Using Diagrams in Google Slides

When you’re presenting information, sometimes it can be helpful to lose the bullet points and use a diagram instead. Using Diagrams in your Google Slides can be a great way to avoid the overwhelm and misunderstandings. And, let’s face it, they can provide some relief from the barrage of bullet points!

Google Slides come with a variety of diagrams including Grids, Hierarchy, Process diagrams, Timelines and more.

Inserting a Diagram in Google Slides

 To use diagrams in your Google Slides presentation, just follow the steps:

1. Ensure a slide is open and select Insert > Diagram.
2. From the drop down list, choose a diagram type, or click View all to see all available diagram types.
3. In the diagram sidebar on the right, click on a diagram type.

The sidebar updates to display variants for the selected diagram type.

4. After choosing a variant, select the number of levels and a diagram colour from the top of the sidebar.

In the example below, I’ve chosen a Hierarchy diagram with 3 levels.

5. Now you can begin filling in the diagram by clicking into each box and typing the content.

Moving a Diagram

To move a diagram, you first need to select it. This is done by clicking a blank area near the diagram, the clicking and dragging a box around the elements in the diagram. Be sure to get everything in the diagram, otherwise it won’t be moved.

Once the content is selected, simply drag any of the elements around to move the entire diagram.

Rearranging your Diagram

If you need to adjust the positions of elements in the diagram, you can click and drag the item to be moved. In my example, if I want to move the Sydney Production Manager, I just select it and drag to a new location. The connection will move, but it stays connected to the Sydney shape.

If I want to adjust the connection, I can click to select it, then use the small yellow diamond shape in the centre of the connector to make adjustments.

Pro Tip: It’s best to choose the right number of levels for your diagram up front, then stick with it. If you try to change the number of levels afterwards, you’ll find that a new diagram will now be sitting over the top of your existing diagram, making things a bit messy!