Speaker Notes in PowerPoint

Speaker notes can be incredibly useful for emphasizing the key points you want to convey during your presentation.

In this tutorial from Slidesgo School, you’ll learn how to enter speaker notes, how to activate the Presenter View, and how to use its various tools effectively.

Adding Speaker Notes

To add speaker notes to your PowerPoint presentation, follow these steps:

• Open your presentation in PowerPoint.
• Look for the text field at the bottom of the screen that says “Click to add notes”. The text you enter here will be visible to you during your presentation but will not be seen by your audience.

• If the text field is not visible, navigate to View → Notes. Alternatively, you can click the Notes button located at the bottom of the screen.

Presenting with Speaker Notes

When presenting with speaker notes, you will need two screens: one for displaying your presentation and another for viewing your notes. Here’s how to set it up:

• Open your presentation in PowerPoint.
• Navigate to the Slide Show tab.

• In the Monitors group, ensure that “Use Presenter View” is checked. If you have two screens connected, this option will be enabled automatically. Your presentation will appear on the secondary screen, while the Presenter View will be shown on the main screen. You can change this setup by selecting a different option from the Monitor drop-down list.

• Click the Slideshow button located at the bottom of the screen to start the presentation. Alternatively, you can select From Beginning in the Slide Show tab or press F5. This will launch your presentation in Presenter View.

Using the Presenter View

While in Presenter View, you have access to various tools that enhance your presentation experience. Here are some key features:

• Current Slide and Next Slide: You can always see the current slide and the upcoming slide to keep track of your presentation flow.
• Slide Number: Use the left arrow to go back to the previous slide or the right arrow to advance to the next slide.

• Pen and Laser Pointer Tools: Activate the pen to annotate slides or use the laser pointer to highlight specific content.

• See All Slides: Clicking this button will display thumbnails of all slides in your presentation.

• Zoom Into Slides: You can zoom in on any section of your slides for better visibility.

• Black or Unblack Slide Show: This option allows you to hide or reveal the current slide during your presentation.

• Toggle Subtitles: If you’re using Office 365 or newer versions, you can enable subtitles for better accessibility.

• Zoom Controls: Under your speaker notes, you’ll find buttons to adjust the text size for easier reading.

• More Slide Show Options: Additional settings include hiding the slide, adjusting subtitle positioning, and disabling speaker notes.

• Main Controls: At the top of the screen, three buttons provide access to the taskbar, allow you to change the main screen, or end the presentation.

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