PowerPoint 101: Your Presentation Starts Here
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Even in today's online world, being able to give effective face-to-face presentations is a crucial skill to have. That includes presentations of all types: training, sales, staff meetings, stock holder summaries, new company policies, organization meetings, fundraisers and the list could go on forever. Microsoft PowerPoint is still the gold-standard of all presentation tools. Because it comes with Microsoft Office and Office 365, most people have access to this program. But access does you no good if you don't know how to use this powerful program the proper way. This webinar will show you the basics of getting started with PowerPoint, and how to start building impactful presentations that you will be proud of. You will learn how to build a presentation from scratch, how to easily add a professional look and feel in just few clicks, how to add text, bullet lists, pictures, graphics, and other great features into your presentation that will really start to bring your words to life.
Your Benefits of Attending:
- Get a tour of the screen to understand all of the options and functionality
- Walk through the process for adding slides
- Understand the different view and when to use them
- Learn how to manage text to create an effective presentation
- Understand how to insert pictures and graphics and make them effective
- Learn how to choose your layouts and backgrounds
- Walk through the different types of lists (bulleted, numbered...) and when to use them
Tom Fragale brings more than 30 years of professional experience to the table in this information packed webinar. Register today and start giving presentations that make an impact!
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Tom Fragale
Tom Fragale is a computer professional with over 30 years of experience. He is a Microsoft Certified Trainer, a Microsoft Certified Office Master, and a Microsoft Certified Expert in Word and Excel. He has trained over 30,000 business people in on-line webinars, public seminars, and on-site training [...]
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This webinar received a total of 8 survey responses. Attendees have given an average rating of 4.4 stars out of a possible 5, reflecting the quality and value of the content presented.
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4.5 Stars
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4.3 Stars
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4.3 Stars
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4.4 Stars
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4.5 Stars
Reviews From Webinar Survey
Our webinars are crafted to deliver exceptional value and insight to business professionals. Below, you'll find genuine feedback from attendees.
Clarita R.
July 29, 2021
4.0 / 5
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4.0 Stars
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I find the training very useful to my field of work.
Danni M.
July 28, 2021
4.4 / 5
Webinar Rating:
4.3 Stars
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4.5 Stars
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Great job by Tom.
Raquel A.
July 28, 2021
5.0 / 5
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great tipsthanks
Kim A.
July 28, 2021
5.0 / 5
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no comment
Tina H.
July 28, 2021
4.0 / 5
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TY
Lorie G.
July 28, 2021
3.4 / 5
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3.3 Stars
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3.5 Stars
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He was hard to follow for me. I was using it as a refresher so I didn't lose much but it was difficult to stay engaged.
Kerry F.
July 28, 2021
4.2 / 5
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4.0 Stars
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4.5 Stars
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He mentioned a lot of good features and points. I was hoping to received a summary slide of some of the most important points that he demonstrated
Lisa M.
July 28, 2021
5.0 / 5
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5.0 Stars
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The presenter was clear, hands-on, and easy to follow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Building a PowerPoint presentation from scratch starts with choosing or creating a design foundation: either selecting a built-in theme from PowerPoint's gallery or applying a custom template that matches your organization's branding. Once the design is established, add slides using the New Slide button — PowerPoint offers multiple layout options for each slide type, such as title slides, content slides, two-column layouts, and blank canvases. Add text by clicking placeholder text boxes and typing directly, then format it using the Home tab ribbon tools for font, size, alignment, and color. Insert images through Insert > Pictures and resize or reposition them by dragging handles. Use the View tab to switch between Normal view for editing, Slide Sorter view for rearranging slides at a glance, and Presenter View for practicing delivery. Saving your file in .pptx format preserves all features, while exporting to PDF creates a non-editable version suitable for sharing. The most important principle for beginners is to keep slides simple — one main idea per slide, minimal text, and strong visuals deliver far more impact than dense bullet-point slides. Expert PowerPoint 101 training builds these foundational habits from the start.
