MS- Excel, widely known as Excel, is famous for its spreadsheets and data handling. But little has been explored of this wonderful software other than the standard features.
Do you know that you can create and give your presentation using Excel? Are you curious of how to create a presentation in Excel?
Read till the end to get familiar with the steps and bonus tips in the end!
This is our game plan for this article.
Now, you might wonder: how can a simple spreadsheet be made presentable, especially a business report or pitch?
Well, using Excel might be more advantageous than you think. Here’s why:
Is excel presentation a good choice?
Although PPT or PowerPoint Presentations gives a wide variety of options and templates to choose from, it can sometimes be too stretched out or contain lots of information that can be overwhelming.
Often, the main agenda of the presentation gets blurred, as we tend to emphasize and explain each and everything on the PPT.
If you want to give a crisp, short and effective presentation, then consider going for an Excel presentation.
There are fewer chances of your audience losing focus, as you emphasize only the needed information, especially if you are presenting a business report.
You will also save time of giving and making your presentation.
Now that you know why Excel is a good choice, let us see how we can use an Excel sheet in a presentation.
Creating a presentation in Excel
Creating a presentation in Excel can be the easiest way of making a presentation.
Follow these steps to make your presentation in excel:
Step 1: Choose a Template
The first step is to choose a template that goes with the aim of your presentation.
If your aim is to give a business presentation, you can go for templates like the ones seen in the above picture.
If you aim to present a business idea or budget, then you can choose templates such as planner and checklist or expense budget.
Choosing the right template would make things easier for you and your audience.
Step 2: Create slides
You might wonder how can I possibly create a slide in excel? Isn’t that a feature of PowerPoint?
Well, the idea is to create one similar to PowerPoint.
By using the sheets as slides, one can easily create an impactful presentation.
Make sure to name the sheets, and arrange them in order to give a smooth presentation.
Step 3: Organize your data
Now enter your required data and arrange it.
Simply select the required data by pressing the SHIFT key and use the ARROW keys to select.
Then, click on the Insert option from the menu tab and click on the Recommended Charts.
Now, select the type of chart you want.
Here are some possible options:
Line Graph
If you have data that depicts a financial report, and you want to explain the profits annually, then go for Line Graphs.
Remember to name your chart. You can click on the chart title to rename it.
Pie chart
If you want to present a monthly report on the expenses, then go for a pie chart.
Pie charts fit well when you present on a single aspect or topic.
Table
Tables work for almost all purposes.
However, the information presented needs to be simple and short.
You can do this by making colored tables.
You can select your data, and from the Page Layout option from the menu, browse the themes and colors.
Go for lighter tones, as they look aesthetic and professional as well.
Also, the audience won’t find it difficult to read the data, which can happen if you use darker colors.
Step 4: Remove the grids
One of the main features of Excel are the grids, i.e., rows and columns.
Our last step is to get rid of the grids, as they can distract the audience and you may also run the risk of giving a shabby presentation.
To remove grids, go to the Page Layout option in the menu tab and unselect or uncheck the boxes under Gridlines and Headings.
After this step, your presentation would seem as if it was made using a PPT!
Tips for making a creative and professional presentation using Excel
Add a background picture
Level up your presentation by setting a background picture in your Excel sheets!
In order to do this, go to the Page Layout and click on Background.
You can choose any of your saved pictures or choose from almost infinite options by searching one.
After you choose your picture, click on insert and your background picture is ready!
Last step is to remove the gridlines for a clean presentation.
You can also remove Headings and Formula Bar by unchecking them from the View tab.
Add colors to your data
It is quite a task to locate and understand data when everything is of the same color.
In other words, when you have a single color, say white, the audience would be busy tallying the data from right to left and not be able to concentrate on your presentation.
To resolve this issue, make your tables with two color tones.
You can choose them from Themes in Page Layout.
Here is the final result:
This table would take less time to locate the data in one row, as the color makes the task easy!
Font size matters
I bet you took some time to read this, especially if you are looking from a laptop or PC.
Did you feel any difference?
Your eyes were strained as you tried to read what was written.
