Basics of Creating a PowerPoint 2013 Presentation

About this PowerPoint 2013 guide

From Project for Pride in Living (PPL), this concise, example-driven guide teaches the practical steps needed to build, refine, and deliver clear slide decks using Microsoft PowerPoint 2013. Focused on hands-on instruction, it pairs screenshots and step-by-step walkthroughs with workflow tips that save time, enforce consistent slide design, and help you prepare for confident delivery.

What you'll learn

The guide moves you from initial ideas to a polished presentation. You will learn how to create and organize slides for a logical narrative, apply and customize themes to ensure cohesive visuals, and insert and size images and video so visuals support your message. It also covers tasteful use of transitions and animations, adding speaker notes, printing handouts, rehearsing timings, and exporting your presentation for sharing.

Who this is for

Suitable for beginners who need clear, incremental steps to create professional-looking slides and for intermediate users who want quick, practical techniques to improve layout, timing, and slide management. Occasional presenters will find efficient shortcuts and checklists that reduce common mistakes; experienced users can use the guide as a fast refresher on essential best practices.

Topics covered and practical focus

The material emphasizes everyday tasks you will use in real projects: using the Ribbon to insert and format slides, choosing and editing slide layouts, adding and handling pictures, controlling transitions and animations, linking or embedding multimedia, and managing slide order. It also highlights review and proofreading routines, printing options for handouts, and end-of-guide exercises that reinforce learning.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

• Too much text: Convert dense paragraphs to concise bullets and move details to speaker notes or handouts.
• Inconsistent styling: Pick one theme and stick with a single color or font variant for visual cohesion.
• Excessive effects: Use transitions and animations sparingly; choose subtle motions that emphasize key points.
• Poor image handling: Insert appropriately sized, high-resolution images and preserve aspect ratios to avoid distortion.

Practice exercises and project ideas

Hands-on tasks reinforce each lesson: build a multi-layout presentation, apply and tweak a theme, insert and size images, link or embed a short video, add selective transitions, and rehearse timings. Project suggestions include a short promotional deck, an instructional slideshow with speaker notes, or a clickable, non-linear presentation using hyperlinks.

Key terms to know

• Ribbon: The toolbar area with tabs for inserting and formatting content.
• Theme & Variant: Predefined visual styles and adjustable color or font alternates.
• Slide Sorter: A view for arranging slides to check flow and pacing.
• Transitions & Animations: Slide changes and in-slide motion that control how content appears.

Expert tips for better presentations

• Choose a single, strong theme and use consistent fonts and colors for brand clarity.
• Prioritize white space and margins; fewer elements improve readability and audience focus.
• Rehearse timings and sync animations to your spoken script rather than relying on defaults.
• Export speaker notes and handouts to support both live delivery and distributed copies.

Overall, this practical guide equips you with checklists, exercises, and focused techniques to create cleaner slides, streamline editing, and deliver presentations that communicate ideas clearly and effectively.