How to Integrate Video into your PowerPoint Presentation

Have you ever had to sit through a PowerPoint presentation that was made up of only text?

We have!

It can seem a bit bland, leaving your audience’s mind to wander onto something else as yet another slide of text appears in front of them.

Thankfully, there are ways of sprucing up your next presentation to ensure that doesn’t happen, with video being the perfect tool. Integrating video and PowerPoint has many benefits and is very simple to do as a way of keeping your audience engaged...

Advantages of Including Video in PowerPoint

Above all, the biggest advantage to having video as part of your PowerPoint presentation is that it makes it stands out. Instead of slide after slide of text, break it up with a video and really make an impact with your audience.

            "With attention spans dropping after about 20 minutes, a video can really help capture it back."

One major benefit of adding your own video, rather than including one from the internet, is that it forms part of the presentation itself - in one single file. This eliminates the need to rely on good internet access, something not every meeting or event venue may have.

Including your own video also gives you greater control and can make for a more seamless transition between slides.

How to Insert Video into Slides

It is easy to add video to a PowerPoint presentation. To add a video from your hard drive, simply go to the slide you wish to embed your video into, go to Insert, then Video, and choose 'Video on my PC'. The video can be formatted to start automatically or when clicked, timings can be adjusted and even captions can be added.

You may well wish to embed a video from the internet, for example from your YouTube channel, and with PowerPoint, this is also possible. Choose 'Online Video' from the Video menu. You then have the option of browsing to a video directly from YouTube or to add an online video embed code.

With both options, you can change the shape and colour of the video preview or add a border.

Best Practices for Integrating Video into PowerPoint

We already know that integrating video and PowerPoint is a good thing, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this blog, however here are our three top tips for how to make the most it:

1. Ensure your video is of high-quality – People are more likely to take action after watching a video compared to seeing a picture or just reading text, so a high-quality video is an absolute must for a good impression. It should have excellent picture, sound and content.

"Consider leaving it to the experts for a professionally-made video appropriate for your presentation." 

2. Make it relevant – The video within your PowerPoint presentation should be relevant to the entire message. Because it is often the aspect people remember the most, you need to ensure it reflects the message you want them to leave with.
3. Keep it brief – Use video to bring something interesting to your presentation, but don’t keep it so long that you lose the audience’s interests again. It is suggested to keep videos at 30-60 seconds at a time. Anything more than that can risk losing the audience’s attention. Use video as part of product demonstrations/tutorials, testimonials or shorter, relevant clips of longer videos.

Make a Good Impression with Help From SGA

For an easy way to keep your audience’s interest and ensure your PowerPoint presentation is memorable for all the right reasons, have a go at integrating video into PowerPoint for your next presentation.

And to really 'WOW' your audience with high-quality video, get in touch with us today. We can help you create full presentations to include video, as well as other eye-catching, interactive elements such as animation and integrated apps.

Call us on 01787 378422 or contact us here to discuss how we can work together to deliver a memorable presentation that truly packs a punch!