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How to Structure your Presentation, with Examples

August 3, 2018 - Dom Barnard

For many people the thought of delivering a presentation is a daunting task and brings about a  great deal of nerves . However, if you take some time to understand how effective presentations are structured and then apply this structure to your own presentation, you’ll appear much more confident and relaxed.

Here is our complete guide for structuring your presentation, with examples at the end of the article to demonstrate these points.

Why is structuring a presentation so important?

If you’ve ever sat through a great presentation, you’ll have left feeling either inspired or informed on a given topic. This isn’t because the speaker was the most knowledgeable or motivating person in the world. Instead, it’s because they know how to structure presentations – they have crafted their message in a logical and simple way that has allowed the audience can keep up with them and take away key messages.

Research has supported this, with studies showing that audiences retain structured information  40% more accurately  than unstructured information.

In fact, not only is structuring a presentation important for the benefit of the audience’s understanding, it’s also important for you as the speaker. A good structure helps you remain calm, stay on topic, and avoid any awkward silences.

What will affect your presentation structure?

Generally speaking, there is a natural flow that any decent presentation will follow which we will go into shortly. However, you should be aware that all presentation structures will be different in their own unique way and this will be due to a number of factors, including:

• Whether you need to deliver any demonstrations
• How  knowledgeable the audience  already is on the given subject
• How much interaction you want from the audience
• Any time constraints there are for your talk
• What setting you are in
• Your ability to use any kinds of visual assistance

Before choosing the presentation’s structure answer these questions first:

• What is your presentation’s aim?
• Who are the audience?
• What are the main points your audience should remember afterwards?

When reading the points below, think critically about what things may cause your presentation structure to be slightly different. You can add in certain elements and add more focus to certain moments if that works better for your speech.

What is the typical presentation structure?

This is the usual flow of a presentation, which covers all the vital sections and is a good starting point for yours. It allows your audience to easily follow along and sets out a solid structure you can add your content to.

1. Greet the audience and introduce yourself

Before you start delivering your talk, introduce yourself to the audience and clarify who you are and your relevant expertise. This does not need to be long or incredibly detailed, but will help build an immediate relationship between you and the audience. It gives you the chance to briefly clarify your expertise and why you are worth listening to. This will help establish your ethos so the audience will trust you more and think you’re credible.

Read our tips on  How to Start a Presentation Effectively

2. Introduction

In the introduction you need to explain the subject and purpose of your presentation whilst gaining the audience’s interest and confidence. It’s sometimes helpful to think of your introduction as funnel-shaped to help filter down your topic:

• Introduce your general topic
• Explain your topic area
• State the issues/challenges in this area you will be exploring
• State your presentation’s purpose – this is the basis of your presentation so ensure that you provide a statement explaining how the topic will be treated, for example, “I will argue that…” or maybe you will “compare”, “analyse”, “evaluate”, “describe” etc.
• Provide a statement of what you’re hoping the outcome of the presentation will be, for example, “I’m hoping this will be provide you with…”
• Show a preview of the organisation of your presentation

In this section also explain:

• The length of the talk.
• Signal whether you want audience interaction – some presenters prefer the audience to ask questions throughout whereas others allocate a specific section for this.
• If it applies, inform the audience whether to take notes or whether you will be providing handouts.

The way you structure your introduction can depend on the amount of time you have been given to present: a  sales pitch  may consist of a quick presentation so you may begin with your conclusion and then provide the evidence. Conversely, a speaker presenting their idea for change in the world would be better suited to start with the evidence and then conclude what this means for the audience.

Keep in mind that the main aim of the introduction is to grab the audience’s attention and connect with them.

3. The main body of your talk

The main body of your talk needs to meet the promises you made in the introduction. Depending on the nature of your presentation, clearly segment the different topics you will be discussing, and then work your way through them one at a time – it’s important for everything to be organised logically for the audience to fully understand. There are many different ways to organise your main points, such as, by priority, theme, chronologically etc.

• Main points should be addressed one by one with supporting evidence and examples.
• Before moving on to the next point you should provide a mini-summary.
• Links should be clearly stated between ideas and you must make it clear when you’re moving onto the next point.
• Allow time for people to take relevant notes and stick to the topics you have prepared beforehand rather than straying too far off topic.

When planning your presentation write a list of main points you want to make and ask yourself “What I am telling the audience? What should they understand from this?” refining your answers this way will help you produce clear messages.

4. Conclusion

In presentations the conclusion is frequently underdeveloped and lacks purpose which is a shame as it’s the best place to reinforce your messages. Typically, your presentation has a specific goal – that could be to convert a number of the audience members into customers, lead to a certain number of enquiries to make people knowledgeable on specific key points, or to motivate them towards a shared goal.

Regardless of what that goal is, be sure to summarise your main points and their implications. This clarifies the overall purpose of your talk and reinforces your reason for being there.

