how to write a report on presentation

How To Write A Presentation 101: A Step-by-Step Guide with Best Examples

Jane Ng • 02 Nov 2023 • 8 min read

Is it difficult to start of presentation? You’re standing before a room full of eager listeners, ready to share your knowledge and captivate their attention. But where do you begin? How do you structure your ideas and convey them effectively?

Take a deep breath, and fear not! In this article, we’ll provide a road map on how to write a presentation covering everything from crafting a script to creating an engaging introduction.

So, let’s dive in!

Table of Contents

What is a presentation , what should be in a powerful presentation.

• How To Write A Presentation Script
• How to Write A Presentation Introduction 

Key Takeaways

Tips for better presentation.

• How to start a presentation
• How to introduce yourself

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Presentations are all about connecting with your audience. 

Presenting is a fantastic way to share information, ideas, or arguments with your audience. Think of it as a structured approach to effectively convey your message. And you’ve got options such as slideshows, speeches, demos, videos, and even multimedia presentations!

The purpose of a presentation can vary depending on the situation and what the presenter wants to achieve. 

• In the business world, presentations are commonly used to pitch proposals, share reports, or make sales pitches. 
• In educational settings, presentations are a go-to for teaching or delivering engaging lectures. 
• For conferences, seminars, and public events—presentations are perfect for dishing out information, inspiring folks, or even persuading the audience.

That sounds brilliant. But, how to write a presentation?

How To Write A Presentation? What should be in a powerful presentation? A great presentation encompasses several key elements to captivate your audience and effectively convey your message. Here’s what you should consider including in a winning presentation:

• Clear and Engaging Introduction: Start your presentation with a bang! Hook your audience’s attention right from the beginning by using a captivating story, a surprising fact, a thought-provoking question, or a powerful quote. Clearly state the purpose of your presentation and establish a connection with your listeners.
• Well-Structured Content: Organize your content logically and coherently. Divide your presentation into sections or main points and provide smooth transitions between them. Each section should flow seamlessly into the next, creating a cohesive narrative. Use clear headings and subheadings to guide your audience through the presentation.
• Compelling Visuals: Incorporate visual aids, such as images, graphs, or videos, to enhance your presentation. Make sure your visuals are visually appealing, relevant, and easy to understand. Use a clean and uncluttered design with legible fonts and appropriate color schemes. 
• Engaging Delivery: Pay attention to your delivery style and body language. You should maintain eye contact with your audience, use gestures to emphasize key points, and vary your tone of voice to keep the presentation dynamic. 
• Clear and Memorable Conclusion: Leave your audience with a lasting impression by providing a strong closing statement, a call to action, or a thought-provoking question. Make sure your conclusion ties back to your introduction and reinforces the core message of your presentation.

How To Write A Presentation Script (With Examples)

To successfully convey your message to your audience, you must carefully craft and organize your presentation script. Here are steps on how to write a presentation script: 

1/ Understand Your Purpose and Audience:

• Clarify the purpose of your presentation. Are you informing, persuading, or entertaining?
• Identify your target audience and their knowledge level, interests, and expectations.
• Define what presentation format you want to use

2/ Outline the Structure of Your Presentation:

Strong opening: .

Start with an engaging opening that grabs the audience’s attention and introduces your topic. Some types of openings you can use are: 

• Start with a Thought-Provoking Question: “Have you ever…?”
• Begin with a Surprising Fact or Statistic: “Did you know that….?”
• Use a Powerful Quote: “As Maya Angelou once said,….”
• Tell a Compelling Story : “Picture this: You’re standing at….”
• Start with a Bold Statement: “In the fast-paced digital age….”

Main Points: 

Clearly state your main points or key ideas that you will discuss throughout the presentation.

• Clearly State the Purpose and Main Points: Example: “In this presentation, we will delve into three key areas. First,… Next,… Finally,…. we’ll discuss….”
• Provide Background and Context: Example: “Before we dive into the details, let’s understand the basics of…..”
• Present Supporting Information and Examples: Example: “To illustrate…., let’s look at an example. In,…..”
• Address Counterarguments or Potential Concerns: Example: “While…, we must also consider… .”
• Recap Key Points and Transition to the Next Section: Example: “To summarize, we’ve… Now, let’s shift our focus to…”

Remember to organize your content logically and coherently, ensuring smooth transitions between sections.

Ending: 

You can conclude with a strong closing statement summarizing your main points and leaving a lasting impression. Example: “As we conclude our presentation, it’s clear that… By…., we can….”

3/ Craft Clear and Concise Sentences:

Once you’ve outlined your presentation, you need to edit your sentences. Use clear and straightforward language to ensure your message is easily understood.

Alternatively, you can break down complex ideas into simpler concepts and provide clear explanations or examples to aid comprehension.

4/ Use Visual Aids and Supporting Materials:

Use supporting materials such as statistics, research findings, or real-life examples to back up your points and make them more compelling. 

• Example: “As you can see from this graph,… This demonstrates….”

5/ Include Engagement Techniques:

Incorporate interactive elements to engage your audience, such as Q&A sessions , conducting live polls , or encouraging participation.

