Google Slides offers more convenience in creating, delivering, and sharing presentations. However, many users (especially beginners) fail to use all its potential. Knowing what to improve and how to deliver the presentation will make you look like a pro. Read more to find useful tricks to improve your presentation.
Text Tricks for Google Slides
Texts are the main parts of your Google Slides presentation. Adding some tricks will improve your presentation, and it’s not just about the visuals. Some easy but effective tricks include:
Improve Texts with Shadow
Drop Shadow effect in Google Slides adds a subtle shadow effect behind your text. It will distinguish the text from the other and draw attention more effectively. You can use it to highlight an important quote or header.
To add the Drop Shadow effect on a text, go to Format Options in the toolbar. Place the text you want to highlight in the text box before clicking on the three red dots next to the Format Options name. Tick the “Drop Shadow” box to apply the effect immediately.
Avoid Ubiquitous Fonts
The audience may not pay much attention to the font as long as your texts are readable. However, there is a subtle outdated air from using ubiquitous fonts, like Arial or Times New Roman. Try using similar but more contemporary fonts to make your presentation look modern.
Google Slides has a library of free fonts. Lato is a sans serif type with stylish roundedness, making your presentation feels “closer” to the audience. Source Sans Pro is simple and professional but offers a subtle, friendly look. Lora is a good alternative to Times New Roman; despite the classic look, Lora has a subtle contemporary touch.
Use Master Slide to Reformat Texts
If you need to make a quick text change to the entire slide, the master slide edit is your friend. Simply open the Edit Master in the Slide menu. Every change you make will be applied to the entire presentation. A quick way to edit your slides at one time, especially if your presentation consists of hundreds of slides.
Use Text and Image Overlay Trick
Text and image overlay allows you to create an interesting presentation. You can use relevant images for slides to make the texts more profound or captivating. However, ensure the texts are readable when you put them on images. Some tricks include using filled shapes for the texts or transparent background images.
Hide and Reveal Slide Texts
Add a dramatic flair to your presentation by using hide and reveal slide text. Revealing secret texts during a presentation is useful for delivering fun facts, questions for engaging the audience, cues, and more. You can add an animation effect to the text so it can appear on click.
To do this, place the text you want to hide and reveal in a text box. Click the edge of the placeholder and tap on Add Animation. Choose the arrow under Object Animations and pick the animation type you want, like Appear or Fade.
Key Phrase Link
Need to refer to another source quickly? Insert links on your key phrases. Google Slides allows you to attach links just like in Google Docs. Just highlight the phrase, right-click, and tap on the Link. Copy and paste the link URL to the box that appears. You can easily switch between the slide and the external source during the presentation without fumbling.
Image Tricks for Google Slides
Google Slides presentation looks more interesting if you can support it with images. Many image tricks can make your slides look interesting and professional. Here are some ideas.
Crop Images for an Interesting Look
Cropping the image is useful to highlight the important detail. You can also use cropping on multiple images to form grids, creating a thematic collage. To do this, upload the image onto your slide first. Double-click it and drag the black tab to crop the image without changing size.
Use Border for a Polished Look
Adding a border to an image might sound like a little change, but it can elevate your slide. Border enhances an image and adds a professional look, and using the same border style throughout the presentation helps strengthen your visual identity. To do it, tap on the menu before going to the menu bar. Tap on Border Color to create a colored border, and adjust the thickness using Border Weight.
Use Image Callout for Emphasis
Image callout is a smart way to highlight certain parts of an image. For example, if your photo has several people, you can highlight only several faces among them to emphasize. You need to go through several steps, but the result makes your presentation slide look more professional and polished.
To create the effect, copy and paste the image and place them on top of each other. Choose the Crop dropdown button, click Shapes, and pick the shape you want to highlight parts of the image (circle, for example). To adjust the shape’s position and size, go to Format.
Finally, you are ready for the final touch—Click Format Options on the original image. Reduce the brightness until you see the stark contrast between the original and the copied images. You will see that the callout parts stand out in the circle shapes you have formatted.
Recolor the Images
Recoloring an image can create a visual punch for your presentation. You can also display two images for comparisons, with one of them recolored to make a point. To do this, choose the image you want to recolor. Click on Format, choose Image, and finally Recolor.
Presenting Google Slides on Zoom
Presenting Google Slides on Zoom is the standard pinnacle of professional works nowadays.
Zoom has a useful feature called Screen Sharing. This way, you can present with Google Slides from your device to people in the Zoom conference.
To start presenting, open your presentation first in the browser. Next, go to Zoom and connect to the room you share with your audience. Click the Share Screen option on the bottom menu of Zoom. When you open your presentation, it will appear on a full screen to your audience.
