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How to Start a Presentation: 5 Strong Opening Slides and 12 Tricks To Test

Knowing how to start a presentation is crucial: if you fail to capture the audience’s attention right off the bat, your entire presentation will flop. Few listeners will stick with you to the end and retain what you have told.

That is mildly unpleasant when you are doing an in-house presentation in front of your colleagues. But it can become utterly embarrassing when you present in front of larger audiences (e.g., at a conference) or worse – delivering a sales presentation to prospective customers.

Here is how most of us begin a presentation: give an awkward greeting, thank everyone for coming, clear our throats, tap the mic, and humbly start to mumble about our subject. The problem with such an opening performance? It effectively kills and buries even the best messages.

Table of Contents

• The Classic Trick: Open a Presentation with an Introduction
• Open a Presentation with a Hook
• Begin with a Captivating Visual
• Ask a “What if…” Question
• Use the Word “Imagine”
• Leverage The Curiosity Gap
• The Power of Silence
• Facts as Weapons of Communication
• Fact vs. Myths
• The Power of Music
• Physical Activity
• Acknowledging a Person

How to Start a PowerPoint Presentation The Right Way

Let’s say you have all of your presentation slides polished up (in case you don’t, check our quick & effective PowerPoint presentation design tips first). Your presentation has a clear storyline and agenda. Main ideas are broken into bite-sized statements for your slides and complemented with visuals. All you have left is to figure out how you begin presenting.

The best way is to appeal to and invoke certain emotions in your audience – curiosity, surprise, fear, or good old amusements. Also, it is recommended to present your main idea in the first 30 seconds of the presentation. And here’s how it’s done.

1. The Classic Trick: Open a Presentation with an Introduction

When you don’t feel like reinventing the wheel, use a classic trick from the book – start with a quick personal introduction. Don’t want to sound as boring as everyone else with your humble “Hi, I’m John, the head of the Customer Support Department”? Great, because we are all about promoting effective presentation techniques (hint: using a dull welcome slide isn’t one of them).

Here’s how to introduce yourself in a presentation the right way.

a. Use a link-back memory formula

To ace a presentation, you need to connect with your audience. The best way to do so is by throwing in a simple story showing who you are, where you came from, and why your words matter.

The human brain loves a good story, and we are more inclined to listen and retain the information told this way. Besides, when we can relate to the narrator (or story hero), we create an emotional bond with them, and, again – become more receptive, and less skeptical of the information that is about to be delivered.

So here are your presentation introduction lines:

My name is Joanne, and I’m the Head of Marketing at company XYZ. Five years ago I was working as a waitress, earning $10/hour and collecting rejection letters from editors. About ten letters every week landed to my mailbox. You see, I love words, but decent publisher thought mine were good enough. Except for the restaurant owner. I was very good at up-selling and recommending dishes to the customers. My boss even bumped my salary to $15/hour as a token of appreciation for my skill. And this made me realize: I should ditch creative writing and focus on copywriting instead. After loads of trial and error back in the day, I learned how to write persuasive copy. I was no longer getting rejection letters. I was receiving thousands of emails saying that someone just bought another product from our company. My sales copy pages generated over $1,500,000 in revenue over last year. And I want to teach you how to do the same”

b. Test the Stereotype Formula

This one’s simple and effective as well. Introduce yourself by sharing an obvious stereotype about your profession. This cue will help you connect with your audience better, make them chuckle a bit, and set a lighter mood for the speech to follow.

Here’s how you can frame your intro:

“My name is ___, and I am a lead software engineer at our platform [Your Job Title]. And yes, I’m that nerdy type who never liked presenting in front of large groups of people. I would rather stay in my den and write code all day long. [Stereotype]. But hey, since I have mustered enough courage…let’s talk today about the new product features my team is about to release….”

After sharing a quick, self-deprecating line, you transition back to your topic, reinforcing the audience’s attention . Both of these formulas help you set the “mood” for your further presentation, so try using them interchangeably on different occasions.

2. Open a Presentation with a Hook

Wow your audience straight off the bat by sharing something they would not expect to hear. This may be one of the popular first-time presentation tips but don’t rush to discard it.

Because here’s the thing: psychologically , we are more inclined to pay attention whenever presented with an unexpected cue. When we know what will happen next – someone flips the switch, and lights turn on – we don’t really pay much attention to that action.

But when we don’t know what to expect next – e.g., someone flips the switch and a bell starts ringing – we are likely to pay more attention to what will happen next. The same goes for words: everyone loves stories with unpredictable twists. So begin your presentation with a PowerPoint introduction slide or a line that no one expects to hear.

Here are a few hook examples you can swipe:

a. Open with a provocative statement

It creates an instant jolt and makes the audience intrigued to hear what you are about to say next – pedal back, continue with the provocation, or do something else that they will not expect.

“You will live seven and a half minutes longer than you would have otherwise, just because you watched this talk.”

That’s how Jane McGonigal opens one of her TED talks . Shocking and intriguing, right?

b. Ask a rhetorical, thought-provoking question

Seasoned presenters know that one good practice is to ask a question at the beginning of a presentation to increase audience engagement. Rhetorical questions have a great persuasive effect – instead of answering aloud, your audience will silently start musing over it during your presentation. They aroused curiosity and motivated the audience to remain attentive, as they did want to learn your answer to this question.

To reinforce your message throughout the presentation, you can further use the Rhetorical Triangle Concept – a rhetorical approach to building a persuasive argument based on Aristotle’s teachings.

c. Use a bold number, factor stat

A clean slide with some mind-boggling stat makes an undeniably strong impact. Here are a few opening statement examples you can use along with your slide:

• Shock them: “We are effectively wasting over $1.2 billion per year on producing clothes no one will ever purchase”
• Create empathy: “Are you among the 20% of people with undiagnosed ADHD?”
• Call to arms: “58% of marketing budgets are wasted due to poor landing page design. Let’s change this!”
• Spark curiosity: “Did you know that companies who invested in speech recognition have seen a 13% increase in ROI within just 3 years?”

3. Begin with a Captivating Visual

Compelling visuals are the ABC of presentation design – use them strategically to make an interesting statement at the beginning and throughout your presentation. Your first presentation slide can be text-free. Communicate your idea with a visual instead – a photo, a chart, an infographic, or another graphics asset.

Visuals are a powerful medium for communication as our brain needs just 13 milliseconds to render what our eyes see, whereas text comprehension requires more cognitive effort.

Relevant images add additional aesthetic appeal to your deck, bolster the audience’s imagination, and make your key message instantly more memorable.

Here’s an intro slide example. You want to make a strong presentation introduction to global pollution.  Use the following slide to reinforce the statement you share:

“Seven of nine snow samples taken on land in Antarctica found chemicals known as PFAs, which are used in industrial products and can harm wildlife”

Source: Reuters

4. Ask a “What if…” Question

The “what if” combo carries massive power. It gives your audience a sense of what will happen if they choose to listen to you and follow your advice.  Here are a few presentations with starting sentences + slides to illustrate this option:

Alternatively, you can work your way to this point using different questions:

• Ask the audience about their “Why.” Why are they attending this event, or why do they find this topic relevant?
• Use “How” as your question hook if you plan to introduce a potential solution to a problem.
• If your presentation has a persuasion factor associated, use “When” as a question to trigger the interest of the audience on, for example, when they are planning to take action regarding the topic being presented (if we talk about an inspirational presentation).

5. Use the Word “Imagine”

“Imagine,” “Picture This,” and “Think of” are better word choices for when you plan to begin your presentation with a quick story.

Our brain loves interacting with stories. In fact, a captivating story makes us more collaborative. Scientists have discovered that stories with tension during narrative make us:

• Pay more attention,
• Share emotions with the characters and even mimic the feelings and behaviors of those characters afterward.

That’s why good action movies often feel empowering and make us want to change the world too. By incorporating a good, persuasive story with a relatable hero, you can also create that “bond” with your audience and make them more perceptive to your pitch – donate money to support the cause; explore the solution you are offering, and so on.

6. Leverage The Curiosity Gap

The curiosity gap is another psychological trick frequently used by marketers to solicit more clicks, reads, and other interactions from the audience. In essence, it’s the trick you see behind all those clickbait, Buzzfeed-style headlines:

Not everyone is a fan of such titles. But the truth is – they do the trick and instantly capture attention. The curiosity gap sparks our desire to dig deeper into the matter. We are explicitly told that we don’t know something important, and now we crave to change that. Curiosity is an incredibly strong driving force for action – think Eve, think Pandora’s Box.

So consider incorporating these attention grabbers for your presentation speech to shock the audience. You can open with one, or strategically weave them in the middle of your presentation when you feel like your audience is getting tired and may lose their focus.