Follow these steps:

• Signal that it’s nearly the end of your presentation, for example, “As we wrap up/as we wind down the talk…”
• Restate the topic and purpose of your presentation – “In this speech I wanted to compare…”
• Summarise the main points, including their implications and conclusions
• Indicate what is next/a call to action/a thought-provoking takeaway
• Move on to the last section

5. Thank the audience and invite questions

Conclude your talk by thanking the audience for their time and invite them to  ask any questions  they may have. As mentioned earlier, personal circumstances will affect the structure of your presentation.

Many presenters prefer to make the Q&A session the key part of their talk and try to speed through the main body of the presentation. This is totally fine, but it is still best to focus on delivering some sort of initial presentation to set the tone and topics for discussion in the Q&A.

Other common presentation structures

The above was a description of a basic presentation, here are some more specific presentation layouts:

Demonstration

Use the demonstration structure when you have something useful to show. This is usually used when you want to show how a product works. Steve Jobs frequently used this technique in his presentations.

• Explain why the product is valuable.
• Describe why the product is necessary.
• Explain what problems it can solve for the audience.
• Demonstrate the product  to support what you’ve been saying.
• Make suggestions of other things it can do to make the audience curious.

Problem-solution

This structure is particularly useful in persuading the audience.

• Briefly frame the issue.
• Go into the issue in detail showing why it ‘s such a problem. Use logos and pathos for this – the logical and emotional appeals.
• Provide the solution and explain why this would also help the audience.
• Call to action – something you want the audience to do which is straightforward and pertinent to the solution.

Storytelling

As well as incorporating  stories in your presentation , you can organise your whole presentation as a story. There are lots of different type of story structures you can use – a popular choice is the monomyth – the hero’s journey. In a monomyth, a hero goes on a difficult journey or takes on a challenge – they move from the familiar into the unknown. After facing obstacles and ultimately succeeding the hero returns home, transformed and with newfound wisdom.

Storytelling for Business Success  webinar , where well-know storyteller Javier Bernad shares strategies for crafting compelling narratives.

Another popular choice for using a story to structure your presentation is in media ras (in the middle of thing). In this type of story you launch right into the action by providing a snippet/teaser of what’s happening and then you start explaining the events that led to that event. This is engaging because you’re starting your story at the most exciting part which will make the audience curious – they’ll want to know how you got there.

• Great storytelling: Examples from Alibaba Founder, Jack Ma

Remaining method

The remaining method structure is good for situations where you’re presenting your perspective on a controversial topic which has split people’s opinions.

• Go into the issue in detail showing why it’s such a problem – use logos and pathos.
• Rebut your opponents’ solutions  – explain why their solutions could be useful because the audience will see this as fair and will therefore think you’re trustworthy, and then explain why you think these solutions are not valid.
• After you’ve presented all the alternatives provide your solution, the remaining solution. This is very persuasive because it looks like the winning idea, especially with the audience believing that you’re fair and trustworthy.

Transitions

When delivering presentations it’s important for your words and ideas to flow so your audience can understand how everything links together and why it’s all relevant. This can be done  using speech transitions  which are words and phrases that allow you to smoothly move from one point to another so that your speech flows and your presentation is unified.

Transitions can be one word, a phrase or a full sentence – there are many different forms, here are some examples:

Moving from the introduction to the first point

Signify to the audience that you will now begin discussing the first main point:

• Now that you’re aware of the overview, let’s begin with…
• First, let’s begin with…
• I will first cover…
• My first point covers…
• To get started, let’s look at…

Shifting between similar points

Move from one point to a similar one:

• In the same way…
• Likewise…
• Equally…
• This is similar to…
• Similarly…

Internal summaries

Internal summarising consists of summarising before moving on to the next point. You must inform the audience:

• What part of the presentation you covered – “In the first part of this speech we’ve covered…”
• What the key points were – “Precisely how…”
• How this links in with the overall presentation – “So that’s the context…”
• What you’re moving on to – “Now I’d like to move on to the second part of presentation which looks at…”

Physical movement

You can move your body and your standing location when you transition to another point. The audience find it easier to follow your presentation and movement will increase their interest.

A common technique for incorporating movement into your presentation is to:

• Start your introduction by standing in the centre of the stage.
• For your first point you stand on the left side of the stage.
• You discuss your second point from the centre again.
• You stand on the right side of the stage for your third point.
• The conclusion occurs in the centre.

Key slides for your presentation

Slides are a useful tool for most presentations: they can greatly assist in the delivery of your message and help the audience follow along with what you are saying. Key slides include:

• An intro slide outlining your ideas
• A  summary slide  with core points to remember
• High quality image slides to supplement what you are saying

There are some presenters who choose not to use slides at all, though this is more of a rarity. Slides can be a powerful tool if used properly, but the problem is that many fail to do just that. Here are some golden rules to follow when using slides in a presentation:

• Don’t over fill them  – your slides are there to assist your speech, rather than be the focal point. They should have as little information as possible, to avoid distracting people from your talk.
• A picture says a thousand words  – instead of filling a slide with text, instead, focus on one or two images or diagrams to help support and explain the point you are discussing at that time.
• Make them readable  – depending on the size of your audience, some may not be able to see small text or images, so make everything large enough to fill the space.
• Don’t rush through slides  – give the audience enough time to digest each slide.