6/ Rehearse and Revise:

• Practice delivering your presentation script to familiarize yourself with the content and improve your delivery.
• Revise and edit your script as needed, removing any unnecessary information or repetitions.

7/ Seek Feedback:

You can share your script or deliver a practice presentation to a trusted friend, colleague, or mentor to gather feedback on your script and make adjustments accordingly.

More on Script Presentation

How to Write A Presentation Introduction with Examples

How to write presentations that are engaging and visually appealing? Looking for introduction ideas for the presentation? As mentioned earlier, once you have completed your script, it’s crucial to focus on editing and refining the most critical element—the opening of your presentation – the section that determines whether you can captivate and retain your audience’s attention right from the start. 

Here is a guide on how to craft an opening that grabs your audience’s attention from the very first minute: 

1/ Start with a Hook

To begin, you can choose from five different openings mentioned in the script based on your desired purpose and content. Alternatively, you can opt for the approach that resonates with you the most, and instills your confidence. Remember, the key is to choose a starting point that aligns with your objectives and allows you to deliver your message effectively.

2/ Establish Relevance and Context:

Then you should establish the topic of your presentation and explain why it is important or relevant to your audience. Connect the topic to their interests, challenges, or aspirations to create a sense of relevance.

3/ State the Purpose

Clearly articulate the purpose or goal of your presentation. Let the audience know what they can expect to gain or achieve by listening to your presentation.

4/ Preview Your Main Points

Give a brief overview of the main points or sections you will cover in your presentation. It helps the audience understand the structure and flow of your presentation and creates anticipation.

5/ Establish Credibility

Share your expertise or credentials related to the topic to build trust with the audience, such as a brief personal story, relevant experience, or mentioning your professional background.

6/ Engage Emotionally

Connect emotional levels with your audience by appealing to their aspirations, fears, desires, or values. They help create a deeper connection and engagement from the very beginning.

Make sure your introduction is concise and to the point. Avoid unnecessary details or lengthy explanations. Aim for clarity and brevity to maintain the audience’s attention.

For example, Topic: Work-life balance

“Good morning, everyone! Can you imagine waking up each day feeling energized and ready to conquer both your personal and professional pursuits? Well, that’s exactly what we’ll explore today – the wonderful world of work-life balance. In a fast-paced society where work seems to consume every waking hour, it’s vital to find that spot where our careers and personal lives harmoniously coexist. Throughout this presentation, we’ll dive into practical strategies that help us achieve that coveted balance, boost productivity, and nurture our overall well-being. 

But before we dive in, let me share a bit about my journey. As a working professional and a passionate advocate for work-life balance, I have spent years researching and implementing strategies that have transformed my own life. I am excited to share my knowledge and experiences with all of you today, with the hope of inspiring positive change and creating a more fulfilling work-life balance for everyone in this room. So, let’s get started!”

Check out: How to Start a Presentation?

Whether you’re a seasoned speaker or new to the stage, understanding how to write a presentation that conveys your message effectively is a valuable skill. By following the steps in this guide, you can become a captivating presenter and make your mark in every presentation you deliver.

Additionally, AhaSlides can significantly enhance your presentation’s impact. With AhaSlides, you can use live polls, quizzes, and word cloud to turn your presentation into an engaging and interactive experience. Let’s take a moment to explore our vast template library !

Frequently Asked Questions

1/ how to write a presentation step by step .

You can refer to our step-by-step guide on How To Write A Presentation Script:

• Understand Your Purpose and Audience
• Outline the Structure of Your Presentation
• Craft Clear and Concise Sentences
• Use Visual Aids and Supporting Material
• Include Engagement Techniques
• Rehearse and Revise
• Seek Feedback

2/ How do you start a presentation? 

You can start with an engaging opening that grabs the audience’s attention and introduces your topic. Consider using one of the following approaches:

3/ What are the five parts of a presentation?

When it comes to presentation writing, a typical presentation consists of the following five parts:

• Introduction: Capturing the audience’s attention, introducing yourself, stating the purpose, and providing an overview.
• Main Body: Presenting main points, evidence, examples, and arguments.
• Visual Aids: Using visuals to enhance understanding and engage the audience.
• Conclusion: Summarizing main points, restating key message, and leaving a memorable takeaway or call to action.
• Q&A or Discussion: Optional part for addressing questions and encouraging audience participation.

A writer who wants to create practical and valuable content for the audience

More from AhaSlides

How to Create an Outstanding Report Presentation!

A report presentation is a daily necessity for most companies. Employees are constantly working on compiling data and facts about their company and department and presenting them in PowerPoint presentations. But often, the presentation design fails to impress.

In this article, you’ll learn how to visualize hard data into an appealing and engaging report presentation for your audience.

What exactly is a report?

A business report is a formal document that communicates corporate information clearly and concisely .

In a report presentation, a company presents data, facts and information, quarterly balance sheets, turnover, HR developments , and so on.

Why report presentations are so important

Report presentations are essential to the success of your business . Why? It’s simple.

Report presentations provide a coherent overview of your company’s performance : What is the current status quo? Which strategic decisions need to be made in the future? How are resources being allocated?

