Although PowerPoint remains one of the most straightforward and reliable tools for creating presentations, in 2022 it’s just as easy to create one that will have your team ready for an afternoon nap, as it is to create one that will have them fully engaged.
Enter, video. Having a YouTube video embedded in your PowerPoint slides helps you transfer knowledge in a shorter time and simplify complicated concepts.
Why Use Video?
According to WordStream, viewers can grasp 95% of content when they watch a video. Comparing this to the 10% retention rate when people read texts, you can understand why embedding videos in a presentation can make it more engaging and effective.
Despite video’s great potential over the other types of content, Ethos3 reports that no more than 4% of presenters are embedding videos in their PowerPoint presentations.
So how do you add video content in a PowerPoint presentation?
4 Effective Ways to Embed a YouTube Video in PowerPoint
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Inserting an Online YouTube Video
While this technique of adding a YouTube video in a presentation is relatively straightforward, you can only use it on PowerPoint Version 2010 and above. It involves the following steps:
- Visit YouTube on your computer, find the video you want to add, and copy its link from the address bar.
- Open PowerPoint and head directly to the slide in which you’d like the video to appear. Navigate to the “Insert” icon, click “Video,” and then “Online Video” in the drop-down menu.
- Paste the YouTube Video URL in the open dialogue box.
- Press enter and select the thumbnail of the video that appears.
Alternatively,
- You can type the name of the video in the Online Video dialogue box and click the magnifying glass or enter to search the video online.
- Click on the thumbnail displayed and press insert.
- Like with any other slide object, users get the option to adjust the size of the video.
While this method is swift and straightforward, it requires a strong internet connection and doesn’t allow playback customization.
2. Inserting a YouTube Video Using an Embed Code
For tech-savvy presenters, there’s a more advanced method that utilizes the YouTube API parameters. It involves the following steps:
- Visit YouTube on your PC and open the video you want to insert in your presentation. Click the share button, and then hit the “Embed” icon to generate an HTML code string.
- Copy the Embed code (HTML string) and save it somewhere.
- Switch to PowerPoint and navigate to the slide where you’d like the video to appear. Look for the “Insert” icon and click “Video,” then “Online Video” in the drop-down menu.
- In the “From a Video Embedded Code” dialog box, enter the embed code you copied from YouTube.
- Click Insert or Press the Enter Button to complete the process.
The benefit of this method is that you can add other parameters into the code to control video playback and its appearance. However, the entire process needs a solid internet connection, and the method is more indulging than inserting a link.
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4. Linking a YouTube Video to a PowerPoint Presentation
This method involves putting a direct link for the video to play on YouTube instead of PowerPoint as you make a presentation. These are the steps to follow:
- The first thing is to find a picture or a screenshot of the video and use it as a preview.
- Open PowerPoint and navigate to the Insert tab. Click the “Pictures” option and search for the picture or screenshot you want to use as a preview from your PC.
- Right-click inside the image, tap the arrow next to the “Link” option and hit “Insert Link” from the side menu.
- Now switch back to YouTube and copy the video’s URL.
- Paste the link inside the address box that appears once you hit “Insert Hyperlink” and click OK.
- Now, your image is linked to the YouTube video, and once your presentation reaches this slide, your browser will take you straight to YouTube.com, and the video will start playing.
While the method allows you to control what image appears in your video preview, the process requires a stable internet connection, failure to which your presentation can be interrupted.
5. Inserting a YouTube video in PowerPoint for Offline Playback
The method doesn’t need any internet connection when you’re making the presentation. Here are the steps to follow:
The first step is to download the video you want to embed from YouTube.
Once you have it on your PC, open PowerPoint and navigate to the “Insert” tab at the top of the slide where you want the video to display, click the “Video” icon and then select “Video on my PC.”
Scroll to where you have saved the video and then select it. Hit the “Insert” button or enter to insert the video. You can now adjust the video’s position, size, and transitions.
One advantage of this method is that it doesn’t require an internet connection when you’re making the presentation. However, it lacks options for playback configuration, and the video downloading part may involve extra steps.
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