google slides examples
If you’re in business, chances are you’ll have come across slide decks . Much like a deck of cards, each slide plays a key part in the overall ‘deck’, creating a well-rounded presentation.
If you need to inform your team, present findings, or outline a new strategy, slides are one of the most effective ways to do this.
Google Slides is one of the best ways to create a slide deck right now. It’s easy to use and has built-in design tools that integrate with Adobe, Lucidchart, and more. The best part — it’s free!
5. Teacher education
Here’s a slide deck that was created to educate teachers on how to use Google Slides effectively in a classroom. At first glance it seems stuffy and businessy, but if you look closer it’s apparent the creator knows his audience well, throwing in some teacher-friendly content that’s bound to get a smile.
The slides give walkthrough screenshots and practical advice on the different ways teachers can use the software to make their lives that little bit easier and educate their students at the same time.
6. Charity awareness raiser
This next Google slide deck is designed to raise awareness for an animal shelter. It has simple, clear messaging, and makes use of the furry friends it rescues to tug on heartstrings and encourage donations and adoptions from its audience.
Pro tip: Creating a presentation is exciting but also a little daunting. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed — especially if the success of your business or nonprofit depends on it.
Prezi presentation examples
If you haven’t come across Prezi , it’s a great alternative to using static slides. Sitting somewhere between slides and a video presentation, it allows you to import other content and add motion to create a more engaging viewer experience.
7. Red Bull event recap
This Prezi was created to document the Red Bull stratosphere freefall stunt a few years ago. It neatly captures all the things that Prezi is capable of, including video inserts and the zoom effect, which gives an animated, almost 3D effect to what would otherwise be still images.
Prezi has annual awards for the best examples of presentations over the year. This next example is one of the 2018 winners. It was made to highlight a new Logitech tool.
8. Logitech Spotlight launch
What stands out here are the juicy colors, bold imagery, and the way the designer has used Prezi to its full extent, including rotations, panning, fades, and a full zoom out to finish the presentation.
![professional looking presentation](https://biteable.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Presentation-Examples-02-1024x576.jpeg)
Sales presentation examples
If you’re stuck for ideas for your sales presentation, step right this way and check out this video template we made for you.
9. Sales enablement video presentation
In today’s fast-paced sales environment, you need a way to make your sales enablement presentations memorable and engaging for busy reps. Sales enablement videos are just the ticket. Use this video presentation template the next time you need to present on your metrics.
10. Zuroa sales deck
If you’re after a sales deck, you can’t go past this example from Zuora. What makes it great? It begins by introducing the worldwide shift in the way consumers are shopping. It’s a global phenomenon, and something we can all relate to.
It then weaves a compelling story about how the subscription model is changing the face of daily life for everyone. Metrics and testimonials from well-known CEOs and executives are included for some slamming social proof to boost the sales message.
Pitch presentation examples
Pitch decks are used to give an overview of business plans, and are usually presented during meetings with customers, investors, or potential partners.
11. Uber pitch deck
This is Uber’s original pitch deck, which (apart from looking a teensy bit dated) gives an excellent overview of their business model and clearly shows how they intended to disrupt a traditional industry and provide a better service to people. Right now, you’re probably very grateful that this pitch presentation was a winner.
You can make your own pitch deck with Biteable, or start with one of our video templates to make something a little more memorable.
12. Video pitch template
This video pitch presentation clearly speaks to the pains of everyone who needs to commute and find parking. It then provides the solution with its app that makes parking a breeze.
The video also introduces the key team members, their business strategy, and what they’re hoping to raise in funding. It’s a simple, clear pitch that positions the company as a key solution to a growing, worldwide problem. It’s compelling and convincing, as a good presentation should be.
13. Fyre Festival pitch deck
The most epic example of a recent pitch deck is this one for Fyre Festival – the greatest event that never happened. Marvel at its persuasion, gasp at the opportunity of being part of the cultural experience of the decade, cringe as everything goes from bad to worse.
Despite the very public outcome, this is a masterclass in how to create hype and get funding with your pitch deck using beautiful imagery, beautiful people, and beautiful promises of riches and fame.
Business presentation examples
Need to get the right message out to the right people? Business presentations can do a lot of the heavy lifting for you.
Simply press play and let your video do the talking. No fumbling your words and sweating buckets in front of those potential clients, just you being cool as a cucumber while your presentation does the talking.
Check out two of our popular templates that you can use as a starting point for your own presentations. While they’re business-minded, they’re definitely not boring.
14. Business intro template
Modern graphics, animations, and upbeat soundtracks keep your prospects engaged as they learn about your business, your team, your values, and how you can help them.
15. Business explainer template
Research presentation examples.
When you’re giving a more technical presentation such as research findings, you need to strike the perfect balance between informing your audience and making sure they stay awake.
As a rule, slides are more effective for research presentations, as they are used to support the speaker’s knowledge rather can capture every small detail on screen.
With often dry, complex, and technical subject matter, there can be a temptation for presentations to follow suit. Use images instead of walls of text, and keep things as easy to follow as possible.
16. TrackMaven research deck
TrackMaven uses their endearing mascot to lighten up this data-heavy slide deck. The graphs help to bring life to their findings, and they ensure to only have one bite-size takeaway per slide so that viewers can easily take notes.
17. Wearable tech research report
Obviously, research can get very researchy and there’s not a lot to be done about it. This slide deck below lays out a ton of in-depth information but breaks it up well with quotes, diagrams, and interesting facts to keep viewers engaged while it delivers its findings on wearable technology.
Team presentation examples
Motivating your team can be a challenge at the best of times, especially when you need to gather them together for….another presentation!
18. Team update template
We created this presentation template as an example of how to engage your team. In this case, it’s for an internal product launch. Using colorful animation and engaging pacing, this video presentation is much better than a static PowerPoint, right?
19. Officevibe collaboration explainer
This short slide deck is a presentation designed to increase awareness of the problems of a disengaged team. Bright colors and relevant images combine with facts and figures that compel viewers to click through to a download to learn more about helping their teams succeed.
Recruitment presentation examples
Recruiting the right people can be a challenge. Presentations can help display your team and your business by painting a dynamic picture of what it’s like to work with you.
Videos and animated slides let you capture the essence of your brand and workplace so the right employees can find you.
20. Company culture explainer
If you’re a recruitment agency, your challenge is to stand out from the hundreds of other agencies in the marketplace.
21. Kaizen culture
Showcasing your agency using a slide deck can give employers and employees a feel for doing business with you. Kaizen clearly displays its credentials and highlights its brand values and personality here (and also its appreciation of the coffee bean).
Explainer presentation examples
Got some explaining to do? Using an explainer video is the ideal way to showcase products that are technical, digital, or otherwise too difficult to explain with still images and text.
Explainer videos help you present the features and values of your product in an engaging way that speaks to your ideal audience and promotes your brand at the same time.
22. Product explainer template
23. lucidchart explainer.
Lucidchart does a stellar job of using explainer videos for their software. Their series of explainers-within-explainers entertains the viewer with cute imagery and an endearing brand voice. At the same time, the video is educating its audience on how to use the actual product. We (almost) guarantee you’ll have more love for spiders after watching this one.
Make a winning video presentation with Biteable
Creating a winning presentation doesn’t need to be difficult or expensive. Modern slide decks and video software make it easy for you to give compelling presentations that sell, explain, and educate without sending your audience to snooze town.
For the best online video presentation software around, check out Biteable. The intuitive platform does all the heavy lifting for you, so making a video presentation is as easy as making a PowerPoint.
Use Biteable’s brand builder to automatically fetch your company colors and logo from your website and apply them to your entire video with the click of a button. Even add a clickable call-to-action button to your video.
Share your business presentation anywhere with a single, trackable URL and watch your message turn into gold.
Make stunning videos with ease.
Take the struggle out of team communication.
Try Biteable now.
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10 PowerPoint Tips for Preparing a Professional Presentation
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Why ChatGPT’s Speech to Text Is the Best I’ve Ever Used
Slack vs. discord: which will better organize your personal life, everything i wish i’d known about vpns before i started using them.
Professional presentations are all about making an impact. Your slides should look the part. Once you know what makes a presentation look professional, you can customize any half-decent PowerPoint template or create your own custom slides.
Our PowerPoint tips will help you avoid common mistakes, keep your audience engaged, and create a professional presentation, in form and content.
PowerPoint Slide Design
The design can leave a first and lasting impression. Give it a professional touch to win your audience's trust and attention.
1. Carefully Compose Your Slides
Don't copy and paste slides from different sources. You don't want your presentation to look like a rag rug. What you're aiming for is a consistent look. This will help your audience focus on the essential; your speech and the key facts you're highlighting on your slides.
To that end, use a basic template or make your own . PowerPoint comes with a wide selection of professional PowerPoint presentation templates , but you can also find free ones online.
PowerPoint Tip: When you open PowerPoint, note the search field at the top. One of the suggested searches is "presentations". Click it to see all of PowerPoint's default presentation templates. Choose a category on the right to narrow down your search.
![professional looking presentation An overview of PowerPoint's default presentation templates.](https://static1.makeuseofimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/PowerPoint-Default-Presentation-Templates.jpg)
Pick an easy to read font face . It's hard to get this right, but these professional-looking Google fonts are a safe bet. Unless you're a designer, stick to a single font face and limit yourself to playing with safe colors and font sizes.
If you're unsure about fonts, refer to "The 10 Commandments of Typography" shown below for orientation.
![professional looking presentation The 10 Commandments of Typography](https://static1.makeuseofimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/The-10-Commandments-of-Typography.jpg)
Carefully select font sizes for headers and text. While you don't want to create a wall of text and lose your audience's attention, you do want them to be able to read what you've highlighted. So make your fonts large enough.
PowerPoint Tip: PowerPoint offers several different slide layouts. When you add a new slide, choose the right layout under Home > New Slide . To switch the layout of an existing slide, use Home > Layout . By using the default layouts, you can make coherent design changes across your presentation anytime you want.
![professional looking presentation PowerPoint slide layout selection](https://static1.makeuseofimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/PowerPoint-Slide-Layout-Selection.jpg)
Leave room for highlights, such as images or take home messages. Some elements should stand out. So try not to bury them in background noise but give them the space they need. This could be a single quote or a single image per page with nothing but a simple header and a plain background.
Decorate scarcely but well. If you have good content, you won't need decoration. Your template will be decoratively enough.
Note: Restrict the room your design takes up, and don't ever let the design restrict your message.
2. Use Consistency
Consistently use font face and sizes on all slides. This one goes back to using a template. If you chose a professional presentation template, the designer would have taken care of this aspect. Stick to it!
Match colors. This is where so many presentations fail. You might have chosen a funky template and stuck to the designer's color profile, then you ruin it all with ugly Excel charts .
Take the time to match your visuals to your presentation design.
Text and Background Colors
A poor choice of colors can ruin your presentation.
![](http://viettel.site/777/templates/cheerup1/res/banner1.gif)
3. Use Contrast
Black text on a white background will always be the best, but also the most boring choice . You're allowed to use colors! But use them responsibly.
Keep it easy on the eyes and always keep good contrast in mind. If you're color-challenged, use one of the many online tools to select a good looking color palette. Or just use a template and stick to its default colors.
PowerPoint Tip: Use PowerPoint's Design menu to quickly change the font and color palette of your entire presentation using preset design layouts.
![professional looking presentation PowerPoint slide layout selection](https://static1.makeuseofimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/PowerPoint-Design.jpg)
4. Apply Brilliance
Carefully use color to highlight your message! Colors are your friends. They can make numbers stand out or your Take Home Message pop.
Don't weaken the color effect by using too many colors in too many instances . The special effect only works if used scarcely. Try to limit pop colors to one per slide.
Make a brilliant choice: match colors for design and good contrast to highlight your message . Use a professional color palette, to find which color will work best with your theme. Use The 10 Commandments of Color Theory shown below to learn more about colors:
![professional looking presentation The 10 Commandments of Color Theory Infographic](https://static1.makeuseofimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/The-10-Commandments-of-Color-Theory.jpg)
Text on PowerPoint Slides
K eep I t S traight and S imple. That means...
- Keywords only on your slides.
- Absolutely no full sentences!
- And never read your slides , talk freely.
Remember that your slides are only there to support, not to replace your talk! You want to tell a story, visualize your data, and demonstrate key points. If you read your slides, you risk losing your audience's respect and attention.
PowerPoint Tip: Afraid you'll lose your train of thoughts? Add notes to your slides. Go to View and under Show click Notes to make them show up under your slides while editing. When starting your presentation, use PowerPoint's presentation mode (go to Slide Show and under Monitors , check Use Presenter View ), so you can glance at your notes when needed.
![professional looking presentation PowerPoint presentation notes](https://static1.makeuseofimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/PowerPoint-Presentation-Notes-1.jpg)
6. Take Home Message
Always summarize your key point in a Take Home Message. Ask yourself, if your audience learned or remembered one single thing from your presentation, what would you like it to be? That's your Take Home Message.
The Take Home Message is your key message, a summary of your data or story. If you're giving an hour-long presentation, you might have several Take Home Messages. That's OK. Just make sure that what you think is key, really matters to your audience.
Make your Take Home Message memorable. It's your responsibility that your audience takes home something valuable. Help them "get it" by making your Take Home Message stand out, either visually or through how you frame it verbally.
Presentation Visuals
Images are key elements of every presentation. Your audience has ears and eyes, they want to see what you're talking about, and a good visual cue will help them understand your message much better.
7. Add Images
Have more images in your slides than text. Visuals are your friends. They can illustrate your points and support your message.
But do not use images to decorate! That's a poor use of visuals because it's just a distraction.
Images can reinforce or complement your message. So use images to visualize or explain your story.
Use a sufficient image resolution. Your visuals might look good on your desktop, but once blown up by a projector, low-resolution images will make your presentation look anything but professional. So choose a resolution that matches the projector's resolution. If in doubt, don't go below a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels (XGA) and aim for 1920 x 1080 pixels (FullHD).
Always maintain your image's aspect ratio. Nothing looks more awkward than a distorted image. Whatever you do, don't stretch images. If you have to resize them, do so with the aspect ratio intact, even if that means dropping slightly above or below your target resolution.
PowerPoint Tip: Need a visual, but don't have one at hand? PowerPoint is connected to Bing's library of online images you can use for your presentations. Go to Insert and under Images select Online Images . You can browse by category or search the library. Be sure to set a checkmark for Creative Commons only , so you don't accidentally violate copyrights.
![professional looking presentation Insert online pictures into PowerPoint](https://static1.makeuseofimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/PowerPoint-Insert-Online-Pictures.png)
Note: Yes, a picture is worth a thousand words. In other words, if you don't have time for a thousand words, use a picture!
PowerPoint Animations and Media
In animations, there is a fine line between a comic and a professional impression. But animations can be powerful tools to visualize and explain complicated matters. A good animation can not only improve understanding, it can also make the message stick with your audience.
8. Don't Be Silly
Sparingly use animations and media. You should only use them in one of two cases:
- To draw attention, for example, to your Take Home Message.
- To clarify a model or emphasize an effect.
Embed the media in your presentation and make sure it works in presentation mode. Testing your presentation at home will save you time and avoid embarrassment.
Target Your Presentation Content
Your target, i.e. your audience, defines the content of your presentation. For example, you cannot teach school kids about the complicated matters of the economy, but you may be able to explain to them what the economy is in the first place and why it is important.
9. Keep Your Audience in Mind
When you compile your PowerPoint presentation, ask yourself these questions:
- What does my audience know?
- What do I need to tell them?
- What do they expect?
- What will be interesting to them?
- What can I teach them?
- What will keep them focused?
Answer these questions and boil your slides down to the very essentials. In your talk, describe the essentials colorfully and use your weapons, i.e. text, images, and animations wisely (see above).
Note: If you fail to hit the target, it won't matter how ingenious your design is or how brilliantly you picked colors and keywords. Nothing matters more than your audience's attention.
10. Practice Your Presentation Like a Professional
A well-practiced and enthusiastic talk will help you convince your audience and keep their attention. Here are some key points that define a good talk:
- Know your slides inside out.
- Speak freely.
- Speak with confidence, loud and clear.
- Speak at a steady pace, better too slow than too fast.
- Keep eye contact with your audience.
Bonus: Implement the 10/20/30 Rule
The 10/20/30 rule is a concept brought forward by Guy Kawasaki:
It’s quite simple: a PowerPoint presentation should have ten slides, last no more than twenty minutes, and contain no font smaller than thirty points.
A similar concept is PechaKucha , a storytelling format limited to 20 slides and 20 seconds per slide, i.e. less than seven minutes to conclude the presentation.
Now there's a challenge! Telling your story succinctly, might help you get through to some of the busiest and most distracted people on the planet.
