If you’re comfortable with the basics of Google Slides but want to make your presentations more professional and interactive, these intermediate tips are just what you need. They can help you create reusable templates, collaborate seamlessly, and engage your audience more effectively. Whether you’re working solo or with a team, these tricks will take your slide game to the next level.

Design Custom Slide Templates for Consistency

One of the best ways to save time and keep your presentations looking sharp is by creating your own slide layouts. This way, you can reuse designs that fit your brand or style. To do this, start with a blank presentation and open the theme builder by clicking View > Theme builder. The editor opens up, showing default layouts on the left side. You can pick any layout to edit or delete objects you don’t need. For example, click on a text box, right-click, and choose Delete. Then, add your own elements like images, shapes, or text blocks using the toolbar. You can customize colors, borders, and background to make each layout unique.

Once your design is ready, give it a clear name by clicking Rename. Repeat the process to build multiple layouts if needed. When done, close the theme builder. To use your custom layout in a presentation, just click Layout on the toolbar and select your saved design. This is perfect for maintaining a consistent look across multiple slides or presentations.

Collaborate in Real Time Using Google Chat

If your team uses Google Chat, sharing your slides for feedback and editing is super simple. You can attach your presentation directly in a chat or space—Google’s dedicated workspace for projects. To do this, open a chat or space, then click the + icon next to the message box. In a space, choose Google Drive from the panel that appears, then click Attach Drive files. In a regular chat, you can skip straight to attaching files. Select your presentation from Google Drive and click Insert. The file appears in the chat with a thumbnail preview.

Before sending, you can set permissions to control who can view or edit the file. Just click on the permissions dropdown (default is Commenter) and select Viewer or Editor. Once you send the message, everyone in the chat can access the presentation. Clicking the thumbnail opens the file in Google Slides, where team members can comment or make changes based on their permissions. This setup makes collaboration quick and easy, especially for teams working on the same project.

Present Live in Google Meet

Need to give a presentation during a Google Meet call? If you’re using a Chrome-based browser, it’s straightforward. Open your presentation, then click the Google Meet icon (a video camera) at the top right of Slides. You can choose to start a new meeting, join an existing one, or paste a link or meeting code. When you’re ready, click to start sharing your screen or just the tab with your presentation. If you’re starting a new meeting, you might need to grant microphone and camera access first.

For scheduled meetings, you can either join the call and then share your screen, or choose Just present this tab to go directly into presentation mode. When sharing, select your presentation and click Share. To stop sharing, just click Stop sharing at the top of the screen. This seamless integration allows you to present confidently without switching apps or platforms, making your virtual meetings more professional and engaging.

These intermediate tips help you streamline your workflow, boost collaboration, and engage audiences more effectively using Google Slides. Experiment with creating templates, sharing in chats, and presenting in Meet to make your next presentation stand out. With a bit of practice, these tools can become second nature, saving you time and making your slides more impactful.

Inspired by

• https://www.computerworld.com/article/4041730/quick-tips-for-google-slides.html

Sources

• gmpg.org
• unsplash.com
• google.com
• howardwen.com
• podigee.com