6 Must-Have Layout Slides For Your Business PowerPoint Templates

Ever had a PowerPoint deck that took a lifetime just to open? Or become laggy or slow to respond when you tried making changes to your presentation?

As a PowerPoint Designer, I’ve experienced that a thousand times. One of the main reasons for this is the file size being too large. And one of the primary reason behind large file sizes is the multiple and duplicate slide masters; this is particularly the case if you use images when you design the slide master.

I’ve seen a lot of our customers’ decks that have 10 – 15 master templates just for one presentation. Sometimes they are just not sure of the right template to use and end up picking a slide from every other template the company uses. Or it was that the template that they are currently using doesn't have the layout they had in mind. So...the way out as they saw was to get it from another template. The result? Multiple templates lend a hand to get that perfect presentation.

Solution to the problem?

You can have just the most used layouts for your presentation in one template and delete the rest. This will reduce the file size tremendously and more importantly keep your template up to date and in shape.

A business powerpoint template should have layouts that fit your requirements and help you be more efficient and productive with your PowerPoint presentation. It is also one of the solutions in maintaining your template and keeps it updated all the time. There is no perfect template, but your requirements dictate what is perfect for you!

A guide to Creating Corporate PowerPoint Template.

Below are some of the most basic layouts that your Business PowerPoint template should have. But like I said your requirements will decide the layout that best fits your presentation.

1. The Title/Cover Slide/Layout – The Cover or the Title Slide is the face of a company or it's a presentation, representing your brand and theme of the presentation. Suppose you have a board meeting and your presentation is about business development or the annual financial report and the Cover slide you choose to have a cover page image of people holidaying on a beach, will that make sense?It is advisable always to choose your cover image in the perspective of your business or if you were to create a title slide, make sure it goes well with the content of the whole presentation. Below is an excellent example of a cover slide for an education-themed template.
   
2. Section Divider Slide/Layout – Section Divider Slide as the name goes is one slide which is inserted between sections of a presentation. In a deck, if you have different topics or sections you need to cover, remember to always separate those with this slide. It avoids confusion with your audience. They know when having you covered one topic and when you start a new one.
   
   The design of this slide can be somewhat similar to the title slide but more subtle and a little lesser "design-ey" or go for fewer elements than the title slide.
3. Agenda Slide/Layout – Another must have for most presentation decks. Usually, you have this slide just after the title slide. It gives you a quick overview of the agenda for the meeting or event. It has the items listed and sometimes even the timing for the whole meeting. It tells you what’s in store.
   
4. Text layout or Title and Content layout – This is a text-heavy layout where you want to present your important ideas as bullet points. It just needs a title placeholder and a content placeholder
   
5. Title and image layout - This layout allows you to add an image that supports your content. Below is a sample. So, if you want to add an image you just need to click on the icon and choose from your folder what image you want to use.
   
6. Title Only Slide/Layout – Title layout is a layout which allows you to add different shapes and elements to a slide whatever and however you may want it to. In this layout, you just have to add a title placeholder and give enough room for all your elements to breathe. This is a must-have to save you from situations that call for slides with a layout that doesn't fit the template. So, with this one, you have the freedom to choose your slide's look and still stick to the template.
   

When your next presentation is just around the corner and you are rushing at the last moment to get things done, there are a few other layouts that can be life-savers:

• Team Slide – A layout where you can show your team members which have their images and a short description for each one of them.
• Graphs or Charts Slide - A layout which has placeholders for graphs and charts making the work easier for anyone using the template, in just a click you get a chart or graph of your preference.
• Summary layout - A Summary layout as the name goes summarizes the whole presentation in one slide. It helps your audience recalling what have you talked before and throughout the presentation

With the above layouts in a PowerPoint template, you cannot go wrong. You will have a more systematized and organized template ready for use. Read the below blogs that explain more about what makes a perfect template.

Easy and Effortless Ways of Maintaining Your Corporate PowerPoint template

4 Ways to Deliver Branding Using a Corporate PowerPoint Template

And another thing if you are struggling on looking for a way to visualize a process or your plans, go ahead and download the below ready-made template.