{"id":33044,"date":"2021-12-28T12:38:50","date_gmt":"2021-12-28T12:38:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mauriziolacava.com\/?p=33044"},"modified":"2026-01-23T13:28:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T13:28:14","slug":"powerpoint-speaker-notes-the-ultimate-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mauriziolacava.com\/en\/powerpoint-speaker-notes-the-ultimate-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"PowerPoint Speaker Notes – The Ultimate Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Have you ever heard of PowerPoint speaker<\/span> notes<\/strong>?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You probably have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are those notes that the speaker<\/span> used to write down on a piece of paper to keep at hand in old presentations.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, PowerPoint decided to make available a feature that allows you to add speaker<\/span> notes directly into your presentation.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is it worthwhile to talk about such a simple topic?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

PowerPoint’s speaker<\/span> notes have many different facets and, when used correctly, can support you in different contexts <\/strong>allowing you to create effective presentations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/span>What are speaker<\/span> notes in PowerPoint?  <\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s right; let’s start with the basics and quickly clarify what we’re talking about.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

PowerPoint allows you to add speaker<\/span> notes <\/strong>in every slide, or to be precise, below every slide.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This way, every time you scroll through the slides you will always have available the notes related to the slide you are commenting on.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Convenient, isn’t it?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, but this is just the tip of the iceberg.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t just assume that this is the only way to use PowerPoint speaker<\/span> notes, because I’m about to show you that there’s much, much more<\/strong> to it than that.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you with me?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then let’s begin right away by appreciating its benefits.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/span>What are the pros of using speaker<\/span> notes in PowerPoint? <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever had the fear of not remembering what to say<\/strong> during your next presentation?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If so, PowerPoint speaker<\/span> notes are a powerful ally for you.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They allow you to jot down key information<\/strong>, numbers, or even sources and all kinds of information that you shouldn’t forget. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the main reason why the average user discovers the existence of this tool.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is it wrong, Maurizio?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Absolutely not, it’s perfectly fine to use speaker<\/span> notes to support your argument<\/strong>, especially if they give you peace of mind.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, you must avoid getting caught reading the notes. <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I remember a speaker<\/span> at a business meeting who decided to share his presentation using the projector in the meeting room, but spent the entire meeting reading speaker<\/span> notes on his laptop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this were to happen to you, you would communicate unpreparedness <\/strong>and your audience would struggle<\/strong> to focus on the projected slides because you would be constantly looking at your laptop screen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you follow my blog or have read my Lean Presentation Design book<\/a>, you know how much I care about building an empathetic relationship with the audience.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, you can clearly see that giving a presentation by looking at your PowerPoint speaker<\/span> notes on your laptop without looking at your audience is not an empathetically effective approach.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you do it, then?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use the PowerPoint speaker<\/span> notes as a support<\/strong>, a safety net, but make sure you always know your topic<\/strong> well and don’t need to read your entire speech.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You should only need to peek at them here and there during your presentation.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s get technical.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/span>How do I<\/strong> add speaker notes in PowerPoint?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is actually really easy! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Go to PowerPoint and look below your current slide.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’ll see that there’s an edge that you can drag upwards.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Did you find it?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you drag it, you’ll notice that it opens a panel within which you can enter text. <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In that panel you can insert PowerPoint speaker<\/span> notes.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you noticed that the speaker<\/span> notes panel looks like a simple text editor? <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The logic of slide freedom doesn’t apply, you can only write in there.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all, you need this panel to free you from the constraints of design (alignments, distributions, font size and style) and focus on the content – what you need to write.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, I’ll just insert some sample text with the =lorem()<\/strong> function to show you how to use notes.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As you can see, you have plenty of space to write freely in the notes field. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/span>How do I<\/strong> use speaker notes in PowerPoint during a presentation?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Okay, you’ve set up your notes by entering key information that you don’t want to risk forgetting while you’re speaking.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you view them during your presentation? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The typical mistake is to have your PowerPoint run full screen with the F5 key.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How? I shouldn’t be presenting in full screen, Maurizio?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn’t say that.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You should certainly present full-screen, but that’s the visual you should offer your audience – you should see the “behind the scenes”<\/strong> of the presentation.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don’t understand, I am not following you.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ll give you an example.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you switch to full screen presenter mode, you will see this.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What you should see instead<\/strong> is PowerPoint’s speaker<\/span> mode.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This way you will have a clear overview of the slide you are projecting<\/strong>, the slide that will follow<\/strong>, and your PowerPoint notes. <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Where are the notes?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am highlighting<\/strong> them in the following image. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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With PowerPoint speaker<\/span> mode you’ll have your notes conveniently placed <\/strong>under the following slide.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you achieve this effect?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a live presentation, simply connect your laptop<\/strong> to a projector with an HDMI or VGA cable to extend the screen.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember, it’s important to extend the screen <\/strong>and not duplicate<\/strong> it because you want to have two different visuals on the two screens.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To extend your screen on Windows just use the shortcut WIN+P. <\/strong>This will open the side panel shown in the next figure, where you’ll have to choose the extend mode.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Be careful:<\/strong> if you use a wireless screen sharing tool, such as Clickshare<\/strong>, then you might have difficulties in extending the desktop since these tools are designed for screen duplication.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In case you need it, I’ve written a short guide where I explain how to set an extended screen mode with Clickshare as well: How to activate the PowerPoint Presenter view with Clickshare<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is a powerful technique because it allows<\/strong> you to always have your eyes on your notes <\/strong>and the next slide without ever having to turn to look at the screen.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please, don’t tell me you’re one of those speakers who turns to look at their slides at every screen to remember what to say.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you were, from now on you will know how to change and devote 100% of your attention to look at and interact with your audience, rather than the projector.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naturally, I expect you to grasp the information you need at a glance from a laptop <\/strong>that will be strategically placed between you and your audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you lose yourself looking at your laptop and stop looking at your audience then you are making a common, serious mistake<\/strong> and will end up losing all contact with your audience.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/span>How to use speaker<\/span> notes in PowerPoint during a virtual presentation?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although so heavily judged, online presentations offer a great opportunity<\/strong> when it comes to advanced management of live direction.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By being behind a screen and having your own location you can exploit notes in a much more effective way than if you were in person.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In what sense, Maurizio?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ll give you an example right now.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out my setup during an online presentation.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I have Microsoft Teams<\/strong> on the left, while on the right I have PowerPoint in speaker<\/span> mode <\/strong>with the speaker<\/span> notes.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This way I can monitor the chat and interact with my audience,<\/strong> but at the same time I have control over the direction of the presentation.<\/strong>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will your audience see when you share the screen, Maurizio?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They will only see the full-screen slide<\/strong> because you will only share the slideshow.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sorry Mauri, but I’m a little confused by this complex setup.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If that’s the case, I understand, and that’s why I recorded a short video <\/a><\/strong>where I show you how to do it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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