Guy Kawasaki, an entrepreneur and author, suggests that slideshows should follow a  10-20-30 rule :

• There should be a maximum of 10 slides – people rarely remember more than one concept afterwards so there’s no point overwhelming them with unnecessary information.
• The presentation should last no longer than 20 minutes as this will leave time for questions and discussion.
• The font size should be a minimum of 30pt because the audience reads faster than you talk so less information on the slides means that there is less chance of the audience being distracted.

Here are some additional resources for slide design:

• 7 design tips for effective, beautiful PowerPoint presentations
• 11 design tips for beautiful presentations
• 10 tips on how to make slides that communicate your idea

Group Presentations

Group presentations are structured in the same way as presentations with one speaker but usually require more rehearsal and practices.  Clean transitioning between speakers  is very important in producing a presentation that flows well. One way of doing this consists of:

• Briefly recap on what you covered in your section: “So that was a brief introduction on what health anxiety is and how it can affect somebody”
• Introduce the next speaker in the team and explain what they will discuss: “Now Elnaz will talk about the prevalence of health anxiety.”
• Then end by looking at the next speaker, gesturing towards them and saying their name: “Elnaz”.
• The next speaker should acknowledge this with a quick: “Thank you Joe.”

From this example you can see how the different sections of the presentations link which makes it easier for the audience to follow and remain engaged.

Example of great presentation structure and delivery

Having examples of great presentations will help inspire your own structures, here are a few such examples, each unique and inspiring in their own way.

How Google Works – by Eric Schmidt

This presentation by ex-Google CEO  Eric Schmidt  demonstrates some of the most important lessons he and his team have learnt with regards to working with some of the most talented individuals they hired. The simplistic yet cohesive style of all of the slides is something to be appreciated. They are relatively straightforward, yet add power and clarity to the narrative of the presentation.

Start with why – by Simon Sinek

Since being released in 2009, this presentation has been viewed almost four million times all around the world. The message itself is very powerful, however, it’s not an idea that hasn’t been heard before. What makes this presentation so powerful is the simple message he is getting across, and the straightforward and understandable manner in which he delivers it. Also note that he doesn’t use any slides, just a whiteboard where he creates a simple diagram of his opinion.

The Wisdom of a Third Grade Dropout – by Rick Rigsby

Here’s an example of a presentation given by a relatively unknown individual looking to inspire the next generation of graduates. Rick’s presentation is unique in many ways compared to the two above. Notably, he uses no visual prompts and includes a great deal of humour.

However, what is similar is the structure he uses. He first introduces his message that the wisest man he knew was a third-grade dropout. He then proceeds to deliver his main body of argument, and in the end, concludes with his message. This powerful speech keeps the viewer engaged throughout, through a mixture of heart-warming sentiment, powerful life advice and engaging humour.

As you can see from the examples above, and as it has been expressed throughout, a great presentation structure means analysing the core message of your presentation. Decide on a key message you want to impart the audience with, and then craft an engaging way of delivering it.

By preparing a solid structure, and  practising your talk  beforehand, you can walk into the presentation with confidence and deliver a meaningful message to an interested audience.

It’s important for a presentation to be well-structured so it can have the most impact on your audience. An unstructured presentation can be difficult to follow and even frustrating to listen to. The heart of your speech are your main points supported by evidence and your transitions should assist the movement between points and clarify how everything is linked.

Research suggests that the audience remember the first and last things you say so your introduction and conclusion are vital for reinforcing your points. Essentially, ensure you spend the time structuring your presentation and addressing all of the sections.

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PowerPoint Sections: How to Create Sections in PowerPoint to Reorganize Presentations Quickly

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to use PowerPoint sections, including how to create them, rename them, and use them to rearrange entire segments of the presentation in the Slide Sorter View.

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To add a section, press Alt, H, T1 in the PC version of PowerPoint and select “Add Section”:

(This shortcut is Alt, H, T in older, non-365 versions; there is no built-in Mac shortcut for this command, so you must go to the “Home” menu and click on “Section” manually.)

Once you do this, the section name will appear on the left-hand side of the screen on top of the presentation slides in this new section:

You can now collapse and expand all the slides in this section by right-clicking it or going to the “Section” menu with Alt, H, T1:

You can also drag around the section and put it before or after other parts of the presentation:

Sections are useful in this “normal view,” but to use them most effectively , you’ll need to enter the Slide Sorter View (see below).

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Master PowerPoint by creating a sell-side M&A / valuation pitch book for Jazz Pharmaceuticals - plus company/deal profiles and more.

[Click the “Files & Resources” tab to get all the PowerPoint files for this lesson.]

The Slide Sorter View and PowerPoint Sections

The default viewing mode in PowerPoint is too limited to use sections effectively because you can only see a few slides on the screen at once.

