Art of Presentations

15 Tips to Make an Amazing Google Slides Presentation Design!

By: Author Shrot Katewa

15 Tips to Make an Amazing Google Slides Presentation Design!

There are many reasons that people like to use Google Slides. It could be for a school project, work presentation or just to share information with friends and family.

Whatever the reason, one thing is certain: you want your design to look amazing! If you want an easy way to create a great-looking design for your next presentation then this blog post is for you.

In this article, we will go over 15 tips on how to make an amazing design using Google Slides. Whether it’s your first time creating a presentation on Google Slides or if you’re an experienced professional, these tips are sure to help guide you in the right direction!

So, let’s get started!

Note – if you are strapped for time , simply considering outsourcing the presentation design process to a professional! I’d recommend using Fiverr . It is completely hassle-free to set up and start using. Plus, you don’t need to pay anything to hire a professional. You only pay for the slide design! And, you can start with as little as $5 to $10 per slide!

Tips to Make an Amazing Google Slide Presentation Design!

Since this is going to be an action-packed article with a ton of suggestions, let’s just dive right in with the tips!

1. Create a Compeling Narrative Through a Story Arc

A presentation is only as good as the narrative it holds!

If your presentation doesn’t leave “ food for thought ” for your audience, they are less likely to remember your presentation, and even less likely to take any action afterward (which is mostly bad news especially if you are trying to convince your investors to give you more money!)

Presentation design goes hand-in-hand with the content that is going to be used for the presentation. Thus, start with a compelling story.

The best way to create a convincing story for your presentation is to use the “ Story Arc “.

A “ Story Arc ” or a “Narrative Arc” is something that has been successfully used by storytellers and writers for ages. The keyword here is “successfully”!

A powerful narrative can not only help your audience understand the intricacies of the subject of the presentation, but it also makes the presentation engaging and entertaining.

The best way to start working on a story arc is to either look at what is the most important aspect of your presentation and how can it be emphasized in a manner that takes the role of a protagonist?

Another way that I’ve used the story arc in my presentations successfully is to work backward. Think of what is the end outcome that you expect, and try to track things backward in order to achieve the end outcome.

No matter what approach you take, if you are able to fit a story arc in your presentation, you’d be golden!

Finally use stories from your life, or what you experienced while working on a project! I’ve seen this works really well and resonates with the audience. Here’s a quick video on tips for using storytelling in your presentation.

2. One Topic Per Slide

Now that you’ve identified the larger part of what you going to cover in your presentation – in other words, the content, you now need to lay it out on your presentation such that it can be consumed by your audience comfortably!

One of the simplest tips to design a better presentation is to make sure that you don’t cramp all the information in a single slide or 4-5 slides! Make sure that you spread out the presentation on multiple slides so that the audience can absorb all the information, but in short bursts, and then move on to the next topic!

A good rule of thumb for a good design is to try and cover just 1 topic on a slide.

I’ve seen this work plenty of times, and I personally also use this technique for my presentations. Simply divide the content of your presentations first into multiple key sections. Then, divide the sections further into key topics that should be covered within that section.

You can do this activity on a sheet of paper or just on the first slide of the presentation. Once you’re done with this activity, you’ll realize that the outline that you’ve just created also serves as the “Agenda” or the “Table of Contents” slide.

Now, all you’re left to do is fill in the information that needs to go under each topic.

You may be wondering how is this a design tip. Well, when you have just one concept present on a slide, it is not only easier for your audience to consume, but also easier to design. You’ll realize this when designing the presentation and thank me later!

Remember, there will be times when you will not have much to say about a particular topic, your slide will look empty, and you will be tempted to add another topic on the same slide. Don’t fall for that. Instead, use images that accentuate the text or the topic of the slide.

3. Start with a Template (Don’t Design from Scratch!)

This next tip might seem a bit obvious to some.

But, the reality is that quite a lot of people tend to miss out on the fact that you can use presentations that already look good, and just customize the slides for your content!

how to make great google slide presentations

Google Slides already provides you with a number of free templates. Here’s how you can access them –

  • First, visit your Google Slides dashboard page.
  • Login to your Google Account (if prompted)
  • Choose a template from “Start a new presentation” section
  • You can also click on “Template Gallery” to view more templates.

The one template that I end up using over and over again is the file name “ Consulting Proposal “. It has got a sleek modern design, a good mix of image slides as well as different text placeholder slide layouts for you to easily edit your presentation.

But, feel free to check out other templates and see which one fits your need the best.

The point here is that if you are not great at designing a presentation, you’d perhaps be better off using a template rather than starting from scratch!

4. Use Fonts the Right Way

When it comes to designing a good presentation on Google Slides (or any application for that matter), fonts do play a key role in how your presentation looks!

Thus, it is important to make sure that you use the fonts correctly when creating your presentation.

Here’s what you need to remember when using fonts for your presentation –

  • Use Just One or Two Fonts – Don’t use too many fonts in your presentation. Your presentation design will not look good. Plus, using too many fonts in a presentation shows lack of consistency and professionalism in design.
  • Combine Fonts – Ideally, just use one font if you are unsure of which fonts work great together. But, you can also combine fonts to make the content of your presentation standout!

If you do want to go with a two-font option, use the Google Fonts tool to identify the font combination.

Here’s how you can find a good font combination for your presentation –

Step 1 – Visit Googe Fonts and Search for a Font

how to make great google slide presentations

Google Fonts site provides free fonts that are compatible with most modern internet sites and web browsers. Google Fonts are considered the gold standard for sites as these look very modern and are light.

The best thing is – most of them are already available in your Google Slides presentation by default.

So, the first step is to visit the Google Fonts website . Then, search for a font, to begin with. My favorite font is Montserrat . But, you can also go with Lato, Roboto, or Source Sans Pro if you are looking for a Sans Serif Font .

If you are looking for a Serif font , I would recommend using Merriweather .

Step 2 – Choose the Font and click “Pairings”

how to make great google slide presentations

The next step is to choose a font. You can either type one of the fonts that I mentioned in the search bar and click on it once it appears OR you can also simply choose from the list provided below.

Just make sure that you click on the font that you like to open it.

Once the font is open, click on the “Pairings” tab on the top (as shown in the image).

Step 3 – Choose a Font Pair

how to make great google slide presentations

Now simply choose one of the font pairs provided by Google Fonts. You can also click on a font pair to see how it looks on the section on the right.

Play with the options provided and choose the font combination that you like.

Now, simply go back to your Google Slides presentation and change the fonts according to your selection.

5. Choose the Right Color Combination

Just the way fonts are an important part of your Google Slides presentation design, choosing a good color combination can make your presentation look visually appealing, consistent, and professional.

Unfortunately, a lot of struggle with choosing a good color combination. Thus, I highly advise going with a monochromatic color scheme.

A monochromatic color scheme in a presentation provides a variety of color combinations of the same color. This makes your presentation look consistent and professional.

Moreover, using a monochromatic color scheme is a perfect way option for a beginner as it requires the least amount of time and effort to set up!

Check out my other article on using a monochromatic color scheme for presentations to understand the topic in-depth.

Then, also check out how to use the eyedropper tool in Google Slides to implement the color scheme that you end up choosing.

Make sure that you change the color at the theme level in Google Slides instead of changing it on every single slide. This will save you quite a bit of time!

6. Use the Expore Tool to Generate Slide Designs

Once you’ve decided the fonts, color scheme, and theme, and you have the content structured out, you’ve done most of the hard work!

All you are now left to do is create the slide designs. And, to help you with that, make sure that you use the “ Explore Tool ” in Google Slides.

The “Explore” feature in Google Slides generates slide designs based on the content that is already present on the slide. It is a great way to get a slide designed almost instantaneously!

The “Explore” feature in Google Slides works much as the design ideas feature in PowerPoint.

Based on the content on the slide, it will throw a few suggestions on how the content can be laid out on the slide. You can choose the design you like. If not, you can still design your own slide. But, it is definitely worth trying out first. Pretty cool, isn’t it!

I wrote a detailed article on the Explore Feature in Google Slides . Make sure you check out that article to learn where to find this tool and know how to use it!

That said, one thing to keep in mind is that this feature is still an experimental tool . And, while it is getting better with time, I wouldn’t recommend using it with every single slide.

In my experience, I’ve noticed that using the “Explore” feature in Google Slides works best when you want to create a title slide, a section break slide, or just want to get a few ideas on how the slide can be designed.

7. Apply the 3 by 3 Design Rule

The 3 by 3 design rule, otherwise also known as “ the rule of thirds “, is a principle that has been borrowed from photography. But, it is every bit applicable even for slide designs and other design elements!

As per the 3 by 3 design principle, you basically need to divide the visual canvas into 3 equal-sized vertical and horizontal grids with the help of 2 vertical grid lines and 2 horizontal grid lines.

Here’s a video that explains the concept of the rule of thirds for presentations –

Using these grids helps place the content correctly in the grids such that the key message usually aligns with the way our eyes like to see them visually!

The 3 by 3 design principle may seem confusing at first, but once you’ve understood how to use it, you can literally take your presentation design skills a few notches above the rest!

Using 3X3 Grids to Properly Layout Content on your Slides

how to make great google slide presentations

The interesting thing is, you can take the same principle to make it work with elements apart from the images that are present on your slide. And, the results are just amazing!

The picture above shows how most people design their slides (on the left). However, you can literally transform the way your slides look by applying the concept of 3×3 grids to any existing content on the slides! (as shown on the right part of the picture above)

Here’s another video that explains how this concept of 3 by 3 grids can be used to take any existing slides and make them better (if they aren’t properly organized).

8. Use Powerful Images

They say – “An image speaks a thousand words!”. This absolutely holds true when it comes to big impact presentation!

If you recollect any one of the top presentations from Steve Jobs. His presentation was almost always using powerful images with very few words on them.

Using images, as opposed to a lot of text, on your presentation has a few advantages of its own –

  • Visual Appeal – Using images makes the slide visually appealing. Think about it – if there aren’t too many objects placed on the slide, the chances of making design related mistakes are also far lower!
  • Emotional Connect – Using images creates a subtle emotional connect in the minds of the audience with the topic of the presentation and/or the presenter.
  • Audience Focus – When you use text on a presentation, often the audience just reads the text and doens’t want to listen to the presenter. Instead, when using the images, you control the focus of the attention of your audience. Once you have their attention, making a presentation impactful is a lot easier!
  • Faster Design Process – In most cases, it is faster to find an image and add it to the presentation rather than think of a way to design a slide to communicate a concept. This is especially true if you have only basic design skills.

If you watch some of the most famous TED or TEDx presentations ( know the difference between TED and TEDx presentations here ), it is quite common to see presenters using high-impact images with text. Ever wonder why is it so?

Well, one of the most important reasons is that you are able to control the attention of the audience!

Now, if you are wondering how to find images for your presentation, keep reading as I’ve got some great recommendations for add-ons later in the article!

9. Keep the Text on the Slide Readable

If using images for most slides is not the way for you, then this section is going to be quite important!

In fact, even if you do plan to use just images on your slides, there may still be a few slides where you will need to have some text. If so, make sure that the text on the slide is readable!

Make sure that you don’t use text that is too small to read.

As a general rule – the further the audience is going to be away from the screen, the larger the size of the text!

Here’s what to remember for the size of the text on the slides –

  • Presentation seen on a computer screen – If the presentation that you are designing is going to be seen on a computer screen (either over an email or a zoom call), then make sure that the font size used for the presentation is not less than 16 points .
  • Presentation seen on a large screen – If the presentation is going to be delivered in an auditorium, then it is recommended to use a font size no less than 30 points . For the rest of the situations, anything in between should be fine!

Also, make sure that you don’t use too much text on the same slide. Remember – you only need to cover one key topic on one slide.

It is totally okay to just use one word in the middle of the slide, and talk about that topic rather than using text from a complete word document on a slide!

If your audience will have to squint to read what is written, it just creates a bad user experience and they quickly lose interest.

Also, for the above reason, don’t include everything on the slide that you plan to say! If you do so, you may come across as a person who is just reading from the slide! Most importantly, the audience is going to end up reading the text from the slide faster than you speak, and end up losing interest in the presentation!