This clear presentation forms the basis for future fact-based decisions . This means it must present facts transparently and answer any business-related questions .

What does a good report presentation look like?

A report presentation has to be clear and concise – after all, you want your audience to understand what you’re saying.

Reporting on data is often very dry. You need to present it in the most visually interesting way possible . An attractive report design will help your audience understand your key messages immediately, without having to delve into specific corporate figures . Keep reading for tips on how to do this.

How to create an engaging report presentation: 5 tips

Report presentations are usually time-limited, so focus on the essential information . The key is to communicate facts clearly and concisely .

Give your information visual interest. Microsoft PowerPoint offers numerous possibilities for enhancing the look of your presentation. Below we have compiled 5 tips for you on how to create an appealing report.

Tip 1: Prepare properly

Preparation lays the foundation for a successful report presentation. Think carefully about how you want to present specific facts and data. Know what you want to say and what your goals are – that’s key for a great report presentation layout. Each slide must have a specific purpose . Only include data that is essential to convey your message .

Give your slides variety but don’t overload them with information or graphics. Less is often more. Try out the unique features of PowerPoint and see which option best suits your presentation.

Focus on the most important key figures and avoid unnecessary details . A good report presentation should make your key statements understandable without your audience having to delve deeper into the company’s key figures.

For 11 helpful tips on preparing your presentations, check out our post, Preparing a PowerPoint Presentation .

Tip 2: Chose the right charts and diagrams

Charts and diagrams are the best way to visualize figures and data. Not only are they visually appealing, but they also summarize your statements in a way that is easy to understand .

PowerPoint offers a wide range of charts and diagrams . You can choose from pie charts, bar charts and area charts, as well as other customizable diagram options. We’ve summarized an overview of the best diagram styles and when to use them in our article, 10 Chart Types: Which One Is Right for My Data?

Some chart types are more suited to specific data . For example, a pie chart is a terrific way to show gender distribution in your company. Bar or column charts can be used to visualize sales, balance sheets and profits.

If you want to illustrate aspects that have happened over a longer period of time, area charts, line charts and of course timelines are ideal.

Feel free to combine several chart types . Let your creativity run free. You can also add icons to your diagrams. The possibilities are endless! Just keep it simple and don’t overload your slides. You can find professionally designed icons in our shop . Take a look at these:

Once you’ve found the right type of chart or diagram, it’s time to highlight the most vital information in it . This helps your audience understand your key messages and quickly identify the most important aspects of your report presentation. If you need to, you can further explain these aspects as you go along.

You’ll find professionally designed slide templates for various charts in our shop . For example, this template:

Tip 3: Reuse layouts

Certain topics often reappear in report presentations. A good example of this is quarterly figures or annual financial statements. With these kinds of topics, it makes sense to the invest time in creating an optimal layout that you can reuse .

If you want to compare quarterly figures or annual financial statements, using the same layout makes any differences clear and obvious to your audience.

You can find out how to create your own layouts and other tips & tricks here .

Tip 4: Other design elements

You can also use additional design elements to enhance your report presentation . There are unlimited, creative options to choose from. Think carefully about which elements will visually support your statements.

Try to include transparent images . These are more attractive than normal images and set visual accents when combined with text or graphics. Transparent images are also effective as customized backgrounds, like on title slides. We’ve put together more information on transparent images for you here .

Another design idea is icons . These small images help to break up blocks of text and reduce presentation content to a bare minimum. The simple messages behind icons are universally understood and save space on slides. More information can be found here .

Tip 5: Practice, practice, practice

Ideally, a report presentation should need little accompanying information – your slides should speak for themselves . But that doesn’t mean you don’t need to practice. Especially with diagrams, extra information can further support the infographics. Put particular focus on getting your key messages across.

Think about any questions that your audience may have. Even when your report presentation covers only key content, it’s still important to know and convey more in-depth background information on data, facts and figures in case of follow-up questions .

Of course, there’s so much more that goes into a convincing presentation. Here are some articles with helpful tips:

• 16 Ways to Kick-Start Your Presentation
• Body Language in PPT Presentations: 8 Tips & Tricks
• Rhetoric Skills: How to Speak and Present Effectively
• Presentation Hack: Always Focus on Your Audience’s Needs
• Because First Impressions Aren’t Everything: 20 Tips and Ideas to End Your Presentation in Style

You can find more helpful articles in our blog. ► To the blog

Create expert report presentations

Report presentations are a common part of day-to-day business. With their clear graphic elements, reports communicate unambiguous information that is essential for a company’s success.

No doubt your next report presentation is already in your business calendar. Take our tips to heart and try them in your next report.

Do you have questions about report presentations or general questions about PowerPoint? Feel free to contact us at [email protected] . We’re here to help!

Are you looking for professionally designed slide templates for your report presentation? Take a look around our shop. We have a wide variety of slide templates on numerous (business) topics. You’re sure to find the right slide set for your needs. For example, here’s one for your financial report:

You can find more templates here ► To the shop

These articles might also interest you:

• The Right Way to Use Pie Charts in PowerPoint
• PowerPoint Layout: Tips & Tricks Plus 6 Modern Ideas for Your Slide Layout!
• Make a PowerPoint Image Transparent: The Pro Guide
• Icons: An Amazing Way to Improve Your Content
• Preparing a PowerPoint Presentation: 11 Tips for Guaranteed Success!
• 10 Chart Types: Which One Is Right for My Data?