One Final PowerPoint Presentation Tip
I've shown you how to think through your entire presentation, from choosing a design to speaking to your audience. Here's a mind trick: never try to interpret the looks on your listeners' faces. Chances are, you're wrong. Just assume they're focused and taking notes.
You've done your best to create a professional PowerPoint presentation that will help your audience focus on the content and learn new things. The looks on their faces aren't doubt or confusion. It's focus! Well, d'oh! Obviously, you're the expert, and they're the learners. If you can get into this mindset, you can relax and perform at your best.
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How to Make a Beautiful PowerPoint Presentation: A Simple Guide
Ready to craft a beautiful and attention-grabbing powerpoint presentation we’ll walk you through slideshow design tips, show you some tricks to maximize your powerpoint skills, and give you everything you need to look really good next time you’re up in front of a crowd..
In this post, we’ll cover:
Key Elements of Winning PowerPoints
Illustrative, not generic, supportive, not distracting, inspiring and engaging, other considerations when creating a slideshow.
How many times have you sat through a poorly designed business presentation that was dull, cluttered, and distracting? Probably way too many. Even though we all loathe a boring presentation, when it comes time to make our own, do we really do any better?
The good news is you don’t have to be a professional designer to make professional presentations. We’ve put together a few simple guidelines you can follow to create a beautifully assembled deck.
We’ll walk you through some slide design tips, show you tricks to maximize your PowerPoint skills, and give you everything you need to look really good next time you’re up in front of a crowd.
And, while PowerPoint remains one of the biggest names in presentation software, many of these design elements and principles work in Google Slides, as well.
Let’s dive right in.
1. Use Layout to Your Advantage
Layout is one of the most powerful visual elements in design, and it’s a simple, effective way to control the flow and visual hierarchy of information. It’s also one of the most important elements to consider when thinking about how to make your PowerPoint look better.
For example, most Western languages read left to right, top to bottom. Knowing this natural reading order, you can direct people’s eyes in a deliberate way to certain key parts of a slide that you want to emphasize.
You can also guide your audience with simple tweaks to the layout. Use text size and alternating fonts or colors to distinguish headlines from body text.
Placement also matters. There are many unorthodox ways to structure a slide, but most audience members will have to take a few beats to organize the information in their head—that’s precious time better spent listening to your delivery and retaining information.
Try to structure your slides more like this:
![professional looking presentation Presentation slide with headline template and beach images on the right](https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/image-2.webp?w=720)
And not like this:
![professional looking presentation Presentation slide with headline template and beach images on the left](https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/image.jpeg?w=720)
Layout is one of the trickier PowerPoint design concepts to master, which is why we have these free PowerPoint templates already laid out for you. Use them as a jumping off point for your own presentation, or use them wholesale!
Presentation templates can give you a huge leg up as you start working on your design.
2. No Sentences
This is one of the most critical slide design tips. Slides are simplified, visual notecards that capture and reinforce main ideas, not complete thoughts.
As the speaker, you should be delivering most of the content and information, not putting it all on the slides for everyone to read (and probably ignore). If your audience is reading your presentation instead of listening to you deliver it, your message has lost its effectiveness.
Pare down your core message and use keywords to convey it. Try to avoid complete sentences unless you’re quoting someone or something.
Stick with this:
![professional looking presentation Presentation template with bullet points](https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/image-1.jpeg?w=720)
And avoid this:
![professional looking presentation Presentation template with paragraphs](https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/image-2.jpeg?w=720)
3. Follow the 6×6 Rule
One of the cardinal sins of a bad PowerPoint is cramming too many details and ideas on one slide, which makes it difficult for people to retain information. Leaving lots of “white space” on a slide helps people focus on your key points.
Try using the 6×6 rule to keep your content concise and clean looking. The 6×6 rule means a maximum of six bullet points per slide and six words per bullet. In fact, some people even say you should never have more than six words per slide!
Just watch out for “orphans” (when the last word of a sentence/phrase spills over to the next line). This looks cluttered. Either fit it onto one line or add another word to the second line.
![professional looking presentation Red presentation slide with white text stating less is more](https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/image-3.jpeg?w=720)
Slides should never have this much information:
![professional looking presentation Presentation slide with paragraphs and images](https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/image-4.jpeg?w=720)
4. Keep the Colors Simple
Stick to simple light and dark colors and a defined color palette for visual consistency. Exceptionally bright text can cause eye fatigue, so use those colors sparingly. Dark text on a light background or light text on a dark background will work well. Also avoid intense gradients, which can make text hard to read.
If you’re presenting on behalf of your brand, check what your company’s brand guidelines are. Companies often have a primary brand color and a secondary brand color , and it’s a good idea to use them in your presentation to align with your company’s brand identity and style.
If you’re looking for color inspiration for your next presentation, check out our 101 Color Combinations , where you can browse tons of eye-catching color palettes curated by a pro. When you find the one you like, just type the corresponding color code into your presentation formatting tools.
Here are more of our favorite free color palettes for presentations:
- 10 Color Palettes to Nail Your Next Presentation
- 10 Energizing Sports Color Palettes for Branding and Marketing
- 10 Vintage Color Palettes Inspired by the Decades
No matter what color palette or combination you choose, you want to keep the colors of your PowerPoint presentation simple and easy to read, like this:
![professional looking presentation Red presentation slide with white text stating keep the colors simple](https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/image-3.webp?w=720)
Stay away from color combinations like this:
![professional looking presentation Gray presentation slide with black and neon green text examples](https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/image-5.jpeg?w=720)
5. Use Sans-Serif Fonts
Traditionally, serif fonts (Times New Roman, Garamond, Bookman) are best for printed pages, and sans-serif fonts (Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana) are easier to read on screens.
These are always safe choices, but if you’d like to add some more typographic personality , try exploring our roundup of the internet’s best free fonts . You’ll find everything from classic serifs and sans serifs to sophisticated modern fonts and splashy display fonts. Just keep legibility top of mind when you’re making your pick.
Try to stick with one font, or choose two at the most. Fonts have very different personalities and emotional impacts, so make sure your font matches the tone, purpose, and content of your presentation.
![professional looking presentation Presentation slide with various examples of fonts](https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/image-6.jpeg?w=720)
6. Stick to 30pt Font or Larger
Many experts agree that your font size for a PowerPoint presentation should be at least 30pt. Sticking to this guideline ensures your text is readable. It also forces you, due to space limitations, to explain your message efficiently and include only the most important points. .
![professional looking presentation Red presentation slide with 30 point white text](https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/image-7.jpeg?w=720)
7. Avoid Overstyling the Text
Three of the easiest and most effective ways to draw attention to text are:
- A change in color
Our eyes are naturally drawn to things that stand out, but use these changes sparingly. Overstyling can make the slide look busy and distracting.
![professional looking presentation White presentation slide with black text and aerial view of a pool](https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/image-8.jpeg?w=720)
8. Choose the Right Images
The images you choose for your presentation are perhaps as important as the message. You want images that not only support the message, but also elevate it—a rare accomplishment in the often dry world of PowerPoint.
But, what is the right image? We’ll be honest. There’s no direct answer to this conceptual, almost mystical subject, but we can break down some strategies for approaching image selection that will help you curate your next presentation.
The ideal presentation images are:
- Inspirational
![professional looking presentation Ground view of palm trees and airplane flying over](https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/image-9.jpeg?w=720)
These may seem like vague qualities, but the general idea is to go beyond the literal. Think about the symbols in an image and the story they tell. Think about the colors and composition in an image and the distinct mood they set for your presentation.
With this approach, you can get creative in your hunt for relatable, authentic, and inspirational images. Here are some more handy guidelines for choosing great images.
Tips on Making Beautiful PowerPoint Presentations
So, the slide in question is about collaborating as a team. Naturally, you look for images of people meeting in a boardroom, right?
While it’s perfectly fine to go super literal, sometimes these images fall flat—what’s literal doesn’t necessarily connect to your audience emotionally. Will they really respond to generic images of people who aren’t them meeting in a boardroom?
In the absence of a photo of your actual team—or any other image that directly illustrates the subject at hand—look for images of convincing realism and humanity that capture the idea of your message.
Doing so connects with viewers, allowing them to connect with your message. This is one way to learn how to make your PowerPoint stand out and ensure a dynamic presentation PowerPoint.
![professional looking presentation Silhouettes of five men standing on a bridge on a foggy day](https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/image-10.jpeg?w=720)
The image above can be interpreted in many ways. But, when we apply it to slide layout ideas about collaboration, the meaning is clear.
It doesn’t hurt that there’s a nice setting and good photography, to boot.
Now that we’ve told you to get creative with your image selection, the next lesson is to rein that in. While there are infinite choices of imagery out there, there’s a limit to what makes sense in your presentation.
Let’s say you’re giving an IT presentation to new employees. You might think that image of two dogs snuggling by a fire is relatable, authentic, and inspirational, but does it really say “data management” to your audience?
To find the best supporting images, try searching terms on the periphery of your actual message. You’ll find images that complement your message rather than distract from it.
In the IT presentation example, instead of “data connections” or another literal term, try the closely related “traffic” or “connectivity.” This will bring up images outside of tech, but relative to the idea of how things move.
![professional looking presentation Aerial view of a busy highway](https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/image-4.webp)
There’s a widespread misconception that business presentations are just about delivering information. Well, they’re not. In fact, a great presentation is inspirational. We don’t mean that your audience should be itching to paint a masterpiece when they’re done. In this case, inspiration is about engagement.
Is your audience asking themselves questions? Are they coming up with new ideas? Are they remembering key information to tap into later? You’ll drive a lot of this engagement with your actual delivery, but unexpected images can play a role, as well.
When you use more abstract or aspirational images, your audience will have room to make their own connections. This not only means they’re paying attention, but they’re also engaging with and retaining your message.
To find the right abstract or unconventional imagery, search terms related to the tone of the presentation. This may include images with different perspectives like overhead shots and aerials, long exposures taken over a period of time, nature photos , colorful markets , and so on.
![professional looking presentation Amsterdam canal at sunset](https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2016/07/dutch-canal.jpg?w=720)
The big idea here is akin to including an image of your adorable dog making a goofy face at the end of an earnings meeting. It leaves an audience with a good, human feeling after you just packed their brains with data.
Use that concept of pleasant surprise when you’re selecting images for your presentation.
![professional looking presentation Silly Great Dane looking down trying to catch yellow ball on hind legs](https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2016/07/Silly-Great-Dane1.jpg?w=720)
Setting Appropriate Image Resolution in PowerPoint
Want to learn how to make a PowerPoint look good? Though you can drag-and-drop images into PowerPoint, you can control the resolution displayed within the file.
All of your PowerPoint slide layout ideas should get the same treatment to be equal in size.
Simply click File > Compress Pictures in the main application menu.
![professional looking presentation Screenshot of how to compress a picture](https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/image-6.webp)
If your presentation file is big and will only be viewed online, you can take it down to On-screen , then check the Apply to: All pictures in this file , and rest assured the quality will be uniform.
![professional looking presentation Screenshot of how to compress an image](https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/image-7.webp)
This resolution is probably fine for proofing over email, but too low for your presentation layout ideas. For higher res in printed form, try the Print setting, which at 220 PPI is extremely good quality.
For large-screens such as projection, use the HD setting, since enlarging to that scale will show any deficiencies in resolution. Low resolution can not only distract from the message, but it looks low-quality and that reflects on the presenter.
If size is no issue for you, use High Fidelity (maximum PPI), and only reduce if the file size gives your computer problems.
![professional looking presentation Screenshot of compression options for your image](https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/image-8.webp)
The image quality really begins when you add the images to the presentation file. Use the highest quality images you can, then let PowerPoint scale the resolution down for you, reducing the excess when set to HD or lower.
Resizing, Editing, and Adding Effects to Images in PowerPoint
PowerPoint comes with an arsenal of tools to work with your images. When a picture is selected, the confusingly named Picture Format menu is activated in the top menu bar, and Format Picture is opened on the right side of the app window.
![professional looking presentation Editing a PowerPoint slide with an image of a businessman walking up stairs](https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/image-9.webp)
In the Format Picture menu (on the right) are four sections, and each of these sections expand to show their options by clicking the arrows by the name:
- Fill & Line (paint bucket icon): Contains options for the box’s colors, patterns, gradients, and background fills, along with options for its outline.
- Effects (pentagon icon): Contains Shadow, Reflection, Glow, Soft Edges, 3-D Format and Rotation, and Artistic Effects.
- Size & Properties (dimensional icon): Size, Position, and Text Box allow you to control the physical size and placement of the picture or text boxes.
- Picture (mountain icon): Picture Corrections, Colors, and Transparency give you control over how the image looks. Under Crop, you can change the size of the box containing the picture, instead of the entire picture itself as in Size & Properties above.
The menu at the top is more expansive, containing menu presets for Corrections, Color, Effects, Animation, and a lot more. This section is where you can crop more precisely than just choosing the dimensions from the Picture pane on the right.
Cropping Images in PowerPoint
The simple way to crop an image is to use the Picture pane under the Format Picture menu on the right side of the window. Use the Picture Position controls to move the picture inside its box, or use the Crop position controls to manipulate the box’s dimensions.
![professional looking presentation Screenshot of picture format options](https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/image-10.webp)
To exert more advanced control, or use special shapes, select the picture you want to crop, then click the Picture Format in the top menu to activate it.
![professional looking presentation Screenshot of how to crop an image](https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/image-11.webp)
Hit the Crop button, then use the controls on the picture’s box to size by eye. Or, click the arrow to show more options, including changing the shape of the box (for more creative looks) and using preset aspect ratios for a more uniform presentation of images.
![professional looking presentation Screenshot of how to change the shape of an image](https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/image-1.webp)
The next time you design a PowerPoint presentation, remember that simplicity is key and less is more. By adopting these simple slide design tips, you’ll deliver a clear, powerful visual message to your audience.
If you want to go with a PowerPoint alternative instead, you can use Shutterstock Create to easily craft convincing, engaging, and informative presentations.
With many presentation template designs, you’ll be sure to find something that is a perfect fit for your next corporate presentation. You can download your designs as a .pdf file and import them into both PowerPoint and Google Slides presentation decks.
PowerPoint Presentations FAQs
What is the 5 5 5 rule in powerpoint.
The 5 5 5 rule in PowerPoint is fairly simple: 5 lines per slide, each line with no more than 5 words, and make sure your presentation is no longer than 5 minutes.
How long should your PowerPoint be?
A PowerPoint can be as long as it needs to be, but some people—and the 5 5 5 rule—advise you to keep five minutes or shorter.
What is the easiest way to make a PowerPoint prettier?
Beyond using eye-catching imagery and colors, a pretty PowerPoint should also follow good design principles. You want the information to be organized, balanced, and easy to digest. It doesn’t matter how many appealing images you include are if the information is hard to internalize. Use appropriate fonts and shorts sentences to make sure the words are legible and don’t crowd the slides with too many elements.
License this cover image via F8 studio and Ryan DeBerardinis .
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How to Create the Best PowerPoint Presentations [Examples & Templates]
Discover what makes the best PowerPoint presentations with these examples to inspire you.
![professional looking presentation powerpoint-templates-free](https://www.hubspot.com/hs-fs/hubfs/powerpoint-templates-free.png?width=112&height=112&name=powerpoint-templates-free.png)
10 FREE POWERPOINT TEMPLATES
Download ten free PowerPoint templates for a better presentation.
![professional looking presentation how to create the best powerpoint presentations examples templates](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/hs-fs/hubfs/powerpoint.webp?width=595&height=400&name=powerpoint.webp)
Published: 05/15/24
Creating the best PowerPoint presentation isn’t just about slapping facts and figures together or dazzling with snazzy graphics — it’s an art form.
During my time at HubSpot, I created a lot of presentations. Since then, I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the PowerPoints desperately crying for a makeover. I’ve learned that the secret isn’t just in the text or visuals but in how you serve it up.
In this guide, I’ll share some pro tips on how to make the best PowerPoint presentation. You’ll learn how to hold your audience’s attention and drive your message home with clarity. Plus, I’ll share real-life examples to inspire you.
![professional looking presentation → Free Download: 10 PowerPoint Presentation Templates [Access Now]](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/53/2d0b5298-2daa-4812-b2d4-fa65cd354a8e.png)
What Good Presents Have in Common
Best PowerPoint Presentations
What do good presentations have in common.
I’ve discovered that five elements are a must-have when creating a great presentation . Let’s look at each one.
1. The presentation is highly relevant to the audience.
A lot goes into creating presentations that hit the mark. First, I clearly define my audience. Then, I choose topics that genuinely interest them, offer actionable advice, answer their questions, or address their pain points.
