Create compelling slide presentations using MS-PowerPoint and OpenOffice Impress — from designing slides and adding animations to running a professional slide show.
A Presentation is a collection of slides displayed in sequence to convey information visually to an audience. Each slide can contain text, images, charts, videos, and animations. Presentations are used in meetings, classrooms, seminars, and training sessions.
MS-PowerPoint (Microsoft) and OpenOffice Impress (Apache) are the two presentation applications in the COA syllabus. They help you replace boring text-only talks with engaging visual content that is easy to understand and remember.
| Feature | MS-PowerPoint | OpenOffice / LibreOffice Impress |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | Microsoft Corporation | Apache / The Document Foundation |
| Cost | Paid (MS Office package) | Free and Open Source |
| File Format | .pptx (default), .ppt | .odp (default), .ppt, .pptx |
| Templates | Large built-in library + Office.com | Good selection, extensions available |
| Animations | Extensive — 60+ animation effects | Good selection of effects |
| Transitions | Morph, 3D, Cube and many more | Standard slide transitions |
| Presenter View | Yes — see notes & next slide | Yes |
| Export to PDF | File → Save As → PDF | File → Export as PDF |
| Platform | Windows, Mac, Web | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| Interface Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Title Bar | Shows the presentation filename. Minimize, Maximize, Close buttons on the right. |
| Ribbon / Tabs | Home, Insert, Design, Transitions, Animations, Slide Show, Review, View — each with grouped commands. |
| Slide Panel (left) | Shows thumbnails of all slides. Click a thumbnail to navigate to it. Drag to reorder slides. |
| Slide Canvas (centre) | The main editing area showing the current slide. Click placeholders to type or edit. |
| Notes Pane (bottom) | Type speaker notes here — not visible to audience during Slide Show. Printed on Handouts. |
| Status Bar (bottom) | Shows slide number, total slides, theme name, zoom controls, and view switcher. |
| View Buttons | Normal, Outline, Slide Sorter, Notes Page, Reading View, Slide Show. |
File → New → Blank Presentation. Starts with a single empty slide. You design everything from scratch.
Step-by-step guide. Choose presentation type (Business, Education, etc.) and it pre-fills content structure.
Choose a pre-designed visual theme with matching colours, fonts, and backgrounds. Best starting point.
Ctrl+O to open a saved .pptx or .odp file. Continue editing where you left off.
A Slide Layout is a pre-arranged set of placeholders (boxes) that define where content (title, text, images, charts) appears on the slide. Each layout suits a different type of content.
Large title + subtitle. Used for the opening slide.
Heading at top + text body below. Most common layout.
Side-by-side content areas — compare two topics.
Image on right + caption text on left.
Completely empty canvas. Full creative freedom.
Big picture area with text description.
Presentation Design Rule: The 6×6 rule — use no more than 6 bullet points per slide and no more than 6 words per bullet point. Keep text minimal; let visuals carry the message. Slides are a support for your speech, not a script.
Formatting makes your slides visually appealing and easier to follow. Consistent formatting builds a professional image. All formatting tools are in the Home tab and the Format menu.
| Option | How to Apply | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Font & Size | Home → Font group → choose family and size | Title: 36–44pt. Body: 24–28pt. Caption: 18–20pt. |
| Bold / Italic / Underline | Ctrl+B / Ctrl+I / Ctrl+U | Bold for key terms; Italic for emphasis; avoid overuse |
| Font Colour | Home → Font Colour drop-down | Use colours from the theme palette for consistency |
| Text Shadow | Home → Text Shadow button (S) | Adds depth to title text on dark backgrounds |
| Alignment | Ctrl+L / Ctrl+E / Ctrl+R / Ctrl+J | Titles: Centre. Body bullets: Left. Numbers: Right. |
| Line Spacing | Home → Line Spacing → 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 | 1.5 spacing improves readability on large screens |
| Bullets & Numbering | Home → Bullets / Numbering drop-downs | Custom bullet symbols, sizes, and colours |
| Text Direction | Home → Text Direction → Rotate 90° / 270° | Vertical text in narrow columns or banners |
| Operation | How to Perform |
|---|---|
| Select Objects | Click to select. Shift+Click to select multiple. Ctrl+A to select all objects on slide. |
| Move Object | Click and drag. Use arrow keys for precise movement. Hold Shift to move horizontally or vertically. |
| Resize Object | Drag corner handles to resize proportionally. Drag edge handles to stretch. Hold Shift to maintain aspect ratio. |
| Rotate Object | Drag the circular rotation handle at the top. Or Format → Rotate → enter exact angle. |
| Bring to Front / Back | Right-click → Bring to Front / Send to Back. Controls which object appears on top when they overlap. |
| Group Objects | Select multiple objects → right-click → Group. They move and resize as one unit. |
| Align Objects | Select objects → Home → Arrange → Align → Align Left/Centre/Right/Top/Middle/Bottom. |
| Distribute | Home → Arrange → Align → Distribute Horizontally / Vertically. Spaces objects evenly. |
Visuals make presentations more engaging and memorable. PowerPoint offers several ways to add images, shapes, charts, tables, and multimedia to your slides.
Insert → Pictures → This Device. Supports JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP. Resize by dragging corner handles. Crop with Picture Tools → Crop.
Insert → Online Pictures → search Bing for royalty-free images directly inside PowerPoint.
Insert → Chart → choose type (Bar, Line, Pie, etc.). An Excel mini-sheet opens to enter data. Chart updates automatically.
Insert → Table → drag to select rows and columns. Type data in cells. Format using Table Design tab.
Insert → Video → This Device (embed a local MP4/AVI file) or Online Video (embed YouTube link). Video plays during slide show.