10. Ditch the Bullet Points (Use Infographics Instead!)

Using bullet points on a presentation is so 1990s! It’s just not the way good presentations are given anymore!

If you want your presentation design to look good, make sure that you get rid of bullet points. Instead, you can either use images, icons, or even infographics!

I’ve written an entire article on how to use infographics in Google Slides where I also talk about SmartArt and charts in Google Slides. Make sure you check out that article!

There are a ton of different ways in which you get infographics for Google Slides. I’ve talked about that also in the same article that I’ve linked above.

Likewise, you can also use icons instead of bullet points. Although adding icons to Google Slides is not an option that is available by default, there are a few ways you can work around this problem. For instance, you can use an add-on like “Flaticon” that provides free icons for Google Slides!

If you are wondering how to create a slide with bullet points and use icons or other methods, here’s a good example of an actual client slide that I redesigned –

how to make great google slide presentations

As you can see on the image, simply using icons and structuring the text to give proper hierarchy to the information can make all the difference to the design of the slide!

In case you don’t want to use icons, you can also use numbers with circles, and use a similar design instead of just adding bullets to your presentation. If you do so, your presentation will still look good!

11. Avoid Using Just Table or a Graph

The next tip to remember is to avoid using just a table or a graph on a slide. Make sure that you also include a few points that act as key takeaways from the information that you provide.

Using just a table will present a lot of information on a single slide. This will definitely cause an information overload. And, even though your audience may be able to assess what is being presented to them, it is important to either highlight key pieces of information in the table or a graph.

Alternatively, you can also add a couple of lines of text indicating the key learnings from the data set.

Don’t get me wrong, it is important to have data sets on a presentation if you have one! But, just make sure that you also highlight key pieces of information that your audience should pay attention to.

12. Keep Animations and Transitions Subtle

Another design tip that you should keep in mind is the use of animations and transitions in Google Slides.

You want to make sure when using animations in Google Slides , you don’t add any funny movements. Think old school when using animations and transitions in your presentation.

Any additional movement or sudden transitions can distract the attention of the audience from the core topic and the messaging of the presentation.

So, make sure that you keep the use of such animations or transitions to the minimal!

13. Use Professional Google Slides Templates

If you find that the free template doesn’t have enough slide layouts for your presentation or doesn’t really fit the topic of your presentation, you may want to consider using professional templates!

There are a ton of different ways you can get templates for Google Slides. Unfortunately, most of the free options (and even most paid options) have outdated designs!

My personal favorite method for getting amazing Google Slides presentation templates is using Envato Elements .

how to make great google slide presentations

The best part about using Envato Elements is that not only does it provide you with the best-in-class designs for your templates, but it also provides you with an option to download an unlimited number of presentations! (yes, you hear that right!)

Moreover, the pricing of Envato Elements is also really affordable! All you need to do is click on Envato Elements to visit the website, view the templates, and click on the “ Get Unlimited Downloads ” button on the top.

You will be prompted to sign up and pay a subscription. Just go for a monthly subscription and pay for one month (You can easily remove the payment method and cancel your subscription anytime).

Once you’ve logged in, simply cancel your subscription. Your subscription will be valid until the next date of renewal even if you cancel it.

Now, for the one month that you’ve paid, feel free to download all the templates that you like including templates for Google Slides, and PowerPoint!

14. Use Add-ons for Faster and Better Designs

One of the challenges with Google Slides, as opposed to some of the most reliable presentation design software, is the limited number of features it offers.

I suppose we should not really be complaining about it given that we do get a great presentation design application for free along with several additional advantages with Google Slides ! That said, you do feel the need for a few pro-features that PowerPoint has to offer.

However, one way to fix this problem is to use add-ons with Google Slides!

Using add-ons allows you to use third-party tools and bring additional functionalities to your Google Slides presentation!

Add-ons on Google Slides are easy to add. Simply go to the Google Marketplace, and search for the add-on that you would like to add. Install it, and you are done!

Check out my complete guide on using Add-ons on Google Slides where I not only talk about how to use add-ons in Google Slides, but I also provide you with my personal favorite top 5 recommendations of add-ons that you should be using in Google Slides!

15. Hire a Professional

Well, the last tip is not so much as a tool that you can use on Google Slides. But, it is a great hack to ensure that you create great presentation designs!

Simply hire a professional to do the design work for you! You may be wondering that hiring a presentation professional might be difficult. However, that is not the case.

You can easily find some really good presentation designers on Fiverr , and you can start at as little as $5 to $10 dollars per slide! I’ve personally used freelancers from the site, and although finding a good freelancer may take you 15-20 minutes, you can easily outsource your work and let the designer worry about the rest!

The best part is – you don’t have to pay a single penny to hire a professional. You only pay to get the work done!

There are a ton of other platforms to hire professionals that can design a good presentation for you. However, I have found Fiverr (especially for presentation design work) and Upwork to be the most effective.

A Few Things to Remember When Delivering the Presentation

Once you have created an amazing Google Slides presentation, you are perhaps ready to deliver the presentation. However, I’d like to also share a couple of tips that can be helpful when you plan to give the presentation!

So, here they are –

1. Use a Presentation Remote

It doesn’t matter whether you are giving a presentation in an auditorium or online through Zoom or Microsoft Teams.

Using a presentation remote helps you keep your hands free and allows for free movement and hand gestures. This does help engage with your audience.

Check out my other article on using presentation clickers with Google Slides where I provide you with a few tips and recommendations on which remote you should go with.

2. Use the Q&A Tool in Google Slides

A unique feature that Google Slides provides is the Q&A tool. This is great especially if you are delivering a webinar-style presentation or if you are simply addressing a large gathering.

This tool allows your audience to send questions during the course of your presentation. Then, at the end, you can simply view the questions in the Q&A session and answer them one by one!

It is a great way to deliver an engaging presentation using Google Slides!

Credit to cookie_studio (on Freepik) for the featured image of this article (further edited).

how to make great google slide presentations

How To Make Google Slides Look Good [Complete 2024 Guide]

  • Last updated January 2, 2024

Making a standard presentation is easy, but knowing how to make Google Slides look good is an entirely different challenge. In my guide, I will show you how to make your Google Slides better , both functionally and aesthetically.

Keep reading to learn how to take your Google Slides presentation from good to great !

Table of Contents

1. Choose a Google Slides Theme

How to make Google Slides look good—theme slide

Themes ensure your presentation has visually consistent colors, fonts, sizes, and layouts. This goes a long way toward providing a professional and polished appearance, and it’s much easier for the audience to follow along.

  • Choose a theme that aligns with the tone and purpose of your presentation.
  • Ensure slides have a consistent set of colors, fonts, and layouts.
  • Select a visually appealing color scheme and legible font combination.

While you can handpick background color palettes, typefaces, and slide layouts, many of the best Google Slides templates are built into the program! In a blank presentation, you’ll find them on the right-hand side.

How to make Google Slides look good—blank presentation

Creating Your Own Google Slides Theme

It’s fairly straightforward to create your theme in Slides. Add whatever background color, images, shapes, and page formatting you prefer. Right-click your chosen slide and select “ Add to theme .”

Adding a personalized theme in Google Slides

Related : Don’t want to make one from scratch? I’ve got you covered with some of my favorite Google Slides templates  at the bottom of this article.

How To Import a Theme to Google Slides

  • Create a new presentation or open an existing one.

How to import themes to Google Slides—Where to find Themes tool

Note : Importing a theme into your presentation will impact all of your slides.  To revert to the previous version, use the “ Undo ” button by pressing the keyboard shortcut  Ctrl + Z  (on Windows) or use  Command + Z  (on Mac).

2. Choosing Color Schemes in Slides

A color scheme is one of the first things your audience will see, so it’s one of the most critical elements. Google Slides offers plenty of color options, including gradients  (which can be used for almost all the elements, including background, font, and shapes).

Use color theory principles  (like complementary colors) to create combinations that stand out for the right reason. Color psychology is also a great way to express emotions or convey messages purposefully:

  • Warm colors (e.g., red, orange, yellow) can express warmth, energy, or even a warning.
  • Cool colors (e.g., blue, green, purple) can represent relaxation, sophistication, or security.

Use Color to Make Sections Stand Out

Strategically use color to highlight essential elements (e.g., headings, critical data). To guide the audience’s attention:

  • Use vibrant shades that contrast the color scheme.
  • Assign specific colors to categories, sections, and team members.

Be Mindful of Contrast

Check that the text and background colors have enough contrast for better reading. The most readable combination is dark text on a light backdrop (or vice versa). In charts and graphs, use color to improve focus and understanding.

Note :  Avoid colors that can blend together or present difficulties for people with color blindness .

3. Choosing Text and Fonts

Your chosen font portrays information and dramatically improves your presentation’s overall aesthetic. If you’re trying to make a cool presentation on Google Slides, you’ve got a lot to consider!

Use Clear, Legible, and Easy-to-Read Fonts

Avoid overly decorative or ornate fonts because they can hinder readability (especially when projected on a larger screen). Stick to widely available and compatible fonts across devices like Arial, Georgia, or Open Sans.

Ensure Font Sizes, Weights, and Styles Stand out

Headings should stand out; supporting text should be smaller (or less emphasized). This is done to guide the audience’s attention and improve readability.

Note : While they can add visual interest, excessive use of font styles can be distracting and more challenging to read.

Complement Font Pairings

Select a combination of fonts  that contrast each other and create visual interest. Consider using online resources or font pairing tools for inspiration. We recommend sticking to a maximum of two to three fonts to prevent visual chaos.

Use Fonts That Align with Branding Guidelines

If your website uses a specific font and color scheme, incorporate them into your presentations to support the organization’s visual identity.

Align Text and Spacing

Align text and leave enough white space for a clean, organized look.

4. How to Add Word Art to Google Slides:

  • Select “ Insert ” > “ Word Art ” from the drop-down menu.

Where is Word Art in Google Slides

  • Type your text, then press the “ Enter ” key on your keyboard.

How to add multiple lines of text in Word Art

There you have it! Your Word Art will now appear on your selected slide.

How to insert Word Art in Google Slides

Note: If you want to edit the font or color, click the Word Art, and a formatting box will pop up.

Word Art formatting box

5. How To Add Google Slides Transitions

You can ensure seamless transitions from slide to slide with a couple of clicks:

Google Slides transitions—How to add transitions

  • If you want to apply the selected transition to all slides in your presentation, click “ Apply to All Slides .”
  • Any transitions applied to skipped slides won’t play during the preview.
  • Click the “ Stop ” button when you’re finished.

How to apply a transition to all slides on Google Slides

Tip : You can configure your presentation to play automatically  using Google Slides’ automatic transitions. This removes the need to press the spacebar or click on the screen to trigger the next slide.

How Many Transitions Are Available in Google Slides?

At the time of writing, Google Slides offers seven built-in transitions . There is currently no option to add or download additional transitions.

6. How To Add Animations on Google Slides

Enhance the visual appeal of your slideshow by incorporating animations (i.e., effects that make elements move). They can be applied to almost every object, from images to tables to bullet points. Follow the steps below to add animations to your slides:

How to animate individual objects on Google Slides

  • You’ll notice that your selected object’s “ Animation Type ” is set to “ Appear .”

How to set animations for individual objects

  • Fade in : This transition introduces the object by gradually fading it in.

A sample of the fade in animation in Google Slides

  • Fly in from left/right or top/bottom : The object flies into the slide from one side.

A sample of the fly in animation in Google Slides

  • Zoom in : The object starts small and slowly increases in size.

Under “ Animation Type ,” you’ll see the “ Start Condition ” drop-down. Open it to select whether the animation should play upon clicking a slide, with the previous animation, or after the previous animation.

How to set the start condition of an animation

Note: The start conditions “With Previous” and “After Previous”  will only work if there is another animated object immediately before your selected object .

How to adjust the speed of animations

  • Click on the “ Play ” button to preview your animation(s).
  • Click the “ Stop ” button to end the preview and continue working on your slideshow.

Related : Google Slides vs. PowerPoint: Which Program Is Better?

Tips for Using Transitions & Animations

We recommend using these effects sparingly to emphasize essential elements or facilitate the flow of information. Avoid using them solely for decorative purposes.