Remember, when your presentation is not fully open, the audience can also see your browsers. You can prevent them from seeing Speaker Notes by dragging them to a different screen. However, if you want them to see your notes, go to the Slideshow button and tap the dropdown arrow. Choose Presenter View. This way, the audience can see your slides and notes in separate windows.
Making Collaboration Easier
Professional presentation requires collaboration, especially in the digital and remote working era. Adding options for collaboration improves your presentation skill significantly. Here are several options for collaboration with Google Slides.
Cloud Working
Google Slides has a cloud collaboration option you can access through Google Drive. Click on your Slides presentation in Drive to allow other users to contribute. Choose the blue Share button to open the dialog box. Here, you can choose other users who can have access to edit the presentation.
When you choose collaborators, you can set up the level of access for each. There are three levels of collaboration for users who get your presentation link: only view, only comment, and full edit.
Adding Chats
Do you know you can chat with others on Google Slides? The function is similar to chat, where people can immediately comment on things you describe. As in the previous point, you can only do this after adding other users to your presentation.
Icons with the images of the added users will appear on top of your presentation. Click on one of the icons to start chatting with the person. A new bar will appear on the right, where you can start sending messages. Remember, the chat with that person will also be visible to others and added to your presentation.
Sharing the Slides
You can share Google Slides presentations using the Share button on the top right. Aside from adding users, there are options for sharing the presentation link. You can copy and paste the link, send it to email, or embed it on your website.
Adding Accessibility Tools
The growing demand for accessibility in professional fields means you must apply it in your presentation. Luckily, Google Slides has several accessibility tools. Applying them can make your presentation more professional and accessible to a wider audience. Here are some readily available tools to use.
Screen readers
Screen readers read aloud the texts in your presentation to the visually impaired audience. You can activate it by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Z. Remember; screen readers read everything from texts to alt text and bullet points. Please think of how your presentation will be heard when creating it!
Braille Display
Braille display is a relatively new feature. You can find it in the slide’s menu. Tap on Tools > Accessibility Settings then turns on the screen reader and braille support. This way, anyone needing braille support can contribute to your presentation.
Alt Text
Alt text is a hidden caption that reads the description of an image. It helps people with visual impairments or any conditions obstructing their ability to process visual information. You can add it by right-clicking an image and choosing Alt Text. Type the image description as best as possible so people can imagine it and its context to your presentation. Save it by clicking OK.
Slides with Captions
Slides with Captions is a feature that is currently only available for US English in Chrome. This feature displays what you say in automatic texts for the audience with hearing impairments. To activate it, set up your microphone first before opening your presentation. Use the shortcut of Ctrl + F5 (Windows) or Ctrl + Search + 5 (OS). Continue with Ctrl + Shift + c. You will see captions displayed on the screen when you start speaking to the mic.
Lexend Typeface
Lexend typeface is available as an accessibility tool for an audience with dyslexia. If there are dyslexic people among your audience, you can prepare by adding Lexend typeface to the font library. Go to Font in your presentation’s menu bar to access all the typefaces. Click on More Fonts and find Lexend. Add it to your font library.
Not sure whether your presentation fills the “accessibility checking standard” or not? Download the accessibility checker tool. Google Workspace Marketplace has the Accessibility Checker for Slides that you can download for free. After installing it, click Add-ons on the toolbar and select the checker. It will scan all your presentation slides, resulting in checklists of things you can improve.
Using Pre-made Google Slides Templates
Finally, you can instantly make your presentation look professional by using pre-made templates. They come with a pre-made design, color palette, image placeholders, and resources for infographics. They are perfect for quickly creating professional slides without coding or design skills.
Some examples include:
Nexon offers a sleek, modern, professional template for business purposes. The grey palette gives it the perfect neutral style to match any business presentation topic. The default fonts are easy to read, and the infographics are available in various styles, from bars to pie charts.
Moreno offers a perfect template for sleek presentation, which you can use at school, university, startup office, and many more. The blue and teal color palette adds a look of reliability, perfect for various themes from technology to business and environment. It also offers creative visual features, including a timeline chart, unique image placeholders, and professional diagrams.
Nikahin
Warm and elegant, Nikahin is a perfect template for delivering a presentation about design, art, wedding-related services, and many more. It comes with a warm color palette and beautiful script font for titles, alongside a more standard font for body text. The slides have creative layouts better to display your photos, artworks, and illustrations.
Conclusion
Delivering a presentation with Google Slides requires professionalism, and you can achieve it by using its features. From modified texts and images to accessibility features, performing presentations with Google Slides allows you to create a positive impression and improve your skillsets. Start using Google Slides features fully to create a polished presentation like a pro.