To use sections more effectively, you should enter the Slide Sorter View with the Alt, W, I shortcut (⌘ + 2 on Mac):

This “Slide Sorter View” removes the main slide edit area and presents only a high-level presentation summary.

You can’t use this view to edit slides, but you can use it to move around normal slides.

To return to the “normal view,” press Alt, W, L on PC or ⌘ + 1 on Mac.

Most shortcuts that work in the normal viewing mode of PowerPoint also work in the Slide Sorter View:

Move to Previous or Next Slide: Arrow Keys (PC / Mac)

Jump to First Slide: Home (PC) / Fn + <– (Mac)

Jump to Last Slide: End (PC) /  Fn + –> (Mac)

Select Multiple Slides: Shift + Click (PC / Mac)

Insert Slide: Ctrl + M (PC) / ⌘ + Shift + N (Mac)

Insert Slide and Select Layout: Alt, H, I / N/A on Mac

Delete Slide: Del (PC / Mac)

Duplicate Current Slide: Ctrl + Shift + D (PC) / ⌘ + Shift + D (Mac)

Without even using sections, you can select multiple slides in the Slide Sorter View by pressing Shift and clicking on each one, and you can drag them to any position you want:

Doing this in the normal editing view is much less efficient because you must scroll to select multiple slides.

How to Create Sections in PowerPoint: Best Practices

When you add sections in PowerPoint, you should always start at the end of the presentation and move to the front .

When you add a section, PowerPoint applies it to all the slides after the insertion point – so if you add a section on slide 1, every slide in your presentation will be in that section!

Let’s say that your presentation has 25 slides, and they’re organized like this:

Slides 1 – 10: Introduction

Slides 11 – 14: Market Analysis

Slides 15 – 19: Leadership Team

Slides 20 – 25: Conclusions

If you want to add sections to this presentation, you should open the Slide Sorter View, go to slide 20, and add the “Conclusions” section there with Alt, H, T1, A.

Then, you should move to slide 15 and add the “Leadership Team” section, move to slide 11 and add the “Market Analysis” section, and, finally, move to slide 1 and add the “Introduction” section.

Ideally, each section will start with a normal slide that indicates the section’s title or marks it as the next “part” of the presentation.

We follow this approach in the Jazz Pharmaceuticals slides here:

With these “Section Divider” slides in the normal presentation, it’s easy to enter the Slide Sorter View and use the Alt, H, T1 shortcut to add sections in the right spots:

In the Slide Sorter View, you can also press the Right Mouse Button (RMB) on a Section Name to activate additional commands, such as “Remove Section & Slides” and “Move Section Up/Down”:

These commands can be useful if you start with an existing presentation and remove large parts rather than specific slides.

PowerPoint Section Practice Exercise: How to Add Sections to a Long Presentation

Your practice exercise in this lesson is to take the “Before” version of the Jazz Pharmaceuticals slides , add sections in the right spots, and rearrange the entire presentation so the sections are in the correct numerical order.

The presentation should start with Section 1 and then move to Section 2, 3, and so on, and the last two parts should be Appendix A and Appendix B.

You can start this exercise by entering the Slide Sorter View with Alt, W, I, and jumping to the end of the presentation with the End key (Fn + –> on Mac):

You can then move to slide 48 and press Alt, H, T1, A to add a section and name it “Financial_Projections”:

And then, you can proceed backward to slide 44 and add a section and name for the Appendix B slides.

Next, go to slide 32, add a section, and do the same on slides 28, 23, 14, and 2.

When you’re done, your presentation should look like this in the Slide Sorter View:

Now you need to reorder the presentation.

For this part, you might have to enter the normal viewing/edit mode with Alt, W, L to read the “Section Numbers” on each divider slide.

For your reference, here’s the correct numerical order:

Section 1: Market Update and Summary

Section 2: Review of Jaguar Management Forecasts

Section 3: Jaguar Valuation

Section 4: Potential Strategic Alternatives

Section 5: Process Recommendations

Appendix A: Financial Projection Assumptions

Appendix B: Valuation Data

For this part of the exercise, it’s useful to collapse all the sections with the Alt, H, T1, O shortcut so you can focus on just their order:

Once you’ve done this, you can click on each section name and drag it up or down to put the section in its proper position:

When you’ve finished rearranging all the sections, you can expand everything once again with Alt, H, T1, X, and your presentation should look like this in the Slide Sorter View:

Finally, you’ll need to move the “Table of Contents” slide to the Introduction section.

Currently, it’s at the end of the “Management Forecasts” section, which is incorrect:

Beyond PowerPoint Sections: More Advanced Methods for Organizing Your Presentations

Sections and the Slide Sorter View are very useful for organizing and reordering your presentations, but they only scratch the surface of the proper PowerPoint setup required for investment banking pitch books .

It’s also critical to understand the Slide Master , templates based on custom layouts, and how to use tools such as Drawing Guides, Theme Colors, and “reference shapes” to make your presentations easy to modify.