Insert → Audio → This Device. Add background music or a narration recording. Set to play across slides.
Insert → Shapes → choose rectangles, circles, arrows, callouts, flowchart shapes. Right-click → Add Text to type inside.
Insert → SmartArt → choose org charts, process flows, hierarchy, list, matrix. Type text in each SmartArt shape.
Pro Tip: To align a shape exactly in the centre of the slide, right-click → Format Object → Position → set Horizontal: 0 cm from Centre of slide, Vertical: 0 cm from Middle of slide. Or use Arrange → Align → Align Center and Align Middle together.
Transitions are visual effects that play when you move from one slide to the next during a slide show. Apply them via the Transitions tab. A good transition maintains flow without distracting the audience.
New slide pushes old slide off screen from the right.
New slide zooms into view from the centre.
New slide gradually wipes over the old one.
Old slide fades out; new slide fades in. Subtle and professional.
Slides rotate like faces of a cube. Dramatic effect.
Slide splits in the middle and new slide appears from both sides.
Old slide is "uncovered" to reveal the new one beneath it.
Diamond/sparkle effect — use sparingly for special slides.
Click the slide in the panel. To apply to all slides, click one then Edit → Select All (or Ctrl+A in Slide Sorter view).
Transitions tab → Transition to This Slide group → click the desired effect. A preview plays on the slide.
Transitions → Duration (e.g., 01.00 second). Optionally add a transition sound (applause, whoosh, camera click).
Manual: Advance on Mouse Click. Automatic: check "After" and set time (e.g., 00:05 = 5 seconds). Both can be active simultaneously.
Click "Apply to All" button to apply the same transition to every slide. Otherwise, each slide can have its own transition.
Animations control how individual objects (text boxes, images, shapes) appear, move, or disappear on a slide during the slide show. Unlike transitions (which affect the whole slide), animations affect individual elements.
Click on the text box, image, or shape you want to animate. You can animate each object independently.
Click the Animations tab → Animation group → click Add Animation (or choose from the gallery). A numbered tag appears on the object.
Animations → Effect Options → set direction, sequence (All at Once / By Paragraph), and intensity.
Animations → Timing group:
• Start: On Click, With Previous, After Previous.
• Duration: 0.5s (Fast) to 5s (Very Slow).
• Delay: Pause before animation starts.
Click Add Animation again on the same object to add a second effect (e.g., Fly In → Pulse → Fly Out). The Animation Pane shows all effects in sequence.
Open Animation Pane (Animations → Animation Pane). Click the effect → Change → choose different animation. Click Remove (X) to delete an effect.
| Start Option | When the Animation Plays | Best Use |
|---|---|---|
| On Click | When presenter clicks the mouse or presses Enter/Space/→ | When you want to control the pace of the presentation |
| With Previous | Simultaneously with the previous animation | Multiple objects animating together (e.g., a group) |
| After Previous | Automatically after the previous animation finishes | Sequential appearance of bullet points without clicking |
Exam Tip: Practical Exercise 23 asks you to apply multiple animation effects to the same object and change/remove effects. Use the Animation Pane (Animations → Animation Pane) to manage, reorder, and modify all animations on a slide.
| Action | How to Perform |
|---|---|
| Start from Beginning | F5 or Slide Show tab → From Beginning |
| Start from Current Slide | Shift+F5 or Slide Show → From Current Slide |
| Next Slide | Click mouse / Space / Enter / → arrow key / Page Down |
| Previous Slide | ← arrow key / Page Up / Backspace |
| Go to Specific Slide | Type the slide number + Enter (e.g., type 5 then Enter → jumps to slide 5) |
| Black Screen | Press B to black out / restore screen (for pausing audience attention) |
| White Screen | Press W to white out / restore screen |
| Show/Hide Pointer | Press Ctrl+H to hide pointer; Ctrl+A to show arrow |
| Draw on Slide | Right-click → Pointer Options → Pen / Highlighter. Draw annotations during the show. |
| End Slide Show | Esc key or right-click → End Show |
When connected to a projector, use Presenter View (Slide Show → Use Presenter View) to see your speaker notes, a preview of the next slide, and a timer on your screen — while the audience only sees the full-screen slide show on the projector.
Package for CD / Create a Video: File → Export → Create a Video — converts the presentation into a .mp4 video file that plays on any computer without PowerPoint. File → Export → Package Presentation for CD — bundles the .pptx with the PowerPoint Viewer so it runs on computers without MS Office installed.
Ctrl+P or File → Print. The right side shows a live print preview.
Under "Settings": Full Page Slides (1 per page), Notes Pages (slide + speaker notes), or Handouts (2, 3, 4, 6, or 9 slides per page).
3 Slides per page is ideal for training — it prints the 3 slides on the left and blank lines on the right for audience notes. Choose portrait or landscape.
Choose Colour, Grayscale, or Pure Black and White. Grayscale saves ink. Some presentations look better in Pure Black and White on paper.
Set number of copies. Click Print. To save as PDF: choose "Microsoft Print to PDF" as the printer.
1. The default file extension for MS-PowerPoint 2016 and later is:
2. Which key starts a Slide Show from the very first slide?
3. Transitions in MS-PowerPoint are effects that occur:
4. Which animation START option makes an effect play automatically after the previous one finishes?
5. Which view in PowerPoint shows all slide thumbnails in a grid for easy rearrangement?
6. To animate individual objects on a slide (not the whole slide), you use:
7. In MS-PowerPoint, pressing the letter B during a slide show:
8. Which handout layout is best for training sessions where the audience needs to write notes?
9. Match — SmartArt in PowerPoint is used for:
10. True or False: Speaker Notes in the Notes Pane are visible to the audience during a slide show.