Pick Subtle and Smooth Transitions

Flashy or distracting effects can overshadow your content. Your goal is to provide a seamless flow between slides. Try a simple fade or slide transition.

Adjust the Timing and Duration

Transitions shouldn’t be too fast or slow. Aim for a natural pace that allows the audience to follow along comfortably.

Highlight Specific Elements Within a Slide

Selectively animating text, images, or charts can emphasize critical points (or reveal information) in a controlled manner. Avoid excessive animation that appears gimmicky or distracting.

Be Consistent

Choose a specific transition style or animation effect — then stick to it. This will help you avoid distractions and inconsistencies.

7. Using Images and Videos

Images and videos on a Google slide

Adding images and videos to slides can greatly enhance visual appeal and engage your audience. Here are some points to consider when choosing an image:

  • Choose images that are relevant to your content.
  • Use high-quality images that are clear, crisp, and well-composed.
  • Use images that evoke emotions or illustrate concepts.
  • Strike a balance between text and images on your slides.
  • Consider using images as slide backgrounds.
  • Adjust transparency or apply overlays to maintain readability.
  • Experiment with image formatting options (e.g., cropping, resizing, transparency, brightness).

8. How To Include Infographics in Google Slides

Infographics on a Google Slide

Infographics in a presentation can communicate complex information effectively. Use the drawing feature in Google Slides to make attractive and informative infographics. Keep these points in mind when using infographics:

  • Keep your infographics clean and basic.
  • Choose from bar charts, pie charts, line graphs, timelines, flowcharts, maps, and diagrams.
  • Avoid overwhelming your audience: Use limited details, succinct labeling, and clear graphics.
  • Use custom colors, typefaces, and visual styles to reflect your presentation or company identity.
  • Highlight the most significant facts or data.
  • Make sure infographic details are simple to read and understand.

How Can Poor Design Affect A Presentation?

Your presentation could be significantly impacted if you haven’t learned how to make Google Slides look professional. Here’s why:

Lack of Clarity

Poor aesthetics often make it more difficult for the audience to grasp — or focus on — details. Avoid cluttered or crowded presentations, imprecise typefaces, and insufficient color contrast. Key points might be missed, or the audience may get distracted.

Unprofessionalism

A disorganized presentation might give the appearance of being unprofessional, affecting the presenter’s credibility.

Poor Readability

Small fonts, poor contrast, and ornamental typefaces can strain the eyes and make it difficult to follow a presentation.

Lack of Visual Appeal

A presentation with a dull or unappealing design may fail to catch attention (and make the material less memorable).

9. A Few of My Favorite Google Slides Templates

If you’re not interested in using stock templates (let alone creating your own), I’ve got you covered with these slick presentations:

Ganymede Template

Ganymede—Dark-colored title slide in a presentation template

The Ganymede template offers a modern style with bold text for extra impact. Whether you aim to make a lasting impression with your pitch deck — or simply want to use colors that align with your brand — this template suits your needs.

Access Template

Dynamic Business Template

Green-and-white title slide in a presentation template

An effective project management report is characterized by clarity, and your color scheme plays a significant role. I love the streamlined theme of this Google Slides template and appreciate that a blank timeline chart, roadmap diagram, and funnel are included for incredible customization.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make google slides vertical.

You can make Google Slides vertical  by following simple steps:

  • Open a new or existing presentation.
  • Click the “ File ” button to open a drop-down menu.
  • Click the “ Page setup ” option.
  • Select the “ Custom ” option and set your desired size (width and height)
  • Hit “ Apply ” to save the changes.

Can You Do Hanging Indent in Google Slides?

Yes. There are three methods to do hanging indent in Google Slides:

  • The ruler (blur triangle) along the top to position your hanging indent.
  • The keyboard Tab key for quick indentation adjustments.
  • Select “ Text Fitting ”> “ Indention ” > “ Hanging ” > “ First line indent ” > “ Hanging indent ” to the desired amount.

Are There More Google Slides Templates?

Yes. There are many free Google Slides templates out there. Here are ten additional templates  for you to use.

Bottom Line

Any presentation’s goal is to keep the audience’s attention, and you can do that with a balance between aesthetics and practicality.

I hope I’ve helped you learn how to make your Google Slides look good, express your message, and captivate your audience. If you need more assistance, Spreadsheet Point’s premium Google Slides templates  can take the pressure off you. When you use the code SSP, you’ll get 50% off !

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  • How To Download Google Slides [Step-by-Step Guide]
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How to Make Google Slides Look Good And Add a Touch of Finesse?

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By Nikolay Kaloyanov

in How-To Tutorials

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How to make Google Slides Look Good

From ancient times to today, people have been obsessed with beauty. People have adored art, whether we talk about cave drawings or Renaissance art. Our nature has remained the same – only the means have changed.

Regardless of the presentation software you use, a top-notch performance is about three key details: a confident speaker, helpful content, and great design. And while many people aim to add tons of information and become exceptional orators, many presenters overlook visual elements for some reason.

In this article, we will see how to make Google Slides look good and what is the benefit of adding design elements.

Article overview:

1. Why should you make your Google Slides visually appealing 2. What are the benefits of stunning Google Slides presentations? 3. How to Make Google Slides Look Good?

1. How can poor design affect your presentation?

Your audience is exposed to a lot of information daily – news, social media feeds, videos, chats, etc. A brain has been so used to receiving lots of info daily that it filters out most of it. At the end of each day, you remember the brightest moments.

The same thing applies to presentations. If you have spent much effort delivering your presentation, you win points, and your idea might get “sold.” However, it would help if you had that extra bit of something – like a pinch of salt, to make the difference between a good presentation and an outstanding one.

Visually appearing presentations can have a profound effect on your audience. Imagine seeing the same person in the subway – on day one they wear an old jacket and dirty jeans, and they are dressed up a day later. If they come to you, asking for a small favor – when will you trust them more?

2. What are the benefits of stunning Google Slides presentations?

Whether you are a teacher, student, or business person, you want valid reasons to add graphic elements to your presentation. Modifying the themes in Google Slides , inserting shapes, and creating animations are all time-consuming. A couple of minutes here and there, and you have already spent hours on the presentation. But how do you compensate for this time? Let’s see what is the added value from making your Google Slides presentation more attractive.

✅ A better understanding of your concept  – Google Slides presentations have a main topic and sub-topics. If you organize your slides and make them more appealing, it will be easier for your audience to understand what you’re saying.

✅ Data visualization  – in most presentations, the main focus is on 2-3 slides that contain data. Proper data visualization can convince your audience and sell your ideas.

✅ More confidence – just like formal clothes, good-looking presentations give that extra confidence in speakers required to perform more assertively.

✅ Improved conversions  – while the term “conversion” might create associations with sales, it doesn’t have that purpose only. While for salespeople good presentation design could result in more products/services sold – students might convince their teachers they deserve an A+, and professors could keep their students hooked during the whole lecture.

3. How to Make Google Slides Look Good?

Google Slides offers a lot of functions that could be utilized to make your presentation look better. Below, you can find eight tips and tricks to improve your design and grab the audience.

3.1. Use presentation templates

Time is money. While you can optimize your presentation design every single time you create a new presentation, it is extremely time-wasting. Doing the same thing over and over again is not a viable strategy. This is where templates come into place. Instead of doing everything from scratch, you have a ready-made backbone, and your task is to enter your content and tweak the template a little bit, depending on the presentation.

Google Slides comes with 20+ default templates to choose from. You can then edit the colors from the Theme builder but that’s about it. You also have the option to customize each slide individually but remember – you should keep the consistency with the colors and the structure of the slide.

The last option is preferred by many. Instead of using a generic template, you can download a pre-made template mixed with some tweaks. There are plenty of free Google Slides templates. Of course, you can also buy paid templates which can be extremely useful if you carry out presentations frequently.

But no matter which ones you download – the paid or the free templates, you should know that they have been created by designers, so you should only change minor details. There’s no need to worry about font compatibility, color contrast, and other details which would otherwise be hard to manage.

3.2. Choose the right colors

Choose the right colors for Google Slides presentation

The Color Theory is applicable in any area of our lives. Your Google Slides presentation makes no difference. Depending on the topic you are presenting, you need to select your colors carefully. If you offer a banking product, you might want to use light blue background combined with red and white. For presentations about nature and biology, using green and brown as more earthy colors will be a good idea.

Don’t forget to play with the font colors, too. For presentations with darker backgrounds, fonts have to be light and have bright accents. If you have a very light background, you have to make your text darker and bolder.

Colors are a substantial part of branding. If you have a Google Slides presentation and you want to showcase your branded goods, you might want to use the brand colors, as to highlight your product and add more value to it.

3.3. Pay attention to fonts

Choose the right fonts for Google Slides presentation

The fonts you pick will set the tone of your presentation. There are many things to consider when adding fonts. Make sure your topic matches the seriousness of the fonts – for more formal presentations (like medical presentations), you have to use more formal fonts – like Roboto, Arial, Helvetica Neue, and Garamond. You can easily add some of the best free fonts to your Google Slides presentation .

You need to focus on one critical detail, though – it’s not a good idea to use more than 2-3 fonts in your presentation. If you break this rule, you risk distracting your audience. Also, you need to be consistent with your choice of fonts – picking fonts that are either too similar (lack of visual hierarchy) or too different is a big blunder.

A quick tip : If you don’t know which fonts to choose, you can select fonts from the same family or combine one serif for the title text and a sans-serif for the standard text.

3.4. Add transitions

Add transitions to Google Slides presentation

Knowing how to make Google Slides look good is important. So are the transitions. Finding the right balance between adding too much and having none is fundamental. Also, try to use a maximum of 1 transition per slide. It’s a good practice to set the same effect on all slides, as to keep consistency.

It will not be a bad idea if you avoid using Cube and Gallery transitions. They are a bit too overwhelming. You can also use object animations. They are quite useful if you have an important chart to show, as they can attract your audience’s attention.

3.5. Use infographics

Use infographics and data visualization in Google Slides presentation

Infographics (a combination of information + graphics) are a great way to make data more accessible to your audience. They are visual representations of necessary facts you would like to share with your audience and are a much-preferred way to present information more clearly.

Instead of explaining the details and having a slide with two long paragraphs where people get lost, creating a simple radial chart in Google Slides and displaying it in front of the others, for example,  might better convey your message.

But infographics are not limited to charts. You can display all types of data – process steps, historical values, etc. Ensure you have the right infographic for your information. If you discuss the project scope, you might want to visualize it with a Gantt chart or step-by-step infographic. A pie helps show a percentage of the whole. And be careful – even if you come up with a good infographic design, you need to create a legend so that people can understand it.

If you need infographics, you can check our collection of 500+ infographics compatible with Google Slides (including freebies).

3.6 Embed videos

Embed videos in Google Slides presentation

In one of our previous guides, we showed you how to embed videos in Google Slides . Both Millennial and Gen Z audiences consume a lot of video content. As a result, you can create a lasting impression on them by adding useful videos to your topic. The good news is you can edit the videos, so they can watch the part which is most relevant to the slide topic. It’s not a good idea to stream more than 2 minutes per slide, as you will lose your impact as a speaker. Also, don’t show more than 3 videos per presentation, as videos aim to support you, rather than be the main source of content.

As both YouTube and Slides are part of Google, it’s elementary to add videos from the video streaming platform directly. If, however, your want to add videos that aren’t uploaded on YouTube, you simply have to download them (Vimeo has such an option) and implement them through Google Drive.

3.7. Add GIFs

GIFs are the perfect mix between single-frame images and videos. With them, you can catch your audience’s attention on particular details from your presentation. GIFs are one of the cool things you can do with Google Slides. Since a GIF is practically an image, you can add them easily – by URL or from your computer. You can check one of our articles about free GIFs for presentations .

GIFs find great application in pinpointing certain phrases or infographics that readers should pay attention to. You can also create a GIF to make a demo of how something works, so it can be utilized in tutorials. But GIFs should be used moderately. Abusing these visuals will result in diminishing returns – the audience will get distracted and the GIFs won’t be able to fulfill their goal.

Regarding memes, you’d better not use them. While a positive impact is possible, the chances are that you will most probably make your presentation less serious and change the topic of the whole presentation.

