Adding speaker notes in PowerPoint presentations is an effective way to prepare for delivering impactful presentations. Speaker notes allow presenters to have helpful prompts visible to them while the audience only sees the slides.
In this comprehensive guide, you will learn what speaker notes are, why they are useful, and step-by-step instructions for adding speaker notes in PowerPoint on both Windows and Mac.
What Are Speaker Notes?
Speaker notes, also called presenter notes, are helpful prompts and reminders that speakers can add to their PowerPoint slides. They contain things like key talking points, facts and statistics not suitable for slides, reminders for stories or examples, and quotes.
Speaker notes are only visible to the presenter in Presenter View. The audience never sees these notes, only the slides themselves. This allows presenters to have helpful reminders without cluttering up slides.
Benefits of Using Speaker Notes
Here are some of the main benefits of adding speaker notes in PowerPoint:
- Remember key information – Speaker notes allow you to prompt yourself with key facts, statistics, quotes, and examples you might otherwise forget.
- Keep presentations organized – Well-structured speaker notes help you stay on topic and transition smoothly between points.
- Appear more confident – Note prompts prevent scrambling for what to say next, allowing you to maintain eye contact.
- Engage audiences – Stories and examples in notes can help you deliver memorable presentations that resonate.
- Provide takeaways – Your notes can be printed and shared later to reinforce your message.
How to Add Speaker Notes in PowerPoint on Windows
Follow these simple steps to add speaker notes to PowerPoint slides on a Windows machine:
- Select the slide you want to add notes to.
- Click “Notes” at the bottom right of the PowerPoint window to open the notes pane.
- Click inside the notes pane and type your speaker notes for that slide.
- Repeat steps for all other slides needing notes.
- Click the “Notes” button again to hide the notes pane.
You can make minor formatting changes to notes, like text size, color, and bullets. For more advanced formatting, consider using the notes master.
How to Add Speaker Notes on a Mac
Here is how to add speaker notes to your presentation slides in PowerPoint for Mac:
- Select the slide you want notes for.
- Click “Notes” at the bottom right to open the notes pane.
- Click inside the notes pane and type your speaker notes.
- Repeat the steps for other slides as needed.
- Click “Notes” again to hide the pane when done.
Similar to Windows, you can do basic formatting of font sizes and colors within the notes. You can also enlarge the notes pane by dragging its top border.
Best Practices for Speaker Notes
Follow these best practices when adding speaker notes to your PowerPoint decks to maximize their effectiveness:
- Use concise phrases and bullet points instead of full sentences
- Include reminders for stories, quotes, and examples to use
- Put facts and figures not suitable for slides
- Use large, highly readable font sizes like 16 pt
- Be consistent with formatting and structure
- Practice with notes before your presentation
Following these best practices will help ensure your speaker notes enhance your presentation instead of becoming a distraction.
Conclusion
Adding speaker notes is a great way for presenters to prompt themselves with key information as they deliver PowerPoint presentations. Notes provide confidence, organization, and engagement without cluttering slides.
With the simple steps outlined above, anyone can start adding useful speaker notes to their decks on both Windows and Mac machines to elevate their presentations. Just be sure to follow best practices so your notes remain an asset rather than a liability.