When you’re presenting, it’s important to have a clear outline of what you want to say. This will help you to focus on your points and avoid getting lost in the details. To create an outline for your presentation, start by sketching out a basic idea of what you want to say. Then, work from that outline into a more detailed plan. You can use different methods to create an outline, but a good way to start is by creating a rough version of your speech. Once you’ve created an outline for your speech, it’s important to make sure that it’s clear and concise. You can use different methods to help make your presentation more clear, but one common method is using outlines and bullet points. Finally, be sure that your presentation is well-organized and easy to follow. You can use different methods to help organize your speech, but one common method is using tables and charts.


When you plan out your slideshow ahead of time, you might use an outline. This helps determine the content for each slide. In Microsoft PowerPoint, you can pull that outline right into the application and transform it into a presentation.

Compose Your Outline

If you already have an outline, you’re one step ahead. If not, you can use an application like Microsoft Word or Notepad for your outline.

RELATED: How to Create and Work with Multilevel Lists in Microsoft Word

Each line in the outline displays on a separate slide even if you have a multilevel outline.

If you use numbering or bullets in an application like Word, those normally won’t carry over to the slides. But with software like Notepad, they may. So, depending on the application you use for the outline, this is something to keep in mind.

Create the PowerPoint Presentation

You can add the outline to an existing presentation, new blank slideshow, or one with a template. Open PowerPoint and choose the slideshow or make a new one.

RELATED: How to Create a Custom Template in PowerPoint

On either the Home or Insert tab, select the New Slide drop-down menu. Pick “Slides From Outline.”

Browse for the outline file on your computer, select it, and click “Insert.”

After a moment, you’ll see your outline load into PowerPoint. As mentioned, each line of the outline is its own slide.

From there, you can add text, include images, insert animated charts, and use videos as you normally would.

Creating a PowerPoint slideshow from an outline gives you a good jump-start on your presentation.