Presentation software helps you organize and show information to an audience. Think of it as a modern-day slide projector, but with far more power. The goal is to create a series of screens, called slides, that support what you're saying.

The two most common tools are Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides. PowerPoint is typically a desktop application that's part of the Microsoft Office suite. Google Slides is a web-based tool that you access through your internet browser, which makes it great for collaboration.

When you open either program and start a new presentation, you'll see a screen divided into a few key areas. It can look a little busy at first, but each section has a distinct job.

Here's a breakdown of what you're looking at:

• Main Slide View: This is the largest area, your main canvas. Whatever you're working on, from typing text to adding images, happens here on the currently selected slide.
• Slide Thumbnails: On the left, you'll see a column of small pictures of your slides. This pane lets you see your whole presentation at a glance, reorder slides by dragging them, or quickly jump to a different slide to edit it.
• The Ribbon or Toolbar: Across the top is a wide band of icons and menus. This is your command center. It's where you'll find all your tools for changing fonts, inserting shapes, adding animations, and more. We'll explore these tools later.
• Notes Section: Below the main slide is a space to type speaker notes. This text is just for you; when you present, your audience sees the slide, but you can see your notes to help you remember your talking points.

The ribbon at the top of the screen is organized into tabs. In PowerPoint, you'll see tabs like File, Home, Insert, Design, and Animations. Google Slides has a similar set, like File, Edit, View, Insert, and Format.

Clicking a tab reveals a new set of tools. The Home tab (in PowerPoint) or the main toolbar (in Google Slides) holds the most common functions: changing font size and color, creating bulleted lists, and adding new slides. The Insert tab is for adding things that aren't text, like pictures, charts, and videos.

The slide navigation pane on the left is your best friend for organizing your thoughts. You can create a new slide by right-clicking in that pane and selecting "New Slide" or by clicking a button on the Home tab. To delete a slide, just select its thumbnail and press the Delete key on your keyboard. To change the order, simply click and drag a thumbnail to a new position in the sequence.

Ready to check your understanding?

Now that you know your way around the basic interface, you're ready to start adding content to your slides.