Can I Learn PowerPoint in 3 Months?

PowerPoint is a relatively easy program to get to know. For one thing, it’s a part of the Microsoft Office suite (now referred to as Microsoft 365) that includes Word, Excel, and other programs that are used routinely at work, school, and home. For this reason, many people already have a passing familiarity with the interface and its basic features. PowerPoint is also designed to be user friendly: a beginner can open a new document and pretty quickly design a simple and straightforward presentation with little to no training at all.

Advanced features, on the other hand, can be more challenging to learn. Integrating tables and Excel data, importing multimedia content, and managing larger presentations will take more time. Once you’ve begun to learn the fundamentals, whether independently or in a classroom setting, the most important (and time consuming) part of the process will be practicing the skills and improving over time. Short answer? Yes, you can learn PowerPoint in three months--but it will take longer than that to get really good at it. 

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How Much PowerPoint Can I Learn in 3 Months 

Before investing in a course or even searching for free online resources, have a look at PowerPoint yourself and see how much you can learn in an hour. Really, give it an hour--go ahead and set a timer. Now open the program and create a new document. Choose a template that matches the style you’re looking for or the authority you’d like to project. Begin experimenting with typefaces, try to upload an image, play with color. Play around in this way until the timer goes off, and see how much you’ve learned. How much farther do you think you’ll need to go? Would spending another hour make a marked difference--or would it just be frustrating?

One reason to start on your own is that no matter what, you’ll be ahead of the curve: at least you know how to open a PowerPoint document. You may also discover that the basics are easy for you to master--in which case you might be able to skip the intro videos or a level one course and go straight to more advanced material. This can save you time, money, or both. On the other hand, if you find PowerPoint to be unintuitive and frustrating, you’ll want to take a different path: rather than continuing on your own, look for PowerPoint resources right away and get the help you need.

On a very basic level, PowerPoint is a slide editing software. The most important features to master for building effective slide decks will include incorporating text with graphics, charts, illustrations, tables, layered objects, and SmartArt; experimenting with font, color, and lines, whether with PowerPoint templates or on your own; and adding transitions as well as running the slideshows themselves. More advanced skills include designing and working with custom PowerPoint themes, incorporating animation and video, integrating Excel files, collaborating with teammates, and managing larger presentations.

If you’re teaching yourself, whether by experimenting with PowerPoint documents or watching online tutorials, you can expect the process to be time-consuming. For one thing, you’ll need to carve out time to focus on your own training, and it can be challenging to commit when there’s no deadline or outside accountability. For another, it’s very easy to miss out on some of the more important, if basic, features of PowerPoint that will make life easier in the long run. It’s tricky to move on to advanced features of the program if you don’t have the basics down.

On the other hand, an introductory course or bootcamp can make the process go much faster--and give you the boost to keep pushing yourself to learn more.

How Can I Learn PowerPoint More Quickly?

It may sound counterintuitive to choose a low-tech method of learning a tech-based skill, but it can be a way of addressing your unique learning style. If it feels challenging to open up a PowerPoint program and begin to play around, that could be because a computer program is not your preferred modality. There are plenty of books on the market that teach the basics of PowerPoint, and perhaps your brain will process that information better when reading it off the page. Auditory learners may prefer to hear the book read to them as an audiobook, and you can also find podcast episodes that break down how to build effective presentations using PowerPoint.

For those with inflexible schedules and a high level of motivation, an on-demand class might fit the bill. These moderately-priced classes generally provide a suite of videos and slide decks with step-by-step instruction in presentation creation and design. Students can go at the pace that works for them, and can skip around if there are subjects they already feel comfortable with. The major downside of an on-demand class is the lack of direct, personalized instruction and feedback. Without this level of attention, it can be quite easy for students to fall behind or give up on the course altogether when the going gets tough.

A PowerPoint bootcamp is one of the most effective ways to learn the program quickly and well. Bootcamps are unique in their ability to turn absolute beginners into experts in a short amount of time, because of how fast-paced and highly focused they are. Students gain hands-on experience by working on projects right from the start, and they walk away from class fully prepared to go all the way with PowerPoint. There’s also the savings: course providers often incentivize bootcamps by cutting the costs, so that taking level one and level two individually would ultimately be more expensive than covering exactly the same material in a bootcamp.

Accountability is a factor, too. Between your bootcamp instructor and your classmates, you’ll know that a supportive group is looking forward to your contributions to class and to seeing the projects you create. The high-energy environment of a live online or in-person PowerPoint bootcamp can be a powerful incentive to keep going when the material gets challenging. The class can act as your ultimate audience, cheering on the design choices you make and the way you choose to present your material--all of which can be a great introduction to presenting in a real world setting. Noble Desktop's PowerPoint Bootcamp is accessible for complete beginners but will help you get to an advanced skill level in a few days time, setting you up for long-term success in designing effective presentations.

What PowerPoint Skills Will I Need to Learn After 3 Months?

Whether you opt for free resources, on-demand classes, or beginner-friendly bootcamps, you’ll need to keep practicing your skills in order to become truly adept with PowerPoint. You’ll want to have an understanding of the technical aspects of PowerPoint such as transitions, features, and add-ins, as well as competency with design elements like typography, color, graphics, illustrations, and animation. Individual classes may focus more on one than the other, or may gloss over design in attempting to teach the nitty-gritty of the tech aspects of PowerPoint in a limited amount of time. Learning both can lead to better integration.

For learners who want to gain expert-level PowerPoint skills, an advanced class will be the way to go. Many advanced courses can be completed in a day, but unlike introductory classes, students will need to have mastered the prerequisites--whether in an introductory class or through self-study--before enrolling. The class will generally cover such topics as custom themes, incorporating animation and video, and integrating charts and tables from Microsoft Excel. Taking an introductory course first and then 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, many students prefer the fast-paced and immersive environment of a bootcamp, which will go from beginner to advanced skills in rapid succession.

PowerPoint Level II through Noble Desktop is a good option if you have a background in PowerPoint, whether you’ve taken a level one class or taught yourself. The class runs for six hours and can be taken on a workday or weekend day, which means that differing work and personal schedules are accommodated. Level II covers advanced topics like headers and footers, theme fonts and colors, using the slide master, styling text and lists, integrating charts and tables, and incorporating animation and video.

Once you have mastered advanced PowerPoint skills, you’ll find you’re able to use it in all kinds of contexts, for everything from designing client-facing projects to sharing info with your team to helping your seventh grader with a science project. Sure, it may take some time to become an expert--but get started now and see how much you master in three months. You may be pleasantly surprised by how much progress you can make.