Speaker Notes and Presenting
By the Syncfusion DevTutorials team · Last updated
Write and print speaker notes, start and navigate a slide show, use the pen, highlighter, and laser pointer, black out the screen, and present with Presenter View.
Creating slides is only part of a presentation. You also need to deliver them effectively. PowerPoint provides tools that help you present with confidence, including speaker notes, slide show controls, navigation shortcuts, presentation tools, and Presenter View. In this lesson, you'll learn how to write useful speaker notes, run a slide show, navigate between slides, use presentation tools, and monitor your presentation using Presenter View.
Open the PowerPoint sandbox and follow along.
Speaker Notes
Speaker notes are private notes attached to individual slides. They help you remember key points, important facts, and talking cues while presenting.
The audience cannot see speaker notes during the presentation.
To add notes:
- Click Notes below the slide.
- Click inside the Notes pane.
- Type your notes.
You can drag the Notes pane border to make it larger if needed.
Use speaker notes as reminders, not as a script. Notes should help you speak naturally instead of reading word for word.
Writing Effective Notes
Good speaker notes contain short prompts that can be understood at a glance.
| Instead of Writing | Try Writing |
|---|---|
| A full paragraph to read aloud | Thank everyone. Introduce the topic. |
| Detailed instructions | Trees arrive 9:15. Gloves at gate. |
| Complete slide content again | Ask: Who has planted a tree before? |
Useful note content includes:
- Key facts and figures
- Names and dates
- Questions for the audience
- Presentation reminders
- Transitions to the next slide
Examples:
Pause for questions
Thank sponsors
Next: project timeline
Notes Pages and Printing Notes
PowerPoint can display each slide together with its speaker notes using Notes Page view.
To open Notes Page view:
- Click View.
- Select Notes Page.
To print notes pages:
- Click File > Print.
- Under Settings, choose Notes Pages.
Each printed page includes:
- The slide image
- The speaker notes
Notes Page view is available in Microsoft PowerPoint but is not available in the PowerPoint sandbox.
Start a Slide Show
PowerPoint provides several ways to begin presenting.
| Method | Shortcut | Starting Point |
|---|---|---|
| From Beginning | F5 | First slide |
| From Current Slide | Shift + F5 | Selected slide |
| Present Button (Sandbox) | — | First slide |
| Slide Show Button | — | Current slide |
To end a presentation: Esc
Navigate During a Presentation
Use the following controls while presenting.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Next slide or animation | Click, Space, Enter, Right Arrow, N |
| Previous slide | Left Arrow, Backspace, P |
| Jump to a slide | Type slide number, then Enter |
| First slide | Home |
| Last slide | End |
Animations advance before PowerPoint moves to the next slide. Practice your presentation so you know exactly how many clicks each slide requires.
Laser Pointer, Pen, and Highlighter
PowerPoint includes tools that help you highlight content during a presentation.
Open them by:
- Right-clicking during Slide Show mode.
- Selecting Pointer Options.
Laser Pointer
The laser pointer displays a red dot that follows your cursor.
Shortcut: Ctrl + L
Use it to draw attention to specific areas of a slide.
Pen
The pen allows you to draw directly on slides.
Shortcut: Ctrl + P
Use it to:
- Circle numbers
- Underline points
- Sketch simple ideas
Highlighter
The highlighter works like a transparent marker.
Use it to emphasize important text or objects during the presentation.
Eraser
Use the Eraser tool to remove ink annotations.
Shortcut: E
When the presentation ends, PowerPoint asks whether you want to keep or discard your annotations.
Black or White Screen
Sometimes you want the audience to focus on you instead of the slide.
Black Screen
Press: B
The screen turns black.
Press B again or press another key to return.
White Screen
Press: W
The screen turns white.
Press W again or press another key to return.
These shortcuts are useful during discussions or question-and-answer sessions.
Presenter View
Presenter View provides a private presentation dashboard for the presenter.
The audience sees only the slide, while the presenter sees additional information.
Presenter View includes:
- Current slide
- Next slide preview
- Speaker notes
- Presentation timer
- Clock
- Laser pointer and pen tools
- Slide navigation controls
To start Presenter View:
With Multiple Displays
Presenter View usually starts automatically when a second display is connected.
With One Display
Use: Alt + F5 or Slide Show > Presenter View
Practice using Presenter View before an actual presentation. Make sure your notes are easy to read and monitor the timer to stay within your allotted time.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | What happens | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Notes too long | You read instead of talking | Cut to key words |
| Starting from slide 1 by accident | You click through the whole deck | Use From Current Slide (Shift + F5) |
| Presenter View on the projector | The audience sees your notes | Swap displays in the Presenter View toolbar |
| Not knowing how to stop | You're stuck in the show | Press Esc |
| Keeping accidental ink | Scribbles stay on the slides | Choose Discard when the show ends |
Exercise
Click Load the practice presentation below. Then do each task and press Check.
What to Remember
- The Notes pane stores private speaker notes for each slide.
- Use short prompts, key facts, reminders, and audience questions instead of full scripts.
- Notes Pages display slides together with their notes and can be printed.
- F5 starts a presentation from the beginning.
- Shift + F5 starts from the current slide.
- Esc ends the slide show.
- Use keyboard shortcuts to move between slides and jump to specific slide numbers.
- The Laser Pointer, Pen, and Highlighter help emphasize content during a presentation.
- B displays a black screen and W displays a white screen.
- Presenter View shows speaker notes, the next slide, and presentation tools on the presenter's screen.
- Rehearse your presentation to become comfortable with navigation, notes, timing, and presentation tools.
In the next lesson, you'll learn how to check your presentation for spelling, accessibility, and consistency, and how to work with comments and reviews.