3.8. Add 3D shapes

Use 3D shapes in Google Slides

Design is design – whether we speak about presentation design or UX design. Making your Google slides aesthetic brings a lot of added value but you should know that trends are changing, and coming up with dated designs will not make a good impression. And speaking of trends – 3D shapes are an inevitable part of modern design, a 3D image might be more relevant and easily understood than a simple 2D drawing, especially if the presentation is about architecture and engineering.

Currently, Google Slides doesn’t have its own 3D shapes and charts, but you can easily add one from external sources – you can use your computer (if you have it there), a URL address, or if the image is shared with you in Google Drive.

You should learn how to make Google Slides look good, as your audience is demanding – people want to hear someone who is confident in presenting something which is visually attractive. If you manage to use Google Slides to your advantage, you can come up with outstanding presentation designs and enjoy the deserved applause at the end.

If you found our post useful, you can also take a look at our collection of Google Slides tutorials , or browse some of these:

  • How to Calm Down Before a Presentation: 10 Practical Tips and Techniques
  • How to Start and End a Presentation: 10 Practical Tips to Grab Attention and Make an Impact
  • 20 Google Slides Tips to spice up your Presentations

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Nikolay Kaloyanov

Nikolay is a copywriter with vast experience in Technology, Marketing, and Design. When he isn't playing with words and crafting texts, he watches sports and asks questions. He is a funny person...until you put him on a diet.

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How-To Geek

The beginner's guide to google slides.

Want to learn the basics about Google Slides? This beginner's guide walks you through everything from importing your PowerPoint files to sharing presentations online.

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What is google slides, how to sign up for an account, how to create a blank presentation, how to import a microsoft powerpoint presentation, how to check your spelling in google slides, how to collaborate on presentations, how to see all recent changes to a presentation, how to link to a specific slide, how to insert special characters into a slide, how to use google slides offline.

If you’re just getting started with Google Slides, its extensive features and add-ons can be a little overwhelming. Here are some tips to help you get going with this powerful alternative to Microsoft PowerPoint.

If you’ve heard of Google Slides before, feel free to skip ahead; if you haven't, here’s a crash course on what you need to know. We’ll go over the basics and get you brushed up on what Google Slides is and how you can get started right away.

Slides is a free, web-based presentation program designed to compete with Microsoft Office PowerPoint. It's part of G Suite---Google's complete office suite (though some people refer to it all as Google Docs). The other main services included in the cloud-based suite are Sheets (Excel) and Docs (Word).

Related: What is Google Workspace, Anyway?

Google Slides is available on all devices and platforms; all you need is an internet connection and a web browser (or, in the case of mobile, the Android and iOS apps ). Google does the rest and handles the brunt of the heavy lifting, while it runs the software in the cloud.

Slides supports several file types, including  .ppt, .pptx , .odp, .jpg, .svg, and .pdf. This makes it easy to view or convert Microsoft Office files directly from Google Drive or insert images directly into a slide.

Related: What Is a PPTX File (and How Do I Open One)?

And since Slides is an online presentation program, you can share and collaborate with multiple people on the same file, and track revisions, changes, and suggestions, all in real-time.

Have you heard enough? Let’s get started.

Before you can use Google Slides, you have to sign up for a Google account (an @gmail account). If you already have one, feel free to move on to the next section. If not, we’ll go over the simplest way to create a Google account and get you set up with Slides.

Head over to  accounts.google.com , click "Create Account," and then click "For Myself."

On the next page, you provide some information---first and last name, username, and password---to create your account.

Also, you have to verify your phone number, so Google can make sure you’re not a bot.

After you verify your phone number, the subsequent pages require you to provide a recovery email address and your date of birth and gender. You must also agree to the privacy statement and terms of service. After that, you’re the proud new owner of a Google account.

Now that you have a Google account, it’s time to create your first presentation. Head over to  Google Slides  and place the cursor on the multicolored "+" icon in the bottom-right corner.

The + turns into a black pencil icon; click it.

Pro Tip: Type 

 into the address bar from any browser and hit Enter to automatically create and open a new blank document.

Even if you’re new to Google Slides, you might already have a collection of Microsoft PowerPoint files you’d like to be able to use. If that’s the case, then you have to  upload all your presentations  before you can view them. While it might not support some of the more advanced features and effects of some PowerPoint presentations, it works pretty well.

When you import a PowerPoint presentation, you can use either Google Slides or  Drive  to upload your files. Both methods let you drag and drop a file from your computer directly into the web browser for easy uploads. Your Drive houses all of your uploaded files, but---for the sake of convenience---when you go to the Slides homepage, it only shows you presentation-type files.

From the Slides homepage, click the folder icon in the top right, and then click the "Upload" tab. Now, drag and drop any files you want to upload directly into this window.

Once the file uploads, Slides opens it automatically, and it's ready for you to edit, share, or collaborate.

To open a PowerPoint presentation that you want to edit, click the filename with the "P" next to it from your Google Slides homepage.

Click to either view the PowerPoint file or edit it in Slides.

After you’ve finished editing your file, you can download and export your presentation back into a Microsoft PowerPoint format. Just go to File > Download As, and then click the "Microsoft PowerPoint" option.

If you’d rather download your presentation as a PDF, ODP, JPEG, TXT, etc., you can do that here, as well.

Related: How to Import a PowerPoint Presentation into Google Slides

Now that you have a few presentations, it’s time to make sure your  spelling and grammar are correct . Slides is equipped with a spellchecker. If you misspell something, it underlines the error with a squiggly line and prompts you to make a change.

This should be on by default, but you can make sure in Tools > Spelling > Underline Errors.

To see spelling corrections and suggestions, right-click the word with the line underneath. Alternatively, press Ctrl+Alt+X (Windows) or Command+Alt+X (Mac) to open the Spell Check and Grammar tool.

Along with a spellchecker, Google Slides comes loaded with a built-in dictionary and thesaurus. To use them, highlight a word, right-click it, and then click "Define [word]."

While this should get you started, we have  a deeper dive into Google’s spelling and grammar checker  if you want more info.

Related: How to Check Your Spelling in Google Docs

One of the best features of Google Slides is its ability to  generate a shareable link.  Anyone you share the link with can view, suggest edits to, or directly edit the presentation. This eliminates the hassle of sending a file back and forth between collaborators. Each person has her own text entry cursor to use on her computer.

To do this, click the orange "Share" button in the file you want to share. Next, choose how and with whom you want to send a link to the file. You can type email addresses or click "Get Shareable Link" in the top corner to hand out the invitation yourself.

From the drop-down menu, you can select one of these options for what other users can do:

  • Off:  Sharing is disabled. If you’ve previously shared a link with others, it will no longer work and revokes any permissions they once had.
  • Anyone with the link can edit:  Gives the shared users full read/write access. They still can’t delete it from your Drive, though---this is just for the contents of the file.
  • Anyone with the link can comment:  Allows shared users to leave comments which is handy for team projects.
  • Anyone with the link can view : Shared users can view the file, but can’t edit it in any way. This is the default action when you share a file, and it's the best option if you’re trying to share a file for download.

You can do a lot more with these shareable links, as they also work with other Drive files and on mobile. For a deeper look at how links work and how to generate them,  check out our post .

Related: How to Create Shareable Download Links for Files on Google Drive

When you share documents with others, it’s difficult to keep track of all the small changes that happen if you’re not present. For that, there’s  revision history . Google keeps track of all the changes that occur in a document and groups them into periods to reduce clutter. You can even revert a file to any of the previous versions listed in the history with a click of your mouse.

You can view a list of all recent changes by clicking File > Version History > See Version History. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+H (Command+Option+Shift+H on Mac).

Related: How to See Recent Changes to Your Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides File

You can also share a link to a specific slide in your presentation with a friend or coworker, without having to mention which one you're referencing. When someone clicks the link and the presentation loads, it jumps directly to the slide you're referencing. You do have to enable file sharing before you can link to a specific slide in your presentation, though.

Because each slide has a unique URL, all you have to do to link to one is click it in the left pane, and then copy the URL from the address bar.

Google Slides also has a character insertion tool. This allows you to insert special characters into your presentation without having to remember any Alt-codes. There are tons of symbols, characters, languages, and so much more. So, whether you want an arrow, different language scripts, or if you just want a few silly emojis to spruce up your presentation, Google Slides makes it easy to include them.

To open the character insertion tool, click "Insert," and then click "Special Characters."

From here, you can manually search for specific characters with the drop-down menus.

Use the search bar to find a specific character or emoji.

You can also use your drawing skills to search.

Related: How to Insert Symbols into Google Docs and Slides

What happens if you need to access Google Slides but don’t have an internet connection? Although Slides is a web-based product, that  doesn’t mean you can’t use it offline . Any changes you make to the file offline will update the next time you connect to the internet. First, download the extension for Chrome.

To enable a presentation for offline use, go to the Google Slides’ homepage and, in the top-left corner, click the Hamburger menu > Settings. Once here, toggle "Offline" to the On position, and then click "OK."

To save storage space on your local machine, Google only downloads and makes the most recently accessed files available offline. To manually enable a file, click the three dots icon, and then toggle "Available Offline" to On.

Related: How to Use Google Docs Offline

Google Slides is a powerful, feature-rich alternative to Microsoft Office's PowerPoint. It's also completely free to use with an internet connection and a Google Account, making it a legitimate competitor for Microsoft.

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How to Create a Presentation Using Google Slides

Last Updated: November 30, 2023

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 17 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 237,308 times. Learn more...

This tutorial will show you how to make a PowerPoint-like presentation using Google Slides. Presentations can be used for school, business, and so much more.

Step 1 Go to Google's home page and click on the grid in the upper right hand corner.

  • You can also just type in https://slides.google.com , log in if you haven't already, and will be taken to the Slides page.
  • If you don't have a Google account, learn to create one now!

Step 2 From your Drive, click the blue New button on the left side of the page.

  • For more options, hover over the arrow on the right edge of the Google Slides option, where a smaller drop-down menu will appear. From here you can select to create a presentation from a template or a blank slide.

Step 3 If you are on the slides page, select an option from the top of the page to create a new slide.

  • Be sure to add a title and subtitle by clicking where you are prompted to add text.

Step 5 Add new slides.

  • You can also change a pre-existing slide's layout by clicking the layout option on the upper editing bar.

Step 6 Insert images.

  • As you add animations to each element by clicking the blue "+ Select an object to animate", they will begin to pile up. Click on each one to edit it.
  • Change the transition from slide to slide by clicking the default "Slide: No transition" at the top of the sidebar. You can choose whether to apply to all slides or just one.
  • Preview your animations by clicking Play at the bottom of the sidebar.
  • Remove an animation by clicking the small x on its rectangle, and drag each animation up or down to change the order.

Step 9 When you are done editing, press the share button to edit permissions for your presentation.

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  • If you have a pop-up blocker, make sure to disable it so Slides can work properly. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • Hover over each tool to see its keyboard shortcut and function. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • Remember, these are the basic functions- Google Slides contains many more tools that you can work with as you explore the creator. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

how to make great google slide presentations

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About This Article

To create a new Google Slides presentation, open a web browser and go to Slides.Google.com. If you want to start from a template, you can choose one from the template gallery. Otherwise, click "Blank" to create a new blank presentation. Your blank presentation starts with a single simple slide with space to enter a title and subtitle. You can personalize this slide, as well as other slides you add, by editing the placeholder text, as well as choosing a slide theme from the panel to the right. To insert another slide, click the "Insert" menu and select "New Slide," or press "Control M" for a quick keyboard shortcut. You'll also find other things you can add to your slide on the Insert menu, including the option to add an image, a text box for typing, videos, shapes, charts, and other features. After adding a new slide, click the "Layout" menu to choose a slide layout—you can give each slide its own layout or reuse the same layout as much as necessary. Edit the placeholder text, and then insert objects from the Insert menu. To move an object, click the arrow in the toolbar, hover the mouse cursor around the object's border line until it turns to a 4-point arrow, and then click and drag it. Each slide you add will have a thumbnail in the left panel—click a slide's thumbnail to open that slide for editing. To see your presentation as a viewer would, click your first slide in the left panel, and then click "Present" at the top corner. Click the Escape key to go back to editing. Google Slides also has some built-in effects you can access from the "Transition" menu—here you can animate a slide's transition into the next slide, as well as animate individual objects. To apply an effect, background, theme, layout, or any other setting to more than one slide at once, select the slides in the left panel by holding down the Control key as you click each thumbnail. Your presentation will automatically save to your Google Drive as you work—type a name for the presentation in the top-left corner so you can easily find the file when you need it. Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Tips for great presentations

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how to make great google slide presentations

Get a jump start with templates

Whether you're creating a template that your team can reuse or keeping your external branding consistent, use templates to help your presentations look sharp and professional.

how to make great google slide presentations

Use a template from the Template Gallery

  • On your computer, go to Google Docs , Sheets , Slides ,  Forms , or Sites .
  • At the top right , click Template Gallery .
  • Click the template you want to use.
  • A copy of the template opens.