We cover all that and more in the full PowerPoint Pro course on this site, and we even give you tools and templates for workflow automation, including our full PowerPoint macro package.

About Brian DeChesare

Brian DeChesare is the Founder of Mergers & Inquisitions and Breaking Into Wall Street . In his spare time, he enjoys lifting weights, running, traveling, obsessively watching TV shows, and defeating Sauron.

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The 3 parts of a presentation: introduction, main part, closing part

The task of each part for the presentation structure.

A successful business presentation requires careful planning and structuring. In this article, we will look at presentation structure, focusing on the three parts: Introduction, main body, and conclusion of a presentation. We will explore what each part does and specific tips to help structure these parts of the presentation in the best possible way.

Part 1: The introduction of a presentation

Part 2: The main part of a presentation

Part 3: The conclusion of a presentation

A successful presentation needs a well-structured agenda. It helps your audience to keep track and follow the content of the presentation. The agenda ensures that all important aspects of a topic are covered in the presentation.

An attractively designed and worded agenda can also help to capture the audience’s attention right from the start and get them excited about the presentation. For example, the agenda can be designed using images, language, or terminology that is specific to the audience’s goals and interests. In this way, the presenter signals that they value the audience’s time and interest and are tailoring their presentation to meet their needs. Read more about the importance of the agenda in presentations and learn how to use action titles profitably as well.

Part 1: the introduction of a presentation

1. Greeting:

With a friendly greeting, you create a positive atmosphere right from the start. You give the audience the opportunity to arrive, get quiet and collect themselves and signal that it’s about to start. This phase is important to establish the audience’s concentration.

2.  Introduction:

Briefly introduce yourself and your organization. Give an overview of who you are and what your role is in your organization. By doing this, you will give your audience direction and reinforce your expertise and credibility at the very beginning of the presentation.

3. Objective:

Briefly outline the topic of your presentation and explain what you hope to accomplish with the presentation. Make sure the goal of the presentation is clear and concise.

4. Context:

Explain the context in which the presentation will take place. Why is the topic important? Why is it relevant to the audience? Here you should also make sure that you connect with the audience and tailor your presentation to their needs and interests.

After the introduction, you should have achieved the following with your audience:

• The audience is focused
• They know who you are and that you bring expertise to the topic
• It knows what the presentation is about and why it is worth paying attention.

Part 2: the main part of a presentation

The main part is the most important part of your presentation from a content point of view. Here you present your information, argue for your position, try to convince the target audience or bring them to a decision. In short, the middle section is the heart of your presentation. It should be structured in a logical and comprehensible way and should be consistently oriented towards your presentation objective. The biggest challenge is to make the main part compact and not to ramble too much, but still not to make any jumps in content where you might lose your audience. Ideally, when building the main body, you follow the thought processes your audience might have and answer any questions that might pop into your target audience’s head. Of course, this requires a good knowledge of your target audience and also some experience. If you have given similar presentations before, you should take into account insights you can derive from audience reactions or questions, for example, when building your next presentation.

The main part should make up about 75% to 80% of the total duration of the presentation. These are our tips for the main body:

1. Precise headings:

Make sure the main body is clear and logical and use precise headings. They will ensure that your audience can follow your arguments. Headings that are to the point also help the speaker, for example, when you want to jump back and forth within the presentation.

2. Key messages:

Present your core messages and arguments in a logical order. Make sure to support your arguments with examples and facts to strengthen your position. Report from the field to show that you understand the needs of your target audience.

3. Visualization:

Make sure you make your information easy to grasp quickly. Whenever possible, you should make use of visualizations. Diagrams, icons, and images are quicker to grasp than columns of scrubs, and you’ll stick in their minds. Your audience is more likely to remember a good picture than the text on your slides.

After the main part, you should have achieved the following with your audience:

• The audience has understood your information and your arguments
• You have answered or anticipated your audience’s most important questions and objections
• The audience has recognized the relevance of the topic for their own needs and requirements
• The audience is ready to take the next step toward your goal.

The closing section is the last part of your presentation and gives you the opportunity to emphasize your message once again. It’s not just about leaving a strong impression. The conclusion of your presentation determines whether you have achieved your presentation goal. Were you able to find supporters for your topic? Were you able to bring about a decision? Were you able to win a new customer? In order to be able to measure the achievement of your objectives, it is important to be specific at the end of your presentation. Depending on the goal, you can give an outlook here, agree on next steps or deadlines, or already distribute tasks. Use all possibilities for a binding exit and a concrete connection. Make sure that your topic is thought about further, a project is pursued or a collaboration is started. Otherwise, unfortunately, your presentation will be forgotten very quickly or other topics will push in front of it.

The conclusion of your presentation should be about 10% to 15% of the total duration of the presentation and include the following elements:

Summarize the most important points of your presentation again in a short and concise way. This will remind the audience of the key messages and strengthen your overall impression.

