PowerPoint is an excellent tool for providing visual support to your presentations and speeches. The software is fun to play around with and easy to use once you get the hang of it.
Poke around through the links on these pages to get a feel for PowerPoint 2013; then, take a look at the PowerPointers tab for information about visual communication recommendations and techniques. Even if you're using an older version of PowerPoint, the suggestions for creating good presentations remain the same. And, the general steps and locations of buttons in the software will be similar in PowerPoint 2007 and PowerPoint 2010.
When you're ready, try to create your own presentation using the guidelines provided.
