Now that school has started, everyone is determined to ace both their group and solo presentations. Aside from ensuring the content is informative and accurate, a significant part of doing well on these presentations is wowing and keeping the audience’s attention. Now, if you want to upgrade your plain Google Slides or PowerPoint, I will tell you how. If you’re looking for some unique presentation-making websites, I’ve got just the list for you. Let’s dive in!
PowerPoint and Google Slides
These two presentation software are classic and user-friendly. They are excellent choices for content-heavy and long presentations that might be worth a large portion of your final grade. Though they are reliable, they are also overused, which can make it hard to hold the attention of your audience and evaluator(s) for as long as you need. Here are my tips to make your presentation more interesting to watch:
- Use a theme
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Themes help with formatting and ensure your presentation looks cohesive. You can pick themes that will complement your topic. For example, if your topic is ocean biodiversity, you can choose a theme with flowy illustrations that are blue and green. There are themes built into PowerPoint and Google Slides. You can browse through Google Slides premade themes, while PowerPoint has an AI feature that can create a custom theme based on your topic. If those themes aren’t interesting enough, you can import them from websites like Slides Carnival and Slidesgo. They are free to use and compatible with both PowerPoint and Google Slides.
- Add media
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This might seem intuitive, but media is important for your presentation! You need to have visuals that relate to your words. Add images of the people or animals you are discussing. If you are talking about a concept, add illustrations to guide and sustain your audience’s attention. If you’re talking about genetics, for example, adding a colourful drawing of the double helix on the slide where you mention DNA would be relevant.
If it’s allowed, you could even add a short video clip. For example, if you are talking about an organization that helped plant more trees to fight climate change, find and add a short interview from them! Videos will give you a short break from talking and will also give the audience a new voice to listen to.
- Use transitions (sparingly)
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My final tip for making your presentation more interesting to watch is to add transitions! Both PowerPoint and Google Slides have countless cool options, and you can use different ones for every slide! Do make sure not to overdo it, though; select what would be appropriate for your topic. The idea is to keep your audience’s eyes glued to your presentation with interesting transitions so they won’t have a reason to look away. Keep in mind, if you have a strict time limit for your presentation, keep the transitions simple because complex ones will take up too much of your presentation time.
So, to recap, use themes, media, and transitions to upgrade your simple PowerPoints and Google Slides. This, along with your informative content, will make for a solid presentation that will wow your audience and evaluators. Make sure to accompany your amazing presentation with a confident voice, and you will ace it for sure!
Unique Presentation Software
Now, to add in some spice, there are some alternatives to the classic presentation generators.
- Prezi
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For those of you who didn’t use Prezi in elementary school like I did, it is best described as a digitalized poster board presentation. You start off with a full view of the whole presentation, and as you go through the slides, it zooms in on each section. Prezi has smooth transitions and lots of themes to choose from.
- Mentimeter
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Mentimeter is a software I discovered recently that allows the entire presentation to be interactive. Your audience can join with a code while you are presenting, allowing them to answer questions and leave likes on the slides. You can add multiple-choice questions, sliders, open-ended questions, and other types of questions. Think of it like Kahoot but in presentation form! It is so engaging and entertaining for the audience.
- Canva
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This might come as a surprise, but you can use Canva to make slideshows! Canva has many cute stickers and illustrations that you can customize and add to your presentation. The creative control that Canva allows for is what makes it so unique. Not to mention, it also has free premade themes for you to choose from.
Now, if you are tasked with a less content-heavy assignment and want to have fun with it, here is a list of unique presentation-maker websites for you to try out!
I hope that these design suggestions inspire you to make wonderful, engaging presentations. Make sure to choose appropriate themes and media for your topic, and remember that cohesive presentations balance the eye-catching and entertaining content with the informative content. Good luck, you got this!