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Introduction to PowerPoint

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Introduction to PowerPoint

Estimated study time: 8h
Total video time: 2h 9m
Award-winning instructor: Deborah Ashby
View pricing 14 day money-back guarantee
Beginner No prior experience needed
Bite-sized content Learn at your own pace
Get certified Accredited by CPD

Introduction to PowerPoint: Start your journey to presentation mastery

Want to learn how to create effective PowerPoint presentations but don’t know where to start? This online course will teach you how to use PowerPoint so that you can present like a pro.

Across 20 engaging PowerPoint lessons you will learn basic techniques including:

  • How to navigate PowerPoint 
  • How to use themes and layouts, 
  • How to add audio visual components to your presentations, and much more! 

Whether you use the software for work or study, these basic PowerPoint lessons will start you on your journey to becoming a presentation expert!

The course is PowerPoint 2021/2019 and Microsoft 365 (previously known as Office 365) compliant. Video tutorials are recorded in Microsoft PowerPoint 365/2019.

For older versions of PowerPoint, visit our course for Microsoft PowerPoint versions 2010-2016.

Once enrolled, our friendly support team and tutors are here to help with any course-related inquiries.

  • 1
    Launching PowerPoint and the Start Screen We'll examine the different ways to launch PowerPoint and run through the functionality available on the Start Screen. 5m
  • 2
    Get To Know the PowerPoint Interface Get familiar with the different areas that make up the PowerPoint Interface. This includes the ribbon structure, groups, commands, dialog launchers, scroll bars and the status bar. This lesson is also designed to familiarize you with important PowerPoint terminology. 6m
  • 3
    The Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) We introduce the Quick Access Toolbar which allows users to execute frequently used commands with one-click. We also learn how to add commands to the Quick Access Toolbar using two different methods. 7m
  • 4
    Contextual Menus and Ribbons We will learn about the mini-toolbar for quick formatting and explore the options available in the right-click contextual menus. We'll also cover the concept of contextual ribbons that only appear when needed. 5m
  • 5
    Creating and Saving a New Presentation Let's create our first new presentation using a blank template. We'll learn how to save presentations locally and to the cloud, and understand how this determines how the presentation is saved going forward. 6m
  • 6
    Diving In to PowerPoint Templates Let's explore the pre-designed templates available in PowerPoint. We will learn how to search for templates, browse categories, pin favourites, load them, make changes and save them for reuse. 7m
  • 1
    "Title Slide" - Start with a Bang! - Part 1 We will create an eye-catching title slide using the title slide layout. Then, we'll create a title slide manually from a blank slide using text boxes and basic shapes. 7m
  • 2
    Selecting and Aligning Objects on a Slide In this important lesson, we will learn how to select objects and use alignment tools, distribution tools, grouping, gridlines and guides to position multiple objects on the slide. A must for a professional looking presentation! 7m
  • 3
    "About Us" - Using Images, Icons and Text - Part 1 We will create an 'About Us' slide and learn how to insert pictures, icons and text. We will also learn the basics of moving and resizing objects and some simple but effective formatting techniques. 5m
  • 4
    Managing Slides A simple lesson where we will learn how to duplicate and modify slides, replace images and change the z-order of objects on a slide. We will also learn how to re-organize and arrange slides using the thumbnail view and slide sorter view. 6m
  • 5
    "Our Services" - Shapes, Pictures and Animation - Part 1 In this lesson, we will start to build an 'Our Services' slide. In part 2 of this lesson, we will build the background using shapes, images and crop and fill, and then apply animation to this slide.  4m
  • 6
    Slide Transitions Transitions explained! We will learn the importance of smooth transitions between slides, how to apply transitions to one or more slides, the different types of transition and how to manage and remove transitions. 6m
  • 7
    "Company Statistics" - Creating Graphs and Charts We will learn how to create a column, sunburst and map chart to tell the story of their data visually. Create charts on-the-fly or use data already stored in an Excel worksheet. 7m
  • 8
    "Title Slide" - Start with a Bang! - Part 2 6m
  • 9
    "About Us" - Inserting Images, Icons and Text - Part 2 5m
  • 10
    "Our Services" - Animated Bullets - Part 2 In part 2 of this lesson, we will learn how to add bulleted lists and apply animation.  5m
  • 1
    Slide Show Settings We will tour the different options available to setup a slide show. This includes learning about how to make a presentation run automatically by rehearsing timings. 5m
  • 2
    Rehearse Timings and Custom Slide Shows We will look at how to create a slide show using timings and a custom slide show.  6m
  • 3
    Presenter Tools and Features In this lesson, we will run a slide show and explore the in-presentation features such as blacking out the screen, using annotations, turning on subtitles and switching pointer options. 7m
  • 4
    Exporting a Presentation to Other File Formats We will learn how to export a presentation to another file format such as a PDF, video, animated gif, and more. 7m

Certificate

Certificate of Completion

Awarded upon successful completion of the course.

Certificate sample

Instructor

Deborah Ashby

Deborah is a Microsoft MVP and TAP Accredited Microsoft Instructor and Content Creator specializing in the design and development of online training courses and video content.

Since the mid-1990s, she has been involved in the IT industry starting her career on an IT Helpdesk for an airline at the tender age of 16. This sparked a passion for travel and in 1997, she left the U.K. and moved to Melbourne, Australia where she furthered her career as an Operations Analyst and programmer. 

Microsoft MVP and Trainer Deborah Ashby

Deborah Ashby

Microsoft MVP and Trainer

  • Microsoft

Accreditations

Link to awards

How GoSkills helped Chris

I got the promotion largely because of the skills I could develop, thanks to the GoSkills courses I took. I set aside at least 30 minutes daily to invest in myself and my professional growth. Seeing how much this has helped me become a more efficient employee is a big motivation.

Chris Sanchez GoSkills learner
Chris Sanchez, GoSkills learner