This section explains how to create, design, and edit your MTD Presentation. If you are just getting started with Reliant and are looking for training material on the MTD presentation go to your appropriate program training module (Module 4.3) for more details on the content.
Digital Presentation vs. Printed Presentation
There are two ways to present your MTD presentation. These are:
- Digital Presentation Album: this involves sitting down with a donor with either a laptop, pad device, or even your phone, and walking them through the presentation using Google Slides.
- Printed Presentation Album: this involves sitting down with a donor and presenting through a printed, hard cover version of your presentation. This printed album is created using Google Slides as well, but with a few key differences to the slide template. If you have already created your Google Slides you can go MTD Printed Presentation to prepare for printing.
Getting Started with Google Slides
About Google Slides
Slides is a presentation "slide deck" program from Google.
- Presentations are easy to edit, add text or photos, and rearrange. You can even add notes to remind you want you wanted to say on each slide.
- Slides provided for Reliant via the Google for Nonprofits program. It's the same as the publicly available version, but data and your account is secured with the Reliant Technology Services department.
- Your files are stored "in the cloud" and are accessible via Google Slides or Google Drive when you are signed in with your Reliant address. They are not publicly available unless you share them publicly.
- Slides works in a web browser or mobile app, so it can be used on almost all modern computers and devices. Google Chrome is recommended.
- Slides can be exported to create a beautiful hardcover bound photo book.
Slides Can Be Displayed Any Way You Want
Sign-In to Google Using Your Reliant Google Account
Visit your Reliant Google Drive, which will show your Google Slides, Google Docs (documents) and Google Sheets (spreadsheets)
Sign in using your Reliant Google Account.
How to I get a Reliant Google Account?
Your Reliant Google Account is assigned, and most missionaries already have an account. They are typically first.last@reliant.org. Ask for help if you don't know yours.
Get Starter Template
You'll need to copy the Starter Template for yourself.
Template Files Appear in Preview Mode.
- If there are other Reliant missionaries at your church or ministry, you may have a specific starter template found in the Church Templates Folder. This template would be specific to your location and is pre-loaded with images and information about your ministry location.
- If not, click a generic starter template that most closely fits your role
- Open the presentation that most resembles your ministry.
- Reach out if you have questions as to which is the best template
- You'll need to Make a Copy to begin editing your own copy. (You can view but not edit these)
- Rename your copy something to distinguish from others (e.g. "MyName MTD Presentation Album")
Did you get a "You Need Permission" error?
- This is mostly likely when you are already signed in with a personal gmail account.
- You need to login with your @reliant.org account to access this file.
- You may switch accounts to log in with your other account.
- Request Access will not give you access to the file. It will send us an email request, and we will reply saying you need to switch to your Reliant account!
Sample presentation album
Take a look at this sample presentation album for printing for a better idea of what your presentation will look like. Notice there are filler pages included that may not be needed for a digital presentation.
Basics of Editing
You can watch this 25 minutes instructional tutorial video of how to edit your presentation.
Watch Editing Your MTD Presentation
Some quick initial edits before you get started
Some slides are set up with fully editable parts, so text and images can be modified or completely removed. Other slides, such as the About Reliant slide, is a fixed image and is not editable.
There are a couple slides that have things that are easily forgotten... Go ahead and make these changes...
- Slide 3: LOCATION has # of people. Replace LOCATION with your actual location and # of people.
- Slide 5: For WHO WE ARE REACHING. Replace WHO WE ARE REACHING with who you are actually reaching.
- Slide 7: The only hope for PEOPLE/PLACE. Replace PEOPLE/PLACE with the people you are reaching in your location.
- Slide 19- Here's How You Can Help Slide: LEFT SIDE: Our work with people. Replace people with who you're working with.
- Slide 19- Here's How You Can Help Slide: RIGHT SIDE: Missionary Name and Fund #. Replace with your info.
- Slide 25- How to Give: Reliant.org/first.last Replace with your URL.
Editing the Provided Templates
The Reliant MTD Presentation Starter Template has all the slides you'll need to begin.
Let The Template Guide You
The template slides are already arranged in a specific order. Because the "presentation flow" is so important, we recommend not deleting or rearranging many slides until you have practiced a presentation several times through. This will you save you time and energy later. As you grow to learn your presentation, MTD Coaches will point out the perfect places to customize or rearrange to fit your story.
How to add your own photo
To begin you will need to search for photos to customize your presentation.
Check your photo quality
Low resolutions images will appear grainy or pixelated when printed. Check to see that you are using the highest quality image available.
It's important that you have high-quality digital photos.
When selecting photos for your MTD Presentation Album, it's best to try to get the best resolution possible...
So you have a photo you like, but how do you know it's an OK size for print? Here are a couple tips for finding out photo size and resolution:
Eye Test!
First, try this... Look at the photo, does it look grainy or blurry? If yes, you may want to consider choosing a larger photo.