Hence, make sure to have a decently larger font for making your information visible to everyone as not everyone sees your presentation from the same proximity as you.
Add images
If you don’t want a background picture, you can go for an image.
For adding an image, go to Insert and click on Illustrations.
You can add pictures, shapes, icons, 3D models and many more.
Remember to uncheck the Gridlines and Headings, before adding the images.
Make use of cells
Cells in a spreadsheet can be used in creative ways.
Apart from entering data and doing calculations in a breeze, they can be turned into text boxes!
So make use of them as far as you can.
You can add in the main heading in the first sheet along with a background picture.
You can also use cells for short descriptions or notes below the tables or data for better comprehension for the viewers.
Categorize
This is very important for all types of presentations and not just for Excel.
The main reason to categorize is to avoid “data dump”.
This happens when you put in too much information in one chart or sheet.
You might get confused or zoned out while presenting, and it is overwhelming from an audience’s perspective as well.
So, divide your data into various sheets and name them, ensuring they are in right order.
Doing so will also give your presentation a better clarity.
Sample Excel presentation
Suppose you are from the Sales department and are asked to give a presentation to the senior executives about the current vaccination drive status and future prospects.
Considering the period to be Jan-June 2021, here is a possible sample of how you can go about giving your presentation using Excel:
Title slide
Main body
Conclusion slide
Here you can talk about your views on how the organization should carry forward the vaccination drive, and give suggestions on how to do it more efficiently.
FAQs
What are some good Excel presentation topics?
Product sales
Excel is a good medium to present product sales. The sample presentation above is a type of product sales.
It gives the organization a clear idea of the direction of the sales of a product and planning further marketing strategy.
If you have just begun your journey as an entrepreneur or are in the sales and marketing field, here is a useful article for you to enhance your skills of giving a business pitch to your clients! Pitch Perfectly: Crucial Public Speaking Tips for Startup Founders
Some topic ideas for product sales can be:
- Annual product review in XYZ branch
- Sales review of XYZ product
- Review of top-selling products in XYZ zone
- Sales promotion review 2020-21
Comparative analysis
Comparative analysis can be presented using Excel most effectively.
You can show data in simple charts and graphs, and compare the metrics using parameters such as time( weekly, monthly, annually) or regionally( within a company or branch, across branches, or internationally).
Some topics you can consider:
- Comparative analysis of student population taking XYZ stream/course
- Analyzing weekly donations to XYZ foundation
- Regional analysis of reported crimes in XYZ state
- Health and hygiene: A correlational study
Financial resolution or budget proposal
Excel is a go-to application when it comes to finances.
With its easy tools and graphics, you can present budget proposals and financial resolutions with utmost ease.
You can consider these topics:
- FDIs for the year 2018-22
- Shares review 2020-21
- Annual review: Financial department
- Funds report: XYZ branch 2020-21
Who all can benefit through Excel presentations?
Although Excel is a great tool, it is not suitable for every type of presentations and professions.
It is an excellent medium for those engaging in quantitative data such as:
- researchers
- sales and marketing
- data analysts
- corporate executives
- economists
- logisticians, etc.
Does Excel have presentation mode?
You can present your data in full-screen mode or presentation mode in Excel!
To do this, go to the View tab and select Full-screen mode, or press CTRL+ SHIFT+F1.
To go back to normal mode, right-click and choose the close full-screen option, or click on the three vertical dots on the top of the screen.
How to export Excel presentations?
To export your Excel presentation, follow these steps!
STEP 1: Go to Files tab and select Export option.
STEP 2: In Export, click on create PDF/XPS document and name your file.
STEP 3: Click on Publish. Done!
Conclusion
Although we went through the steps of making an Excel presentation, do not leave the other aspect out!
Your body language and delivery style also matters!
If you are confused on what approach to take regarding body language while giving a speech, follow this article! To walk or stand still: How should you present when on stage?
For preparing your voice, follow along How to prepare your voice for a speech: Step-by-step guide.
We took a look into the steps for creating a creative and effective Excel presentation in just 4 steps!
Hope that the steps and tips would make your next Excel presentation a success and completely reinvent the way Excel is seen!
