The overhead projector is still in use in business today and is a low tech way of creating a presentation when few slides are needed. The plastic flimsy slide is created in a printer or copier and placed on the overhead projector.

The overhead slide is the same size as copy paper and can be printed on the same as paper. Slides are available for ink jet printers and laser printers. The slides are placed on an overhead projector and the image is projected onto a screen.

Business presentation software like Powerpoint from Microsoft is used in most businesses today. It does not require external slides to be printed, but rather projects directly from a computer. The presentation can be shown on a computer screen for smaller audiences, or the computer can be connected to a projector which projects the presentation onto a large screen.

To create a presentation, slides are completed in the software program. An editor allows text and graphics to be added to slides. The software then enables the user to create slide show presentations much more visually appealing and much more interesting than the old projectors. The slides can be easily printed to paper for use as handouts for the audience members.

The program is easy to use for basic presentations. However, this is a powerful program and most people only scratch the surface of the presentation capabilities. Many fantastic presentations can be created using charts, graphics and animations.

The best way to learn how to use Powerpoint is to watch someone create a slideshow. The next best way is to open Powerpoint and just start exploring. Look at a slideshow that's already made and see how it was done. Save it under a new name and play around with it, change the wording, try some things. Before long, you'll have enough basics to make a simple slideshow.