Making Notes and Handouts in PowerPoint

PowerPoint provides an option for adding speaker notes to each slide in a presentation. The notes do not actually show up on slide, but are printed separately with one notes page for each slide. Speaker notes can be as detailed or as sparse as suits an individual's presentation style.

There are two ways to add speaker notes to a presentation. The first is to click on the Notes Page View button and the second is to select View from the menu bar, then select Notes Pages.

Notes View displays the following screen. If the display is too small, change the zoom setting to a factor of 66% or 75%.

To add notes, click in the notes text object and begin typing. The notes area can be increased or decreased in size by using the sizing handles. Changing the size of the notes text area only effects the current slide.

To print the slides with notes, open the Print dialog box by selecting File from the menu bar, then Print. In the Print What field, choose the Notes Pages option.

Blank notes pages can also be printed. These can be useful for handwriting notes or they can be handed out to the audience for their use in taking notes on the presentation.