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What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation

• Carmine Gallo

Five tips to set yourself apart.

Never underestimate the power of great communication. It can help you land the job of your dreams, attract investors to back your idea, or elevate your stature within your organization. But while there are plenty of good speakers in the world, you can set yourself apart out by being the person who can deliver something great over and over. Here are a few tips for business professionals who want to move from being good speakers to great ones: be concise (the fewer words, the better); never use bullet points (photos and images paired together are more memorable); don’t underestimate the power of your voice (raise and lower it for emphasis); give your audience something extra (unexpected moments will grab their attention); rehearse (the best speakers are the best because they practice — a lot).

I was sitting across the table from a Silicon Valley CEO who had pioneered a technology that touches many of our lives — the flash memory that stores data on smartphones, digital cameras, and computers. He was a frequent guest on CNBC and had been delivering business presentations for at least 20 years before we met. And yet, the CEO wanted to sharpen his public speaking skills.

• Carmine Gallo is a Harvard University instructor, keynote speaker, and author of 10 books translated into 40 languages. Gallo is the author of The Bezos Blueprint: Communication Secrets of the World’s Greatest Salesman  (St. Martin’s Press).

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Princeton Correspondents on Undergraduate Research

How to Make a Successful Research Presentation

Turning a research paper into a visual presentation is difficult; there are pitfalls, and navigating the path to a brief, informative presentation takes time and practice. As a TA for  GEO/WRI 201: Methods in Data Analysis & Scientific Writing this past fall, I saw how this process works from an instructor’s standpoint. I’ve presented my own research before, but helping others present theirs taught me a bit more about the process. Here are some tips I learned that may help you with your next research presentation:

More is more

In general, your presentation will always benefit from more practice, more feedback, and more revision. By practicing in front of friends, you can get comfortable with presenting your work while receiving feedback. It is hard to know how to revise your presentation if you never practice. If you are presenting to a general audience, getting feedback from someone outside of your discipline is crucial. Terms and ideas that seem intuitive to you may be completely foreign to someone else, and your well-crafted presentation could fall flat.

Less is more

Limit the scope of your presentation, the number of slides, and the text on each slide. In my experience, text works well for organizing slides, orienting the audience to key terms, and annotating important figures–not for explaining complex ideas. Having fewer slides is usually better as well. In general, about one slide per minute of presentation is an appropriate budget. Too many slides is usually a sign that your topic is too broad.

Limit the scope of your presentation

Don’t present your paper. Presentations are usually around 10 min long. You will not have time to explain all of the research you did in a semester (or a year!) in such a short span of time. Instead, focus on the highlight(s). Identify a single compelling research question which your work addressed, and craft a succinct but complete narrative around it.

You will not have time to explain all of the research you did. Instead, focus on the highlights. Identify a single compelling research question which your work addressed, and craft a succinct but complete narrative around it.

Craft a compelling research narrative

After identifying the focused research question, walk your audience through your research as if it were a story. Presentations with strong narrative arcs are clear, captivating, and compelling.

• Introduction (exposition — rising action)

Orient the audience and draw them in by demonstrating the relevance and importance of your research story with strong global motive. Provide them with the necessary vocabulary and background knowledge to understand the plot of your story. Introduce the key studies (characters) relevant in your story and build tension and conflict with scholarly and data motive. By the end of your introduction, your audience should clearly understand your research question and be dying to know how you resolve the tension built through motive.

• Methods (rising action)

The methods section should transition smoothly and logically from the introduction. Beware of presenting your methods in a boring, arc-killing, ‘this is what I did.’ Focus on the details that set your story apart from the stories other people have already told. Keep the audience interested by clearly motivating your decisions based on your original research question or the tension built in your introduction.

• Results (climax)

Less is usually more here. Only present results which are clearly related to the focused research question you are presenting. Make sure you explain the results clearly so that your audience understands what your research found. This is the peak of tension in your narrative arc, so don’t undercut it by quickly clicking through to your discussion.

• Discussion (falling action)

By now your audience should be dying for a satisfying resolution. Here is where you contextualize your results and begin resolving the tension between past research. Be thorough. If you have too many conflicts left unresolved, or you don’t have enough time to present all of the resolutions, you probably need to further narrow the scope of your presentation.

• Conclusion (denouement)

Return back to your initial research question and motive, resolving any final conflicts and tying up loose ends. Leave the audience with a clear resolution of your focus research question, and use unresolved tension to set up potential sequels (i.e. further research).

Use your medium to enhance the narrative

Visual presentations should be dominated by clear, intentional graphics. Subtle animation in key moments (usually during the results or discussion) can add drama to the narrative arc and make conflict resolutions more satisfying. You are narrating a story written in images, videos, cartoons, and graphs. While your paper is mostly text, with graphics to highlight crucial points, your slides should be the opposite. Adapting to the new medium may require you to create or acquire far more graphics than you included in your paper, but it is necessary to create an engaging presentation.

