How To Use Google Slides To Create Engaging Presentations

In this video, I'm excited to guide you through the nuances of Google Slides to enhance your presentations and courses. I'll be focusing on the stylistic aspects of crafting engaging slides, sharing insights into how the blend of style and content can drive conversions and bolster your message.

While I won't cover every feature, I'll highlight the most impactful tools and tips within Google Slides. Starting directly from my desktop, I'll dive into the simplicity and power of using this accessible tool to build your presentation from the ground up, beginning with a blank slate to fully tailor your slides' look and feel.

As someone who usually works with Mac but prefers Google Slides over Keynote or Microsoft PowerPoint, I appreciate its shareability and collaboration features. I'll walk you through creating a fresh Google Slides document, selecting templates, and customizing themes to reflect your brand or subject matter.

We'll explore how this free platform, which is part of Google Drive, can be leveraged to create slides with the right balance of professional flair and personal touch. Whether you're working alone or with a team, I'll show you how to share and collaboratively edit your presentations in real-time, making Google Slides an indispensable tool for effective online communication.

Key Takeaways

• Discover how to use Google Slides for creating engaging presentations that resonate with your audience.
• Learn to customize slide design and themes for a professional and branded look.
• Understand the collaborative and sharing functionalities of Google Slides for teamwork efficiency.

Overview of Google Slides

Google Slides is a robust presentation tool that I often use instead of Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple's Keynote for its superior sharing and collaborative features. As a free offering that comes with any Google account, Google Slides is an integral part of the Google Workspace, which includes various other apps like Google Docs and Google Drive.

When starting a presentation, you have two options from within Google Drive: beginning with a blank presentation or using a template. The process is simple:

• Navigate to slides.google.com or select 'Google Slides' from the grid icon next to your Google profile.
• Choose a blank presentation to start from scratch or a template to work with a pre-designed structure.

In terms of design and customization:

• Google Slides offers an array of slide templates, such as title slides, section headers, and blank slides for diverse content types.
• Editing tools allow for customization of text, including changing fonts, styles, and colors, akin to other page builders or presentation software.

A key aspect of Google Slides is the theme customization. Here's how I approach it:

• Select 'Slide' then 'Edit theme' to access the theme settings for your presentation.
• Choose backgrounds and insert logos to create watermarks or other subtle branding elements.
• Utilize different header and footer styles to maintain consistent visual branding throughout the presentation.

The collaboration feature is what truly sets Google Slides apart:

• By clicking 'Share' on the top right, I can invite others to edit by entering their email or sending them a shareable link.
• Control the level of access by designating others as viewers, commenters, or editors, enabling real-time teamwork on the same slide deck.

In my presentations, I strive to engage the audience and aim for effective delivery, whether I'm aiming for conversions or providing valuable content through courses. Google Slides' blend of style and content management capabilities makes it my go-to choice for crafting professional and interactive presentations.

Starting with Google Slides

Accessing Google Slides

I begin by heading to google.com and logging into my Google account. Google Slides is part of Google's free suite, which includes Google Docs and Google Drive. If you prefer a more advanced experience and have a team, there's the option of a paid Google Workspace account. Within Google Drive, you have the choice to click on the grid icon, often referred to as the 'waffle', to find Slides, or go directly to slides.google.com. Alternatively, you can click New > Google Slides to get started.

• Access Points:
• Visit google.com and sign in.
• Use the 'waffle' icon to locate Slides in the Apps menu.
• Directly navigate to slides.google.com.

Steps to Open Slides:

1. Inside Google Drive, click on the 'waffle' icon or New.
2. Choose Google Slides from the dropdown.

Creating a New Presentation

To create a presentation, I click on Blank Presentation or choose from the available Templates. A blank presentation gives me a canvas to begin crafting slides from scratch.

• Starting Options:
• Blank Presentation: Develop a custom presentation.
• Template: Use a pre-designed starting point.

Here's how I build my slides for an impactful presentation:

1. Choose a Slide Layout: Title slide, section header, title and body, etc.
   
   
2. Customize Text: Edit text for clarity and emphasis, like bolding or changing colors.
   
   
3. Design Theme: Through the theme editor, I personalize slide backgrounds and incorporate branding elements.
   
   

1. 
   Test Slide Transitions: Preview the slides for flow and visual appeal.
   
   

Sharing & Collaboration Features: To share the presentation, I click the Share button, copy the link, or invite others by their email. As a presenter, I decide if others can view, comment, or edit the presentation, enhancing collaboration in real-time.

• Sharing Permissions: Restricted, viewer, commenter, or editor.
• Collaboration: Multiple users can work on the presentation simultaneously.

I'll demonstrate editing themes and customizing slides further, but these are the basics to get you started with Google Slides—creating and accessing presentations in an efficient and collaborative environment.

Using Slide Templates

Exploring Pre-Set Layouts

When starting a new presentation in Google Slides, I often utilize pre-set layouts. These are incredibly handy as they offer a variety of slides including:

• Title Slide
• Section Header
• Title and Body
• Two Columns
• Caption
• Blank

By selecting these from the dropdown menu, I instantly have a structured starting point for my content. To tailor each slide, I can simply click on it and edit the text, change color, or bold the font. I highly recommend spending time with these layouts, as they provide a sound framework that guides the construction of your presentation effortlessly.

