7.1 Effective Presentation Skills

To prepare for a presentation, you should consider the goals of the presentation, how long you have to present, and how you will interact with the audience before, during, and after the presentation.
A strong opening statement or hook will get the audience engaged and interested in the rest of the presentation.
Although there is no standard set of skills for being a good presenter, there are some common approaches that, with practice, will help you become a better public speaker.
Just as a strong opening statement is needed, an impactful closing statement can bring the presentation to a close in a memorable way for the audience.

7.2 Finalizing a Slide Collection

Color can be used to enhance a presentation and convey emotions.
There are a variety of ways to modify a theme used in a presentation. You can modify colors, fonts, and placement of elements on the slide.
The Designer tool gives you options for adding variety and interest to your slides.
When images are included on slides, you can customize the size and look of an image through various tools, including cropping, removing the background, and changing the transparency of the image.

Transitions and animations, if not overused, can add visual interest to your presentation. Choose animations and transitions that retain the professionalism of the presentation.
Adding media such as audio or video can enhance a presentation and, in some cases, better convey the information contained on a slide.
PowerPoint includes many features to help you get your slides “presentation ready.” These include grammar/spell check, checking for accessibility issues, speaker’s notes on slides, and even a rehearsal coach to help you prepare to speak in front of a group.
Making plans to visit the room and try out the technology is a critical step in preparing for a presentation.
With the technology available today, you are likely to be presenting to a fully virtual or hybrid group. Through proper preparation, you can help ensure that all participants are engaged and have a meaningful experience during the presentation.

Transitions can be added to slides to give some visual interest to the presentation and to help the speaker slow down between slides and topics.
The Tools menu contains features to check for spelling, facilitate a Q&A, and adjust speaker notes, among other things.
Adding audio or video files is easy to do in Slides. An audio file will appear as a speaker icon on the slide. A video will appear as a thumbnail.
The collaboration tools in Slides include standard sharing settings and commenting.