But this isn’t just my strategy. Mike O’Neill , founder and CEO of Backspace Travel , a modern travel agency, also talks about things that matter to his audience. He says, “We conduct dry runs with a smaller group to gather feedback and refine the presentation. Testing the presentation with colleagues allows us to identify areas that resonate [with our audience] or need improvement before the final delivery.”
I’ve found that crafting a captivating title influences how receptive my audience will be. For example, instead of a bland title like “New Product Features,” I’d go with something more intriguing like “Discover the Hidden Gems of Our Latest Product Features.”
It makes my audience wonder what those hidden gems are and still lets them know it’s about new product features.
![professional looking presentation professional looking presentation](https://offers.hubspot.com/hubfs/powerpoint-templates-free.png)
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2. The presentation has a clear objective.
As a former content manager and strategist at HubSpot, I learned the importance of setting audience expectations. Whether it’s a new project, a marketing strategy , or even a sales pitch, I made sure my slides and commentary tied back to the key takeaways I wanted my audience to remember.
Alexandria Agresta , a corporate trainer and leadership development expert, uses what she calls the three Ps of a presentation:
- Purpose. What’s the purpose of the presentation?
- Challenge. What’s the challenge your audience is facing?
- Possible. What outcome do they desire?
She says this process empowers her to convey her message in a way that resonates with her audience. Once she establishes the three Ps, she creates a clear, concise outline that includes key points and topics she hopes to cover.
“I then create a dedicated slide at the beginning of the presentation that succinctly outlines what will be covered during the presentation. This sets expectations for the audience and gives them a roadmap of what to expect,” Agresta says.
Whatever the topic, highlight your key takeaways on a specific slide (ideally the cover slide), so your audience clearly understands what your presentation is about from the get-go.
3. The presentation follows an organized storyline.
One thing I’ve learned about presentations is that it isn’t just about conveying information; it’s about telling a story that guides your audience from start to finish. Each slide is a chapter that leads to a satisfying conclusion.
There are many ways to infuse storytelling into your presentations. You can get as creative as you want, like Aaron Wertheimer , a full-time SEO marketing copywriter for Marketing Reel , does.
He says, “I infuse storytelling into my PowerPoint presentations by including a Bitmoji sticker of myself as it relates to each slide, and I demarcate each slide with verbiage to indicate which part of the sequence we are currently at in the presentation.”
Just make sure to have a beginning, a middle, and an end so you can clearly demonstrate the point you’re leading towards.
4. The audience understands the next steps.
When creating my presentations, I always specify the action I want my audience to take by the time we conclude. Do I want them to sign up for a service? Consider a new perspective? Remember key points?
Chirag Nijjer , a customer success lead at Google, usually wraps up his presentations with two CTAs: one that’s beneficial to him and one that benefits his audience. His presentations are more impactful when he combines both CTAs.
He explains with an example: “If I’m presenting to a group of professors who intend to use the info to teach their students, I’d write, ‘Would you like access to the summary slides and a list of project ideas for your students to learn this topic? Fill out the feedback form and give me your email address.’”
I can see why this method works. The email address allows him to contact his audience, and he also benefits them by teaching them how to turn his presentations into valuable action. It’s like killing two birds with one stone!
Remember, though, if you want your audience to perform an action after your presentation, be clear about what you want them to do next.
5. The audience leaves with contact information and/or resources.
I’ve observed that at the end of my presentations, most attendees want more information or a chance to discuss the topic further.
That’s why I always provide my contact details or additional resources. So, if anyone wants to reach out for a one-on-one chat or read further, they’ll have what they need to delve deeper into the material.
For example, after a presentation on digital marketing strategies , I might provide my email address and invite attendees to reach out if they have any questions. I could also share a list of recommended books, articles, or even YouTube videos for those who want to take their digital marketing journey to the next level.
How to Do the Best Powerpoint Presentation
Now that I’ve covered what to look for in a killer slide deck, let’s jump right in and talk about how you can make your next presentation unforgettable.
1. Less is more.
I’ve used PowerPoint a lot, and it’s tempting to pack slides with flashy graphics and tons of text. However, I learned the hard way that less is often more.
Once, I was tasked with presenting a new content strategy to the marketing team. Eager to impress, I packed my slides with stunning visuals, intricate graphs, and loads of text explaining every detail of the strategy.
I thought the more information there was, the better. But as I started presenting, I quickly realized my mistake.
The team seemed overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information on the slides. They were so busy trying to decipher the infographics and read the tiny texts that they missed out on the main points I was trying to convey.
In the end, I could sense that I hadn’t made the impact I had hoped for. It was a humbling experience, but it taught me a valuable lesson: simplicity is key.
Since then, I’ve made a conscious effort to streamline my presentations with a clear message and avoid complex details that could distract my audience.
Here are some key points to always remember:
- Let the focus be on your message instead of the slides themselves.
- Keep the slides relevant and simple enough so people can pay attention to what you’re saying.
- Your visuals and fonts should support your message, not steal the spotlight.
2. Keep text to a minimum.
From my experience, you can tell that adding too much text overwhelms people, and instead of listening to you, they focus on trying to read the slides. And that’s not what you want. You want your audience to be engaged, hanging onto your every word, not trying to decipher paragraphs of text.
So, use fewer words in large fonts. That way, you’ll make sure everyone, from the front row to the back, sees what’s on the screen without squinting.
3. Rethink visuals.
People are 30 times more likely to read infographics than written articles. This stat just puts a stamp on what I’ve said about reducing the amount of text in your presentations. It’s like a neon sign screaming: “Less text, more visuals!”
However, that doesn’t mean you can just throw some nice-looking photos onto your pitch deck and move on. Like any other content strategy, your visual game must be on point and relevant.
Let me share the different types of visuals I’ve come across in my years of doing presentations to help you figure out what works best.
PowerPoint templates have come a long way since Microsoft first unveiled the program to the world, and I occasionally use them in my presentations.
However, to make my PowerPoint slides stand out, I always opt for a theme that my audience hasn’t seen dozens of times before — one that vibes with my brand and fits the topic I’m talking about.
Sometimes, I explore presentation platforms other than PowerPoint (like Prezi) to discover fresh templates. There are also tons of visual content design sites that offer customizable templates I can tweak to match my brand and topic perfectly.
Canva is one of my favorites. It offers a plethora of templates and allows me to create presentations from scratch.
I’ve also tested out Venngage’s free presentation maker and found it super handy for getting eye-catching slide templates, icons, and high-quality stock photos for my PowerPoint tutorials.
![professional looking presentation PowerPoint presentation templates from HubSpot.](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/hs-fs/hubfs/creativepowerpoint.webp?width=525&height=350&name=creativepowerpoint.webp)
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Pro tip: Download our 10 PowerPoint presentation templates for free to simplify your design process. Each template is made to add that extra flair to your presentation so that your slideshows not only look great but also resonate deeply with your audience.
Charts and Graphs
![professional looking presentation Graph from McKinsey & Company’s 2022 Women in the Workplace presentation.](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/hs-fs/hubfs/graph-May-09-2024-09-13-45-3391-PM.webp?width=650&height=318&name=graph-May-09-2024-09-13-45-3391-PM.webp)
One of my favorite ways to back up what I’m saying in my presentation is to toss in some stats and data visualization. Charts and graphs jazz things up and make the numbers way more interesting.
However, I don’t just share the facts; I let my audience know the story behind those numbers. For example, instead of just presenting quarterly sales figures to my team, I would highlight the challenges we faced, the strategies we implemented, and the victories we celebrated to arrive at those digits.
One thing you always need to do, though, is to make sure your charts and graphs blend in seamlessly with the rest of your presentation’s visual theme. Otherwise, these graphics are more likely to steal the show than help you get your point across.
Color Scheme
I understand that colors can really play with my audience’s emotions. So, even if I’m not trying to close a deal with my presentation, I might want to stir up specific feelings or impressions, and the color palette I choose can help with that.
Max Shak , founder and CEO of nerDigital , even considers cultural differences and color associations to make sure his presentations hit the right notes with diverse audiences.
I’d recommend checking out Coschedule’s guide to color psychology in marketing . It’s a goldmine of how different tones, shades, and color combinations can sway buying decisions. You’ll definitely elevate your presentation game by following this guide.
When I add text to my slide decks, I want it to be simple enough for everyone to read. If it’s tiny or crammed, people end up squinting and missing out on what I’m saying.
That’s why I recommend using web-safe fonts like Sans-Serif or Arial. They’re easy on the eyes and can display correctly even if a user hasn’t installed them on their computer.
4. Incorporate multimedia.
I could talk about something all day long, but it won’t have the same impact as showing it to you.
That’s where multimedia comes in — it’s the secret sauce for keeping people engaged in your presentations.
When I do a simple Google search for “ music in presentations ,” it pulls up a bunch of results that talk about how to add music to my slide decks. From this, it’s clear that using music in my presentations is a unique way to engage my audience or at least set a welcoming tone before and after I speak.
But if you want people glued to your slideshows throughout your presentation, incorporate videos. I mean, a whopping 96% of individuals admit they tune into explainer videos to learn more about a product.
So why not give people what they want? Videos can bring theories to life in a way that words or photos alone just can’t match.
In my years of experience, I’ve come across many pitch decks, and the best ones always cut through the clutter. In this section, I’ll share 15 PowerPoint presentation examples that set the bar for what a professional presentation should look like.
1. The HubSpot Culture Code by HubSpot Co-founder Dharmesh Shah
![professional looking presentation culture-1](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/hs-fs/hubfs/culture-1.webp?width=650&height=368&name=culture-1.webp)
Not to sing our own praises, but The HubSpot Culture Code has been one of our most successful presentations. The secret? Shah chooses a central theme — the acronym HEART (humble, empathetic, adaptable, remarkable, and transparent).
This acronym embodies our company’s values while providing a central message for the presentation. Plus, heart icons on the slides make the connection clear.
I like the style and message of this presentation. It sticks to our brand colors and fonts and makes everything super clear and easy on the eyes.
I especially enjoy the superhero theme on slide 26 — it’s a fun way to say that we’re all about empowering our customers to be their best. It elevates the idea of customer support from a duty to a mission, which I find very motivating.
2. 2022 Women in the Workplace Briefing by McKinsey & Company
![professional looking presentation Cover slide of McKinsey & Company’s presentation.](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/hs-fs/hubfs/woman.webp?width=650&height=367&name=woman.webp)
This slide deck lays out key data from McKinsey’s 2022 research on women in the workplace. It uses a mix of graphs, images, and other visual representations to illustrate how the expectations women face at work have evolved over time.
I’m impressed by how they’ve maintained their brand colors throughout the presentation. I’m a big fan of consistency, and this slideshow nails it by sticking to its color scheme from start to finish. It creates a cohesive look and reinforces their brand identity , which makes the presentation look professional.
Another thing I like about it is that the titles immediately say what each slide is about. It helps you navigate the presentation effortlessly and keeps you focused on the main points.
3. SEO, PPC, and AI in 2023 and Beyond by Lily Ray
![professional looking presentation Cover slide of Lily Ray and Inna Zeyger’s presentation.](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/hs-fs/hubfs/seo-1.webp?width=650&height=365&name=seo-1.webp)
Lily Ray and Inna Zeyger from Amsive Digital took inspiration from the world of science fiction. It’s pretty cool how they playfully bring in imagery from movies like “Blade Runner“ and “Ghost in the Shell” when talking about AI and the future of marketing in their SlideShare presentation .
The whole futuristic vibe with vibrant colors grabs my attention right away. It’s a fresh break from the usual bland corporate stuff, and they do a fantastic job of making sure you enjoy their presentation while learning something new.
4. ChatGPT: What It Is and How Writers Can Use It by Adsy
![professional looking presentation Cover slide of Adsy’s ChatGPT presentation.](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/hs-fs/hubfs/adsy.webp?width=650&height=367&name=adsy.webp)
We all get writer’s block sometimes. Trust me, I’ve been there, staring at a blinking cursor, feeling the frustration build up. But ChatGPT acts like a trusted sidekick, nudging me along and whispering, “Hey, how about this idea?”
This presentation breaks down what ChatGPT is, its limitations, and more importantly, what it can do. I find it pretty helpful, especially if you’re new to the AI chatbot.
One thing I like most about the SlideShare presentation is that it has a lot of use cases that can inspire you. For example, if it tells you ChatGPT can write a YouTube script, it shows you the prompt the creator used and the results they got.
I also love how it uses a combination of bold white text against a blue background or black and blue text on a white background to call out important headings. And those key definitions are right there in the center, surrounded by all that whitespace , practically begging you to take a closer look.
5. Insights from the 2022 Legal Trends Report by Clio
![professional looking presentation Cover slide of Clio’s Legal Trends Report presentation.](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/hs-fs/hubfs/legal.webp?width=650&height=351&name=legal.webp)
I’m a big advocate of adding visuals to your business presentations. But it doesn’t have to be the same old boring office stock photos. Take a cue from Clio’s presentation.
Clio has incorporated abstract elements to keep things fresh — simple shapes like triangles, rectangles, and circles. These shapes blend seamlessly with different charts and graphs, adding an artistic touch to the slide decks.
6. Email Marketing Trends by Gabriel Blanchet
![professional looking presentation Cover slide of Gabriel Blanchet’s presentation.](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/hs-fs/hubfs/emailmarketing.webp?width=650&height=366&name=emailmarketing.webp)
Gabriel Blanchet creates a short presentation to explain some key elements of email marketing and its trends to show us why it’s still a valuable tool despite the rise of social media.
What do I love about these slides? They’re awesome. Bright colors, clean visuals — they’ve got it all. What seals the deal for me is how Gabriel breaks down each point and explains why it matters.
7. 2022 GWI’s Social Report by GWI
![professional looking presentation Cover slide of GWI’s presentation.](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/hs-fs/hubfs/social-1.webp?width=650&height=323&name=social-1.webp)
I’m really impressed by how Leticia Xavier uses different shades of pink and purple to add some contrast to the slides. Everything, from the graphs to the backgrounds and images, sticks to this same color palette.
If I’m ever worried about my visuals not contrasting enough, I’ll definitely draw inspiration from Leticia’s color palette. Pick one or two colors and play around with different shades and tones to tie the slides together and make them pop.
8. Digital 2023 Global Overview Report by DataReportal
![professional looking presentation Cover slide of a presentation by DataReportal.](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/hs-fs/hubfs/digital-1.webp?width=650&height=363&name=digital-1.webp)
I chose this slide deck from DataReportal because it reminds me that strong contrast between text and background is crucial. It’s what makes my slides easy to scan.
The presentation uses a dark background throughout. The graphs and icons pop in bright orange, red, blue, and green, while the text keeps it white.
That said, if you’re prepping for an in-person presentation, think about the room. If it’s dim with the lights off, a dark background like this is spot on. But if it’s all bright and sunny, stick to a light background with dark text.
9. ThinkNow Culture Report 2022 by ThinkNow
![professional looking presentation Cover slide of ThinkNow’s presentation.](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/hs-fs/hubfs/thinknow.webp?width=650&height=350&name=thinknow.webp)
ThinkNow impresses me with how they’ve mixed magenta and yellow in the background of their PowerPoint design. Meanwhile, the graphs stick to classic black and white. It’s a smart move that creates sharp contrast and makes the visual elements easy to scan.
Plus, I appreciate how the headers are in a readable font, summarizing what each slide covers.
10. 2023 Metro CERT Annual Event by MNCERTs
![professional looking presentation Cover slide of Metro CERT presentation.](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/hs-fs/hubfs/greatplains.webp?width=650&height=365&name=greatplains.webp)
I’m surprised by how simple this Metro CERT presentation is. It displays just a few words per slide, all in big, bold fonts. The contrast between the blue and yellow colors is striking and makes everything really pop.
And you know what’s even more creative? There are loads of images of people sprinkled throughout. It adds a nice personal touch that keeps things interesting.
11. Pecan Creek Winery 2023 in Pictures Presentations
![professional looking presentation Cover slide of Pekan Creek Winery’s presentation.](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/hs-fs/hubfs/pecan.webp?width=650&height=361&name=pecan.webp)
As I was going through Pekan Creek Winery’s business presentation, I noticed how it sticks to a simple color palette of just white and black. It’s clean and sleek and lets the content shine without any distractions.
It’s also packed with loads of pictures that showcase events and the wine-making process. That’s exactly how you craft a presentation that gets people pumped up about your brand.
12. LLMs in Healthcare and Pharma. VTI day
![professional looking presentation Cover slide of LLMs in Healthcare and Pharma presentation.](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/hs-fs/hubfs/pharma.webp?width=650&height=367&name=pharma.webp)
This engaging presentation impresses me with its visuals. From charts to photos and even some fun animations, it’s got a little bit of everything to keep its audience hooked.
