Creating Team Presentations: Collaboration Workflows

Most presentations involve multiple contributors. This tutorial shows you how to collaborate smoothly, avoid conflicts, and create better work together.

Time: 3 minutes
Level: Intermediate
Prerequisites: You've created and shared presentations

Understanding Collaboration Permissions

Control who can view, edit, or comment on your work.

Permission levels:

Viewer: Can see the presentation and present it. Cannot make changes or comments.

Commenter: Can view and add comments or suggestions. Cannot edit directly.

Editor: Full access to edit content, change themes, add slides, and modify settings.

To set permissions:

1. Open your presentation
2. Click Share in the top toolbar
3. Enter team member email addresses
4. Select their permission level from the dropdown
5. Click Send Invite

Tip: Start with Commenter access for feedback rounds, upgrade to Editor when ready for collaborative editing.

Result: You control access while enabling collaboration.

Setting Up Team Workspaces

Organize presentations by project or team.

Create folders:

1. Go to your dashboard
2. Click New Folder
3. Name it by project, client, or team
4. Move presentations into folders by dragging

Share entire folders:

1. Right-click any folder
2. Select Share Folder
3. Add team members with permissions
4. All presentations in the folder inherit permissions

Best practices:

• One folder per major project or client
• Consistent naming: "Client Name - Project Type - Date"
• Archive completed projects to separate folders
• Use folder colors to distinguish categories

Result: Teams find presentations quickly without hunting through lists.

Collaborative Editing Workflow

Multiple editors can work simultaneously without conflicts.

Real-time collaboration:

• Multiple people can edit at once
• Changes appear immediately for all users
• Each person's cursor shows their name
• Auto-save prevents lost work

Best practices:

• Assign slides: "You work on slides 1-5, I'll do 6-10"
• Edit in rounds: First person creates structure, second refines content
• Communicate: Use comments or chat to coordinate work
• Designate final reviewer: One person ensures consistency before presenting

Avoiding conflicts:

• Don't edit the same slide simultaneously
• Agree on theme and style guidelines upfront
• Use comments for questions rather than making assumptions
• Create duplicate versions for major revisions

Result: Smooth collaboration without overwriting each other's work.

Using Comments for Feedback

Comments let you suggest changes without editing directly.

To add a comment:

1. Click the slide you want to comment on
2. Click Comment in the toolbar
3. Type your feedback or question
4. Press Enter or click Post
5. The comment appears in the right panel

Types of useful comments:

• Questions: "Should we include the Q3 data here?"
• Suggestions: "Consider using a chart instead of bullets"
• Approvals: "This slide is perfect, approved"
• Tasks: "@John can you add the customer logo?"

Responding to comments:

• Reply directly to continue the thread
• Mark as Resolved when addressed
• Edit the slide based on feedback, then resolve

Tip: Use @mentions to notify specific team members about comments.

Result: Structured feedback that doesn't clutter your presentation.

Version History and Rollback

Outline automatically saves versions—recover previous work anytime.

To view version history:

1. Click File in the top menu
2. Select Version History
3. See timeline of all saved versions
4. Click any version to preview it

To restore a previous version:

1. Find the version you want in history
2. Click Restore This Version
3. Your presentation reverts to that state
4. Current version saves as a new version (nothing is lost)

When to use versions:

• Undo major changes made by accident
• Compare before/after of significant edits
• Recover content that was deleted
• Return to a client-approved version

Tip: Name important versions: "Client Approved Draft" or "Pre-Meeting Version" for easy reference.

Result: Fearless editing knowing you can always undo.

Handoff to Designers or Stakeholders

Transfer presentations smoothly between team members.

Before handoff:

1. Add a comment on the first slide explaining what needs work
2. Use @mentions to notify the next person
3. Set their permission to Editor
4. Include deadline in comment: "Need this by Friday 3pm"

Designer handoff checklist:

• Provide brand guidelines (colors, fonts, logos)
• Specify which slides need design attention
• Share any reference materials or inspiration
• Set expectations on turnaround time

Stakeholder review checklist:

• Set permission to Commenter (not Editor)
• Request feedback by specific date
• Add context: "Focus on messaging accuracy, not design"
• Specify how they should provide feedback (comments preferred)

Result: Clear handoffs prevent miscommunication and delays.

Managing Large Team Projects

Coordinate complex presentations with many contributors.

Designate roles:

• Project lead: Owns final presentation, coordinates team
• Content writers: Create text and messaging
• Designer: Handles visuals, theme, layout consistency
• Subject matter experts: Provide data and technical accuracy
• Final reviewer: Quality check before delivery

Project workflow:

1. Lead creates presentation structure (slide titles only)
2. Writers fill in content for assigned slides
3. SMEs review and correct technical content
4. Designer refines visuals and ensures consistency
5. Reviewer gives final approval

Use comments for status:

• "DRAFT" for work in progress
• "READY FOR REVIEW" when complete
• "APPROVED" after review

Tip: Schedule a live collaboration session where everyone edits simultaneously with voice chat.

Result: Efficient teamwork producing high-quality presentations.

Template and Brand Consistency

Keep team presentations on-brand.

Create team templates:

1. Build a presentation with approved themes, layouts, and blocks
2. Name it "[Company Name] Template"
3. Share with entire team as Viewer (prevents accidental edits)
4. Team duplicates it to start new presentations

Include in templates:

• Brand colors in a custom theme
• Logo and positioning
• Standard slide layouts (title, agenda, thank you)
• Approved fonts and text styles
• Legal or compliance text for footer

Maintaining consistency:

• Limit theme choices to 2-3 approved options
• Provide brand guidelines document
• Designate one person to enforce brand standards
• Review presentations before external sharing

Result: All team presentations look professional and cohesive.

What You've Learned

• Setting collaboration permissions for team members
• Organizing presentations in shared folders
• Collaborating in real-time without conflicts
• Using comments for structured feedback
• Accessing version history and restoring previous versions
• Handing off work cleanly to designers or stakeholders
• Managing large team projects with roles and workflows
• Creating templates for brand consistency

Next Steps

• Improve your content: Build better narratives in Building Sales Presentations That Convert
• Master delivery: Present confidently in Delivering Presentations: Tips for Success
• Share externally: Export and distribute in Exporting and Sharing Your Presentation

Pro tip: Over-communicate during collaboration. A 30-second comment prevents 30 minutes of rework. Use comments liberally and @mention teammates to keep everyone aligned.