Tip: If the template you choose has "Add-on" next to it, you may have to install an add-on to use it. Learn more about add-ons .

Learn more at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

Use a template with your organization's branding

  • On your computer, open a presentation in Google Slides .

how to make great google slide presentations

  • At right, click the template you want to use.

Note: The Templates option appears only if your administrator makes organization-branded slides available.

Use Theme builder to create template slides

Want to keep a consistent theme throughout your presentation? Use the Theme builder editor in Google Slides to create templates slides. You can change the background, theme, layout, and more for all your slides.

  • Add your company logo or other branding to each slide.
  • Keep text size and color consistent.
  • Create unique layouts that you can reuse.
  • Go to Slides .
  • Open an existing presentation.

how to make great google slide presentations

  • (Optional) To rename your presentation, click Untitled presentation and enter a new name.

and then

  • (Optional) To choose an existing theme, on the right, select a theme.
  • From the toolbar, choose options to customize the template.

how to make great google slide presentations

Import themes from other presentations

See a presentation with a theme you like? Need consistent styles and branding across all your team's presentations? Instead of creating your slides or themes from scratch, import them using Google Slides.

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Import a theme from another presentation

Important:  Your imported theme must be from an existing Google Slides or PowerPoint presentation. You can also use your own image as the background for the entire presentation . 

  • On your computer, open a presentation in Google Slides. 

how to make great google slide presentations

  • In the bottom right, click  Import theme.
  • Double-click the presentation you want to use. 
  • Click the theme you want. 
  • Click  Import theme.

Import slides from another presentation

  • Open a presentation.
  • Choose a presentation from Drive or choose a presentation to upload from your computer.
  • Click Select .
  • Click the slides in the presentation you’d like to import. Use the Select Slides: All option to quickly select all slides.
  • Check the Keep original theme box if you want to import the slides unmodified. Uncheck the box if you want the slides to fit into the look of your new presentation.
  • Click Import slides .

Do more with add-ons and scripts

Use ready-made add-ons to do more with Gmail and Google Docs , Sheets , Slides , and Forms . You can also create your own scripts in any of the Docs editors with Google Apps Script .

  • Add Google Analytics to your spreadsheet.
  • Add a thesaurus to your document.
  • Add form responses in Docs to create a poll.
  • Add interactive questions to your presentation.
  • Manage sales and customer relationships directly in Gmail.
  • Add custom menus and windows with Google Apps Script.

Install an add-on

  • On your computer, open a document , spreadsheet , or presentation .

and then

  • Point to an add-on to find a short description. To find a full description, click the add-on.
  • For most add-ons, a message will appear requesting access to data that the add-on needs to work. Read the message, then click Allow .
  • After the add-on installs, click Done .

Create a script

  • In Docs , Sheets , Slides , or Forms , open a document, spreadsheet, presentation, or form.

how to make great google slide presentations

  • Create your script.

For help, see Overview of Google Apps Script .

how to make great google slide presentations

Analyze presentation data with charts

If your Slides presentation has a lot of data, help your audience easily visualize it by turning your information into charts. Just create a chart in Sheets and add it to your presentation. Your chart is linked to your Sheets data, so any changes you make to your data automatically update in your presentation.

Insert a chart.

Add a chart from Google Sheets to a presentation

  • On your computer, open a document or presentation in Google Docs or Google Slides .

and then

  • Click the spreadsheet with the chart you want to add, then click Select .
  • If you don't want the chart linked to the spreadsheet, uncheck "Link to spreadsheet."
  • Click Import .

Edit chart data from a slide

  • Click a chart or table to select it.

Down arrow

  • You can now change the original file.

Update your chart to the latest data

If you make a change in your spreadsheet, you might want to make sure your chart gets updated in your presentation

  • In the top right corner of the chart, table, or slide click Update .

Enhance your presentation with images

If you’re discussing complex processes in your presentation, use images to make your content easier to understand.

Insert an image.

Add an image to a presentation

  • On your computer, open a document or presentation in Google  Docs  or  Slides .
  • Upload from computer : Insert an image saved on your device.
  • Search the web : Search the web for an image.
  • GIFs and stickers: Insert a GIF or a sticker to your slide.
  • Drive : Use an image saved to your Google Drive.
  • Photos : Use an image from your Google Photos library.
  • By URL : Insert a link to your image or insert a .gif.
  • Click Insert or Open .

Learn how to add images in Sheets.

Add transitions and animations

Transitions make moving from one slide to the next a little more interesting, by fading or sliding into the next slide. Animations make shapes, images, or text boxes dynamic—they can fade in or out, appear and disappear, or fly in and out with the click of a button.

Animate text or images

  • Click the text or image you want to animate.

Add slide transitions

  • On the left, click the slide you want to transition to.

Change animations and transitions

  • Click the animation you want to change.
  • To change the speed of the animation, drag the slider.
  • To animate lists one line at a time, check the box next to "By paragraph."

Add flowcharts and diagrams

Flowcharts and diagrams make difficult concepts easy to understand. Create them right in your browser with Google Drawings , no software needed.

Create a flowchart, diagram, or other type of drawing

  • On your computer, open a document.
  • Click the drawing you want to insert. 
  • Click  Select .

Add your drawing to a presentation

The inserted drawing is linked to the original drawing.

  • To update the drawing— Click the drawing. In the top right, click Update .

Unlink

Add a diagram to your presentation

Important:  You can insert a diagram in any language that uses the Latin alphabet.

  • Go to the slide where you want to add the diagram.
  • Choose your style, number of levels, and template.
  • The diagram will get added to the slide. You can change it how you want.

Space table rows & columns evenly in Slides

In Google Slides, you can resize table rows and columns so that each one is evenly spaced.

how to make great google slide presentations

Evenly space table rows & columns in Slides

  • On your computer, open a document or presentation.
  • Right-click a table.
  • Click Distribute rows or Distribute columns .

Add text with your voice

Chrome Browser only, microphones required

You can type and edit by speaking in Google Docs or in Google Slides speaker notes. Anything you say turns into text.

  • On the go? Speak your notes, edits, and feedback to add them to documents.
  • Use voice commands to change font styles, add tables, insert links, and more.

Start voice typing in a document

  • Check that your microphone works.
  • Open a document in Google Docs with a Chrome browser.
  • When you're ready to speak, click the microphone.
  • Speak clearly, at a normal volume and pace (see below for more information on using punctuation).
  • When you're done, click the microphone again.

Start voice typing in Slides speaker notes

  • Open a presentation in Google Slides with a Chrome browser.

Change how text fits in placeholders and text boxes

When you’re entering text in a presentation, you can customize how text fits in placeholders and text boxes. For example, you can resize a placeholder to fit the amount of text you need. Or, size your text based on the size of a text box.

Customize how text fits in placeholders and text boxes

  • Select the placeholder or text box.
  • To allow text to exceed the placeholder or box, select Do not autofit .
  • To resize text based on the size of the placeholder or box, select Shrink text on overflow .
  • To resize the placeholder or box to fit the text, select Resize shape to fit text .

Customize default setting for new text boxes

You can change the setting for any new text boxes you create. Changing the setting will not affect any placeholders or boxes in templates.

  • Check the Use custom autofit preferences box.
  • Under Theme text placeholders and New text boxes , select Do not autofit , Shrink text on overflow , or Resize shape to fit text .

Update presentations on the go

Edit presentations on your mobile device with the Slides app . Whether you’re on the way to the airport or visiting a customer, it’s easy to update training modules, pitch decks, and more. Any changes you make automatically sync to all your devices, so you’re always up to date.

Use the Google Slides app

  • Open the Play Store .
  • In the top search bar, enter Google Slides .
  • Tap Install . The Google Slides app will appear on your Home screen.

Present to remote audiences

You can use Google Meet to show a Slides presentation and share links to reference materials using the built-in chat. If you're presenting in an office meeting room, use Companion mode when presenting from your laptop to avoid echo.

Control Slides presentations in Google Meet

If you’re using Google Meet on an eligible work or school account, you can control Google Slides presentations from within a Google Meet video meeting. You can also make other people in the video meeting co-presenters.

Important : To control a Google Slides presentation from a Google Meet video meeting, you must use a computer with a Chrome browser.

  • In a Chrome tab or window, open the Slides file you want to present.
  • In a different Chrome window, open Google Meet and join a video meeting.
  • You can either present from the Google Meet tab, or present directly from the Slides tab .
  • Select the tab with the Slides presentation, then click Share .
  • Important: You can only control a presentation in Google Meet when you're in slideshow mode.
  • Click to the next or previous slide with the arrow buttons.
  • Jump to a specific slide by clicking the slide number, and choosing from the list of slides.

Add a co-presenter

Remember key points with speaker notes

Presentations can be long, detailed, and complex. Make your talking points easier to recall by using speaker notes in Slides. If you have a lot of ground to cover, use the timer feature to make sure you keep your presentation on track.

View a presentation with speaker notes

  • Open a presentation in Google Slides .

how to make great google slide presentations

  • Click Presenter view .
  • Click Speaker notes .

Focus your audience's attention with a built-in laser pointer

Have a lot of detailed information in your presentation? Focus your audience’s attention on specific parts of your slides by using your mouse as a laser pointer. Help your audience know where to look and when.

Use other options when you're presenting

When you present, you can choose more options from the toolbar at the bottom of the presentation window:

  • Select slides to present from a list
  • Open "Presenter" view
  • Turn on laser pointer
  • Print the presentation
  • Download the presentation in PDF or PPTX format

Skip slides you don't want to show

You can skip slides you don't want to show to others when you're presenting. People you've shared the slide with will still be able to see the slide.

how to make great google slide presentations

  • At the left, right-click the slide or slides you want to skip.
  • Click Skip Slide .
  • Optional: To show a skipped slide, click Skip Slide  again.

Turn on closed captions

You can use automatic captions during your presentation to display your words in real time at the bottom of the screen.

Your computer microphone needs to be on and working and you need to be using Chrome. This feature is only available in U.S. English.

Learn how at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

Engage your audience with interactive Q&A sessions

Instead of giving a one-sided talk, get your audience involved by conducting a Q&A session right from Slides. Audience members can submit questions in real time and vote on them during the presentation. 

  • If you can’t get through everyone’s questions, just answer the questions with the highest audience votes.
  • Want to know what people are interested in before your presentation? Send your audience the presentation link first so they can submit questions before you present.
  • Encourage shy people to interact by submitting questions in real time, anonymously.

You can start a live Q&A session in your Google Slides presentation and present questions at any time. Viewers can ask questions from any device.

Start your Q&A and get questions from viewers

  • Open a Google Slides presentation.

how to make great google slide presentations

  • Click Presenter View .
  • To start a new session, click Start new .
  • To resume a recent session, click Continue recent .
  • Tip : Even if you don't turn off Q&A, the Q&A view closes shortly after you end your Google Slide presentation.

When you start the session, a short URL for the presentation shows up at the top of the slides as you're presenting. Viewers can enter the URL in their browser to submit a question. You'll see questions in the Presenter view window.

Display a question to viewers

Presenters can display audience questions in a presentation:

  • Under "Audience Tools," find a question to display.
  • To change the question, find a different question and click Present .
  • To hide the question, click Hide .

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Google Slides Tips and Tricks 2024: How to Make Google Slides Look Good?

