PowerPoint Presentation Templates for Teaching and Training

Microsoft PowerPoint, when put to good use can be an amazing tool. While at the same time, the effectiveness of this wonder tool is often refuted by those who are petrified by it. PowerPoint, though divided by opinion, still is one of the finest tools out there in the market for creating visual narratives. Its broad spectrum of applications makes it one of the most flexible tools in the market, be it business presentations, investor pitches or the likes.

PowerPoint is also an effective tool if you want to teach or train a group of people! It can be used to explain through visuals, what otherwise is difficult to recreate by textual narration. This article focuses on how to coach and educate using PowerPoint presentation templates.

Here’s how you can effectively use PowerPoint to drive learning, albeit in a more creative way!

1. Devise an e-book

Fit in text, add graphics and voila! you’re ready with your e-book. Visual learning and visual panache, per se adds more impact to classroom learning. Class based interactions add more to your learning curve. There’s nothing like PowerPoint to assist your learning curve, with many tools that allow succinct explanation of complex topics.

2. Organized data

With bullets and graphs adding to the overall impact of your “written material”, it can be said that your coursework gets the desired makeover. The beautification usually adds to the effectiveness in grasping concepts. This is why high school and university education lays emphasis on presentation tools for teaching.

3. Verbal explanations

Once you have your PowerPoint structured, the way it is easier to grasp, verbal explanations are an add-on. The secret behind every great PowerPoint presentation is the voice behind it! In order to facilitate quick learning, a good presentation should have a presenter who is capable of narrating facts.

Conclusions and takeaways:

·         Graphs and visual aids assist understanding of content

·         Organized data make learning simple

·         Verbal explanations of PowerPoint slides help more than just textual overdose

5 Alternative Tools to Creating "PowerPoint" Like Presentations

When you think about creating corporate presentations, perhaps the first thing that comes to your mind is Microsoft PowerPoint. But there are a lot of other tools that can be used to drive a similar impact! While PowerPoint is the most commonly used presentation creation tool, there are other options that can be used to deliver visually compelling business narratives.

In this blog I shall talk about the alternatives to PowerPoint presentations:

1. Prezi
If you’re bored with the linear approach to presentations, Prezi introduces the perfect solution! This tool is dynamic and offers a non-linear approach to curating your presentations. If your presentation is heavy on graphics, motion or images, Prezi is the right alternative for you. It is the best for those who need to constantly jostle from one part of their presentation to the other.

2. Preszentit
Preszentit is very similar to PowerPoint and hence is known as “PowerPoint’s lookalike”. It allows you to create impressive visual narratives without having the need to download a presentation software. This tool uses a very clean interface and its simplicity in the market is close to “unmatched”.

3. Keynote
PowerPoint’s clone for Mac users, Keynote has an easy to operate interface! Keynote is the ideal tool for designing template-heavy presentations as it relies more on the design aspect! It comes with a plethora of in-built options that enable you to tweak your images and deliver an impact with your slides. Unlike Microsoft PowerPoint, Keynote is every designer’s “presentation haven”!

4. LibreOffice Impress
LibreOffice is one of the most popular open sources office softwares which is absolutely free to use (no hidden costs)! Its presentation tool Impress is a truly outstanding tool that is used for creating effective multimedia presentations. It comes with all the basic functionality that you need to create an impactful presentation a la PowerPoint and Keynote!

5. PowToon
Known as the undisputed king of creating beautiful stories, PowToon is probably one of the best tools for presentations in the market today. PowToon adds a “storytelling” angle to your presentations allowing you to weave a brilliant narrative for your target audience. If you are to fuse in an emotional hook using the medium of your presentation then PowToon is the perfect PowerPoint alternative!

….and that’s not it, with just a few modifications, this tool also allows you to create short animated video clips from your presentations to embed in your website!

Why Use Infographic PPTs?

Infographics are information packed with good looking design elements, aimed to inform and educate people with data and statistics. Infographic PPTs are necessary if you are to deliver a compelling visual story for your business. Infographics add numerous benefits for instance, they enhance brand awareness, boost search engine optimization and drive more traffic to your brand’s website. Here are some reasons why you should apply infographic designs 

1. Drive more traffic to your brand’s webpage
2. Boost SEO activity
3. Deliver a self-explanatory narrative

Read here: Is Your Infographic Design a Hit or a Miss

Free PowerPoint Presentation Slides for Investor Pitches

Deliver a business story in the form of a PowerPoint presentation and strike a chord with your audience members. PowerPoint presentation slides help you turn complex ideas into visually compelling business narratives. Use presentations to communicate effectively with your audience irrespective of whether you’re looking for clients or trying to promote your brand. 

Here are 5 different uses of Microsoft PowerPoint:

1. Create your very own photo album

2. Design cool looking flyers

3. Use it as a tool for education purposes

4. Create vector graphics

5. Create a storyboard

PowerPoint Presentation Templates and How They Can Help Tell Stories!

Talk to any sales guy and he’ll tell you how cruel it is to design slide after slide for a big presentation! Although he might be good with PowerPoint presentation templates, chances are he’ll fail to address the bigger picture: a compelling story! PowerPoint isn't as evil as people have made it to be: it is instead a great tool if you could put it to good use. The soul of a PowerPoint presentation lies in mounding it in the form of a compelling narrative. The use of dramatic principles of storytelling should be incorporated into every presentation, so that it grips the audiences’ collective attention!

Here are 4 tips on how to tell interesting stories using the most used and err… ‘feared’ computer tool:

1. Narrate the draft before you open PowerPoint

Don’t simply start off with opening PowerPoint and yammering away with whatever you’ve prepared. Have you ever picked a book without reading its review? Prepare a narrative before you finally switch on the projector. Tell your audience what you’d be talking about before you begin with your slides. This would help them brace themselves for what follows and they’ll be more attentive to what you’re trying to say!

2. Use a perfect blend of pictures and text

An overdose of either would fail to deliver the intended impact. A visual story is the one which is replete with equal textual and graphical content. Compile photos that would perfectly relay the message that you want to convey to your audience. A valuable word of advice: use faces whenever possible as the brain would respond favourably to faces over abstract images. Avoid using clip-arts at any cost! 

3. Make it memorable

You can’t have a gripping story unless you make it memorable! Use real life stories to add substance to your presentation. For instance, if you’re delivering a product related PowerPoint presentation, ensure that you pull out live examples where the product has helped people out of their predicament! 

4. Stir emotion yet don’t make it melodramatic!

Fusing in emotion would have a greater impact on your audience. The more emotion you stir, the more your presentation would etch itself in the memory of your target audience. However, you should avoid being too melodramatic. It would make your story sound less authentic and more “creatively woven”! That’s the last thing you want to happen!

PowerPoint Presentation Design Templates for Business Stories

Looking to build a compelling business presentation but don’t know how? Download free PowerPoint presentation templates and see your slides turn into compelling visual narratives. Irrespective of whether you’re a novice at PowerPoint or a pro, free slides help you save on time, not compromising on the design and quality! Create your own business story using free templates and narrate your business story.