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title: PowerPoint Table of Contents Guide date: 2024-01-01 cover: 1.jpg author: presentationload.com tags:

• Presentation Tips
• PowerPoint
• Table of Contents

You’ve invested a lot of time and hard work into your PowerPoint presentation and want to make a strong impression on your audience. Don’t forget to include a PowerPoint table of contents. It will guarantee your audience will have a clear overview of your presentation right from the start.

We will show you how to easily create different versions of tables of contents in just a few steps.

Why Use a Table of Contents?

A professional PowerPoint presentation should always include a table of contents. It shows your audience what they can expect – right from the start of your presentation. But a table of contents does even more than that. It provides structure and clarity.

A first look at presentation content can also excite an audience about what they’re about to hear. Hyperlinks to specific slides make it easier to refer back to a slide when questions arise.

Effective Table of Contents Structure

To appeal to your audience, your table of contents should be clear, concise, and easy to understand. This helps your listeners grasp the structure of your presentation at a glance.

However, it is essential to recognize that each presentation is structured differently. Therefore, plan the structure of your presentation and outline the main arguments that you want to present in each section. This way, you ensure that your presentation is well organized, coherent, and easy to follow. A well-thought-out structure also helps to ensure that your table of contents is clear and user-friendly.

Each heading presents one main argument or section of your presentation, while the subheadings describe the essential contents of each paragraph. Use concise and meaningful titles that accurately describe the content of each section. This approach makes it easier for your viewers to grasp the different parts of your presentation and helps you convey your key message.

Tip: Formatting and Font Matters

An effective table of contents in PowerPoint shouldn’t just be well organized but also visually appealing and easy to read. Ensure consistent formatting and fonts for a harmonious look, keeping the focus on the content. Use indentation or different font sizes to clearly show the hierarchy of different levels.

This will increase readability and allow viewers to better understand the connections between the various parts of your presentation. If necessary, employ numbered or bulleted characters to emphasize the order of the points.

Select colors and design elements that fit in with the design of your presentation. Avoid unnecessary elements that distract from the contents. Tailor your table of contents to your presentation and target audience by using a formal or informal style. You can also incorporate additional elements such as symbols or icons to emphasize specific topics.

Creating PowerPoint Tables of Contents: Two Options + Extra Tip

Option 1: Automatic Table of Contents

Note: The following step-by-step tutorial is for Office 365 PowerPoint.

1. Open your PowerPoint presentation.
2. Create a slide for your table of contents. Go to the thumbnails pane on the left, click between the slides where you want to insert a new slide, and click on the Home tab, then New Slide.
3. Create a text box on this slide by navigating to Home > Insert > Text Box.
4. Click on View.
5. Select Outline View from the Presentation Views group. Your presentation’s headings and subheadings will appear in the thumbnails pane.
6. Right-click in the thumbnails pane and point to Collapse.

7. Select Collapse All. You will now see only the headings of the individual slides in the thumbnails pane.
8. Mark all headings with your mouse and select Copy or use the shortcut Ctrl + C.
9. Click Normal in Presentation Views.
10. Click the text box on your table of contents slide and use the shortcut Ctrl + V.

11. Alternatively, you can go to the Home tab and click Paste > Paste Special to select either Formatted Text (RTF) or Unformatted Text. Modify its appearance in the Fonts group.

Note: If your slides have a colored background, your table of contents may not be visible. In this case, select the entire table of contents and adjust the colors in the Fonts group of the Home tab.

Option 2: Manual Table of Contents

1. Open your PowerPoint presentation.
2. Add a new slide where you want the table of contents to be (see previous tutorial).
3. Go to the Insert tab and select Text Box, then insert a new text box on your table of contents slide.
4. List the desired headings in the text box and format your table of contents using the Fonts group in the Home tab.

