Module 6 – Presentations

Lesson 2 – Working with Slides, Layouts and Sections

This lesson explains how to add, organise and manage slides in a presentation. You will learn how to choose slide layouts, duplicate slides, rearrange slides and use sections to group content.

1. Adding new slides

You can add slides in different ways:

• Click New Slide on the Home tab
• Right-click in the slide pane and choose New Slide
• Press Ctrl + M (PowerPoint)

New slides usually use the default layout unless you choose a specific one.

2. Slide layouts

Layouts control the structure of a slide. Choosing the correct layout helps organise content clearly.

Common layouts include:

• Title Slide – title and subtitle
• Title and Content – heading and bullet list or media
• Two Content – side-by-side content blocks
• Comparison – headings and content for comparisons
• Picture with Caption – image plus descriptive text
• Blank – no placeholders

3. Changing a slide layout

• Select the slide you want to change
• Go to Home > Layout
• Select the layout you want

Changing the layout does not delete your existing content unless the new layout has fewer placeholders.

4. Duplicating slides

Duplicating saves time when creating similar slides.

• Right-click a slide → Duplicate Slide
• Select a slide and press Ctrl + D

5. Rearranging slides

• Drag slides up or down in the slide pane
• Use Slide Sorter View for large presentations

6. Deleting slides

• Select the slide → press Delete
• Right-click → Delete Slide

7. Using sections to organise slides

Sections help divide presentations into groups, useful for large projects.

Examples:

• Introduction
• Main Content
• Case Studies
• Summary

How to create a section:

• Right-click between two slides
• Select Add Section
• Name the section

Benefits of sections:

• Keep large presentations tidy
• Collapse or expand groups of slides
• Rearrange entire sections at once

8. Notes and speaker notes

Speaker notes are helpful when presenting:

• Use the Notes area at the bottom of the screen
• Add reminders or extra information
• Notes do not appear to the audience

9. Good slide design practices

• Use one main idea per slide
• Keep text short and clear
• Use bullet points instead of long sentences
• Use consistent layouts for a professional look
• Avoid clutter or too much information

10. Practical Activity

• Create a new presentation with 6 slides
• Apply different layouts (Title, Title and Content, Two Content)
• Duplicate one slide to reuse its format
• Reorder the slides into a correct sequence
• Add two sections: Introduction and Main Content
• Add speaker notes to at least one slide