What Is Microsoft PowerPoint Used for?
Jun 27, 2022
Microsoft PowerPoint is one of the essential programs in the Microsoft Office Suite.
However, you may need some help familiarizing yourself with this program if you've just started using MS Suite.
To ensure that you don't miss out on the fantastic value that it has in store, we will provide all the essential details about it in this PowerPoint tutorial. You will learn about its features, usage, and more.
What Is Microsoft PowerPoint?
Robert Gaskins and Dennis Austin, in 1987, developed PowerPoint. Though it was initially developed for Mac, Microsoft quickly snapped it up.
Today, it is a significant part of the MS Office Suite and is the most popular program for creating great presentations. It is sometimes referred to as PP or PPT.
How Does a PowerPoint Presentation Work?
A PowerPoint presentation is similar to a slide show. You can convey information to your audience by breaking it into multiple slides. Each slide starts as a blank document to which all kinds of information can be added.
With MS PowerPoint, you can easily create a professional-looking presentation for your audience. This program has all the tools you need to create informational slides using pictures, words, animations, etc.
As you gain more experience, you can do even more with your slides. Some advanced actions include the creation of tables, charts, and macros. You can add media files such as images, audio, and videos. You can get Microsoft 365 for free at the Microsoft store.
PowerPoint Use.
The incredible versatility of MS PowerPoint makes it usable across various fields. In other words, PowerPoint presentations can pass information to any audience.
Here are some of the significant ways by which you can use Microsoft PowerPoint:
Education.
PowerPoint presentation is being used to improve communication and learning in schools and other educational centers. It is making life easier for both teachers and students.
Teachers are making their classes more interactive by incorporating fun activities using PowerPoint. A good example is how teachers make quizzes more fun and engaging by displaying their questions on screens.
Additionally, teachers find it easier to create charts and graphs and display them in their classes. Through the visual display of data, education templates help students assimilate better during classes. Presentations made with PowerPoint are also transforming laboratory sessions.
Get ideas for your next PowerPoint presentation.
Business.
If you run a business, you should be pleased to know that MS PowerPoint can transform your business processes. PowerPoint presentations are much cheaper than printouts. It will enable you to present your reports and charts on a screen instead of printing several copies for your staff.
This presentation program will also come in handy when you train your staff. Since it utilizes audiovisual media, it makes training more engaging and effective.
Additionally, PowerPoint templates can help your employees save time and energy by removing the need for producing invoices, flyers, and labels. The program has hundreds of ready-made templates; even more are available for download. You can also customize the templates to suit your needs.
Are you a project manager? Check out our Timeline PowerPoint Template for premium templates.
Marketing.
The main goal of marketing is to improve communication between businesses and their customers. Research shows the human brain requires only 13 milliseconds to process a picture. That is 60,000 times faster than the speed at which it processes texts. So, it is no surprise that infographic marketing is becoming increasingly popular.
Using PowerPoint slides for your marketing campaign will increase the chances of your audience understanding and remembering your message. However, PowerPoint is about more than just presentations.
MS PowerPoint offers better value than competitors such as Photoshop and Illustrator. You can carry out various tasks with PowerPoint, from producing infographics to videos. PowerPoint makes such tasks simpler.
More advantages of using PowerPoint presentations for your marketing campaigns include data visualization, strengthening brand identity, content creation, goal tracking, and storytelling.
Digital Portfolios.
Whether an artist, designer, or student, you must present your accomplishments at some point. A digital portfolio will be helpful in such an event.
Another great thing about MS PowerPoint is that it can create a digital portfolio for easy storage and sharing. With it, you can add images, videos, and audio clips to your portfolio. A PowerPoint portfolio is the best way to showcase your skills.
Photo Slideshow.
PowerPoint is one of the best slideshow creations on the internet. With PowerPoint, you can create a photo slideshow of your child's first birthday or anything you desire in less than a minute.
All you have to do is add your images to the program's Photo Album, and it will create a simple slideshow for you. After that, you can add informative texts and music to create an improved photo slideshow. The slideshow can be played and stored in any way you desire.
In the end, the uses of PowerPoint are only limited to your imagination. It gets even better when you know how to deliver a killer presentation.
How To Launch Microsoft PowerPoint?
It is easy to launch MS PowerPoint on your personal computer. Follow these steps to start creating, editing, and sharing your presentations.
- Click on "Start"
- Select "All Programs"
- Click on Microsoft Office
- Open MS PowerPoint by clicking on the icon
If you have followed these steps, you should now be looking at a blank presentation. Proceed to create your presentation.
What Are the Features of MS PowerPoint?
MS PowerPoint has several helpful features that can help you modify your presentations. Here are its most notable features:
Home.
When you arrive at the program's Home tab, you will find a new slide to which you can add your content. You can also add new Slides with different layouts and word-processing functions.
Click on "Layout" to change your current slide layout. Other functions on the Home tab include "Delete" and "Reset."
Insert.
In the Insert tab, you can add media files such as images, audio, clip art, shapes, and videos to your slides. You will also find the Symbol, Text Box, Object, Header, and Footer options in the Insert tab.
Learn How to Embed a Video in PowerPoint.
Design.
This tab will help you boost the visual appeal of your new slide. From the Design tab, you can select any of the existing templates and background styles.
You can also create custom slide designs or download them online. Check out our PowerPoint Design Ideas.
Animations.
The slides will be displayed on the screen one after the other during the presentation. However, you can make things more interesting by adding animations.
The animations allow you to choose how the program will display the slides. If you can't find a preferable Animation, you can opt for Custom Animation. You also get to select the transition sound and speed.
Slideshow.
Here, you will be able to view the slideshow that you have created. You can start it from the first slide or the current one. There is also a Custom Slideshow option for users who want to display the slides.
Review.
As its name suggests, the purpose of this tab is to help you review your work and make necessary changes. The tools here include Spelling, Research, Thesaurus, Translate, etc.
This tab also contains a Protect Presentation function that will allow you to restrict access to your work.
View.
The View tab is the final feature on Microsoft PowerPoint. In this tab, you will see the default view of your presentation when you select Normal.
Select Slide Sorter View to view and sort all the slides in the presentation. The tab will display the slides as thumbnails. Other useful features in the tab include Note Page, Slideshow, Slide Master, Handout Master, and Notes Master.
Benefits of Using MS PowerPoint.
Here are some of the advantages of using PowerPoint for your presentations:
- It allows you to access your presentation anywhere
- It helps you to make your presentation standout
- It allows teams to collaborate effectively
- It supports custom designs
- It is versatile
- It allows you to export your work in various formats
- It supports the addition of media files
Do you know how many slides you will need for a 30-minute presentation? Watch this video to learn.
Final Thoughts.
PowerPoint deserves its place amongst other office productivity tools created by Microsoft. This powerful slide presentation application can be trusted to satisfy all your presentation needs. It can be used in schools, businesses, religious centers, family events, and anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is PowerPoint used for?
PowerPoint is advanced presentation software for making professional-looking digital slides.
What are the five uses of Microsoft PowerPoint?
Microsoft PPT is used in a wide variety of ways. However, it is majorly used for business, marketing, education, governance, and job seeking.
What is the primary purpose of PowerPoint?
The primary purpose of PowerPoint is communication.
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