Google Slides is a go-to tool for making outstanding presentations, thanks to its user-friendly interface, accessibility from anywhere, and easy collaborative options. It improves presentation skills regardless of whether you’re a working professional or a student. In addition, it is a great choice for teams that work remotely. Hence, you should consider learning how to make Google Slides look good.

Learning some quick and easy tips and tricks for Google Slides presentations can help you create, edit, and present more effectively. In this blog, you will discover how to make a good Google Slides presentation by incorporating tips and tricks to enhance the overall visual appeal of your presentations. So, let’s get started. 

What Are The Benefits Of Good Looking Google Slides? 

Benefits of good google slides

Several good reasons explain why making your Google Slides look good is crucial:

Increased engagement

Beautifully crafted to not only spark interest but retain a focus that will have your audience stay hooked right through your presentation. Well-designed slides can engage interest and maintain focus, which ensures increased information retention.

Enhances Professionalism

It shows professionalism. Well-prepared, this presentation points out your professionalism. It is proof of investing time and effort into producing a sleek, visually appealing deliverable, a factor speaking to the credibility and authority of your presentation.

Better Communication

Clear, visually attractive slides help you communicate your message to the audience. These may be pictures, graphs, or charts that draw the audience’s attention to certain points or explain difficult ideas.

Brand Representation

Google Slides ensures that your brand is consistently represented through common design elements like color schemes, fonts, or logos. That way, with the consistency in the Google Slides presentation and that of your brand’s visual guideline, an image of cohesion is portrayed, signaling professionalism. Hence, you should consider how to make Google Slides look good.

More Persuasive

Presenting your slides visually and aesthetically increases the perception and persuasiveness of your target audience. Research has shown that individuals are more likely to be persuaded by information that is presented with visual appeal. You can make slides attractive so that you have more persuasive power in presenting your ideas.

Competitive Advantage

Presentations are mostly used in academic, professional, and corporate worlds to display concepts, projects, or proposals being made, whether orally or in writing. When your presentation is visually compelling, you have a competitive advantage, and the decision-maker or stakeholder will remember you.

Create Your Presentation Outline First

Create google slides outline

The first and foremost step to making a good-looking Google Slides presentation is to plan it out. You should create an outline before actually creating your Google Slides presentation. How can you effectively design a presentation without thinking about what your slide will present? That’s why before discussing how to make Google Slides look good, we will see how to create an outline.

An outline of the presentation ensures that you include all the crucial elements and meeting agenda in your slides. It helps you clarify the goal of the meeting. It also saves time and makes the whole process more effective, as you already know what items to add to the presentation.

You need to think clearly about your discussion topic and meeting agenda to create an outline. A few things to consider while making the outline are as follows :

  • What are the objectives you want to achieve from this presentation?
  • Who is your audience?
  • What are the frequently asked questions?
  • How will you structure the content?

After you have listed all the required elements, you are ready to create the Google Slides presentation. Now, let’s discuss how to make your Google slides look cool.

How To Make Google Slides Look Good? 

Making good-looking presentations is crucial for effective presentation and to captivate your audience’s attention. Google Slides has various features that can be used to improve the appearance of your presentation. Here are a few Google Slides design tips and tricks to help you improve your visual elements and capture audience attention:

Choose Better Slides Layout

  • Add well-structured quality content
  • Pay attention to fonts
  • Select the right color

Mask Your Images Into Different Fun Shapes

  • Include animations and transitions
  • Use Infographics to present data 

Add a Q&A section to make your presentation interactive

Let’s look deep into each of these tips on how to make Google slide look good:

The most crucial aspect of making a good-looking presentation is its layout. Google Slides offers multiple layout options so you can better present your content. It provides placeholders for texts, images, and other elements where you can easily add your content. Choose a layout that best suits your presentation style and customize it according to your needs.

You can utilize the master slides tool. All you have to do is customize the master slide, and all the settings of your master slide will reflect in all the other slides. This master slide can help you change the backgrounds, themes, and placeholders of all your slides. It will save you time; you won’t have to edit each slide separately. Using the master Slides tool also ensures consistency throughout your Google Slides presentation.

Add well-structured & quality content

Include quality content

We all know content is the king. You can try all the hacks to make your Google slides look good, but they will not attract your audience unless the content is of good quality. Your content should have a clear hierarchy with headings and texts. Your audience should clearly understand what you are talking about. Keep your font size consistent. Well-structured content with a good flow of information always works.

Your slides should contain well-structured and formatted content. This means you have to present your content in a flow—start with the basics and then gradually discuss each section. This keeps your audience aligned with the presentation, and it’s easier for them to comprehend your point. 

How to make Google Slides look good using proper fonts?

  • Choose fonts that are easy to read, legible, and clear. You can also choose to add fonts to your presentation to improve your text.
  • Create a visual hierarchy by using various font sizes, weights, and styles. 
  • Make sure that essential headings and titles are more noticeable, and supporting material should be less stressed or smaller.
  • Predefine the font size based on the headers and in a single slide. To maintain consistency and avoid visual clutter, limit the number of typefaces you use to two or three.

READ MORE: How to Embed Fonts in PowerPoint?  

Select The Right Colors

  • Choose a consistent color scheme that goes well with your presentation. 
  • Apply the principles of color theory and vision sciences to produce pleasing pairings and recognize the psychological effects of various hues to use them to communicate messages.
  • Use colors to highlight crucial components, such as headlines, titles, critical information, or call-to-action options. 
  • Ensure sufficient contrast between the text and backdrop colors for reading. Dark text on a light background or vice versa makes for the best readable combination.

Add Images 

Add Images

A presentation with only text is dull, especially if it is lengthy. Too much text makes your presentation boring, and your audience might lose interest. The best way to keep your audience hooked is by using Images. Add Images that align with your content piece. The added images will enhance your presentation, and it will become easy for your audience to grasp the concept.

Your image should clearly portray the theme you are talking about. Even if users don’t read the text, they will still understand the topic just by looking at your images. You should add images at regular intervals to make your Google slides visually appealing. Ensure your images have a consistent visual style across your slides.

Reflect the Images

You can also use this feature for some of your images in Google Slides to make your presentation more creative and grab your audience’s attention. 

To apply this feature, select the image you want to reflect, go to the “Format” option, and choose the desired reflection. Click “Flip horizontally” or “Flip vertically” to reflect the image along the horizontal or vertical axis. You may adjust the size and transparency of your image.

Now we will discuss how to make Google Slides look good using shapes. Break free from the confines of square or rectangular images. Unleash your creativity by transforming your images into various PowerPoint shapes , arrows, callouts, or equations using Google Slides. Here’s how:

  • To access the hidden photo masking choices, click the image you wish to cover up on your Google Slides presentation.
  • Locate the ‘Mask picture’ option near the Crop symbol. It’s the tiny triangle button that you need to toggle. To reshape your image, choose the shape, arrow, callout, or equation you want to use. There are numerous shapes to choose from.
  • Using shapes, arrows, callouts, and inserting equations , you may alter images in Google Slides.

Feel free to try new things and explore your alternatives. Remember that you can permanently erase changes you make to Google Slides.

READ MORE: How to Make An Image Transparent in Google Slides?

Use Infographics to present data

Add Infographics to present data

Infpgraphcos combines information and graphics to help you present complex data easily. Infographics are suitable for showcasing diverse data, like process steps or historical values, not just paragraphs or charts. Even Google Slides offers a built-in feature to create infographics. 

You can create infographics by navigating to the Insert menu and selecting diagrams. From there, you can choose multiple templates, such as hierarchical charts or flowcharts . You can customize the infographic and add content and colors to suit your preferences.

 Use infographics templates , or make one yourself using graphical tools. Convert two long paragraphs into visually engaging bullet points in Google Slides presentation using infographics. 

How to make Google slides look good with Animations & Transitions?

Now, we will discuss how to make slides look good. Transitions and animations are some of the visual effects offered in Google Slides. These effects increase how the slides change from one to another and how elements in the slides either appear or move while making a presentation. These attributes make them livelier and more attractive.

Transitions

These assist in controlling how slides change from one to the other during the presentations. The transitions are the movements and effects to and from slides that set the stage for its movement from slide to slide. Some common effects include fades, slides, flips, and dissolves.

Google Slides offers different transition options that may be assigned to individual slides or even the whole presentation. Animations:

Slide animations help in adding movement and effects to text, pictures, shapes, and other elements of an individual slide. They can appear, disappear, or move from place to place on the slide. The users are able to add animations to individual elements and set the timing, duration, and effect details for those elements. Among those are entrance animations, exit animations, emphasis animations, and motion paths. Users may add animations to specific elements and set up their timing, duration, and effect by applying custom emphasis, exit, or entrance animation to the object.

Follow the below tips to learn how to make your Google slides look better by adding animations and transitions:

  • Choose smooth, unobtrusive slide animations and transitions. Avoid using distracting or flashy effects that might obscure your text.
  • Create visual links between slides for seamless flow using one transition. 
  • Adjust timing for a smooth pace of transition, enabling the audience to follow the progression of your slides smoothly.
  • Employ animations judiciously to emphasize essential points or reveal information by selecting animating text, photos, or charts.

Questions And Answers Slide

Let’s discuss how to make Google Slides look good by adding a Q&A section at the end. The best presentations are interactive in nature, where both parties engage—the presentation host and the audience. To fully engage your audience, you should add an O&A section at the end of your presentation. It will allow you to address and resolve your audience’s queries during the presentation. Allow your audience to ask questions and provide them with clear answers.

Google Slides Tips And Tricks

Getting well-versed with some of the most essential Google Slides tutorials and hacks is vital to making your presentation unique and appealing. Below are some of the most used Google Slide hacks and tricks:

  • Maintain consistency across slides
  • Insert images directly from Google Images
  • Add various Google Slides diagrams
  • Modify the slide master to make extensive changes
  • Embedding YouTube videos to Google Slides
  • Use Google Slides Templates

How to make Google Slides look good by Maintaining Consistency Across Slides?

Are you thinking about how to make your Google slides look cool? One of the easiest options is to maintain consistency in your slides. Consistency in Google Slides maintains professionalism, brand identity, and audience appeal. 

The consistency of design elements like font, color, or layout retains a professional outlook. At the same time, this is good for the audience because it does not put extra pressure on them, avoiding cognitive loads that enable better understanding and retention of information. Consistent branding elements might further help in branding identity and sometimes even help improve the visibility of the brand. 

At the same time, templates and master slides foster the process of presentation creation in general since visual inconsistencies and lack of polished looks across the slides are already taken care of. This, in other words, showed that consistency in design conformed to the better professional, cohesive, and engaging presentation experience of the audience in general.

Insert Images Directly From Google Images

One of the most useful Google slide tips is to insert images directly from Google. There are billions of images indexed in Google Image Search. To add pictures directly from Google Images:

  • Open your Google Slides Presentation
  • Select “Insert” > “Image” > “Search the web” from the drop-down menu.
  • The “Search for Google Images” side panel will display on the right side of your screen.
  • Just enter the keyword(s) for your image in the search box below to see the results. 
  • The final step would be to click on the photo(s) you want to utilize in your slide.

Add Various Google Slides Diagrams

Follow the below steps to learn how to make Google Slides look good:

  • Select “Insert” > “Diagram” to add a diagram to your slides. The diagrams side panel will show up on the right side of your screen.
  • The six types of diagrams available are Grid, Hierarchy, Timeline, Process, Relationship, and Cycle diagrams.
  • Please choose the most appropriate options and make changes until you discover your presentation’s ideal diagram.

One of the most helpful Google Slides tips and tricks has to be adding hyperlinks in your presentation to make it more engaging. Google Slides allows you to add hyperlinks to websites, images, texts in Google Slides presentation. You can link your files on Google Drive and even to other slides in your presentation! Here is how:

  • Open Google Slides presentation.
  • To insert a hyperlink, click on the text or image you wish to connect to.
  • Next, press “CTRL+K” or right-click your mouse and select “Link” from the menu that appears.
  • Enter or paste the web URL to add a link.
  • Finally, press the “Apply” button.

You can also choose to link slides in the same Google Slides presentation. Google also will show relevant Google Drive files to link to your Google Slides presentation.

