Microsoft PowerPoint is a software used to create presentation materials in the form of slides. Dennis Austin and Bob Gaskins were the two people who first developed this program. As for now, PowerPoint is the most widely used Microsoft Office application alongside Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel.

Templates are one of the most useful features in PowerPoint. The template provides coherence display in slides to enhance the performance of one’s presentation. There are various Powerpoint templates available within the program, giving the users a lot of option to customize their slides and get creative.

That being said, many people are not satisfied with the templates provided by Powerpoint. Compared to other presentation program like Keynote and Prezi, we can say that visual aesthetic is not the focus of this program.

As a solution, you may need these tricks below to enhance your Powerpoint slides. With the right optimization, your simple Powerpoint templates will be able to keep the audience engaged during the presentation.

Editing the master slide

Master slide allows you to apply multiple themes to a single presentation in PowerPoint. A set of master layouts will be created when you apply another theme to your slides, and another set of thumbnails will be displayed in the thumbnail pane of Slide Master View. 

You can insert a new, customizable blank master using the Insert Slide Master command in the Edit Master group on the Slide Master tab. You can also add other themes by using the Theme option in the Edit Theme group on the Slide Master tab.

Utilizing master slide is a pro move that make your slides look more prefessional. However, if you delete a master from Slide Master View, you cannot restore it by “Undo” button. You must insert the master slide again by applying the theme to the slide or by using the Insert Slide Master button on the Slide Master tab in Slide Master View.

Modifying the Template Layout

Modifying the template layout requires more time and effort, but if you are not satisfied with the overall deafult layout of Powerpoint templates, you might need to do this. The modification can be as simple as changing background, or formatting the picture and color to give gradient fill.

If you need more professional-looking layout for business presentation, you may want to get custom templates like Brusher, Global, or Huddle. That way, you can save a lot of time since the template is optimized right out of the box.

Keeping up the Consistency in Each Slides

There is nothing more distracting than an overly themed slides that changes constantly. Thus, ensuring the consistency of each slides in the Powerpoint is very important, especially if you utilize master slides or combining more than 1 theme to customize the slides.

Pay careful attention to you page numbering (if any), image placement, fonts, color combination, and other visual media that may disturb or distract the audience during the presentation. It also a good idea to have someone look at the finished slides just to make sure everything is neatly placed and working as intended.

Utilizing More Media

The proper use of media, like image, video, or GIF, can help you deliver clear message to the audience as well as stirring the emotions of the audience and grab their attention. That being said, overusing media during presentation will greatly confuse your audience.

Here are some tips related to media usage:

• Use relevant images and videos
• Make sure that the image for your slides have a good resolution; it should not look distorted or blurry.
• Beware of the copyright of any media you use. Unlicensed media use can get you into a legal problem.
• If you decide to add sound to your Powerpoint template, make sure you prepared the decent sound system to keep the quality of the sound.
• Make sure that your charts, tables, or diagrams sized proportionally.

Writing Text from Audience’s Perspective

A good presentation is done by combining text and images. Paying attention to the comfort and convenience of the audience by writing text from their perspective is a must. Keep in mind that you should always maintain a clear message and keep your audience attentive and interested.

Use bullet points or short sentences, and try to keep each line clear and concise, without using long sentences of text. Long sentences will certainly disturb the concentration of the audience since they will be busy reading the sentences on slides.

Closing

In the end, you might save more time and effort by using ready-to-use Powerpoint templates created by AqrStudio. This way, you can get more time to prepare yourself and the presentation content, giving you better chance to thrive. Good luck!