The most important thing you can do for your presentation is to practice and revise. Bother your friends, your roommates, TAs–anybody who will sit down and listen to your work. Beyond that, think about presentations you have found compelling and try to incorporate some of those elements into your own. Remember you want your work to be comprehensible; you aren’t creating experts in 10 minutes. Above all, try to stay passionate about what you did and why. You put the time in, so show your audience that it’s worth it.

For more insight into research presentations, check out these past PCUR posts written by Emma and Ellie .

— Alec Getraer, Natural Sciences Correspondent

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27 Comments

This was a great tutorial. Thank you for providing! I am designing my next report in PPT right now! Shhhh! ~Jessica, Child Advocates of Fort Bend

Your secret’s safe with us. 🙂

Woohoo! I’m glad this list has inspired you Jessica! Your secret is safe 🙂 Happy PowerPoint-ing!

wow, what a beautiful report in PP! Can you share it with us please? Thanks in advance

Hi Hossat, This report’s not available for download, sorry! It’s an internal report that Nick designed specifically for his audience. One of these days, “in all my spare time,” I’ll design some sort of template for these reports. Until then, I hope you find the behind-the-scenes screenshots to be useful.

Great post! I plan to use tip #3 right away. I use Nancy Duarte’s slidedoc format for reports and like this 8.5″ x 11″ option too.

Learning about “Align” a few years ago has already saved hours of my precious time! It’s the little things.

This tip was probably the simplest game changer for me. This works for everything (and in most MS Office applications ) for things like conference posters, handouts, reports, ACTUAL powerpoint slide decks… It’s really nice once you realize you’ll never have to nudge objects click by click anymore!

Nick — I literally used to zoom waaaaaaay to 400% or 500% on my screen, hold up a ruler, and eyeball all my text boxes to “align” them. Oops.

Does anyone know of any templates that already exist with it rotated and filled in content

Hi Jeremy, Check out https://www.duarte.com/slidedocs/ . THE trailblazer in “slidedocs” is Nancy Duarte and the dozens of staff at her company. I believe they have free templates to get you started. Like any templates, you’ll want to adjust the colors and fonts, at a bare minimum, so that it doesn’t look so default. Let me know if you encounter any other helpful templates.

Thanks for sharing this, great idea! Formatting on Word has always been a challenge for me

Hello, This is great! Do the reports created in Powerpoint meet accessibility standards for folks who use screen readers, etc.?

Great question. Someone asked this question on Twitter too. Here’s what I said: “I don’t see why it wouldn’t. Reports can be written in any software program (Word, PowerPoint, InDesign, Publisher, etc etc etc) and then PDF’d. I believe you can tag tables and images in any program.” And here’s what Nick said: “Using Accessibility Checker in PPT (as in Word) is important when creating… then when publishing to PDF, there a couple more clicks I think to make sure it exports as an accessible doc – found this in my search: http://lpc1.clpccd.cc.ca.us/lpc/blackboard/accessible_ppt/convert_ppt.htm ” Let us know what you learn in your search, too.

Definitely can Marissa, you just need to create the document in a way that’s accessible (as you probably normally would in Word) can use accessibility checker in PowerPoint when creating the report to see whch elements need alt text, etc and then follow these instructions when exporting to PDF: https://t.co/OrMkFSxihM

Hi Ann and Nick: a) Another way to get matching colors in different objects (point 5 of your post) without too much concern over if its well done, is to play with Saturation: 1- Shape Fill 2 – More Fill Colors 3 – Custom tab 4 – Color Model HSL 5 – And play with different levels of Saturation b) If we want to print the report directely from the PPT we must take in consideratin that the printer always put a white margin that we can’t see even at the Print Preview. Thanks for the post Miguel

This is a great point Miguel. I often click between my edit view and print preview when I’m making reports to see how it will print if I were to do so directly from ppt so I can check what that white border looks like and if it impacts anything I have on the page, especially important when bleeding images or objects over the page edges. This is one reason you want to be sure to custom format your page layout too, manually enter 8.5 width and 11 length instead of relying on the default “letter” size option that ppt gives you, which actually defaults the slide to 7.5 X 10. Thanks for the color tip too, I’ll try that out!

This is very interesting post on report creation in PowerPoint.

[…] How to Write Your Reports in PowerPoint Instead of Word: 9 Tips for Getting Started […]

Finally, it becomes easier to use MS powerpoint in terms of writing reports as my MS word was showing errors.

Great post, thank you. As a consultant I write reports for a living. I grew up on Word and was trained to write word-heavy, long form reports. Whilst I (think I) do that very well, I’m conscious that these days many people prefer shorter, more visual reports so I’m exploring how I might transition to that. Two issue I’ve always had with ppt are (1) the way it resizes text when I don’t want it to and (2) the way it works one page at a time, i.e. text doesn’t flow from one page to the next. Is there a way to address either of these? Might Publisher (which I’ve never really used; does it even still exist?) be a good alternative tool for the job?