Here’s how you can use the curiosity gap during your presentation:

• Start telling a story, pause in the middle, and delay the conclusion of it.
• Withhold the key information (e.g., the best solution to the problem you have described) for a bit – but not for too long, as this can reduce the initial curiosity.
• Introduce an idea or concept and link it with an unexpected outcome or subject – this is the best opening for a presentation tip.

7. The Power of Silence

What would you do if you attended a presentation in which the speaker remains silent for 30 seconds after the presentation starts? Just the presenter, standing in front of the audience, in absolute silence.

Most likely, your mind starts racing with thoughts, expecting something of vital importance to be disclosed. The surprise factor with this effect is for us to acknowledge things we tend to take for granted.

It is a powerful resource to introduce a product or to start an inspirational presentation if followed by a fact.

8. Facts as Weapons of Communication

In some niches, using statistics as the icebreaker is the best method to retain the audience’s interest.

Say your presentation is about climate change. Why not introduce a not-so-common fact, such as the amount of wool that can be produced out of oceanic plastic waste per month? And since you have to base your introduction on facts, research manufacturers that work with Oceanic fabrics from recycled plastic bottles .

Using facts helps to build a better narrative, and also gives leverage to your presentation as you are speaking not just from emotional elements but from actually recorded data backed up by research.

9. Fact vs. Myths

Related to our previous point, we make quite an interesting speech if we contrast a fact vs. a myth in a non-conventional way: using a myth to question a well-accepted fact, then introducing a new point of view or theory, backed on sufficient research, that proves the fact wrong. This technique, when used in niches related to academia, can significantly increase the audience’s interest, and it will highlight your presentation as innovative.

Another approach is to debunk a myth using a fact. This contrast immediately piques interest because it promises to overturn commonly held beliefs, and people naturally find it compelling when their existing knowledge is put to the test. An example of this is when a nutritionist wishes to speak about how to lose weight via diet, and debunks the myth that all carbohydrates are “bad”.

10. The Power of Music

Think about a presentation that discusses the benefits of using alternative therapies to treat anxiety, reducing the need to rely on benzodiazepines. Rather than going technical and introducing facts, the presenter can play a soothing tune and invite the audience to follow an exercise that teaches how to practice breathing meditation . Perhaps, in less than 2 minutes, the presenter can accomplish the goal of exposing the advantages of this practice with a live case study fueled by the proper ambiance (due to the music played in the beginning).

11. Physical Activity

Let’s picture ourselves in an in-company presentation about workspace wellness. For this company, the sedentary lifestyle their employees engage in is a worrying factor, so they brought a personal trainer to coach the employees on a basic flexibility routine they can practice in 5 minutes after a couple of hours of desk time.

“Before we dive in, let’s all stand up for a moment.” This simple instruction breaks the ice and creates a moment of shared experience among the attendees. You could then lead them through a brief stretching routine, saying something like, “Let’s reach up high, and stretch out those muscles that get so tight sitting at our desks all day.” With this action, you’re not just talking about workplace wellness, you’re giving them a direct, personal experience of it.

This approach has several advantages. Firstly, it infuses energy into the room and increases the oxygen flow to the brain, potentially boosting the audience’s concentration and retention. Secondly, it sets a precedent that your presentation is not going to be a standard lecture, but rather an interactive experience. This can raise the level of anticipation for what’s to come, and make the presentation a topic for future conversation between coworkers.

12. Acknowledging a Person

How many times have you heard the phrase: “Before we begin, I’d like to dedicate a few words to …” . The speaker could be referring to a mentor figure, a prominent person in the local community, or a group of people who performed charity work or obtained a prize for their hard work and dedication. Whichever is the reason behind this, acknowledgment is a powerful force to use as a method of starting a presentation. It builds a connection with the audience, it speaks about your values and who you admire, and it can transmit what the conversation is going to be about based on who the acknowledged person is.

Closing Thoughts

Now you know how to start your presentation – you have the opening lines, you have the slides to use, and you can browse even more attractive PowerPoint presentation slides and templates on our website. Also, we recommend you visit our article on how to make a PowerPoint Presentation to get familiarized with the best tactics for professional presentation design and delivery, or if you need to save time preparing your presentation, we highly recommend you check our AI Presentation Maker to pair these concepts with cutting-edge slide design powered by AI.

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How to Create a Stunning Presentation Cover Page [+ Examples]

Published: January 06, 2021

When you're focused on creating a meaningful, persuasive presentation, it's easy to overlook the cover page. But giving that first page of your deck a little more love can actually go a long way towards grabbing your audience's attention early on and setting the tone for the rest of your presentation.

A stunning presentation cover page can intrigue your audience into wanting to know more and increase engagement with the information you’re presenting. On the other hand, a lackluster slide, or even the lack of one, can dampen audience enthusiasm for your presentation, and maybe even your own.

You've put so much work into your presentation -- why waste that valuable real estate on the first slide of your deck?

In this post, we'll cover the basics of creating a presentation cover page that's informative and attention-grabbing. Let's dive in.

What's included in a presentation cover page?

A good presentation cover page accomplishes three simple things:

• It introduces the topic with a straightforward title.
• It introduces you (and your organization, if applicable)
• It sets the tone of your presentation.

We probably don't need to tell you this one, but your presentation cover page should be centered around a title. And ideally, a title that's straightforward, descriptive, and simple. If you're finding it hard to keep your title short, add a subtitle (in smaller print) to clarify what you'll be speaking about.

Next, identify the person (or group) who will be giving the presentation. In some cases, this will be as simple as including your own name, and in others, you'll want to include your company name, logo, department, or other identifying information. As a general guideline, you'll need less identifying information if you're giving an internal presentation.

If your audience is mainly folks outside of your company (or there are plans to distribute your deck externally) you'll typically want to include more information to identify your company clearly.

A successful cover page sets the "tone" of your deck -- but what does that really mean? The colors, imagery, fonts, and placements of different elements on your cover page all create a specific visual style that the rest of your deck should follow.

A well-designed page conveys a sense of professionalism and preparedness that a simple monochrome text slide simply cannot. Even if you're not a design expert, you need to pay attention to the aesthetics of your cover page. Fortunately, it's easier than ever to find free, professional-looking presentation templates without needing a degree in graphic design. Whatever you choose, it's important to remain relevant to your presentation (and, if applicable, your company's branding).

We'll explore a few examples of cover pages below so you can see how different elements converge to set the tone for a variety of different presentations.

Presentation Cover Page Examples

Below, we've compiled a number of presentation cover pages that succeed in different areas. Remember: there's no single perfect format for a presentation cover page, but hopefully, you get some inspiration from this list.

Setting An Emotional Tone

The right presentation page can set an emotional tone as well as a visual one. This presentation cover page for a nonprofit conveys a mission-driven approach to protecting nature, with a well-selected, relevant image, and a call-to-action directly in the subtitle. (Photo by Andy Køgl on Unsplash )

Focusing on a Photo

You don't need to overcomplicate the format of your cover page, especially if you have a great photo to use as a full background image. A simple stock photo here provides a clean backdrop for this presentation on remote work. Just make sure your title text is legible over any background photo you decide to use. (Photo by Corinne Kutz on Unsplash )

Leading With Your Brand

Even if you're the central speaker for a presentation, it might make more sense to highlight your team or brand on your cover page, instead of including your own personal information (you can always include your own contact info at the end of your deck for follow-up questions). Context (if you're speaking at a particular event or annual meeting) can be important to highlight as well on your cover page.

There's a big difference between a cover slide you didn't put much thought into and a slide that makes good use of whitespace and leans on strong copy. Sometimes, the best way to lead an audience into your presentation is to create space for a little mystery.

If you're giving a more casual presentation or a pitch that doesn't need to follow a particular format, consider going the minimal route and opening with a simple cover page slide that asks your audience a question (one that you of course plan to answer).

Set a Purpose

Many presentations include an agenda slide directly after your cover slide, but that doesn't mean you can use your cover slide to set a clear purpose upfront. Consider using your subtitle to explain a more robust (but still simple!) description of what you'll cover.

Presentation Cover Page Templates

Instead of creating your presentation cover page from scratch, using a template can take much of the work out of the process. Check out these websites for templates that you can use for your presentation or for inspiration to create your own designs.

A tried-and-true favorite of many marketing teams, Canva offers up a wide selection of modern, drag-and-drop presentation templates with truly unique cover pages. If you're on the hunt for a cover page that looks like you hired a graphic designer to create it just for you, Canva is a good place to start your search. Canva offers both free and paid options.

Beautiful.ai

Beautiful.ai has an intuitive, highly-customizable presentation builder that allows you to import your own visual elements directly from your computer or a Dropbox folder. Like Canva, they offer a number of free and paid template options (with great cover pages). Their biggest differentiating feature is their (frankly, very cool) adaptive AI technology, which intuits how you're trying to design a slide and makes changes automatically to suit the direction of your project.

For a completely free option with cover page starter template to suit a wide range of different projects across different formats, check out EDIT. Their online tool is specifically designed to create cover pages in a simple, easy-to-use interface.

