Course Aims

• Move beyond basic slides to design professional, visually compelling presentations.

• Equip learners with intermediate tools like SmartArt, charts, media, and slide masters.

• Teach techniques to add interactivity and enhance audience engagement.

• Help students develop a confident workflow for creating presentations efficiently.

Course Outline

Session 1: Using Slide Masters & Custom Themes, SmartArt, Charts & Data Visualisation

• Understanding slide master and layout hierarchy

• Editing slide masters: adding logos, footers, and custom placeholders

• Creating and saving a custom theme

• Tips for consistent branding across presentations

• Choosing the right SmartArt graphic for lists, processes, or hierarchies

• Converting text to SmartArt and customizing colors and styles

• Inserting Excel charts and updating data dynamically

• Formatting and styling charts for clarity and visual impact

Session 2: Multimedia & Advanced Image Tools, Advanced Animations & Transitions

• Embedding and trimming video clips in slides

• Adding audio narrations and background music

• Advanced picture tools: remove background, artistic effects, compressing images

• Using screenshots and screen recordings

• Applying entrance, emphasis, and exit animations

• Using the animation pane to manage sequence and timing

• Combining multiple animations on one object

• Subtle transitions for professional flow

Session 3: Interactivity & Non-linear Presentations, Delivering & Sharing Like a Pro

• Adding hyperlinks to slides, documents, and websites

• Using action buttons to create a custom navigation menu

• Designing branching presentations for different audiences

• Tips for kiosk mode or self-running presentations

• Using Presenter View and setting up multiple monitors

• Rehearsing timings and recording presentations

• Exporting to PDF, video, and sharing via cloud

• Final project: Create a short (5–6 slides) professional, interactive mini-presentation