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Tips for PowerPoint & Presentations

Get tips on using sources, PowerPoint and public speaking for your presentation.

Using PowerPoint for Your Presentations

The best ways to get help with PowerPoint are to come to the Library Lab to get one on one help. use one of our great how to eBooks on PowerPoint, or go to  Microsoft's tutorials on using PowerPoint. 

Access PowerPoint & Get Help in the Library Lab

The Library Lab is open the same hours as the library and has staff that can help you with PowerPoint, Word and more. All the computers in the lab have PowerPoint. See more about the Library Lab. 

PowerPoint eBooks

The library has multiple online eBooks on how to use PowerPoint. The eBooks are available on or off campus 24/7 with unlimited access for COM students, faculty and staff. If you are accessing them off campus, login in with your COM account. Here are the top two recommend eBooks:

PowerPoint for Dummies
Don’t worry if you’re completely new to PowerPoint. PowerPoint For Dummies, hosted on Ebook Central, quickly gets you up to speed on the basics, starting with understanding and using the interface. You’ll learn to create a new presentation from scratch, leverage free templates to accelerate the making of your next slide deck, and even import data from other applications. 

New to Ebook Central? Try How to Use Ebook Central.

 

Microsoft PowerPoint best practices, tips, and techniques : an indispensable guide to mastering PowerPoint's advanced tools to create engaging presentations
This eBook, hosted on O'Reilly for Higher Education, will help you plan, create, and deliver more impactful and professional-looking presentations. 

New to O'Reilly for Higher Education? Try How to Use O'Reilly for Higher Education. 

 

Microsoft Tutorials

Microsoft has created some great online tutorials that help you get started with PowerPoint. The tutorials include both video and step by step screen shots. Go to the Microsoft PowerPoint tutorials. 

How do You Use Sources in Your Presentation?

""Once you've found sources that fit the criteria of your assignment, your instructor expects you to:
  1. Read them with an open mind.
  2. Think about what they mean.
  3. Draw conclusions based on all of the sources you've read.
  4. Discuss what you've discovered in your paper or presentation.

What you learn from your sources should be in your paper or presentation. Asking yourself these questions as you read is a technique that can help you focus:

  1. What is the author(s) of the source telling you about the topic?
  2. What new information did you learn from it that you did not know before?
  3. How does that change what you think about the topic?
  4. How does what one source say about the topic compare to what other sources say about the topic?
  5. What was the most important or main point?

Credit Your Sources

The articles you gather will give you the facts and information you need to explain the topic to your reader.

If you use information from a source that you did not know before, you should cite it to give credit to the author regardless of whether you are using a quote or paraphrasing the information.

See our APA and MLA citation guides using the links below for how to cite.

COM Students Get Microsoft Office 365 Free!

COM students, faculty and staff can get Microsoft Office 365 Pro Plus free for their computers and mobile devices! Microsoft Office 365 is a subscription model that will last as long as you are associated with the College.

PC or MAC

Get Microsoft Office 365 for your PC or MAC. Here's how:

  1. Go to the Office 365 portal.
  2. Click the Find out if you’re eligible button, enter your COM email address (must be your COM email to receive free).
  3. Hit Sign up to receive the Microsoft Office 365 team email to complete your verification.
  4. Follow the link in your email, fill out the form and hit Start. 
  5. When prompted, click Install Now and follow the installation wizard.
    • Mac OS X: wait until the executable package downloads, then double click on it and follow the installation wizard’s instructions.

From any Office application (Word, Excel, Power Point), choose Sign in to an existing Office 365 subscription.