Another highly-customizable template source is Visme, which gives users the ability to select a starting template from their (expansive) library and customize elements in a simple web editor.

VectorStock ®

VectorStock® has a massive selection of PowerPoint presentation cover page templates for purchase if you're looking for something that's ready to plug and go without the need for customization (beyond adding your own name and title, of course).

First Impressions Matter

For better or worse, audiences will judge a presentation by its cover page. Because of this, it’s vital that you give your cover page the care and attention that it deserves. Ultimately, a cover page isn't simply a placeholder, it’s a vital component that can drum up interest for your presentation. The best part is that with the tools available online, you don’t have to be an artist to create a stunning presentation cover page.

The featured image on this post was created using a Canva template.

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What should be the first slide of a presentation?

The first page of ppt should act like the cover of a book. It should give the would-be reader or audience a clear idea of what’s inside.

A PowerPoint first slide is commonly called a title slide or a cover slide, and it should include 3 main elements: (1) a title detailing the topic of the presentation, (2) An image that visually supports the title by adding more clarity to the topic, and (3) the reading time required to consume the presentation.

What is the best ppt first-page design?

The best first-page design for a ppt presentation or other more modern presentations is a mix of text and visuals that work together to provide the audience with a clear sense that the presentation is relevant, interesting, and worth reading. The best design choice is using a video with a short title text and tagline. A video will be effective in grabbing attention and a well-crafted title will make clear what the benefit of reading the presentation will be.

If you want to create an effective presentation, consider reading our guide on how to create an effective presentation .

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strategies, techniques, and tools for strong slide design, and maximum presentation quality.

Prior to delivering a talk, it is important to prepare and set yourself up for success with a strong slide deck. Depending on the nature of your presentation, the type of speaking engagement, your institution, and other factors and considerations, there are different kinds of approaches and priorities when it comes to slide design. This section includes some tips that will assist you with designing your slides to prepare for your presentation.

Slides drive home the main ideas of your research and play an important role to deliver a strong presentation. After reviewing the Fundamentals of Slide Design , use these resources to create and assess your slides to ensure that you have considered and included important components that make for an effective presentation.

Qualities of Strong Slide Design

Use this self-assessment checklist to design and review your slides. Check all boxes that incorporate key qualities of strong slide design. In addition to focusing on the style, typography, and layout, consider thinking about your use of visuals and color along with other elements to enhance the design of your slides.

Checklist for

Assertion-evidence slides.

The assertion-evidence slide structure is one effective technique to designing effective slides. In conjunction with the webinar on “Better Than Bullets: Transforming Slide Design” by Melissa Marshall, this checklist was developed as a resource for assertion-evidence slides but can be applied more generally to other types of slide designs. Consider the style, typography, and layout of your slides and what it might look like to incorporate these elements with an assertion-evidence slide structure in mind.

Research Presentation Rubric

The format of research presentations can vary across and within disciplines. Use this rubric to identify and assess elements of research presentations, including delivery strategies and slide design. This resource focuses on research presentations but may be useful beyond. 

Templates and Examples for

Check out tips, templates, layout suggestions, and other examples of assertion-evidence slides on  Rethinking Presentations in Science and Engineering by Michael Alley, MS, MFA, from Pennsylvania State University. Download the Assertion Evidence Presention template for Microsoft PowerPoint.

Additional Resources

Create and deliver standout technical presentations, present your science.

Melissa Marshall’s website explores how speakers can transform the way they present their research.

"The Craft of Scientific Presentations: Critical Steps to Succeed and Critical Errors to Avoid" book by Michael Alley

By distinguishing what makes a presenter successful, this book aims to improve your presentation skills.

Want to learn more about how to strengthen your presentation skills?

Visit the delivery authentically page for more information.

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As a presenter, your main job is to guide the audience through your argument in the clearest, most engaging, most efficient way possible. You must respect the audience’s time and attention. This means being mindful of how long your presentation is, what you’re including in your slides, and importantly, how it is all packaged and presented.

A great presenter is one who is intentional: each element in the presentation serves a clear function and is intended to support the audience’s understanding of the content.

Here are 10 tips to keep in mind to ensure your presentation hits the mark.

1. Any time you put something on your slides, its primary purpose is to help the audience, not you

Many presenters will add copious text or other elements to help themselves remember points they want to make. However, this is usually less helpful for the audience (most of this information belongs in presenter notes, and not on the slides). Think of yourself like a director of a movie. What do you want the audience to focus on at any given moment? What features on your slides will enhance the verbal point you are making and which will distract from it? Be intentional about what you include on your slides, and only include elements that serve a clear and helpful function for the audience.

2. Condense text to the main question or key points of the slide

It may be tempting to write out snippets of the script wholesale and add them to the slides, but this often results in PowerPoint karaoke, where the audience is simply watching you read the text out loud to them. While text is certainly useful for helping to concretise points or make slides more accessible, be judicious about what you include. Each slide should make one or two clear points. It’s better to have more slides with less content than fewer slides that are jam-packed. Of course, the amount of text you include will also be determined by the type of presentation you are giving. If students will be using your slides as a study aid, for example, you may want to include more information than if you are creating a research talk for a conference.

3. Avoid using too many colours, fonts or animations

Consider elements such as fonts, colours and animations as tools in your presentation toolkit. These elements should be used sparingly and only when they serve a clear purpose. I’m sure you’ve all attended a talk with colours bright enough to burn your retinas or crammed with “fun” fonts such as Comic Sans. Try to refrain from doing that. Animations that allow certain elements to appear or disappear along with your presentation — such as bullet points that appear as you say them — can help direct the attention of the audience. Colour contrasts are primarily helpful for visual segmentation or bringing attention to particular elements. Fonts, colours or flashy animations that are purely decorative are more distracting than helpful.

4. Avoid colour combinations that are hard to read

Be mindful of how colours interact with each other to either facilitate or inhibit comprehension. White text on black (or the reverse) is often a safe bet. Don’t overdecorate! (See above).

5.  If you’re showing a graph, orient the audience to the axes before plotting the data and make sure they can actually see all of it

I typically show the axes and labels first, making sure to orient everyone to the variables and how they are going to be visualised, and then I reveal the data. This ensures that everyone understands how to interpret the visualisation they are about to see. It is also helpful to restate the key prediction and tell the audience what they should expect to see if the prediction is true, and then plot the data. Use large sizes and clear fonts. I’ve heard way too many people say things like: “You probably can’t read this but…” To that, I want to say: “But you’re the one making the slide! You did this to us!” Don’t be that person.

6.  Use high-resolution images or videos

This is especially true for presentations that will be projected onto a larger surface. If it’s fuzzy on your computer screen, it will look even fuzzier when magnified and projected. Try to integrate high-resolution images and vector graphics to avoid this. When your images contain text, delete those portions and re-enter the text in text boxes that will scale up much more clearly when magnified.

7. When illustrating results, identify one or two key graphs to make your point

The temptation is often to show the audience every single result you found, but this dilutes the overall message you are trying to send. There’s no need to visualise everything: you should focus on the key graphs that tell most or all of the story. If you have built up the presentation in the right way, when the audience see your data visualisation, they will immediately understand what you found and whether it supports your hypothesis. That’s how clear and accessible the graph should be.

8.  Don’t overload the audience with unnecessary complex jargon or acronyms

Every time you introduce a new term or a brand new acronym (BNA), you are asking the audience to do you a favour and commit this new item to working memory. The audience doesn’t know your presentation; they don’t know what’s going to be important later and what isn’t. They’re trusting that you are only presenting information to them that is relevant and they’re doing their best to follow along. Make this process as easy and enjoyable as possible for them. Be judicious with what you ask them to remember or commit to memory. If you can explain a concept without jargon, avoid the jargon!

9. Enhance accessibility

The Web Accessibility Initiative has a great set of guidelines that I will summarise here. Use easy-to-read fonts in large sizes. Make sure there is enough contrast between colours to make them discernible. When giving virtual talks, consider turning on automatic closed captioning. If it’s feasible, provide annotated slide handouts. During the presentation itself, speak clearly and loudly, avoiding unnecessarily complex vocabulary or culturally specific idioms. Where possible, use a microphone. You should also try to verbally describe pertinent parts of visual information on your slides, such as graphics or videos.

10. Use outline slides and marker slides to segment information

Research shows that we understand and remember information better when it comes in bite-size pieces; think of chapters in a book. To incorporate this structure into your talk, break apart the presentation into smaller pieces. Always incorporate an outline slide that previews the structure of the talk and gives the audience a sense of what to expect. Also, use marker slides to communicate that a new section is beginning. And make sure to wrap up each section with a summary slide.

Dorsa Amir is a postdoc in the department of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.

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How to easily make an AWESOME first slide in PowerPoint?