Modify The Slide Master To Make Extensive Changes

Instead of editing each slide, you may go to the slide master, and all of the slides in your presentation will be updated immediately:

  • Select “Slide” > “Edit Master” to edit your slide master. 
  • Click or select the elements you want to alter. For example, you can add your company’s logo to the header or footer, and it will automatically appear on all your slides.

Embedding YouTube Videos To Google Slides

You can embed YouTube videos in your presentation, one of the finest methods to make it more engaging. Follow the below steps to learn how to make Google Slides look good:

  • Open your Google Slides presentation. Select “Insert” > “Video”.
  • You can search for videos in your Google Drive account, add a direct link (URL) to a video that is already online, or search on “YouTube.”
  • Clicking on the video will cause the “Format Choices” button to appear on the menu bar, allowing you to edit and format your video.
  • The “Format options” side panel will appear on your screen when you click this button.
  • You are free to change the drop shadow settings, drop shadow size and position, and the video playback parameters.

Using the above Google slides tips, you can deliver interesting and memorable presentations. Remember that the foundations of an effective presentation are simplicity, compelling imagery, and understanding your audience. 

Since you have learned these Google Slides tips and tricks, it is time to apply them using our top Google Slides templates. 

Make Use Of Google Slides Presentation Templates

  • Optimizing your presentation design with each new presentation is time-consuming. This is where Google Slides templates help. 
  • Instead of starting from zero, you have pre-made Google Slides themes, in which you can insert your content and alter the template based on the presentation. 
  • Google Slides includes over twenty preset templates. You can use the theme builder to make changes to each slide individually.

Top 5 Templates for Google Slides Presentations

We discussed how to make Google Slides look good. But, it might be time-consuming for you to create Google Slides presentations from scratch. That’s why we have created numerous Google Slides templates for you to start with. We have compiled a list of the top 5 Google Slides templates:

Project Status Review Deck Google Slides Template

  • 30-60-90-Day Plan Google Slides Template

Milestone Google Slides Template

  • Startup Pitch Google Slides Template
  • Business Review Google Slides Template
  • The purpose of the Project Status Review Deck is to discuss and contrast project progress over a given time frame with the project plan. 
  • They are used In project management. Any project’s success depends on the project status review process. 
  • The Project Status Review deck provides crucial information in a compact format, helping with effective decision-making and informing all parties.

30 60 90 Day Plan Google Slides Template

  • This 30-60-90-Day Plan template is a visual presentation demonstrating thorough planning for the first 90 days of employment. 
  • The template is divided into three panes that are horizontally spaced apart so that new managers, new hires, team leaders, sales managers, and other users can express their aims and objectives simply. 
  • 30-60-90-Day Plan Templates can be used as a goal-setting framework to show off your diverse priorities and track your efforts toward various goals.
  • This Template gives your presentation a polished, expertly designed elegance. It has five customizable steps that deal with immersion, design, creation, operation, and measurement.
  • Professionals use milestone templates when discussing the project’s objectives, activities, and results. 
  • This template is also available in animation, giving presentations to stakeholders, investors, and clients with a professional image.

Startup Pitch Google Slides Deck  

  • The Startup Pitch Deck is a valuable pre-made template for companies preparing to introduce a new service or product. 
  • It is more geared toward companies looking to introduce their fresh product concepts to clients or investors. 
  • The pitch deck templates are useful for marketers and young entrepreneurs to make presentations on competitive analysis, revenue models, roadmaps, financial needs, etc.

Business Review Dashboard Google Slides Template      

  • Professionals can display and analyze business data more effectively with the help of this Business Review Dashboard template. 
  • Its comprehensive dashboard architecture allows users to understandably present performance measurements, financial statistics, and other relevant data.

Google Slides is a flexible platform that enables users to produce engaging presentation material. By adhering to design principles, using its features, and adopting effective presentation techniques, you can create captivating Google Slides presentations that charm your audience and effectively communicate your message.

Using the above tips and tricks for Google Slides, you can deliver interesting and memorable presentations. Remember that the foundations of an effective presentation are simplicity, compelling imagery, and understanding your audience. 

You can make aesthetically stunning slides that successfully communicate your message by taking inspiration from several presentation themes and customizing them to your topic. Now that you have learned how to make Google Slides look good, it’s time to put your skills to the test and boast in front of your peers by exploring our vast gallery of Google Slides templates . If you wish to learn more of such tips and hacks to master the art of Google Slides presentation, check out our Google Slides tutorials .

How to make google slides more visually appealing?

Follow the steps below to make your presentation look good on Google Slides:

  • Use a suitable Google Slides theme .
  • Use consistent fonts.3
  • Make use of high-quality photos.
  • Layouts should be basic and aligned.
  • Use subtle transitions.

How can I choose the best color scheme for my Google Slides presentation?

Keep these Google Slides tips in mind to choose the best color scheme for your presentation:

  • Colors should complement the tone and purpose of your text.
  • Avoid extremely bright or conflicting pairings.
  • Always choose complementary colors.

How can I add visual effects to my slides in the best way?

 Here are a few points to add visuals to your slides in the best possible way:

  • Ensure a unified design
  • Time your animations and transitions carefully. Animations should coincide with your speech and flow naturally.
  • Set Master Slide as the default for all fonts, colors, and background components.

How can text and images on a slide be balanced most effectively?

Keep these things in mind to make text and images on a slide look equally balanced:

  • Add images to your post to help it along. 
  • Use visuals, charts, or icons to convey difficult ideas.
  • Avoid using only text to highlight crucial aspects.

How can I keep the audience engaged with slides effectively using transitions?

Follow the below steps on how to improve your Google slides:

  • Utilize subtle transitions.
  • Create seamless visual links between slides for a smooth flow.
  • Adjust timing for a natural transition pace.
  • Enhance key points with strategic animations.
  • Avoid excessive animations that may distract or overwhelm your audience.

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Blog Beginner Guides How To Make a Good Presentation [A Complete Guide]

How To Make a Good Presentation [A Complete Guide]

Written by: Krystle Wong Jul 20, 2023

How to make a good presentation

A top-notch presentation possesses the power to drive action. From winning stakeholders over and conveying a powerful message to securing funding — your secret weapon lies within the realm of creating an effective presentation .  

Being an excellent presenter isn’t confined to the boardroom. Whether you’re delivering a presentation at work, pursuing an academic career, involved in a non-profit organization or even a student, nailing the presentation game is a game-changer.

In this article, I’ll cover the top qualities of compelling presentations and walk you through a step-by-step guide on how to give a good presentation. Here’s a little tip to kick things off: for a headstart, check out Venngage’s collection of free presentation templates . They are fully customizable, and the best part is you don’t need professional design skills to make them shine!

These valuable presentation tips cater to individuals from diverse professional backgrounds, encompassing business professionals, sales and marketing teams, educators, trainers, students, researchers, non-profit organizations, public speakers and presenters. 

No matter your field or role, these tips for presenting will equip you with the skills to deliver effective presentations that leave a lasting impression on any audience.

Click to jump ahead:

What are the 10 qualities of a good presentation?

Step-by-step guide on how to prepare an effective presentation, 9 effective techniques to deliver a memorable presentation, faqs on making a good presentation, how to create a presentation with venngage in 5 steps.

When it comes to giving an engaging presentation that leaves a lasting impression, it’s not just about the content — it’s also about how you deliver it. Wondering what makes a good presentation? Well, the best presentations I’ve seen consistently exhibit these 10 qualities:

1. Clear structure

No one likes to get lost in a maze of information. Organize your thoughts into a logical flow, complete with an introduction, main points and a solid conclusion. A structured presentation helps your audience follow along effortlessly, leaving them with a sense of satisfaction at the end.

Regardless of your presentation style , a quality presentation starts with a clear roadmap. Browse through Venngage’s template library and select a presentation template that aligns with your content and presentation goals. Here’s a good presentation example template with a logical layout that includes sections for the introduction, main points, supporting information and a conclusion: 

how to make great google slide presentations

2. Engaging opening

Hook your audience right from the start with an attention-grabbing statement, a fascinating question or maybe even a captivating anecdote. Set the stage for a killer presentation!

The opening moments of your presentation hold immense power – check out these 15 ways to start a presentation to set the stage and captivate your audience.

3. Relevant content

Make sure your content aligns with their interests and needs. Your audience is there for a reason, and that’s to get valuable insights. Avoid fluff and get straight to the point, your audience will be genuinely excited.

4. Effective visual aids

Picture this: a slide with walls of text and tiny charts, yawn! Visual aids should be just that—aiding your presentation. Opt for clear and visually appealing slides, engaging images and informative charts that add value and help reinforce your message.

With Venngage, visualizing data takes no effort at all. You can import data from CSV or Google Sheets seamlessly and create stunning charts, graphs and icon stories effortlessly to showcase your data in a captivating and impactful way.

how to make great google slide presentations

5. Clear and concise communication

Keep your language simple, and avoid jargon or complicated terms. Communicate your ideas clearly, so your audience can easily grasp and retain the information being conveyed. This can prevent confusion and enhance the overall effectiveness of the message. 

6. Engaging delivery

Spice up your presentation with a sprinkle of enthusiasm! Maintain eye contact, use expressive gestures and vary your tone of voice to keep your audience glued to the edge of their seats. A touch of charisma goes a long way!

7. Interaction and audience engagement

Turn your presentation into an interactive experience — encourage questions, foster discussions and maybe even throw in a fun activity. Engaged audiences are more likely to remember and embrace your message.

Transform your slides into an interactive presentation with Venngage’s dynamic features like pop-ups, clickable icons and animated elements. Engage your audience with interactive content that lets them explore and interact with your presentation for a truly immersive experience.

how to make great google slide presentations

8. Effective storytelling

Who doesn’t love a good story? Weaving relevant anecdotes, case studies or even a personal story into your presentation can captivate your audience and create a lasting impact. Stories build connections and make your message memorable.

A great presentation background is also essential as it sets the tone, creates visual interest and reinforces your message. Enhance the overall aesthetics of your presentation with these 15 presentation background examples and captivate your audience’s attention.

9. Well-timed pacing

Pace your presentation thoughtfully with well-designed presentation slides, neither rushing through nor dragging it out. Respect your audience’s time and ensure you cover all the essential points without losing their interest.

10. Strong conclusion

Last impressions linger! Summarize your main points and leave your audience with a clear takeaway. End your presentation with a bang , a call to action or an inspiring thought that resonates long after the conclusion.

In-person presentations aside, acing a virtual presentation is of paramount importance in today’s digital world. Check out this guide to learn how you can adapt your in-person presentations into virtual presentations . 

Peloton Pitch Deck - Conclusion

Preparing an effective presentation starts with laying a strong foundation that goes beyond just creating slides and notes. One of the quickest and best ways to make a presentation would be with the help of a good presentation software . 

Otherwise, let me walk you to how to prepare for a presentation step by step and unlock the secrets of crafting a professional presentation that sets you apart.

1. Understand the audience and their needs

Before you dive into preparing your masterpiece, take a moment to get to know your target audience. Tailor your presentation to meet their needs and expectations , and you’ll have them hooked from the start!

2. Conduct thorough research on the topic

Time to hit the books (or the internet)! Don’t skimp on the research with your presentation materials — dive deep into the subject matter and gather valuable insights . The more you know, the more confident you’ll feel in delivering your presentation.

3. Organize the content with a clear structure

No one wants to stumble through a chaotic mess of information. Outline your presentation with a clear and logical flow. Start with a captivating introduction, follow up with main points that build on each other and wrap it up with a powerful conclusion that leaves a lasting impression.

Delivering an effective business presentation hinges on captivating your audience, and Venngage’s professionally designed business presentation templates are tailor-made for this purpose. With thoughtfully structured layouts, these templates enhance your message’s clarity and coherence, ensuring a memorable and engaging experience for your audience members.

Don’t want to build your presentation layout from scratch? pick from these 5 foolproof presentation layout ideas that won’t go wrong. 

how to make great google slide presentations

4. Develop visually appealing and supportive visual aids

Spice up your presentation with eye-catching visuals! Create slides that complement your message, not overshadow it. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words, but that doesn’t mean you need to overload your slides with text.

