Creating a Presentation

James Okonkwo needs a fresh deck for Open Day.

• 1Click the File tab.
• 2Click New on the left.
• 3Click Blank Presentation.
• 4Expected result: One title slide appears. The layout is usually Title Slide.

One file name keeps the Open Day project organised alongside the Word handbook and Excel budget.

• 1Click File → Save As.
• 2Pick a folder you can find again (e.g. Documents).
• 3In File name, type NorthgateOpenDay (PowerPoint adds .pptx).
• 4Click Save.
• 5Expected result: The title bar shows NorthgateOpenDay.pptx.

Fix: If Save is greyed out, pick a folder and type a file name first.

Staff and IT search for NorthgateOpenDay on shared drives. A generic name like Presentation1.pptx gets lost.

Slide 1 is the first thing families see on the projector.

• 1Click Click to add title and type Northgate Academy Open Day.
• 2Click the subtitle placeholder and type Saturday 14 March 2026 · 10:00–14:00 · Main Hall and Sports Block.
• 3Press Ctrl+S (Windows) or Cmd+S (Mac).
• 4Expected result: Slide 1 shows the school name, date, time, and venue.

The title slide loops on lobby screens before 10:00–14:00. Families read:

• Northgate Academy — confirms they are at the right school
• Saturday 14 March 2026 — matches letters sent home
• 10:00–14:00 — when doors open and the Main Hall talk starts
• Main Hall and Sports Block — usually Main Hall for the welcome; tours leave from there

Dr. Helen Marsh does not read every bullet aloud — slide 1 must stand alone on screen. Click inside each placeholder before typing so theme fonts apply automatically.

A slide is one page in the deck. A placeholder is a dotted box that holds title or body text.

The Title Slide layout gives you two placeholders — one for the school name, one for date and venue. Do not type before clicking a placeholder; text can land on the wrong layer or outside any box.

After File → Save As, press Ctrl+S every time you add a slide. The hall laptop may not have autosave if power flickers during setup.

Type NorthgateOpenDay in File name — not NorthgateOpenDay.pptx. PowerPoint adds the extension automatically.

Example — Correct file name at Save As: In File → Save As, type NorthgateOpenDay in File name. PowerPoint adds .pptx. Leave the name blank and Save stays greyed out.