By: Author Shrot Katewa

A good first impression can have a lasting impact. Thus, having a good design for your first slide is important. We’ve seen that people often simply put the title of the presentation as a first slide. I personally dislike this the most. It just shows that the person creating the presentation was simply not interested in it (even though that may not necessarily be true).

Thus, knowing how to create a good first slide is as important if not more as knowing how to create the rest of the presentation. The best part is – you can easily create an awesome first slide for your presentation in minutes in a few quick and easy steps. Obviously, if you have the time at hand, you can easily spend an hour or two making that perfect first slide! In this post, we take a look at how to easily create a first slide with a few examples of actual designs that we have created for our clients.

1. What is the first slide of a PPT presentation called?

The first slide of a presentation is called a “Title slide” or a “Cover slide” . This slide often contains the title of the presentation and hence the name title slide. It is also often referred to as the “Opening slide” of the presentation. The title slide is often the slide that is displayed on the screen before you start your presentation. Thus, it is important to have a title slide that not only looks good but also shares relevant information about your presentation.

2. What content should be included on the first slide of the PPT presentation?

A title slide or the cover slide does not need too much content. The purpose of the title slide is really to give an indication of what the presentation is all about. Thus, an ideal title slide should contain nothing more than –

• Presentation title
• Date of the presentation
• Presenter’s name and designation

It is not necessary to have all the above three pieces of information on a cover slide. Do keep in mind that not all cover slides are the same and what content is displayed on the cover slide can be organisation specific. An organisation may have a preference or a fixed structure for the content that needs to be put on a cover slide. This may vary from the above structure.

3. How to easily design a beautiful first slide in minutes?

As I mentioned earlier, having a good first slide can have a lasting positive impact on your audience. Thus, it is important to create a good design for your first slide. There are several ways you can design the cover slide. Let’s look at some of the easiest ways you can create a beautiful cover slide –

Method 1 – Using PowerPoint’s “Design Ideas” functionality (for beginners)

I must admit, PowerPoint’s “Design Ideas” functionality has great potential. In fact, we at OwlScape were planning on creating a similar plugin for PowerPoint users before Microsoft introduced this feature. This functionality is not just great for beginners, but also at least a must try for intermediate level users too. Designers from OwlScape also at least check out the functionality every once in a while especially when we hit a creative bloq.

It is really easy to work with. In just a couple of clicks and a few minutes, you can make your title slide look completely different –

To do this, all you need to do is put some text on your cover slide and use the “Design Ideas” functionality of PowerPoint. For example, you can write the title and subtitle of your presentation.

Next, click on the “Design” tab on your Menu bar. On the ribbon under the design tab, look for “Design Ideas” feature. It is normally on the far right of the screen on the ribbon. Click on it, and wait for a bit.

In a few seconds, PowerPoint will automatically throw a few ways in which you can design your title slide. You can choose the design you like, and repeat the process to get more results.

If you are unable to see any design ideas or you get an error, you could close the error result by clicking on the close button marked with “X” next to Design Ideas. Then, try clicking in any of the text box on the slide and click on “Design Ideas” again. A few attempts will surely give you some interesting results.

There are a few drawbacks though. These are as follows –

• The results are not consistent . If you happen to delete the slide and try to recreate using the exact same process, the result may be different. This can be both good and bad 🙂
• Editing the design of the suggested slide may not be easy for beginners – when you need to make some changes to the chosen design option, it doesn’t happen directly. You will need to work with the master slides in order to make the design changes. This may seem daunting especially if you are a beginner.
• Sometimes, it just doesn’t work – Even though you may have created a slide using the same content before, sometimes when you try to recreate using the same content, it may simply fail to showcase any ideas. In such an event, we would advise you to click on the text box or an image on your slide and try again by clicking on the Design Ideas option.
• Available for Office 2016 onwards – If you are a PowerPoint user using an older version of Microsoft Office, you may not be able to easily access this functionality. Having the latest PowerPoint version can be of great help!

One thing to note is that the “Design Ideas” option can be used not just for the cover slide, but also for other slides. However, I would advise resisting the temptation of using it for every single slide. 🙂

Method 2 – Using shapes to create an interesting cover slide (for intermediate users)

One other way of having an interesting cover slide is by using the shapes in PowerPoint. Let’s look at the following example –

If you look at the above example carefully, you’ll notice that we’ve only added a shape to the already existing title and the subtitle in the “After” slide. Simply adding a shape, a logo and aligning the text can alter the look of the slide drastically.

There are many ways you can add a shape to the slide. My favourite method is to add a horizontal or a vertical “Trapezoid/ trapezium” (a quadrilateral shape with one pair of parallel sides). A trapezoid shape allows me to have enough space to write the title of the slide and some more content.

To create this shape, you can follow the below steps –

On the menu bar, click on “Insert” and then click on “Shapes”. Under the basic shapes option, select the trapezium shape. Next, create the shape on your slide.

Make sure that the size of the trapezium is good enough to cover about ⅔ parts of the slide. Also ensure that the parallel sides of the trapezium touch the top and bottom part of the slide. Now all you need to do is add the title and subtitle, along with the logo to create your cover slide.

Similarly, you can also use the trapezium vertically. You can also use various types of shapes on your cover slide. The possibilities are literally endless!

Method 3 – Using shapes with images to create an awesome cover slide! (for advanced users)

If you are still not satisfied with your cover slide, there are several other ways you can make it look even more impressive. The easiest way to take it to the next level is to use images in combination with the shapes.

Let’s look at a few examples –

Combination cover slide design example – 1

In the above design, a shape has been created in the background using a freeform tool. Next, two appropriate images have been identified and put in front of the shape. All this has been kept predominantly to the right side of the slide allowing space to write the title, subtitle and the other relevant information on the left.

Combination cover slide design example – 2

In this example, we’ve used one corner of curved rectangle shape to create an interesting design. Two copies of the same shape have been considered. The one below is filled with a colour and tilted at a slight angle. The one above has an image inserted in the shape.

Combination cover slide design example – 3

In the above example, a combination of several shapes and images are used to create a visually pleasing design. Obviously, this may not be something that a beginner can create right of the bat. But the reason we put this design as an example is because barring the design skills (knowing what shape to include and where), creating this slide is not as advanced as you might think. This slide has been created by only using shapes and image elements along with the logo and text. The purpose of using this as an example was to showcase the endless possibilities on how a seemingly complex cover slide can be made by merely using basic shapes and images.

4. How to find images for the first slide of your presentation?

Whether you are using a combination of images and shapes or simply using an image on your title slide, it is important to identify a good image that resembles the topic of your presentation. Consider the following example –

If you’ve been following along, I’m sure you would have noticed by now that the above title slide has been created using a combination of images and shapes. Again, the design can be easily created using shapes and image elements. However, part of the reason that makes this slide look good and relevant to the presentation is the choice of image. Since the presentation is for a corporate organisation, choosing an image that resembles a corporate environment would be relevant.

Take a moment to scroll up and notice the other cover slide examples that I shared above.

The cover slide example 1 was designed for a presentation on education. Thus, choosing an image that represents education effectively communicates to the audience that the presentation is something to do with education even without the word “education” in the title or the subtitle or anywhere on the slide (Don’t resist, go ahead and have a look at the slide again! 🙂 )

Likewise, example 3 uses a mobile device in the title slide giving an indication that the product being talked about in the presentation is likely going to be an app.

Thus, choosing an appropriate image is important as it subtly communicates the message to the audience.

Finding the images for your presentation can take some time. You can use Google to see a few references on what type of images can be used. Avoid the temptation of using Google images directly on your presentation as this can violate copyright laws. We wrote a detailed post on where to find and how to use images for your presentation (link – https://owlscape.in/can-i-use-google-images-for-my-presentation/ ). Be sure to check it out!

I’m sure by now you’ve noticed a few different ways you can create a good title slide for your presentation. I hope this post helps you to think out of the box while creating the title slide of your next presentation. I also hope that going forward you will surely give enough focus on creating an impressive first slide even if you only have a few minutes.

If you’re struggling while creating your next title slide or your presentation, simply drop us an email on [email protected]

How to Design a Great Presentation Cover Page

A cover page is a quick and easy way to add polish to your presentation. We'll cover a few tips for creating a great cover image, and we've got ten free PowerPoint cover image templates you can download at the bottom of the page.

The cover image sets the tone for your presentation—you don't want to dive right into the content—and is a great opportunity to start your deck off on the right foot.

What to include

Your cover image should include these basic facts:

• Title Short and sweet.
• Your contact information. Email or phone number
• Your company logo. It's all about branding.

Bonus tips:

Cobranding. Presenting to a customer? Add their logo to personalize the presentation.

Conferences. Including your Twitter handle is a great idea—you might gain some followers, and it gives your audience someone to tag when they gush about your awesome presentation.

Know your Audience

Consider how your audience will view your presentation deck (projected, on their laptop, or printed like it's 1995), and make sure that the scale of your design is appropriate.