Extra Tip: Add Visual Interest with SmartArt

Creating a PowerPoint table of contents is straightforward, but you can enhance its visual appeal using SmartArt. Here’s how to give yours more impact:

1. Open your PowerPoint presentation and insert the table of contents as described above.
2. Click on the text field containing your table of contents and select all text by pressing Ctrl + A.
3. In the Home tab, go to the Paragraph group and select Convert to SmartArt.
4. Choose from the various SmartArt designs presented. Hover over each option to preview how your table of contents will look. If you can’t find a suitable design, click More SmartArt graphics… for additional options.
5. Click on your chosen graphic, and your PowerPoint table of contents will adopt the new design.

6. In the SmartArt Design tab, you can make further edits, including adjusting SmartArt Styles, various Layouts, and the option to Change Colors. PowerPoint will suggest various color designs for your table of contents.
7. In the SmartArt Styles menu, explore 3D effects and other exciting design options for your text boxes and SmartArt components. Once you select an effect, click to apply it to your table of contents.

Creating Hyperlinks

One added benefit of using a PowerPoint table of contents is the ability to add hyperlinks to individual slides, allowing quicker access to content and more immediate responses to audience questions.

1. Open your Microsoft Office PowerPoint presentation and insert the table of contents as described above.
2. In the table of contents, select the heading you want to link to a specific slide.
3. Click the Insert tab and select Link.
4. Choose Insert Link… from the drop-down menu.
5. This will open the Insert Hyperlink dialog. Under Link to, select Place in This Document.
6. You’ll see a list of all slide titles in your presentation. Click on the slide title you want to link to and confirm with Ok. The heading will now have a hyperlink to the corresponding slide.
7. Repeat this process for all headings in your table of contents.

For Advanced Users: Interactive Table of Contents

The Zoom function allows you to create an interactive table of contents, letting you jump to and from any slide or section in your presentation. There are three different zoom techniques:

Summary Zoom

Summary zoom provides an overview of your entire presentation on one slide, allowing for flexible navigation throughout your presentation. The slides you include will become the first slides of your summary zoom sections.

Section Zoom

With section zoom, you can create a link to the first slide of your presentation sections. The interactive table of contents will be inserted on the current slide.

Slide Zoom

Slide zoom creates links to specific slides in the presentation, but does not automatically create an interactive table of contents.

How to Use Zoom Functions

Summary Zoom

1. Go to the thumbnails pane and click on a slide. Your summary zoom slide will be created above the selected slide.
2. Go to Insert > Zoom and select Summary Zoom.

3. Select the slides you want to include in your summary zoom.

4. Click Insert. Your summary zoom will now appear as a new slide above the previously selected slide.

Section Zoom

Before using section zoom, you’ll need to divide your presentation into sections.

1. Create a new slide to insert the zoom objects for the interactive table of contents.
2. Select this slide and go to Insert > Zoom > Section Zoom. A window will open for your selection.

3. Select the sections of your presentation for the table of contents and click Insert.

Slide Zoom

1. Select the slide where you want slide zooms to appear.
2. Go to Insert > Zoom > Slide Zoom.
3. This opens the Slide Zoom dialog. Select the slides you want to use in your slide zoom.
4. Click Insert to add your slide zooms to the selected slide.

Using Zoom Links

Click on a zoom link thumbnail to open the Zoom tab, which provides standard formatting options similar to those available for images. The Zoom Options group on the left lets you control your zoom. If Return to Zoom is checked, your zoom will revert to the slide with the original zoom link once you’ve navigated to the end of a slide or section.

Each thumbnail displays a small box with a number, indicating which slide (or slide sequence in a section zoom) the link leads to. The back arrow inside the box signifies that Return to Zoom is enabled.

Conclusion: Streamlined Overview of Your Presentation

A table of contents is an essential component of any presentation, and PowerPoint simplifies creating a clean and professional agenda. By following our tutorials, you can easily customize your PowerPoint table of contents. SmartArt offers additional options for customization, capturing your audience’s attention right from the start.

Eliminate time-consuming scrolling by employing one of the zoom options—just one click can take you anywhere in your presentation. Give it a try!