It keeps the fonts simple, which I appreciate. Plus, those bright background colors make the black and blue text stand out.
The presentation is also spiced up by the story of a dog named Sassy. It adds a personal touch. And who doesn’t like a good story? It’s a surefire way to keep attendees glued to your presentation.
13. Exploring Advanced API Security Techniques and Technologies by Sudhir Chepeni
![professional looking presentation Cover slide of Sudhir Chepeni’s presentation.](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/hs-fs/hubfs/sudhir.webp?width=650&height=366&name=sudhir.webp)
The next time I do a data-heavy presentation, I’ll take some inspiration from Sudhir Chepeni’s slide designs. The dark background paired with bright text commands attention. And those simple, readable fonts make it easy to digest the information.
Plus, I admire how he sprinkled charts and data throughout. It keeps things interesting and breaks up the text nicely.
14. Competition in Energy Markets by Georg Zachmann
![professional looking presentation Cover slide of Georg Zachmann’s presentation.](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/hs-fs/hubfs/bruegel.webp?width=650&height=366&name=bruegel.webp)
Simplifying technical information can be a tough nut to crack, especially when you have to explain it in a slide deck. But Georg Zachmann isn’t afraid of the challenge.
He uses graphs and charts to break down complex technical issues about the energy crisis into clear visual representations, which I really love.
I also noticed the big, bold headings that immediately tell you what each slide is about. You can skim the document quickly and hone in on the key points you need to know.
15. 10 Things That Helped Me Advance My Career by Thijs Feryn
![professional looking presentation Cover slide of Thijs Feryn’s presentation.](https://knowledge.hubspot.com/hs-fs/hubfs/thijs.webp?width=650&height=368&name=thijs.webp)
This presentation impresses me right from the cover slide. The image of a man ascending the stairs captures a sense of effort and accomplishment, which is precisely what the presentation is all about.
The keynote speaker, Thijs Feryn, nails it with the storytelling aspect. Each slide feels like a new chapter unfolding and transitioning seamlessly into the next.
And the visuals? They’re top-notch — from captivating photos to lively animations and even a handy map. Plus, those bright colors and huge text fonts make sure every detail pops, even for the person chilling in the back row.
Create the Best PowerPoint Presentation Designs
As someone who’s created countless presentations, I’ve seen firsthand the transformation that happens when you put a little soul into those slide layouts — whether adding sleek visuals, cutting down on clutter, or weaving a story that carries your message.
Implement the tips I’ve discussed here so that each slide can act as a stepping stone that gently guides your audience to where you want them next. These little touches can turn a good slide deck into your best PowerPoint presentation yet.
Editor's note: This post was originally published in March 2023 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
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20 Really Good PowerPoint Examples to Inspire Your Next Presentation
By sandra boicheva.
3 years ago
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![professional looking presentation PowerPoint's Design Ideas](https://reallygooddesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/powerpoint-design-ideas-193x150.png)
You might have the most amazing idea that you wish to share with the world, but you might not get the results you want if the delivery isn’t good. Although as a tool, PowerPoint is pretty easy to use and intuitive, creating a good PowerPoint presentation is not a simple task. There is a lot of things to consider when designing your slides from the words you use, to the copy structure, data visualization, and overall design. This is why today we gathered 20 really good PowerPoint examples of presentations that flawlessly deliver their messages. These creative ideas will surely inspire you to make your next presentation your best one, as they all share good design and engaging storytelling.
“If you don’t know what you want to achieve in your presentation your audience never will.” – Harvey Diamond
1. Idea to Identify: The Design of Brand
This is a long one. Here we have a 242 slides presentation that exposes the myriad facets of design and how they impact the brand identity. The presentation has a lot of data to show and spreads it throughout more than 200 slides to make it easy to read and follow. In all, this is the best way to present a lot of information: instead of overwhelming the viewers with text walls, the presenter simply adds more slides.
- Author: Sudio Sudarsan
2. Jeunesse Opportunity Presentation 2021
This is a great example of brand presentation with company profile, product system, plan, and reward. It gives a similar experience to browsing a website.
- Author: DASH2 – Jeunesse Global
3. Accenture Tech Vision 2020
A short and sweet presentation about how companies prepare for data regulation and how this impacts the customer experience.
- Author: Accenture
4. APIs as Digital Factories’ New Machines
A comparison presentation of how companies capture most of the market value. It explains well how to view the economy from a different perspective and adopt customer-centric thinking. The presentation has a lot of value, it’s well structured and it’s a good read in only 28 slides.
- Author: Apidays
5. 24 Books You’ve Never Heard Of – But Will Change Your Life
This is a great example of how repeating slides design for the same type of content isn’t a synonym for being unimaginative. It’s pretty straightforward: it promises 24 titles, an inspirational introduction, and a slide for each book that will change your life.
- Author: Ryan Holiday
6. 10 Memorable David Bowie Quotes
Not always presentations must have a specific educational or conventional goal. Sometimes, it could be a cool personal project meant to inspire your audience. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t love David Bowie? A presentation with 10 memorable quotes by him is worth watching.
- Author: Stinson
7. Creative Mornings San Diego
- Author: Anne McColl
8. Digital 2020 Global Digital Overview
A report heavy-data presentation about everything you need to know about mobile, internet, social media, and e-commerce use around the world in 2020. It’s a long read but comprehensive and well-illustrated with data visualization.
- Author: DataReportal
9. Blitzscaling: Book Trailer
One of the most well-made presentations about informative topics such as startup’s life-cycle and where the most value is created. It’s designed as a book, consistent, with lesser text as possible, and imitates animation by adding new content on copies of the same slide.
- Author: Reid Hoffman
10. Poor Self-Esteem: Just Beat It!
A very valuable presentation that takes on the reasons for low self-esteem and how to overcome it. The design is very simple and comprehensive and even suitable for social media carousel posts.
- Author: SlideShop.com
11. You Suck At PowerPoint!
This presentation is more than a decade old and still checks out. After all, you could expect great presentation design from someone who talks about design mistakes and how to overcome them. 61 slides of a fun experience and a great read.
- Author: Jesse Desjardins
12. Pixar’s 22 Rules to Phenomenal Storytelling
Pixar’s 22 Rules to Phenomenal Storytelling, originally tweeted by Emma Coats, in a 24-slides presentation with a custom design.
- Author: Gavin McMahon
13. A Complete Guide To The Best Times To Post On Social Media
A fun little presentation with great value. It takes on the most effective times to post on social media, send an email, or publish a blog.
- Author: TrackMaven
14. Fix Your Really Bad PowerPoint
The next presentation honors Seth Godin and his wisdom. It uses his book’s insights to visualize all the tips in 45 engaging slides.
- Author: HighSpark
15. 10 Lessons from the World’s Most Captivating Presenters
This presentation is for presenters who wish to become better. And what better way than getting inspired by the world’s greatest presenters and accessing some of their secrets.
- Author: HubSpot
16. Crap. The Content Marketing Deluge
For starters, this presentation has a very captivating title and opening. Winning the attention from the very start, it continues with consistent clean design and great content. It delivers exactly what it promised.
- Author: Velocity Partners
17. Displaying Data
More insightful advice and tips from professional presenters that check out to this very day. It’s a great presentation about visualizing your data in the best way possible and it also delivers it with design.
- Author: Bipul Deb Nath
18. 5 Storytelling Lessons From Superhero Stories
Custom-made presentation with illustrations made specifically for the occasion, and brilliant execution. It shows it’s definitely worth it to spend time making your presentation more personal and from scratch.
19. 10 Things your Audience Hates About your Presentation
Another custom presentation with icons-style illustrations about how to avoid cringe when making presentations.
- Author: Stinson
20. The Designer’s Guide to Startup Weekend
You will work hard all weekend long but you will also find new friends, mentors, and the chance to promote yourself. A pretty wholesome presentation with a custom design where the presenter shares her own experience in the world of startups.
- Author: Iryna Nezhynska
That’s It!
These 20 presentations prove that PowerPoint is never out of date and it’s a great tool to deliver your message across. We hope you got inspired for your next presentation and make your audience fall in love with your concepts.
In the meantime, why not take a look at the related articles to get some more inspiration or grab a couple of freebies:
- [Freebies] 17 Really Good Sources For Free Vector Images For Commercial Use
- [Inspiration] 85 Really Good T-Shirt Design Ideas to Inspire You for Your Next Project
- [Insights] The 5 Top Online Tools for Custom YouTube Banners (and YouTube Thumbnails)
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- How to make Powerpoint slides look more professional: 16 design tips
![professional looking presentation A laptop screen showing a powerpoint slide](https://www.jessicajonesdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/how-to-make-powerpoints-look-better.jpg)
Greetings, office peeps! When you’re designing a Powerpoint presentation or Word document, do you ever feel like something doesn’t look right? You can’t put your finger on it. Somehow the page looks amateur instead of professional. If you don’t have a designer friend to advise you, or enough time to hire a pro, these DIY design tips can help. Small tweaks will make your page layouts and Powerpoint presentations look more professional.
1. Gather all the content before you start
Have your text written and any crucial pictures and graphs in a folder, collected before you start designing. Then, like with a moving truck full of furniture, you can simply unpack it and place it around the room. You don’t want somebody showing up with a surprise piano halfway through! You can always add non-essential decorative elements later, but make sure you’ve got all the key ingredients before you start arranging content.
2. Begin with the longest slide
If you’re making a multi-page document, design the page or slide that has the most text first. Use this page as a starting template for the rest of your pages. Then you’ll never run out of room on a page later. You’ll already have planned for the most stuff that needs to fit. If some pages end up with extra white space, great! You can make a picture bigger or just leave some breathing room. (More on that in a sec.)
3. Set healthy margins
A common mistake is skinny margins. Placing items too close to the edges of your document creates uneasy tension. Like a glass on the edge of table near a toddler or a cat.
Pull your content away from the edges, and your page will look more professional. If needed, scale down fonts and pictures, or move some elements to the next slide.
![professional looking presentation Slides examples showing narrow margins corrected](https://www.jessicajonesdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/set-wider-margins.png)
4. Make a visual hierarchy
Where do you want people to look first? Interesting layouts have a clear focal point, where one item is bigger or louder than everything else. A main image could be the star, or big text could be the star. If everything in your layout commands the same attention, the page is boring and our eyes don’t know where to land. Layouts that have a nice mix look more dynamic: a main big thing, some medium things, and some small things.
![professional looking presentation Slide designs showing how to create a visual hierarchy](https://www.jessicajonesdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/make-a-visual-hierarchy.png)
5. Leave empty space
Unless it’s a dense report or a novel, filling every bit of white space feels crowded and daunting to readers. Aim to leave a quarter of your page empty. You might need to ruthlessly cut some content, shrink pictures, or use more pages. If it’s a presentation, see if you can boil your points down to a short phrase each. The examples below show pages that need to be readable on their own, like a brochure. If you’re presenting live, use just a few lines or points per slide.
6. Align what you can
Our eyes move through layouts by following edges—edges of paragraphs, boxes, lines, etc. Make it easy for readers to move through your layout by keeping essential elements organized in rows and columns.
![professional looking presentation Example slides showing how to align elements in a design](https://www.jessicajonesdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/align-what-you-can.png)
7. When in doubt, left align text
Centering lengthy copy looks messy. Those ragged edges mean each line begins in a different place. Our eyes have to do more work to find the start of each row. This is fine when you have only three or four short lines of text, but not when you have more than that. In that case, left alignment is better.
![professional looking presentation Centered text versus left-aligned text](https://www.jessicajonesdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/when-in-doubt-left-align.png)
8. Avoid orphans
In typography, an orphan is a sad little word that ends up on a line all by itself at the bottom of a paragraph. They are not cute! Look after those little babies and give them a family. Type some soft returns (shift+enter) to break lines at better places, pushing another word or two down to keep your orphan company.
![professional looking presentation Example showing a typographic orphan](https://www.jessicajonesdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/avoid-typographic-orphans.png)
9. Avoid rivers
Rivers are awkward trails of vertical space that can show up in justified paragraphs. “Justification” is an option for text alignment, where space is added between words to make the left and right edges of a paragraph line up. Choosing justified alignment is not always wrong, but it’s harder to work with. To fix rivers, you’ll need a generous number of words per line and lots of hyphens, often added manually. This is a hassle. In general, left alignment is a better choice than justification. It prevents unsightly rivers.
![professional looking presentation Example showing a typographic river](https://www.jessicajonesdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/avoid-typography-rivers.png)
10. Avoid long lines of text: target 45-90 characters
Long lines of text are hard to follow across a page. In paragraphs, target 45-90 characters per line, including spaces. Research has shown that readers are more likely to avoid reading text when line lengths don’t fit the optimal range. To fix lines that are too long, use a larger font size, wider page margins, narrower text boxes, or more columns. In general, a landscape slide will need two or more columns of text. A portrait letter will need much wider margins than Word’s default settings.
![professional looking presentation Line length examples to show the correct number of characters](https://www.jessicajonesdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/how-many-characters-per-line-of-text.png)
11. Stick to one or two typefaces
Using too many fonts can look chaotic. Choosing just one typeface (a.k.a. family of fonts) and using different weights is nice. For example, use bold headings with regular-weight paragraph text. Or, pick a font from two different families, using one for headlines and one for paragraphs. Make sure they’re noticeably different from each other, so it doesn’t look like an accident.
A reliable combination is pairing a serif font with a sans serif font. (If you just said, “what the what?” serifs are the little feet on some styles of letters. “Sans serif” means without the feet.) See examples below that use free Google Fonts .
![professional looking presentation Examples of font combinations](https://www.jessicajonesdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/use-one-or-two-fonts.png)
12. Use limited colors
To keep your life simple, choose one main color for your design. If you like, add one or two accent colors in smaller amounts. Repeat those accents so they look intentional, not like random one-offs.
13. Use icons instead of bullets
Icons are more interesting than bullets. If your page needs to look more engaging, swap in small icons instead of bullets to add interest and color. Links to free icon sources are below.
![professional looking presentation Examples showing how icons are more interesting than bullets](https://www.jessicajonesdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/icons-instead-of-bullets.png)
14. Use matching icons
It’s easy to get carried away searching for the icon subject matter you need, and then forget to consider the style of the icon. Does it look like the same artist drew all the icons in your document? It should. Consistency is key to professional design. Icon styles can be solid or outlined with thin or thick lines. They can have rounded corners or sharp ones. They can be smoothly geometric or roughly hand-drawn. Make sure they match! The internet is full of designers you can hire, sets you can purchase, or for freebies, check out:
Reshot free icons — a variety of styles Feather icons — adjust the size, color and stroke thickness of 287 icons Font Awesome icons — 2,000+ freebies with 19,000 more for purchase Hand-drawn Goods icons — sets of sketched icons
![professional looking presentation Examples of icon styles](https://www.jessicajonesdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/use-matching-icon-styles.png)
15. Keep icons small
To help fill a page, it’s tempting to make icons really big. This can look clunky. If your icons don’t have much detail, keep them small, since that’s the purpose they were designed for.
![professional looking presentation Example of icons used too big in a design](https://www.jessicajonesdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/keep-icons-small.png)
16. Use better illustrations instead of “clip art”
Stock photographs are easy to find (see my list of free sources ) but good, free illustrations are trickier. Some sources of free illustrations are below, or you can purchase stock illustrations or hire an illustrator. Just like icons, make sure all of your illustrations are the same style.
Blush illustrations Humaaans illustrations Storyset illustrations
Be the design star in your office
Often just a few basic tweaks can help designs and Powerpoint presentations look better. Even if you don’t feel like a designer, you’ll be ahead of the pack in your office!
And if your company needs a consistent brand look and feel, instead of every person reinventing the wheel every time, a brand identity designer can help. We use a strategic approach to create a signature theme for your company: colors, fonts, and images in templates that your team can use all the time. No more guessing each time you make a document. If this is something your business could use, let’s talk!
Note: Text in the example images was auto-generated by Corporate Ipsum for humor. Please do not write this way for real. 🙂
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10 creative ideas for presentations
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December 8, 2022
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Ready to step up your presentation game? Let’s talk about creative ideas for presentations so you can deliver killer presentations every time. Whether you’re preparing a pitch deck for potential investors or onboarding new hires, you’ll need an engaging presentation to keep your audience interested. That’s right: even if you’re already a pro at public speaking, creative Powerpoint presentations can instantly upgrade your next meeting.
So, what’s the secret to creative presentations? You don’t have to spend hours on every slide, but you should design your slides to impact your audience. Well designed slides can add more power to your words, and they can make you feel more confident during presentations.
Why should you make presentations?