If you're presenting at a conference, your type needs to be big enough to read from the cheap seats, and make sure you have enough contrast that the text is legible even if there's poor projector quality. You don't want your audience squinting at the screen before your presentation even starts. And remember—the title page will be what's on screen when you're getting ready—walking up to the stage, fixing your microphone, or just swallowing back the sheer terror of public speaking.

If you're emailing the presentation, make sure your cover image works well as a thumbnail. That will be the first thing your reader sees when she receives the file—and, let's face it, a better image is going to drive more opens than a boring one.

Know your brand

If you have an established brand, your cover image needs to reflect it. One of the biggest problems we see with decks out in the wild is when the creator goes off-brand and uses the wrong colors or typeface. Imagine how surprising it would be to see a presentation from Coca-Cola without their trademark red, or Facebook without their blue.

Cover Image Techniques

Now that we have the basics down, here are some techniques you can use make a well-designed cover image.

Stock Photography

The workhorse of cover images is stock photography—an attractive photo with plenty of negative space, then place your text on top of it. The trick is to find the right photo and make it work for you. Pexels is a great place to find free images you can use anywhere. When you're looking for stock photos, keep these tips in mind to help you find the right image.

Sometimes you'll need to do a quick bit of editing to make the image work for you. The important thing is to find an image that works in the background —one that lets your reader focus on your message, not the photo. These images tend to look boring all by themselves—you need to use a bit of imagination to see how it will work once you layer text on it.

Once you have an image, you can desaturate and tint it to give it better contrast for your text, or manipulate the image to give it more negative space, as you see below.

Typographic

Nice typography will take a you a long way, and it's something you can do in PowerPoint without any special tools. We're in a renaissance of great, free fonts. Take a look at this selection of the best Google Fonts from the always awesome TypeWolf for inspiration.

Using custom fonts can be tricky in PowerPoint. If you're having trouble getting your fonts to show up, take a look at this article . If you're sharing the PowerPoint with others, they'll need to have the fonts installed (we recommend always exporting your deck to PDF before sharing with customers to avoid font problems).

We all know PowerPoint isn't the greatest design tool—but it does the basics well enough, and you can use it to make a minimal design that works well.

Even though they're "easy" to do, with the right layout and sense of balance you can make a design that really sings with hardly any design elements.

Strong color combinations, simple shapes, and nice typography can yield a cover page that looks great without searching for stock images or opening Photoshop. Need a little help with color combinations? Check out Kuler from Adobe .

Free PowerPoint Cover Page Templates

We've made examples of the styles above for you to download and use. These are completely free—do whatever you like with them!

Coffee Cup PowerPoint Cover

Requires  open sans download powerpoint file, beach powerpoint cover, requires  playfair display download powerpoint file, office building powerpoint cover, requires  open sans and playfair display download powerpoint file, circles powerpoint cover, bridge powerpoint cover, desk powerpoint cover, design tools powerpoint cover, simple powerpoint cover, tiled background powerpoint cover, topographic background powerpoint cover.

Enjoy! If you need some ideas to get you started, take a look at our portfolio of decks we've designed . Or if you'd like a little help on your next project, we're happy to help .

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6 Tips For Giving a Fabulous Academic Presentation

6-tips-for-giving-a-fabulous-academic-presentation.

Tanya Golash-Boza, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of California

January 11, 2022

One of the easiest ways to stand out at an academic conference is to give a fantastic presentation.

In this post, I will discuss a few simple techniques that can make your presentation stand out. Although, it does take time to make a good presentation, it is well worth the investment.

Tip #1: Use PowerPoint Judiciously

Images are powerful. Research shows that images help with memory and learning. Use this to your advantage by finding and using images that help you make your point. One trick I have learned is that you can use images that have blank space in them and you can put words in those images.

Here is one such example from a presentation I gave about immigration law enforcement.

PowerPoint is a great tool, so long as you use it effectively. Generally, this means using lots of visuals and relatively few words. Never use less than 24-point font. And, please, never put your presentation on the slides and read from the slides.

Tip #2: There is a formula to academic presentations. Use it.

Once you have become an expert at giving fabulous presentations, you can deviate from the formula. However, if you are new to presenting, you might want to follow it. This will vary slightly by field, however, I will give an example from my field – sociology – to give you an idea as to what the format should look like:

• Introduction/Overview/Hook
• Theoretical Framework/Research Question
• Methodology/Case Selection
• Background/Literature Review
• Discussion of Data/Results

Tip #3: The audience wants to hear about your research. Tell them.

One of the most common mistakes I see in people giving presentations is that they present only information I already know. This usually happens when they spend nearly all of the presentation going over the existing literature and giving background information on their particular case. You need only to discuss the literature with which you are directly engaging and contributing. Your background information should only include what is absolutely necessary. If you are giving a 15-minute presentation, by the 6 th minute, you need to be discussing your data or case study. At conferences, people are there to learn about your new and exciting research, not to hear a summary of old work.

Tip #4: Practice. Practice. Practice.

You should always practice your presentation in full before you deliver it. You might feel silly delivering your presentation to your cat or your toddler, but you need to do it and do it again. You need to practice to ensure that your presentation fits within the time parameters. Practicing also makes it flow better. You can’t practice too many times.

Tip #5: Keep To Your Time Limit

If you have ten minutes to present, prepare ten minutes of material. No more. Even if you only have seven minutes, you need to finish within the allotted time. If you write your presentation out, a general rule of thumb is two minutes per typed, double-spaced page. For a fifteen-minute talk, you should have no more than 7 double-spaced pages of material.

Tip #6: Don’t Read Your Presentation

Yes, I know that in some fields reading is the norm. But, can you honestly say that you find yourself engaged when listening to someone read their conference presentation? If you absolutely must read, I suggest you read in such a way that no one in the audience can tell you are reading. I have seen people do this successfully, and you can do it too if you write in a conversational tone, practice several times, and read your paper with emotion, conviction, and variation in tone.

What tips do you have for presenters? What is one of the best presentations you have seen? What made it so fantastic? Let us know in the comments below.

Want to learn more about the publishing process? The Wiley Researcher Academy is an online author training program designed to help researchers develop the skills and knowledge needed to be able to publish successfully. Learn more about Wiley Researcher Academy .

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How to Create a University Presentation?

A university presentation is a document that students and staff make to present a topic. These types of documents are also used to introduce the university to new students.

Presentations come in handy when you need to present a topic at school . The features in applications you choose to make it on are convenient for you. If you need to create one for your class, read our tips below.

1. Decide on a Topic

You can't make a proper presentation without a topic in mind. Determine the kind of topic that you want to tackle. Almost all presentations are informative, and these help a lot during lectures. Create a list of possible subtopics from your main topic.

2. Research the Facts

Get relevant information based on your list of topics and subtopics. Make an outline of all the information that you have gathered—from facts, statistics, and other useful data. If you're working with a group for your presentation, it's easier if you assign each member a topic to research on.

3. Write Content

Open a blank slide and start writing your content. Begin with a catchy introduction. You can use a video, a quote, an iconic poster , or a historical fact to kickstart your presentation. Statistics work better when you're making an academic presentation. Just write the content in the simplest manner possible.

4. Add Details

It's not just content that adds beauty to the presentation. The details also contribute a lot as well. Add graphics and colors to your presentation. Use tables, pie charts, and diagrams to present statistical data accurately. Doing so will make viewers understand your topic better.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you add images in a presentation.

Adding an image in a presentation is simple with the following steps:    

1. Download the image.  2. Go to the file and choose a slide where you want to put the image. 3. Click right and Insert. 4. Choose "Add Image" and click. The image will appear right away. 

Can you add a video in a presentation?

Yes, but make sure that you've already downloaded the video first. Cite the source of the video at the bottom of the slide. You can even add some context to it in another slide if you want.   

Do students work better in groups during a presentation?

If the students have great teamwork, they work well during a presentation. It all lies on how they work as a group.   

What are the characteristics of a good presentation?

The characteristics of a good presentation include:

1. Well-researched content 2. Captivating images and videos 3. Clean fonts 4. Simple writing of complex information 5. Smooth flow from one slide to another

What do you need to do before delivering a presentation?

Before delivering a presentation, it helps if you do the following:

1. Study your topic well.  2. Have a practice presentation. 3. Make sure the audio visual aspects work well.  4. Ask a friend to review your presentation.  5. Check each slide for spelling and grammar mistakes. 

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University Introduction

It seems that you like this template, university introduction presentation, free google slides theme, powerpoint template, and canva presentation template.

Going from high school to college is a big step in the academic life of any person. Make these new students feel at home studying in your college by using our new free template, whose friendly design can turn your presentation into the best introduction for them.