Hi Patch, Argh yes, I have the same frustrations with PowerPoint.

Rather than using the built-in text boxes, which automatically re-size the text, I delete those and add my own. Then I have full control over the text formatting.

I don’t know how to adjust the page breaks/page flow; don’t think this is possible actually (?). I plan the content carefully in advance (by spending time developing a detailed outline). Then, I make sure that each topic simply fits on its own page.

You’re certainly welcome to continue using Word! Or, Publisher. But PowerPoint does tend to be easiest to use as you add more visuals to your reports.

Good luck! Ann

Thanks. When do u prefer portrait or landscape orientation?

I’m trying to use landscape as much as possible these days — since so many people are reading the reports from their computers.

Interesting but I fail to see the benefit. Why not just use Word with PowerPoint inserts for powerful reports (or for that matter insert PowerBI).

I just find PowerPoint to be more artistic since it requires so much careful manipulation of content – an issue I simply don’t have in Word.

Word’s great for text-heavy reports. PowerPoint’s great for visual-heavy reports. They each have their own value.

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How to Write Your Reports in PowerPoint Instead of Word: Nine Tips for Getting Started

Hi! My name is Nick Visscher, I’m an internal evaluator with Denver Zoo. Our data work spans the gamut from collecting guest satisfaction insights to observing preschool kids in our nature play programming. With everything our team does we aim to help our staff improve their programs and our guest’s experience. It’s important for us to disseminate our findings in ways that make our stakeholders (mainly internal staff) to dig in and explore. Clear, concise, and well visualized reporting is super important and something we are passionate about.

There are so many options when it comes to reporting software, but one familiar face I often find myself turning to is Microsoft PowerPoint. You might not immediately think of PowerPoint when it comes to creating formal reports, but I love using it in lieu of more common applications like Word. Positioning new images and text boxes into a document is just easier in PowerPoint. You don’t need to worry about anchoring items or how inserting new text might change the position of items you’ve already included on a page. It’s a blank canvas without many limitations.

Here are some screenshots from a report that I wrote in PowerPoint. These pages come from our Lorikeet Adventure: Guest Experience Research Brief.

Here are a few tips I keep in mind when using PowerPoint to design my evaluation reports. Note: I’m working in MS Office 2016.

• Changing slide orientation : I like a traditional page layout for a report I know my readers will likely print, not the default slide size (16:9 aspect ratio). To change it, I go to the Design pane and create a custom slide size, change the settings to 8.5” by 11”, and select a Portrait orientation.
• Making use of the page ruler, gridlines, and guides : In the View pane I always select Ruler and Guides (and sometime Gridlines) so I can make sure key text and objects are in the same position on each page. I also know my readers will likely print and use a staple in the upper left corner so I make sure to keep one guide line at a half inch from the left. This lets me position headers and text where I know a staple won’t get in the way.
• Using built in arrangement options for multiple text boxes or images : Don’t spend too much time clicking that left arrow or right arrow to “nudge” objects into just the right place on a page. Select all the objects you wish to align, go to the Home pane, select Arrange, and then select Align. There are built in arrangement options there which perfectly align or evenly distribute everything at once. This is one feature that consistently saves me time and makes everything look better.
• Inserting shapes and lines as design elements : I love using basic shapes and lines in different variations on a page to give the design of a report a sleek and professional feel. I avoid predefined slide design templates at all costs, they don’t often follow the principles of good design.
• Using fill color and transparency : I’m not always confident in knowing which colors compliment each other so to avoid having to pick different colors, but still give some visual variation, I increase the degree of fill color transparency on key shapes or objects. I also like doing this on cover pages when most often the entire slide background is a photograph. Inserting overlapping shapes with 50% transparency creates a sophisticated visual effect and also adds some darker space on the page perfect for a title or text header to stand out.
• Copying page design for the whole report : Most of the time I like my background design and title text to be consistent on each page. Once I’ve created a page layout I like I simply copy and paste that slide for the remainder of the report pages. This is a quick solution to having to re-create the most common design elements in your report over and over again. I’ve used a more elegant solution lately by editing the slide master in the View pane and editing the default fonts and colors in the Design pane.
• Editing dataviz directly in PowerPoint : I used to spend a lot of time editing charts directly in Excel, then copy/pasting them into PowerPoint. This would sometimes cause size and formatting issues so I’d have to do a few edits there too. PowerPoint has the same chart editing and layout features as Excel does so now I create a basic default chart in Excel using my data, copy/paste that right away into PowerPoint, and do all of my editing there.
• Letting your copy editor do their thing : I always need a copy editor when I finish a report. PowerPoint provides similar review and comment features as Word does. It’s not quite as extensive but it does the trick. Under the Review pane you can select text, add comments, and select “start inking” to highlight areas is the report that need further attention.
• Saving your report : Save your report as a PDF or XPS document when you’re ready to send to your readers. They’ll be dazzled by the beauty of your work and be none the wiser that you used trusty ole PowerPoint to design it.

Here’s another report that I designed within PowerPoint. These pages come from our Zoo Lights: Guest Experience Survey Report .

