Set the delivery requirements first
Note the presentation’s purpose, target audience, approximate duration, required number of slides, deadline, and delivery format. If your teacher or organization specifies a template, citation style, or file type, add that to your plan too. This information will help you decide which editor to use and how to check the final file.
If you need to work as a team or use a particular file type, check the selected product’s current official help for sharing and download options. Google Slides Help explains how to share a presentation and download it in formats such as Microsoft PowerPoint or PDF; check the menu to see which options are available in your interface and account (Google Slides feature overview).
Draft the content before making slides
Write your main message in one sentence. Then arrange the material as an introduction, a few main points, and a conclusion. Beside each section, note what you want the audience to understand. This will make it easier to decide where each piece of information belongs as you build the slides.
Add the link or citation for claims that require sources beside the relevant material in your draft. If you plan to use images from elsewhere, note their source and terms of use as well. Rather than using an image whose source or permission status you cannot verify, leave that part in the draft until you can check it.
A manual workflow in Google Slides
The menu steps below are for the Google Slides editor on a computer; do not assume that the same steps are available in another application or a different interface. Google’s official getting-started guide explains editor tasks such as creating a presentation, adding slides, and placing text and images (Create your first presentation in Google Slides). If you do not see a menu item, check the product’s current help or your own screen.
- Start a new presentation. On the Google Slides home screen, use the “New” option in the “Start a new presentation” section.
- Add slides. Use the New slide button to add a slide with the same layout as the current one; if you need a different layout, you can check the “New slide with layout” option. Whether organization-branded templates appear may depend on whether an administrator has provided them; if you do not see the template you need, ask about your organization’s guidelines.
- Add text and images. Add a text box and enter content you have written yourself. To add an image, you can use “Insert > Image”; separately verify its source and terms of use.
- Keep notes separate when needed. Consider putting additional explanations for your presentation in the speaker notes instead of fitting them onto the slide. Google Help notes that these appear below the slide in the editor.
- Check the order and appearance. Review the slide titles and order. Giving each slide one main message, shortening text, and making consistent choices for colors and fonts are practical editing suggestions; adapt them to your presentation’s content.
Example: a school waste-sorting presentation
Hypothetical scenario: A student is preparing a five-minute presentation about waste sorting at school. The duration and number of slides are examples only; follow your actual instructions if they differ.
- Slide 1 — Purpose: The title “Why is it important to put waste in the right bin?” and a short sentence stating the presentation’s purpose.
- Slide 2 — The situation at school: A suitable photo showing where the bins are, or a simple map drawn by the student.
- Slide 3 — Sorting example: Guidelines that actually apply at the school, with one example for each category.
- Slide 4 — Suggested action: One suggestion suited to the school’s circumstances, such as making the bins easier to spot.
- Slide 5 — Conclusion and sources: A sentence summarizing the suggestion and the sources for the school information and images used.
Build this plan yourself in the editor. If you lack information about the school’s practices, do not guess; ask the person responsible or mark the section as a draft until it has been verified. If you cannot find a suitable image, consider making your own diagram rather than choosing one with an unclear source.
Keep AI features separate from this workflow
The fact that a product includes an AI feature does not mean you need to use it to prepare a presentation manually. For example, Google’s Slides guide describes the option to create a new slide with Gemini as a separate feature; you can create your own slides using the manual editor tasks outside those steps. This does not mean that you have turned off the application’s AI features or that the same menus appear in every account.
The FIU library guide lists various AI tools under text, image, design, and presentation categories; this list is not instructions for turning off AI in any product (FIU library guide). Likewise, Northwestern’s Copilot guide covers a specific PowerPoint feature and its licensing requirements; do not generalize it to Google Slides or the features of other products (Northwestern: Microsoft 365 Copilot in PowerPoint).
Before sharing or submitting the file
If a delivery format is specified, check whether the download options in Google Slides are available in your current interface; the help overview gives PowerPoint and PDF as examples. After downloading the file, open it again and review the slide order, text, images, and links. If you will present on another device, check the file you plan to submit on that device in advance, if possible. This is a suggested check, not a requirement to have an additional device or a particular account type.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a special presentation app to avoid using AI? No. You can work in an editor where you create the content and slides yourself. If you need a particular file type or sharing option, check the product’s current help and your own menus.
What should I cite in a presentation? Cite information that requires a source, quotations, and images from elsewhere. Follow your organization’s required style, if there is one.
What should I do if the file looks different elsewhere? Open the file you plan to submit again and review the text, images, and order. If the problem persists, check the official help to see whether another format permitted by the delivery requirements would be suitable.
Final checklist and related guides
Before submitting, make sure the main message is clear, the purpose of each slide is understandable, and the sources for the information have been checked. Review the terms of use for the images and confirm that the file is in the required format. Reopen the final version and review it from beginning to end.
If you are exploring another workflow, see Create an AI presentation from a YouTube video and How to choose presentation websites like Prezi; this guide focuses on preparing a presentation without using AI.
← Back to blog