Making a good impression is essential, therefore using pictures can be a good idea, such as the ones we’ve included. The layouts are simple enough, there are geometric shapes in the background, with a focus on the blue and yellow colors. To provide all the data that your future students need, there are maps, charts, graphs and timelines. The icons are linear and give support to your texts. These, by the way, come with two fonts: a charming and versatile serif for titles and a geometric sans with an emphasis on facilitating the reading. Download the template and use it in Google Slides, PowerPoint or Keynote!

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Academic presentations: Slide design

• Presentation Design
• Slide design
• Conferences
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“Ideally, well designed slides can emphasize key points, show images too complex to explain in words, and reveal the organization of the presentation. Unfortunately, the usual design of a phrase headline supported by a bullet list seldom leads to achieving these ideals.” Alley and Neeley (2005)

There has been a considerable research and much written about what is a well designed, effective slide. The main finding is that: A slide full of bullet points with a title that makes no immediate point is a poor slide.

This is a very hard lesson for people creating academic presentations who feel that a good slide has a simple title then a list of points about that title. Many students will only ever see presentations where the majority of slides use that format and many will only ever create presentations which use that slide format.

This page gives some advice on how to ensure you are not one of them!

Design slides like academic paragraphs

On our essay writing pages, we give advice on creating academic paragraphs using the PEE acronym (Point, Evidence, Explanation). This same structure can be used for good academic slides.

• The Point of the slide should be made in the title, it should be a full sentence in a conversational style. So, instead of "Costumes" you may have "The costumes are well researched and authentic" or instead of "Language" you may have "Language is more than the spoken word".
• The Evidence should be shown in the main body of the slide and where possible this should be visual rather than textual (although in some cases quotes or very simple lists can be used).
• The Explanation should be spoken in the narration and this is where the detail of the presentation should be contained. In order that you can produce useful handouts, it is recommended that you record this in the Notes section of the PowerPoint (or other suitable software) file.

Making the evidence visual

PowerPoint is a visual medium; its purpose is to help an audience visualise what the speaker is saying. The purpose of a presentation should not be information transfer, it should be about enabling understanding and encouraging further action or research.

The best way to make your slides more visual is to use images and diagrams as the evidence to support or illustrate your main point (your slide title)

Here are a few examples:

Academic texts supporting these points

Alley, M and Neeley, K.A. (2005) Rethinking the Design of Presentation Slides. Technical Communication 52(4) 417-426. Available at https://iris.nyit.edu/~klagrand/PowerPoint%20techniques.pdf .

Mayer, R.E. and Moreno, R. (2003) Nine ways to reduce cognitive load in multimedia Learning. Educational Psychologist 38(1) 43-52. Available at https://faculty.washington.edu/farkas/WDFR/MayerMoreno9WaysToReduceCognitiveLoad.pdf

Mayer R.E and Johnson, C.E. (2008) Revising the redundancy principle in multimedia learning. Journal of Educational Psychology , 100(2). 380-386. Available online as an eJournal via the University Library.

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• Presentations

16 Best Free PowerPoint PPT Cover Page Design Templates to Download 2024

Creating an attractive presentation cover page for PPT can be challenging.

Create stylish and eye-catching PowerPoint cover slides for your next presentation. Use a professionally designed PowerPoint template.

Having the cover page pop is the first step in creating a memorable presentation. 

PowerPoint templates help you focus on the actual content. Creating a template that can compete with other high-quality designs may be hard.

Envato Elements offers a marketplace full of PowerPoint templates. They can all be downloaded with a low monthly cost .

5 Best Top Trending Premium PowerPoint PPT Cover Page Design Templates (From Envato Elements - For (2024)

Now let’s look at a few of the top premium printable flyer templates from Envato. We’ll first explore five of the  best cool flyer designs from Envato Elements.

Take a look at these PowerPoint cover page ideas:

1.  Minimal PPT Cover Pages

Here's an all-in-one PowerPoint presentation template. The creators made its cover slide for PPT with a minimal look. The template has tons of white space and subtle colors to focus primarily on the information.

A few notable features include:

• 32 animated unique PowerPoint cover slides
• 4000+ vector icons
• drag and drop photo replace
• full HD 16:9 ratio
• background covers for PPT

2. The X Note PowerPoint Presentation Cover Page

This effective, modern, and easy-to-customize presentation helps you turn your ideas into persuasive presentations. It features one of the best PowerPoint covers. If you've got a product design coming up, this presentation lets your ideas shine. 

Here are a few notable features for this PowerPoint cover page template:

• 4:3 and 16:9 screen layouts
• PowerPoint cover slide templates with transition animations
• 40+ unique PowerPoint cover slide template
• 4 pre-made themes 

3. Be. - Minimal PowerPoint Cover Pages

Be. focuses on the creatives. The clean and minimalist layout gives you plenty of options to showcase any type of business or personal presentation. The PowerPoint title page is divided into two. One half of the cover page PowerPoint features a place for an image. The other side for the title of your presentation.

Here's what you can expect from this template:

• 125+ unique and creative PowerPoint cover slide templates 
• 550+ free font icons 
• all objects are vector and fully editable
• Easy drag and drop to change images

4. Expert - PowerPoint Cover Pages for Presentations

This high-quality PowerPoint cover page introduces a whopping 620 unique slides. The welcome slide for PPT has five triangle shapes that allow you to add images to, a title, and a section to add around three sentences. 

There are plenty of features that come with this template, including: 

• 100 theme colors 
• white & dark versions
• 620 unique PowerPoint cover slide templates
• fully animated
• 16:9 full HD quality presentation

5.  PPT Presentation With Cover Pages & Infographics

This is a powerful PowerPoint template presentation with front page designs that let you build whatever you like. The presentation cover page for PowerPoint is full of vibrant and colorful elements. It'll help you deliver PowerPoint cover page designs that'll catch your audience's attention. 

Features for these PowerPoint presentation cover pages include:

• 11 modern and unique PowerPoint covers with slides
• widescreen (16:9)
• handmade infographics for your PPT cover pages
• free icon pack
• fully customizable 

Now let's look at the best PPT free presentation cover templates with high-quality PowerPoint cover slides.

5 Free Elements PowerPoint Templates With Amazing PowerPoint Covers

Are you on a tight budget, but aiming for the highest quality? Envato Elements is here for you! 

Here you have 5 free amazing templates with the perfect cover page for PowerPoint.

1. LIABLE - Multipurpose PowerPoint Template

Get this premium template for free! It offers a PowerPoint title page with room for a large landscape image, as well as:

• free font used
• editable graphics
• Master Slides for quick edits
• drag-and-drop image placeholders

2. Remaria - Minimalist PowerPoint Template

Here’s a template with a cute presentation cover page for PowerPoint. With this template PPT free download, you’ll get:

• a flowery welcome slide for PPT
• 5 different color schemes
• fully editable layout
• vector-based icons
• 30 modern slides

3. Genius - Multipurpose PowerPoint Template

With Genius, you get so much more than just a PowerPoint title page – and for free! This template PPT free download includes: 

• used free font
• 5 color schemes
• device mockups
• resizable graphics
• 30 slides per palette

4. Delusi Earth Tone PowerPoint Template

This is the most modern and elegant PowerPoint cover page that you can get for free! This template PPT free download offers:

• 40 total slides
• easily editable design
• quick edits with Master Slides
• drag-and-drop picture placeholders
• used and recommended free web fonts

5. Retrobox Multipurpose Presentation

Retrobox might as well have the most eye-catching cover slide for PPT. On top of that, this free premium presentation features:

• modern layout
• used Google Fonts
• 16:9 widescreen ratio
• easy to customize design

16 Top Free PowerPoint PPT Cover Page Design Templates to Download for 2024

One thing before looking for a free PowerPoint cover page template on the web. Check Envato's free offerings first.

Try out premium template files (not always Microsoft cover page downloads) at no cost to you!

Here's the deal:

• Every month Envato Elements offers 12 different hand-selected files, (fonts, presentations, videos, and more). Create a free account to download this month's free premium files now.

Do you need some more options for free PowerPoint cover page templates? Take a look at these free PPT cover page ideas:

1.  Global Education Solution - PPT Free PowerPoint Cover Pages

This free PowerPoint cover page template features an abstract image, This is to highlight the importance of education. You can include a title and subtitle for the presentation. This Microsoft cover page download as well. 

2. Simple & Professional Free PowerPoint Title Page Template

These free PPT slides offer an abstract and modern cover page. It features a neutral background with a yellow circle shape. You can add a double title for a shade effect.

3. Creative Idea Bulb - Free PPT Cover Page

Creative Idea Bulb PowerPoint cover slide combines a pencil and a light bulb to express creative learning. Use this template for teaching and creative presentations.

4. Free Abstract PowerPoint Presentation Cover & Backgrounds

You can expect several free PPT slides that work as background images for your cover page. There are different abstract and colorful designs to choose from. This is a flexible template that can work for business or personal use.