Have you tried writing your reports in PowerPoint instead of in Word? If so, please share your tips in the comments section below.

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How to Write a Report After Listening to a Presentation

Things you'll need.

There are many things to pay attention to in a presentation that will be the subject of a report. The task may be more or less challenging depending on subject matter, but there are ways to prepare and things to keep in mind that will help significantly along the way.

Writing Your Paper

The first steps for writing a paper on another person's presentation take place before the presentation is given. Prepare by deciding how you will take notes and whether you will use a tape recorder for future reference. If you choose the latter, make sure to check with the presenter that this is appropriate.

When taking notes, keep in mind that not everything has to be written down. Note only on key points that you're sure you will want to touch on in your report. Use bullet points or an outline form to ensure your notes are easily digestible. If the purpose of the report is to simply cover the entire presentation, the essential task is to map out key points and then make an outline to connect them in a neatly-written fashion.

Prepare your outline. Look over your notes or listen to your recording. Decide what it was that the speaker was concentrating on and what she was trying to get across to the audience. If there is a page limit, you may not be able to include everything the speaker said. Instead, hit all the major points, giving specific support for each point.

Make sure your paper is formatted according to your boss' or professor's requirements. It is important to distinguish between your words and the speaker's. Use quotations appropriately, and paraphrase when quotes have been exhausted. Be sure to expand on each quote, and never leave a point unsupported.

Go back and read through your report a few times. It should flow logically from beginning to end, and should should be easily understandable by someone who did not listen to the presentation. Check for consistency of style and spelling or grammatical errors, and make sure all quotes and sources are be adequately credited.

• Learn how to write a good outline for your paper

Emily Crawford-Margison graduated from Wright Stage University in Dayton, Ohio, with a B.A. in English. Her writing credits include two film reviews in "Scope" online journal, a film studies journal out of the University of Nottingham, UK, and a Center Stage section of "Charleston Magazine." Crawford-Margison began writing professionally as a ghostwriter in 2009 for a local business owner in Charleston, S.C.

How to Write a Presentation Report

Jennifer vanbaren.

People use presentations to present or suggest a project, idea or thought. A presentation report is designed to offer details about a subject and is given to a person or group of people in the form of a presentation. Presentations often include visuals, such as charts or slide shows, although they are not required for every type of presentation. To present something using this type of report, choose an appropriate subject and research it thoroughly.

Collect information. The first step in writing a presentation report is to obtain data about the subject. It is vital for the person writing the report to obtain as much information about the subject as possible, including statistics and important facts.

Organize the information. After you find a sufficient amount of information, organize it into categories. A presentation speech must be well-organized in order to present the idea or project in a way that the audience can understand.

Determine your objective. Look through the information you have collected and determine the goals for the report. Determine what you would like to accomplish through the report and focus on the main objective. Be very clear when you reveal this in the report.

Consider your audience. Remember who will be reading or listening to the presentation report. Before you begin writing your paper, you must focus on the audience and their expectations and preconceived notions.

Develop an outline. Using all of the considerations described so far, write an outline. Focus on the main messages and objectives of the subject and list each point in an order that is logical.

Write an introduction. A presentation report should have a strong introduction. Take the main idea of the subject and create an interesting and captivating introduction to capture the audience’s attention. This might be a claim or a statement; or it might be a legend or a conclusion. Choose something catchy to say and avoid anything that might be long and drawn out or tedious.

Complete the report. Continue by writing the body of the report and wrap it all up with a strong conclusion that ties the together the introduction and the main points of the report.

Use visuals. If you will be presenting the report to an audience, choose some visuals that would assist in getting your message across.

About the Author

Jennifer VanBaren started her professional online writing career in 2010. She taught college-level accounting, math and business classes for five years. Her writing highlights include publishing articles about music, business, gardening and home organization. She holds a Bachelor of Science in accounting and finance from St. Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Ind.

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Group Presentations and Report Writing

This page contains ideas for supporting students as they prepare group presentations and write reports of their group activity. (Other pages under the Group Work heading discuss the benefits and challenges of group work more generally.)

Your students can learn from the experience and findings of other groups by having groups share the results of their work with the rest of the class through group oral presentations, poster presentations and group reports. If you use group writing, you can ask students to provide feedback on the reports of other groups, based on the specified marking criteria.

Presentations and reports might be about the key issues and findings associated with the group task, or the processes of group work – what worked, what didn’t work, and how the group could improve next time – or they might involve a combination of the two.

Helping students plan for group presentations

It's important to be extremely clear about exactly what you want to see in your students' presentations. Ideally, you will guide them around the most common pitfalls that could prevent them from producing high-quality work. A rubric with specific evaluation criteria can be very helpful as students decide how they want to approach the task. At the very least, you will need to tell them their time or word-count limitations and the degree to which you want them to rely on formal, scholarly sources.

You can also give your students some simple guidelines for giving group presentations, to enhance the quality of their future presentations both at university and professionally. You might like to give them the following questions on planning their group presentation. Allow them time in class to discuss the questions and plan their presentations. You might ask them to submit their question responses, so that you can provide some formative feedback before they present.

