4.1 Conclusion

In this course, you learn some of my favorite tools for giving a presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint. Above all, I can't tell you how much that I like to outsource some of the hard work of building a presentation to the artists on Invado Elements. If you have a few key takeaways from this course, remember these tips. One is that you don't have to do everything when you're building a presentation. Sometimes it's best to leave the work of building a template or slides up to the creative artist on Elements. Two sketch out your content and have an idea of what you wanna say before you ever even open up a PowerPoint. Write the thesis statement first, so that you can type back everything in your presentation to one central idea. And make sure that you write an outline before you open PowerPoint. Whether you use word or just sketch out that outline on paper, it's a great way to set the course for your presentation before giving it. Three, slide designs are a starting point for your presentation and it's one of the best shortcuts I can offer when you're building one. Using a template like the x node or another from Elements. Substitute your own content into the starter slides to really cut down on the time spent building a presentation. Four, don't forget that Elements includes all kinds of things that you might wanna use in your presentation. That could be stock photos, icons, or most importantly, the PowerPoint themes that we looked at in this tutorial. Five, use the tools in PowerPoint's arsenal to give you confidence while you're actually giving the presentation. Use a combination of notes, animations, and presenter view to really keep the tools that you need nearby. Presentations can be easier to give than you think. Use the tools and the work of others to really cut down on the work of building a PowerPoint. I'm Andrew Childress for Tuts+ and thanks so much for joining me.