Customizing Themes

Customizing themes is where I feel presentations begin to embody a personal or brand identity, setting the style of the slides. I find great value in starting with the "Edit Theme" option. Here’s what I typically do:

1. Select a Background: For a non-distracting look, I choose a grayscale background rather than plain white.
2. Insert Watermarks: If I want my brand to be subtle, I insert a small, white-on-transparent favicon and place it discreetly on the slide.
3. Customize Text: I make my titles bold, choose the right colors, and sometimes add italics to ensure they stand out.
4. Apply a Style Guide: If there’s a style guide in play, I apply those specifics to my theme, ensuring consistency across all slides.

By focusing on these elements, each slide I add afterward will carry these custom elements forward, resulting in a cohesive and professional presentation.

Using Google Slides, my presentations are not only stylistically consistent but also collaborative and shareable, thanks to its inbuilt sharing features. This allows me to work seamlessly with teammates, which is crucial for any joint project.

Designing Effective Slides

Selection of Backgrounds

When considering the background for your slides, it's important to choose a color scheme that isn't jarring to the audience. I recommend a grayscale background over a plain white one to add a subtle depth to the slide. It's not just visually appealing but also less straining to the eyes, especially during presentations that last for a long period.

Incorporating Branding

For branding purposes, I often insert my logo into the slides. A tasteful way to do this is by placing it in the top-right corner or as a watermark. To insert your logo:

1. Go to Insert > Image > Upload from computer.
2. Select your logo file (a main logo or a favicon for subtlety).
3. Resize and position it — a small, white logo against a transparent background works well as a watermark.

Keep branding consistent by using specific brand colors and fonts across all slides, adhering to your style guide.

Editing Slide Titles

Making slide titles stand out is an art in itself. You can enhance your titles by:

• Making them bold for prominence.
• Using a different font color to distinguish them from the body text.
• Applying metallic or other text effects available in Google Slides.

Always ensure the titles are clear and descriptive of the slide content, which helps maintain the audience's focus.

Remember, these are only suggestions based on my preferences. Experimenting with different options available in Google Slides will help you find what works best for you and your presentation style.

Collaborating with Google Slides

Sharing Presentations

To share a Google Slides presentation, start by clicking the "Share" button located at the top right. This gives you multiple options:

• Get a shareable link: You can copy this link and send it to others.
• Invite by email: Enter the email addresses of individuals you need to collaborate with.

You can adjust the sharing settings to restrict access or allow viewing, commenting, or editing by others. Just click on "General access" and choose either:

• Restricted: Access is limited to certain users.
• Anyone with the link: Can view, comment, or edit depending on your selection.

Always ensure the permissions align with your intentions for collaboration or distribution.

Permission Settings

It's important to manage permissions effectively:

• Viewer: Individuals can only view the presentation.
• Commenter: Users can leave comments without altering the content.
• Editor: Collaborators can make changes to the slides.

To change permissions for your slideshow, open the "Share" dialog, set the general access as desired, and then select the role you wish to assign to your collaborators.

Real-Time Collaboration

Google Slides enables real-time collaboration which allows multiple people to work on the same presentation simultaneously. Here's how:

1. Share the presentation with the desired collaborators and assign appropriate editing rights.
2. Collaborate live, viewing each other's changes in real-time.

This functionality is invaluable for teamwork, ensuring that all members can contribute concurrently and witness updates instantaneously.

With these tools, I find Google Slides to be an incredibly powerful platform to create engaging presentations, especially when working within a team. It streamlines the process, allowing for efficient and collaborative content creation.

Building a Complete Presentation

Utilizing Templates

When starting out with Google Slides, a blank presentation offers a canvas to express creativity. However, to ensure a coherent design and save time, I often explore the built-in templates. Here's how I proceed:

• Choosing a Template: I select 'Google slides' and then choose between a 'Blank presentation' or a 'Template'.
• Customization: I personalize the chosen template to fit the presentation's theme and purpose.
• Background: Typically, a subtle grayscale is my background choice over plain white.
• Logo Insertion: For brand consistency, I insert my logo, sometimes as a watermark, to maintain subtlety.
• Title and Subtitles: Adjust font styles (bold, italics, color) to make headers stand out.

By using these pre-designed templates, the foundation of a professional and cohesive presentation is rapidly established.

Finalizing Presentation Layout

Once the initial slides are in place, customizing the theme is crucial to create a consistent aesthetic across the presentation.

• Editing Themes: Under 'Slide' then 'Edit theme', I tweak the master slide to dictate the look of all slides.
• Headers and Footers: I style these to ensure readability and uniformity.
• Inserting Images: For added visual interest, relevant images can be added to support content.

Furthermore, I apply these considerations to enhance the layout:

• Font Consistency: I ensure that all text follows the style guide.
• Visual Balance: Content distribution across slides is kept balanced.
• Color Scheme: I maintain a consistent color palette throughout.

By thoughtfully finalizing the layout, I ensure that the presentation visually communicates the intended message in an engaging manner, setting the stage for impactful delivery.