There is indeed a particular set of qualities that go into making a track that matches the documentary presentation. Most of the time, it is an upbeat mix from the 80s or some energetic classical tune. Background music with loud drums and song lyrics will just turn the presentation into a bad TV commercial.
A neat trick would be to confine the sound effects to when the slide changes. This can only work if you know that you would be consistently loud and talking throughout the presentation or that you cannot find the right mp3 wav file that will go nicely with the topic of your presentation. Plus, the background music could serve as a cue for the audience that you have moved to another sub topic.
Do not make the mistake of getting a popular song that is favored by majority of people; take your time to browse through good background tracks in order to download the mix that just fits right with your visual presentation.