2. Call-to-action

Conclude your presentation with a call-to-action that fits your presentation objective. Ask the audience to make a decision, buy a product, or schedule a follow-up appointment with you. This will create commitment and ensure that your presentation objective is achieved.

Give an outlook on future developments or projects. Show the next steps or point out follow-up topics. By doing so, you show that you know the processes and are also an expert for the next steps and implementation.

4. Thank you

Conclude your presentation by thanking the audience. Show your appreciation for the interest and time the audience invested in your presentation. You can also include your contact information and offer to answer questions or provide further information. The thank you note should come from you in person; you don’t need a slide for that. Also read our tips for PowerPoint closing slides .

• The audience follows your recommendation.
• It acts in the sense of your presentation goal.
• Your presentation is remembered and you are set with the audience as an expert on the presentation topic.

You can find many more very helpful tips on presentation structure in our blog articles on the golden thread of your presentation and presentation structure .

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How to Add Section in PowerPoint? [And Why to Use them!]

By: Author Shrot Katewa

When creating a big presentation (of more than 30 or 40 slides), there are times when you end up looking for a slide that you just created, and it takes you quite some time to locate it! If this happens frequently to you, then you’re perhaps better off adding sections to your PowerPoint presentation!

To add sections in PowerPoint, right-click between any two slides in the slide navigation panel. From the options presented, click on “Add Section”. This will add a section to your PowerPoint presentation.

Adding sections and grouping slides in PowerPoint allows you to stay organized when creating and delivering a presentation. It can come in handy especially when you have a long presentation.

But, what more can you do and how exactly can you benefit from using sections in PowerPoint? Let’s find out!

1. How to Group Slides in PowerPoint? 

Let’s first start with the basics once again.

Here’s how it works – to begin with, you need to add sections in your presentation. Then, you’ll want to move the slides around so that the correct slide is present in the correct section! If needed, you can then rename the sections to be on top of things.

We’ll learn how to do all these things in the following sections of the article.

But, let’s start with grouping slides in PowerPoint as this is where the whole process begins.

To group a slide in your PowerPoint presentation, you have to select the “ Add section ” option from the dropdown menu of the slide’s navigation bar as mentioned previously.

Here’s a step-by-step process on how to do it –

Step-1: “Right-click” on the slide navigation bar

The first step of the process is to “ Right-click ” between any two slides to add a section. Ideally, you should right-click just above the first slide from which you want to group of slides to begin.

When you right-click, you will be presented with a dropdown menu.

Step-2: Click on “Add section”

Now, from the dropdown menu, click on the “ Add sections ” option which is the last option there (as shown in the image in step 1).

Step-3: Give a name to the section

In the pop-up window, give a name to the group and hit the “ Rename ” button. This will group all the slides below the newly added section.

Step-4: Create another group after the last slide

When you add a section above the first slide of the group of slides, it adds all the slides below that section into one group.

To separate one group from another, add another section under the last slide of your group following the same process described above. This will separate the slides in your group from the next group.

2. How to Rename Sections in PowerPoint? 

To rename a section in your PowerPoint presentation, you have to select the rename option from the drop-down menu. The easy 3 step process is described below.

Step-1: “Right-click” on the title of the section

The first step of the process is to “ Right-click ” on the title of the section that you want to rename. This will open a dropdown menu.

Step-2: Click on “Rename section”

In this step, all you have to do is to select the “ Rename section ” option from the dropdown menu. It is the first option in the dropdown menu (as shown in the image in step 1).

Step-3: Rename the slide

After you click on the “ Rename Section ” option, a pop-up window will appear on your screen. Now, rename the section and then hit the “ Rename ” button.

After that, the section will be renamed accordingly.

3. How to Add Slides to a Section in PowerPoint? 

There are two ways in which you can add a slide to a group in your PowerPoint presentation. You can either add a new slide in the group or you can move a slide from another group to your preferred group.

Both of these methods are explained in the following section.

3a. Add New Slides to a Section 

To add a new slide to a section in your PowerPoint presentation, you have to select the “ New slide ” option from the drop-down menu. The whole process is described step-by-step below.

The first step of the process is to “ Right-click ” on the slide navigation bar, in the location of the sequence of slides where you want the new slide to be added.

For example, if you want to add the slide as the fourth slide in the slide navigation bar, “ Right-click ” just above the existing fourth slide.

Step-2: Select the “New Slide” option

After you right-click on the slide navigation bar, a dropdown menu will appear on your screen. From the dropdown menu, click on the “ New Slide ” option, which is the first option in the menu.

After that, a new slide will be added to your preferred sequence.

3b. Move Slides from Other Sections 

You can also move slides from one group to another

Step-1: Select and hold the slide

The first step of moving a slide from one group to your preferred group is to select the slide that you want to move and keep holding the “ Left mouse button ”.

This will allow you to move the slide up and down the slide navigation bar.

Step-2: Place the slide in your preferred location

While holding the “ Left mouse button ”, drag the slide from its original position and place it in your preferred location then let go of the “ Left mouse button ”.

