Why just get by with a boring presentation when you can create an engaging Microsoft Office PowerPoint presentation or a colorful Microsoft Office Visio diagram? Get ready to impress the big boss or the new team with simple ideas that go a long way. While you work, keep in mind these keys to an engaging and successful presentation:

1. Before you go wild with whistles and bells, make sure your presentation covers all the bases. Focus each slide on one main idea or concept.
2. Make bullet points brief. Remember that you can use notes (which your audience can't see) to talk in greater detail about the information on your slides.
3. Keep numbers and charts simple and easy to read; no one should be squinting to read your slides.

Finally, nothing makes a presentation pop more than confidence. If you can, book the room where you'll be presenting for a half-hour before your presentation. That way you'll have plenty of time to set up and be ready to go when your audience arrives. Rehearse your timing and speak about the material on your slides, adding information rather than just repeating what appears on the slides themselves.