Creative ideas for presentations might not be easy to come by, but they’re important. Why? Presentations are all about storytelling. From business ideas to online classes, presentations offer a unique opportunity to inspire, educate, and persuade your audience.
At the same time, they’re an incredibly flexible (and cost-effective!) communication tool. Even if you’re using presentation design templates , you’ll have the flexibility to tweak the design based on your needs. This way, you can create presentations for different audiences—all while easily adding and removing information to pique your listeners’ interest.
Types of presentation slides
There are all kinds of creative ideas for presentations, but they ultimately serve a few similar purposes. Before diving into presentation design, you’ll need to choose the right slides. Remember: you need well designed slides to leave a lasting impact on your audience. Not only that, but your slides should be visually impactful, easy to understand, and convey key information in just a few words.
So, how can you choose the best slides for your next presentation? Here are some of the most common slides to inspire your presentation design.
Informative presentations
![professional looking presentation informative presentations](https://cdnblog.picsart.com/2022/11/02_informative-780x520.png)
Informative presentations are educational, concise, and straight to the point. While other presentations might entertain or inspire their audience, informative presentations share information to educate their audience.
For example, you might create informative slides during an onboarding program. During new hire onboarding, HR needs to explain what benefits employees will receive, how to file complaints, where employees can find information, and other important hiring details.
Educational presentations
![professional looking presentation Educational presentations](https://cdnblog.picsart.com/2022/11/03_educational-780x520.png)
While informative presentations are typically used in the business world, educational presentations are usually used in academics. They’re a great communication tool for sharing ideas, detailing study results, or presenting a hypothesis.
In both in-person and online classrooms, teachers give educational presentations daily. Using beautiful presentation slides, eye-catching visuals, and fun design elements can help keep students interested while conveying key information.
Progress reports
![professional looking presentation Progress reports](https://cdnblog.picsart.com/2022/11/04_progress-reports-780x520.png)
Your business builds a new marketing strategy to achieve its long-term goals. After the newest marketing campaign starts driving results, it’s time to report on the campaign’s progress. Progress report presentations share updates, progress toward deadlines, collected data, and potential areas of improvement.
Inspirational presentations
![professional looking presentation Inspirational presentations](https://cdnblog.picsart.com/2022/11/05_inspirational-780x520.png)
One of the biggest examples of inspirational presentations? TEDTalks. During TEDTalks, motivational speakers inspire people to rethink their approach or change their behavior.
Most inspirational presentations aren’t as life-changing as TEDTalks, but they keep their audience engaged. For example, a company overview presentation might present information about a company, from its origins to values. Most importantly, it tells the company’s story to show listeners what the company stands for.
Infographic presentations
![professional looking presentation Infographic presentations](https://cdnblog.picsart.com/2022/11/06_infographic-780x520.png)
Whether you’re reporting marketing stats or presenting study results, infographics can be your MVP.
Simply put, an infographic is a multimedia graphic that helps you share information through beautiful designs. It’s an amazing tool for highlighting key statistics, visualizing data, and flexing your creative muscles to spark your audience’s curiosity.
Top 10 unique presentation ideas
Right, so let’s get to our creative ideas for presentations section. Most people tune out of presentations within the first 10 minutes . You need an engaging presentation that keeps your audience hooked, but finding creative ideas for presentations isn’t always easy.
The good news? Whether you’re presenting your master thesis or marketing analytics, it’s possible to create exciting presentations that don’t put your audience to sleep. Here are the best creative Powerpoint ideas to upgrade your next presentation.
1. Channel your inner minimalist
![professional looking presentation minimalist example](https://cdnblog.picsart.com/2022/11/07_minimalist-780x520.png)
When it comes to unique presentation ideas, minimalism is one of the best ways to make an impact. The key to minimalist design is including just enough information and visual detail to keep your audience engaged. When done right, minimalist presentation slides can make your audience feel relaxed and focused.
2. Use a monochrome color palette
![professional looking presentation monochrome example](https://cdnblog.picsart.com/2022/11/08_monochrome-780x520.png)
A monochrome color palette uses a single hue with different strengths. For example, you might create a presentation with different shades of orange. For the best results, change the background color to the palest shade, and use the strongest shade for the title. You can even make your photos match by adding an orange-tinted filter.
3. Tell an amazing story
![professional looking presentation story example](https://cdnblog.picsart.com/2022/11/09_telling-a-story-780x520.png)
If you want to leave a lasting impact on your audience, storytelling is the tool you need to create a memorable presentation. Sharing personal stories, whether they’re funny or inspirational, can help you connect with your audience and make your presentation more meaningful.
4. Make an impact with bold fonts
![professional looking presentation font example](https://cdnblog.picsart.com/2022/11/10_bold-font-780x520.png)
Want to draw your audience’s attention to the slide title? Use a bold, chunky font to make your title stand out (bonus points if your title is short, sweet, and straight to the point). The best presentation fonts are easy to read with minimal visual decorations and sharp corners.
5. Experiment with different textures
![professional looking presentation textures example](https://cdnblog.picsart.com/2022/11/11_different-textures-780x520.png)
Mix up your presentation design with different textures, like scrunched paper or textile backgrounds. Here, you might experiment with different types of backgrounds to match your topic. For example, if you’re creating a back-to-school presentation , use notebook paper to match your student’s note-taking style.
6. Use a geometric background
![professional looking presentation geometric example](https://cdnblog.picsart.com/2022/11/12_geometric-780x520.png)
A geometric background can add a pop of color to your presentation without distracting your audience. If you’re feeling bold, use dynamic titled polygons to create movement. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for a softer vibe, use circular backgrounds to infuse your slides with creativity.
7. Explain complex concepts with mind maps
![professional looking presentation mind maps example](https://cdnblog.picsart.com/2022/11/13_mindmap-780x520.png)
Presenting study results? Reporting marketing stats? Instead of playing it safe with snore-worthy slides, keep your presentation fresh with mind maps. By creating mind maps, you’ll be able to showcase complicated information in a visually impactful way.
8. Engage your audience with questions
![professional looking presentation question example](https://cdnblog.picsart.com/2022/11/14_question-780x520.png)
Make your presentation more interactive by asking questions to your audience. For example, to keep your slides minimal, try displaying only the question on the slide. Once the audience has pitched in their opinions and answers, you can click to the next slide to reveal the actual answer.
9. Stay on brand
![professional looking presentation brand slide example](https://cdnblog.picsart.com/2022/11/15_branded-780x520.png)
Once you’ve captured your audience’s attention, you need a consistent design to keep everyone on the same page. When designing your slides, use your brand’s style guidelines to choose the right color scheme, font styles, and design elements.
10. Replace bullet points with fun design elements
![professional looking presentation bullets replaced example](https://cdnblog.picsart.com/2022/11/16_bullets-780x520.png)
Let’s face it: bullet points can get boring, especially if you’re using them on every slide. Instead of using the same design over and over, create fun slides by replacing boring bullet points with fun designs, like icons, stickers, and pictograms.
Apply creative ideas for presentations through Picsart
Now that we’ve learned all about creative ideas for presentations, it’s time to put that knowledge into practice. An amazing presentation can bring your story to life, helping you keep your audience engaged with pro-grade slides.
Even if you’re not a seasoned designer, you can add fun design elements, bold color palettes, and attention-grabbing visuals with Picsart. Here’s how to bring your creative vision to life with a professional slideshow.
On the web:
1. Open the Picsart Slideshow Maker and start a new project.
![professional looking presentation creative ideas for presentations tutorial web 1](https://cdnblog.picsart.com/2022/11/1-3-780x520.jpg)
2. Choose the desired size for your slideshow. Then, click Upload to upload your own photo or video.
![professional looking presentation creative ideas for presentations tutorial web 2](https://cdnblog.picsart.com/2022/11/2-2-780x520.jpg)
Or, you can explore photos and videos from the Picsart library.
![professional looking presentation creative ideas for presentations tutorial web 3](https://cdnblog.picsart.com/2022/11/3-3-780x520.jpg)
3. After you’ve picked your favorite design, click Text on the left panel sidebar to add text to your slide.
![professional looking presentation creative ideas for presentations tutorial web 4](https://cdnblog.picsart.com/2022/11/4-2-780x520.jpg)
4. To add music, click Audio to explore our library of #FreeToUse music.
![professional looking presentation creative ideas for presentations tutorial web 5](https://cdnblog.picsart.com/2022/11/5-1-780x520.jpg)
5. Click the + button on the right panel sidebar to add a new slide.
![professional looking presentation creative ideas for presentations tutorial web 6](https://cdnblog.picsart.com/2022/11/6-780x520.jpg)
6. When you’re finished, click Export , choose the image quality and file type, and download your slideshow.
![professional looking presentation professional looking presentation](https://cdnblog.picsart.com/2022/11/7-780x520.jpg)
1. Open the Picsart app and tap on the plus sign (+) to start a new project. 2. Scroll down to Video and choose Slideshow . Then, choose the pictures you’d like to include in your slideshow. Or, you can tap Search to explore the Picsart photo library. 3. After you’ve picked your photos, tap Next .
![professional looking presentation creative ideas for presentations tutorial app 1](https://cdnblog.picsart.com/2022/11/1-4-780x520.jpg)
4. Choose your desired slideshow size and add transition effects to your slides. 5. Upgrade your slideshow with fun effects, music, text, and stickers to engage your audience.
![professional looking presentation creative ideas for presentations tutorial app 2](https://cdnblog.picsart.com/2022/11/2-3-780x520.jpg)
Create at the Speed of Culture
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More From Forbes
Unleashing engagement: 4 ways to reimagine stale presentations.
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Lux Narayan is the CEO and co-founder of StreamAlive , a leading audience engagement platform for live sessions.
In my career, I’ve given more presentations than I can count. In fact, I think I’ve been presenting for a living all along. As a founder, I motivated hundreds of employees, as a TED speaker , I connected with like-minded leaders and as an amateur stand-up comedian, I facilitated connection through laughter.
And for as many successful presentations I've given, I've still failed many times—some stand-up sets left me yearning for a sitcom laugh track to fill the silence after a flopped joke. There were corporate presentations where I could not keep the audience’s attention, rendering my message ineffective. But the underlying truth of every presentation I've ever given is a desire to engage, connect and make my audience feel seen.
Today in the workplace, more technology than ever before is competing for our limited attention. In remote and hybrid environments, virtual meetings and presentations fill our calendars, but few are efficient or productive. According to a 2022 study from meeting analytics startup Read AI, 40% of virtual meeting participants have below-average or poor engagement, and 22% don’t say a single word. With more meetings on the calendar than ever, productivity and employee satisfaction can both take a huge hit from low meeting engagement.
I’ve spent a fair part of my life designing presentations that capture audiences’ attention and I’ve found ways to cut through the noise. Here are my four most essential pieces of advice for guaranteeing engagement in every presentation you lead, so your presentations can feel more like conversations.
1. Less Talking, More Listening
Shifting your mindset from "presenting" to "listening" is the key to hosting effective virtual meetings. No matter their size, online meetings that put attendees at the center of the conversation and invite everyone to participate create an environment that mimics successful in-person meetings. Presenters can stimulate spontaneous conversation and ensure that every attendee feels included by focusing on asking questions and listening for understanding.
It may seem counterintuitive to ask a keynote presenter to present less, but presentations, especially virtual ones, often feel too much like monologues. In many meetings, it has become the norm for most participants to be "cameras off," further emphasizing the disconnect between the presenter and the audience.
A good presenter focuses on dialogue and looks for information from their audience to guide them on how to move forward, adjusting the presentation in real time. In a classroom, lecturers can poll students to check for understanding. Poor or inconclusive responses can indicate that the presenter needs to go over the material in more detail.
After all, "listening" to your audience does not always mean they are communicating verbally. It just means they are being heard.
2. Foster Channels For Interaction
In a perfect world, your audience is full of ideas and eager to participate, but in reality, they likely need some encouragement. Building avenues for engagement into your presentation is often the best way to facilitate discussion.
To break through the monotony, find a way to "interrupt" your audience. Pausing for questions is not enough. Polls, interactive maps, games and other tools bring a light, easy tone to your content, as well as acting as a natural break and signaling to the audience that it’s time to speak up.
3. Pass The Microphone To The Audience
Participatory meeting culture goes beyond added visual elements. To truly upgrade the audience’s experience, encourage attendees to lead the discussion, foster the conversation and connect. At StreamAlive, we lean heavily on our virtual platform’s native chat function to engage with participants. For example, in our live streams and demos, we visualize the chat in real time and use AI to collect every question and link shared in the chat. That way, we can answer "FAQs" in our post-event email.
Directing attendees to the chat creates a sense of community anchored in the "now" and founded in shared interests, which drives better engagement. I encourage presenters to explore tools outside of their video conferencing platform’s integrated features to push the boundaries of creativity when presenting. Marketplaces like Zoom’s Essential Apps are a goldmine of resources to help level up your presentations beyond the status quo.
4. Visual Storytelling
Visual aids are crucial to the 65% of people identified as visual learners . Instead of using unrelated stock images merely to break up text, reinforce your message with strategic visuals woven into your storytelling. Each image should clearly contribute to the narrative of the presentation, and be used to reinforce key points and create a cohesive story. In the case of our platform, audiences contribute to live, onscreen visuals (like real-time polls or interactive maps, for example) that help ensure everyone is included in the conversation. The visuals evolve with audience participation.
With longer, text-based presentations, attendees might zone out, missing crucial information. To counteract this, mimic the flow of normal conversation. Think about how long it is appropriate to monopolize a dinner table conversation before inviting someone else to participate by asking a question. The same holds true for punctuating your presentation with helpful images and audience participation. We are used to engaging in short bursts and engagement is rich when conversation flows naturally.
Structuring your presentation with a clear visual flow means images will serve as "breadcrumbs" to help attendees follow along and reconnect if their attention lapses. Summarize what has happened so far and give your audience a preview of what will happen next.
On Your Way To Better Presentations
Improving virtual meetings involves more than new technologies or adding features; it requires rethinking engagement strategies. Focus on listening, engaging and visually guiding your audience to transform routine sessions into dynamic, effective communication platforms. This approach will improve the overall meeting experience, making virtual gatherings something participants look forward to.
Remember, as Maya Angelou once wrote, "At the end of the day, people won’t remember what you said, they'll remember how you made them feel."
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15 Best Presentation Software for 2024 (Full Comparison Guide)
![professional looking presentation 15 Best Presentation Software for 2024 (Full Comparison Guide)](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Header-1.png)
Written by: Orana Velarde
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - header wide](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Header-1.png)
In this comparison guide, we’ll analyze each of these tools and many more to understand what the difference is between them so you can choose the best presentation maker for your business.
So, if you want to stand out from run-of-the-mill PowerPoint presentations and have a reliable presentation software that will help you collaborate with team members and design stunning slide decks in a fraction of the time, you’ll need this guide.
Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
- Google Slides
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Beautiful.ai
- Microsoft Sway
What are Presentation Tools
Presentation tools are software applications that enable users to visually present ideas or share knowledge. These presentations are delivered in a slide-show format using a combination of text, images and other graphic elements.
Presentation software is frequently used to pitch an idea to investors , present proposals to clients , introduce new products or services to customers, train staff on new policies or ideas , or teach your students new or complex concepts.
Best Presentation Software: A Visual Comparison
When choosing the right presentation programs for your projects, there are some things to consider:
- Does the price point fit your budget?
- Is it easy to use?
- Who is the program geared at: businesses, educators, bloggers or social media managers?
- Does it have lots of templates to choose from? Are they good quality and helpful?
- Is the built-in graphic asset library extensive and varied?
- Can you embed content, add videos or GIFs?
- Can you add audio to your presentations?
- Can elements be animated?
- Is it desktop or cloud-based ?
- Can you use it to create presentations on any of your devices?
- Can finished presentations be viewed offline?
- Can you have team accounts or business accounts for easy collaboration inside your company?
- Does it include a Brand Kit? Is it easy to use?
- Can the finished presentation be shared online straight from the presentation software?
- Can your presentations be uploaded to the cloud privately with password protection?
- Does the presentation software include analytics to see how your projects perform on social media?
- Can you use the finished presentation as a lead generator straight from the software?
We'll take a look at all these aspects in the following list of best presentation software so you can make your own well-informed decision.
Last updated on May 30, 2024.
![professional looking presentation best adobe captivate alternatives - screenshot of Visme home page](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2-4.png)
Visme is a powerful presentation software and all-in-one content authoring tool. It has a user-friendly interface and an extensive set of tools that make it easy for both beginners and experienced professionals to design and deliver impactful presentations.
Presentations made with Visme go beyond the standard slide deck to incorporate interactive elements and easy, full-featured offline sharing.
