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PowerPoint learning path

Practical PowerPoint

Work through twenty lessons to build a presentation from the first slide to the final handout. Plan the story, add charts and media, then rehearse and share it. The Harbor and support-review scenarios use practice data. You can complete the lessons without Copilot; optional prompts are included when it is available.

20 practical lessons5 modulesBeginner to advanced
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Stored on this browser and device. Completion is your own checklist, not a certification.

What you’ll be able to do

  • Plan a deck with clear titles and built-in layouts
  • Build editable charts and explain the figures accurately
  • Add captions, animation and links that suit your audience’s viewer
  • Rehearse with notes and share the right version of the presentation
  • Check an AI draft against the brief and finish a complete support review

Follow the path in order or jump to a topic. The steps use English Microsoft 365 menus; each lesson explains relevant Mac and web differences. Copilot is an optional extra.

Files, story and readable slides

Start a deck, choose layouts and turn text, pictures and data into readable slides.

  1. Create, save and inspect a presentation

    Find the main editing controls and keep a working file separate from a practice copy.

    Beginner~25 min practice
    →

  2. Use layouts and sections

    Put the story into Outline view, then organise slides with layouts and sections.

    Beginner~30 min practice
    →

  3. Make text fit the slide

    Turn a long paragraph into short bullets, keeping the detail in notes.

    Beginner~30 min practice
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  4. Make a picture and process diagram

    Crop a picture and build a process with labels people can follow.

    Beginner~35 min practice
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  5. Build a readable chart

    Insert an editable chart, label the values and highlight the peak.

    Intermediate~35 min practice
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Visual systems and reusable templates

Align objects, apply a theme and make layouts you can reuse.

  1. Line up cards and keep their labels together

    Use alignment, spacing and grouping to arrange a row of owner cards.

    Intermediate~30 min practice
    →

  2. Use a theme to show what matters

    Keep colours and fonts consistent, with words that explain each status.

    Intermediate~30 min practice
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  3. Make a reusable slide template

    Keep shared branding on the master and leave slide content editable.

    Advanced~45 min practice
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Media, animation and navigation

Add video, captions and animation, then build slide navigation.

  1. Add a short video with captions

    Record a practice clip and add captions that match its speech.

    Intermediate~40 min practice
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  2. Reveal text with animation and a button

    Show the ticket value first, then reveal the investigation when its button is clicked.

    Advanced~35 min practice
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  3. Show a change with Morph and navigate with Zoom

    Enlarge a process stage across two slides, then make an agenda with a link-based alternative.

    Advanced~40 min practice
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Present, collaborate and publish

Use notes, review changes and prepare files for your audience.

  1. Use speaker notes and share the right PDF

    Rehearse with notes, then make separate audience and presenter PDFs.

    Intermediate~35 min practice
    →

  2. Review a shared deck and control access

    Use one shared file, comments and version history, then try an open password on a separate copy.

    Intermediate~40 min practice
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  3. Share a PDF and presentation video

    Check titles, reading order, links and notes in the files your audience will receive.

    Intermediate~40 min practice
    →

  4. Make a smaller delivery copy

    Reduce file size while checking picture quality, captions and editable objects.

    Advanced~40 min practice
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AI, efficient workflows and capstone

Try AI drafting, practise useful shortcuts and put the course skills together.

  1. Adapt the story for three audiences

    Use the ticket figures in a decision deck, a teaching exercise and a proposed launch.

    Intermediate~45 min practice
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  2. Draft with Copilot and check the facts

    Give Copilot the brief, then compare its slides with the source figures.

    Intermediate~45 min practice
    →

  3. Use shortcuts with the right selection

    Practise adding and copying slides without accidentally changing a word or shape.

    Beginner~25 min practice
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  4. Build a complete support-review deck

    Bring the story, chart, notes and handout together in one presentation.

    Advanced~75 min practice
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