5. My Portfolio - Free Presentation Cover Page in PowerPoint

This template for PPT free to download features an aesthetic PowerPoint cover page. It’s a beige background with black spark shapes and room to add an image. It’s ideal for a business presentation or a portfolio slideshow.

6. City of Business Man - Free First Page of Presentation

City of Business Man PowerPoint cover page template has a cityscape background overlaid in red. The title is in the center of the page with a circle around it. 

7. Analysis Consultant - Free Cover Page for Your Presentation

This template is ideal for any business presentation. The cover for PPT has a businessman background image with futuristic icon graphics overlaying the image. 

8. Free Brush Stroke PowerPoint Covers & Backgrounds

Here’s another template for PPT free to download. Try any of the free PPT slides as a PowerPoint cover page. Their abstract designs look like they were painted with brush strokes. 

9. Free Presentation Title Page With Businessman Cityscape

This cover template for PPT contains a confident businessman against the backdrop of an urban landscape. The template is fully editable and has 135 different icons to choose from.

10. Newspaper Style PowerPoint Cover Page and Slides

This template is great for school presentations and features a newspaper cover page design. You can expect around 20 different slides with this template for PPT free to download.

11. PPT Free Annual Report

This Microsoft cover page download comes with a business graphic on the front. It's best used for economic-type presentations. You could also use this for any type of personal finance presentation. 

12. Business Pitch Deck - PPT Free PowerPoint Covers

The PPT cover page design download features an abstract, blue-colored shape, some rows for titles, and a row for graphics. Just like the title says, this presentation cover page is best used for pitch decks.

13. Free Classroom Cover Slide for PPT & Backgrounds

Any type of school presentation can benefit from these free PPT slides. Use any of these as a cover page for PowerPoint. There are several different designs with classroom-related shapes and drawings. 

14. PPT Free Business Plan

This simple cover page template has a dark-colored background with abstract shapes. The simplicity of the template allows it to be used for all types of business and personal presentations.

15. Data Analysis - Free PPT Cover Page Ideas

This template design is suitable for the presentations crafted for graphical representation of businesses and economics. The cover page features an abstract spherical shape with a gray-colored background.

16. Simple Retro Interface Free PPT Template

The design of this PowerPoint presentation cover page consists of a squared background with figure icons and pastel colors. There’s room for a large title and a subheading in this welcome slide for PPT. It’s a template for PPT free to download that comes with 20 slides in total.

How to Quickly Customize PowerPoint PPT Cover Page Templates (For 2024)

We’ve explored some of the very best PPT cover page templates from around the web. Once you download cover PPT templates, it’s time to customize them.

Fortunately, with premium Envato Elements templates, this is easy to do. You can customize these cover page templates in just five quick steps! Let’s learn how.

Want to follow along with this mini-tutorial? Head over to Envato Elements. Download the stunning premium Chime Presentation Template  today!

Let's get started:

1. Add Title Text to Your PPT Front Page

Once you download cover PPT templates, the first step is to add custom text. Remember, this is the first thing that audiences see. The text that sits on a premium template slide is a placeholder. You can type over it with your own words.

To do this, click into the text box like the one on the first slide here. Select the text inside and replace it with your own text. You can repeat this with any other text until you've got the slide customized to your own needs.

2. Add Font Effects to Your Background Cover PPT

Once you’ve added text, remember that it’s an important part of your style. Download cover PPT templates deserve the use of custom font effects too.

These effects live up on the Home tab, found on PowerPoint’s ribbon. With text selected, you can change the font size and style on the dropdown menus. Plus, you can add effects like italics, underlines, and more. Those options are found on the series of buttons in the Font group.

3. Insert Photos in Your PowerPoint Covers

Your cover PowerPoint slide should capture attention in an instant. One of the best ways to do this is with an image. Photos naturally grab focus, and it pays to include them on your cover slide.

To add a photo, go to the Insert tab, again found on the ribbon. From the Pictures dropdown, choose Picture from File. Browse to an image file stored on your computer and click to insert it. Watch as it appears on your slide.

4. Rearrange the Content of Your  Presentation Front Page Design

When you add photos to a slide, PowerPoint places them in a random position. Chances are, you’ll want to move the objects around. To do so, click and drag to move them to a new place on your slide. Release the cursor when you’re finished.

You can also resize content on your slides. Pull on the adjustment sliders found in each corner. This is the fastest way to resize images and objects to fit into place perfectly.

5. Change Shape Colors of Your Presentation Title Page

Notice that this slide has colorful shapes on it. While the default colors are beautiful, you may want to change them. To do so, click on one of the colorful shapes. Notice a new tab on the ribbon: Shape Format . Click Shape Format , then open up the Shape Fill dropdown.

You’ll see a color chooser menu, from which you can apply an array of new shades. Click on one of the color thumbnails to apply it to your selected shape. You can repeat these steps with other shapes to add your own custom colors to your download cover PPT.

5 Quick PowerPoint Cover Page Slide Design Tips for 2024

You're looking for the right PowerPoint cover page. Use these quick tips to get the most from your cover page presentation design:

1. Split in Half Your Presentation Title Page

The half and half cover page design works great for all types of presentations. Include an image on one half and the title and short sentences on the other half of the slide to create this type of cover page design. 

2. Feature a Center Design in Your PPT Welcome Page

Using a centered design for your slides can help your presentation by making the elements on the slides seem more important. When elements are centered, they're perceived as being crucial to the slide. The audience subconsciously views your text and images as all being important. 

3. Include Graphics in Your PowerPoint Covers

While this may be an obvious tip, it's often overlooked. Adding graphics sparingly throughout your presentation gives your slides a professional touch. It makes the presentation more engaging. Be sure to include graphics that fit what you're presenting. 

4. Give a Simplicity Look to the First Page of Your Presentation

While your cover page for PPT can work great with many different elements on it, you can still never go wrong with having a very simple cover page design. Including a graphic and title of your presentation in the center of your cover page is more than enough to set the stage for your presentation. 

5. Include Skill Bars to Your PowerPoint Cover Slide Templates

Including skill bars in your presentations helps make it much more engaging and memorable. Whether you're giving a pitch deck, creating a project proposal, or showcasing an annual report, skill bars can be used in the presentation.

Still looking for more high-quality PowerPoint templates? Let's look at even more template options for you to choose from. 

5 Top Design Trends for Your PowerPoint Cover Pages (For 2024 Presentations)

You’ve seen the very best PowerPoint cover page templates available today. And you’ve learned how to customize them in five easy steps. But you still need to ensure that you’ll make that winning first impression.

To do this, you must embrace the very latest trends for 2024. These five ideas feature in the best PowerPoint cover page designs today. Use them and prepare to wow even the toughest audiences.

Here are some PPT cover page ideas and trends:

1. Give a Minimalist Styling to Your PowerPoint Covers

In 2024, minimalist designs are in style. These layouts help your content shine. Minimalism is an aesthetic that embraces the idea of “less is more.”

By using a minimalist design, audience focus shifts to your message. They won’t be distracted by flashy design elements that add no value. Not only are these designs trendy for 2024. But they also help ensure your success as you present.

2. Add Subtle Animations to the First Page of Your Presentation

Static presentations are falling out of style, and with good reason. They’re dull, flat, and boring. Audiences expect more in 2024. An easy fix is to embrace the trend of animation. Animated slides control the flow of your slides, and they hold the audience's attention.

Try to use basic effects that support, rather than detract from, your message. For more on PowerPoint animations, check out our full tutorial:

3. Add Bold Fonts to Your Background Cover PPT

As you saw in the tutorial section, fonts are a key part of your download cover PPT design. What better way to embrace this than to choose a template with bold, stylish fonts built in? These are the trendiest font effects for 2024.

Bold fonts help your slide cover titles stand out. Audiences will have no doubt about what your presentation is about. With a premium template with built-in fonts, you’ll save time by having some work done for you.

4. Add Stylish Designer Background Covers to Your PPT

You may think of cover slide backgrounds as empty space. But in 2024, they’re something more. Stylish designer backgrounds are in style this year.

By adding a pattern or contrast to the background of your slide, you make every part of your cover page stand out. It makes the most of a single slide, which is always the goal to help you succeed.

Learn more about customizing PPT slide backgrounds with our helpful tutorial:

5. Give The First Pages of Your Presentations Layouts With Contrast

Like the idea of designer backgrounds, contrast-heavy layouts are popular in 2024. Gone are the days when basic two-tone layouts impressed audiences.

By using layouts with contrast, you can transform a PPT cover page into a work of art. Viewers will admire your design skills. These designs, found in premium templates, help your intro slide look its very best.

Discover More PowerPoint Top Cover Pages for Presentations 

Still haven't found the right PowerPoint template for your latest presentation? There are plenty of more high-quality and feature-rich PowerPoint templates with stunning-looking cover pages available on Envato Elements. 

