The words on a slide and the words you plan to say out loud do not have to be the same thing, and usually should not be. By the end of this page you will know where to write speaker notes, how to see them privately while presenting, and how to print them for a rehearsal.
Speaker notes are a private script attached to each slide that the audience never sees. They let you keep the slide itself clean and simple, as covered on the slide text page, while still having reminders, exact figures, or a full sentence you want to say word for word, sitting quietly underneath.
In Normal view, below the main slide, there is a narrow strip labelled Notes; clicking into it and typing adds notes to that particular slide. If that strip is not visible, go to View and make sure Notes is ticked, or click the Notes button on the status bar at the bottom of the window. When you need more space to write, perhaps a longer explanation than the strip comfortably shows, switch to View > Notes Page, which displays the slide as a small picture at the top of the page with a full-sized text box underneath for your notes.
- Only you see this strip
- Audience sees only this
- Keep this short
The real benefit of speaker notes shows up when you actually present. Choosing Slide Show > Presenter View (this is usually on by default when you present on a second screen, such as a projector) gives you a screen showing the current slide, the next slide coming up, a timer, and your speaker notes, all visible only on your own laptop or monitor. The audience, looking at the projector or shared screen, sees only the plain slide, with no notes at all. This means you can keep detailed reminders in front of you without ever revealing them to the room.
Try it yourself
In Normal view, click into the Notes strip below the slide and type a sentence you want to remember to say.
This is the fastest way to add notes while you are already editing the slide's content.
Switch to View > Notes Page to see the same note in a larger text box beneath a picture of the slide.
Notes Page view is easier to work in when a note runs to several sentences or a short paragraph.
Add a short note to two or three more slides so you have something to test with.
Testing with a few slides, not just one, shows you how notes carry through the whole presentation.
Connect to a second screen or projector if you have one, then start Slide Show > Presenter View.
This confirms in practice that your notes appear only on your own screen and never on the shared display.
Go to File > Print, and under Settings choose Notes Pages instead of Slides.
Printing notes pages gives you a paper script with each slide's picture and its notes, useful for rehearsing without a laptop.
Words people use
Once notes become a habit, you will find yourself trusting the slides to stay simple, because you know your real script is sitting safely underneath them, visible only to you when it matters.
Check yourself
If you can say yes to each of these, you are ready for the next lesson.
- I can add speaker notes to a slide using the Notes pane in Normal view.
- I can switch to Notes Page view for more writing space.
- I know Presenter View shows my notes to me but not to the audience.
- I can print my slides as Notes Pages for a paper rehearsal script.