PowerPoint offers several views, each designed for a specific stage of the presentation workflow. Normal View is the default editing mode, displaying the slide panel on the left and the current slide in the main canvas — ideal for building and formatting individual slides. Outline View shows all slide content as a text outline, making it easy to plan and rearrange the logical flow of a presentation without the distraction of visual design. Slide Sorter View displays all slides as thumbnails in a grid, which is the most efficient way to reorder slides, move sections, and get a high-level overview of a long deck. Reading View plays the presentation in a window rather than full screen, useful for quickly previewing how transitions and animations will appear. Presenter View — used during live delivery — shows the current slide, a preview of the next slide, speaker notes, and a timer on the presenter's screen while the audience sees only the full-screen slides. Notes View allows you to write and review speaker notes for each slide in a larger format than the standard notes pane. Understanding which view to use for which task prevents the frustration of trying to edit in Slide Show mode or format in Outline View, and speeds up the overall production process significantly.
Adding pictures and graphics to PowerPoint presentations transforms text-heavy slides into visually engaging communication tools, and doing it effectively requires attention to image quality, placement, and purpose. Insert images through Insert > Pictures and choose from your local files, online stock images through PowerPoint's built-in Bing search, or screenshots captured directly from other applications. Once inserted, resize images proportionally by dragging corner handles — never stretch from a side handle, which distorts the image. Position images intentionally: full-bleed background images work well for title slides, while smaller images aligned beside text content create visual balance on content slides. Use the Format Picture pane to apply subtle effects like soft shadows or rounded corners for a polished finish. SmartArt diagrams — available under Insert > SmartArt — convert bullet list concepts into visual process diagrams, hierarchies, and relationship graphics without requiring design software. Icons (Insert > Icons) provide scalable, flat-style vector graphics that maintain quality at any size. For professional presentations, using consistent image styles, color palettes, and graphic treatments across slides creates visual coherence that signals intentional design and enhances audience perception of the content's credibility.
Effective text use in PowerPoint follows a fundamental principle that most presenters violate: slides should complement your spoken words, not repeat them verbatim. Bullet points on slides should be concise, keyword-based phrases that anchor the audience's attention — not full sentences they can read instead of listening to you. A practical guideline is the 6x6 rule: no more than six bullet points per slide and no more than six words per bullet. Font size should be large enough to be readable from the back of any room where the presentation will be shown — generally 24pt or larger for body text. Use font hierarchy to distinguish headings from sub-points visually: a larger, bolder font for the key idea, with smaller supporting text for elaboration. Limit font variety to two per presentation — one for headings and one for body — to maintain professional visual consistency. Text alignment matters: left-aligned body text is easier to scan than centered text. For title slides, centered and large works well. For data-heavy slides, consider replacing bullet lists with a simple table or diagram that communicates the same information more clearly. Beginners who learn good text habits from the start produce more impactful presentations than those who later have to unlearn dense slide habits.
Choosing the right layout and background for a PowerPoint presentation has an outsized impact on first impressions, because design signals competence and credibility before a single word is spoken. Start by selecting a presentation theme that aligns with your organization's brand colors and professional tone — PowerPoint's built-in themes provide coordinated color palettes, font pairings, and background styles that work together without requiring design expertise. Within each theme, apply different layouts from the Slide Layout menu to match the content type of each slide: title layouts for opening and section dividers, content layouts for information slides, and two-column layouts when comparing or pairing ideas. Slide backgrounds can be solid colors, gradients, patterns, or images — with the best choice determined by the content: dark backgrounds with light text create dramatic visual impact for executive presentations, while light backgrounds with dark text offer better readability for text-heavy content or printed handouts. Avoid background patterns or textures that compete with or obscure the slide content. Using Slide Master to define background choices ensures consistency across the entire deck without manually setting each slide. A clean, consistent, brand-appropriate design communicates professionalism and lets the content — not the formatting — be the focus of audience attention.