Collaborating on presentations is critical in the workplace. Whether you’re working on a team project for school or creating slides for an important work presentation, getting feedback from others can take your slides from good to great.
Adding comments in Google Slides makes it simple for multiple people to provide suggestions on the same presentation. Comments allow you to give and receive feedback right within the presentation, eliminating the need for long email chains or confusing version control.
In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn how to add, edit, and delete comments in Google Slides to streamline collaboration.
Why Commenting in Google Slides is Useful
Here are some of the biggest reasons why using comments for collaboration is so helpful:
- Get expert feedback quickly – Rather than scheduling a meeting, you can get input from teammates immediately through comments. This allows you to improve the presentation faster.
- No confusing file versions – Rather than emailing different versions of a file back and forth, all feedback is visible in one place. The original presentation file stays intact.
- Assign action items – You can assign comments to specific people to delegate tasks. Assignees will also receive email notifications as a reminder.
- Enhance remote collaboration – For remote teams, commenting eliminates geography barriers. Everyone can contribute no matter where they’re located.
Step-by-Step Guide to Commenting in Google Slides
Adding comments to Google Slides presentations is easy once you know how. Follow these six simple steps:
1. Open Your Presentation
First, open the Google Slides presentation you want to add comments to. You can open a presentation you’ve already created or start a new one.
2. Select Content to Comment On
Next, click on or highlight the text, image, shape, or other content you want to comment on. You can add comments to any slides or objects within your presentation.
3. Click “Add Comment”
In the toolbar at the top, click the “Add comment” button (it looks like a chat bubble symbol). Alternatively, you can right-click and select “Add comment.”
4. Type Your Comment
A comment box will appear. Type your comment or question you want others to see.
5. Tag Users (Optional)
If you want to notify someone specifically about the comment, type “@” and their email address. This will send them an email alert.
6. Click “Comment”
Finally, click the blue “Comment” button to publish your comment. It will now be visible to other collaborators.
And that’s it! Now anyone with access to the presentation can view, reply to, and resolve your comment.
Replying to Comments in Google Slides
Once there are active comments on a presentation, replying keeps the conversation going.
Here’s how to reply to existing Google Slides comments:
- Open the presentation and navigate to the slide with the comment.
- Hover over the comment and click the reply arrow icon.
- Type your reply in the field that appears.
- Click “Reply” to publish it below the initial comment.
Others will be notified of your reply comment so they can continue providing feedback.
Assigning Comments as Action Items
Comments in Google Slides also double as editable action items. You can assign comments to specific people to delegate tasks.
Here’s how to assign a comment:
- When typing a new comment, add “@” and the full email address of the person you are assigning it to.
- Check the box next to “Assign to [person’s name]”.
- The assignee will receive an email notification with the comment.
Once assigned, only that person can mark the comment as completed. Assigning comments is useful for delegating research tasks, sources to add, or slides to create.
Editing and Deleting Comments
Made a mistake in an existing comment? You can easily edit or delete it.
To edit a comment:
- Hover over the comment and click the three-dot “More” menu.
- Select “Edit”.
- Make your changes to the comment text.
- Click “Save”.
To delete:
- Hover over the comment and click “More”.
- Click “Delete”.
- Confirm you want to delete the comment.
Now the comment will be removed from the presentation.
Viewing Comment History
To quickly see all comments made on a Google Slides presentation in one place, view the comment history.
To open comment history:
- Click the speech bubble icon in the toolbar.
- A sidebar will open listing all comments, organized by user.
- Click a comment to jump directly to its location.
This makes it easy to catch up on recent feedback or find where a specific comment was made.
Best Practices for Commenting
Follow these tips when adding comments to Google Slides for collaborating:
- Be specific – Clearly state what feedback you have or changes that should be made to aid understanding.
- Reply promptly – Check back frequently and reply to new comments so your collaborators know you saw their suggestions.
- Assign action items – Use @ mentions to delegate tasks to individuals and help move the project forward.
- Resolve comments – Mark comments as resolved once any requested changes have been made.
Conclusion
Adding comments within Google Slides removes friction from getting valuable input on presentations. By following the steps in this guide, you can easily:
- Leave comments on any text, images, or slides
- Reply to comments to continue the conversation
- Assign action items to individuals
- Edit and delete comments
- View all feedback in comment history
Unlocking the power of Google Slides commenting will allow your team to take presentations to the next level.
So open your next presentation and start collaborating! The ability to comment directly in slides simplifies improving content based on group feedback.