Making professional presentation slides with Visme is easy and straightforward. Create slides from scratch using content blocks and the extensive slide libraries categorized by style. Browse the presentation template library to find pre-designed slide decks which you can easily customize to fit your needs.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software - Visme user interface](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/1-2.png)
That's not all that Visme can do, though.
You can also use Visme to create other visual content, such as digital documents, animated infographics, interactive reports and whiteboards. There are tons of customizable templates that come built-in with the app.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Visme](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2.png)
You can also use Visme to create other visual content, such as infographics, reports and interactive charts. There are tons of customizable templates that come built-in with the software.
Visme can be used for free to test it out for as long as you want. With a free account, you can create up to three projects.
To access all of Visme's capabilities, you can upgrade to one of the paid plans .
- Starter: $12.25/month paid annually
- Pro: $24.75/month paid annually
- Visme for Teams: Custom – learn more here
If you're a nonprofit organization, you may qualify for a discount. Visme also offers separate Education plans for students and teachers.
Ease of Use
Visme is incredibly easy to use. Switching from slide to slide is a breeze, and you can even save a slide to your content block or slide library to reuse later.
The editor comes with a handy sidebar that lets you browse media, graphics and data tools and drag and drop relevant elements onto your slides. You can also use the /shortcut feature to open a search bar and quickly find what you need.
The dynamic fields feature ensures you don’t miss out on any critical information. With single click, you can easily update content throughout your presentation.
Who Is It For
Visme is perfect for small and large businesses, enterprises, marketing teams, project managers, educators, content creators and so much more. The resources and tools available in Visme reach far beyond the ability to create presentations.
- Social media teams can create content for their company’s social channels.
- Sales agents can create branded and personalized proposals in minutes.
- Professionals can build visual CVs to find the next ideal job.
- Project managers can conduct team meetings with a collaborative whiteboard.
Template Options
![professional looking presentation an image of Visme template library](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2-8.png)
The template options in Visme are extensive and varied in style. From minimalistic to photographic, there are many presentation styles to pick from.
Presentation Templates
![professional looking presentation professional looking presentation](https://assets.visme.co/templates/presentations/thumbnails/i_eCommerce-Webinar-Presentation-full_1.jpg)
Ecommerce Webinar Presentation
![professional looking presentation professional looking presentation](https://assets.visme.co/templates/presentations/thumbnails/i_Buyer-Presentation-full_1.jpg)
Buyer Presentation
![professional looking presentation professional looking presentation](https://assets.visme.co/templates/presentations/thumbnails/i_PixelGo-Marketing-Plan-Presentation-full_1.jpg)
PixelGo Marketing Plan Presentation
![professional looking presentation professional looking presentation](https://assets.visme.co/templates/presentations/thumbnails/i_Technology-Presentation-full_1.jpg)
Technology Presentation
![professional looking presentation professional looking presentation](https://assets.visme.co/templates/presentations/thumbnails/i_Product-Training-Interactive-Presentation-full_1.jpg)
Product Training Interactive Presentation
![professional looking presentation professional looking presentation](https://assets.visme.co/templates/presentations/thumbnails/i_Work-Biz-Pitch-Deck-Presentation-full_1.jpg)
Work+Biz Pitch Deck - Presentation
Create your presentation View more templates
You can choose from dozens of fully designed presentations tailor-made for specific industries and topics or mix and match hundreds of slide layouts by choosing a presentation theme.
You can also start with a blank canvas, add new blank slides to existing presentation templates, and save custom slides to use later as your own templates.
Graphic Assets Library
When selecting the best tools for presentations, the visual capabilities and creative design elements should be a top consideration. Visme’s graphic library includes thousands of free icons, illustrations, stock photos, videos , 3D graphics , audio clips, charts and graphs to include in your presentations.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Visme](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/3.png)
The best part is that every graphic asset that comes built-in with the Visme editor is fully customizable. Resize, rotate or change colors to fit your brand, content and theme.
AI-Powered Tools
Visme comes with a wide variety of useful AI-powered tools, making it one of the best presentation software.
Let's start with the AI presentation maker . This advanced tool is engineered to make your presentation creation process as quick and efficient as possible.
To create a presentation using this tool, you only need to provide a text prompt outlining your requirements. The tool will then generate the slides, complete with text, images, illustrations and any other content you specify.
After that, you can use Visme's presentation tools to personalize the AI-generated slides and add the final touches.
Next up is the AI writer . This user-friendly tool is your key to overcoming writer's block and crafting engaging copy for your presentation. It can help you create layouts, edit and proofread text, summarize the content and much more. Explain to the AI writer what you want to generate, and it will take care of the rest.
Visme offers several AI image editing tools , including erase and replace, background remover, unblur, and upscaler. These tools can be used to edit the image content or enhance its quality. For example, you can use the Image Upscaler to resize your image without sacrificing quality, ensuring your visuals always look high-quality.
And as always, you just need to provide the right text prompts. Feel free to tweak the prompts as many times as you want until you achieve the perfect outcome.
Videos and GIFs
It's easy to insert or embed videos and GIFs inside a Visme presentation. This is another that makes Visme a powerful video presentation software .
To insert a video, upload a video from your computer or cloud storage and place it on a slide of your choosing. Once you’ve uploaded it, it’ll be in your Media library for future use.
If you don’t have videos of your own, Visme has hundreds of stock videos to choose from in lots of categories. Browse them by clicking the / shortcut on your keyboard and opening the videos tab.
Edit your videos with the integrated timeline feature. Trim video clips and customize playback settings. Resize the video on your slide easily by dragging the corner. Or you can resize any video into another shape for more flexibility.
GIFs are available through the Giphy integration, which you’ll find in the Media tab. These are a great choice when you want to make a meme-based presentation.
Take note that all presentations that have videos or GIFs in the slides must be shared as a live link or downloaded as HTML5 or MP4. If you download it as a PDF or PPTX, all the interactive elements won’t play back.
Adding audio to a presentation is easy on Visme. Either along with a video or as the audio on its own. You can also record a voice over.
Another great option is accessing our Presenter Studio to record a video of yourself presenting your content. You can turn on your camera or record audio only before sending a link to your audience. This is a great way to present asynchronously or save your presentation for people to view again and again.
Embed Third-Party Content
There is more content that can be embedded into Visme presentations, like polls, quizzes , forms , online videos and any content that can be turned into code to insert in an iframe.
You can also take advantage of several integrations to embed even more engaging and interactive content into your slides.
Some of our integrations include SurveyMonkey, Hubspot, Giphy, and many more.
Animations and Transitions
With Visme, you can animate your content and create interactive experiences such as:
- Hover effects or clickable pop-ups, link your slides or content blocks to objects
- Pre-animated assets like characters, illustrations and gestures
- Custom animation and motion effects
Features inside Visme presentations can be animated, and we also have a number of seamless slide transitions that make your content pop, like "Enter from Side" or "Staggered Fade."
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Visme](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/5.png)
If you want to make your content even more dynamic, you can access our Custom Animation feature. This is perfect for creating video presentations or making your elements look like they're floating on your slide.
Visme also comes with a 3D Character Creator that helps you elevate your storytelling and connect with your audience. You can create and customize 3D animated characters to embody your brand or message.
Tweak everything, from gender and hairstyles to outfits and skin tone, until you achieve the perfect look. You also have the ability to choose their entry, waiting and exit poses.
Desktop or Cloud
Visme is an online cloud-based app that can be easily used on your computer. We also provide a desktop app that you can download and use outside of your regular browser for seamless content creation.
And if you need to create content on the go, you can easily edit existing projects right from your mobile device or tablet using the Visme iOS app .
Data Widgets
Visme offers a wide selection of data widgets that allow you to creatively visualize statistics and figures in the form of gauges, clocks, pictographs and icon arrays.
Data visualization in Visme goes beyond widgets. Add tables, graphs, and charts to your presentation slides and connect them to a live data source . Create a data stream from Google Sheets or Google Analytics into customized data visualizations.
Offline Viewing
Finished presentations can be viewed offline in four different formats.
The best option is to download it as an HTML5 file. That way it will maintain all the animations when opened on Google Chrome, even without internet. Downloading as an HTML 5 file is a premium feature. Presentations can also be downloaded as a collection of JPG or PNG images, as a PDF or as an editable PowerPoint file.
Create a stunning presentation in less time
- Hundreds of premade slides available
- Add animation and interactivity to your slides
- Choose from various presentation options
Sign up. It’s free.
![professional looking presentation professional looking presentation](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/themes/blog/img/shortcodes/presentation.png)
Collaboration Possibilities
Visme has a premium teams plan that lets all team members customize and complete projects together. Leave comments with edits and feedback, edit projects simultaneously and easily share with other people on your team to move the project along.
Plus, Visme's workflow management features give the project admin complete control over your team's collaboration process. You can assign tasks, manage roles, set deadlines and more, all from a centralized platform. These features are useful for streamlining communication and reducing the time between briefing and final presentation design.
Branding Capabilities
Visme's brand design tool makes it easy to keep all of your content on-brand regardless of who's creating it. It works in three easy steps:
1. Upload all of your branding assets (colors, fonts, logo) to Visme with the Brand Wizard . Input your website URL and watch as our Brand Wizard automatically pulls in all of your branding.
2. Access a bundle of 30+ automatically branded templates that have your logo, fonts and colors already ready to go.
3. Easily access thousands of other templates and input your brand fonts and colors with just a click in Visme's editor.
Then boom! All of your content will always have the same branding, helping increase brand strength and recognition.
Share to Social Media
Once a presentation is finished, it can be shared to social media seamlessly right from the editor. It can also be downloaded.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Visme](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/8.png)
Privacy and Password Protection
Presentations on Visme can be published privately with password protection so that only the people you want can access it. It is advisable to only use strong passwords for this purpose. There are a few free password managers that could help you do that and keep your account secure .
Visme’s analytics is what makes it stand out as the best tool for presentation. When a presentation is shared via a live link, it can be analyzed for views and sharing.
![professional looking presentation Visme Analytics Tool](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/9.png)
Access in-depth analytics that show you how much of your presentation is typically viewed, for how long and which slides seem to be the most popular.
Lead Generation
You can add a signup form to your presentations to collect leads that could potentially become clients. Simply head over to our Advanced Settings tab before sharing your project and turn on Requires Registration to collect emails from each person who views your content.
The best part of using Visme is that you get access to an interactive online form builder that's proven to generate 2X more conversions than traditional forms. You can choose your preferred form type and customize every aspect, including character appearance, color, background and animations to match your design and branding requirements.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Prezi](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/4-4.png)
Prezi offers a great alternative to the traditional presentation format that goes slide by slide. The creative idea behind Prezi is you can create an animated, non-sequential flow with topics and subtopics that are hidden until you zoom in.
While Prezi's interface can be slightly complicated to use, it's a good option for people who need to add a creative touch to their presentations.
Prezi is free for basic capabilities and limited templates.
For the paid plans, there are three tiers.
- Standard: $5/month
- Plus: $12/month
- Premium: $16/month
- Teams: Upon Request
There are separate plans available for students and teachers.
Prezi has a slight learning curve, but once you create a couple of presentations, you get the hang of it. However, it doesn't offer too much customizability inside the templates.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software - Prezi user interface](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/7-4.png)
Businesses and educators who are in need of a different style of presentation. Prezi offers a “conversational style” of zooming and moving around between information. So, who Prezi is for really depends on who needs this sort of presentation style.
There are plenty of templates to choose from, and you can also start from scratch. The templates are different in color and style, but the idea of zooming into topics and subtopics is the same.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - Prezi's templates.](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/6-3.png)
AI Presentation Assistant
Prezi has an AI assistant that automatically generates presentations for users.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software - Prezi AI](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/5-4.png)
The assets library has some icons and shapes available, the usual ones like arrows and buttons. Premium plans get access to over 80,000 icons and 500,000 images.
Videos can be uploaded or embedded from YouTube. Embedded videos are not viewable in offline mode. GIFs aren’t supported.
Voice over can be added in premium plans.
No other content can be embedded into Prezi presentations.
Prezi is all about animations between topics and subtopics. The presentations themselves are viewed as animations.
Prezi is a cloud app but can be accessed to view offline with premium plans.
Available to Create on Multiple Devices
Prezi presentations can only be created on a computer but can be viewed on all devices.
Prezi for teams is available upon demand and has a Slack integration.
Brand Kits are only available with Prezi's team plans, but each presentation can be customized to fit your brand with color customizations and some available fonts.
Prezi presentations can be shared to social media via a special share button at the top-right of the Prezi page. They can be shared to LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - Prezi sharing capabilities.](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/8-3.png)
Prezi presentations can only be downloaded from the Prezi app. There are two options, as an EXE file for PC and a ZIP file for Mac. Presentations can then be viewed without internet connection or the need to connect to the Prezi app.
Presentations are public unless you have a paid account.
Analytics are available with premium accounts but it only applies to Prezi presentations you share via a link to someone.
There are no lead generation capabilities with Prezi.
3 Google Slides
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Google Slides](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/16.png)
Google Slides is the presentation software available via your Google account. Just like you can create documents and spreadsheets with Google Docs and Sheets, you can create presentations with Google Slides.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - The Google Slides interface.](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/9-5.png)
The setup is very similar to PowerPoint and is free to use for anyone with a google account. There is a business version called G Suite, which includes the same things with more storage and management capabilities.
Google Slides is free to use for anyone with a Google account. All features are available to everyone.
There are plans for business accounts so that teams can be created and information can be managed in a more organized way. Plans start at $6/user/month and go up to $18/user/month.
Compared to other examples of presentation software, Google Slides is very easy to use. The controls are very similar to Google Docs and Sheets.
![professional looking presentation Editing a presentation in Google Slides.](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/presentation-in-google-slides.png)
Business professionals, educators and students who need fast and easy access to a presentation software that can get things done.
There is a general collection of templates, but there are not very many. Presentations can also be started from scratch.
![professional looking presentation best tools for presentations](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/19.png)
The graphic assets are average and simple. The shapes are classic and generic. Photographs can be uploaded from your desktop, your Google Drive, a URL or searched online.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - google slides shapes](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/59.jpg)
Videos can uploaded with a YouTube link or from Google Drive. GIFs can be added just like images.
Audio and Embed Third-Party Content
Anything from your Google Drive can be added in. Also there are some available “add-ons” that can be integrated for icons, stock photography and audio.
![professional looking presentation best tools for presentations](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/21.png)
Elements inside each slide can be animated and so can the transition between the slides.
![professional looking presentation example of presentation software - Google Slides animation](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/13-3.png)
Google Slides is a cloud-based program.
Google Slides can be used fully on any device with their respective apps for Android and iPhone. Presentations can be edited and viewed on all devices.
Collaborating with other people is easy with Google Slides
There is no brand kit feature.
Presentations can be shared via email or link.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - Sharing in Google Slides.](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/14-4.png)
Google Slides can be viewed offline with a Chrome Extension and the use of Backup and Sync.
Presentations can be shared privately, but there are no password capabilities, only invitations.
Analytics and Lead Generation
These features are not available.
Read either PowerPoint vs Google , or you can check out Google Slides vs Visme to get a detailed overview of each tool and find the perfect presentation software for your needs.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - keynote homepage](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/15-2.png)
Keynote is the native Apple presentation software — one of the original PowerPoint Alternatives. Anyone with an Apple ID can use the Keynote editor. It is the most similar to PowerPoint and also Google Slides.
Keynote is free for downloading and also accessing via the cloud with an apple ID.
If you know how to use PowerPoint or Google Slides, Keynote is a breeze. This feature makes it stand out as one of the best tools for presentation.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - The Keynote interface.](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/16-2.png)
Keynote is good for businesses, educators and anyone who needs a practical presentation software.
The templates are limited but come in standard or wide sizes. Templates can also be found outside of Keynote and uploaded into the program.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - Templates or themes in Keynote.](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/17-2.png)
There are plenty of classic symbols and icons available which are also customizable in terms of color and gradient. Images can only be added from your computer.
![professional looking presentation best tools for presentations - assets in Keynote](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/18-1.png)
Videos are not embeddable in Keynote slides but that is sorted with a plug-in like LiveSlides. GIFs can be added as .gif images.
You can upload existing audio files in Keynote to play on specific slides. There's also an option to record your own voiceover to create a narrated presentation.
Including these is not available
Slides and objects can be animated in a number of ways, including path creation, scaling, bounce or jiggle effects, and more.
![professional looking presentation best tools for presentations Keynote - animation and effects](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/19-3.png)
Keynote is available on both desktop and cloud.
You can create keynote presentations on any apple device and PC.
Keynote presentations can be downloaded as .pdf or as .pptx to view offline.
