PowerPoint has become a standard medium for presenting information to groups. Over the years it has gotten more useful, and many tools have been added to make these presentations better and more engaging for the audience. Here are five ways that you can make your presentations more engaging and therefore more helpful.
Help the Audience Follow Along with Live Presentations.
When using PowerPoint for the web with a Microsoft 365 subscription you can include the Live Presentations feature. When using Live Presentations your PowerPoint starts with a QR code. When your audience scans the code, your presentation will be loaded into their web browser. This process does not require a Microsoft 365 subscription, nor do they need to install any software. It allows individual audience members to follow your presentation at their own pace. They even can zoom in on details as well as go back to previous slides. However, they cannot jump ahead of where you are in your presentation. Live Presentations also can translate your words into their language as you speak.
Use Design Ideas to Give Your Presentation an Appealing Layout.
PowerPoint’s Design Ideas feature is a powerful tool that helps you to create amazing presentations. It is a tool that a PowerPoint presentation design agency would employ if they were creating your presentation for you. When you click on the Design Ideas button in the Design tab menu it brings up a list of suggested formats for your current slide. Sometimes it will present you with rather impressive arrangements for your slides. Now sometimes you may want to touch up the results, but the suggestions are usually at least a good starting point. Frequently, Design Ideas Will suggest pictures for you to use in your slide. It is a handy tool that once you start using, you will stick with it.
Include Your Audience by Making Your Presentation Interactive.
One way to keep your audience engaged in your presentation is by asking them questions. This process can be enhanced by adding extras that will produce a chart on the fly. However, such features require third-party add-ons. PowerPoint has lots of these add-ons to include many additional features in your presentations. Adding this type of interaction either in your presentation itself or by seeking responses from your audience, will help them to keep alert and pay closer attention. With or without adding extra features to your presentation itself, it will liven up your presentation.
Use Presenter Coach to Rehearse and Get Feedback.
When giving a presentation it is important to always rehearse the presentation several times before you give it. Presenter Coach is a powerful tool that helps you to practice while giving you feedback. This will help make your presentations more engaging by being more prepared. It will help you to see where you are stumbling when you are reciting your slides word for word, and even if you are using profanity. Because Presenter Coach helps you to be better prepared when giving a presentation, the audience will find it more interesting making the entire process more engaging for them. It is an easy-to-overlook but useful tool that once you try it, you will find too useful to never rehearse without it.
Access your Notes and Manage Your PresentationUse with Presenter View.
Presenter View is a handy tool that allows the presenter of a presentation to access his notes on his screen, while all the audience sees is the presentation. This helps your audience to be more engaged because you have more information than just the presentation screen. The one downside to relying on this is that sometimes you may be giving a presentation in a venue where you are not using your computer and do not have access to a second screen. However, as long as you are using your computer and have complete control this is a useful and helpful option.
There are many ways that you can make your PowerPoint presentation more engaging. PowerPoint is full of tools to help make this easier. There are many more features that you can use to make your presentations more engaging. Explore them all, and you will find many of them useful.
