powerpoint presentation practice set

How-To Geek

How to practice your presentations with powerpoint's presenter coach.

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Quick Links

How the presenter coach helps you with your presentations, what you'll need, how to launch the presenter coach in powerpoint, reading your rehearsal report.

Microsoft PowerPoint now has a Presenter Coach to let you rehearse your presentations before going to the audience. This coach gives you a detailed report telling you how well you did and suggesting areas for improvement. Here's how to use it.

Consider the Presenter Coach in PowerPoint as a trusted friend who listens to you practice performing  your presentations . This coach reviews your entire presentation and creates a report detailing your performance.

For example, it will grade you on how fast you speak and how much you use filler words like "um" and "ah." It will also inform you of words you might want to avoid and encourage you not to simply read the words on your slides aloud.

Basically, if you need a second opinion on your presenting style, this is a great way to get it.

Related: 8 Tips to Make the Best PowerPoint Presentations

To use the Presenter Coach in PowerPoint, you must have:

• a Microsoft account or a Microsoft 365 work or school account
• a working internet connection
• a microphone (so that PowerPoint can listen to what you're saying)

Also, the Presenter Coach only works if you use the English language in PowerPoint. Other languages are not yet supported as of April 2021.

PowerPoint's Presenter Coach works for any presentation. You can use it with your commercial, educational, and even family presentations.

To start using this feature, open your presentation with PowerPoint.

In the PowerPoint window, click the "Slide Show" tab on the ribbon at the top of the window.

If you don't see the Slide Show tab, you're probably in Slide Master View. Close this view by selecting "Slide Master" at the top and then clicking "Close Master View."

In the Slide Show tab, click "Rehearse with Coach" to open PowerPoint's Presenter Coach.

Your presentation will open in fullscreen mode. To activate the Presenter Coach, click "Start Rehearsing" in the bottom-right corner of your window. Optionally, enable "Show real-time feedback" if you want the coach to give you tips while you're still presenting.

Now, begin your presentation like you normally would. If you enabled the real-time feedback option, you'll see some tips appear in the bottom-right corner of your window.

Press "Esc" when you're done presenting to exit fullscreen mode. PowerPoint will now open your rehearsal report.

It's important to read and analyze the Presenter Coach's report properly. This will help you find areas for improvement and see whether you're doing well.

The report will vanish as soon as you close the report window. To save the report, take a screenshot of it.

Here's what each section in the report tells you about your presentation:

• Summary : Summary tells you the amount of time you spent practicing your presentation. It also shows the number of slides you rehearsed.
• Fillers : In the Fillers section, you'll see the filler words (umm, ah) that you used during your presentation. Using these filler words makes you sound less confident, and you should try to avoid using them.
• Sensitive Phrases : Sensitive Phrases highlights culturally sensitive phrases that you used in your presentation, which you might want to avoid. It considers the following areas sensitive: disability, age, gender, race, sexual orientation, mental health, geopolitical topics, and profanity.
• Pace : The Pace section tells you the pace of your presentation. If you were too fast or too slow, you'll find that information here.
• Originality : Microsoft suggests that you avoid reading out the text written in your presentation slides, as this makes your presentation boring. Instead, you should use original content in your speech. The Originality section informs you if you only read the text from your slides.

Now that you know where you need to improve, click the "Rehearse Again" button at the top of the report to re-present your presentation. When you're done, PowerPoint will make another report detailing your new presentation performance.

Related: How to Add Music to Your PowerPoint Presentation

• Microsoft Office

Microsoft 365 Life Hacks > Presentations > How to practice your presentations

How to practice your presentations

Captivating an audience is an art form. Weaving deliberate pauses, emphatic delivery, and a clear narrative together can wow an audience. But, without proper preparation and practice, any presentation can fall flat. Take the proper measures to prepare and rehearse for your next presentation.

Create an outline

Any succinct presentation should start with an outline. Creating an outline maps out a clear narrative from point A to point B for you and your audience to follow.

Tell your story with captivating presentations

Powerpoint empowers you to develop well-designed content across all your devices

As you begin outlining, consider your audience and topic. This will help to identify the appropriate structure and tone as you rehearse. For example, constructing a presentation on how to save money to children would be different than what you would present to adults. In addition to defining your audience, what do you want them to take away from the presentation? If your intention is to inform an audience, include visual aids like charts, images, and diagrams. If you’re persuading an audience to act, make sure to include and emphasize your call-to-action .

Finally, create the structure by sectioning an introduction, body, and conclusion. You can use a numbered list, bullet points, or a multi-level list with Microsoft Word to develop your outline.

Write key talking points on notecards

Using the outline, tone, and audience, brainstorm key talking points to include on notecards. Practicing with notecards can build confidence and familiarity before you present as you polish the flow of your presentation. After you feel more comfortable, put them to the side. It’s better to present without them so that your speech patterns sound more natural.

If you’re using Microsoft PowerPoint to present, you can include speaker notes to review while you present.

Practice in front of a mirror

See how your audience will perceive you by practicing in front of a mirror. Make sure your body language is confident, avoid folding your arms, and if appropriate, use hand gestures that complement your talking points. Looking in the mirror also can help you build confidence with eye contact, as you look at your reflection. Using this technique can also help you become less reliant on notecards.

Record rehearsal presentations

After you feel comfortable practicing in front of a mirror, take it up a notch by recording yourself. Start recording as you begin your presentation and stop when you finish. If there is time limit for your presentation, note the length of the recording. As you review, pay attention to any filler words, areas you stumble over, pacing, tone, and cadence. If your speech is too long, make any necessary amendments to your talking points or increase your pacing in lengthier sections. It’s better to trim down than speed up so that the audience can clearly understand the focal points of your presentation.

You can upload recordings of your presentation to OneDrive to save space on your phone or computer.

Rehearse with people

The best way to mimic the presentation is doing a mock presentation with a real audience. Gather your friends, family, and colleagues and do a full run-through of your presentation. Practicing in front of an audience will have more pressure than practicing on your own. If you have stage fright, make sure to breathe and smile, even if you are feeling anxious. Before starting your presentation, feel free to include any disclaimers or areas you want your audience to focus on for feedback. Don’t take any critique to heart. Feedback will only help you as you get ready for presentation day.

Visit the location where you’re presenting

Avoid environmental variables by visiting your location ahead of time. Conduct a mock presentation utilizing any presentation material, lighting, microphones, and clickers to make sure everything works. Technical errors can create unnecessary interruptions, affect the flow of your presentation, and be distracting for the audience. So, try practicing at the location beforehand and give yourself a final boost of confidence.

Presenting is a nuanced skill that takes plenty of practice and rehearsals to make your delivery impactful. Learn more ways to improve your presentation skills .

Get started with Microsoft 365

It’s the Office you know, plus the tools to help you work better together, so you can get more done—anytime, anywhere.

Topics in this article

More articles like this one.

4 presentation trends for 2025

Learn which latest presentation trends can make or break your PowerPoint’s message and leave your audience captivated.

How to make your PowerPoint presentations accessible

Check out tips for using PowerPoint accessibility features, so your audience won’t miss any part of your presentation.

How to make your presentations more attractive

Explore tips on how to make your PowerPoint presentation design aesthetically pleasing, no matter the subject.

How to introduce yourself in a presentation

Gain your audience’s attention at the onset of a presentation. Craft an impressionable introduction to establish tone, presentation topic, and more.

Everything you need to achieve more in less time

Get powerful productivity and security apps with Microsoft 365

Explore Other Categories