Keynote presentations can be collaborated on via a link or email with permission settings set to “can make changes”.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - Collaboration features in Keynote.](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/20-3.png)
Brand Kit, Share to Social Media, Analytics and Lead Generation
None of these are available on Keynote.
Presentations are private until shared and there is no password protection capabilities.
5 Microsoft PowerPoint
![professional looking presentation Microsoft PowerPoint templates.](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/powerpoint-templates.png)
This list wouldn't have been complete without the most popular presentation software in the world. Even though there are tons of more advanced presentation tools out there now, PowerPoint is still a favorite of many because of its familiarity, ease of use and availability.
The desktop-based PowerPoint program is part of Microsoft 365, which has different plans for businesses that start from $6/month and go up to $22/month. You can also buy an unbundled digital PowerPoint account for $159.99
PowerPoint Online is free on any device, including mobile.
Most, if not every, computer user knows how to work a PowerPoint. The traditional sidebar interface is easy to use simply because it's familiar. But for people who are using PowerPoint for the first time, there might be a slight learning curve.
![professional looking presentation Creating a presentation in PowerPoint.](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/presentation-in-powerpoint.png)
Businesses, individuals, students, teachers and anyone who uses a Windows PC or device. PowerPoint is also a good fit for people who want to create simple, conventional presentations, and aren't looking for fancy new features or capabilities.
There are dozens of themes that come built-in with PowerPoint, and there are all customizable so you can play around with the styles.
You can browse stock images, icons, stickers and more by searching for relevant keywords in PowerPoint's graphic library.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - powerpoint graphic library](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/74.jpg)
Videos and GIFs can be uploaded from your computer. You can also embed videos from YouTube and other online sources. However, this feature is only available to Windows users.
You can upload audio files from your computer. You can also record audio directly inside PowerPoint and edit the settings for playback.
You can embed files created in other Microsoft Office applications, such as charts created in Excel, or any other programs that support Object Linking and Embedding (OLE.)
There are tons of animation and transition options available in PowerPoint, which can actually get confusing at times. However, if you know your way around these options, it gets easier to create a professional-looking slideshow.
There are both desktop and cloud versions of PowerPoint available.
You can download the PowerPoint mobile apps on both Android and iOS devices.
It's possible to share your presentation with specific people.
![professional looking presentation Sharing a PowerPoint presentation.](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/powerpoint-sharing.png)
Brand kits are not available, but you can save custom themes.
Presentations cannot be shared to social media.
You can download your PowerPoint presentations in various formats, including PPTX and PDF. This makes it easy to access them on any device offline.
You can mark your presentations as read-only to prevent users from editing the file.
This feature is not available in PowerPoint.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - The Ludus home page.](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/21-1.png)
Ludus is one of the best-looking presentation tools available online. The main attractions with Ludus are the clean black screen to edit on and the number of integrations that give importing capabilities for all sorts of content. From photography to .svg to code builds.
Ludus starts at $14.99/month for teams of 1-15 people. Teams that need more licenses are encouraged to contact for more pricing information. Ludus does offer a 30-day free trial.
Ludus is quite easy to use and includes lots of keyboard shortcuts. It is easy to learn how to use and pretty straightforward. It seems to be easier for designers than for non-designers to use.
![professional looking presentation The Ludus interface.](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/ludus-interface.png)
This presentation software is geared more towards designers or business owners who have some design knowledge to totally be able to use the broad capabilities.
There are no templates to choose from. You have to start from scratch or use smart blocks that you can create to use over and over easily. Smart blocks are kept in their own library.
Ludus has minimal in-house graphic assets like simple shapes, but the integrations are epic. You can import .svg icons and edit them inside Ludus quite easily. Photos can also be imported via Unsplash, Instagram, Facebook or uploaded.
![professional looking presentation Uploading graphics to Ludus.](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/ludus-graphic-assets-library.png)
Videos and GIFs are easily imported via the integrations like YouTube, Vimeo, Giphy and more.
![professional looking presentation Uploading videos to Ludus.](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/ludus-video-upload.png)
Audio can be embedded as an audio file from SoundCloud, Dropbox and other integrations.
You can pretty much embed anything into Ludus. The integrations are impressive and there are also iframe and HTML options.
![professional looking presentation Embedding third-party content with Ludus.](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/ludus-embed.png)
Internal elements can’t be animated but there are so many integrations that animations can be done in different ways.
Ludus is a cloud-based app. No need to download anything.
Presentations can only be edited on computers. Finished presentations can be viewed on all handheld devices that have access to the internet via a URL link.
Collaborations are possible with the team plans. This includes live collaboration, workspaces and more.
With collaborations, smart blocks and the Brandfetch integration, a brand kit can be organized quite easily. But it’s not an internal feature.
![professional looking presentation How to set up a brand kit in Ludus.](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/ludus-brand-kit.png)
Finished presentations can be easily shared to social media straight from Ludus.
![professional looking presentation Sharing a presentation in Ludus.](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/ludus-sharing.png)
Ludus presentations can be downloaded as .pdf or .html to be viewed offline.
Pro Plans have password protection.
There are no analytics or lead generation capabilities available in Ludus.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - The Slides home page.](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/24-2.png)
Slides is the only presentation software that promotes itself as being “pixel perfect” as the editor includes a built-in grid to help with composition. Slides has a lower cost at the highest price tag which is good for smaller businesses.
Slides is free to use, but finished presentations will be public and available.
The paid plans start at $5/month, and the Pro plan sits at $10/month and go up to $20/month for features like unlimited collaborators, privacy, shared media library and Google Analytics.
Slides is very easy to use, the editing board is minimal but all tools are at easy reach. No need to get confused with Slides. There are no templates so presentations are built from scratch.
![professional looking presentation best presentaion software - The Slides interface.](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/25-2.png)
Small business owners or startups. Individuals that know what they want and don’t need templates to help them along. Also for developers because it has HTML and CSS building capabilities.
Slides has a very limited template library with just a handful of different options to choose from.
The available shapes and icons are common and minimal. Photos have to be uploaded or imported from a URL.
![professional looking presentation slides presentation software presentation tool graphic assets](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Best-Presentation-Software-A-Visual-Comparison-Guide-Slides-Icons.jpg)
Videos and GIFs are easy to add. Videos can be uploaded or linked and GIFs can be uploaded as .gif or .mp4 as video.
Including audio is not possible with Slides.
Anything with code can be added in an iframe.
![professional looking presentation Embedding third-party content with Slides.](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/slides-embed.jpg)
All elements and features can be animated to fade in, fade out etc. Length of duration can be customized.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - slides animation](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/26.jpg)
Slides is a cloud-based presentation software that can only be used online.
Slides can be used on the computer and handheld devices. To edit and to view.
Paid plans have very capable collaboration possibilities. Users can leave comments with feedback for the creator to review and make edits.
![professional looking presentation slides presentation software presentation tool collaboration tools](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Best-Presentation-Software-A-Visual-Comparison-Guide-Slides-Collaborator.jpg)
There is no set section for a brand kit but branded decks can be created and then cloned to use as a template.
Yes, quite easily.
![professional looking presentation slides presentation software presentation tool share to social media](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Best-Presentation-Software-A-Visual-Comparison-Guide-Slides-Share-to-Social-Media.jpg)
You can also share presentations via URL, email or embeddable code.
![professional looking presentation best presentaion software - The Slides sharing capabilities](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/26.png)
A Slides presentations can be downloaded as a ZIP file with an .html file inside that can be viewed offline on any browser.
Privacy and Analytics
Possible with paid plans.
This is not possible on Slides.
8 Slidebean
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Slidebean](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/27-1.png)
Slidebean is an easy-to-use presentation software with interesting templates and customizable content blocks.
The highlight of this presentation software is that it uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help you put together the best possible slide layouts and configurations. They also have a team of experts that can both write and design your pitch deck for you if you don't want to take the DIY route.
The free plan has limited capabilities but it's enough to see how Slidebean works. To export your presentation, you'll need to upgrade.
There are three price levels from $8/month to $19/month to $149/month. The last one is the Founder's Edition plan, which includes help from the experts on your presentations.
If you choose to get their help on your presentation design, it starts at $29 per slide or $1,999 for the full project.
Slidebean is quite easy to use. You can choose between templates or start from scratch. Adding content is simple and to the point from a popup.
Editing can be done in outline or design mode. The editing is limited to how the content blocks are set up, but there are lots of choices. There's no free size changing or moving around.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Slidebean interface](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/28-1.png)
Startups, small businesses and entrepreneurs.
There are plenty of template options. They are organized in sections and niche. The template collection has presentations by known brands like Snapchat and Buzzfeed.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Slidebean templates](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/29.png)
There are plenty of icons and images to choose from. However, there are no shapes, but icons can be used as shapes.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - slidebean icons](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/30-1.png)
GIFs can be added via the Giphy integration in a content block. Video can be added in the paid plans.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - slidebean gifs](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/31-1.png)
There are no audio capabilities.
The code snippet content block has lots of options so a lot of different kinds of third-party content can be added in.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - slidebean code](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/34.jpg)
Content blocks and their elements can be animated with a couple features.
Slidebean is an online program on the cloud.
It can be used to edit or view on any device.
Collaboration is possible in the paid plans.
![professional looking presentation Best presentation Software slide bean sharing capabilities](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/32.png)
This feature is available in the paid plans.
Sharing to Social Media
![professional looking presentation Best presentation Software slide bean](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/39.png)
Slidebean presentations can be exported to download as both .pdf and .html files to view offline.
This feature is not available.
Analytics are available in the paid plans.
9 Zoho Show
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Show](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/40.png)
Zoho Show is a presentation software that mimics Microsoft PowerPoint in the way it is set up, with a menu up top for all the actions. However, Zoho's version is much nicer and polished.
Zoho is a complete CRM for businesses and the company offers different types of apps for teams and office use — Zoho Show is only one of their programs.
Zoho show is completely free and without ads.
Zoho Show is pretty easy to use. The content blocks can be chosen as themes but they can also be moved around freely and resized. The presentation can be viewed in three ways, with a handy grid view to see all slides next to each other.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Show](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/33.png)
Businesses, entrepreneurs, educators and students. Anyone who needs to make a presentation.
There aren’t exactly templates, but there are themes. These do not come with images or lorem ipsum but are more like visual canvases that can be customized in terms of color, layout and more.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Show](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/42.png)
The shapes are pretty good, there are quite a bit to choose from. An added bonus is the possibility to draw shapes or scribble anything yourself with the trackpad.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - zoho show graphic library shapes](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/39.jpg)
Videos can be added via the YouTube integration and GIFs can be added as an image.
Audio can be added via Soundcloud with an embed code.
There are a number of sites that are supported via Embed codes but not that many. Zoho Show says that you can ask your needs to be added in the permitted list.
All elements and transitions can be animated.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Show](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/43.png)
Zoho Show is a cloud bases program and can be broadcast from anywhere and on any device. The live broadcast includes a chat window and the audience can download the presentation if they want to.
You can only create presentations on a computer.
Teams can easily use Zoho Show, even in the free version.
Custom branding is only available in the highest paid plan.
Sharing to social media is not possible unless downloaded as a PDF file and then uploaded to something like SlideShare.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software - Show sharing capabilities](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/34.png)
Presentations can be downloaded as .pptx or .pdf files for offline viewing.
Yes, this is possible on all plans.
Analytics are possible on the paid plans.
![professional looking presentation zoho show presentation software presentation tool sales dashboard](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Best-Presentation-Software-A-Visual-Comparison-Guide-Zoho-Show-Analytics.jpg)
10 Beautiful.ai
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Beautiful.ai](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/35.png)
Beautiful.ai is a presentation software that helps you create great-looking slides with the help of Artificial Intelligence. This means that your presentation will look professional every single time, regardless of who designs it.
Beautiful.ai currently offers a Pro plan at $12/month and a Team plan at $40/month, both billed annually. They offer a 14-day free trial to test out their tool.
This is probably the best thing about Beautiful.ai — it's incredibly simple to use. All you need to do is add smart slides, plug in your content, and choose from different preset layouts.
Of course, that also means that you have limited customization options. But if you're looking for a simple solution and you don't trust your design skills, this may be a good option for you.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Beautiful.ai interface](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/36.png)
Beautiful.ai is a great tool for absolute beginners and non-designers who are looking for a no-nonsense presentation software.
For example, startups and entrepreneurs can use this software to create a nice-looking pitch deck or proposal quickly without any design help.
There are a handful of slide themes available, but they're mostly basic in terms of design. You can play around with the layouts inside each theme to put together a unique presentation.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Beautiful.ai templates](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/37.png)
The graphic assets library comes with a bunch of free stock photos and icons to choose from, but the options are pretty limited.
Videos and GIFs can be uploaded from your computer. You can also import videos from YouTube and Vimeo to embed in your slides.
Audio can be uploaded from your computer.
It's not possible to embed third-party content into Beautiful.ai presentations. However, you can add interactive links to your slides.
Each slide comes with a preset animation style that you're unable to customize. However, you can change the speed, timing and triggers for the animations.
Beautiful.ai is a cloud-based application.
The software only works on your desktop computer.
You can invite people to collaborate on your presentation by either giving them "view" or "edit" access. Collaborators must have a Beautiful.ai account to view or edit the presentation.
While there's no brand kit feature available, you can customize a theme (colors and fonts) and save it to your library to use in future presentations.
There are several options to share your presentations. Send an email invite, share a public or private link, generate an embed code or share directly to social media.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Beautiful.ai](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/38.png)
You can export your presentations to PDF or PowerPoint to view offline.
There is no password protection, but you can use the Secure Viewing option to only share your presentation with other Beautiful.ai users via an email invite.
This feature is only available in the paid plans. You can access a number of viewing and usage statistics for your presentations.
This feature is not available in Beautiful.ai.
11 Genially
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Genially](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/39.png)
The main idea behind the Genially presentation software is interactivity.
This program is good not only for presentations and video presentations but also for other visual graphics. It’s great for adding a modern, interactive feel to your presentations.
There is a free plan in Genially, which gives you unlimited creations but limited resources. The paid plans are as follow, paid yearly:
- Pro: $7.49 / month
- Master: $20.82 / month
- Team: $79.15 / month
Genially is easy to use if you are accustomed to programs with lots of choices. There is a lot that can be done with the features in Genially.
Any change can be applied to all slides with a single click of the button in the menu. When editing, there is a "design view" and a "layers view."
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Genially interface](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/40.png)
Professionals and educators of any field who can benefit from interactive presentations.
There are plenty of template options. Some are free and some are only available via the premium plans. Presentation templates are also available as "video presentations."
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Genially templates](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/41.png)
The graphic assets in Genially are quite varied; there is plenty to choose from. Images can be uploaded or found on the Pixabay integration.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Genially graphic assets](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/42.png)
Videos can be added via a YouTube link and GIFs can be imported with the Giphy integration.
Audio can be uploaded from your computer, added via SoundCloud and a couple of other integrations, or recorded directly in Genially.
Third-party content can be added to your presentations with Genially integrations. For example, you can add an interactive map via Google Maps.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - A screenshot of third-party embed options in Genially.](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/43.png)
All elements can be animated, as can the transitions between slides. Animation effects are quite extensive. There is a similar tab called “interactivity,” which are pop-ups and hyperlinks supplied with lots of button choices.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - A screenshot of animation capabilities in Genially.](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/44.png)
Genially is a cloud-based presentation program.
This program is only available to edit on computers but can be viewed on any device.
It seems that a professional plan allows 5 team members, but the pricing plan shows that all plans have collaborative capabilities. Collaborators can be added in the dashboard where all creations are stored.
Brand kits are available in the premium plans. It is an internal feature with easy access.
Finished presentations can be shared to social media.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - Genially sharing capabilities](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/45.png)
Finished presentations can be downloaded as a set of .jpg images, as a .pdf or as an .html5 file which will keep all animations.
Premium plans have these features.
This is not available in Genially.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Canva](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/46.png)
Canva is not only a presentation software but also a full editing program for all visual needs. Presentation creation is only one of the possibilities with Canva. It has become a favorite with bloggers and home-based businesses.
The free version of Canva is pretty extensive. The only restrictions are the use of premium resources that can be either bought separately or through the Canva Pro plan. Canva Pro is charged at $12.99/month or $119.99/year.
Canva Teams is $14.99/month + $14.99/month for every team member after the 5th.
Canva is easy to use as all elements are easy to find and are mostly customizable. Presentations are viewed scrolling; there is no master view and you can’t change something on all slides at once.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Canva user interface](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/47.png)
Bloggers, small home-based businesses and startups
There are lots of customizable template options, and each slide inside the templates can be used individually.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - canva templates](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/image-2.jpg)
There are plenty of options in the graphic assets library, including shapes, icons, photos, frames and stickers. Some are free, while others are paid.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Canva - graphic assets](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/48.png)
Videos and GIFs can be uploaded to Canva.