Continue with your search for more of these templates. Feel free to check out a few more of our roundup articles below:

5 Benefits of Using the Best PowerPoint Covers With Pro Designs

Still unsure about going for the premium PowerPoint cover page options? The professionally designed  templates can really make a difference in your presentation. Here are five reasons why:

• Save time. This is the first and most common reason to go for a premium presentation cover page. You don’t need to spend hours thinking about the design nor creating it. A pro does this for you!
• Focus on the content. As the design is in the hands of the pros, you can put more thought into the information. Make sure every word and number is precise. That’s your only job.
• Make an impact. As creative and talented as you can be, most of these presentations were designs with a lot of eye to detail. The balance between the shapes, fonts, and color palette is not a coincidence. It’s all meant to make your presentation cover page (and the rest of it) shine.
• Add your own touch. If there’s anything that doesn’t convince you about the design, or if you want to add your brand’s identity, you can still do it! A premium cover slide for PPT will allow you to change the colors, rearrange the shapes, and more.
• Keep the pace. The perfect welcome slide for PPT, as well as the rest of the slides, won’t have too much text. Professionally designed presentations tend to give you just enough room for text. This way, you make sure to keep things concise.

Benefits of Envato Elements (The Power of Unlimited Use)

Envato Elements is a unique service. The subscription includes thousands of great PPT templates for a single flat-rate price.

Sign up for Envato Elements. You'll get access to thousands of unlimited use graphics and templates. Choose from web themes to  presentation templates , and more — all for one low price. 

Common PowerPoint Questions Answered (FAQ)

When you think about using cover page templates, you might have a few questions. You may be wondering about the value PowerPoint can bring to the table.

Or, you may not know which presentation app to use. Here, we’ve provided answers to five common PowerPoint questions to help you:

1. Can I Share PowerPoints on Zoom?

Yes! In today’s global world, this ability is more important than ever. By building slides that look great on Zoom, you can be ready to share with the world.

Want to learn more? We built a handy tutorial to help you start building and sharing PPT cover page slides on Zoom today:

2. How Do I Make PowerPoint Presentations More Diverse?

There are many ways! This is the most important concept in slide design today. It means using diverse imagery. It also includes making slides more accessible to those with disabilities.

Be sure to read up on these ideas and incorporate them in your next PPT design:

3. How Do I Get Design Ideas for PowerPoint?

Design inspiration comes from studying the successful PowerPoint designs of expert creatives. It’s also a feature of premium Envato Elements templates.

Pre-built slide layouts provide plenty of inspiration. You don’t have to invent layouts from scratch. Instead, you can fill in the blanks left for you by creative experts.

4. Can I Make Interactive Quizzes in PowerPoint?

Absolutely! These are great to include very early in your download cover PPT presentations. They help you engage with audiences by making your slides interactive. This is crucial because a focused audience is an interested audience.

For all the details, read our full tutorial:

5. How Do I Avoid Boring Presentations?

Be focused, be direct, and be engaging. Those are some of the key concepts that help you avoid giving a boring presentation. If you lose your audience because of dull slides, there’s no chance that they’ll connect with your message.

For more, visit our guide to building engaging (not boring) PowerPoint slides:

Learn More About Making Great PowerPoint Presentations in 2024

You've got your PowerPoint presentation picked out. Now it's time to edit the template and customize it to fit your particular presentation. A basic knowledge of PowerPoint can take you a long way in the editing process. 

For more help with understanding how you can edit templates in Microsoft PowerPoint, go to our  PowerPoint tutorial guide . Or take a look at the articles below:

Modern Templates for PowerPoint Presentation Cover Pages on Envato Elements (With Unlimited Use)

Free PowerPoint templates can help kickstart the presentation creation process. But using a professionally designed template helps you stand out from the competition. 

Envato Elements has thousands of the best premium PowerPoint templates with high-quality cover slides available on the web!

For a low monthly cost, you can access this massive library of templates and bring your presentations to life .

Modern PPT Front Pages

Plus, now Envato Elements has introduced an AI-powered search feature ! This new tool allows you to input a description of your project to effortlessly locate the finest human-crafted resources. 

Start experimenting with this enhanced search tool! Discover the ideal PowerPoint templates for your presentations in 2024.

Get Your PowerPoint PPT Cover Page Design Templates Today!

The templates featured in this article have incredible designs and feature eye-catching cover slides. Whether you're creating a resume, have a project proposal coming up, or need to showcase your portfolio, these PowerPoint templates can help you take your presentation to the next level.

Envato Elements offers you access to a massive library of high-quality PowerPoint templates. Plus, get access to thousands of other creative assets that can help you with your upcoming projects. 

What are you waiting for? Get started on your next PowerPoint presentation with a premium PowerPoint presentation cover page template right now!

Editorial Note: This post has been updated with contributions from Andrew Childress , Gonzalo Angulo , and Renata Martín Intriago . Andrew is a freelance instructor for Envato Tuts+. Gonzalo is the Associate Editor of the Tuts+ Video channel. Renata is a staff writer with Envato Tuts+.

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What should be included on the title page of a conference presentation

I am preparing slides for a conference.

And I struggled (a bit) for what to put on the title page.

I know the paper title is a must, maybe the conference name, place, date.

How about authors and affiliation?

Should I put all the authors name on the title page?

Or only the presenter?

How about if they are from different institute?

Should I put all the institute names on the first page?

• presentation

• 1 Google slides for the previous editions of the conference, imitate what you like. –  user102 Commented Oct 22, 2014 at 16:15
• I get very grumpy comments if I forget to include the logos of the institutions that are funding the research (if they find out, that is). –  Peter Bloem Commented Oct 22, 2014 at 17:16

3 Answers 3

I usually include:

Title of talk

Name of presenter (me)

Names of coauthors

Name of conference

Title of conference session (if applicable)

City of conference

My institution's name

Maybe my institution's logo

I don't include the coauthors' affiliations.

• Why would you need the Conference Date/Name/City/Session Name? Surely everyone at the conference is already aware of all these things? Do your conference slides go online afterwards? –  Frames Catherine White Commented Sep 13, 2017 at 6:13
• @LyndonWhite: You're right that it's redundant, but it seems to be traditional. Slides don't usually go online by default, but sometimes people do post them or share them privately, in which case this is useful information to have attached. Practically, it helps you check that you have loaded the correct slides, and I think maybe it also lets the audience feel subconsciously that this is a very special talk created just for them (although in fact it fact it probably isn't). –  Nate Eldredge Commented Sep 13, 2017 at 13:25
• good points, I'ld not thought of them. Prehaps they should be added to the answer. Or maybe I should ask another question that you can answer with that? –  Frames Catherine White Commented Sep 13, 2017 at 13:42

Yes, of course, unless there are tens of authors (common in particle physics: I dunno how they handle it... maybe with a group photograph). You can then highlight the speaker's name.

Frequently, one puts institutes' logos instead.

• 1 In particle physics, they handle it by listing the author as "[presenter-name] on behalf of the [group-name] collaboration" or at least by including the collaboration's logo very prominently. A photograph might be included, but when this is done it usually appears at the very end of the talk. –  David Z Commented Oct 23, 2014 at 1:54

To answer from a slightly different perspective: As somebody watching the presentation, I would like to see the following:

• A title (if possible, one that reflects what you're actually going to talk about, rather than what you thought you would be talking about a year ago when you submitted the abstract ;-))
• The authors' names and affiliations. Make it clear who is speaking, in case I don't know you personally.
• An email address for queries (put it at the end as well, but if it's at both ends there's a stronger chance that it'll remain up for long enough to note it down)

Try to resist the urge to turn it into a dense mass of extraneous information and logos. Do not include the following unless you have to:

• The name or city of the conference
• Funders' logos

If I am at a conference I know where I am. Unless it's been a very long and tiring conference I probably know the date as well. These things may be useful metadata for archival purposes, but it isn't needed by the audience - so put them in small grey text somewhere on the slide, invisible (or at least not attention-grabbing) from a distance.

Similarly, if I'm watching your presentation I probably care about the research, and maybe who did it - not who funded it. Don't include funders logos on the title page unless required to do so; instead, put them on an acknowledgements slide at the end, with anybody else that you owe acknowledgements to.

• 1 Please include the place and date. The audience does not care about them, but people who find your slides later by Google will appreciate if they can easily find out who presented it, where, and when. –  Jukka Suomela Commented Oct 22, 2014 at 15:58
• @JukkaSuomela hence what I said - include it, but small and not standing out. It's there as metadata for later, but doesn't distract at the event. –  Flyto Commented Oct 22, 2014 at 16:00
• 2 Why is the title optional? –  Dave Clarke Commented Oct 22, 2014 at 16:03
• @DaveClarke Is it useful information, to somebody who is sitting in the hall watching the presentation? Hmm, I guess it might determine whether that's the right time to get coffee. And it is more essential from an archival perspective. I'll remove the "optional" label from that. –  Flyto Commented Oct 22, 2014 at 16:08

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