This way, the slide from one group will be moved to your preferred group.

4. How to Expand and Collapse Sections in PowerPoint? 

You can also expand and collapse a section or a group of slides in PowerPoint.

To collapse a section in PowerPoint, simply click on the section name or the arrow before the name of the section. This will collapse the section and hide all the slides within the section from the slide navigation panel.

You have to use the same button to expand a section in PowerPoint. If a group is expanded then you will see a triangular arrow pointing downward, located just to the left of the title of the group.

And, if the group is already collapsed, you will be able to expand it using the same button.

4a. How to Expand and Collapse All Sections in PowerPoint?

You can also expand or collapse all sections in PowerPoint in one quick movement! Here’s how to do it –

Step-1: Right-click on any section

The first step is to right-click on any one of the sections in your PowerPoint presentation. You will be presented with a dropdown menu.

Step-2: Click on the “Expand All” or “Collapse All” options

The next step is to simply click on the “ Collapse All ” option to collapse all the sections in your presentation (as shown in the image in step 1).

You can also click on the “ Expand All ” option to expand all the groups of slides or the sections in your PowerPoint presentation.

Do remember, the “Expand All” option can also be used when only a few sections are in a collapsed state. Using this option then will expand only the collapsed sections.

5. How to Move a Section Up or Down in Slide Thumbnail View? 

The process of moving an entire section up or down in the slide thumbnail view is very similar to moving a slide from one group to another. The whole process is described in easy steps below.

Method 1 – Dragging the Sections Up or Down

This method is the easiest when you have all the sections collapsed first.

Step-1: Collapse all the sections

The first step is to collapse all the sections in your presentation as described in the previous section. This will allow you to move a section quickly and easily.

Step-2: Click and hold the title of the section

The first step of the process is to select the title of the section and then keep holding the “ Left mouse button ”.

Step-3: Move the section to your preferred sequence

While holding the “ Left mouse button ”, drag the title of the group up or down to the position where you want to move the section.

After that, let go of the “ Left mouse button ” and the entire section will change its position accordingly. 

Method 2 – Using the “Right-click” Option

You can also move a complete section using the right-click option. However, it can sometimes be confusing when you have all the slides open.

Nevertheless, here’s what you need to do when moving a section in PowerPoint using this method –

Step-1: Right-click on the section

The first step is to “Right-click” on the section that you want to move. A dropdown menu will appear.

Step-2: Move the section

The next step is to simply move the section. You can click on the “ Move Section Up ” to move the section up (as the name suggests).

Likewise, you can also click on the “Move Section Down” option to move the section below the next section.

Repeat the process if you want to move a section up or down multiple steps.

6. How to Delete a Section in PowerPoint? 

To delete a section in your PowerPoint presentation, you have to choose the remove section option in PowerPoint.

Here’s how you can remove a section in PowerPoint –

The first step of the process is to “ Right-click ” on the title of the section. This will open a drop-down menu.

Step-2: Click on “Remove section”

After you have opened the drop-down menu, simply click on the “ Remove section ” option, which is the second option of the menu.

After that, the section will be deleted immediately, and the slides in that section will merge with the preceding section.

6a. How to Remove All Sections in PowerPoint?

If you want to get rid of all sections in your presentation, PowerPoint provides you with the option to do that as well. Don’t worry, your slides will not be deleted if you choose to remove all the sections from your PowerPoint presentation!

Here’s how to delete all sections in PowerPoint –

Step-1: Right-click on any one section

The first step is to right-click on any one section in your PowerPoint presentation. You will be presented with a dropdown menu.

Step-2: Select the “Remove All Sections” option

From the options in the dropdown, simply click on the “ Remove All Sections ” option and this will delete all the sections in your presentation.

As mentioned before, this will not remove any of your slides. It will only remove all the sections.

6b. How to Remove a Section with Slides in PowerPoint?

Using sections comes in really handy especially when you want to delete an entire section from your presentation.

Although deleting a section in PowerPoint doesn’t delete the slides, PowerPoint also provides you with an option to delete a section along with the slides within that section.

Here’s what you need to do –

Step-1: Right-click on the section to delete

As usual, the first step is to select the section that you want to delete and right-click on it. This will open a dropdown menu with options.

Step-2: Select the “Remove Section & Slides” option

From the dropdown, simply click on the “ Remove Section & Slides ” option. This will remove the section along with the slides in that section.

7. Can you Create Sub-Sections in PowerPoint?

Unfortunately, you can’t create a subsection in your PowerPoint presentation.

Although it is quite the obvious upgrade, and many users have been requesting it since the option to add sections was introduced in PowerPoint, you can’t make a subsection in your PowerPoint.

However, to organize your PowerPoint presentation, you can insert a new section and add an underscore (“_”) before the title of the section to identify that it is a subsection. 

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

How-To Geek

How to organize a microsoft powerpoint slideshow using sections.

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About sections in microsoft powerpoint, use sections in powerpoint on windows or mac, use sections in powerpoint on the web.