Well-chosen designs create a cohesive and professional look, capturing your audience’s attention and enhancing the overall effectiveness of your message. Here’s a list of carefully curated PowerPoint presentation templates and great background graphics that will significantly influence the visual appeal and engagement of your presentation.

5. Practice, practice and practice

Practice makes perfect — rehearse your presentation and arrive early to your presentation to help overcome stage fright. Familiarity with your material will boost your presentation skills and help you handle curveballs with ease.

6. Seek feedback and make necessary adjustments

Don’t be afraid to ask for help and seek feedback from friends and colleagues. Constructive criticism can help you identify blind spots and fine-tune your presentation to perfection.

With Venngage’s real-time collaboration feature , receiving feedback and editing your presentation is a seamless process. Group members can access and work on the presentation simultaneously and edit content side by side in real-time. Changes will be reflected immediately to the entire team, promoting seamless teamwork.

Venngage Real Time Collaboration

7. Prepare for potential technical or logistical issues

Prepare for the unexpected by checking your equipment, internet connection and any other potential hiccups. If you’re worried that you’ll miss out on any important points, you could always have note cards prepared. Remember to remain focused and rehearse potential answers to anticipated questions.

8. Fine-tune and polish your presentation

As the big day approaches, give your presentation one last shine. Review your talking points, practice how to present a presentation and make any final tweaks. Deep breaths — you’re on the brink of delivering a successful presentation!

In competitive environments, persuasive presentations set individuals and organizations apart. To brush up on your presentation skills, read these guides on how to make a persuasive presentation and tips to presenting effectively . 

how to make great google slide presentations

Whether you’re an experienced presenter or a novice, the right techniques will let your presentation skills soar to new heights!

From public speaking hacks to interactive elements and storytelling prowess, these 9 effective presentation techniques will empower you to leave a lasting impression on your audience and make your presentations unforgettable.

1. Confidence and positive body language

Positive body language instantly captivates your audience, making them believe in your message as much as you do. Strengthen your stage presence and own that stage like it’s your second home! Stand tall, shoulders back and exude confidence. 

2. Eye contact with the audience

Break down that invisible barrier and connect with your audience through their eyes. Maintaining eye contact when giving a presentation builds trust and shows that you’re present and engaged with them.

3. Effective use of hand gestures and movement

A little movement goes a long way! Emphasize key points with purposeful gestures and don’t be afraid to walk around the stage. Your energy will be contagious!

4. Utilize storytelling techniques

Weave the magic of storytelling into your presentation. Share relatable anecdotes, inspiring success stories or even personal experiences that tug at the heartstrings of your audience. Adjust your pitch, pace and volume to match the emotions and intensity of the story. Varying your speaking voice adds depth and enhances your stage presence.

how to make great google slide presentations

5. Incorporate multimedia elements

Spice up your presentation with a dash of visual pizzazz! Use slides, images and video clips to add depth and clarity to your message. Just remember, less is more—don’t overwhelm them with information overload. 

Turn your presentations into an interactive party! Involve your audience with questions, polls or group activities. When they actively participate, they become invested in your presentation’s success. Bring your design to life with animated elements. Venngage allows you to apply animations to icons, images and text to create dynamic and engaging visual content.

6. Utilize humor strategically

Laughter is the best medicine—and a fantastic presentation enhancer! A well-placed joke or lighthearted moment can break the ice and create a warm atmosphere , making your audience more receptive to your message.

7. Practice active listening and respond to feedback

Be attentive to your audience’s reactions and feedback. If they have questions or concerns, address them with genuine interest and respect. Your responsiveness builds rapport and shows that you genuinely care about their experience.

how to make great google slide presentations

8. Apply the 10-20-30 rule

Apply the 10-20-30 presentation rule and keep it short, sweet and impactful! Stick to ten slides, deliver your presentation within 20 minutes and use a 30-point font to ensure clarity and focus. Less is more, and your audience will thank you for it!

9. Implement the 5-5-5 rule

Simplicity is key. Limit each slide to five bullet points, with only five words per bullet point and allow each slide to remain visible for about five seconds. This rule keeps your presentation concise and prevents information overload.

Simple presentations are more engaging because they are easier to follow. Summarize your presentations and keep them simple with Venngage’s gallery of simple presentation templates and ensure that your message is delivered effectively across your audience.

how to make great google slide presentations

1. How to start a presentation?

To kick off your presentation effectively, begin with an attention-grabbing statement or a powerful quote. Introduce yourself, establish credibility and clearly state the purpose and relevance of your presentation.

2. How to end a presentation?

For a strong conclusion, summarize your talking points and key takeaways. End with a compelling call to action or a thought-provoking question and remember to thank your audience and invite any final questions or interactions.

3. How to make a presentation interactive?

To make your presentation interactive, encourage questions and discussion throughout your talk. Utilize multimedia elements like videos or images and consider including polls, quizzes or group activities to actively involve your audience.

In need of inspiration for your next presentation? I’ve got your back! Pick from these 120+ presentation ideas, topics and examples to get started. 

Creating a stunning presentation with Venngage is a breeze with our user-friendly drag-and-drop editor and professionally designed templates for all your communication needs. 

Here’s how to make a presentation in just 5 simple steps with the help of Venngage:

Step 1: Sign up for Venngage for free using your email, Gmail or Facebook account or simply log in to access your account. 

Step 2: Pick a design from our selection of free presentation templates (they’re all created by our expert in-house designers).

Step 3: Make the template your own by customizing it to fit your content and branding. With Venngage’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor, you can easily modify text, change colors and adjust the layout to create a unique and eye-catching design.

Step 4: Elevate your presentation by incorporating captivating visuals. You can upload your images or choose from Venngage’s vast library of high-quality photos, icons and illustrations. 

Step 5: Upgrade to a premium or business account to export your presentation in PDF and print it for in-person presentations or share it digitally for free!

By following these five simple steps, you’ll have a professionally designed and visually engaging presentation ready in no time. With Venngage’s user-friendly platform, your presentation is sure to make a lasting impression. So, let your creativity flow and get ready to shine in your next presentation!

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How to Create a Resume Using Google Slides

A side from using Google Slides to create presentations, you can also use it to create resumes. Google Slides’ drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to create custom layouts and perfectly position any text, images, and videos you want to add. So, let's take a look at the easiest and fastest way to get this done.

Create a Resume Using a Google Slides Resume Template

The easiest way to create a one-page resume in Google Slides is to customize a template. Here’s how.

Step 1: Find a Suitable Resume Template

Google Slides' template gallery does not contain specific resume templates. But, there are sites with a variety of Google Slides templates to choose from. For this example, we'll use a template from SlidesMania.

  • Go to SlidesMania.com .
  • Type “CV” or “Resume” in the search bar to find resume templates.
  • Browse the results and click on your chosen template.
  • Click Open in Google Slides .
  • Select Use Template in the top right corner.

Step 2: Make a Copy of the Template

If the template is set to view-only, you'll need to make a copy to edit it. Even if the template is editable, creating a copy allows you to keep the original version intact.

  • Select the slide you’d like to copy. If you want to copy multiple slides, click on the first slide, press Ctrl on your keyboard, and then select any additional slides.
  • Go to the File tab, click Make a copy , and select either Entire presentation or Selected slides .
  • Enter a name for your new copy, select the folder you’d like to save it, and click Make a copy .

Step 3: Customize the Template

Customizing the template includes editing the text in text boxes, changing the appearance of text boxes, updating the profile image, and swapping out icons. Let's go through each step one by one.

  • Double-click on a text box, edit the text, and click outside the text box area to save.
  • To delete or duplicate a text box, right-click on it and select Delete or Copy .
  • If you copied, right-click in an empty area and select Paste . Then click and drag the text box to your desired location.
  • With the text box selected, change the font, font size, and text color to match your preferences.
  • Change the appearance of the text box by adjusting its fill color, border weight, border dash, and border color.
  • Click the profile image and select Replace image .
  • Select Upload from computer if your photo is saved on your device. In the file explorer pop up, choose your photo and click Open .
  • To fit your photo into a different shape, let’s say a rectangle, click the dropdown arrow by the crop image icon, select Shapes , and pick the rectangle.
  • With the image selected, click the crop image icon to reposition your photo within the shape. Zoom in for precise adjustments and hit Enter on your keyboard when you’re done.
  • Click the reset image icon if you want to undo the masked shape applied to your photo.
  • To add more icons or swap out existing ones, download icons from any of the free SVG icons websites as PNG files.
  • Go to the Insert tab, click on Image , and select Upload from computer . Select the icons and add them to your resume.
  • Click and drag the icons to your desired position.

If you’re applying to multiple jobs, tailor your resume for the different job types and proofread your resume for errors to boost your chances of success.

How to Export Your Google Slides Resume

Once your resume is ready, you can share it with potential employers in two main ways: send a link to your resume or download it as a PDF file to attach to application forms.

Sharing Your Resume Link with Specific People

Follow these steps if you want to share your resume link with specific people:

  • Click the Share button in the top right corner.
  • Enter the emails of your recipients in the Share with people and groups box.
  • Change the access level of recipients from Editor to Viewer .
  • Check the Notify box to automatically send an email to recipients with a link to your resume.
  • Add a message and click Send .

Share Your Resume Public Link

If you want to make your resume link public, so anyone can view it:

  • Click the Share button.
  • Change General access from Restricted to Anyone with the link .
  • Set access level to Viewer .
  • Copy the link to share and click Done .

Export Your Google Slides Resume as a PDF File

Follow these steps to export your resume as a PDF file:

  • Click File , select Download , and choose PDF Document from the dropdown list.
  • In the file explorer, select a location for the file, enter a suitable name (ideally [Your Full Name] + Resume), and click Save .

Design Beautiful Resumes Without the Hassle

Using Google Slides for your resume simplifies the design process, allowing you to focus on presenting your skills and experiences. While Google Slides offers many design options, it's important to prioritize readability and a consistent format. So go ahead and apply these steps and tips to design beautiful resumes that stand out to employers.

How to Create a Resume Using Google Slides

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  1. 30 Free Google Slides Templates For Your Next Presentation

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  2. 20 Google Slides Tips to spice up your Presentations

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  3. 40 Free Google Slides Templates

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  5. 30 Free Google Slides Templates For Your Next Presentation

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  4. Reacting to YOUR Google Slide Presentations

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  1. Make Google Slides Presentations Look Good

    Use the Insert > Audio option to add audio to your Google Slides. If you want to add some soft music to your presentation, you can. In fact, this method of how to make Google Slides look good has nothing to do with visuals! First, click on Insert. From the menu that drops down, click on the Audio option.

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  12. How to Create a Presentation Using Google Slides: 10 Steps

    Community Answer. 1) Go to drive.google.com and log in. 2) Click the blue "New" button toward the top left corner of the page. 3) Select "Google Slides" next to the orange icon on the drop-down menu. 4) Drive will open your new presentation. Just start editing!

  13. Tips for great presentations

    On your computer, open a document or presentation in Google Docs or Google Slides. Click Insert Chart From Sheets. Click the spreadsheet with the chart you want to add, then click Select. Click the chart you want to add. If you don't want the chart linked to the spreadsheet, uncheck "Link to spreadsheet."

  14. How to Make Google Slides Look Good?

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  18. What are your top tips for great Presentations / slides?

    Presentation tell a story. Slide decks are there to support you as you share that story, rather than to serve as the story itself. Before creating a presentation/slide deck, first try saying outloud the "presentation" you'd give to the team. Get a sense of the order of things you want to share, how one part of the story informs the next.

  19. How to Create Google Slides Presentations with Templates

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    To make a good illustrated portfolio, focus on the visuals. Choose colors that compliment each other, such as orange and blue or cream and brown, and fonts that suit the style of your theme. Contrast light and dark elements in each slide. Go for a rustic, hand-drawn look or a more modern, polished effect.

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    Make your hair-related presentations shine with a hair PowerPoint template. Whether you're a hair stylist, salon owner, or beauty blogger, these templates will help you showcase your expertise and captivate your audience. With a range of customizable slides, you can easily manage your hairstyle tutorials, product reviews, or salon promotions.