Microsoft PowerPoint is a presentation in the style of a slideshow which was originally developed in 1987 by a company called Forethought, Inc. In 1990, the program was bought by Microsoft. Microsoft has since released a number of updated versions, each of which included additional features and was based on better technology than its predecessor. The most up-to-date version of Microsoft PowerPoint is available in the suite of programs known as Microsoft 365.
Many people have come to rely on PowerPoint as one of the easiest tools that can be used for making business presentations. Because it’s very easy to prepare slides which can be used to entertain and educate an audience. There are several free versions of the program available, for instance, Apache OpenOffice, SlideDog, and LibreOffice.
Using Microsoft PowerPoint
However, when collaboration becomes important in preparation of a presentation, it will be necessary to purchase a program that can be viewed by everyone, and that’s Microsoft PowerPoint.
It would be possible to use a presentation program that allows for collaboration with others without purchasing Microsoft PowerPoint, because Google Workspace as developed a presentation program which it calls Slides. However, if you use the Slides program for presentations, you won’t be able to integrate with other Microsoft programs.
Microsoft PowerPoint has all the features that will be necessary in order to create a sophisticated presentation for any business group. You can begin your development with a blank presentation screen, or you can start off using templates that will give you a basis for further development. A template itself is simply a file that has already been prepared for you using various styles and designs.
It’s probably the easiest way to begin a PowerPoint development, and all that’s necessary is a single click. It’s also possible to insert any kind of image or video from your computer or the Internet, and to insert many different types of charts or shapes that you have developed already. You can animate the items on any slide and there are numerous ways to transition between slides as you’re making your presentation.
Taken cumulatively, a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation consists of a group of slides that you have created from scratch, or you’ve used templates to develop, and it contains all the information you want to share with an audience. In many cases, these types of presentations are shown to others in an office setting, but it’s also possible to create slideshows for important gatherings such as birthdays, anniversaries, and weddings.
Features of MS PowerPoint
As stated above, MS PowerPoint is a slide presentation program that’s very easy to use, even if you’ve never prepared a slide presentation before. The program comes with a number of features that make development easy, and which make it visually appealing for an audience to digest. Here are some of the most important features included in PowerPoint:
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Slide layout
based on the type of presentation you’ll be making, it will be possible to choose from multiple styles of layout. The multiple options can be seen when selecting the Home tab, and the one you select may be a standard for your business, or it may simply be a matter of personal preference.
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Insert clip art, video, images, etc.
whatever you wish to insert in your presentation can be done using this feature, and each kind of insert will enhance your presentation and make it more interesting for viewers.
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Slide design
a number of different themes are available in PowerPoint, and that allows you to choose your color scheme and style, to make your presentation as colorful as you want. You can choose to use a prepared theme that has its own color scheme, or you can start with a prepared theme and make custom edits to it, so as to have your own new scheme.
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Animations
animations can be used to alter the way in which slides are presented successively to your audience. You can, of course, use a straightforward business style with no animation, or you can liven up your presentation with a more creative presentation.
Uses of Microsoft PowerPoint
PowerPoint can be used for personal purposes, or it can be used for business purposes, so as to instruct or educate a group of people all at the same time. Here are some of the most common uses for PowerPoint:
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Marketing
PowerPoint is often used in Marketing meetings, because it’s so good at showing charts and graphs, which are essential when discussing marketing strategies and objectives. If a user were reading this information from a paper source, it would be very easy to gloss over this information, but in a PowerPoint presentation, it is highly visible.
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Education
you can use PowerPoint to convey a body of information to a whole room full of people very easily, and this is one of its chief uses. This can be a much more interactive and engaging session than simply issuing a lecture, which gives listeners nothing to really focus on.
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Business wellness
when trying to relate the overall wellness of a business to others, PowerPoint can be an invaluable tool, because it’s so good at depicting charts, graphs, videos, and images, all of which can help to clarify some fairly dry concepts.
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Showing business growth
growth can generally be best illustrated using graphs, charts, and images, which is the strong suit of PowerPoint.
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Creating resumes
it’s possible to create digital resumes using PowerPoint, and there are even templates included in the program to make this easy and quick.
Where to get PowerPoint
There are two basic ways to acquire PowerPoint, the first being to purchase the Microsoft Office suite from the Microsoft website. This is a one-time purchase you make that entitles you to the entire suite included in Office, e.g. Excel, Word, etc. The other way to get PowerPoint is to Microsoft 365, and this will provide you with a monthly or annual license to use the program in any way you choose.
Many businesses choose to go the subscription route, because it will always include any new features or upgrades to the technology. Whichever way you choose to go, you can rest assured you’ll be getting the best presentation software on the market.
