Speaker notes are a great way to add reminders of what you should say when giving your presentation. We can quickly add presenter notes to our PowerPoint slides.
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Note: In todays tutorial, we make use of the popular Simplicity PowerPoint Template. You can also find more professional PowerPoint templates on GraphicRiver.
Add Speaker Notes to Your PowerPoint Presentation (Quick Video)
1. Open the PowerPoint Notes Panel
In PowerPoint, let's click on Notes on the bottom of the app to open up the Notes Panel. These notes will show up only on your screen when presenting, or you can have them on your slides when you print them.
2. Add Your Presenter Notes to Individual Slides
Notes are added on a slide by slide basis. I can type notes down here as a reminder of what to say when I'm presenting. The notes will be added to the slide when I'm finished. Add speaker notes when you need those important cues about what to say. I like to add my key talking points here to help me stay on message when speaking.
3. Switch to Presentation Mode to Use Your Notes
Doing so, always helps that I have a smooth presentation. When I switch to presentation mode as I'm showing here. If I'm hooked up to another monitor like a projector, I'll have a little different view on my screen than my audience does. I'll see my speaker notes here on the right side as I cycle through my slides.
Finishing Up!
You can add Speaker Notes to all the slides in your PowerPoint presentation. That way, when you're giving your talk, you'll have handy notes to refer to if you get stuck. The audience won't see them, they're just available for your reference and to help you stay on track during your presentation.
You can also print your slides, and have those presenter notes at hand, if you prefer to have a paper copy to reference. Learn how in this quick video tutorial:
Quick PowerPoint Videos (60 Seconds)
Here are more PowerPoint tutorials here on Tuts+ to help take your learning to the next level:
How to Use PowerPoint Slide Master View in 60 Seconds
How to Download, Import, & Install a PowerPoint Template
Discover additional PPT design options in our Ultimate Guide to PowerPoint Templates.
Make Great Presentations (Free PDF eBook Download)
We have the perfect compliment to this tutorial, which will walk you through the complete presentation process. Learn how to write your presentation, design it like a pro, and prepare it to present powerfully.
Download our new eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations. It's available for free with a subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter.