If it passess the eye test, click below for additional tips to see if this will be a good photo for your presentation album
Mac Help
- Save the photo to your desktop
- Right click photo and click "Get Info"
- Look for "Dimensions" under "More Info"
- Anything above 2000 pixels is probably a safe bet, but remember, if it's blurry on your screen, it could look even more blurry (not less!) on paper.
- Email communications@reliant.org if you have specific questions or concerns
PC Help
- Save the photo to your desktop
- Right click photo and click "Properties"
- Under "Image" you'll find Dimensions and Resolution
- Anything above 2000 pixels is probably a safe bet, but remember, if it's blurry on your screen, it could look even more blurry (not less!) on paper.
- 300 dpi (under horizontal and vertical resolution) is best... HINT: Facebook photos are only 72 dpi, which means the resolution is MUCH lower than ideal.
- Email communications@reliant.org if you have specific questions or concerns
You’ll want to find 15-20 high-quality photos that include:
A picture for the cover of your presentation album. This is usually a general picture that represents your location (a famous spot on campus, in your city, etc.)
A picture of you (and your family)
Pictures that illustrate the ministry (people you minister with, physical locations you minister at, etc.)
Pictures of people (individuals and groups) you’ve ministered to that help illustrate the needs of your ministry location
Other pictures that help illustrate the needs of your ministry location, including photos of your ministry location (photos of a college campus, for example). You can potentially find specific photos used by others in your same ministry location in the Reliant google templates specific church ministry templates.
Adding your own photos
Replace Image
Use Replace image when the photos already on the slide are already arranged as you would like. This is the easiest way to stick with a layout we might have provided in a template.
Delete Default Images and Insert Your Own
- Click any image and use the delete key.
- Insert a new Image using Insert > Image.
- You will need to arrange and resize the new photo to fit on the slide.
Customize the photo in the grey shaded pages provided by Reliant
You can add your own photo to pages that have a shaded grey layer over a picture (for example the back cover of the photo album or many of the filler pages.) You can customize the picture by right clicking on the picture (make sure not to click on the words on those slides, but you want to right click on the photo itself) and then select change background. It will then ask you to upload your own photo and it will change the photo but still keep the shaded grey covering over the photo (and also keep any words written on the slide).
Cropping and Resizing Your Photo to Fit
To make a photo fit your space, you can either resize the the photo, or crop it. Sometime you'll need to do a little of both.
Resizing a Photo
Resizing a photo stretches or shrinks the photo.
Click the photo once to select.
Use the corner handles to re-size the photo. Grab, hold, and drag.
Never use the side handles to re-size a photo. It will s t r e t c h the photo and distort faces or text.
(if you feel the need to stretch the photo, you probably need to crop instead: see below).
Cropping a Photo
Cropping cuts off the edges of the photo like scissors.
Provided Layouts & Additional Slides
If you would like to add more filler pages, or look at different options for formatting, we have provided many pre-designed layouts for the book. Some are already displayed in the Starter Template, while others are hidden but available to you via the built in Layouts. You can find the additional slides by selecting the drop down arrow beside of the plus sign which is located under FILE. To add a hidden slide click on the slide you want to add.
Designing Your Own
You are welcome to design your own individual pages or entire book. Guidelines:
- Designing your own book can be a significant undertaking. We recommend graphic design training. Also count the cost of how much time it may take you versus using that time in active MTD.
- The order of the presentation flow is important and new designs should try to maintain the same order (Need, Gospel, Answer to Need, My Vision, Ask, etc)
- The Reliant logo and mission statement must appear prominently at the About Reliant page.
- The Here's How You Can Help page may not be changed in language or significantly in design. Use the provided page or image. If you need to adapt the page to a different form factor (page size, etc), contact Reliant to ask for raw design files. Redesigns must be approved by Reliant Communications before being used with donors.
Presenting Your Google Slides Using a Tablet or Laptop
Using a laptop or computer
- Because your presentation is online, you can present on any computer that can bring up a web browser (Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, Etc.) No additional software is needed.
- The Present button will start your full screen presentation.
- Or use the connected drop down menu for additional options. (For instance, Present on another screen... can be used with a Google Chromecast dongle to throw your presentation to a living room TV).
Using a tablet or smartphone
The tablet can be perfect to share your presentation, because it easy to use, can be shared casually in a living room or coffee shop but looks professional enough to use an office setting.
Download and install Google Slides.
You might also optionally install companion apps such as Google Drive (browse files), Google Docs (word processor), or Google Sheets (spreadsheets).
- Sign-in using your Reliant account to access your files.
- Choose your MTD presentation file and present.
- Swiping left to right will move between photos / slides.
Offline Access
Use the Keep on Device option to make your presentation available even when your device isn't connected.
More from Google Help: View and Create a presentation on iPad and iPhone