If you have a lengthy presentation , keeping it organized is important. One way to do this in Microsoft PowerPoint is to use sections. We'll show you what they are and how you can make use of them.

You can group slides into various sections to keep things neat and tidy. Expand a section and collapse the rest so you can focus on what you're working on. You can also easily move sections if you want to rearrange your presentation.

If you're looking for a better way to organize your PowerPoint slideshows, let's look at how to use sections.

If you use Microsoft Word , you might be familiar with how sections work in that application. But sections in PowerPoint are completely different. Rather than breaking up a document , as sections do in Word, sections work more like folders in PowerPoint.

Related: How to Add, Delete, and Rearrange PowerPoint Slides

Sections contain groups of slides for organizational purposes only. Sections are not visible when presenting your show, and after creating sections you can still move your slides to rearrange them as you normally would.

Sections are available in Microsoft PowerPoint on Windows, Mac, and the web. Because the features differ slightly on the web versus desktop, we'll look at each separately.

You can organize your slideshow easily with sections on Windows or Mac. This is especially helpful if you're collaborating with others . For instance, you might assign certain sections to specific people.

Related: How to Collaborate on a Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation

Create a Section

You can create a section using Normal or Slide Sorter view as well as with the Home tab.

On the View tab, select "Normal" or "Slide Sorter" and pick the thumbnail for the first slide you want in the section. Right-click and choose "Add Section" from the shortcut menu.

To use the Home tab, select the slide to start the section by making it the active slide. Then, click the Section drop-down arrow and pick "Add Section."

You'll immediately see a pop-up window prompting you to name your section. Enter the name and click "Rename."

If the slide you pick to start a section is not the first slide in your presentation, a Default Section will be created automatically and contain all slides before your created section.

Once you set up sections, you'll see the number of slides within each one. Click the arrow next to a section header to collapse or expand it.

Manage Sections

You can rename and collapse or expand all sections in your slideshow. And like creating a section, you can do so in Normal view, Slide Sorter view, or using the Home tab.

Either right-click the section in one of the mentioned views or select the Section drop-down arrow on the Home tab to take an action on your section.

If you want to delete a section, you have three different options. You can delete the selected section, delete the section and the slides in it, or delete all sections in the slideshow.

Right-click the section and choose one of the delete actions.

If you use the Home tab to manage your sections, you'll only see two of the delete actions in the Section drop-down box. You can either remove the selected section or all sections. So if you want to delete a section and its slides too, use the right-click method above.

Move a Section

You may decide to move a section, which would include that group of slides, to a different spot in your presentation.

In either Normal or Slide Sorter view, select the section, drag it to its new location in the slideshow, and release.

Alternatively, right-click the section and choose "Move Section Up" or "Move Section Down."

In Microsoft PowerPoint on the web , you can create and use sections. However, you do have limited actions.

To create a section, select the View tab and choose "Slide Sorter" at the top. Then, right-click the first slide you want in the section and choose "Add Section" from the shortcut menu.

When the section appears, replace "Untitled Section" with the name you want, and press Enter or Return.

You can only see sections you create in Slide Sorter view. They are not collapsible or expandable like in the desktop application.

To rename, remove, or move a section, head back to View > Slide Sorter. Right-click the section header to take an action.

Sections in PowerPoint give you a good way to keep track of and manage your slides. Whether working alone or sharing the slideshow with others, you're sure to keep your presentation organized.

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Home Blog PowerPoint Tutorials How to Add Sections in PowerPoint

How to Add Sections in PowerPoint

PowerPoint sections can help organize a PowerPoint presentation to help you sort out different subtopics. Adding sections to your PowerPoint templates can be handy for quickly creating new outlines and generating organized slide decks. It also makes finding subtopics in a presentation to revisit specific information easily.

How to Add Section in PowerPoint

If you’re wondering how to add a PPT section, go to Home -> Section -> Add Section or right-click between slides and select Add Section .

From the dialog box that appears, add a name for your section and click Rename . This will give a name to your section. You can name various sections according to the topic they cover. For example, one section might introduce the topic, another your team, followed by a section about the project, budget, timeline, etc.

How to Rename, Remove, Collapse, and Expand Sections in PowerPoint

To rename, remove, collapse, or expand sections, select the section and go to Home -> Sections .

Rename Section: This option allows you to rename the section.

Remove Section: You can use this option to remove a specific section.

Remove All Sections: This is a quick way to remove all sections simultaneously.

Collapse All: This option can be used to collapse all sections.

Expand All: All collapsed sections can be expanded using this option.

How to Move Sections in PowerPoint

You can either use drag and drop to move sections or via right-click menu. The latter provides options to move sections up or down. You will find various options in the right-click menu via the Sections menu. Furthermore, you can also select Remove All Sections & Slides at once to start over from scratch.

Final Words

You can group slides in PPT by creating sections in PowerPoint. Now that you know how to create sections in PPT, you can create relevant groups of slides clubbed together to generate more comprehensive presentations that are easier to sort and manage.

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