What is the Best Course to Learn PowerPoint?

The best way to learn any skill is to learn it in a way that works for you. You may be a hare: a fast learner who picks up on the information quickly and is ready to move on before others in your class. You may be a tortoise:slow and steady, plugging away at each new skill and taking your time to get things right. For that matter, your learning may be uneven--you could excel quickly in some areas while finding that others take more practice. Understanding how you best process information will help you determine the best class style for learning PowerPoint.

There is another factor when it comes to learning styles, and that’s modality. Do you learn best in person, with the buzz of a classroom lighting a fire under you? Or do you prefer the comfort and quiet of your own home, where you can tinker with new skills without feeling like you’re in a fishbowl? There are course options for both types of learners, and this article will cover which classes will be best for all types of students.

Self-Paced Classes

A brief internet search for PowerPoint classes will pull up a plethora of on-demand options. There’s a reason for this: many people looking to learn a new skill want to do so without the pressure of a live class. Self-paced classes are appealing in part because they provide a sense of hope--it’s inspiring to think that you can pull yourself up by your bootstraps and get better at PowerPoint without investing a lot of money or time. It’s empowering, too: for many people, the idea of learning something that has perhaps felt out of reach will offer a confidence boost.

There are drawbacks to self-paced on-demand courses. While some learners are adept at managing time and making it across the finish line, those can be challenging skills for others. A self-paced PowerPoint class can feel exciting and straightforward at first, but as the material becomes more challenging it may be much harder to muster up enthusiasm. Without the guidance of an instructor, it’s easy to get hung up on certain concepts--which might lead some people to throw in the towel. According to LinkedIn, only between five and fifteen percent of people who start a self-paced course actually finish it. While it’s possible that students may learn all they need from taking an on-demand PowerPoint class only briefly, not finishing can still feel like a failure--and possibly a deterrence to future learning.

Introductory Classes

A one-day introductory class will be a great option for students who want to understand the basics of PowerPoint. An intro class will cover many of the fundamentals, including incorporating text with graphics, charts, illustrations, tables, layered objects, and SmartArt. 

The advantage of an introductory in-person or live online class is the presence of a teacher. 

While finishing an on-demand class can be an uphill battle, a good teacher will ensure you learn the requisite skills and finish the class strong. Guidance and encouraging feedback can often mean the difference between feeling good about your project and hitting an insurmountable roadblock. 

Depending on your needs, an introductory class may end up being enough. If you find you need to use PowerPoint at a more advanced level, you’ll have to either return to the classroom or practice the basic skills consistently in order to teach yourself the trickier concepts. 

Advanced Classes

An advanced class is the best bet for learners who want to gain expert-level PowerPoint skills. Many advanced courses can also be completed in a day, but unlike introductory classes, students will need to have mastered the prerequisites before enrolling, either in an introductory class or through self-study. The class will usually cover such topics as custom themes, incorporating animation and video, and integrating charts and tables from Microsoft Excel.

Starting with an introductory course and following up with an advanced class at a later date can mean having time to implement those basic skills for a while before moving to the next level. On the other hand, some learners prefer the fast-paced and immersive environment of a bootcamp, which moves quickly from beginner to advanced skills.

Specialized Classes

Given PowerPoint’s variety of uses, it should come as no surprise that there are classes focusing on specific skill sets. Classes like PowerPoint for Business will cover everything you need to build dynamic presentations in professional contexts. The class will mostly tackle the fundamentals, but will set you up well to move into an advanced class or to teach yourself those higher-level skills.

PowerPoint Presentation Design, by contrast, will focus on the aesthetic opportunities of the software, which could be the perfect choice for people in fields like media and design. A design-specific class is also helpful for those using PowerPoint to create beautiful and compelling slideshows outside of a professional context, whether for school, personal, or civic use. Knowing how to create aesthetically pleasing slide decks is a great skill to have, and could even help turn a hobby into a side hustle. 

One feature of a specialized class is that it will put you in a room (whether in-person or virtually) with others seeking the same kind of training. This low-stakes networking can be a great way to make connections with people in your industry, get referrals, or meet potential new clients.

PowerPoint Bootcamps

The most efficient and cost-effective way to learn PowerPoint is to enroll in an intensive, bootcamp-style class. Generally lasting several days, a bootcamp will cover both introductory and advanced material. There are loads of benefits to taking a bootcamp, one of which is that course providers will often offer a discount for bundling the classes, so you’ll save money over taking level one and level two classes independently. Another benefit is that the material gets covered sequentially and quickly, leaving no gaps in your knowledge--and no time to forget the skills you’ve learned before implementing them. 

In-person vs. Live Online

With the exception of self-paced on-demand classes (which are only available online), all these class options are generally available two different ways: in-person at a training center, or live online. 

An in-person class is the right fit for many people. It provides a stimulating classroom environment, with teacher oversight and a distraction-free place to learn. It can be fun to go “back to school,” in part because of the camaraderie of a group of classmates working on projects at the same time. A good teacher will foster a sense of growth mindset, the idea that our abilities are not fixed but that we can continue to learn and improve. This kind of encouraging classroom space will make it much easier to take on material that might otherwise be challenging. One issue with in-person learning is that it may not be accessible to you. Depending on where you live, you may find there isn’t an in-person option for you at all, or it is very limited in terms of scheduled offerings. If that’s the case, or if you learn better from home, a live online class will be the right fit.

Live online classes are generally offered over a platform like Zoom and designed to simulate the experience of being in a real live classroom. There is still the opportunity for direct instruction, hand-raising, and trouble-shooting. Many students find they learn better at home, where they can use their own computers and sit in their familiar workspaces. One drawback is that working from home can mean distractions: that sink of dirty dishes might call to you when a project begins to feel challenging, or a chatty roommate or partner may inadvertently derail your learning. If you do decide to learn PowerPoint at home, do your best to minimize distractions: invest in noise-canceling headphones, find a quiet spot, and close your browser windows and apps so you’re not tempted to shop or catch up on your emails.

Learn PowerPoint with Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop offers PowerPoint classes for both novice and advanced students. With courses available live online or at their New York City campus, Noble Desktop is a premier training center for both best-in-class one-off courses, bootcamps, and certificate programs. For beginners, there’s PowerPoint Level I--the ideal introduction to the fundamentals of the software, covering everything from text and images to charts and tables. While it’s designed for novices, the class is about functionality and efficiency, meaning that students at any level can work towards increased effectiveness with PowerPoint.

PowerPoint Level II is the best option if you have some background in PowerPoint, whether you’ve taken a level one class or are self-taught. Level II covers advanced topics like custom themes, managing larger presentations, and incorporating animation and video. Both levels one and two run for six hours and can be taken on a workday or weekend day, which means differing work and personal schedules are accommodated.

Noble Desktop's PowerPoint Bootcamp combines the first two levels into a fast-moving two-day workshop that covers both beginner and advanced concepts in presentation design and will prepare you for using PowerPoint in a professional setting. Over two stimulating days, you’ll tackle hands-on projects under the direction of industry professionals who will provide expert feedback and guidance. With twelve hours of direction instruction, a suite of review materials so you can continue practicing, and small class sizes, Noble Desktop’s PowerPoint bootcamp is hard to beat.