Student handout 1

In addition, you could provide groups with a checklist, such as the one below, to help them develop a thoughtful and engaging presentation.

Student handout 2

Griffiths University's Oral Communication Toolkit contains resources for you as you support your students in learning oral-presentation skills, as well as a number of handouts that students might find useful when preparing presentations. These include:

• Basic principles of effective communication
• A checklist to help students prepare for oral presentations
• Guidelines for giving seminar presentations
• A planning tool to help students structure their presentation
• Tips for speaking to an audience
• Guidelines for producing visual aids
• Guidelines for answering questions.

Supporting students in writing a group report

Writing a group report requires effective organisation, time management and communication skills. Students often find report writing on their own challenging, and group writing can be even more intimidating if students are not given some guidelines on how to approach it. Without guidelines, one or two students in a group often end up writing the group report, and this can create workload issues, and resentment when marks are distributed.

Support students in writing a group report by providing guidelines for structuring the report and dividing the workload – who will write what sections and take responsibility for tasks such as editing, proofreading and publishing.

Students' approach to a group writing task will depend on the nature of the task. One of the following three options may suit:

Option 1 – One student in the group writes the report on behalf of the group.

This option can result in the writer taking on too much of the workload. It may be suitable, however, if the non-writing members of the group have been given responsibility for other major tasks. The advantages include:

• Groups can choose the best writer in their group.
• The report will have a consistent style.
• The writing will take up less of the group’s time (although it is time consuming for the writer).

The obvious disadvantage is that students, particularly those who could improve their writing skills, do not get the opportunity to practise their writing. In addition, the report does always not benefit from the diverse ideas and experience of the group, and having one writer doesn’t in itself prepare students for a team presentation.

Option 2 – Group members write one section of the report each.

Students divide the task into sections. Each student writes one section, and then the group assembles the report by piecing the sections together.

This might be a suitable option if students are writing about their particular areas of research or expertise. Students may consider this approach more equitable. It also breaks the task down into more-manageable sections.

However, it does not require students to work collaboratively on the report in terms of developing its ideas and shaping its overall structure. Also, it may be difficult to link the sections together and make the report flow; some sections may require more time and effort than others; it may be difficult to coordinate; and students do not get the opportunity to explore other sections through the writing process. Like Option 1, this approach does not always allow students to draw on the collective ideas and diverse experience of the group.

Option 3 – Students write the report collaboratively and experience various roles

While this option may be more time-consuming, it gives students the opportunity to experience report writing as a staged process involving several drafts, revision, rewriting and, importantly, the giving and receiving of feedback.

The following handout makes suggestions for how students might approach a collaborative group report.

Student handout 3

Reporting on group processes.

When students review and report on the processes of group work, they reflect on their experiences as a group and understand better what makes a group work well together.

You can ask students to write their report as individuals or as a team (or perhaps a combination of the two). Encourage them to draw on specific incidents and examples and take an analytical approach (rather than a descriptive one). Instead of focusing on content, students should consider the group's methods and processes and assess their effectiveness. That is, concentrating on how the group worked as a whole rather than on individual members' actions.

Ask your students to reflect on their own individual role within the group: what their contribution was, what role(s) they played, how well they fulfilled their responsibilities and how they could work more effectively in groups in the future.

Use some or all of the following questions to provide a framework for students to report on the processes of group work.

Student handout 4

• Academic presentations: Group presentations
• Student Presentations in a large class setting
• Tips and Strategies Supporting Learners’ Oral Presentations

Aguilera, A., Schreier, J. & Saitow, C. (2017). Using iterative group presentations in an introductory biology course to enhance student engagement and critical thinking . American Biology Teacher , 79(6), 450-445.

Brady, C. & Jung, H. (2019). Group presentations as a site for collective modeling activity . Mathematical and Statistical Science Faculty Research and Publications. Marquette University.

Kawamura, M. (2019). Perceived difficulties in group presentations: Action research as an intervention . International Journal of Learning and Teaching , 5(2), 119-124.

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Create a presentation

Create a presentation in powerpoint for the web.

With PowerPoint for the web running in your web browser, you can:

Create presentations that include images, videos, transitions, and animations.

Get to your presentations from your computer, tablet, or phone.

Share and work with others, wherever they are.

If you're using the desktop version of PowerPoint on a Windows PC, see the PowerPoint Quick Start .

If you're using the desktop version of PowerPoint on a Mac, see Office for Mac Quick Start Guides and PowerPoint for Mac Help .

Create, open, and name a presentation

Go to powerpoint.office.com .

Select New blank presentation , open a Recent file, select one of the themes , or start with a presentation template .

To name the presentation, select the title at the top and type a name.

If you need to rename the presentation, select the title and retype the name.

Add a slide

Select the slide you want your new slide to follow.

Select Home > New Slide .

Select Layout and the you type want from the drop-down.

When working in PowerPoint for the web, your work is saved every few seconds. You can select File > Save a Copy to create a duplicate copy in another location.

Or choose File > Download As to save a copy to your device.

When you're online, AutoSave is always on and saves your changes as you work. If at any time you lose your Internet connection or turn it off, any pending changes will sync as soon as you’re back online.

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