You can add music to your presentations using the available options inside Canva.
Canva offers dozens of integrations and media embed options, including YouTube, Google Maps, Vimeo, Pinterest, Tumblr, Twitter and more.
There are several animation options that apply to entire slides inside Canva. You can also add animated stickers to your slides.
Canva is a cloud-based app. Presentations can be seen on any device.
Canva is available as an iPhone app and an android app for editing capabilities.
Presentations can be shared for editing with team members.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Canva collaboration](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/50.png)
Canva Pro has a brand kit feature.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Canva - brand kit](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/51.png)
Presentations can be shared on Twitter and Facebook.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Canva - share on social](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/49.png)
Presentations can be downloaded as a group of .png or .jpg images or as a .pdf. You can also download it as an MP4 video for offline viewing.
All designs on Canva are private unless they are made public or shared via a link. There is no password-protected sharing though.
These features are not available in Canva.
While Canva offers a wide range of features for various visual design needs, you can explore better alternatives to find solutions that may better fit your requirements. If you want to explore other options, read our article about 12 excellent Canva alternatives .
13 FlowVella
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Flowvellla](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/57-e1666907888994.png)
FlowVella is a downloadable presentation software that can be used offline. The main attraction of FlowVella is the Kiosk Mode, in which you can create interactive presentations like the ones used in museums or information counters at malls or hotels.
FlowVella is free to try out. You can use it free forever but the options are limited and the finished presentations has a watermark. P aid plans are as follows:
- Premium : $10/month or $60/year
- Pro : $20/month or $200/year
- Enterprise : Upon request
FlowVella is pretty easy to use, and the controls are straightforward and uncomplicated.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Flowvellla](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/59.png)
This presentation software is for professionals and educators that need to be able to create presentations offline. Also for those who can take advantage of the Kiosk Mode.
The template options are quite varied and well designed.
![professional looking presentation Best Presentation Software Flowvellla](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/58.png)
The graphic assets library is very limited. Photographs and images need to be uploaded from your computer.
Videos can be uploaded or found via YouTube, iCloud and Dropbox integrations when online. GIFs can be added as images.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - flowvella video](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/67.jpg)
Audio can be uploaded from your computer, or added via iCloud or Dropbox.
You can add PDF files.
Only the transitions are animated minimally.
This is a desktop-based application. It must be downloaded.
There are iPad and device apps available for editing on those devices as well.
Paid premium plans can work with teams.
Brand kits are not available.
Presentations can be shared on Facebook and Twitter.
Since this is a desktop application, offline viewing is not a complication.
These features are available in the paid plans. Analytics can be viewed once the presentation has been published online.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - flowvella analytics](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/71..jpg)
This feature is not available on FlowVella.
14 Haiku Deck
![professional looking presentation Best-Presentation-Software-A-Visual-Comparison-Guide-Haiku-Deck](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Best-Presentation-Software-A-Visual-Comparison-Guide-Haiku-Deck-1.jpg)
Haiku Deck is a presentation software that is straightforward with a simple interface that makes quick and practical presentations. Presentations can be created on the computer and on mobile devices.
Haiku Deck can be tried for free with one available presentation. The Public plan is USD 7.99 a month, Pro plans are USD 9.99 a month billed annually and USD 19.99 billed monthly, and Premium plans are USD 29.99 a month.
Haiku Deck is quite easy to use and menus are easy to follow. There are word size limiters and specific text placement choices for each slide. Charts are simple to create and can be customized. The editor can be connected via cloud to all devices. The new addition, Zuru, is an Artificial Intelligence system that creates creative presentations from simple PowerPoint files or outlines.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - Haiku interface](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/52.png)
The Haiku Deck presentation software is geared mostly toward educators and classrooms. Businesses and bloggers can also use it for practical purposes.
Templates on Haiku Deck are more like an inspiring collection of photographs for a specific niche with some suggestions on where to place the text and what charts to include.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - Haiku templates](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/53.png)
The available graphic assets library in Haiku Deck are millions of photographs, numerous font choices and charts and graphs.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - Haiku graphic assets](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/54.png)
YouTube videos can be embedded easily in a Haiku Deck. GIFs cannot be added to Haiku Decks but a finished presentation can be turned into a video or into a GIF.
Narrations and voice overs are easily recorded on a presentation in Haiku Deck.
Only videos can be embedded.
Features can't be animated in Haiku Deck
Desktop or Cloud / Available to Create on Multiple Devices
Haiku Deck is a cloud-based app that is available for editing and viewing on your laptop and also as an app on phones and tablets.
![professional looking presentation Best-Presentation-Software--A-Visual-Comparison-Guide-Haiku-Deck-Available-to-create-on-multiple-devices](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Best-Presentation-Software-A-Visual-Comparison-Guide-Haiku-Deck-Available-to-create-on-multiple-devices.jpg)
Haiku decks can be downloaded as .pptx files for offline viewing.
Presentations can be easily shared to social media from the editor.
![professional looking presentation Best-Presentation-Software--A-Visual-Comparison-Guide-Haiku-Deck-Share-to-social-media](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Best-Presentation-Software-A-Visual-Comparison-Guide-Haiku-Deck-Share-to-social-media.jpg)
Haiku Deck offers team possibilities upon request.
There is no brand kit, but you can add your logo to the finished product.
Pro and Premium plans have private and password-protected capabilities.
![professional looking presentation Best-Presentation-Software-A-Visual-Comparison-Guide-Haiku-Deck-Private-and-password-protection](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Best-Presentation-Software-A-Visual-Comparison-Guide-Haiku-Deck-Private-and-password-protection.jpg)
Premium plans have analytics for who has viewed your presentations.
Emails cannot be captured with Haiku Deck but slides and presentations can be sent with invitations to your existing email contacts.
15 Microsoft Sway
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - sway](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/76..jpg)
Microsoft has its own alternative to PowerPoint — Sway.
This online presentation software is completely different from PowerPoint and introduces a new concept of building "Sways" instead of "presentations."
Sway is free to use for anyone who has a Microsoft account.
It's super easy to use Sway and kind of fun too. It has a non-traditional storyline editor, which lets you add "blocks" of content that the software configures into layouts.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - sway storyline editor](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/77..jpg)
Sway is mostly for people who don't want to spend too much time designing a complex presentation. For example, students and nonprofit organizations.
There are several templates for different purposes, such as photo slideshows, sales trainings and even personal portfolios.
You can upload your own media or search from various sources inside Sway, including Flickr and Bing Images. There are no shapes and icons included.
![professional looking presentation best presentation software - sway graphic library](https://visme.co/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/79..jpg)
You can upload videos from your device or embed from YouTube.
You can add audio to Sway by uploading or dragging and dropping the audio file onto your storyline from your computer.
You can embed images, videos, maps and other content from tons of websites, including Google Maps, Soundcloud, Twitter, Facebook and more.
Sway automatically adds animations to your slides. You cannot change or customize them; you can only increase or decrease the level of animation added to your Sway.
Sway is an online, cloud-based software.
Sway works on any device with an internet browser.
You can invite people to view or edit your Sway presentation.
Sway presentations can be shared directly to Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
You can download your Sway as a Word or PDF file to view offline.
There is no password protection available, but you can choose to share your Sway with specific people, anyone with a link or only people in your organization who have a link.
You can view reader statistics for your Sway if you have a Microsoft Office 365 subscription.
This feature is not available in Microsoft Sway.
Presentation Software FAQs
Still have questions? We've compiled answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the best presentation tools available.
Q. Which Is the Best Software for Making Presentations?
There are many presentation tools out there but Visme stands out as a top pick and a creative presentation app with a full suite of advanced features tailored to the needs of individual users and businesses. Visme offers real-time collaboration, interactive and animated elements, hyper-customization options, robust data visualization tools and a brand wizard to maintain brand consistency across your presentations.
Q. What Is Better Than PowerPoint?
Visme is often considered a top presentation software and offers several advantages as a PowerPoint alternative software. Its intuitive interface and extensive template library make creating visually stunning presentations seamless, even for beginners. Visme's collaboration features are superior, allowing teams to work seamlessly. On top of that, Visme is packed with advanced interactive and animated elements to keep your audience hooked.
Q. Is PowerPoint or Prezi Better?
PowerPoint and Prezi each have strengths and are suited for different presentation styles. PowerPoint is easy to use, has a clear structure, and is widely available, making it suitable for traditional slide decks and formal presentations. On the other hand, Prezi excels at non-linear, visually engaging presentations with its zooming and panning features, making it ideal for creative or storytelling presentations. The best choice depends on your content, audience and desired presentation style.
Q. What Is the Best App to Do a Presentation On?
Visme offers a powerful presentation app that allows you to create, edit and present your slides from anywhere. Its mobile app is designed for on-the-go editing and presenting, ensuring you always have your presentation at your fingertips.
Q. Is Canva Better Than PowerPoint?
Canva and PowerPoint are tailored to suit the diverse preferences and requirements of different users.
Generally, Canva is known for its drag-and-drop interface, extensive library of design-focused templates and emphasis on visual appeal. It is an excellent choice for those who value aesthetics and want to create content quickly. On the other hand, PowerPoint offers more traditional features and is super flexible. It is often preferred due to its integration and compatibility with other Microsoft Office tools.
Q. What Is Replacing PowerPoint?
Visme is quickly gaining popularity as a PowerPoint replacement and a free presentation software with a user-friendly interface, tons of customization options, and powerful tools that make creating presentations a breeze. With a plethora of templates, interactive elements, and powerful data visualization tools, Visme empowers you to create presentations that truly captivate your audience and leave a lasting impression
Don't just take our word for it. Hear what Kendra Bradley, Graphic Content Developer at WOW!, has to say about Visme:
“Previously we were using PowerPoint, which is fine, but the interactivity you can get with Visme is so much more robust that we’ve all steered away from PowerPoint.”
“PowerPoint templates are plain and boring, and we want to create more fun and engaging content. Visme has multiple slide templates to choose from, which makes this so much easier.”
“I just made a deck recently and it took me about 15-20 minutes. I found a template I really liked and tweaked it and put it in our brand colors. In PowerPoint, it would take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half.”
Read the full case study to learn how they streamlined their presentation creation process and found a better alternative than PowerPoint.
Looking for a Presentation Software?
Choosing the best presentation program for your business is a great first step towards better and more effective slide deck development. In this guide, you learned about 15 different types of presentation software and we gave you a checklist to help you decide.
If you're looking for an easy-to-use presentation maker that also comes with unique features that you won't find in most other tools, Visme might be a great option.
You can look for the right pricing plan for your needs and even apply for a discount if you're a nonprofit organization. And if you just want to try out Visme to see if it's a good fit, sign up for a free account and use it for as long as you like — no strings attached.
Which of these best presentation software options fits your needs? If you have any questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you below.
Create stunning presentations in minutes with Visme
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Design visual brand experiences for your business whether you are a seasoned designer or a total novice.
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About the Author
Orana is a multi-faceted creative. She is a content writer, artist, and designer. She travels the world with her family and is currently in Istanbul. Find out more about her work at oranavelarde.com
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IMAGES
COMMENTS
To customize the text in this template, you can work with the built-in text placeholders. To start, click into any text box. Then, press Ctrl + A ( Cmd + A on Mac) to select all the text inside. Type over the text placeholders in a premium professional presentation so that the slides tell your story.
The minimalist design is great to make your presentation look polished and professional. But it's also a great way to make sure that your audience's attention is 100% exactly where you want it to be! Use a strong cover to even out simple slides. 6. Use a unifying background.
Linic. Download the "Linic" presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides and start impressing your audience with a creative and original design. Slidesgo templates like this one here offer the possibility to convey a concept, idea or topic in a clear, concise and visual way, by using different graphic resources.
Express - Freestyle PowerPoint Template. Express is a unique PowerPoint template with a modern and a creative design that will certainly make your presentations stand out. It includes 30 slides featuring attractive brush-strokes, vectors, icons, and graphics. The template is also available in 3 different color schemes.
Getting Started. 1. Open PowerPoint and click 'New.'. A page with templates will usually open automatically, but if not, go to the top left pane of your screen and click New. If you've already created a presentation, select Open and then double-click the icon to open the existing file. Image Source.
Our series of tips on presentation design outlined some generic rules and ideas that you can live by to create better, more professional presentations. Today we want to follow that up by taking you through the actual process of designing a presentation from start to finish. We'll break down every step of the design process, from choosing ...
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.
1. Start With A Title Slide. An eye-catching first slide serves as an introduction to your subject. To make it clear to read across the room, place the title of your presentation in huge letters in the middle of the slide. You can also include your name and title on the slide, depending on the type of presentation.
6Create strong contrast. In your audience, you might have people sitting in the back of the room, relatively far away from your screen. To make sure they can still see your presentation slides, you need to create strong contrast. This means your text should easily stand out against your background.
This PowerPoint presentation takes a tongue-in-cheek look at how the speakers and users of PowerPoint are the problem, not the software itself. Even at a hefty 61 slides, the vintage theme, appealing colors, and engaging content keep the viewer interested. It delivers useful and actionable tips on creating a better experience for your audience.
This presentation often includes confidential data such as revenue, profit, and cash flow. Download These Templates for Free. The Abstract PowerPoint Template has slide designs for data comparison, quotes, and analysis. Its clean and simple design will make your financial report presentations look cool and professional. Industry Trends Template
The design can leave a first and lasting impression. Give it a professional touch to win your audience's trust and attention. 1. Carefully Compose Your Slides. Don't copy and paste slides from different sources. You don't want your presentation to look like a rag rug. What you're aiming for is a consistent look.
Overstyling can make the slide look busy and distracting. 8. Choose the Right Images. The images you choose for your presentation are perhaps as important as the message. You want images that not only support the message, but also elevate it—a rare accomplishment in the often dry world of PowerPoint.
It creates a cohesive look and reinforces their brand identity, which makes the presentation look professional. Another thing I like about it is that the titles immediately say what each slide is about. It helps you navigate the presentation effortlessly and keeps you focused on the main points. 3. SEO, PPC, and AI in 2023 and Beyond by Lily Ray
Learn how to make professional PowerPoint presentations with templates. A professional PPT template helps you make a great impression every time you present....
Share your gifts with the world, hone your skills, or move in a new direction with this collection of free professional templates. Professionally designed and ready to launch you into the spotlight, these templates can adapt to your needs. Discover themes for a wide range of niche topics: cybersecurity agencies, gaming, ecological workshops ...
This is a great example of brand presentation with company profile, product system, plan, and reward. It gives a similar experience to browsing a website. 3. Accenture Tech Vision 2020. A short and sweet presentation about how companies prepare for data regulation and how this impacts the customer experience. 4.
Hand-drawn Goods icons — sets of sketched icons. 15. Keep icons small. To help fill a page, it's tempting to make icons really big. This can look clunky. If your icons don't have much detail, keep them small, since that's the purpose they were designed for. 16. Use better illustrations instead of "clip art".
Creating a PowerPoint presentation can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn't need to be. In this list, you'll find the best practices and tips for creating a powerful PowerPoint presentation for beginners. You'll learn how to: Create a professional-looking slideshow presentation; Keep your Powerpoint presentation design cohesive
Use clear and legible fonts, and maintain a consistent design throughout the presentation. 2. Visual appeal: Incorporate visually appealing elements such as relevant images, charts, graphs, or diagrams. Use high-quality visuals that enhance understanding and make the content more engaging.
Keep the volume of text on each slide to the bare minimum; this will also maximize the impact of each word. "Write concise points that allow you to expand on each idea as you speak," Paradi says. Choose a font size of at least 24 points to ensure your audience can easily read your slides.
Finally, your presentation is an opportunity to reinforce your personal brand. This means consistently delivering quality content that aligns with your professional identity and values.
Using presentation templates could save you from all the stress. They help you make professional-looking project presentations fast and easy. Since the slides are pre-designed, you'll find a place to insert every possible piece of content you need. Be it a progress bar, chart, graph, table, video or image, the design is right there.
A geometric background can add a pop of color to your presentation without distracting your audience. If you're feeling bold, use dynamic titled polygons to create movement. Meanwhile, if you're looking for a softer vibe, use circular backgrounds to infuse your slides with creativity. 7. Explain complex concepts with mind maps
In my career, I've given more presentations than I can count. In fact, I think I've been presenting for a living all along. As a founder, I motivated hundreds of employees, as a TED speaker, I ...
Beautiful.ai is a presentation software that helps you create great-looking slides with the help of Artificial Intelligence. This means that your presentation will look professional every single time, regardless of who designs it. Price Tag. Beautiful.ai currently offers a Pro plan at $12/month and a Team plan at $40/month, both billed annually.